Runes • Rifles • Reincarnation
47. Auxiliary Technique

Jin Shu sat nervously across from Chen Ai Yun. Between them, two cups of steaming tea sat untouched, their gentle wisps of vapor curling upward. Jin Shu barely registered the tea, his thoughts tangled in the weight of his past.

Every mistake, every sin from both his lives replayed in his mind, convincing him that his mere presence in front of such a serene and virtuous being was a stain on her purity.

He had faced countless battles, yet never before had he felt this kind of nervousness. Not even during his first deployment as a soldier.

The silence stretched between them until Chen Ai Yun finally broke it. “Why did you come here?” Her voice was soft, yet carried an authority that demanded honesty.

Jin Shu drew in a deep breath. Lying to her felt unthinkable, so he confessed everything. “My mother fought against Demonic Cultivators near Black Mountain City. She went missing shortly after.” His voice wavered, but he pressed on. “I found out she was last seen in the southern region near the Demon Mountains. That’s why I came here—to seek the Soul Jade that can tell me her location.”

When he finished, he fell silent, waiting anxiously for her response. Chen Ai Yun remained quiet, her expression thoughtful as she stared into her untouched tea.

Finally, she spoke. “I know why she’s in the southern region.” Her words were calm, deliberate. She lifted her cup, blowing gently on the tea before taking a sip.

Jin Shu’s eyes widened in surprise. “You know?” He shot to his feet, his palms slamming against the table. “Why?!”

His sudden outburst sent a small splash of tea spilling across the table. Chen Ai Yun glanced at the mess, and with a simple wave of her hand, the spilled tea vanished as if it had never been there.

“Yes,” she replied, unperturbed. “But before I tell you, I have a question. Do you know about your mother’s spirit? Or rather…” She paused, her gaze steady. “Do you even know what the Spirit Realm is?”

Jin Shu opened his mouth to protest. He didn’t want to talk about theories or spirits—he just wanted answers about his mother. But the weight of her expectant expression stopped him. With a sigh, he relented.

“I know the Spirit Realm is where one unlocks their spirit,” he said. “I don’t know the finer details. I just know that some people, like my mother, have unique spirits. Most people, though, have spirits in the form of common animals or weapons.”

Chen Ai Yun nodded, satisfied with his response. “That’s correct. When a cultivator unlocks their spirit, they must nurture it, planting a seed of sentience. This seed only fully blooms in the Grandmaster Realm.”

Jin Shu spread his arms in frustration. “And? What does this have to do with my mother?”

Chen Ai Yun remained composed, taking another measured sip of tea. “Her spirit is so unique that she doesn’t know how to plant the seed of sentience. Without that, she cannot advance through the Spirit Realm.”

He leaned forward, his voice urgent. “Okay, go on.”

She set her cup down gently and fixed him with a patient, motherly gaze. “Jin Shu, calm down. Drink your tea.” Her tone was soft but carried a firm authority, like a mother instructing a restless child.

Jin Shu hesitated, glancing between her serene face and the steaming cup before him. Finally, he relented. Sitting back down, he lifted the cup and took a tentative sip.

The moment the tea touched his tongue, a mild fragrance accompanied by a soothing surge of qi spread through his body. His taut nerves began to loosen, the tension melting away.

His body relaxed instinctively, and a soft, involuntary moan escaped his lips. The qi within him flowed more freely than it ever had before, smoothing out blockages and harmonizing with his natural energy. A few more sips, and he could feel the qi in his dantian reaching near capacity, brimming with vitality.

Without thinking, he drained the rest of the tea in a single gulp. The energy within him surged wildly, pushing against his current limits. Recognizing the signs of an imminent breakthrough, Jin Shu quickly sat cross-legged on the floor, placing his palms on his knees. Closing his eyes, he focused inward, surrendering himself to the process as the outside world faded from his awareness.

An unknown amount of time passed as Jin Shu felt his cultivation rising and condensing repeatedly. Waves of energy surged through him, refining and strengthening his foundation until finally, everything settled. When he opened his eyes, he could feel it—his cultivation had advanced to the 7th stage, two stages beyond his previous 5th.

He blinked, adjusting to the sensation of his strengthened qi. But his thoughts quickly derailed when he realized something odd—his chest was bare, his robes nowhere to be seen, and there was a damp, soothing sensation on his back.

Turning his head with growing curiosity, he found Sect Master Chen Ai Yun crouched behind him, wiping his back with a cloth. “Um…? What are you doing?” he asked cautiously, his voice caught between confusion and embarrassment.

“You were sweating,” she replied evenly, as if her answer fully explained why the dignified Sect Master was attending to him like a maid. Her composure remained untouched as she continued to clean his back. “What are these markings on your body?”

Jin Shu shifted awkwardly under her touch but managed to respond. “They’re runes. My cultivation technique requires me to inscribe them onto my body.” He tried to sound casual, though the feeling of the cloth gliding across his skin made him want to squirm away.

“That isn’t a cultivation technique,” Chen Ai Yun stated matter-of-factly. She dipped the cloth back into a small basin of warm water and wrung it out with practiced ease. “It’s an auxiliary technique.”

Jin Shu blinked, startled by the unfamiliar term. “What’s the difference?”

“An auxiliary technique doesn’t alter the way you cultivate qi. Instead, it enhances or supplements your cultivation and can be used alongside a proper cultivation technique,” she explained gently.

Finally satisfied, she stood from her crouched position, placing the cloth back in the basin before returning gracefully to her seat at the table.

Jin Shu sat there for a moment, digesting her words. Then realization struck, and his eyes widened. “Wait… does that mean I’ve been cultivating without a cultivation technique this whole time?”

Reflecting on his path, it hit him—he’d never used a cultivation technique. In the Body Realm, it was unnecessary since cultivation techniques only came into play from the Qi Realm onward. But now, he was beyond that.

Chen Ai Yun gave a small shrug, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “If that rune technique is all you’ve been using, then yes.”

Jin Shu stood abruptly, hastily pulling his robe back on to cover himself. “It’s called the Body Scribing Art,” he admitted, still processing everything.

“An Art?” Chen Ai Yun raised an elegant brow. “An Art typically includes a set of techniques—a cultivation technique and an auxiliary technique. Did yours only come with the one?”

Her question hung in the air, leaving Jin Shu to grapple with yet another realization.

Jin Shu reached into his space earring and retrieved a worn scroll. “This is the scroll I found with the technique… Could you look it over?” His voice carried a cautious tone, though hope glimmered in his eyes. Given her willingness to help so far, he trusted she might offer some insight.

Chen Ai Yun extended her hand, and with a simple motion, the scroll vanished from his grasp and reappeared in hers. She examined it for a brief moment before letting a wisp of her qi flow into it.

The scroll glowed faintly, just as it had when Jin Shu first discovered it in the cave within the Black Mountains. Slowly, glowing letters began to appear across its surface, their brilliance reflected in Chen Ai Yun’s calm expression.

She spread the scroll open and read silently for a time. Then, after a few moments, she spoke. “No wonder you couldn’t cultivate it.”

Jin Shu blinked, stepping closer to peer over her shoulder. “Why?”

“Here—look.” She pointed to a specific line etched into the glowing text.

Core Scribing Technique.

Jin Shu frowned as realization dawned. “Oh… So it can only be used in the Core Realm?”

“It would seem that way,” Chen Ai Yun said with a nod, rolling the scroll back up and handing it to him.

He accepted it, furrowing his brow in thought. “But how is that any different from the Body Scribing Art? Isn’t it just inscribing runes on the core instead of the body?”

For the first time, she hesitated. A light cough escaped her lips, a small sign of her momentary embarrassment.

“You… seem to be right,” she admitted, her tone softer. “An Art can also refer to a collection of techniques.”

Jin Shu tilted his head slightly, his brow lifting. “So… it still isn’t a cultivation technique?”

“It is not,” she confirmed with a small sigh, regaining her usual composure.

Jin Shu frowned at the scroll in his hands, suddenly feeling as though he had stumbled onto a far more complicated path than he’d first realized.

He exhaled slowly, a determined glint flashing in his eyes. If this isn’t enough, then I’ll just find a real cultivation technique. One way or another.

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