Chereads / Traveler : First Journey / Chapter 11 - Ch 11 : Mana Crystal ?

Chapter 11 - Ch 11 : Mana Crystal ?

The bustling people at market shows a great deal of emotions that these people have been through all their lives. When he activated his mystical eyes just before, he noticed that there seem to be a change in a person " aura " . He could barely noticed about the yellow murky colour glowing. "This pair of mystical eyes surely have unimaginable hidden abilities. If I use these abilities well, I might can discover the true intention of the people. This is a great life saving ability. Though we may walk the same path and share the same face, the heart of each person carries its own secrets, desires, and burdens," sighed Auron.

Sarah and Auron returned home after a stroll through the bustling marketplace. As they settled in, Sarah placed the egg-shaped lump of mud on the ground and chanted a spell to inspect it. To her surprise, she found nothing unusual about it and assumed it was just Auron's curiosity that had drawn him to the strange shape. Shrugging it off, she handed the mud egg to Auron before turning to sort the ingredients she'd bought.

Auron, however, had a different view. With his mystical eyes, he could see a faint golden aura radiating from the center of the mud egg. Intrigued, he tried to dig out the source, but the dried mud was too hard to break apart easily. He took it to the bathroom, soaking it in water to soften the mud. As he patiently scraped away the layers, bit by bit, the egg revealed a small crystal, no larger than a fingernail. It was plain white, emitting no trace of mana or spirit energy, yet Auron knew his mystical eyes never lied—there had to be something more to it.

Unwilling to give up, he took the crystal to his mother for a second opinion. Sarah inspected it with a spell, but even she found nothing remarkable about the small stone. "It may seem like nothing, but keep it with you—just don't swallow it, alright?" she said, handing it back with a smile. Still puzzled, Auron returned to his room, clutching the mysterious crystal, uncertain of its true nature but unwilling to dismiss it.

" I can't swallow it do I ? What do you say Xiao Yu ?" Asked Auron.

"How about you break it apart to see what is inside it?" suggest Xiao Yu.

" Look like we don't really have any other choice then. Might as well use Void Shatter to break it," Auron thought deeply.

That evening, Auron played under the familiar shade of the Noble Walnut tree, just as he always did. While his mother went inside to fetch some cookies and tea, Auron prepared to execute his secret plan. He placed the crystal carefully on the ground, then assumed his stance, readying himself to unleash the Void Shatter. He focused on controlling the technique, ensuring the force would be minimal to avoid leaving any noticeable traces.

The first attempt yielded no results. The crystal remained intact. Undeterred, Auron adjusted his stance, then unleashed another Void Shatter. This time, the crystal cracked, releasing a sudden burst of dense mana. Surprised by the overwhelming energy, Auron instinctively activated his Celestial Aura Cultivation Technique. The mana flowed into him like a vortex, quickly being refined into celestial aura. He could feel himself nearing the threshold of the second layer of the Celestial Awakening Stage, but he restrained himself, knowing his mother would notice if he breakthrough here.

A short while later, Sarah returned with a tray of cookies and tea, only to find Auron covered in dirt. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Little star, I leave you for just a moment, and now look at you! Why are you playing in the dirt?" she asked, shaking her head helplessly.

"I lost the crystal," Auron replied with an innocent, frustrated expression. "I've been searching all around here, but I think it's buried in the ground." Seeing his disheveled look and sincere frustration, Sarah's heart softened. How could she scold him? She sat beside him and began feeding him cookies herself, as his hands were too dirty to hold them.

After their tea time, Sarah took Auron inside for a bath, gently washing away the dirt as she smiled to herself. Auron, meanwhile, couldn't stop thinking about the broken crystal and the surge of mana he had absorbed. The secret of the crystal was now his alone to carry.

"I need some personal time to achieve my breakthrough without worrying my parents," Auron thought to himself. "The next grocery haul seems like the perfect opportunity. I'll stay behind when my mother goes out, then focus on breaking through while she's away. Sounds feasible."

In the meantime, Auron dedicated himself to mastering both his soul cultivation and the Ripple Palm. The soul cultivation not only helped strengthen his mystical eyes, but the higher his cultivation progressed, the longer he could use them and reflect on the mysteries of the Celestial Codex.

"Although soul cultivation is powerful on its own, I've noticed something interesting," Auron mused. "When I meditate directly on the Soul Heavenly Rune, my understanding of the soul deepens in ways the cultivation art alone can't provide. After all, the Soul Heavenly Rune is the source, while the cultivation art is merely a derivation based on personal comprehension." The realization gave him new insight, pushing him to balance both structured practice and deeper meditation on the runes that held the true essence of his power.

Two days later, the day finally come. Sarah invited Auron to go to the marketplace but Auron refused saying that it is getting really hot as we were deep in the summer. He wanted to stay and play at home. Although Sarah was a bit worried about him, Auron was after all a sensible child. Usually he was smart and didn't really get himself into any trouble. If he had , it is after all a little harmless one such as spilled the water or play in the dirt. With a heavy heart,Sarah chose to give Auron a chance then went on to grocery shopping.

After making sure that her mother already gone far by using mystical eyes, he calmed himself and operated on the Celestial Aura cultivation technique. The vortex of mana and spirit energy could be seen converging towards him. He felt that the seal seemed loosening up. Then , he succeeded it. Second layer of Celestial Awakening stage. What change did it brought to him.