Opening the bottle labeled 'Misty Cloud,' the flame slowly flew out and floated away from Elias as if trying to escape him.
This was one reason manifestations were always kept in a container. Usually, manifestations in their raw form would always approach the closest living beings, including humans and beasts. Manifestations always desire to merge into any living being they could find.
However, for some reason, the manifestation seemed to be avoiding Elias. Floating around the room, It was almost as if it was desperate for freedom.
Grabbing the manifestation with his hand and looking at it like a piece of candy, he thought, 'It is my first time doing this, but it felt like an instinct.'
The moment the manifestation touched his skin, Elias felt a tingling sensation on his palm. It was strange but not unpleasant. Slowly, a jet-dark liquid started to seep through his palm and cover the flame.
As the liquid flowed into Elias's palm, the flame began to shrink, and the liquid began to thicken. The liquid slowly absorbed the flame, making the manifestation increasingly desperate for freedom.
The manifestation was struggling as hard as it could, but it was useless. It was a manifestation without a host, meaning that no matter what, it had no way to resist.
The liquid was cold and felt like a thick syrup, yet surprisingly light. As soon as the flame was completely absorbed, the liquid slowly returned to Elias' palm, and the once bright gray flame had disappeared.
'It's done. Now, let's see the result.' he thought as he focused on the void in his stomach.
-------------------------------------
[Rank: 1]
- [Lifespan: 82.03 years]
-------------------------------------
[MANIFESTATIONS]
- [Rank 1 Manifestation slot]: [Free]
- [Additional rank 1 Manifestation slot price: 50 years]
-------------------------------------
- [Rank up cost: 100 years]
-------------------------------------
"I gained about 7 days of lifespan, not bad." Elias thought.
The Rune of the End was very special. Its activation condition was that the user had a broken aperture or something more commonly called "unranked potential." This means the user must awaken first by obtaining an awakening stone or eating enough ranked material. Afterward, the rune would destroy the aperture and replace it.
Although it meant that the user would not be able to progress like other cultivators, this was a very good trade-off compared to what the rune offered.
Once activated, the rune allowed the user to absorb a manifestation in exchange for lifespan. The gained lifespan could then be used to increase ranks and even the number of manifestation slots, which is impossible for other cultivators.
Each cultivator would have a limited manifestation slot depending on their rank, but Elias could virtually have unlimited manifestation as long as he had enough lifespan.
However, it was not all good news.
The most significant downside of the rune was that it also required lifespans to use any manifestation. Usually, a cultivator would use aether stored in their aperture to activate their manifestation.
But the rune user doesn't have any way to store aether since they cannot have an aperture. But it doesn't mean Elias couldn't use manifestation. Unlike cultivators who burn aether to activate manifestation, Elias could burn his lifespan to activate them. Obviously, the stronger the manifestation, the more lifespan he would require.
This could be a very heavy drawback because it could keep the user stuck in a never-ending cycle where the user has enough lifespan to hunt and not enough to progress.
On the other hand, if one had enough lifespan, one could become invincible and spam attacks until their foe died from the sheer number of attacks.
Even if this rune was called the "Rune of the End," it could also be called the "Rune of the Endless." The reason was simple: the rune could also give the user an endless lifespan if they have enough manifestation to sacrifice.
"It's a good start. This body is healthy, and my starting lifespan is high. Anyway, I should not waste any more time. Let's keep going."
Repeating the same process, Elias quickly absorbed the remaining manifestations and converted them into lifespan. After absorbing the last manifestation, Elias checked his current status.
-------------------------------------
[Rank: 1]
- [Lifespan: 82.09 years]
-------------------------------------
[MANIFESTATIONS]
- [Rank 1 Manifestation slot]: [Free]
- [Additional rank 1 Manifestation slot price: 50 years]
-------------------------------------
- [Rank up cost: 100 years]
-------------------------------------
"I gained about a month of lifespan after absorbing those. It is still far from enough. It seems I must rely on the White Smoke clan until I can hunt alone." Elias thought as he hid the now empty bottles under his bed.
"Anyway, I should go check the limits of this body now."
Elias quickly changed into a set of training clothes and left his room.
Walking through the hallways, Elias was met with a few servants who looked at him strangely. It was something expected; he was now the sole "rightful heir" to the family, so it was natural that the servants would look at him differently.
It did not take long until he entered a room with a large dome ceiling.
The room was spacious, and the stone walls were covered with armor and weapons. A few wooden dummies and a large sandbag hung from the ceiling. This was one of the training grounds the Xiawen family used to train. Surprisingly, the whole room had a foggy-like atmosphere.
"What are you doing here, you bastard?" A voice suddenly shouted.
Turning around, Elias was surprised to see Ray looking at him with a furious expression. It seemed he still had not forgotten about the previous accident with Liandor and Yui.
'Was he training? Ah, that would explain why this room is so foggy. He is a fog-law cultivator, like most of the cultivators in this clan. He was probably practicing his manifestations... Hmm...That means he's probably low on aether, right?' he deduced. 'If he is low on aether, then...'
"You should not be here. Get out, or I will beat you to a pulp!"
However, to Ray's surprise, Elias did not answer. Instead, Elias seemed to look around the room, completely ignoring him.
"Are you deaf? I said get out, or I will beat you to a pulp! Don't think I will not do it, you slave bastard!"
"..." With a smile, Elias took a small sword that used to be Raymond's. Then, suddenly, he said something shocking.
"...You are making a lot of noise for a rank 2 cultivator; even after all those wasted resources, you are still stuck at rank 2. I bet your father must be disappointed that only you survived while your brothers died. You are trash, just like your soon-to-be-dead son."
Ray's eyes widened in shock. He could not believe what he was hearing. The once silent and obedient bastard was actually insulting him.