Right Here!

When his vision cleared, Lin Ke was back in the forest at the exact same location he was before he was sent to that realm. He stood in the exact same spot. The only thing different was the time. When he had arrived here, it had been quite early in the morning, but now, it looked closer to noon.

"Lily? What time is it?" Lin Ke asked while inhaling the fresh forest air.

"It's 1:33 in the afternoon." Lily responds. "You could've stayed and learned the Tier 2 Energy Gathering Rune and you would still probably be back before 5."

Ignoring Lily, Lin Ke looks down at the black array core and presses his right hand down on the top of the smooth stone.

Channeling his True Energy into the array core, it gives off a hissing sound. On the top of the array core, the lines and shapes drawn on tap began to glow with a bright white light. After all the lines began to glow, the stone released a puff of steam and the top of the core rose a little to reveal that the black stone was just a covering, an outer shell for the actual core. From a normal person's perspective, the array core would seem like just a normal piece of smooth, black rock without any cuts or noticeable divides.

Heaving the cover off of the main frame, Lin Ke saw quite an intricate inner design with different runes placed inside. Each of the runes were fitted into a slot designed perfectly for the rune. Although the runes were protected from the elements, many of them still showed signs of wear, perhaps from use or just over time.

Looking over the runes, Lin Ke saw many different designs that he recognized from his memories. Each of them served different purposes, but the one Lin Ke focused in on was the one he was all too familiar with.

Lin Ke looks down at the Tier 1 Energy Gathering Rune. It was embedded straight in the center, with many different drawn lines connecting it to four other runes. Those runes were, the Energy Conversion Rune, the Energy Regulation Rune, the Energy Storage Rune, and the Energy Communication Rune.

Each of them has their distinct purpose. The Energy Conversion Rune converts the World Energy that the Energy Gathering Rune absorbed and turns it into its own energy to be used for teleportation. The Energy Regulation Rune keeps the power in the system in check, making sure no part of it takes in too much. The Energy Storage Rune stores up the energy gathered in excess amounts for later usage and finally, the Energy Communication Rune establishes a connection to the three pillars around the area.

Those three pillars each connected to three different locations around this realm, meaning there are three different places one could go from this place.

Lin Ke grabs the Tier 1 Energy Gathering Rune that was in the Array core, and slowly slide it out of place. The array core offered quite some resistance to the Rune being pulled out, but Lin Ke with his cultivation was strong enough to overcome that. After pulling out the old rune, Lin Ke turned to LIly to look for the newer rune that he had created by himself. The old rune in his hand right now was quite similar to the one that he had made, except for some slight, but also not very slight differences.

The older Energy Gathering Rune was extremely clunky and roughly made. ALl the lines were rough, albeit straight. They didn't have the fluidity that Lin Ke's lines did. This was, of course, a difference in technique.

Lily, from out of nowhere, pulls out Lin Ke's Tier 1 Energy Gathering Rune and hands it to Lin Ke. Lin Ke, after admiring his own work for a moment, immediately slots it into the empty space at the center.

It slides in perfectly, fitting into the cutout without a hick. After making sure everything was alright and in the correct positions, Lin Ke replaced the lid of the array core. Once the cover was back in place, it automatically sealed itself with a hiss.

"Hmmm. If I remember correctly, after replacing it… The only thing left for me to do is to let it start collecting energy…" Lin Ke mumbles to himself after the cover was solidly in place.

"Lily?" Lin Ke asked. "Where's the activation button on this array core?"

Lily, who had been lounging in the air looking up at the sky looked down. "It should be on the left hand side, in one of the circles." She responds.

"Left hand side… Ah, found it." Lin Ke feels a faint, otherwise almost imperceptible button on the surface of the array core. With a quick push of the button, the entire array began to light up.

Tracing the button, all the lines on the surface of the array core began to shine brightly, spreading out onto the floor and connecting to the three pillars standing around 10 feet away from the array center.

Lin Ke could feel the insane drawing of the nearby world energy towards the array core. A massive amount of force was being drawn into one space, causing the winds to pick up and the weaker animals to howl in fear.

"It should be fine if we leave it here like this right?" Lin Ke asks Lily. "Animals shouldn't come close to this right?"

"Mmm. Most animals won't… There might be one that will though…" Lily said. "However, you can solve that problem easily. Just paint a picture of me and that'll scare them right off!" Lily sounded quite serious when she said that.

"Yeah right!" Lin Ke retorted, clearly not believing in Lily. "You just want another portrait of yourself!"

"Nonono! Do I seem that narcissistic?"

"Yup."

"Well anyways, the thing is, if you draw a good enough picture, and are able to capture the essence of my power, or my aura, you could use a painting to scare the animals away." Lily completely ignored Lin Ke's earlier statement.

Hearing what Lily said, it seemed as if a lightbulb went off in Lin Ke's head. "Ah! You're right! But isn't that the ability of a B-class artist? I'm still only C-class."

"But you're already at the Aperture Tempering Sub-realm aren't you? That means you have access to all the tools you need to become a B-class artist." Lily replied calmly. "You have to push yourself! Become even better! Improve even faster! Time waits for no one! What happens if that guy from the Upper Realm catches you guys again? Are you going to let Lia fight for you again? The only way for you to be able to stand your ground is when you become a S-class Artist so why not try and get there faster?"

Lily's words strike a chord inside Lin Ke and nods. "True… Alright, I'll become a B-class artist right now, right here!" Lin Ke vows.