Chapter 287: Two Paths

Night had already completely fallen over the Verdant Sword Sect, and only the distant sound of the cutting wind crossed the giant trees. Kyrian was sitting in the center of the room, surrounded by the eight ancient books.

There was no haste. Nor anxiety. Only the same cold and absolute concentration that he applied to everything.

He picked up a new jade plate, smooth and cold to the touch. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, mentally going over every line, every connection, and every point of balance he had learned in the manuals. The ancient language was no longer a mystery, it was a tool.

Kyrian released his Qi slowly. The sword Qi, sharp and precise, flowed into the plate like an invisible blade, engraving runes. Thin lines began to form on the surface of the jade, glowing with a faint greenish tone. He controlled each stroke with millimetric precision, adjusting the intensity of the Qi to avoid overload.

It was the next attempt after the previous failure.

The plate trembled slightly in the middle of the process. Kyrian frowned but did not stop. He corrected the flow at the last second, stabilizing the structure. When he finished, he raised the plate and positioned five low-grade spirit stones around it, exactly at the points indicated by the manual.

He released the activation Qi.

A translucent dome, thin as a soap bubble but filled with sword intent, appeared around him. Kyrian observed in silence. Ten minutes passed. Fifteen. The barrier remained stable, vibrating slightly with the wind that entered through the window.

Then, one after another, the spirit stones lost their glow and turned into gray powder. The dome flickered one last time and disappeared completely, without any crack in the jade plate.

Kyrian extended his hand and picked up the plate. It was intact. Only a slight residual warmth showed that it had been used.

A small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“I did it.”

He did not celebrate out loud. He only recorded the result. The rank 1 barrier formation was complete. It worked exactly as described in the manual. The energy was depleted first from the spirit stones, and the core remained stable.

Kyrian leaned back for a moment, analyzing the feeling. Forming the structure had been… more natural than he expected. Unlike alchemy, where each herb reacted unpredictably and required constant adjustments of temperature and sequence, formations seemed to follow a logic closer to his own nature. The Qi flowed easily through the lines.

“It is easier than alchemy.” He murmured, almost surprised.

“From the beginning… it feels like I was already closer to this path…”

It was not arrogance. It was just an observation. His eyes gave him a natural affinity with structures that required control of Qi. Formations were, in a way, an extension of that.

Satisfied with the progress of the day, Kyrian stored the intact plate and the fragments of the previous attempts. He lay down on the simple bed and closed his eyes. Sleep came quickly, deep, without disturbing dreams.

The next morning, Kyrian woke up before dawn, as always.

He did not waste time. He sat in front of the cauldron and spent the first hours of the day refining rank 4 pills. The Burning Heart Pill still required attention, but his control over the gray flame was already much greater than days ago. Entire batches came out with purity between sixty and seventy percent. He produced more than thirty usable pills before noon.

When the sun reached its highest point, Kyrian stored the cauldron and the remaining herbs. Alchemy would be left for the morning period. The rest of the day would belong to formations.

He returned to the books. This time, he opened the second volume, focused on rank 2 barrier formations. The complexity visibly increased. More connection lines, double cores, and the requirement of balance between two plates simultaneously. The energy consumption was also higher.

Kyrian was not intimidated.

He sat again in the center of the room and began. Plate after plate. Attempt after attempt.

The first ones failed miserably. One exploded into fragments in the middle of the engraving. Another formed an unstable barrier that collapsed after a few seconds. A third cracked when activated, releasing a cutting wave that left thin marks on the stone walls of the room.

Kyrian cleaned the debris, analyzed the error, and started again. Without frustration. Only learning.

On the third full day dedicated to rank 2 formations, he achieved his first stable barrier. The dome was thicker, more resistant, and withstood a light strike of his own sword intent without breaking. The spirit stones were completely depleted before the plate showed any sign of fatigue.

On the fifth day, he was already producing two rank 2 formations per afternoon with consistent success.

The days passed quickly, almost without Kyrian noticing.

During the morning, pill refinement. He alternated between the Burning Heart Pill, the Core Stabilization Pill, and some simpler rank 3 ones to sell and maintain the flow of resources. His purities slowly increased, but steadily.

Afternoon and night, he practiced formations.

He devoured the manuals with the same hunger he had when studying alchemy. He compared patterns, tested variations, and adjusted the flow of sword Qi to create sharper, more durable barriers or additional properties, such as reflecting part of the attack back or hiding the presence within the dome.

On the eighth day, Kyrian managed to create a rank 2 barrier formation that lasted almost a full hour before dissipating. The jade plate came out practically intact, only with slight signs of use.

He stood up, stretched his shoulders, and looked out the window. The sky was already darkening again. Another day had passed.

’It is flowing well.’ He thought.

Kyrian did not feel overwhelmed. On the contrary. Dividing the time between alchemy and formations seemed to complement his paths. The precision required by formations further improved his control over the gray flame, and the study of herbs and essences gave him ideas for more efficient formation cores.

He stored the materials and lay down on the bed. Before sleeping, he mentally reviewed the patterns of the day. Small adjustments he could make tomorrow. A variation in the core connection that might allow a more energy-efficient rank 2 barrier.

Sleep came peacefully, filled with ancient symbols and bright Qi lines.

Outside, the sect’s wind continued to blow, carrying the distant sound of swords cutting through the air. Inside the simple room, Kyrian followed his own rhythm, calm, relentless, and increasingly complete.

The days continued to pass. And with them, his mastery over the two new paths only grew.

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