Chapter 79: 76 Void, Wind, Fire (Bonus for 500 collections)

76 Void, Wind, Fire (Bonus for 500 collections)

Tang Zhao felt very miserable.

This thick book claimed to be "Elementary," but it was not elementary at all.

Not only was it written in an abstruse manner, but it was also very dry. Abstruse could be solved through annotations, but dryness was the true enemy of reading. He had never known there was a distinction between dry and non-dry textbooks before; they were all rigid, lifeless text anyway, but this one was written especially parched. It was so dry it lacked even a hint of embellishment, making his teeth ache as if he were chewing on a stale, days-old flour cake.

This might also be because Tang Zhao had not entered the gate at all, yet insisted on getting started. The more he read, the more he frowned, and he had to take a break after finishing every page.

Upon raising his head, he saw that woman looking at him right before his eyes.

At first, Tang Zhao did not even recognize her, because she was dressed so differently.

At this moment, her face was clean, revealing fair, tender skin and delicate features. Her hair was tied up casually, hanging behind her head with a vibrant hair ribbon. She wore a fluffy skirt, its color and style matching her room—colorful, though the colors were softer, making it look more casual. The clothes were decorated here and there with various owl patterns that were jumping, spinning, or tilting their heads. On her feet, she wore fuzzy, wide-mouthed slippers with large, furry owl heads on the front. The whole person looked like the owner of an owl-themed candy house.

She looked to be in her twenties, and the way she looked at him was very focused. This focus gave her a scholarly air, no different from that dusty recorder in the mountains, yet her attire showed she was a vibrant young girl.

Tang Zhao realized what was happening, hurriedly closed the book, stood up, and said, "I'm sorry, I took the liberty of reading your book."

The woman returned to a relaxed expression, her brows and eyes smiling with youthful liveliness as she laughed, "It's fine, can you understand it?"

Tang Zhao spoke bluntly, "I don't quite understand it; it's very painful to chew through."

The woman laughed, "Is that so? Is the book written poorly?"

Tang Zhao said, "This... I've never read a book on Rune Formulae, perhaps I haven't entered the gate? It really feels dry; there are no examples or rhetorical devices, and there are so many data points and endless strings of symbols. It makes my head explode."

The woman had a strange expression and said, "If you say so, you really saw it—that means you didn't pick the right book." She stood up, pulled one from the bookshelf, and said, "Take a look at this."

Tang Zhao took it and saw that the book was also very thick, with "Enlightenment Chapter of Rune Formulae" written on it.

He had been careless.

He had thought "Elementary" was the lowest level; he hadn't expected there to be an "Enlightenment" stage before it.

Just as he was about to flip through it from the beginning, the woman already said, "No rush to read, eat first."

Dining was in the next room, which was also spacious. It was not carpeted, featuring a floor of clean, uniform stone tiles. The table faced a large window, which was inlaid with a large piece of smooth, colorless crystal, so transparent that the mountain scenery outside could be seen. The tabletop was large, holding several plates and bowls filled with steaming dishes and exquisite, novel snacks.

Tang Zhao was full of praise and felt a bit ashamed, saying, "It's too much trouble for you to host me, Sister. To be able to make such a large table of dishes in the mountains is truly hard work and amazing."

The woman said, "Not really, there is this much food whether you come or not. These were all made early and packed away; they can be eaten as soon as they are opened. I'm not in the mood to make a big table of food every day, so I prepared a lot of food. Everything is convenient for us Talisman Sword Masters."

Although he had guessed it earlier, Tang Zhao was still pleasantly surprised—this woman was a Talisman Sword Master! One of those Talisman Sword Masters who researched Rune Formulae and crafted Art Tools! This was his first time meeting a Talisman Sword Master in person!

Wait... "us"?

Does that "us" include me?

He felt this woman was a few degrees warmer toward him than before, and feeling a bit uneasy, he said, "Sister, how should I address you?"

The woman said, "My surname is Xue, you can just call me Xue Jiejie."

Surname Xue...

Tang Zhao's heart stirred as he recalled something. He hesitated before asking, but Xue Jiejie had already poured him a full cup of fruit yogurt.

The fruit yogurt was sweet and sour, very delicious, and the dishes were also very tasty. At least he couldn't tell the difference between them and freshly made food.

However, he wasn't surprised, because Ping Jiangqiu also had delicacies stored for over a hundred years that tasted no different from fresh ones. He figured Rune Formulae could have the same effect, though perhaps not for a hundred years.

The two of them ate to their hearts' content. While eating, Tang Zhao remembered the fat cat and said, "Sister, don't you need to prepare food for that cat?"

Xue Jiejie was stunned for a moment and said, "Oh, you saw it? That's not mine; it's a... cat left here by a friend. Don't worry about it, it doesn't belong to me. Sometimes it comes back and lies there, sometimes it jumps out the window and leaves on its own."

Tang Zhao realized, saying, "No wonder I always see it nearby; it acts like it's at its own home wherever it goes."

Xue Jiejie laughed, "... It takes after its Master. Its Master is very thick-skinned and never stands on ceremony. It's a good thing it didn't come to mooch a meal today."

After the meal, the woman handed him that "Enlightenment Chapter" by the dining table and said, "You must read this book carefully, page by page. If you feel dizzy, don't force it."

Tang Zhao was startled, thinking to himself: Could it be that this book requires a powerful Spirit to read?

He had heard similar plots in stories told by Chen Zong, so he guessed it easily.

After thinking for a moment, he took off his Glasses. His Glasses could resist many Spirit attacks, but who knew if the book had some magical Secret Art? He might see some strange phenomena, and wearing them might actually be a hindrance.

He opened the book and saw that the pages were very smooth. The first page spread open to show only one symbol, a horizontal and vertical symbol.

Tang Zhao froze the moment he saw this symbol. He felt his mind go blank, all thoughts and distractions vanished, and only an infinitely vast space extended before him.

His lips moved unconsciously, and the woman saw him reading a character:

"Void."

It wasn't that she could read lips, but that every youth with aptitude would read this character upon seeing this page.

Tang Zhao turned to the second page.

The pages of this book were very thick; turning one page meant a tenth of the book was gone.

The second page was also a symbol, slightly more distorted than the previous one.

Upon seeing this symbol, air currents instantly flowed through that vast space in his mind.

"Wind."

He recited it silently.

He turned to the third page, which was also a symbol.

The wind was blowing, and for no reason, it fanned a spark of fire.

The flame ignited, burning larger and larger, brighter and brighter, adding light to the space.

"Fire..."

However, this fire was completely different from before. Besides the imagery, there were other sensations within it.

Was it a sense of intimacy?

This bit of intimacy was like an anchor, pinning down a sliver of his Spirit, then condensing a fraction of his attention, driving an emotion, and finally forming an active intent to act.

Go, let's go pet it.

As Tang Zhao's consciousness formed this thought, he approached the ball of fire.

The closer he got, the more he discovered that the ball of fire was not quite right; it was not just a gathering of light and flame, but also contained other things.

Examining it carefully, one of its tongues of flame did not look like fire, but rather a string of strange symbols; the symbols were emitting light and heat, flickering incessantly like flames.

The symbols were recognizable, just as he could recognize the feathers within the flames in the Divine Bird Li Fire Art.

Although not every feather or every symbol could be recognized—most were a blur in his consciousness, and getting too close would even cause scorching—he was experienced and instinctively found the one easiest to identify.

It was that one—

Before the dining table, Xue Jiejie was stuffing all the used bowls and chopsticks into a small water vat and closing the lid; the vat hummed on its own. She sat in a chair drinking fruit curd and watching Tang Zhao read; seeing him reach the third page and linger without turning it, she felt puzzled:

Is this as far as he can go? His aptitude is quite average.

To be considered a Sword Talisman Master, one must at least reach the fifth page.

It is clear he could even see the introductory book, which means he has at least the Mental Power of an entry-level Sword Talisman Master to start with.

Just at this moment, she saw Tang Zhao reach out his hand into the air and slowly hook his fingers.

A symbol took shape in the air, suddenly brightening in an instant, shining brilliantly in the air.

"Pfft—"

Xue Jiejie sprayed her fruit curd everywhere, jumping up to swat at the symbol in the air.

That symbol only shone for a fleeting moment before extinguishing immediately, leaving not even a trace of smoke, yet Xue Jiejie's hands kept swatting, as if trying to find that shadow from within the layers of space to confirm whether that symbol truly existed.

No—

Tang Zhao's consciousness felt uncomfortable; the symbol he had just found was not the one he felt closest to or most comfortable with. He felt he had misplaced his efforts the first time and wanted to search again.

His consciousness probed deep into the flames, and he soon locked onto another symbol.

In reality, Tang Zhao's fingers reached into the air once more, drawing another Talisman.

This Talisman also flashed with light, but the light was very upright—neither gold nor white—yet it seemed to carry Haoran Righteous Qi the moment it appeared.

This time, the symbol did not dissipate quickly, lasting for a moment in the air. Its light was truly existent, and the Haoran Righteous Qi was also truly existent.

Because it was a truly existent Talisman.

Xue Jiejie crouched before this Talisman, her gaze dazed, meeting Tang Zhao's eyes.

Tang Zhao was completely unaware.

His Spirit was active within his own world.

No, that one just now was also only a secondary choice; there is another one, that Talisman is simply a match made in heaven for me.

Over there...

At the center of the flames, there is a Talisman, it is calling to me...

It is...

Tang Zhao's fingers drew in the air; this one had already shone brilliantly when only half-drawn, brighter than any of the previous Talismans, and it had even begun to form a circular outline on the outside...

Suddenly, Tang Zhao's fingers paused in the air.

Even though there was no resistance, he could not move them at all.

At this moment, his consciousness was sinking incessantly, unable to be pulled back; he had experienced this situation many times, as it happened every time he finished practicing the Divine Bird Li Fire Art—it was the self-protection of his Spirit being exhausted to its limit, so his subconscious was not panicked and even had time to say to itself:

"Ah, I've fainted—"

In reality, Tang Zhao's head tilted to the side, and he fainted as expected.

76 Void, Wind, Fire (Bonus chapter for 500 favorites)