146: Don't mention my name.

Su Ming's spirit lifted. He immediately immersed his Divine Sense into the Jade Slip, firmly engraving the character “ Royal” (Yù), whose structure was several times more complex than the character “ Gather” (Jù), into his mind.

Following his previous successful experience, he first disassembled it in his mind.

The character “ Royal” (Yù) was square in shape, closed in structure, resembling a shield.

He extended his finger, mobilized that wisp of obedient Spiritual Qi, and confidently began inscribing it on the ground.

The first stroke started smoothly.

The second stroke transitioned fluidly.

However, when he reached the third stroke, where he needed to guide the Spiritual Qi outward to construct a closed framework, a problem arose.

That wisp of Spiritual Qi, accustomed to the introversion and swirling of the “ Gather” (Jù) character, simply could not adapt to this outward expanding method of guidance.

It suddenly stalled.

“Snap.”

With a soft sound, the Spiritual Qi broke at the corner, and the two strokes that had just taken shape instantly dissolved.

Su Ming was stunned.

Refusing to believe it, he tried again.

“Snap.”

It broke again.

He tried slowing down, guiding it meticulously.

The Spiritual Qi passed through, but the entire rune framework was flimsy, completely lacking the intent of “defense,” and the light flashed and vanished instantly.

It simply couldn't take shape.

After more than a dozen consecutive failures, fine beads of sweat seeped onto Su Ming's forehead.

He realized he was wrong.

Terribly wrong.

The experience gained from mastering the “ Gather” (Jù) character was almost useless in the face of the “ Royal” (Yù) character.

“Master...” he began, feeling somewhat defeated.

“How does it feel?” Lin Yu's voice was devoid of emotion.

“Disciple... feels that this ' Royal' (Yù) Rune is completely different from the ' Gather' (Jù) character. The method of Spiritual Qi circulation is entirely opposite.”

“Oh? How is it opposite?”

“The ' Gather' (Jù) character attracts and compresses external Spiritual Qi inward. Whereas the ' Royal' (Yù) character seems... seems to use one's own Spiritual Power to construct an outward barrier, emphasizing the concept of 'support' or 'holding up.'”

“Not bad, continue.”

“No matter how Disciple guides it, the Spiritual Qi is unable to form a stable 'surface'; it always dissipates.”

“Shallow.”

Lin Yu commented without reservation.

“You only see the surface. I ask you, what is the core of the ' Gather' (Jù) character?”

“Is it... a vortex?” Su Ming tentatively replied.

“It is 'gravity',” Lin Yu corrected. “It uses one's own Spiritual Power as the core to create a tiny gravitational field, attracting external energy. Therefore, its strokes are inwardly spiraling and centripetal.”

“What about the ' Royal' (Yù) character?” Su Ming pressed.

“Think again, what is the purpose of a shield?” Lin Yu did not give a direct answer.

“It is to resist external force.”

“How does it resist?”

“By... dispersing the impact?” Su Ming recalled the shield formation used by mortal armies.

“Exactly!” Lin Yu's voice held a hint of approval. “The core of the ' Royal' (Yù) character is 'repulsion' and 'conduction.' It requires you to use Spiritual Power to construct a uniform and stable repulsive field, and to evenly conduct and disperse the impact received along the closed structure of the rune.”

“Therefore, its strokes must be outwardly expanding and closed! If you use the Mind-Cultivation Technique for drawing the ' Gather' (Jù) character to draw it, you are climbing a tree to catch a fish!”

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Su Ming's mind, and clarity instantly flooded him.

Gravity and repulsion.

Inwardly spiraling and outwardly expanding.

Absorption and conduction.

This was the most fundamental “Dao” behind the different runes!

He no longer rushed to act, but closed his eyes and repeatedly compared the two runes side-by-side in his mind.

One was like a clenched fist, the other like an open palm.

Their structure, stroke direction, and method of Spiritual Power guidance all served their most fundamental intent.

So, learning a new rune was not simply copy-pasting.

Rather, one must first understand its “intent” before imitating its “form.”

“Thank you, Master, for the guidance. Disciple understands!”

When Su Ming opened his eyes again, the confusion had vanished, replaced by complete clarity. The next morning, Su Ming tidied up and walked out of Ding Qi Courtyard, preparing to head to the Accounting Room.

The moment he stepped out of the courtyard gate, Lin Yu's Soul Sense, carrying a hint of curiosity, extended from the xuantian ring.

“Disciple, don't move, let your Master take a look.”

This was the first time Lin Yu had truly “seen” this world since waking up.

The next moment, the magnificent and spectacular scenery of the Cloud Hidden Sect was fully presented within the perception of his Soul Sense.

Immortal mountains floating in the sea of clouds, rainbow bridges spanning the horizon, Cultivators flying on Flying Swords... Lin Yu's Soul body fell silent.

Su Ming could sense that his Master's Soul Power fluctuations were slightly... disordered?

Was he shocked by this immortal atmosphere?

Su Ming thought inwardly that he had felt the same way when he first saw it.

However, the next second, a series of complaints exploded in Su Ming's mind.

“Holy crap! This floating mountain completely disregards basic physics! Such massive weight, yet there isn't even an anti-gravity rune array underneath, it's just supported by a few energy pillars? If the energy supply becomes unstable, won't they all go bungee jumping?”

“And that guy on the Flying Sword! Speeding, bro! Didn't he see the one riding the Immortal Crane ahead? Shouldn't the entire Traffic Commission manage this? There's going to be a rear-end collision sooner or later!”

“Danding Peak? Good heavens, that Pill Cloud rising from the chimney—back in my day, the PM2.5 would be at least a thousand! Where's the Environmental Protection Agency?”

Su Ming's steps couldn't help but pause.

He felt he might have misunderstood the meaning of the word “shock.”

Just then, Lin Yu's Soul Sense violently retracted.

Waves of powerful and subtle Qi emanated from the distant, higher peaks, like invisible mountains pressing down, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

Golden Core... Nascent Soul... and even more terrifying existences!

Lin Yu's complaining spirit was instantly extinguished, replaced by a deep-seated vigilance carved into his Soul.

A rapid thought sounded in Su Ming's mind.

“Disciple, listen carefully!” Lin Yu's voice was unprecedentedly serious.

“From now on, do not call out to me anywhere except inside your own room!”

“Do not even think too much about me!”

Su Ming's heart tightened, and he immediately understood Lin Yu's meaning.

The strong here were as numerous as the clouds, their Divine Sense reaching the heavens; any slight abnormality could invite disaster.

“Yes, Master.”

He responded respectfully in his heart.

Only then did Lin Yu relax slightly.

“This place is too deep, with too many powerful experts. We... need to tuck our tails in even tighter.”

...Life returned to peace once more.

But Su Ming's life had undergone earth-shattering changes.

He no longer busied himself with those broken stones in the corner of the courtyard.

During the day in the Accounting Room, he was still the incredibly efficient accountant.

But in the intervals between checking accounts, he would often stare blankly at the air or a blank piece of scratch paper.

Sometimes, his fingers would hover in the air, unconsciously and slowly tracing, as if copying something invisible.

He was visualizing the structure of the runes and deducing the flow of Spiritual Power.

At night, the East Wing Room became his most secretive cultivation spot.

He no longer pursued quantity.

Instead, following Lin Yu's instruction, he thoroughly grasped and understood every single rune.

It took him a full five days to Master the second rune, “ Royal” (Yù).

He spent four days mastering the third rune, “ solid” (Gù).

The fourth rune, “ guide” (Dǎo), took him another five days.

The progress was infuriatingly slow, but every step was incredibly solid.

He was no longer rote memorizing, but truly beginning to understand the common, eternal “Dao” behind these ever-changing lines.

His Spiritual Power was still weak.

However, his control over that wisp of Spiritual Power had reached an unbelievable degree through daily, meticulous inscription.

All of this was noticed by certain people within Ding Qi Courtyard.

Zhang Meng only felt that Su Ming had become more silent and somewhat eccentric recently.

Steward Zhao, on the other hand, thought Su Ming was distressed over his inability to Cultivate, and often sighed while sending him some Spiritual Fruits as comfort.

Only Li Kai in the South Room.

He was still taciturn, leaving early and returning late every day.

But when he went out to fetch water, he would inadvertently glance at the tightly closed door of the East Wing Room.

His gaze was more complex than usual.

As a “Rogue Practitioner” who was also exploring independently, he understood better than anyone what Su Ming's current state implied.

That was not confusion.

That was focus.

It was the most painful, yet most crucial, introductory stage after a person stepped through the gate of a difficult Domain.

Li Kai retracted his gaze, carried the bucket, and silently walked back to his own room.

He closed the door and leaned against the cold door panel.

In the darkness, he slowly extended his hand.

A wisp of Spiritual Power, several times purer than Su Ming's, silently constructed a small yet stable “ Royal” (Yù) Rune at his fingertip.