Cultivation is Creation

“Are there any alternatives to the Hawk Eye Rune?”

Elder Molric stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, so you're interested in sensory enhancement…” He rapidly flipped through the tome. "The Echo Rune, for instance. Enhances hearing to the point where you can pick up heartbeats from across a room. Some practitioners even claim they can hear lies in people's voices."

"The downside?" I asked.

"Ah, well..." The elder coughed delicately. "Extended use tends to cause auditory hallucinations. Nothing too severe at first - just whispers at the edge of hearing. But if you push it..." He made a swirling motion near his temple.

"Master," Azure commented, "I can already detect heartbeats and micro-fluctuations in vocal patterns."

I nodded slightly, both to Azure and the elder. "What else?"

"The Presence Rune." Elder Molric turned another page. "Creates a sort of... awareness bubble around the user. You can sense movement, changes in air pressure, even emotional states within its range." His expression grew serious. "Though the emotional feedback can be... problematic. Especially during combat when everyone's feelings are running high."

"Let me guess - sensory overload?"

"More like emotional contamination." He grimaced. "Had an initiate use it during a spar once. Got so caught up in his opponent's battle fury that he couldn't tell whose rage was whose.”

"Yes, Master. And without the risk of emotional bleed-over."

The elder continued, oblivious to our silent exchange. "The Insight Rune is popular among the more scholarly types. Enhances pattern recognition, improves memory recall, helps with complex calculations..." He paused. "Though it does tend to make people a bit... obsessive. They start seeing patterns everywhere, even where none exist."

"Like conspiracy theorists?" I asked, remembering a term from my original world.

The elder blinked. "I'm not familiar with that term, but if you mean 'people who spend days creating elaborate diagrams connecting completely unrelated events while muttering about hidden meanings,' then yes, exactly like that."

"I believe I can handle any necessary calculations or pattern analysis, Master," Azure noted dryly. "Without the risk of developing paranoid tendencies."

I had to agree. Most of these sensory runes seemed like pale imitations of what Azure could already do. Even if there were beings powerful enough to escape Azure's detection, these runes wouldn't be able to spot what he couldn't. I shouldn’t have expected too much from rank 1 and rank 2 runes.

The elder continued, apparently warming to his subject. "The Whisper Rune is an interesting one - lets you project your voice directly into someone's mind at a distance. Quite useful for covert communication. Though it does have an unfortunate tendency to cause splitting headaches if used too frequently..."

Sounds like using spiritual sense to communicate… It was a pretty common technique in the cultivation world, one that most disciples in the 4th stage of Qi Condensation are able to do. I could probably learn to do it within a few hours when I’m back, there was no point wasting a rune slot on it.

As the elder continued describing various sensory enhancements, I found myself drawn back to the Hawk's Eye Rune. Enhanced perception and the ability to read micro-expressions could be invaluable, especially in the tournament. The drawbacks were concerning, but thirty seconds of heightened awareness at a crucial moment could mean the difference between victory and defeat.

"I think I'll go with the Hawk's Eye," I said finally, interrupting what was becoming an increasingly elaborate description of something called the 'Thousand Tongues Rune' (which apparently let you taste things from a distance, though why anyone would want that was beyond me).

The elder raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? The mental strain is quite significant if you’re not prepared..."

"I’ll make sure to practice properly and only use it when I need that extra edge in combat."

"Very well." He nodded, then suddenly snapped his fingers. "Oh! Speaking of combat, there's one more rune you should absolutely consider - the Soul Ward Rune. It's practically standard issue for any serious Skybound practitioner."

That caught my attention. "Why's that?"

"Those pesky priests," he growled, his usual good humor briefly replaced by something darker. "They love their soul-based techniques. One moment you're fighting normally, the next they're trying to rip your consciousness out through your ears!" He made a violent gesture that I really could have done without visualizing. "The Soul Ward provides basic protection against soul attacks and mental interference. Won't stop a determined high-rank priest, mind you, but it'll at least give you a fighting chance against the lower ranks."

"Are there other soul protection runes?" I asked, thinking of my unique situation. Soul damage was literally my only real concern in these time loops.

The elder shook his head. "There are, but the drawbacks make them impractical at your level. The Soul Fortress Rune, for instance - complete immunity to spiritual attacks, but it dampens your connection to the red sun. The Mind Lock Rune prevents all mental interference but also slows down your cognition. And the Spirit Shell..." He shuddered. "Let's just say there's a reason we keep those failures in a separate section of the Failure Garden."

"I'll take the Soul Ward then," I decided. Protecting my soul was paramount - everything else was just a temporary concern that would reset with the loop anyway.

"Excellent choice!" The elder beamed. "Now, have you considered any transformation runes? I'm not particularly fond of them myself - too flashy, too prone to psychological side effects - but they can be quite useful in certain situations."

He began flipping through his tome again. "The Wolf Rune grants enhanced speed and tracking abilities, plus those intimidating claws... though the heightened aggression can be problematic. The Bear Rune for raw strength and durability, but the decreased mobility is a significant drawback. The Owl Rune for night vision and silent movement, though it makes you rather sensitive to bright light..."

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My attention was caught by a particularly intricate pattern. "What's that one?"

"Ah, the Scorpion Rune!" His eyes lit up. "One of our more... interesting options. Grants a prehensile tail-like appendage, excellent for both offense and defense. The tip secretes a rather nasty neurotoxin - causes temporary paralysis in most victims, though the exact effects vary depending on their rank. Best of all, the transformation improves your own poison resistance!"

I couldn't help but smile, thinking of the tournament. An otherworldly poison that cultivators hadn't built up a resistance to might not be lethal, but it could certainly turn the tide of a fight. "That could be useful..."

"Just remember," the elder cautioned, his expression unusually serious, "don't try mixing different transformation runes. The physical changes can interfere with each other, and the mental effects..." He tapped his temple meaningfully. "Let's just say there's a reason why most of our more... eccentric members started out as transformation specialists."

I nodded, making a mental note. One beastly appendage was probably enough anyway.

"Now, given your combat style," the elder continued, "you might want to consider the Shockwave Rune." He showed me a pattern that looked like ripples spreading from a central impact point. "Releases a concussive pulse of energy that pushes back nearby opponents. Excellent for creating space or disrupting enemy attacks. Particularly useful for someone who prefers to keep their distance like yourself."

He had a point. My fighting style relied heavily on controlling the battlefield with vines and other plant constructs. A way to forcibly create distance when enemies got too close could be invaluable.

"What about tracking?" I asked, thinking ahead to the tournament. I didn't know exactly what the group stages would entail, but in the novels, these events often involved either finding specific items or hunting down other participants.

"Ah, for treasure hunting? No such luck, I'm afraid. Though we do have several options for tracking people." He flipped to a new section. "The Blood Hound Rune enhances your sense of smell to track targets, though it's rather... unpleasant in populated areas. The Spirit Trace Rune lets you follow energy signatures, but it's easily confused by multiple targets. Now, the Tracker Rune..." He tapped a simple but elegant pattern. "That one's quite practical. Marks a target with a trace of Red Sun energy, letting you sense their location until it runs out."

That could be extremely useful, not just for tracking enemies but also for keeping tabs on teammates if we got separated. I was about to say as much when the elder suddenly paused, frowning at the pages before him.

"We may have gotten a bit carried away," he said, closing the tome. "You only have space for two non-elemental runes at your current rank. We've discussed far more than that."

“Azure, any chance you could scan the book for future reference?"

"I apologize, Master," Azure replied. "The tome appears to be protected by some form of spiritual barrier. Not surprising, given its value."

I looked up to the elder with a smile. "I'll just take the Soul Ward and one other for now. But it's good to know what options are available for the future. Can we continue reading?"

The elder didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded slowly. "Well, we might as well look at a few more before moving on to elemental runes..."

"What about storage runes?" I asked suddenly, thinking of my inner world. If I could inscribe one there, I might be able to store items even at the Qi Condensation stage. It would be incredibly useful, especially when worldwalking…

"Storage runes?” Elder Molric let out a bark of laughter. “Manipulating space is way beyond the abilities of a rank 2 Skybound. Even our rank 4s struggle with the most basic spatial techniques." He shook his head in amusement. "Though I admire your ambition!"

I nodded, hiding my disappointment. It had been worth asking, at least.

"Master," Azure spoke up, "have you considered a trump card? Something to give you an edge in truly desperate situations?"

I frowned. I generally avoided techniques with severe drawbacks, especially anything that affected life force. But Azure had a point. Better to burn a few years of life than die because I was too cautious to use a trump card.

"Are there any runes specifically designed for emergency power-ups?" I asked carefully.

The elder's expression darkened. "Don't tell me you're interested in those..." He shook his head disapprovingly. "These foolish initiates, always reaching for more power without considering the cost. They use these runes for every little challenge, then wonder why they can't advance to the next rank!"

"I wouldn't use it carelessly," I assured him. "Only if my life was truly in danger."

He studied me for a long moment, then sighed. "Well, at least you're being honest about it." He opened the tome again, turning to a section marked with what looked suspiciously like bloodstains. "Let's see... The Berserker's Rage triples your physical strength but leaves you virtually mindless. The Phoenix Heart lets you ignore fatal wounds for five minutes, but afterward..." He drew a finger across his throat. "The Dragon's Breath grants overwhelming power but burns through your life force like paper. The Spirit Burst releases all your spiritual energy at once - very impressive, right until your core dissipates..."

As he described each option, I found myself growing increasingly uncomfortable. These weren't just dangerous techniques - they were practically suicide moves disguised as power-ups.

This theme continued until the elder stopped one that seemed more simple in its design.

"The Overclock Rune..." The elder murmured. "Less spectacular than the others, but also less likely to kill you outright. Pushes your energy output beyond normal limits temporarily. The backlash isn't pleasant - extreme exhaustion, potential damage to your body - but at least it won't literally burn away your life force or cripple you."

I nodded. That sounded more reasonable than the alternatives.

The elder closed his tome with a decisive snap. "Well, that's enough of that! Shall we move on to elemental runes? I have some fascinating options that I think would complement your current abilities quite nicely..."

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