Cultivation is Creation

It still took another week of practice to perfect the technique, but eventually, I managed to weave my first stable rune in the air. The Vine Whip pattern hung between my hands, glowing with a crimson light.

"Now for the easy part," I muttered, preparing to transfer it to my skin.

This part was more for show, I didn’t want to return to the elder empty handed.

"Remember," Azure cautioned, "unlike physical inscription, this method requires you to maintain perfect focus throughout the transfer process. If your concentration is disrupted at any point, it could cause the rune to collapse."

Yggy sent encouragement through our bond as I carefully pressed the floating rune against the back of my right hand. The pattern flared brightly, and for a moment I thought it would fade like it had with the plant. Then the lines settled into my skin, forming the same dark red tattoo-like mark that the physical inscription would have created.

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was even holding. "It worked!"

"Indeed, Master," Azure agreed. "And now that you've mastered the technique, you can inscribe the patterns into your Inner World."

I smiled, already thinking of the possibilities. I could allocate an area of my Inner World just for runes. I’d start with the Fundamental Rune and then keep adding new runes.

“But for now..." I gathered energy between my hands again, beginning to weave another pattern. "Let's inscribe a few more runes so the elder doesn’t get suspicious.”

"Master," Azure spoke up as I successfully completed another rune, "I believe Elder Molric will be quite surprised by your progress when you return."

I laughed softly, watching the latest pattern settle into my skin. "Oh, I'm counting on it. Though knowing him, he'll probably just take it as proof that his teaching methods are superior to the academy's."

Through our bond, I felt Yggy's amusement at the thought. The vine-turned-spirit had quickly come to share my fondness for the elder's eccentric ways.

Before I returned to the elder, there was one more thing I needed to do. After weeks of practicing energy weaving, it was time to make some permanent improvements to my setup. No more wasting time inscribing runes at the start of each loop, I was going to create something that would last.

"Ready, Master?" Azure asked as I closed my eyes.

"As I'll ever be," I replied, letting my consciousness sink inward. The familiar sensation of leaving my physical body washed over me as I entered my inner world in spiritual form.

The massive expanse of my domain spread out before me - mountains rising in the northwest, the garden region to the northeast, and the training zones in the southern quadrants. At the center of it all, the Genesis Seed stood proudly.

"We should choose the location carefully," Azure said, materializing beside me. "The runes will need to be both protected and accessible."

I nodded, floating toward the Genesis Seed. "I'm thinking here, in the central area. Close enough to benefit from the Seed's stabilizing influence, but with enough space to create a proper runic array."

The area around the Genesis Seed was relatively clear, with only the root system extending outward in every direction.

"That’s an excellent choice," Azure agreed.

I studied the space, mentally mapping out where each rune would go. "The Fundamental Rune should be at the center of the array, with the others arranged around it in a balanced pattern."

"Master," Azure said thoughtfully, "regarding power requirements - the runes need constant red sun energy to maintain their form. Perhaps we could create a direct connection to your red sun?"

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I looked up at the crimson orb making its eternal orbit overhead. "That... could work. Instead of having to constantly channel energy to keep the runes active, we could set up a permanent feed." I grinned ℟ᴀＮ∅βĘŞ

"The theory seems sound," Azure nodded. "Though we should test it carefully. Start with just the Fundamental Rune and ensure the connection is stable before adding the others."

"Right." I raised my hands, gathering crimson energy between them. The energy responded to my will, flowing into the familiar pattern of my Fundamental Rune.

The silvery tree pattern hung in the air before me, but rather than trying to inscribe it somewhere, I focused on creating a connection to the red sun above. A thin stream of energy extended from the celestial body, flowing into the rune like water through a pipe.

The effect was immediate. The rune's glow steadied, powered by the constant feed of energy. I could feel the refined power flowing into my spiritual form, just as it did when physically inscribed on my body.

"The connection appears stable," Azure observed. "The rune is maintaining perfect form with minimal energy loss."

Encouraged by the success, I began weaving the Worldroot Conduit. The pattern of interwoven roots took shape beside the Fundamental Rune, and I carefully guided them together. The designs merged seamlessly, creating a more complex but harmonious whole.

Almost immediately, I felt the change. Wood essence began materializing in the air around the combined runes, spreading outward in gentle waves. The Genesis Seed began to hungrily absorb the wood essence like a sponge drinking water.

A ripple of power spread through my inner world. The boundaries pushed outward, expanding from their original 220-meter radius to around 400 meters.

"Fascinating," Azure commented. "The Worldroot Conduit appears to be generating elemental essence similar to how we previously used treasures to create water and earth essence.”

I nodded, watching my status increase:

Qi Condensation Stage 6

Soul Essence: 1250/1250

Spiritual Essence: 1100/1100

Physical Essence: 300/1150

The numbers were encouraging. I was firmly in the early stages of Qi Condensation 6, and my spiritual essence fully recovered. While I couldn't regenerate spiritual essence in this world without converting soul essence using the Tri-Essence Harmony technique, at least I had access to my full power - even if it was limited use.

More importantly, I could feel my connection to the wood element strengthening. The essence being generated wasn't just expanding my inner world - it was enhancing my natural affinity for plant-based techniques.

"Shall we continue with the rest?" Azure asked.

I cracked my spiritual knuckles, a gesture that probably wasn't necessary but felt appropriate. "Time to get to work."

***

Over the next few hours, I carefully wove and integrated each rune into the array. The Titan's Crest, with its interlocking triangles forming a hexagon. The Blink Step, its overlapping crescents suggesting movement. The Aegis Mark, creating a shield pattern of interconnected shapes.

Each one connected to the red sun's energy feed, maintaining constant activity without draining my personal reserves. The elemental runes followed - Vine Whip, Explosive Seed, and Woodweave Seal, their patterns harmonizing with the Worldroot Conduit's wood essence generation.

"Don't forget the Flight Rune," Azure reminded me.

I paused, glancing at the blue sun hidden beneath the Genesis Seed's canopy. "We wouldn't need it if we could restore the proper orbit," I mused. "But I guess we could use it until we figure out how to hide its presence from the elders."

The Flight Rune took shape under my hands. The rune might be staple for Skybound practitioners at Rank 2 and above, but I preferred having a backup method that didn't rely on their system.

"Master," Azure said as I finished connecting the last rune, "I believe we should test the entire array before leaving. Experimenting here would be far less dangerous than in the physical world."

"Good point." I began channeling energy through each rune in sequence, checking their responses. The Titan's Crest activated smoothly, sending strength-enhancing power through my spiritual form. The Blink Step's acceleration felt clean and precise. The Aegis Mark's barrier snapped into place without any fluctuation.

The elemental runes performed even better than their physical counterparts. Vines materialized instantly at my command. The Explosive Seed rune generated its volatile projectiles without any energy waste. The Woodweave Seal created patches of healing fibers that were actually superior to what I could manage in the physical world.

"Everything appears to be functioning optimally," Azure confirmed. "The red sun's energy feed is stable, and the wood essence generation remains constant."

“Yes, but more importantly, I could practice new techniques here and not have to worry about accidentally killing myself.”

“You now have your own private training place, Master,” Azure smiled at me.

I took a step back to admire what we had achieved. A complete array of runic patterns hung suspended around the plateau, each one glowing with a steady crimson light as they drew power from the red sun above. It was beautiful, in a deadly sort of way.

"Most impressive, Master," Azure said. "Though I notice you left space for additional patterns."

I smiled. "Of course. After all, we never did get to learn Elder Molric's more... interesting runes in the last loop." My smile turned slightly predatory. "This time, I intend to learn everything that mad genius has to teach."

"Speaking of which," Azure reminded me, "we should probably return. The elder will be expecting us soon."

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