Chapter 6: The Genius Runemaster & The Iceberg Goddess.
Mist Cloud City. The Bamboo Grove Residence.
The Bamboo Grove was a forbidden sanctuary for the common folk. It served as the residence of Grandmaster Gu, the President of the Runemaster Association and the only Rank-3 master in the city.
The air here was crisp, saturated with the scent of ancient pine and the bitter, expensive aroma of spirit tea.
Jiang Yi walked through the gate, his white robes fluttering like the wings of a crane. He didn't carry the look of a man desperate for money; he carried the look of a sovereign inspecting a distant province.
In the center of the grove, an old man in scholar's blue robes was instructing a young woman.
"Control your breathing, Zi Ling," Grandmaster Gu said sternly. "The Wind Rune requires a calm heart. If your mind is turbulent, the ink of your soul will shatter."
"Yes, Master."
Jiang Yi stopped, his eyes falling on the student.
She was tall, draped in a high-slit purple dress that clung to her slender figure with provocative precision.
The slit revealed a flash of long, snow-white legs encased in sheer silk stockings.
Her skin was as smooth as polished jade, and her features were cold, sharp, and breathtaking.
She stood there like a statue carved from ancient ice, radiating a chill that kept the world at a distance.
This was Lady Zi Ling—the daughter of the City Lord and the undisputed "Iceberg Goddess" of Mist Cloud City.
[System Scan Initiated]
[Target: Zi Ling]
[Age: 19]
[Physique: Ice Spirit Body (Dormant)]
[Score: 92/100 (Top Tier Goddess)]
[Current Status: Frustrated. Competitive.]
Jiang Yi smirked internally. A 92? Not bad. A perfect match for my Primal Chaos fire.
"Grandmaster Gu," Jiang Yi called out, his voice cutting through the tranquility like a stone through glass.
Grandmaster Gu turned, his brow furrowing in immediate annoyance. "Jiang Yi? What brings you to my grove?
Did your father-in-law send you to beg for more credits? Or are you here to hide from the Liu Clan?"
Beside him, Zi Ling spared Jiang Yi a single, glancing look. Her beautiful eyes were filled with a sharp, crystalline disdain.
She knew the name—the "Trash of the Jiang Family." A man who lived off his wife's success. To a proud genius like her, he was less than a speck of dust.
"No," Jiang Yi smiled, stepping into the clearing. "I've come on my own accord. I wish to borrow a cauldron... and learn the art of condensing a Spirit Rune."
"You?" Grandmaster Gu chuckled, shaking his head.
"Young Master Jiang, we played this game three years ago.
I tested you myself. You have a 'Stone Soul'—zero talent for Mental Energy. Go home and count coins with your wife. Don't insult the Art of Runes with your presence."
Zi Ling turned back to her practice, her interest evaporated. "Master, do not waste your breath. He is a merchant by blood. He doesn't understand that runes require a soul."
Jiang Yi took another step forward, his golden eyes locking onto the Grandmaster's.
"People change, Grandmaster.
Three years ago, I was a stone. Today... I am a diamond."
He closed his eyes.
[Divine Sense: Full Release.]
BZZZZT.
A terrifyingly dense wave of invisible Mental Energy erupted from Jiang Yi's forehead. It wasn't a ripple; it was a psychic tsunami.
The bamboo leaves in the grove instantly froze in mid-air, caught in the grip of his telekinetic power.
The jade tea set on the stone table rattled violently, nearly shattering under the sheer weight of his will.
"What?!" Grandmaster Gu's cane clattered to the floor.
"This... this pressure! It's comparable to a Rank-2 Runemaster! How is this possible?!"
Zi Ling spun around, her purple dress swirling. Her icy mask shattered, replaced by a look of pure, unadulterated shock.
She stared at the "trash" Jiang Yi, who was now radiating an aura that made her own Spirit Sea tremble with instinctive submission.
He opened his Spirit Sea? And it's this vast?
Jiang Yi retracted the pressure, letting the bamboo leaves drift gently to the earth.
"I had a sudden... enlightenment last night," Jiang Yi lied smoothly.
"But I lack the refined technique. Grandmaster, show me the Fire Rune. Just once."
Grandmaster Gu swallowed hard. He was a master; he knew a monster when he saw one.
"Very well," he said, his hands trembling slightly as he channeled his Qi. "The Scarlet Flame Rune is volatile.
It usually takes a genius three months to simply visualize the structure..."
Gu waved his hand.
A glowing, complex, three-dimensional red symbol materialized in the air.
"Observe the flow. The Fire must be contained, yet wild. Memorize the 36 anchor points..."
Jiang Yi watched.
[System Analysis: Active.]
[Scanning Structure... Copying... Optimizing Flow.]
[Blueprint Acquired: Scarlet Flame Rune (Perfect Grade).]
"I see," Jiang Yi nodded after barely ten seconds. "It's simpler than I thought."
"Simple?"
Zi Ling scoffed, her competitive spirit flaring up. "It took me six months of agony to master the Wind Rune! Don't be so arrogant just because you have some raw power!"
Jiang Yi looked at her. He walked over, invading her personal space until he was close enough to smell her scent—a mix of winter frost and lotus flowers.
"Lady Zi Ling," Jiang Yi whispered, his voice low and magnetic as he leaned toward her.
"Watch closely. This is what a real genius looks like."
He raised his right hand. He didn't meditate. He didn't recite a mantra. He simply snapped his fingers.
SNAP.
WHOOSH!
A ball of intense fire exploded in his palm. The flames twisted and braided themselves, instantly forming the complex Scarlet Flame Rune. It wasn't dim or flickering like a novice's attempt; it was solid, burning with a terrifying, crimson heat that warped the very air.
The bamboo nearby turned brown and curled up instantly from the sheer temperature.
"Done," Jiang Yi smiled.
Dead silence.
Grandmaster Gu's jaw was practically on the floor. "Ten... ten seconds? Perfect condensation? Without a chant? This is... this is unheard of!"
Zi Ling stared at the flame, then at Jiang Yi's handsome, smirk-adorned face. Her heart, usually as steady as a glacier, skipped a beat.
The heat from his rune washed over her, flushing her pale cheeks. For the first time in her life, she felt small. And strangely, her Ice Spirit Body—deprived of heat for so long—began to crave the fire he was holding.
Jiang Yi extinguished the flame and looked at the stunned old man. "So, Grandmaster. About that cauldron?"
"Take it! Take everything!"
Gu waved his hand, dumping a heavy bronze cauldron from his spatial ring. "The Cloud Crane Cauldron.
A High-Grade Mortal Tool. It's yours, a gift! Just... please, visit me again!"
"Deal," Jiang Yi said, stowing the cauldron.
He turned to leave, but as he passed Zi Ling, he paused. He leaned in, his lips brushing past her ear, his hot breath making her shiver.
"Lady Zi Ling," he whispered, his voice deep and seductive. "You have too much Yin energy trapped in that beautiful body. It makes you cold... and terribly lonely."
Zi Ling stiffened, her face burning.
"I... I don't..."
"Next time," Jiang Yi smirked, pulling back to catch her flustered gaze. "Come find me. I have a 'special technique' that can warm you up from the inside out."
He winked, turned on his heel, and walked out of the grove.
The "Iceberg Goddess" stood frozen, staring at his retreating back, her legs feeling strangely, maddeningly weak.
[Author Note]
"Thanks for the amazing support on the first 5 chapters! I'll be updating regularly now. If you're enjoying Jiang Yi's journey, please consider adding the story to your Favorites!"
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