Deciding to first open the scroll, he started reading it over.
The scroll wasn't anything special, containing the clan rules and the basic etiquette of rune masters inside the family. It also showcased the rankings inside the clan. Surprisingly, Daito was pretty high up the ladder, his grandfather and great-grandfather possessing elder roles.
This was pretty convenient information, containing the power structure of the family. Thankfully it was inscribed with restrictions and would self-destruct if found by a person outside of the family.
Honestly, this whole thing was a bit too much for him. Going from a commoner to a person of a hidden clan was shocking and made no sense. However, if he thought about it hard, then this realization solved a lot of the questions concerning his father's family.
Of course, his father didn't know…
'Wait, does father know? Surely not right? No, maybe Daito has told him. I should ask father when we meet.'
Not wanting to over-think things, he rolled the scroll and took the manual. Placing his hand over it, he traced his hands over the cover. It was made out of hard leather and bound together with rope. The leather had grooves on it, seemingly following a pattern that couldn't be seen with the naked eye. There was no title to distinguish it from other manuals and no descriptions could be found inside.
After opening it, the only thing he could see was drawings following movements of martial arts.
'So its a martial skill manual. I wonder what sort of skill it is.'
It was a method of writing down manuals that made much more sense than written text. Following the movements of the drawn person was much easier than trying to comprehend movement from text.
He slowly turned the pages as his eyes followed the movements depicted inside. The movements became more and more seamless the more he looked at them, as if they were animated inside his eyes.
Suddenly he felt his vision turning, as the world started spiraling around him, despite that, the only thing his eyes could see was the movements of the drawn figure changing. Although the figure wasn't holding any weapon, he felt that an invisible sword was extending from his arms with every move, as if the figure itself was the sword.
The figure turned more and more corporeal, its painterly feeling was gone, the silhouette of a young man was there, swinging a wooden sword.
[Ansuz rune has been activated]
[User has entered enlightenment state]
[User has come into contact with an ancestral martial technique - Beginning Sword]
[Beginning Sword
Tier: Mortal
Martial Grade: ██████████
Description: The sword of beginnings, but also the sword of endings. User has come into contact with an ancestors original cultivation method, compatibility has reached the peak and enlightenment has been activated.]
Rui had no knowledge of the system windows, as his eyes were solely focused on the young man in front of him.
He had never felt such a connection to anyone and had never felt such a strong sense of sorrow and nostalgia in his two lives. It felt like his heart and soul would rip apart looking at this lonely figure.
The young man swung a crudely made wooden sword with all his might. It was clear that the sword wouldn't even last a proper training session, but the young man never stopped and kept swinging. He swung the sword from dawn till the peak of the night, his body full of sweat, but his eyes never faltered.
Each time he swung the sword, he would grow older and older, to the point of his death.
Even though that was the case, the cycle didn't end there. The particles of his body rearranged themselves as they swung once more, turning him into an infant.
The infant swung until he was a young man again.
He had shed tears multiple times, but he never wiped them, not stopping for a single second. His heart was full of sorrow and loneliness, but he never stopped swinging his sword.
He was alone in this world, only him and his flimsy wooden sword.
He swung and swung till he spilled blood, but never stopped swinging. His arms and feet were numb, but never stopped swinging.
He had swung so much that no tears or sweat came out anymore. Blood started pouring out of his nose, mouth, eyes and then his pores, but he never stopped swinging his sword.
He progressed like so. From his youth to his adulthood to his elder years, he spent his time swinging the sword. Even after his death a youth exactly like him appeared and continued swinging.
However, at one moment, he cut it.
Rui didn't know what he cut, but he was sure that he cut it. It was a feeling coming from his soul.
He had cut at the space for a year straight. A year without any food, or water, just cutting at the air. He cried and swore but never once did he stop cutting at the air. Even at the brink of collapse, his willpower didn't let him fall. He kept swinging till blood covered his entire body.
He had finally succeeded.
The young man smiled as he fell on his back. He laughed out loud in joy as if he had finally completed his life's goal.
Rui had no idea as to why he had done such a absurd thing, but he was happy for him.
The world around him crumbled as the young man got up and restored his normal appearance in an instant. The smile still hadn't left his face. He looked towards Rui's direction and spoke…
"Descendant of mine, for you have seen my past, I have great expectations of you."
Rui opened his eyes wide in disbelief. He wanted to speak out, but words wouldn't come out of his mouth. The world around him collapsed as his vision clouded over.
When he opened his eyes again, he was inside his room, staring at the manual. Not sure what had just transpired, he flipped the manual once again, but to his dismay, the drawings had disappeared.
[Congratulation to user for acquiring a martial skill]
[One free stat point has been rewarded]
[Now displaying skill]
[Beginning Sword
Tier: Ancestral
Martial grade: Unknown
Forms: Formless, First Form: Birth, Second Form: Youth, ██████████ ,██████████ , ██████████, ██████████
Mastery: Zygote
Description: A martial method of the sword, following the path of ones life. It is an ancestral rank skill, meaning it does not belong in the orthodox system adopted by all. Its true martial grade is unknown.
The sword follows multiple paths and there is no right or wrong in the world. The Beginning Sword is a sword that creates a path.
Warning: User is too weak to fully display the power of the skill. User may only use a scale of the formless form to perform the art and only if the user is in danger should he perform the first and second forms.
System Advice: User should focus on getting stronger.]
Rui's hands were trembling. He couldn't comprehend what had just transpired. The only thing he did know is that it did actually happen, since the system windows displayed something.
He wasn't sure what he had just learned, nor what sort of martial arts it was, but he didn't care. At the moment his body was under intense shock, seemingly going through a period of change.
He grabbed the ornate ancestral knife, Sun cutter, and held it tight on his hand. He recalled the figure swinging his wooden sword till he couldn't anymore.
He closed his eyes and swung the knife following the same motion as the young man. He didn't care as to what would happen, he just felt that he should do this, as if a force was pulling him.
A single swing.
A single swing was all it took to completely exhaust him beyond belief. All the energy in his body disappeared in an instant, as if even the energy of his life force wasn't enough to complete the swing.
[Warning!]
[User has tried to use the first form of the Beginning Sword. System advises user to not use it until his cultivation reaches a higher level.]
Rui finally understood why the system said to not use the sword forms unless he was in a dire strait, and what the sword swings actually meant. They weren't sword "forms" to say so, but a single form was signified by a swing following a certain motion, each subsequent swing would be the next form.
He thought while rubbing his chin.
'What a bizarre technique. Surely uncle didn't expect this from me, right? There is no way he would give such a powerful martial art to a novice.'
His body had slightly recovered after a while, so he decided to cultivate and restore his energy faster. He still had a long day in front of him.
As soon as Daito left Rui's place, he headed towards another student's residents, not having any idea what sort of progress Rui had made in the martial art method he gave.
In reality, what Daito had given Rui was just a basic martial art of the clan that used the sword. If he knew that Rui comprehended the original martial art from it, he would probably be running off to his clan at top speed to inform them.
Knocking on the door in front of him, he waited patiently.
After a while, a young man opened the door. His expression was neutral, as if expecting Daito to come. His sharp blue eyes reflected Daito's silhouette, as he respectfully brought him in.
Daito was standing much more respectfully than when he entered Rui's room. It was a clear difference in relationship and standing. His expression was neutral, not showcasing anything. A strong aura came out of his body and he released a protective shield around the space, however, it was much weaker than the one he had used when talking to Rui.
The silence continued for a while, but one person finally spoke.
"I've witnessed the young sun."
As soon as those words were spoken, the youth frowned. He was clearly displeased with being called that, however the frown slowly turned into a hollow smile. A smile with no emotion behind it.
"Captain of the hidden guard, Guang Daito, what brings you here in my humble residence?"
"I've come to inform you of matters concerning the Royal family, so of course the crown prince needs to know."
Han Dong nodded. Although his expression wasn't pleasant at the moment, he still held it in. He had something to ask him, so basic courtesy was required, especially when talking to someone of the hidden guard.
"Before you continue with the information, I'd like to know what your relationship with the student named Guang Rui is. It has been hard for even the merchant king to get any useful information."
Daito smiled as he looked toward Han Dong with clear disregard. If he had shown such an expression to average members of the royal family, they would be so angry that they would order his execution and even the destruction of his family. But Han Dong was one of the few people of the royal family that knew the truth.
The atmosphere turned strange, as Han Dong felt that death was right in front of him, the image of the grim reaper standing behind Daito's figure that seemed to be getting larger in the shadow.
"I'm his uncle, young man. As I see no hostility from your actions, I shall disregard them, both from you and the merchant king for the time being. Do not dig into matters that don't concern you for now."
The suppressive air disappeared as soon as he spoke those words and the solemn atmosphere from before returned. Daito once more put on a neutral expression.
"Now let's get into the serious matters. We will start with the small things."
Han Dong nodded submissively.
"As you know, the only royals to actually awaken in your generation are you and Han Feng, but Han Feng has clearly fallen behind the rest and even went down a class. His father has been extremely active in court and wants his son to be moved to at least the A class or even the S class."
Han Dong clicked his tongue with disdain.
"Of course he would do something like that. Although he comes from a noble lineage, he still goes around acting like he owns the place, just let it be handled by the Empress. She will surely restrict his actions and limit his court power."
"The prince is wise."
"Please don't use such blatant flattery in front of me."
Daito smiled.
"Now lets get into some bigger matters. The previous emperor still hasn't returned and many don't know if he is truly alive. The empress has received massive damage in political affairs and the empire is getting weaker by the year. Since the emperor was a powerhouse, as he alone could conquer countries, but the empress is much weaker and only has political power at this point."
Han Dong face became heavy.
This was the truth hidden from the public and the thing that weighed the most on Han Dong's heart.
His identity was the grandson of the Illusion Emperor, however the Illusion Emperor had been gone for ten years now and a mysterious woman became the empress. It was clear she had a connection with the Emperor, but Han Dong didn't dare to trust her in any way.
He was born from the first born of the emperor and a palace maid. Thanks to this, he was ostracized for most of his life. His father had died to a mysterious illness and his mother was poisoned to death, such was the life of a royal with power from birth. Especially when such an individual was born under a "weak bloodline". Racism and class difference was a very prominent problem in high society.
Han Dong didn't have many fond memories in the palace, as he would spend most of his day either studying or playing by himself in the giant empty corridors. He had fond memories of his grandfather however. Even if he was only four, for some reason, he could remember every detail of their interaction.
Be it luck or curse, it all changed when he awakened with the Illusion emperor's rune.
He was instantly elevated into the position of the crown prince, his standing becoming much greater than all the other royals that suppressed him. Despite that, he wasn't happy. He had no one he trusted in the palace and only built relationships outside.
The only person he truly trusted was a young person like him, the merchant king, as they had similar beliefs and personalities.
Witnessing Han Dong's expression, Daito grinned.
"Don't worry, the Emperor isn't someone that will die randomly, and he especially isn't someone who would leave his people behind."
His eyes were full of trust and respect for the emperor.
Han Dong nodded once more. He couldn't say anything.
Seeing that he was silent, Daito continued with the report.
"There seems to be an increase in demonic practitioners in the region and many civilians seem to disappear in the outskirts of the empire. We've sent many investigators and we are waiting for results."
"An influx of Rune masters has happened recently, as the number of newly awakened seems to be increasing each year. Alchemists and high level rune masters are currently researching the matter."
"Many low ranked clans are being harassed and there has been an incident of a slave market. The Empress is currently looking deeply into it and has mostly uprooted them."
"The Emirates Union is looking for…"
"The…"
After a while, Daito had reported everything to Han Dong. Bowing, he exited the room, disappearing into thin air.
Han Dong was left alone to ponder over the things Daito had just reported. He sighed in exhaustion. Although it was still only dawn, he had gone through the same stress as Rui did in that short period of time.
He currently could do nothing about the reports, as he was just a student inside the academy, but he still needed to understand the situation the empire was in.
Opening the front door of his residence, he came outside and sat next to the artificial pond. Putting himself in the lotus position, he started meditating. Energy rushed through his body and felt rejuvenated.
Just like Rui, he had consumed the beginner golden dan pill, but he still hadn't processed all the energy inside. Not everyone was born with an ability to eat pills like they were candy.
After a while, he was able to refine the majority of the excess energy. Heaving a large sigh, he stared at the sky.
These moments were the most peaceful moments of his hectic life. Everyday inside the palace was like a battlefield, being surrounded by multiple factions. Even the servants that served him since he was little couldn't be trusted, as many had tried to betray him and poison him.
He regretted being born in the royal family, but at the same time, he was proud of enduring all those hardships.
Suddenly, a gong sounded around the whole academy. Realizing that the time for the gathering had come, he got up and headed towards the gathering grounds. On the way there, he encountered many students and greeted them.
Arriving at the gathering grounds, he headed towards the S class group and stood at a corner. He scouted around the area to see how his fellow students were doing and what sort of progress they had made.
Since the S class was composed of geniuses of at least a certain level, many had advanced at a similar speed to him. He was pleased with the progress they had all made, after all, they were the future of the empire.
Hearing a commotion behind him, he found Rui rushing over. He was rubbing his glabella in annoyance, he seemed to be exhausted, even though it was morning.
Behind him, a boy and girl were pestering him non-stop. They had a similar appearance, clearly being brother and sister twins.
They both had blue hair and fox like eyes, their expressions were full of arrogance and pride, as they chased after Rui.
Looking at this scene, Han Dong almost burst out laughing.
As soon as Rui arrived at the group, he hid behind Huo Liang and shut his eyes and plugged his ears. He couldn't even be bothered by this idiot duo.
Huo Liang was already tall to begin with, but with every single passing day and puberty hitting him, he was already close to 185 cm in height. Compared to the other fourteen year old students, he was intimidating to say the least. Looking at his sturdy figure, the twins decided to stop chasing behind Rui.
Many inside the S class laughed at this scene, clearly knowing the twins and their personalities.