Sage of Humanity

Not every cultivator in the Cloud River Realm has rune tattoos, as there are very few rune tattoo masters in the entire Nine Provinces capable of inscribing spirit runes on a cultivator's body. This requires outstanding accomplishments in the Path of Spirit Runes, extremely skillful tattoo techniques, and furthermore, even if such a rune tattoo master is willing to perform the task, the materials required are highly valuable. Rune tattoos are based on spirit runes and come in many varieties: offensive, defensive, supportive... For Lu Ye, he doesn't need the offensive or defensive types because he has Sharpness and protection, nor does he have much need for supportive ones since he can activate many supportive spirit runes by himself. However, there's one type of supportive spirit rune that he has coveted for a long time. So upon hearing Madam Yun's words, he answered without hesitation, "Void!" The Void Spirit Runes he learned from books are not something he possesses on his Talent Tree, and they haven't reached the point where they can emerge with a single thought. His primary use for the Void Spirit Runes is to set up teleportation arrays, but the distance of teleportation is limited and the experience is far from pleasant. But the uses of Void Spirit Runes are not just limited to creating teleportation arrays; they have many more amazing applications. For example, by using Void Spirit Runes as the core, it's possible to refine special Spiritual Artifacts that have storage capabilities, like storage rings and storage bangles... and so on. The most commonly used storage item for cultivators is the storage sack, which is made from a special kind of demon beast skin that can be artificially bred. Therefore, looking at the cultivation world, storage sacks are not very valuable, and practically every cultivator has one or two. Compared to storage rings and storage bangles, or other similar storage Spiritual Artifacts, the storage sack's space is very limited and there's no comparison! However, storage rings and storage bangles are very valuable. Lu Ye has only seen one on the hand of the sect master of his own sect. Even Shui Yuan, his Senior Sister, doesn't have one, which shows how rare they are. But Shui Yuan doesn't have a storage sack either, which made Lu Ye curious. He didn't know what method his Second Senior Sister used for storage. After asking her about it, he learned that there are ways to store items beyond just storage sacks and rings, which also involved the use of spirit runes. With Void Spirit Runes as the core, rune tattoos can be inscribed on a cultivator's body, creating a storage space and eliminating the need to carry a storage sack. The biggest advantage of this method of storage is that items in the storage space can be retrieved with just a thought, unlike storage sacks where you have to reach in to grab things. Plus, the storage space of these rune tattoos is much larger than that of a storage sack. Lu Ye certainly didn't want to end up like last time, with dozens of storage sacks hanging from his body. Hearing Lu Ye's reply, Madam Yun nodded, "Since you're a spirit runes master yourself, choosing Void is indeed suitable. Then let's go with Void." Walking into the small room where he had received his first rune tattoo, Lu Ye sat down according to Madam Yun's instructions, then stretched out his right hand, exposing the back of his hand. Madam Yun also sat down beside him and then took out tattoo needles of various lengths and thicknesses, as well as a bottle of amber-colored beast blood. "The Rune Tattoo Path is actually quite interesting. Once your accomplishments in spirit runes meet the requirements and if you wish to learn, I can teach you. Possessing such a skill will ensure that you never lack resources in your cultivation and that you will be sought after wherever you go," Madam Yun said. As she spoke, she opened the bottle of beast blood, dipped a needle into it, and started inking Lu Ye's hand with it. A stinging sensation like that of a bee sting spread from the site. Every time a needle fell, Madam Yun would dip it into the beast blood again. Lu Ye didn't know what demon beast's blood it was, but when he received the wings rune tattoo here last time, beast blood was used as well. It seems the Rune Tattoo Path requires some special materials, and the beast blood capable of inscribing a Void Rune Tattoo must be exceedingly valuable. Madam Yun's movements were fast at times, creating afterimages with her swift hands, causing a continuous sting on the back of Lu Ye's hand. When slow, her movements were meticulous. Lu Ye quietly felt the sensations as time slipped away. While he was receiving the Void Rune Tattoo from Madam Yun on Bright Heart Peak, another surge of activity occurred on the Spirit Stream battlefield. A disciple from the Righteous Blood Sect named Hua Ci appeared on the Spirit Stream Ranking just a short while after Lu Yiye of the same calamity as the Three Calamities of Spirit Stream ascended to Cloud River and his name vanished from the ranking. Hua Ci, with her 9th Heaven cultivation. For the cultivators on the Spirit Stream battlefield, this name was undoubtedly unfamiliar, as it had seldom been heard before. She started garnering attention primarily because she hailed from the Righteous Blood Sect, the same sect as Lu Yiye! But soon, more eyes turned toward her. The reason was that there were rumors she was a healing cultivator. The number of healing cultivators on the Spirit Stream Ranking is very few, mostly after the fiftieth place, only a handful really, because healing cultivators, even if they study other paths, typically don't possess great strength and thus can't compete for high rankings. If it were only that, it would have been fine, but what's key is that her method of climbing the ranking was exactly the same as Lu Yiye's! She started from the lowest ranks of the Spirit Stream Ranking, challenging all Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators who were placed before her, one after the other. The result outraged the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge side! All the powerful individuals of the Spirit Stream Ranking who were challenged by her perished without exception! A scene from four months ago repeated itself. Four months earlier, Lu Yiye had climbed the rankings, slaughtering the strong of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge on the list, which at one point led to a substantial increase in the percentage of Haotian Alliance cultivators on the Spirit Stream Ranking. Four months later, the same situation somehow occurred again. How strikingly similar history is. And both times it involved disciples of the Righteous Blood Sect. Just a mere healing cultivator, who gave her such audacity? What ability does she have to act so recklessly? For a time, the Ten Thousand Demons Ridge cultivators who were ranked above Hua Ci were all filled with righteous indignation. They couldn't beat Lu Yiye, but could they not defeat a healing cultivator? Under no circumstances could they allow this woman named Hua Ci to continue her brazenness; otherwise, the face of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge would truly be lost. However, what horrified them was the scene that unfolded before them as the ranking of this woman called Hua Ci rose visibly. The names of the powerful cultivators from Ten Thousand Demons Ridge disappeared one after another. So far, not even one person could figure out how this woman actually killed others. Lu Yiye was successful because he brought a beast pet whose roar could captivate the mind, causing those who fought him to be unable to even yield. What technique does Hua Ci have that prevents the powerhouses of Ten Thousand Demons Ridge from uttering a single word before their death? Righteous Blood Sect, what exactly is this divine-like sect, producing one monster talent after another! ... Atop Bright Heart Peak, Madam Yun had already departed. Even as a spirit runes master like her, after inscribing a Void Rune Tattoo for Lu Ye, she seemed somewhat exhausted. After all, Void Spirit Runes are much more complex than ordinary spirit runes. By the end, the bottle of unknown beast blood had been completely used up. Within the room, as Lu Ye's senses dived deeper, he could clearly feel the storage space on the back of his hand. This storage space, centered around the Void Spirit Runes, was much larger than the space in the storage sack, conservatively estimated to be over twenty times larger. No longer worried about running out of space for anything, Lu Ye could even put the Boulder Mountain Saber directly inside. Previously, he had always held the Boulder Mountain Saber in his hand because if placed in the storage sack, he would need to take it out in case of enemy encounters, which was not only inconvenient but could also miss opportunities to defeat enemies. Now he had no such worries, for the storage space itself was on the back of his hand. With a thought, he could easily retrieve all items inside. However, for Lu Ye, having the Boulder Mountain Saber in hand had become a habit. As the saying goes, with a saber in hand, the heart is not panicked. Stepping out of the room and following the maid leading the way, he didn't see Madam Yun again. Once outside, he injected his spirit force and soared upwards. Having just ascended to the Cloud River Realm, there were many things to familiarize himself with. Lu Ye decided to start with flying through air since it was the simplest. For other cultivators, such a matter might take several days to get used to, and they would have to be very cautious when trying it to avoid falling from the sky. But Lu Ye had no such worries. Although he had never flown by air before, he had more than once activated wings spirit runes, so he had some experience in flying. Two hours later, he could fly smoothly through the air. Another two hours passed, and while flying, he could perform various agile maneuvers. It wasn't until evening that Lu Ye returned to Righteous Peak. After enjoying a delightful meal at his Second Senior Sister's, Shui Yuan said, "Little junior brother, you should choose your own spirit mountaintop." "Hm?" Lu Ye didn't understand. Shui Yuan explained, "Mount Ao has over a hundred spirit mountaintops. When it was thriving, disciples swarmed every spirit mountaintop. In the thirty years of decline, only the old man and I have been guarding Righteous Peak, as it is the sect headquarters' core spirit mountaintop. All these years, only Madam Yun had taken up residence at Bright Heart Peak. Now that you've ascended to the Cloud River Realm, you can have a spirit mountaintop of your own. At this rate, the sect is developing well, and there will likely be more and more ascensions to the Cloud River Realm in the future. It can't be that everyone will stay on Righteous Peak. I'm not trying to chase you away; it's just that in this generation, you are the nominal fifth senior brother, but in reality, you are the eldest senior brother. Apart from Giant Armor, you are the second person to ascend to the Cloud River Realm. You need to set an example for the other disciples." Lu Ye nodded, "Understood, I'll go and have a look soon." Shui Yuan served him another helping of food with her chopsticks. Having eaten his fill, Lu Ye walked out of the house and shot up into the sky. During his flight in the daytime, he had circled over Mount Ao several times, noting the desolate structures on each spirit mountaintop that hinted at the former glory of the Righteous Blood Sect. At present, apart from Righteous Peak, only Bright Heart Peak was inhabited by Madam Yun; all other spirit mountaintops were available for choosing. "Yiyi, which one do you like?" Lu Ye asked. Yiyi, floating beside him, looked around and pointed, "This one!" "Then it's decided," Lu Ye didn't have particular needs; any place suitable for living would do.