Chapter 21: "Ink, Blood, and Echoes of War"

If there was one thing Li Wei had learned since his arrival in this world, it was that peace was suspicious. When everything seemed calm, it was because something was about to bite your ankle, probably while you were meditating with an enlightened air. So when the air in your sanctuary behind the waterfall became thick like rotten root soup, you knew a storm was brewing.

The first hum arrived like a breath of warning. Then, a second, sharper one, vibrated the resonance crystals hanging near his experimental runes. Li Wei, who was attempting to trace an anchoring spiral with millimeter precision, raised an eyebrow. The smoke from his runic brush flickered nervously.

"Ignis," he murmured. "Was that a Dao tremor or someone itching for a fight?"

"It's not the Dao, little fox. That's a hostile presence."

Li Wei needed no further signs. He packed away his runic equipment with nimble hands and stepped into the clearing, barely illuminated by the glowing stones hanging from artificial branches.

The forest trembled with a strange, corrupted, dense Qi. A figure emerged from among the trees: a spiritual beast with a feline body and a double scorpion tail, enveloped in a cloak of crimson mist. Its gaze was empty, like creatures manipulated by impure energies. Its paws left scorch marks on the grass.

"Ah, perfect. A killer feline. Just what I wanted this week."

He unsheathed one of his runic talismans. It wasn't much: a single-layered defensive shield, inelegant, but functional. At least in theory.

The beast roared and leaped. Li Wei rolled across the ground, activating the shield rune simultaneously. The impact threw him against a tree trunk, but he survived with only bruised pride.

"Ignis, this would be an excellent time for a practical lesson!"

"Alright. Look at your runes. Think about the flow. Now project that intent. Connect your Qi to the stroke!"

It wasn't the best time for a class, but Li Wei obeyed. He stamped a new talisman onto the ground, this time with the energy cancellation stroke. When the beast charged again, a wave of disruption stopped it midway, as if it had hit an invisible wall.

"It worked! Ha! That was mine!"

"Yes, of course. Because my centuries of wisdom were no help at all."

The beast roared again. More aggressive. Faster. Li Wei couldn't stay on the defensive much longer. He had to counterattack. But how?

He inhaled deeply. In his spiritual sea, Ignis resonated intensely.

"Stamp the double seal. Use the resonance crystal as a focus and the bone dust to amplify the impact. Go!"

Li Wei drew on his palm, lines trembling at first, then firm. The rune glowed, the air crackled... and just as the creature charged for the third time, he launched the talisman like a blade of concentrated Qi.

Boom!

The impact didn't kill the beast, but it did deflect it, pushing it against a rock. A choked growl emerged from its throat. Dark blood splattered the grass.

Li Wei breathed heavily. Each stroke demanded Qi and concentration, but the fox wasn't about to give up. He fought with ingenuity, with runes. It wasn't brute force; it was tactics.

"Again," he whispered, recharging another talisman as sweat drenched his back.

The beast, wounded but furious, charged again. Ignis burned in his consciousness.

"Now! Trap seal!"

Li Wei threw the new seal. This time the creature fell into an illusory net of floating runes. It was paralyzed. It trembled, struggled... but couldn't move.

Li Wei approached slowly, with the last seal in his hand.

"It's not personal. I just need to practice before the tournament... and you were very convincing practice."

The beast tried to roar, but Li Wei activated the final talisman.

ZAP!

A final energy pulse rendered it unconscious. It didn't kill it. It just put it to sleep... and probably made it forget what happened.

Li Wei fell to his knees, exhausted, panting.

"That was... more than I expected."

"And less than you'll need in the tournament," Ignis declared. "But you're on the right track. Today, you used your intelligence as a spear. Not all cultivators can say the same."

Li Wei closed his eyes, feeling the vibration of the dissipating seals. He knew there was still a long way to go. He knew that worse enemies and crueler challenges lay ahead. But that night, under the light of a moon hidden behind clouds and the soft echo of the dissipating runes, he smiled.

"If every rune is a word... today I wrote a sentence of victory."

And somewhere in the forest, another presence watched. Silent. Attentive.

The tournament was approaching. And Li Wei wasn't the only one preparing.

"I have to get stronger... not just to survive, but to win. To write with runes what others try to impose with swords. And if the path is hard, then my mind will be even sharper. Direct plunder after defeat... yes, next time, I won't let any resource escape. Every enemy will be an opportunity. Every battle, an advancement. Because if the world wants to devour me, I'll start by devouring it first."

And as the shadows of the forest returned to their place, Li Wei carefully collected the spiritual cores the beast carried. Direct plunder. The crudest method... but effective. No one said being an alchemist was a clean job.