Eternal Thief

Ryan thank her and moved to the next counter where an old man was sitting. 

"No, 31,333. Put your hand on this stone and state your name, age, and cultivation base." The old man coolly pointed his finger at the same kind of stone but there were white lines on it.

"Oh, and don't dare to lie. The punishment for it is; cultivation cripple!" The old man chuckled coldly. 

Ace's eyes narrowed as he places his hand on the stone and felt a sting of Qi on his hand but he felt nothing amiss. 

"Ryan White, age sixteen, and fifth Qi gate cultivator." Ace lies except for his age.

He was quite confident in his ability to remain calm and this kind of inferior treasures can't detect his lies just like what he did at the city gate. 

This kind of tranquillity came with the foundation of darkness and it helped him quite a lot, besides Ace unknowingly train his mind whenever he practiced rune crafting. This gave him the edge to fool these kinds of detection treasures.

The old man found nothing wrong. He knew these commoners didn't dare to lie here because everyone knew the power of institute background. 

"Go to the last counter and pay ten low Qi stones, you'll get your participant token." The old man coolly stated. 

Ryan nodded with a smile as he moved to the last counter where sit a young, beautiful lady. She was in the institute's uniform but she looked extremely bored. 

She saw Ace with an indifferent face and faintly said, "11 low Qi stones." 

Ace frowned, 'She is taking extra for herself.' 

Ryan put a knowing smile on his face and give her eleven Qi stones asking nothing since one low Qi stone meant nothing to him. 

Everyone behind him saw this but didn't dare to raise any objection but their expression turned ugly. 

"Here is your token. Come back three months from now." She lazily gave Ace a black token with a sword emblem engraved on it, this was the symbol of Damien Royal Institute. 

Ace take the token and there was '31,333' engrave on it as well as a rune. But this rune was way different from the Beast Calling Token he had. 

Ryan put the token in his storage ring and left the participation venue without drawing much attention to himself. 

Ace's actual plan was to 'clean' some alchemy shops in the royal district after he take care of the participation. He had that new collection of pills from Olivia's storage ring that he didn't use because it was not enough to raise his cultivation. 

That's also why he waited to come here but now that he knew about the terrifying hidden expert here. He went back to his inn and practice the rune crafting. 

'Hmm?' Ace eyebrow raised as he senses some malice intent twenty meters away from himself. 

This malicious intent was toward Ryan. 

'Those idiots want to rob me?' Ace smile wryly while shaking his head. When the next turn came he disappeared using his lightning steps. 

After thirty minutes, Ace came back to the inn's room.

Ace enjoyed some jade wine before he formed the earth runic symbol structure again with extreme diligence. 

--- 

One month pass in a breeze. 

The registration venue was still bustling like the first day and many new youngsters came every day in the regal capital. 

All and all the city were peaceful and the Regal King was thrilled about it because if that thief still didn't show up now he would probably not in the future. 

Alvin on the other hand was very calm, he constantly goes to his usual low-key patrol and returned after finding nothing. 

But he wasn't disheartened and was calmly waiting for the thief to show up. 

In the inn where Ryan was staying at this moment.

Ace didn't leave this inn for an entire month and only practiced the rune crafting and for two days' break, he would turn his attention to getting an insight into the second realm of dual shadow technique. 

He had negated this technique for quite some time now because his focus was mainly on his escaping and concealment skills and then turn to rune crafting. 

But now he can't move freely so he decided to ponder over the second realm Sword of Finger.

The Dual Shadow Sword technique was unique it didn't need fighting constantly in battles to understand it like a typical weapon technique. It is more like a technique; if you didn't understand the crux of it even you fight endless, you won't progress.

When Ace create the sword art Dual Swords Mirage in moon forest, he found out that his understanding of this technique deepened a lot.

But after that, he never found any sword skills or art to further research in the sword's way and the system never gave him any sword skills or art. 

So, Ace simply conclude that the system wanted him to create his sword skills and arts according to his understanding. But to do this he didn't have material. 

Ace's theory was he needed some kind of sword skill or art that can complicate the technique second realm just like when he created the dual sword mirage and he reach the peak of the first real.

But first, he had to understand the meaning behind Sword of Finger. 

Today was his rune practice day since he can access the light soul Qi now. 

He was creating the same complex earthly structure without blinking. 

'Just the last circle!' Ace was sweating profoundly as his eyes were glued on the third white runic structure. 

The white soul tread was moving very smoothly in a last circle around the complex structure. 

When the soul thread completes the ending circle Ace's face turns solemn as he shouted abruptly. 

"Combine!" 

Steam of white soul Qi unleash from Ace's hand and encompassed the three white runic structures. 

The runic structures glowed brightly as they blended simultaneously. 

The first structure was a triangle with a complex structure inside, in the center was a rectangle and last was the circle that was just drawn by Ace. 

The three structures finally combine and completely disappeared, and suddenly a green rune has appeared in their place! 

This was the Earth Rune! 

Ace was overjoyed seeing the complete rune. This was the first rune he ever created, and this was truly an enormous leap for him. 

After admiring this work for some time, he cut off the light soul Qi and the earth rune faded into nothingness. 

"Sigh… only three remain." Ace sighed in relief after thinking about the reaming symbols. 

Ace had to admit that if not for the insights of Empty Dream he wouldn't be able to master the runic structures so quickly. 

Although it was not the same, however, the principals were. It was just that heavenly rune crafting was more profound.

However, now that he had created a Heavenly Rune the other three would not be so difficult. 

---

Fifty more days pass and today was the day of the competition!

Ace exited the inn he was staying in an excellent mood because he was very close to mastering the water rune and he had also gained some insights into the dual shadow swords technique during his training. 

In these fifty days duration, Ace was sure that a powerful expert was patrolling the city every day in secret. 

Because every day he would feel a strong martial sense brush past the area and he knew this was the same expert who he encountered that day. 

Ace had his soul signature, though. If he saw him in person, he would know instantly who that expert was.

Ace was going to the venue of the competition, which was at the same place where he registered. 

Ace wasn't early or late but when he reached the venue, he was surprised because there were thousands of youngsters standing there waiting. 

He also saw many luxurious carriages on the other side, the nobles occupied that part. 

There was a high platform set outside the registration building and everyone's eyes were on it. They all were waiting for someone to appear. 

An hour past and at this moment a row of lavishing carriages surrounded by golden armed guards with Regal Kingdom's sigil winged wolf march in the venue from the royal district gate! 

Everyone knows only one family can use this sigil in the entire kingdom and that was the Royal Regal Family, the rulers of Regal Kingdoms!

Ace's eyes narrowed into slits because he senses that Qi river core cultivator soul signature and a Flowing River stage cultivator in the last carriage of Royal Regal Family!

'These two must've belonged to the same organization, only those giants can dispatch existence like them here.' Ace's face sank. 

Now he was determined to lie low until he reached the first-grade kingdom land of middle-level lands because that place was in the judiciary of the three giants!