Chapter 22: Days in the Empire

Yunluo Li, Year 9999, July.

Life in the manor had finally settled completely.

Morning sunlight streamed through the window, and Aikesi opened his eyes right on time. This wasn't a biological clock; it was a change brought by the Nuwa Diagram—every day at Mao hour, that scroll would automatically appear in his mind, more punctual than any alarm clock.

He sat up and began to visualize.

The Nuwa Diagram slowly unfolded in his mind; the woman's back remained standing quietly. But compared to a month ago, faint patterns had appeared along the edges of that back—that was the change after the Qi Refining method merged in. Those patterns looked like some kind of path, running from the crown of the head to the soles of the feet, with faint light flowing through them.

Aikesi immersed himself in it, his spiritual power slowly growing along with the flow of those patterns.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

"Stronger by a fraction again," he muttered to himself.

This feeling was very subtle. It wasn't the qualitative change of a breakthrough, but the solid sense of progress every day. Like pouring water into a bucket, drop by drop, watching the water level rise slowly.

He went downstairs for breakfast. Old Ka'er had already arranged everything—the dining table was spotless, and the breakfast was laid out neatly. This old steward spoke little, but his work was extremely proper; Aikesi was very satisfied. Zhui Shu Shen Qi reads novels every day, ttks. tw, super smooth.

"Young master, what are the plans for today?" Ka'er asked.

"Same as usual," Aikesi said. "Go to the Royal Magic Academy to audit classes in the afternoon; the rest of the time in the manor."

"Yes."

After finishing breakfast, Aikesi went to the study.

The study's collection was richer than he had imagined. The previous owner must have been a magic enthusiast too, leaving behind many precious classics. Combined with what Aikesi had brought himself, the bookshelves were already packed to the brim.

He pulled out a copy of "Huoxi Gaoji Moha Yuanli" and flipped to the place he had last seen.

This book was compiled by the Royal Magic Academy of the Yulan Empire and was far deeper than the textbooks of the Ernst Institute. It detailed the essence of Level 7 and above magic, and how to use spiritual power to guide Magic into forming more complex structures.

Aikesi read very slowly, thinking as he read.

The flames of the Fallen Heart Flame were different from ordinary fire; some magical structures needed adjustment to unleash maximum power. Over this past month, he had been exploring casting methods suitable for himself.

The morning time passed just like that.

In the afternoon, Aikesi rode a horse to the Royal Magic Academy.

The academy was in the eastern district of Didu and occupied a vast area. The main gate was a tall stone archway, carved with complex magical patterns on it. After the guards checked his identity badge, they respectfully let him pass.

This was the treatment given by the king—he could enter and leave the academy freely and audit any course.

Aikesi walked along the main road inward, passing several teaching buildings. Occasionally, he encountered students on the road, wearing uniform academy robes, walking in groups of three or five. Some cast curious glances at him, but no one approached to speak.

He walked into the library.

The Royal Magic Academy's library was a five-story building, said to be one of the tallest buildings in Didu. The first floor was the general reading area; the second floor and above held various professional classics; only those with permission could enter the top two floors.

Aikesi wandered around the first floor, then went upstairs.

He had been to the second, third, and fourth floors; today he wanted to see the fifth floor—that was the Fire Element magic section.

The collection on the fifth floor was smaller than he imagined, but every book was very thick. He pulled out a copy of "The Essence of Flame," sat by the window, and began to read.

He read until evening.

When he closed the book, the sunset had already dyed the window outside. Aikesi stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff neck.

"A great harvest," he thought.

This book discussed the microscopic structure of flames—those aspects that spiritual power could not directly perceive. Although there were many places he didn't understand, the parts he did understand had already deepened his understanding of flames by a layer.

Going downstairs, he met an old man.

The old man wore a gray long robe; there were no patterns on the cuffs, but his aura was unfathomable. He glanced at Aikesi, his gaze paused on him for an instant, then nodded and continued upstairs.

Aikesi also nodded in return and asked no more.

In Didu, keeping a low profile was never wrong.

When he returned to the manor, it was already dark.

Old Ka'er lit candles and set out dinner. Aikesi ate alone, his mind still thinking about the content of that book.

After finishing the meal, he went to the small grove in the backyard.

The Magic Array on the bluestone had already been repaired by him. Although it couldn't compare to the natural convergence points in the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it was far stronger than ordinary places. He sat cross-legged and began to cultivate Magic.

The Fallen Heart Flame slowly pulsed, the Fire Spirit Bead glowed faintly, and the Five Spirit Wheel operated at full capacity. Surrounding Fire Elements constantly surged into his body, entered the Middle Dantian, and were refined into pure Magic.

An hour later, he concluded his cultivation and stood up.

Returning to his room, he continued to visualize the Nuwa Diagram.

That scroll was even clearer in the night; the woman's back seemed to have come to life. Those patterns slowly flowed, carrying some mysterious rhythm. Aikesi immersed himself in it, and the growth of his spiritual power seemed to have accelerated by half a point.

Night deepened.

He lay down and fell asleep quickly.

Days like this passed, one after another.

In mid-July, Aikesi received a letter from Qiaozhi.

The letter was sent from the Ernst Institute, saying that they were all doing well; Linlei had stabilized at Level 7, Yelu was nearing graduation, and Leinuo was still struggling in his fourth year. At the end of the letter, he asked how Aikesi was getting along in Yunluo.

Aikesi wrote back a letter, briefly mentioning the situation in the manor and also the library of the Royal Magic Academy.

"The collection is indeed vast; you can take a look next time you come," he wrote.

At the end of the month, the Sign-in System activated again.

【Ding—Detected that the host's monthly sign-in opportunity has refreshed. Sign in?】

He silently thought in his heart: Sign in.

【Sign-in successful.】

【Reward obtained: Aizesilasi Teleportation Enhanced Version—can mark five locations for instant teleportation at any time, cooldown three days. Currently auto-marked: Yunluo Manor.】

A pale blue Rune Stone appeared out of thin air in his palm; the touch was warm and moist, with faint light flowing through it. Aikesi played with it for a while, then, following the information in his mind, probed his spiritual power into it.

Three marked points—the main building of the manor, the cultivation spot in the small grove, and the entrance to the Royal Magic Academy library.

He tried it. With a thought, his entire body instantly vanished from the study and appeared on the bluestone in the small grove.

"Interesting." He tried a few more times, confirming there was no error.

With this, it will be convenient to go anywhere from now on.

August, the hottest time of the year.

Aikesi reduced his outings, spending most of his time cultivating in the manor. He read books in the morning, cultivated Magic in the afternoon, and contemplated the Nuwa Diagram in the morning and evening. Occasionally he would go to the Royal Magic Academy, but he went less often.

He discovered that the effect of calming his mind and cultivating alone was actually better than running around everywhere.

One day in mid-August, while contemplating the Nuwa Diagram, he suddenly had a strange sensation.

The woman in that scroll seemed to move slightly.

It was just an instant, but he clearly perceived it—the rhythm of creating all things, the process from nothing to something, had some connection to the moment fire was born when he cast magic.

He was stunned for a long time, then tried to integrate that feeling into his cultivation.

His spiritual energy circulated slowly, smoother than usual. The Magic flowing within his body also seemed to carry a trace of that rhythm.

Since then, the speed of his cultivation increased a bit more.

In late August, Aikesi received a second letter.

This one was written by Yelu. The letter said that Leinuo was shouting every day that he wanted to come to Yunlu to find him, but was stopped by his family; Linlei was still the same, speaking little, but he was fine.

"Take care of yourself while you are alone over there," Yelu wrote.

Aikesi looked at those words and smiled.

Alone? Not exactly alone.

There was old Ka'er, there were servants, there were these books, there was the Nuwa Diagram, there was the Fallen Heart Flame. The days were very quiet, but very fulfilling.

He replied: "All is well. Do not worry."

On the evening of the last day of August, Aikesi stood in the courtyard, looking at the sunset clouds on the horizon.

The sunset clouds dyed half the sky red; a few clouds edged with gold drifted slowly toward the west. He remembered those evenings in Fenlai Cheng—five youths sitting in the dormitory courtyard, watching the same sunset clouds, chatting about various irrelevant topics.

Now, there was only him alone.

But he did not feel lonely.

The path is one's own choice, so one must walk it oneself. Each brother has his own path; we will meet again sooner or later.

"Young master." Ka'er's voice came from behind, "Dinner is ready."

He turned around and walked into the room.

Candles were lit in the dining room, and several simple dishes were arranged on the table. He sat down alone and ate slowly.

Halfway through the meal, he suddenly stopped and looked at the empty chair opposite him.

Then he smiled and continued eating.

After finishing the meal, he went upstairs to contemplate the Nuwa Diagram.

That scroll unfolded in his mind, the woman's back standing quietly. The surrounding chaos flowed slowly, as if nurturing something.

He immersed himself in that mysterious rhythm, forgetting time.