Sage of Humanity

Last time, Madam Yun had said that the inheritance Lu Ye received might be incomplete.

Whether it was incomplete or not, Lu Ye didn't know. He only knew that the Talent tree should indeed be the inheritance of a spirit runes master. However, unlike what others thought, he had not obtained it on the Spirit Stream battlefield, but had it upon arriving in this world.

Of course, there was no need to broadcast this everywhere.

"What do you wish to learn from me?" Madam Yun asked.

"If possible, Disciple would like to start from the very basics."

Madam Yun nodded, "That's the right choice. Come with me."

Saying so, she walked away, with Lu Ye following behind her.

Before long, they arrived in front of a room. Madam Yun pushed the door open and entered.

Unlike the room where the rune tattoo had been applied last time, this room was large, and the walls were lined with shelves filled with books of varying thickness, seemingly numbering in the thousands. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call this place a small library.

Not only that, the walls displayed multiple visible spirit runes moving like fish, clearly indicating the presence of a very profound Array.

Madam Yun casually waved her hand, and a book about an inch thick flew into her hands. She handed the book to Lu Ye, "Start by finishing this book."

Lu Ye respectfully accepted it, thinking to himself that he still needed to self-study first.

After Madam Yun had left, Lu Ye looked around. There were no tables or chairs, so he took out a cushion from his storage sack, threw it down, and sat cross-legged, lowering his head to look at the book in his hands.

The cover had no title. When he opened the first page, a line of large characters caught his eye.

"The Path of Spirit Runes: A Search for Fundamentals."

It also had a signature, Muh Xiaoyao.

It appeared that this "The Path of Spirit Runes: A Search for Fundamentals" was authored by someone named Muh Xiaoyao.

Flipping to another page, Lu Ye stared intently.

"Chaos divides into Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang give birth to all things, all things in the world possess Yin and Yang, the Path of Spirit Runes is based on Yin-Yang, endlessly combining to create, extending infinite marvels..."

Time passed, and Lu Ye read each word closely, quickly immersing himself.

The book "The Path of Spirit Runes: A Search for Fundamentals" did not record any particularly magical spirit runes. Instead, Muh Xiaoyao used a simple yet profound approach, thoroughly dissecting the basics of spirit runes, which was particularly suitable for beginners like Lu Ye. If it were a typical beginner, they might not grasp the essence of the words within.

However, although Lu Ye was a beginner himself, he had already mastered some spirit runes. Combined with his own understanding of spirit runes, it allowed him to comprehend more deeply the principles explained in the book.

Before he knew it, Lu Ye had reached the last page. He sat where he was, holding the book in one hand and propping his chin with the other, lost in thought.

"Have you finished?" Madam Yun's voice suddenly rang next to his ear.

Startled, Lu Ye was about to get up when Madam Yun pressed her hand down to signal him to stay seated, and then she sat in front of him.

"What are your thoughts?" Madam Yun asked.

"The Path of Spirit Runes is profound and extensive, exceeding Disciple's original imagination." This was the truth; before reading this book, he knew that spirit runes were complex and profound, but he hadn't realized the extent of their complexity and profundity.

Madam Yun smiled, "That's why spirit runes masters are so rare. To follow this path, it's not just about perseverance and determination; one also needs talent, a very high level of talent! Fortunately, you have already received the inheritance of a spirit runes master, so talent isn't an issue."

"Disciple will double his efforts," Lu Ye said and then queried further, "According to the book, the two basic elements that make up spirit runes are Yin and Yang Origins. All spirit runes can be broken down into varying quantities of these Yin-Yang Dual Origins. Are there really no exceptions?"

Madam Yun shook her head, "There are no exceptions, at least none that I have seen."

Lu Ye couldn't help but admire, "The person who discovered these Yin-Yang Dual Origins was truly remarkable."

As recorded in "The Path of Spirit Runes: A Search for Fundamentals," chaos breeds Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang transform all things. Thus, everything in this world belongs to either Yin or Yang, and spirit runes are the culmination of the convergence of Yin and Yang.

The foundations for constructing spirit runes are of two types, the Yin Origin and the Yang Origin. The Yin Origin is a very simple pattern, looking like a flat "snake" character, whereas the Yang Origin, although it uses the same pattern, is the reverse of the Yin Origin.

Through different arrangements and combinations of the Yin-Yang Dual Origins, different kinds of spirit runes are formed. Should there be an error in any part, the spirit runes would fail to take shape, much less function. Find your next read on My Virtual Library Empire

According to Lu Ye's understanding, using Yin-Yang Dual Origins to construct spirit runes is akin to using two different types of building blocks to build variously shaped houses.

How to stably build these houses and enable them to function is what a spirit runes master needs to do.

This is no simple matter; each spirit rune contains at least a few hundred basic elements, and the number of possible arrangements and combinations of these elements are almost unimaginable.

This was also the reason why Lu Ye said that the Path of Spirit Runes was profound and extensive.

At this moment, as he recalled the spirit runes he had constructed, he realized that each rune indeed resulted from the arrangement and combination of Yin-Yang Dual Origins. He had not paid attention to this before and thought that at first glance, the internal structure of these runes seemed identical.

But now he knew that the constructions within each rune were vastly different; this was a case of a layman enjoying the show while the expert appreciated the technique.

Those who did not understand spirit runes could not discern the differences in the internal structures of different runes.

"The person who discovered Yin-Yang Dual Origins was indeed remarkable, but those spirit runes masters who created different spirit runes are even more so; each functional rune may be the fruit of one or several generations' tireless pursuits. Before these runes were created, they might have failed millions, tens of millions, or even more times."

Lu Ye nodded in agreement; the number was not exaggerated.

"However, it is precisely because of the contributions made by our predecessors, the spirit runes masters, that we later generations have so many runes to use." Madam Yun looked at Lu Ye, "A truly outstanding spirit runes master is able to innovate rather than merely rely on the achievements left by the ancestors. If everyone did the latter, the Path of Spirit Runes would inevitably decline.

I hope that one day you can contribute to the Path of Spirit Runes yourself."

"The disciple shall surely try."

Madam Yun nodded, "You have a basic understanding of spirit runes, so now you can start practicing."

As she spoke, she slowly raised her right index finger, and a pinpoint of light twinkled at her fingertip: "What can you see?"

Lu Ye concentrated his Ocular Power and after a moment hesitated, "A Yin Origin?"

"And now?"

"A Yang Origin?"

"Your vision is quite good. A spirit runes master must possess outstanding ocular power and also have extremely precise control over their own spirit force. Without this, one cannot become a spirit runes master. Let me see your ability; try to construct Yin Origin and Yang Origin as I just did."

"Yes!"

Lu Ye sat upright and raised a finger, channeling his spirit force and attempting to construct a Yin Origin on his fingertip.

Watching Madam Yun perform seemed effortless, but only when he actually attempted it did he realize it was not so simple. Fortunately, he already had multiple experiences constructing spirit runes; even though he previously hardly understood them, experience was still experience.

After the time it takes to burn one incense stick, a Yin Origin made of spirit force appeared on his fingertip.

Lu Ye frowned because the Yin Origin was too large. The one Madam Yun constructed was almost invisible and required full use of ocular power to barely see it, but the Yin Origin Lu Ye had just constructed was the size of a fingernail and also could not be maintained stably. As the spirit force fluctuated, the Yin Origin suddenly dispersed, lasting less than two breaths.

Such a large Yin Origin could not be used to construct spirit runes. A single rune contains hundreds of basic elements, and hundreds of such large items combined together would result in an excessively large rune, which would be too consuming for a cultivator during battle and not to mention, it was unstable.

Madam Yun said with a smile, "Not bad at all. When I first practiced, it took me two days to reach your level. It seems the legacy of that spirit runes master is very useful. Furthermore, your spirit force is sufficiently pure, making control easier. This is your advantage. Try constructing a Yang Origin now."

Lu Ye responded and tried to construct a Yang Origin.

With the prior experience, it was somewhat easier this time; however, he still could not resolve the issues of size and stability.

But Madam Yun was very approving, "You're progressing rapidly. Learning to construct Yin-Yang Dual Origins; the rest is just practice. When you can comfortably alternate between Yin and Yang Origins and make them stable enough, and then reduce their size to that of a grain of rice, you can move on to the next step."

As she spoke, she extended her hand, summoning more than a dozen books of various thicknesses from all directions, handing them to Lu Ye, "Take these back and read them; they all discuss the basics of spirit runes. Once you meet the requirements I mentioned before, come find me."

Lu Ye stood up and respectfully said, "Yes, the disciple will diligently practice after returning."

Shortly thereafter, Lu Ye left Madam Yun's residence and bowed again before departing.

Outside, Amber came running over excitedly, and Lu Ye mounted its back, heading towards Righteous Peak.

Madam Yun truly was a good teacher, gentle in nature. How could the sect master bear to let her live alone on Bright Heart Peak? Even if she had made a mistake, a simple apology should suffice. Indeed, the sect master's backbone was firm.

On returning to Righteous Peak and greeting senior sister Shui Yuan, Lu Ye entered his dwelling.

The dwelling was not as bustling as he imagined, mainly because the cultivation environment had suddenly improved so much. Whether it was new disciples from the sect headquarters or those independent cultivators, all were diligently practicing.

As a cultivator, one's own strength is fundamental, and without this realization, one cannot go far on the path of cultivation.

Lu Ye first sought out a junior brother staying at Heaven's Augury Hall, who informed him that recently there had been no issues in their location, so Lu Ye headed to the training room area.

The training room was crowded; even though there were hundreds of rooms, there were not enough for everyone, and some were waiting outside in line. One could cultivate outside too, but without the boost from the Spirit Gathering Array inside the training rooms, the efficiency would be lower.

However, this situation would gradually improve. Because everyone's resources for cultivation were limited, once the previously distributed monthly provisions were used up, the pressure on the training rooms would ease.