Seconds passed slowly, minutes were suffocating, and soon, an unbearable hour had gone by.
The night before, as soon as they arrived, they chose to sleep and start absorbing the Qi when they were in the best condition. But as soon as they woke up, reflecting on their futures, they agreed to use it for this more important cause.
Blocking all Qi movements from the body and still maintaining a spiritual illusion on a rune was mentally taxing work for Alm and Bruno, who were still at the first level of Qi Gathering.
When an hour had passed, Bruno let Alm take over. They took advantage of having two separate consciousnesses and divided the task, with one always resting and checking the surroundings of the room.
Ruri was sweating uncontrollably and kept her eyes closed in total concentration. She had barely started her cultivation and had not yet felt and gathered the Qi of the world on her own. But Bruno could guide her mentally, explaining how to move and use the Qi within her meridians. Now, Alm was in charge of this.
"Kid, soul techniques aren't my area, so I can't help you much with that. But I know you have a long lineage of soul cultivators. Try not to overthink things, just feel the power of your soul and use your most primitive instinct to guide you," Alm initially spoke gruffly but then tried to soften as best as he could.
Ruri felt a very drastic change in those words because their souls were connected. Before, the words were gentle, and she could sense a slight concern coming from them. Now, he had become rough and tough.
Initially, she felt as if they were two different people... but soon, her mind went back to a few weeks ago when Denil would shout and threaten to beat her because of his hunger. That feeling of being at someone's mercy, of being controlled by fear, was not unfamiliar to her.
'She's getting nervous and losing focus, idiot,' Bruno complained mentally.
'It wasn't my words; it was memories from the fat bastard who used to own this body,' Alm replied. He was the one connected to the girl and could sense what she was thinking.
'Do something already!' Bruno yelled.
"Hmm... you're doing well," Alm spoke awkwardly. "Remember what I said before, okay? Errr... what was that that you said before... No, I mean I, I said before... Hmm... Oh, right! I'll protect you from anything as long as you keep working properly. I wouldn't have given you this task if I didn't think you were capable."
Bruno didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Seeing Alm trying to act soft was truly a sight to behold.
Ruri's mind, previously turbulent like the waters of a raging river, suddenly calmed down. Alm's awkwardness was quite comical, which somehow made her forget the previous Denil.
'She's always been alone; your words make it sound like we're going to take care of her forever,' Bruno commented, concerned. They obviously didn't have that intention, including Bruno.
Suddenly, a mental fluctuation slipped out of Alm's control and directly hit the slave rune. Alm and Bruno's faces contorted in surprise, almost causing them to fall backward. While Bruno was preparing to curse Alm with all his might, he realized a subtle Qi of the soul gently sealing the slave rune.
Alm felt great seeing that. 'Success. See? My words are like gold! Don't underestimate my teaching skills, you bastard.'
Bruno was on the verge of uncontrollable laughter but managed to contain himself as he watched the little girl before him. 'Impressive, she just needed a little encouragement, indeed. Congratulations, instructor.'
'Shut up, idiot. It's only been an hour, and I still reserved some Qi for us to use. It should be enough to reach the third level,' Alm replied in a terrible mood after hearing Bruno. Such things truly didn't fit him.
Ruri opened her eyes and saw Alm and Bruno looking at her. A radiant smile bloomed on her face. Alm was momentarily paralyzed, and Bruno didn't miss the opportunity to tease. 'Oh, you can still feel good about doing something nice.'
Alm didn't have time to respond because Ruri bowed completely in front of them, her forehead touching the ground. "Ruri accepts to be your disciple, Master. But please... no bed."
Bruno almost exploded. "Fuck the bed! There is no bed! There will never be a bed! Understood?!"
Surprisingly, Ruri didn't fear that outburst but smiled instead. "Yes, Master!"
Alm had to admit he felt quite a little of pride. 'She's young, but she's quite knowledgeable. Obviously, it is also due to my teachings.'
He then looked at Ruri. "Get up. That was just the first step. You're only a disciple in the name; don't forget that. You should sleep for the rest of the day and the entire night. Rest is part of training, so take it seriously. Tomorrow, we'll begin real cultivation. Go," he concluded seriously.
The morning was still unfolding, but Ruri's developing body was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally. She looked up, her eyes brimming with gratitude and a desire to say something, but she chose to bow again and quickly leave the room.
Alm sighed deeply and reclined on the stone bed. A few seconds later, the ravenous feeling attacked his mind and body. "Damn, we're going to starve today," grumbled Alm as he tried to suppress the torturous hunger.
On the same day, they could sense a great commotion within the clan's main building. A massive investigation had been launched throughout the clan and quickly spread beyond its borders.
Alm chuckled sinisterly. One of the top three disciples of the clan, someone who had accumulated an alarming amount of resources, had awakened completely devoid of cultivation. Others also faced the same problem, and the theft of their spatial rings made it clear about someone's malicious act.
Bruno couldn't help but say. "These youths had the audacity to physically abuse a child servant. After they used their status to cause trouble around, they should have known karma would come knocking on their door. They won't live for long."
"Who cares. Let's absorb the Qi quickly before you find another thing to spend it on," said Alm while activating his tattoo on one side of his wrist.
Night soon arrived, and as predicted, they reached the third level of the Qi Gathering Realm. It was the same level Denil had reached when they took over that body and had to destroy it to start over. Even better, no one would suspect them if they were checked exactly for the same reason.
Alm felt quite excited. "Now, we can go out and cause some trouble. Maybe something will fall into our net."
The difference between someone at the third level of the first realm and a mortal was imperceptible unless they used Qi to check. When they went out to the library, no one knew that they had restarted their cultivation from scratch. Of course, they couldn't cause trouble to avoid getting caught; that would create more problems than necessary. Now, with their cultivation at the same level as before, there shouldn't be major issues.
Still, Bruno kept his calm. "We should carefully plan the robbery, so don't rush it. Plus, we have a disciple now; we need to guide her first." Yet, he could understand Alm's feelings. "Well, I'm also looking forward to seeing the world again. It's been a long time."