Chapter 2: True Flame Residual Seal

Five minutes later.

Qiu Yuan called out, “Third group.”

Cheng Han was among them, and the entire group lined up and entered the chamber.

Looking ahead, they could see a gray stone wall embedded into the room. Its surface was covered with countless traces of slashes and chops, vaguely forming the silhouette of a figure.

This was the so-called “Mystic Spirit Wall.”

The image upon it was known as the “Spirit Shadow Diagram.”

Beside the stone wall hung a clock used for timing.

Qiu Yuan adjusted the pointer back to zero and said, “Begin.”

The ten students simultaneously looked toward the stone wall.

The object contained a mysterious power. When the students first gazed at it, the markings on the wall appeared blurry. Only by concentrating completely could they see it clearly.

Cheng Han experienced the same thing.

His vision blurred for a second before the image became clear, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

Back when the Omniscient Eye was only Level 2, it had taken at least two seconds for him to clearly perceive the stone wall. Now the time had been cut in half.

There was no doubt that the additional 2 Spirit Value gained from yesterday’s upgrade had played a crucial role.

Only thirty seconds later—

The first student’s body trembled a few times before he lowered his head.

It wasn’t that he wanted to stop observing. Rather, his spirit could no longer withstand the power contained within the stone wall. He simply could not maintain his concentration and was forced to avert his gaze.

Qiu Yuan recorded the data and subtly shook his head.

He was completely certain that this student would never condense a seal in his lifetime.

Another dozen seconds passed.

Cheng Han’s mind finally reached its limit, forcing him to stop observing as well.

He tilted his head up and glanced at the clock.

Forty-two seconds!

Cheng Han felt quite pleased.

“With this result, I should rank within the top ten of the class, right?”

He checked his Spirit Value and discovered it had only decreased by 1.5 points, making him even happier.

“Last time it consumed 1.6 points. A Level 3 skill really is much stronger.”

What Cheng Han failed to notice was that Qiu Yuan, standing in the corner, was staring at him with undisguised astonishment in his eyes.

Not long afterward, all the students completed their observation session.

Qiu Yuan loudly announced,

“Within two hours after observing the Mystic Spirit Wall, meditation produces the best results. Hurry and begin meditating.”

Dozens of students spread cushions across the floor and sat cross-legged on them.

Cheng Han found a corner, closed his eyes, and began meditating.

So-called “meditation” was essentially visualizing the Spirit Shadow Diagram within one’s mind on a spiritual level.

For the first two or three years, most people could only reproduce a blurry image. This was the first stage.

Around thirty percent of people, after long periods of practice, could visualize a clear image. This was the second stage.

As for the final third stage, those with outstanding talent could, upon grasping a certain opportunity, trigger a miraculous transformation within the Spirit Shadow Diagram, forming what was known as the Origin Sense Seal.

More than ninety-five percent of the students in the class were currently stuck in the first stage, while the rest had yet to even reach that point.

After nearly ten minutes, Cheng Han completed his first visualization.

Around forty percent of the lines were relatively clear, whereas during meditation class three days ago, the clarity had not even reached thirty percent.

A full ten percent increase!

This was a leap in progress!

For the vast majority of students, such a massive improvement would require at least three months of effort. The tremendous effect of a Level 3 skill was obvious from this alone.

Half an hour later, Cheng Han completed three rounds of visualization.

His Spirit Value had now decreased by 2.7 points, leaving him with only 7.2 remaining.

According to Qiu Yuan’s teachings, after visualizing three consecutive times, mental pressure would greatly increase. Continuing would only produce diminishing returns. The best approach afterward was to practice breathing techniques in order to relieve the mental strain.

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Han decided to use the Omniscient Eye once, conveniently earning a bit of proficiency as well.

He silently muttered,

“Deduce today’s…”

Halfway through speaking, a sudden thought struck him.

“No, analyze the ‘sun’ of this world’s spacetime… or rather, the mystery behind the changes between day and night.”

Cheng Han suddenly felt a strange cool sensation spread across the top of his head, and his mind instantly became incomparably tranquil.

Very quickly, the abnormal sensation disappeared.

The Omniscient Eye seemed to have gained nothing.

Cheng Han smacked his lips.

“The changes between day and night probably involve some deep mystery of this world. The Omniscient Eye is only Level 3 right now. That’s probably beyond its current capability.”

He gave up on further deduction and planned to practice breathing techniques for a while longer when brilliant radiance suddenly surged before his eyes.

No.

This was not something his eyes “saw.”

The light directly descended into his mind. From the perspective of his visualization, he witnessed an incomparably dazzling brilliance.

Even stranger, the radiance seemed to contain profound and mysterious knowledge.

Cheng Han was instantly dumbfounded.

A few moments later, the light rapidly contracted, condensing into a hazy sphere of light.

A piece of information suddenly flashed through his mind:

“Analyzed: True Flame Residual Seal.”

Cheng Han was both shocked and delighted.

What the hell was a True Flame Residual Seal?

Another message immediately followed:

“Proficiency +12. Current proficiency: 16/1000. Spirit Value: 1.6/13.2.”

Previously, each analysis had only consumed 1 to 2 Spirit Value. This time, it had consumed a staggering 5.6 points, while the proficiency gain had shattered all previous records.

Before Cheng Han even had time to examine the residual seal, he suddenly felt intense heat on his forehead, as though someone had branded him with a red-hot iron.

Unable to stop himself, he cried out in pain.

“Ah~”

The moment the words left his mouth, he inwardly cursed.

Meditation class had one ironclad rule: disturbing others during meditation was strictly forbidden. Anyone who violated the rule would be punished by Qiu Yuan with ruler strikes to the palm.

The ruler weighed a full jin. One strike would leave behind a bloody welt that would take at least three days to fade.

An instant later, the burning sensation disappeared.

Cheng Han opened his eyes and nervously looked toward Qiu Yuan.

Just as expected, the latter was staring at him expressionlessly.

Quite a few students stopped meditating and turned toward Cheng Han.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Qiu Yuan coldly asked,

“Why were you shouting?”

Cheng Han answered honestly,

“I don’t know what happened just now. Suddenly, my head started hurting terribly.”

Qian Qingqing’s eyes were filled with sympathy.

The little girl felt that her deskmate’s excuse was far too fake. Teacher Qiu would definitely drag him outside and viciously strike his palms with the ruler.

The other students all wore different expressions.

Cheng Han was a loner within the class and wasn’t close with most of his classmates. Many looked at him as though waiting to enjoy a show.

A few students who disliked him even wore expressions of open schadenfreude.

However, what happened next completely caught everyone off guard.

Qiu Yuan carefully examined him for a few moments before asking,

“Your head really hurts?”

Cheng Han nodded.

Qiu Yuan coughed lightly.

“When mental energy is excessively depleted, occasional stabbing pain in the brain can occur. That’s probably your situation.”

After pausing briefly, he unexpectedly added,

“After school, go home and get some proper rest.”

Cheng Han froze for a moment.

Teacher Qiu was actually letting him off just like that?

Qian Qingqing revealed a look of utter shock.

Good heavens. Was Teacher Qiu, who always wore a dead-serious expression, sick today? He was actually making excuses on behalf of a student?

The other students were equally astonished.

Qiu Yuan swept his gaze across the room and barked unhappily,

“What are you all staring at? Continue meditating!”

He sternly reprimanded them,

“After graduating from middle school, you’ll only be able to observe Mystic Spirit Walls at martial halls, and each session costs at least eighty copper coins. The school charges you nothing, so cherish every opportunity.”

The students hurriedly closed their eyes and resumed pretending to meditate seriously.

In this world, ordinary people typically earned around eighteen to twenty silver coins per month.

Measured by purchasing power, one jin of potatoes cost two copper coins, meaning the wage level roughly corresponded to about one thousand yuan from Cheng Han’s previous life. Spending eighty copper coins for a single visit to a martial hall was equivalent to spending forty yuan each time—definitely not cheap.

(End of Chapter)