Three days passed quietly within the Divinestone clan. On that night, a few hours before dawn, two shadows that didn't emit any fluctuations stood before a door in the innermost part of the main building.
Alm and Bruno leaned their left arms against the door, eyes closed, while the runes of the formation shimmered faintly, pulsing and quickly fading. A little further back, Ruri observed with anticipation.
Almost an hour passed, then Bruno withdrew his hand and opened his eyes slowly, turning to Ruri. 'Good job. Half of the formation was sealed quickly.'
Ruri nodded satisfactorily and cast a look as if she were waiting for something. Bruno sighed and continued, 'Did you have another breakthrough in the technique?'
Her eyes brightened as she nodded proudly.
'Very good. Since the formation is significantly weakened, I've put my Qi into everything internally. When you seal it entirely, I can put everything at once in the spatial inventory without any issues.'
Bruno stared into Ruri's eyes and spoke slowly. 'The mental technique works by invading and merging with the original Qi. Even after removing everything, a part of its power will remain and can easily deceive these mediocre cultivators of the clan. Thanks to your seal, the patriarch will take, hopefully, a few days to notice something wrong.'
'Now, the only concern is to escape safely without raising suspicions. But everything is flowing perfectly, thanks to your information from earlier. You did a perfect job. When we leave, you won't owe us anything anymore,' he concluded confidently.
Ruri seemed to tremble slightly, and her words resonated quickly in their minds. 'No... sir, I didn't just have a breakthrough. I... I completely understood everything about the technique.'
Alm and Bruno stopped for a second, incredulous. They knew everything about the Soul Sealing Technique, even though they couldn't use it. Its basic power could seal Qi and inert Laws with ease, which was sufficient for what they needed. But in the more advanced stages, its power could seal Qi directly from a cultivator's meridians, seal the soul of a living being directly, or even seal celestial laws, preventing the enemy from using them for themselves. It was something powerful and frightening to fight against, making them break into a cold sweat when they first read about it.
'That's impossible. You don't have the cultivation level or the Qi to use something of that caliber,' Bruno said calmly to her.
'That... yes... I don't have the Qi. But I understood and could use it if I had what's needed, I swear,' Ruri replied with trembling words and teary eyes.
Bruno felt bad, but there wasn't much to be done. She seemed to want to prove herself useful to them even more. Even if Ruri had understood everything, it wouldn't change anything. She couldn't use something so powerful, even if she were at the same cultivation level as the clan patriarch.
While Bruno was thinking about what to say next, Alm took over and spoke gently in her mind. 'Don't embarrass me like this. I taught you to have the spirit of a warrior and fight for what you want. I'm leaving, and I'm sure you have what it takes to stand on your own. Lift your head and be strong.'
She forced back the tears, but her body didn't stop trembling. That's when Bruno had an idea. 'Hmm... Maybe you can still help us with something.'
Ruri raised her gaze firmly, and Bruno moved, walking to the room as quickly as they could.
After half an hour, they were inside the room. 'There were still three hours until dawn. It should work.'
Alm also didn't know what Bruno was planning.
Bruno then took out a sphere from the spatial inventory.
'What the hell are you planning?' Alm asked Bruno mentally.
'We gave a version of the first level of the physical cultivation technique to the elders. However, the initial plan would take some time to be completed. How about speeding this up?' Bruno replied ominously.
Alm and Bruno used all the power of their physical cultivation and bloodline to scare the elders, making them believe it was a technique from the divine realm. What they handed over in the crystals to the four was only the first stage of the first level of physical cultivation. As they had already completed it, they had a profound mastery over it and subtly altered some parts.
The initial plan was to steal the clan and leave with the elders for the sect. They would then deliver the other two parts. The elders would have to cultivate themselves, injecting Qi into their bodies in a very specific way. With Alm and Bruno's experience, they would deliver the altered technique that would cause an internal reversal, easily killing the four in some time.
Right after speaking, Bruno slowly withdrew, using all the power of the earth laws he had to contain a petal emanating a golden and scalding power. In his right hand was the thunder core of the divine beast that Amlas, "The Muscular Man from whom they got the armor," killed and collected before dying, and in his left hand was a petal of the pure Yang Lotus.
Alm then suddenly had a late understanding. 'You... brutally killing, great. It pleases me. But how do you plan to do this?'
'She said she understood everything, right? Sealing the essence of both types of Qi at the same time shouldn't be difficult. When they are released at the same time... it will be a spectacle,' Bruno commented, smiling.
Alm understood satisfactorily. 'It seems to work. But this raw and furious Qi is impossible for her to seal.'
'She says she has the ability but lacks the Qi. We have the collectors technique that can convert everything and absorb it. You must have already imagined that it would be easy to simply do the reverse, putting Qi directly into another person,' Bruno explained calmly. The idea was to use the system's cultivation technique in reverse to provide Ruri with the Qi she needed to perform the skill. If she could truly do it, then they would give her the Necessary Qi. Simply put, it was also a test to see Ruri's ability.
Bruno and Alm knew perfectly well that the Qi within a person's meridians cannot be used by another because the absorbed runes become part of oneself. If this were possible, no one would waste time absorbing celestial laws; it would be much more practical to merge all the Qi within other cultivators, beasts, or even herbs into their own bodies.
Unfortunately, the Qi from other living beings could only be used by themselves or by celestial laws. The technique that Alm and Bruno created in their past Universe was a life-refining technique, converting it into Qi, something very different. However, the Yin and Yang Supreme Qi Collector Cultivation Technique that they got from the system completely broke that conception.
Bruno continued, 'When we convert the Qi in the Yin and Yang tattoos, the Qi becomes neutral and can be absorbed by anyone. We can simply withdraw it from our body, convert it again into the tattoos, and put it directly into her.'
'Hmm... seems right. Well, she might hurt a bit, but there's no risk for her even if we fail,' Alm responded, pondering, and Bruno smiled, hearing Alm's concern for someone else's safety.
Ruri was calmly looking at the two energies in her master's hands. She just waited, knowing that he was 'in that moment' in his own world, thinking and conversing with himself.
Suddenly, Bruno turned to her, and she responded with a pure and determined look. "It might hurt a bit because it's your first time, but if it works, it will help a lot. Do you agree?"
Ruri immediately trembled in fear. After this long with 'past' Denil, she knew what kind of 'Pain of the First Time' Denil caused in many women. "D-Do I have to go to b-bed with Master for it to work?"
Bruno was speechless. "Bed? What bed? There is no bed! Fuck the bed!"
"Does master wanna do it... on the floor?!" Ruri felt even more fear, imagining that enormous body pressing her against the floor.
Bruno was already crying... "Just where the hell are you getting these fucking ideas?!"
Ruri pointed at Denil, which Bruno immediately understood. "Oh... right. It was from me..."
'Lolicon,' said Alm as he couldn't lose the chance to hit Bruno while he was down.
'Shut up! You stay out of this!' Bruno rebuked Alm straight away, not that Alm cared at all.
"Ahem!" Bruno quickly tried to recover some dignity. "You understood it wrong. Let me explain." Bruno then proceeded to tell her what he was really going to do.
Ruri sighed in relief, feeling that 'perhaps' her master had really changed. Her eyes, then filled only with fervent determination, seemed not to have caught the idea behind Bruno's words. It was evident that her trust in them was growing by the day. "I am willing to do whatever it takes to help," she affirmed with conviction.