HBWnovel Chapter 299: Secret of the Runes, The Celestial Path!
Chapter 299: Secret of the Runes, The Celestial Path!
Looking up, looking down.Looking down, looking up.
That downward stroke was like a mental brand, deeply etched into his mind, impossible to forget.
Never again would it be like before, completely forgotten the moment he looked away.
"How is this possible?"
Cheng Ye muttered to himself, his heart filled with shock. "I actually managed to memorize this rune, but I'm not even sure of its meaning..."
The rune he was just talking about studying, the one he was stressing over how to remember—was it already done?
However, compared to the arduous process he had anticipated, this had skipped far too many steps.
All sorts of bizarre thoughts surged through his mind like a broken dam, endlessly churning before finally settling on a single hypothesis.
'Could it be that after equipping the Minor Nature Physique, I've become a receiver for runes?'
The moment this idea arose, Cheng Ye immediately shook his head in denial. 'No, a receiver can only feel the corresponding power of the rune like Brother B, and describe that wondrous sensation, but cannot see or memorize the rune's appearance. Yet, I can directly remember the rune's form...'
'Could it be that I have become a carrier for the rune?'
Cheng Ye was completely astounded. This discovery was far too shocking, leaving him momentarily at a loss, unsure of what step to take next.
For one, those deductions made by Shi Xu were merely hypotheses based on the information gathered so far.
They had neither empirical evidence to support them nor an environment where they could be replicated.
Without the ability to replicate it, the research value was exceedingly low. Even if he went to Shi Xu to describe this state, it would be just like when Liu Bi told him about feeling the power of nature—it would sound like a made-up story, and might even risk exposing the existence of the Collector.
Secondly, if equipping a Perfect-grade physique was the only way to memorize runes, then he was probably the only person in this world with such an ability.
Others had no way to collect and fuse other people's physiques. Unless the Collector could grant skills to others in the future, but if it truly reached that point, the secret of the runes would have been unraveled long ago.
'So, what can this rune bring me?'
With this in mind, Cheng Ye stopped overthinking.
Since he couldn't prove or replicate the process of memorizing the rune, he might as well move on to the next step.
He needed to figure out what this simple stroke meant and how to use it to influence reality.
Right at that moment, the illusion of the minor natural world began to slowly dissipate.
Unlike the forceful assimilation of a new talent, which would bring about drastic changes to the body.
The enhanced Minor Nature Physique did not add any completely new traits; it merely provided targeted reinforcements.
The resulting changes were like a gentle spring rain, quietly and seamlessly nourishing everything.
The moment he returned to the warehouse, Cheng Ye immediately noticed his skin drying and peeling off again, just like when he had equipped the Marsh Wild Physique last time. Layer after layer of dry epidermis cracked into powder and fluttered down at the lightest touch, as naturally as an animal shedding its skin.
What surprised him even more was that when he lifted his shirt, the Wild Grass Totem on his chest had also changed its appearance.
Previously just a cluster of glossy green wild grass, it had now transformed into a three-leaf clover totem.
The three leaves were broad and glossy, each distinctly different:
The top leaf bore crimson veins tempered by lightning and fire, the left leaf gleamed with the moist luster of rainwater nourishment, while the right leaf maintained its original vibrant, glossy green.
Equipped for the first time, all three leaves simultaneously flickered with a soft, subtle glow, emitting an indescribable energy fluctuation.
Enveloped by this fluctuation, Cheng Ye suddenly felt his clothes become loose.
'Hmm?'
He raised his hand in astonishment, suddenly realizing that his skeleton and muscles were shrinking at a visible rate.
The burly physique that had nearly reached two meters in height after assimilating the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse was slowly reverting to its original state.
"Guess I can't be a massive meathead anymore?"
Having grown accustomed to a higher vantage point, the sudden drop in height left Cheng Ye feeling a bit out of sorts.
But as his body reverted to its original form, an even more majestic surge of life energy began swirling within his chest, as if it had been highly compressed.
Even without explicitly testing it, he could clearly feel his physical attributes soaring, surging, absolutely skyrocketing!
What surprised Cheng Ye even more was that despite breaking through the massive gulf from Rare to Perfect grade, the intense hunger sensation that always accompanied fusing a new talent was nowhere to be found. Instead, a lingering sense of fullness persisted.
His mind stirred, quickly figuring out the crucial reason.
It was the rune.
Strictly speaking, it was the materials broken down from the Heart Lake Martial Domain that provided the energy.
Unlike equivalent-level skill fusions, which required the Collector's owner to personally supply energy for the new skill, these upgrade materials unexpectedly came with ample energy of their own, perfectly compensating for the requirements of the skill advancement.
'It's hard to imagine just how many unknown wonders in this world are waiting for me to discover.'
Cheng Ye stood frozen in place, carefully experiencing every subtle change the Perfect-grade physique brought to his body.
It wasn't until more than ten minutes later that he snapped out of this profoundly mystical state.
The skill panel automatically popped up, displaying detailed prompts about the Minor Nature Physique line by line:
[Minor Nature Physique (Lv3; Perfect)]
[Utility]: Moderately increases life energy; slightly increases defense; slightly increases strength. [Special Buff]: Water-Gathering Rune (Completeness: 1/7)
Utility: Unknown (Unable to collect and analyze this rune's ability due to insufficient current Rank)
Cost: Every use requires the consumption of life energy (Maximum consumption will not exceed 99% of the Collector owner's current life energy)
"Water-Gathering Rune?"
Cheng Ye blinked, not expecting his guess to actually come true.
He tried unequipping the skill. Sure enough, that stroke etched into his mind instantly vanished, leaving him unable to recall a single detail of it.
Upon re-equipping the skill, the stroke re-emerged without warning, much like bumping into a long-lost friend on a street corner, staring blankly for a few seconds before suddenly recognizing each other.
"This is absolutely incredible. To think that I actually managed to master a rune by sheer luck."
"Oh, wait, it should be one-seventh of a rune."
Setting aside the dilemma of how to collect the remaining fragments for now, Cheng Ye immersed himself in the marvel of this single stroke.
From a human perspective, it was absurdly simple, but the stroke was merely an external manifestation. What was truly worth exploring was the special energy fluctuation concealed within it.
It was like the formula for gravity: the individual letters were meaningless, but combined, they revealed the universe's most fundamental laws.
And what he had truly memorized was how to synchronize with that special fluctuation while writing this stroke.
'Should I give it a try?'
After mentally simulating it several times, Cheng Ye felt his heart pounding wildly, brimming with irrepressible excitement.
It only consumed life energy, so this cost was fairly manageable. Although the fused Life Blessing no longer had the life energy recovery bonus, he had already collected Li Matai's Fortitude Blessing. Even if he burned through 99% of his life energy, he could instantly recover to full health.
Before doing that, however, Cheng Ye walked out of the warehouse, intending to find a spot to test the effects of his new physique.
The militiaman standing guard at the door was stunned upon seeing him come out, hesitating before asking, "My Lord, you..."
"Have I changed a lot?" Cheng Ye lifted his loose, baggy sleeves.
Truth be told, it really felt like a child secretly wearing an adult's clothes.
"You're at least a head shorter. You just... you look exactly like you used to." The militiaman scratched his head, unsure of how to accurately describe it for a moment.
Dropping from nearly two meters tall down to one point eight-five meters, the fifteen-centimeter difference was indeed incredibly noticeable.
But to these militiamen who had followed him during the assessments back then, this version of Cheng Ye actually felt much more familiar.
He looked exactly as he did when they first met, and that indescribable sense of oppression radiating from him had vanished, making him seem peaceful and approachable once again.
"It was the side effect of a certain potion I used earlier. I've just recovered," Cheng Ye explained simply, before heading straight back to his room.
Standing in front of the mirror, he stripped off his shirt and pants, immediately breaking into a satisfied smile.
Although those massive, rock-like muscles from before had shrunk, they had become far more proportionate and taut. His entire body exuded the harmonious aesthetic of a masterly crafted sculpture, as if every muscle was naturally formed and perfectly aligned with his body's contours.
What delighted him even more was that upon opening the Collector panel and navigating to the Cost section for the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse, all the values had indeed plummeted across the board!
The cost to use attribute sharing was originally 350%. After obtaining the Life Blessing, completing one instance of 'Taking Root in the Soil,' and increasing his total life energy by 12%, it had dropped to 312%.
And now, this value had plummeted to 247%, a massive drop of 65%. Following this trend, once all the bonuses from the Life Blessing were fully realized, it would highly likely drop to around 230%.
The starting resource consumption for each use of the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse Symbiotic State had also decreased for the first time, dropping from 5% per use to 4% per use, while the maximum daily limit every twenty-four hours dropped from 35% to 28%.
Beyond that, the most crucial post-usage cost of the Symbiotic State had also undergone new changes.
The previous high-intensity exercise requirement of 50 kilometers had dropped from 46 kilometers down to 40 kilometers.
To Cheng Ye's further surprise, an alternative option had appeared below it:
You may choose either 40 kilometers of high-intensity exercise or 320 kilometers of moderate-intensity exercise.
"Holy crap, this is a massive buff!"
Cheng Ye's eyes lit up. Having an optional cost pointed directly to a clear path forward.
As long as he continued to improve his base physical attributes and fuse more physique talents, the cost of using the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse would only get lower and lower.
Right now, moderate-intensity exercise still demanded over three hundred kilometers, but sooner or later, this number would drop to 200 kilometers, 100 kilometers, and perhaps even a low-intensity exercise option would eventually appear.
Of course, when that time truly came, it would mean the gap between him and the Earth-Shrinking Giant Louse was closing. Even in his normal state, his combat prowess would steadily approach that of a Transcendent Source-Binder.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Cheng Ye nodded in praise.
Having verified the life energy bonuses, he used the same method as last time to test his defense.
Unfortunately, the description in the Skill Bar hadn't changed, and the physical defense boost reflected in reality remained practically identical.
The defensive cap provided by the Silver Arowana remained fixed; however, after withstanding multiple attacks, the degradation rate of his defensive effectiveness was slightly reduced.
'It seems this fusion wasn't an all-around enhancement. The core was strengthening the life energy traits related to the wild grass, while everything else just caught a slight residual boost.'
Cheng Ye showed no disappointment. "But this result is good enough. At least it didn't waste my existing traits."
Compared to his skyrocketing life energy, defense truly wasn't a pressing need at the moment.
He would always wear his battle armor on field missions. If a situation ever arose where he needed to tank bullets with his bare flesh, the danger would be so extreme that he'd likely have already transformed into a Giant Louse Superman or a Starfish Superman to fight back.
As for the final strength boost, there was no need for specific testing.
Just by feeling the tension from lightly clenching his fists, he could faintly sense an approximate thirty percent increase in power. This was likely the result of the strength traits from the Wind-Fire and Lightning-Fire physiques taking effect.
'Next up is collecting the Twelve Tendon Gates and Embryo-Embracing... I also have to learn the Rosy Cloud Concealment Method. My Skill Bar is still running incredibly tight...'
Cheng Ye rubbed his temples.
Although he had yet to personally experience the close-combat bonuses of the Rosy Cloud Concealment Method, as a top-tier Lv5 skill, Liu Bi had practiced it for over twenty years to achieve mastery. Even with his rapid learning buff, fully comprehending and integrating it would take at least half a year to a year.
This was a matter of slow and steady craftsmanship. He couldn't rush it; he could only take the time to slowly polish his skills.
Having sorted out his future plans, Cheng Ye sat behind the desk and brought out a notebook and pen once again.
Only a few short hours had passed, and the crumpled paper balls were still in the trash can, but as he picked up the pen this time, there was not a shred of confusion left in Cheng Ye's heart.
The moment his fingertips touched the pen, an intense urge surged within him, desperate to carve out that runic stroke.
Yet the instant the pen tip touched the paper—before he could even fully draw upon that special fluctuation—the entire sheet of paper suddenly shuddered and instantly disintegrated into fine powder.
"Ordinary white paper can't bear the weight of a rune?"
Cheng Ye froze. Being unable to memorize it was one thing, but he hadn't expected ordinary objects to be completely incapable of recording this stroke either.
He pondered for a moment, then went downstairs and retrieved a stainless steel plate from the factory.
This material was sturdy enough, but as the pen descended, the steel plate cracked right down the middle with a sharp snap. Simultaneously, a sensation of his life energy being siphoned away struck him, draining off a full fifteen percent.
"Hah, even stainless steel can't hold it. Don't tell me I have to use Isolation Alloy?"
Lacking such special materials on hand, Cheng Ye was momentarily stumped.
Just as he was debating whether to tear a piece off the Armored Vehicle to test it, a patrol team happened to walk past the warehouse.
Chang Kai was leading the team today. Seeing that he hadn't rested yet, he hurriedly approached. "My Lord, why haven't you slept yet?
Isn't Inspector Luo Kuke on duty tonight?"
"Oh, I have some things to deal with." Cheng Ye, still mulling over the rune, asked casually, "Nothing unusual happening by the riverside, right?"
"All clear. It's been two consecutive nights without any Infected Bodies or Infection Sources washing ashore."
"That's good. The White Water River is..." Cheng Ye abruptly paused mid-sentence.
River?
Water-Gathering Rune?
A brilliant idea flashed through his mind. He paused, gave Chang Kai a few casual instructions, and turned right back toward the trading post. Reaching the water dispenser on the first floor, he picked up a water basin and filled it to the brim with filtered water.
'I have the water, but how am I supposed to write on it?'
Cheng Ye frowned for a moment but quickly came up with an idea, plunging his finger directly into the water and swishing it gently.
Sure enough, using his finger as a pen worked perfectly!
As he traced the shape in the water, a faint blue, glowing downward stroke actually materialized on the surface.
A very faint sensation of life energy being drawn away washed over him. The consumption was vastly less than when he shattered the stainless steel plate moments ago.
Immediately after, the water in the basin began to swirl as if being actively absorbed by the stroke. The water level slowly dropped, while the blue stroke gradually solidified, eventually turning entirely solid.
"My God, the water turned into a solid stroke?"
"How is this possible?"
He watched as the water in the basin completely disappeared, fully absorbed by the stroke he had drawn.
Cheng Ye's eyes went wide, his face filled with sheer disbelief.
He reached out and picked up the solid stroke. It felt somewhat like a squishy water bead, and he absentmindedly squeezed it...
Pop!
The stroke instantly burst open, transforming out of thin air into a torrent of water that splashed violently all over Cheng Ye's front.
Its momentum was so fierce that it completely soaked his shoes and pant legs.
But right now, Cheng Ye had zero interest in paying attention to that, because this miraculous power had completely shattered his previous understanding of runes.
What was this?
Celestial Arts?
The Water-Gathering Rune could actually gather running water and store it within a tiny stroke.
And this was only a one-seventh incomplete fragment! If it were the complete Water-Gathering Rune, what kind of terrifying effects would it display?
Cheng Ye paced back and forth. He had figured out the basic effects of the Water-Gathering Rune, but where was its upper limit?
If he sacrificed 99% of his life energy, just how much water could this incomplete rune contain?
With the Fortitude Blessing as his safety net, its fifteen-day cooldown would recover just in time before his next Field Duty.
Cheng Ye made up his mind, deciding to take a bold risk just this once!
He needed to properly gauge the limits and utility of this rune before he could dive deeper into its true nature.
Returning to his office to don his Fire Lotus Battle Armor, he headed straight for the docks.
Luo Kuke was sitting up in the watchtower by the floodwall. Seeing him approach, he checked the time and stood up in surprise. "It's past three in the morning, why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I'm heading over to Diversion Island for a bit to test something new."
"Want me to go with you?" Luo Kuke opened his mouth, silently mouthing the words "Is it dangerous?"
"Relax, it's nothing. It's just inconvenient to operate over here in the town. It's some test equipment sent over by the Research Institute."
Cheng Ye casually explained.
"Oh, alright then. Be careful, and contact me anytime if anything happens."
Cheng Ye rowed out in a wooden boat, and Luo Kuke immediately turned on the searchlight, casting a beam of light across the water ahead to guide his way.
Arriving at the Diversion Island dock, he tied up the small boat and walked to the far side of the island.
No one would disturb him here, and even if absorbing water from the White Water River carried the risk of bringing in Infection Sources, he wouldn't have to worry about endangering the town.
Snapping his helmet shut, Cheng Ye leaned over the edge of the water, his fingertip gently tracing out the stroke.
His life energy was instantaneously siphoned away. A solid rune materialized on the water's surface and began frantically absorbing the river water.
Gurgle.
Gurgle.
The rushing river water seemed to plunge into a bottomless pit, continuously devoured by the rune.
Although the drop in water level couldn't be seen with the naked eye, the increasingly intense sensation of his life energy being sucked dry was entirely real.
The rune floating on the surface was rapidly changing colors as well. From its initial faint blue, it morphed into a clear light blue in just a dozen seconds, looking like a sapphire floating on the water.
An indescribable wave of weakness suddenly crashed over him. Cheng Ye's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.
This weakness was far more violent than paying the cost of symbiosis. It battered his consciousness in waves, nearly stripping away his ability to think.
He subconsciously switched his skills, replacing the Undying Blessing with the Fortitude Blessing.
Whoosh.
A unique, faint fragrance akin to the Living Water Essence permeated the air, and his recently drained life energy began to rapidly replenish.
However, to Cheng Ye's surprise, the moment his life energy recovered, it was continuously absorbed by the rune once again.
Fortunately, the Collector's description had been accurate. The rune extracted a maximum of 99% of his life energy. Once the feeling of recovery ceased, the siphoning gradually came to an end as well.
The rune's absorption of the river water had reached its absolute limit, its color transforming into a profound, dark azure.
Cheng Ye leaned down and picked up the rune. Even though it most likely contained dozens of tons of river water inside, it still felt as light as a feather in his grip, weighing no more than the small rune from the water basin earlier.
The difference, however, was that this deep blue rune was constantly emitting a special fluctuation, as if trying to transmit some vague message.
Cheng Ye frowned slightly. Just as he was focusing his senses to feel it, the Collector panel suddenly popped up.
[Detected that the Collector owner has completely assimilated a special rune: Water-Gathering Rune. Analyzing information...]
[Analysis successful. Detected that the Collector owner already possesses this rune. The Collector has recorded it.]
[Analyzing rune data...]
[Analysis successful!]
[Water-Gathering Rune (Completeness: 1/7)]
[Current Status]: Stable [Duration Remaining]: 09:35
[Currently Stored Water Volume]: 13.3 tons [Available Operations]:
Rainfall (Unlocked Ability; designate an area and use the water stored within the rune to induce rain)
Smelt into Resources (Function Locked; please attempt to increase Rank and select a specific path to unlock)
"Oh, this can actually be translated into information I can directly understand?"
Cheng Ye's eyes lit up.
Compared to trying to decipher those vague fluctuations by himself, the presentation on the Collector panel was undeniably much more intuitive.
But when he looked at the operation options below, his expression of pleasant surprise abruptly froze, replaced by a touch of astonishment.
Water-Gathering?
Rainfall?
Did this one-seventh of a rune actually represent the rainfall ability manifested in the Minor Nature Physique?
Then what about floods?
If he had chosen a Flood Physique previously, would he have gained the ability to unleash floods?
Countless thoughts churned in his mind. It was only after a full four or five minutes that Cheng Ye finally let out a long breath and slowly regained his senses. As the remaining duration fell below five minutes, the rune's status shifted from 'Stable' to 'Low Energy Warning'.
At the same time, the panel displayed new information.
With the change in status, the operational permissions shifted as well. For example, Smelt into Resources directly changed to 'Status Unavailable'.
Additionally, a new prompt appeared next to Rainfall: when the status shifts to 'High Energy Warning', the Rainfall function will be disabled.
'Rainfall!'
Cheng Ye silently recited the command in his heart. The Collector had indeed replaced his direct connection with the rune, acting as an intermediary hub.
The panel flashed slightly, popping up a new operation interface:
[Rainfall]
[Selectable Range]: Centered around the Collector owner, 1 to 2,000 square meters. [Selectable Duration]: 15 seconds to 3 minutes. "Select the maximum 2,000 square meters, duration of 3 minutes!"
Cheng Ye silently ordered once more, and the panel instantly vanished.
He subconsciously looked at the Water-Gathering Rune in his hand, only to see it seemingly hoisted by an invisible force, slowly lifting off his palm before shooting straight up into the sky.
There was no prelude of thunder; there were only visible wisps of rainclouds rapidly converging beneath the rune.
More than ten seconds later, Cheng Ye suddenly reached out his hand, and a raindrop landed perfectly in his palm.
According to the set parameters, the rainfall volume could reach 6.65 millimeters, placing it firmly in the category of moderate rain.
He stared blankly at the night sky, watching as countless raindrops battered the surface of his helmet, leaving streaks of water in their wake.
He watched the rapidly gathered rainclouds gradually thin out, completely dissipating the moment the three-minute time limit was up.
The dampness came quickly and left just as fast. A gust of autumn wind swept past, and the surrounding ground swiftly returned to dryness.
This abrupt downpour felt like a hallucination, yet streams of enlightenment surfaced in Cheng Ye's mind. His theories about the runes were instantly met with even more verification.
The so-called Control State?
What were the resources being utilized, and what exactly was being controlled?
Thinking up to this point, Cheng Ye suddenly pulled off his helmet, a wide, irrepressible smile slowly spreading across his exposed face.
So this was the secret of the runes.
So this was what the Transcendents of the previous era pursued... The Celestial Path!