“Oh, I learned painting and calligraphy when I was young. At that time, my master taught me to control the brush, so it became a habit,” Yuan Ming explained, finding a reason.

Fortunately, Amuhe didn’t pay too much attention to this matter and just nodded, not asking further.

But at this moment, just as Yuan Ming finished drawing the flame pattern on the white paper, a green smoke suddenly rose from it and it started to burn on its own.

Yuan Ming didn’t know what was happening and was afraid of igniting the nearby paper, so he instinctively reached out to pat it.

However, Amuhe, who was beside him, stopped him with a surprised expression. Then, disregarding the burning flames, he reached out and took the piece of white paper, holding it up in front of his eyes to examine it carefully.

When the rune on the paper was completely burned, he threw the paper with the flames into the bucket under the table.

The flames immediately extinguished, leaving behind black ashes floating in the water.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming guessed that the burning was caused by his failure in drawing the rune for the first time, and he finally understood why the bucket was placed there.

With this thought, he found it strange that Elder Heimu’s notes didn’t mention it.

But after thinking about it, he realized that the notes recorded the collected runes and insights on drawing, not beginner teaching materials, so it was normal for it not to mention it.

“Genius, you really are a genius…” Amuhe grabbed Yuan Ming’s shoulder and exclaimed with joy.

“What exactly happened? Was it caused by my failure in drawing the rune?” Yuan Ming quickly broke free and asked.

“It’s normal to fail on your first attempt at drawing a rune, but to be able to obtain Qi on your first try, although a bit slow, is already a genius move,” Amuhe said excitedly, unable to contain himself.

“May I ask, what is Qi?” Yuan Ming asked with a puzzled expression, not showing much change on his face.

“The so-called Qi refers to the initial ability of the drawn rune to communicate with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. This is the key to whether the drawn rune will be effective or not. The better the rune is drawn, the faster the Qi will be obtained,” Amuhe explained.

Hearing his explanation, Yuan Ming understood.

It was similar to the meditation he practiced when learning the Death Moon method, which was the foundation of entry.

However, compared to the meditation on the sea of consciousness, meridians, and dantian in the Death Moon method, learning to draw runes was much faster for him.

“From this, it can be seen that you have talent in drawing runes,” Amuhe said with a smile.

“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Senior Brother,” Yuan Ming said, feeling happy.

“Alright, I’ll teach you these things for today. You can take this rune book back with you and practice copying it frequently. When you have learned everything, come find me again,” Amuhe said, his smile becoming even brighter.

“Thank you, Senior Brother,” Yuan Ming thanked him.

“When you practice, you can buy the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone you need from the Qingfu Hall. Remember, for now, ordinary ink will do. Don’t buy rune ink,” Amuhe reminded.

“What will happen if I use rune ink for practice?” Yuan Ming asked.

“It would be better, of course, but only if you have the money! Even if you draw the runes perfectly with ordinary ink, you won’t obtain Qi. However, for beginners, it’s good enough. The ink I used for you just now was rune ink, which is made by mixing cinnabar and some special mineral powder. When you truly draw runes, you will use this kind of ink. The price difference between the two is huge, so don’t use rune ink during practice. It’s too wasteful,” Amuhe waved his hand and said.

Yuan Ming was amazed by his words.

He had asked everything he needed to ask today, so he didn’t linger any longer. After bidding farewell to Amuhe, he left with the rune book in his possession.

After leaving the Qilu Pavilion, Yuan Ming headed straight to the Qingfu Hall.

Since entering the sect, he had only heard of the Qingfu Hall but had never seen it. He only knew that it was the department responsible for managing the sect’s business affairs.

It was said that the sect’s magical treasures, spiritual materials, elixirs, and even the trading of spirit beasts and beast slaves were all conducted through the Qingfu Hall.

Inner disciples and elders could also purchase things from the Qingfu Hall, as long as they paid with contribution points.

After buying the things mentioned by Amuhe for drawing runes, Yuan Ming returned directly to his residence to cultivate.

…

Time flew by, and half a month passed.

At night, the bright moon hung high in the sky.

Yuan Ming sat cross-legged in his room, with moonlight pouring in through the window and casting a shadow on him.

Having been in the Biro Cave for a while now and no longer living the life of eating and sleeping in the wild like a beast slave, Yuan Ming’s appearance had undergone some changes.

His skin had become fair again, and under the moonlight, it was enveloped in a faint white glow, making him look somewhat unreal.

At this moment, the silver cat, which rarely appeared in front of Yuan Ming, was sitting on the desk in front of his window.

The reason the silver cat appeared here was because after this period of training and guidance, Yuan Ming’s cultivation of the Death Moon method had progressed rapidly and was about to reach completion on the first level.Of course, this rapid progress is relative to Yuan Ming’s previous state. In the eyes of Yin Mao, his talent is still dull.

Yuan Ming closed his eyes tightly, holding a censer in his arms, and a faint light flickered at the center of his eyebrows.

In his sea of consciousness, the originally scattered soul power was gradually condensing, a faint light slowly merging, and finally condensed into a white light ball, rising up like a round moon.

This round moon rose high in Yuan Ming’s sea of consciousness, radiating light that instantly illuminated his sea of consciousness.

The red mist that was originally suppressed to the edge by the power of divine consciousness instantly melted like snow under the reflection of the bright light, completely dissolving in an instant.

Yuan Ming suddenly opened his eyes, feeling that the originally dim room became a bit brighter, and the furnishings in the room became clearer.

At the same time, his spiritual platform was also clearer than ever before, feeling refreshed and comfortable.

The sound of insects outside the window, the rustling of tree shadows, and even the closing sound of other disciples in the distance, all entered his ears clearly, and with a little concentration, he could hear even further.

In addition to changes in vision and hearing, Yuan Ming’s sense of smell has also become much more sensitive. He can smell the fragrance of resin from the ancient pine tree outside the window, the scent of grass on the ground, and the smell of charcoal from the fire workshop.

Obviously, the completion of the first layer of the “Death Moon Method” not only benefited his soul, but also greatly enhanced his perception.

But while Yuan Ming’s face showed excitement, he also felt a bit confused. Although Yin Mao was sitting on the table not far in front of him, he could only see it but not hear its breathing or smell its scent.

This feeling is as if Yin Mao does not really exist.

“Is it worth being so happy just to complete the first layer of the technique?” Yin Mao’s voice echoed in Yuan Ming’s mind, ethereal and cold.

“If it weren’t for your guidance, I’m afraid it would take me another half a year to achieve this.” Yuan Ming put away his smile and said.

“At least you have some self-awareness.” Yin Mao’s voice softened slightly.

“Why have my five senses become enhanced, but I can’t perceive your existence… I mean, if I close my eyes?” Yuan Ming hesitated for a moment and asked.

“This is a secret technique of soul cultivation that you cannot practice temporarily.” Yin Mao said, and a wave of invisible aura emanated from it.

Immediately, Yuan Ming could hear its breathing and heartbeat, and he could also smell its scent in his nostrils.

He hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now he realized that the scent was very pleasant, not like what an animal should have, but more like the fragrance of orchids. However, Yuan Ming couldn’t be sure.

At this moment, he suddenly thought that when Yin Mao followed him before, he had felt its presence several times. It seems that it was not accidental, but intentional.

Clearly, it can hide perfectly, but it chooses to reveal its presence, but not too obviously. Does it want him to discover it or not?

This Yin Mao’s personality seems a bit tsundere, doesn’t it?

“Now that the first layer is completed, you can try to separate your soul from your body.” At this time, Yin Mao’s voice sounded in his sea of consciousness again.

“The technique says that when the first layer is completed, it is only the stage of stabilizing the sea of consciousness. Is it too risky to separate the soul from the body now?” Yuan Ming hesitated when he heard this.

“Are you questioning me?” Yin Mao glanced at him sideways, and his voice turned cold.

“Okay, you have the final say.” Yuan Ming secretly muttered in his heart.

After that, he put away the censer, closed his eyes, pinched a hand seal with both hands, and suddenly shouted:

“Rise!”

In an instant, the Yin wind in the room suddenly became several times stronger, causing the surrounding airflow to fluctuate slightly, turning into a whirlwind spreading from his body.

A transparent figure suddenly flew out from the top of Yuan Ming’s head and floated in mid-air. It was his soul.

“Is this the feeling of soul separation? Why does it feel somewhat familiar?” Yuan Ming glanced at his motionless body below, and then looked at his illusory hands, murmuring.

The feeling of the soul is completely different from the physical body. His eyes can easily see through the darkness, almost no different from daylight. His ears can also hear sounds, but his sense of touch and smell are completely lost.

He pressed his hands down, as if driving the airflow, and the soul floated upwards.

Even when his head hit the roof, it didn’t stop. Instead, it directly rushed out of the roof and came outside.

Yuan Ming’s soul figure was illusory, with half of his body poking out of the roof and the other half still inside the room, feeling extremely strange.

His gaze swept towards the distance, and even in the darkness, his line of sight was not affected, and he could still see the faint light from the fire workshop behind.

In the front yard, many people were still awake. Under the reflection of the lights on the windows, their silhouettes could be seen.With a thought, Yuan Ming wanted to fly to the front yard to take a look. However, just as he had barely taken off from the rooftop, a gust of night wind came, instantly blowing him off course, causing him to involuntarily drift towards the back.

He had only flown a distance of about forty to fifty feet when Yuan Ming suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold, which sent a wave of panic through him.

This feeling of coldness was not the external cold felt by the body, but a chill emanating from the depths of his soul, accompanied by a strong sense of fear.

(End of Chapter)