Cult of the Sacred Runes

Chapter 219 - Amplification

Without the energy spikes, the densely packed runes and Qi became fragile. The runic tablet shattered at Ye Wei’s touch.

“Your name is on the black dragon list, so please tell me this not your best.” Ye Wei slowly walked out of the cloud of dust and narrowed his eyes at Jin Kui, slightly disappointed. He could feel how the Supreme blood in his body was beginning to boil, improving the Eternal Star stance’s effect.

“How did you do it?” Jin Kui was surprised by the sight of Ye Wei coming out unscathed after confronting the rune tablet with a bare fist. He frowned in frustration, wondering if Ye Wei was really an initiate as he had dominated veterans with a weaker stance.

“This is unbelievable!”

“How can an initiate still be standing after taking a hit like that?!”

Jin Kui was a known black dragon lister for his solid talent at cultivation, for his overpowering, forceful fighting style that made him stand out amongst cultivators at his level. Many of the veterans on the clouds were shocked by what they saw, bewildered by the now-prolonged fight.

Expecting a swift defeat since he picked Jin Kui to fight the initiate, Qing Mu the Spiritualist was speechless, no longer relaxed. Instead of completing his job, he just saw history in the making; the first initiate at the palace was strong enough to be in the black dragon list at his arrival.

“See! I told you, this Ye Wei is really really strong! Right?” Xue Er’s tensed face burst into a smile as she saw Ye Wei dismantle the threatening stance.

“Qing Yao, Qing Yao!” Xue Er spoke with urgency, starting to shake her head and jumping restlessly again, making no effort to hide her neediness.

“He is very good at what he does, yes.” Qing Yao pushed away Xue Er’s clenching hand, and her clear eyes glinted with amusement.

Unlike most other spectators, Qing Yao was one of the few observant enough to see the whole fight clearly. She was curious about the layers of runes that shrouded Ye Wei’s body, trying to analyze his energy flow in detail.

‘What kind of stance was that? I’ve never seen runes routed this way, twinkling like stars, seemingly formless but tough enough stop Jin Kui’s strike.’ Qing Yao was rarely amused, but she was truly intrigued by Ye Wei’s display. ‘The strengthening effect seems to be permanent! He is probably still reserving his Qi, fighting just to get stronger…’

“Guys, did you hear what she said?” The veterans of Million Star Palace were dumbfounded.

Qing Yao had always believed that silence is golden, so it was obvious to infer that her personality was anything but warm. She did not really care about her image, but from her posture to her words, she excelled at showing her indifference.

It was to an extent interesting to hear a genuine praise from her, even more so now it was aimed at an initiate.

“I do admit, this new kid is actually strong enough to be on the black dragon list. But this is far from Jin Kui’s best, the palace’s tradition will stand.” Practically ignored by Qing Yao, the Spiritualist’s stern face reflected how displeased he was. He spoke up in hopes of attracting her attention back to himself, almost envious that Ye Wei had entered Qing Yao’s line of sight and thoughts.

‘I am number five on the black dragon list – do I really deserve less attention than a newbie?’ Qing Mu the Spiritualist was increasingly bitter as he became more absorbed in his own thoughts,

“Jin Kui, if you don't finish him in three blows, I will make sure you remember and regret this day for the rest of your life.” He used the voice transmission technique, emphasizing his anger.

In the ruins of the square, Jin Kui stood on a thin mist of settling dust,¨while standing still as a tree as he was still in shock from the exchange. He immediately snapped out of his confusion as he heard Qing Mu’s angry voice in his head.

“Just three blows? But I don’t really want to reveal my true strength…” Jin Kui muttered, reluctantly nodding at Qing Mu before he slowly walked towards Ye Wei. “Newbie, the show is over. I hope you had fun.”

The three-star returned prime Warrior’s body began to levitate, his body stopped gaining altitude when he was five feet above ground. His aura turned the air around him dry and hot.

“Zoom! Zoom!”

As the temperature of at the square increased, numerous specialized red runes appeared on Jin Kui’s body, forming a large web of mystic energy.

The runic glow shone bright enough to penetrate the clouds, and the veterans all recognized the shade of red almost instantly.

“He means it; the newbie is in trouble now!”

“Jin Kui’s Qi is normally a couple times denser than ordinary three-star returned prime Warriors. I really don’t why I am seeing a fight like this on the initiates’ first day!”

“With this technique, he truly is the best cultivator at his level. I cannot believe this Ye Wei kid pushed him this far.”

There were thousands of voices, but none of them who spoke thought Ye Wei had a chance of winning at this point.

Standing next to Qing Yao, Xue Er puffed up her cheeks, and her playfulness turned into a sour annoyance. “Pfft! The strongest three-star returned prime Warrior shouldn’t need an amplification stance against a newbie! He is shameless!”

Although a veteran herself, Xue Er rooted for the handsome initiate breaking the tradition to directly get himself on the black dragon list

“Amplification stances are a part of one’s strength, so the newbie is welcome to use his too, if he knows one, of course.” Qing Mu glanced at Xue Er and said sarcastically.

To the Spiritiualist’s and many others’ knowledge, in the Zhou dynasty’s reign, amplification stances were only available to the royal families and the sixteen superpowers.

Qing Yao levitated gracefully, and her white robe blended her figure into the sky, while her crystalclear black eyes did the opposite. She was tired of the noises and flew to the side to find herself her own cloud.

Her eyes were almost hysterical, set still on Ye Wei as if she found nothing else interesting. She didn’t pay attention to anything else than the strange initiate. “What are you going to do now? Jin Kui is probably undefeatable, but I know you will never just give up. Show me where your stance’s limit is, Ye Wei…”

She was initially fascinated by the young Runemaster but inevitably turned her attention to Supreme Ye Yu’s creation.

Jin Kui was feeling the pressure, starting to be intimidated by Ye Wei’s calm. “I am surprised by how little you seem to care. You will pay for this.”

“You were naive if you ever thought you could just come here and challenge a black dragon lister and walk out of it in one piece!” Jin Kui swung his arm, and the red runes transformed into a spear shape, its point aiming at Ye Wei’s head.

The young Runemaster didn’t respond. He lifted his head and stared at Jin Kui. His face showed no emotion, completely calm, while the his bones started glowing, the yin yang shapes rattling.

Since breaking through to become a ten-star condensed prime Warrior, he had not once used the third Supernova revolution.

Ye Wei was as curious about what was going to happen next as everyone who were watching him. Although modest, Ye Wei was clear that his amplification stance was more powerful than Jin Kui’s.

The amplification effect applied to Jin Kui was considerably stronger, but the Helian’s stance could not even double his cultivation strength. Nonetheless, he was confident albeit being stuck at the three-star returned prime level, simply because he did not know much about his opponent.

Qing Mu was also confident for the same reason, and his smile grew as he recognized the energy signature of the stance Jin Kui was using.

The spear in Jin Kui’s hands rattled, leaving a ringing noise in the air and a fan-like afterimage.

It oscillated quicker and quicker, creating flower-shaped globes of Qi. These flowers then condensed in a reverse blooming motion, layers of paddle-shaped runes collapsing together, turning into round-bottomed cones.

“Zoom! Zoom!”

The energy cones overlapped the afterimage, while its dazing effect made it difficult for even the veterans to keep track of the spearhead.

“Swoosh”

Pulled by the swirling force of the spear, the green dust on the ground began to float.

‘Shadow Destroyer Strike!’ Baili Hengtian was completely shocked by what he was seeing. ‘It is not just a rumor; he actually learned this stance!’

‘More than a thousand Qi cones…’ The caretaker had knowledge of Jin Kui acquiring the Helian’s mid-level Earth stance, but he had never thought the renowned three-star returned prime Warrior had mastered the stance’s third-stage.

“Stop! Qing Mu! Make him stop! Why ruin the future of talented young man just because you want to stay true to an obsolete tradition?” Baili Hengtian screamed his lungs out, but neither Jin Kui nor the Spiritualist reacted.

Ye Wei smiled while reading the spear’s movement. ‘Haha, I will remember your kindness. It’s not every day that I get to test my limits!’