61: Chapter 61 Preliminary Resonance

Day 33.

When Chen Zhen opened his eyes, the pattern of that rune still lingered in his mind.

A central circle, three points forming a triangle, radial curves, nested geometry, and a peripheral dot matrix.

Every detail was clearly imaged in his consciousness, as if carved into it.

He lay still, his consciousness sinking into Internal Vision.

The spiritual bead in his Dantian rotated slowly at a steady speed, the jade-colored luster flowing across its surface even more solid than yesterday.

The Spiritual Qi circulation was smooth, starting from the Dantian, passing through the meridians of his entire body, and returning to the Dantian.

He got out of bed and his gaze swept across the room.

Cleaning Spell.

Consuming 1 point of spiritual power, an invisible ripple swept through.

The leaves of the pothos on the windowsill unfurled, and the pale golden fine lines on their edges became a fraction clearer.

In [Internal Vision], the Spiritual Qi circulation within the pothos had perfected itself a little more.

Those tiny "plant meridians" had basically taken shape, like a miniature network covering the entire plant.

[Pothos Spirit Plant progression: 63/100]

It had increased by 8 points compared to yesterday.

With a thought, Chen Zhen split off a wisp of spiritual power and injected it into the pothos, slowly guiding it along the meridians within its body.

The leaves of the pothos trembled slightly, and that layer of pale golden halo brightened for an instant before slowly fading into the depths of the leaf veins.

The entire plant exuded a warm, vibrant aura of life.

[Spiritual power guidance successful]

[Pothos Spirit Plant progression: 68/100]

Almost there.

In about another week, this pothos would formally ascend to a Spirit Plant.

During his morning run, Chen Zhen began to challenge the "Rune Array".

Sixteen Spirit Control beads flew out from his Storage Space, arranging themselves beside him into the shape of the rune he had copied yesterday.

Central circle, three points, radial curves, nested geometry, peripheral dot matrix.

With sixteen stones, achieving so many structures simultaneously was an order of magnitude more difficult than simply aligning sixteen stars.

In the first kilometer, the Formation dissipated eight times.

It wasn't that his control precision was insufficient, but that the structure was too complex.

Every part had precise requirements for the position, angle, and spacing of the stones; the slightest deviation would cause the entire Formation to deform.

He constantly made micro-adjustments, using his will to "weave" this complex pattern.

In the second kilometer, the Formation barely took shape, but the radial curves were not smooth enough, and the spacing of the peripheral dot matrix was uneven.

In the third kilometer, the Formation finally stabilized.

The sixteen stones formed a complete rune pattern in the air, looking like an ancient totem suspended in the morning light.

[Morning run quality 'Transcendent']

[Health Dimension experience +175]

[Cultivation +1.98]

[Spirit Control Perfection effect increased: Spiritual power control precision +10% (currently 255%)]

[Rune Array proficiency +25]

[Unlocked hidden achievement: 'Heavenly Artisan' (Complex structure object control ability greatly increased, Formation-type ability growth +20%)]

When he ran to the Riverside, the old man was already waiting under the willow tree.

He wasn't smoking his pipe today, but instead stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the river surface.

Hearing footsteps, he didn't even turn his head: "What array did you arrange today?"

"A rune." Chen Zhen ended his Cultivation, and the sixteen Spirit Control beads fell back into his palm. "I saw it in a cave on Dongshan."

The old man was silent for a few seconds.

"The cave on Dongshan," he said, "you went inside?"

"Yes."

The old man turned around, looking at him with a complex expression.

"What did you see?"

"A stone with a rune carved on it."

"There was also an incense burner, a candlestick, and words carved on the wall from the 19th year of the Guangxu reign."

The old man nodded without speaking.

After a moment of silence, he said: "I also went into that cave when I was young."

Chen Zhen was taken aback.

"Back then," the old man said slowly, "I was still working at the Geological Institute. Old Gu led the team, and a few of us went to Dongshan for a survey and accidentally discovered that cave."

"You also saw that rune stone?"

"I did." The old man nodded. "But I didn't understand it back then, thinking it was just superstitious carvings by ancient mountain people. I took some photos, went back to study them for a while, didn't find anything, and then let it go."

He paused: "Later, Old Gu retired and continued the research himself, going deeper and deeper. In his later years, he told me that the rune was not simple; it might be a 'Ley Line Marker' left by the ancients."

Ley Line Marker.

It was consistent with the System's analysis results.

"Did you ever go back?" Chen Zhen asked.

The old man shook his head: "I never went back. Some things, it's enough to know them; you don't necessarily have to delve deep."

He glanced at Chen Zhen: "You, on the other hand, are a newborn calf that isn't afraid of a tiger."

Chen Zhen didn't speak.

"Today, I'll teach you something fitting." The old man pulled a small cloth bag from his pocket. "Use this."

Chen Zhen took it.

Inside were nine jade pebbles.

They were the same as the previous ones, but the color was darker, closer to black jade.

"Make it twenty-five." The old man said, "Your rune array, if you arrange it with twenty-five, will have a better effect."

Twenty-five.

Chen Zhen gasped. He was already struggling to arrange the rune array with sixteen, twenty-five... he was still far from it.

"No rush," the old man said. "Take it slow. Runes aren't just for show. If arranged correctly, they can channel the Qi of heaven and earth."

Channel the Qi of heaven and earth?

Chen Zhen's heart jolted.

"How to channel it?"

The old man didn't answer directly, but pointed to the river surface: "Throw a stone into the river."

Chen Zhen picked up a small stone and threw it into the river. The stone entered the water, causing ripples.

"Now, use your rune array and try to 'touch' that ripple."

With a thought, Chen Zhen sent twenty-five Spirit Control beads flying out, arranging them in the air into a rune array.

Then he tried to guide the spiritual power field of the rune array to touch the ripples spreading on the river surface.

At first, there was no reaction.

He adjusted the structure of the rune array, making micro-adjustments to the position and angle of each stone.

Five seconds later, the ripples on the river surface suddenly shuddered.

It wasn't blown by the wind; it was some kind of more subtle disturbance.

[Rune Array and energy of heaven and earth have achieved initial resonance]

[exploration dimension experience +50]

[Obtained status: 'Rune Insight' (Rune-type ability growth +30%)]

Chen Zhen ended his Cultivation, and the twenty-five Spirit Control beads fell back into his palm.

He looked at the old man.

The old man nodded: "Did you feel it?"

"Yes," Chen Zhen said. "The ripple... moved a bit."

"That is resonance."

"If a rune is arranged correctly, it can resonate with the Qi of heaven and earth. You are still weak now, so you can only disturb the ripples. When you are stronger in the future, you might be able to disturb more."

He paused: "The thing Old Gu wanted to prove his whole life was this."

On the way home, Chen Zhen kept thinking about the old man's words.

If a rune is arranged correctly, it can channel the Qi of heaven and earth.

What if one arranged a rune array at a Ley Line node?

Could it guide the flow of Spiritual Qi?

Could it enhance the effect of Cultivation?

Could it...

He suppressed the excitement in his heart.

It's too early to think about these things.

First, thoroughly research the runes, train his control, and then talk about the rest.

He arrived home at exactly seven o'clock.

"Your dad called last night and said his training is almost over, and he'll be back next Monday."

His mother ladled out the porridge. "He also said that several of his fellow workers want the Mint tea you gave him, and asked if they could buy some."

Chen Zhen smiled: "No need to buy, I'll send him some more."

"Alright then." His mother sat down. "Eat quickly, the porridge is getting cold."

The mother and son ate breakfast in silence.

After eating, Chen Zhen volunteered to wash the dishes.

One Cleaning Spell, done.

Then he returned to his room and began today's study.

The morning schedule was to research rune analysis.

He took the notebook out of his Storage Space and turned to the page with the rune copy.

In the [Rune Insight] state, looking at this rune again felt completely different.

Before, he only felt it was "complex", but now he could vaguely feel the "logic" behind every stroke and line.

Central circle — represents "source" or "center".

Three points forming a triangle — possibly represents the three powers of "Heaven, Earth, and Man", or the three treasures of "Jing, Qi, and Shen".

Radial curves — represents "energy release" or "information dissemination".

Nested geometry — possibly represents "multi-layered structure" or "different dimensions".

Peripheral dot matrix — possibly "orientation" or "time scale".

He tried to use [Model Thinking] to build a rune analysis framework.

Input the rune pattern, output the possible meaning and usage.

[Rune analysis progress: 22% → 35%]

Still far from enough.

Need more samples for comparison.

He remembered Engineer Zhou saying that back in their small circle, someone had studied runes.

Perhaps he could contact Engineer Zhou, or that Professor Yang?

But on second thought, now was not the time.

His foundation was still insufficient, and rashly contacting those Seniors might instead cause trouble.

Study on his own first.

At noon, Chen Zhen made himself a bowl of beef noodles.

After eating, he leaned back against the chair to rest for a while, then began his afternoon schedule.

Infusing the black lump with Spiritual Power.

He took the dark blue mineral from his Storage Space and placed it in his palm.

He infused it with Spiritual Power, consuming 0.3 points, and a ring of dark blue halo lit up on the surface, extinguishing after four seconds.

【Spiritual Power infusion complete】

【Spiritual Power affinity: 17 / 100】

83 more times to go.

He calculated that at this rate, he would be able to unlock the information about this meteorite in over twenty days.

It was worth the wait.

Before going to the Bookstore in the afternoon, Chen Zhen first went to his Secret Base.

Nurturing the Mint.

The spirit plant Mint was growing well; he harvested three more leaves today, bringing his stock to thirteen.

Nurturing the Pothos.

This quasi-spirit plant was being kept in the Secret Base, and by nourishing it with Spiritual Power every day, its progress was even faster than the one at home.

【Pothos (Secret Base) spirit plant transformation progress: 72 / 100】

In a few more days, he would be able to harvest the second spirit plant Pothos.

He squatted in front of the flowerpots and suddenly had an idea: if he placed the spirit plant Mint and the spirit plant Pothos together, would they produce some kind of "synergistic effect"?

For example, Mint refreshes the mind, Pothos calms the mind; would they complement each other?

He decided to try it.

He placed the two spirit plants side by side, then sat cross-legged in front of them and began to run the Simplified Microcosmic Orbit.

Sure enough, in 【Internal Vision】, he could clearly "see" the aura of the two spirit plants slowly merging.

The crisp aura of the Mint and the gentle aura of the Pothos intertwined, forming a miniature "Spiritual Power field."

Cultivating in this field increased efficiency by about 5% compared to usual.

【Discovered spirit plant synergistic effect】

【Planting entry-level experience +25】

【Skill Dimension (Planting) branch improvement: 17 / 100】

It was effective.

He noted down this discovery. In the future, he could Cultivate more spirit plants with different effects and combine them for better results.

When he arrived at the Bookstore, Old Wu was flipping through an old book behind the counter.

Seeing Chen Zhen, he waved, "You came just in time, there is something for you."

Chen Zhen walked over. Old Wu took a kraft paper envelope from under the counter and handed it to him.

There was no sender written on the envelope, only "To Chen Zhen."

He opened the envelope; inside was a folded letter and several photos.

He unfolded the letter; the handwriting was neat and handwritten:

"Student Xiao Chen:"

"I am Engineer Zhou. We met at the Bookstore last time."

"I heard you went to Dongshan and found that cave. Old Wu told me."

"I also saw that rune stone in the cave when I was young. I didn't understand it at the time, but after studying it for decades, I gradually understood its meaning."

"This photo is of the rune stone I took back then; it is clearer than what you see now. At that time, the cave had not yet been damaged, and the runes were better preserved."

"The other few photos are other runes I have collected over the years; some are on mountains, some by the Riverside, and some in an Ancient Tomb. They all have one thing in common: a core circle plus three dots."

"If you are interested in researching them, you can come find me. The address is attached."

"Zhou"

Chen Zhen unfolded the photos.

The first one was the rune stone from the cave in Dongshan.

But it was more complete and clearer than what he saw now.

Some parts that were blurry when he traced them were clearly visible in the photo.

The other photos were runes from different locations.

Some were carved on rocks, some on stone tablets, and some on the pillars of ancient buildings.

Although they varied in form, they indeed all shared a common feature.

A core circle plus three dots.

【Obtained key data: Engineer Zhou's Rune Photo Collection】

【exploration dimension experience +60】

【Rune analysis progress: 35% → 48%】

【Unlocked new node: 'Rune Distribution Network'】

Chen Zhen's heart rate accelerated.

With these photos, the progress of rune analysis could be greatly accelerated.

He looked at the address at the end of the letter:

"Jiangcheng University Staff Quarters, Building 12, Room 302."

Professor Yang's address?

No, it was Engineer Zhou's own address.

He thought about it and decided to go find Engineer Zhou next week.

For now, he would study these photos thoroughly.

When leaving the Bookstore in the evening, Old Wu said, "Engineer Zhou is a reliable person. You can go find him."

"Okay."

"However," Old Wu paused, "people in their circle are all a bit... strange. When you go, use your own judgment."

"I know."

When he got home, his mother had already prepared dinner.

After eating a simple meal, Chen Zhen returned to his room and began to study the rune photos sent by Engineer Zhou.

He cast the Eye-Brightening Spell.

Consuming 2.4 points of Spiritual Power, a cool sensation spread through his eyes.

Then he looked at them carefully one by one.

The first one: Dongshan Rune.

Complete version.

A core circle plus three dots; the radial curves were smoother than what he saw now, the layers of nested geometry were clearer, and the arrangement of the outer dot matrix had an obvious pattern.

It was not a random distribution, but arranged in a certain order.

He counted, and there were seventy-two dots in the outer dot matrix.

Seventy-two.

This number has special significance in traditional culture.

Seventy-two Earthly Fiends, seventy-two pentads, seventy-two trades...

The second one: Beishan Rune.

Carved on a huge rock, it was severely weathered, but the core circle plus three dots were clearly visible.

The outer dot matrix was not seventy-two, but thirty-six.

Thirty-six Heavenly Spirits.

The third one: Xishan Rune.

Carved on the pillar of an ancient temple, the outer dot matrix was twenty-four.

Twenty-four solar terms.

The fourth one: Nanshan Rune.

Carved on a cliff face, the outer dot matrix was twelve.

Twelve time periods.

The fifth, sixth, seventh...

For the runes in every photo, the core circle plus three dots were the same, but the number of dots in the outer dot matrix was different:

Seventy-two, thirty-six, twenty-four, twelve, sixty, forty-eight...

【Discovered pattern: outer dot matrix corresponds to different cycle units】

【Rune analysis progress: 48% → 62%】

Chen Zhen put down the photos and closed his eyes to digest the information.

The core circle plus three dots should be the universal mark for "Earth Vein Nodes."

The number of dots in the outer dot matrix indicates the "cycle attribute" of this node.

Seventy-two might correspond to "Earthly Fiends" or "pentads";

Thirty-six might correspond to "Heavenly Spirits" or "xun";

Twenty-four corresponds to "solar terms";

Twelve corresponds to "time periods";

Sixty corresponds to "Jiazi";

Forty-eight corresponds to...

He did not know yet.

But at least, he understood: the active cycles of different nodes were different.

Some were active according to "solar terms," some according to "Jiazi," and some according to "time periods."

The dot matrix of the Dongshan Rune was seventy-two.

Then its active cycle should be... seventy-two pentads?

One pentad is five days, and seventy-two pentads make exactly one year.

No, that's not right. Historical records show that the strange light in Dongshan has a cycle of thirty years and fifteen years, not one year.

He continued to think.

Seventy-two pentads is a cycle of five days, so seventy-two pentads multiplied by... thirty? Thirty is...

He did some mental math: five days multiplied by thirty equals one hundred and fifty days, less than half a year. That's not right.

Then seventy-two multiplied by... seventy-two multiplied by fifteen equals one thousand and eighty days, about three years. That's also not right.

He shook his head and set it aside for the moment.

【Rune analysis progress: 62%】

【Need more data】

At 10:00 PM, Chen Zhen began today's Cultivation.

First, he stood in a stance for five minutes and ran the Simplified Microcosmic Orbit ten times.

In the 【Internal Vision】 state, the Spiritual Pearl in his Dantian rotated slowly, and the Spiritual Power circulation was smooth.

Then, he took out twenty-five object control beads.

Sixteen old ones plus nine new ones, he began the Formation training.

Today's goal: to completely arrange the Dongshan Rune using twenty-five object control beads.

The difficulty was more than double that of sixteen beads.

The first time, it scattered as soon as he arranged the core circle.

The second, third, fourth time...

On the twenty-third time, the Formation finally took shape and stabilized for three seconds.

Chen Zhen stopped his practice, leaned back against the chair, and gasped for air.

Sweat was on his forehead, and his Mental Energy consumption was huge, but his heart was full of a sense of achievement.

【Extreme object control training】

【Spirit Control Perfection effect increased: Spiritual Power control precision +8% (currently 263%)】

【Formation proficiency +20】

【Twenty-five bead Formation achieved】

He rested for ten minutes, drank a sip of spirit plant Mint tea, and his Mental Energy slowly recovered.

Then, he summoned the system panel to begin today's summary.