Fifteen minutes later, Zhao Mu finally put down the pen in his hand.
On the blueprint spread out before him was a perfect Spirit Rune Diagram Path.
The lines were precise and clean. Complex patterns intertwined across the paper like a carefully woven web, forming a complete rune circuit.
Even someone unfamiliar with rune diagrams could sense the complexity contained within those strokes.
Zhao Mu looked up and turned toward the person beside him.
"Teacher Liang, what do you think?"
Liang Gongchi stood silently for a moment.
Inside her heart, emotions surged like a raging tide.
But outwardly, she forced herself to remain calm.
Suppressing the turmoil in her chest, she walked over to Zhao Mu's desk and looked carefully at the diagram he had drawn.
After a moment, she nodded slightly with a neutral expression.
"Hm… it's acceptable."
"Just barely enough."
Zhao Mu scratched his head awkwardly.
"I came here to ask for guidance, Teacher."
"I wanted to see if there were any mistakes or areas that needed correction."
Liang Gongchi almost lost her composure.
Barely acceptable?
She had deliberately said that just to avoid inflating Zhao Mu's ego.
In reality, the diagram before her was almost flawless.
At this moment, she felt an overwhelming urge to hit someone.
Taking several deep breaths, Liang Gongchi finally calmed herself.
"There are indeed areas that can be improved," she said slowly.
"Drawing the Spirit Rune Diagram Path is only the first step."
"The real difficulty lies in the Spirit Pattern Engraving that follows."
She pointed at the diagram on the table.
"From a two-dimensional perspective, your diagram is already quite good."
"But rune diagrams are not truly two-dimensional objects."
"They exist in three-dimensional space."
Her finger traced along one of the rune lines.
"You must pay attention to the force of each stroke."
"The pressure must remain consistent, otherwise the rune circuits will become unstable during engraving."
Liang Gongchi patiently explained several technical details to Zhao Mu.
These were advanced concepts that she had originally planned to teach him months later.
Her original plan had been to allow Zhao Mu to gradually master the fundamentals before introducing such complexities.
Yet now—
He had reached this stage far sooner than she had expected.
Zhao Mu listened attentively and carefully memorized every point she explained.
After thanking her sincerely, he returned to his workbench and began refining the diagram based on her suggestions.
Liang Gongchi stepped back quietly.
She looked at the young man standing at the desk.
Zhao Mu's expression was focused.
His pen moved steadily across the paper without hesitation.
Watching him work, Liang Gongchi slowly made a decision in her heart.
Spiritual Energy Talent: E.
This was Zhao Mu's only flaw.
With such low spiritual talent, his progress in Combat Level would inevitably be slower than that of others.
But if Zhao Mu could become a high-ranking Spirit Energy User, then his path as a Jinhai Master would stretch far beyond ordinary people.
Perhaps…
He could become the greatest achievement of her entire life.
I must find a way to improve his spiritual talent.
Inside Zhao Mu's mind, the familiar interface of the Demon Clown System appeared.
A notification flashed quietly.
[Spirit Rune Diagram Path Drawing – Unrestrained]
Proficiency: 69
Zhao Mu continued drawing with complete focus.
Following Liang Gongchi's advice, he slowed down his strokes to maintain more consistent pressure.
At first, his drawing speed decreased slightly.
However—
He soon noticed something surprising.
The proficiency progress bar was increasing faster than before.
Zhao Mu's eyes lit up.
"To reach maximum proficiency, the key must be constant improvement."
"Perfection requires pushing toward the limit every time."
He smiled faintly.
"In that case… today I'll try to push this skill all the way to 100%."
His concentration deepened.
His brush strokes became smooth and fluid.
It felt as if his hand were guided by some invisible force.
The system notifications appeared one after another.
[Spirit Rune Diagram Path Drawing – Unrestrained]
Proficiency: 70
Proficiency: 73
Proficiency: 78
Each new diagram he completed brought another increase.
The higher his proficiency became, the faster he could draw.
And the faster he drew, the quicker the proficiency increased.
A perfect cycle formed.
Time passed quietly.
One hour later—
Zhao Mu completed another diagram.
This time, it had taken him only twelve minutes.
His hand movements had become almost instinctive.
Even without consciously thinking, his muscles automatically remembered the shapes and curves of the rune circuits.
This was the beginning of muscle memory.
Just then, the door of the Engineering Department opened.
A girl stepped inside.
It was Xia Lingling.
She blinked her large eyes and looked around curiously.
When she saw Zhao Mu sitting quietly at his desk drawing, she tiptoed closer.
She didn't want to disturb him.
But when she finally saw the diagram forming beneath Zhao Mu's pen—
She froze.
The brush strokes moved rapidly across the paper.
Yet every line remained perfectly neat and precise.
The complex Spirit Rune Diagram gradually took shape.
For several seconds, Xia Lingling stared in disbelief.
Then suddenly—
"AHHHHHH!!"
She covered her face and let out a loud scream.
Zhao Mu's pen paused briefly.
However, thanks to his Turtle Breathing Technique, his mind remained calm and stable.
He was not easily startled.
After finishing the stroke he was drawing, he looked up at Xia Lingling with a puzzled smile.
"What's wrong?"
Xia Lingling's eyes were filled with tears.
She pointed at the blueprint on the desk.
"You… you drew this?!"
Even though she had witnessed the entire process with her own eyes, she still couldn't believe it.
Zhao Mu nodded.
"Yes."
The answer nearly shattered her confidence.
"Waaaah!"
She wiped her tears dramatically and ran away.
"This is too cruel!"
"You just started learning!"
"How can you already be so skilled?!"
Xia Lingling came from a family of Jinhai Masters.
Her talent in rune engineering was already considered excellent.
Yet Zhao Mu's performance completely crushed her confidence.
Watching Xia Lingling run off in despair, Liang Gongchi remained silent.
For once, she did not scold the girl.
Because she understood exactly how Xia Lingling felt.
After all—
Even she had been shocked by Zhao Mu's talent.
Zhao Mu simply shrugged helplessly and continued working.
Once he began drawing, he rarely stopped midway.
His focused demeanor made the entire workshop fall into quiet concentration.
Inspired by him, Xia Lingling soon returned.
She wiped away the remaining tears and picked up her small hammer.
Soon she began practicing Spirit Pattern Engraving on a piece of metal.
The evening passed quickly.
By the time Zhao Mu completed his next diagram, the clock had already reached eight o'clock.
He placed the final stroke carefully.
This time, the entire Spirit Rune Diagram Path had taken him only ten minutes.
At that moment, the Demon Clown System suddenly spoke.
"Hehehehaha…"
A strange voice echoed in Zhao Mu's mind.
[Spirit Rune Diagram Path Drawing – Unrestrained]
Proficiency: 100%
Second Stage Unlocked – High-Energy Enhancement
Zhao Mu blinked.
The diagram he had been so familiar with suddenly changed in his mind.
The original rune pattern began twisting and expanding.
New circuits extended from the existing structure.
Additional layers of rune paths stacked over the original design.
The complexity increased dramatically.
More than ten times greater than before.
Zhao Mu stared at the mental image in amazement.
"Is this… a Level Two Spirit Rune Diagram?"
He was genuinely surprised.
Rune diagrams above Level Two were rarely made public.
Most were closely guarded secrets.
Yet the Demon Clown System had evolved the diagram automatically once the proficiency reached its maximum.
Even more impressive was the stacking technique used within the design.
This was no longer something that could be drawn on flat paper.
Instead, it required three-dimensional engraving during the Spirit Pattern Engraving process.
Zhao Mu suddenly understood something Liang Gongchi had once said.
After mastering ten Level One Spirit Rune Diagrams, she planned to teach him how to engrave rune patterns.
He took a deep breath.
For now, he decided not to focus on the newly unlocked High-Energy Enhancement Rune Diagram.
Instead, he opened the Complete Collection of First-Level Spirit Rune Diagrams.
He turned to the second diagram.
[Spirit Rune Diagram Path – Water Control]
Proficiency: 0
Zhao Mu began drawing.
Almost immediately, he noticed something interesting.
His speed was far faster than when he first learned Unrestrained.
It seemed that related skills influenced each other.
Once the foundation was established, learning new rune diagrams became easier.
"The line structures are similar," Zhao Mu muttered thoughtfully.
"The basic techniques are almost identical."
"The only difference lies in several unique rune circuits."
He smiled confidently.
"At this rate, I should be able to raise the proficiency of the second rune diagram to 100% within half a day."
His prediction was surprisingly accurate.
After drawing the Water Control Rune Diagram only twice—
The system displayed a new notification.
[Spirit Rune Diagram Path Drawing – Water Control]
Proficiency: 28
Just as Zhao Mu prepared to continue practicing without rest—
A lazy voice suddenly echoed across the workshop.
"Zhao Mu."
"Come here."
He looked up and saw Liang Gongchi standing at the door.
She turned and walked inside without waiting.
Zhao Mu set down his pen and followed her.
After he left—
Xia Lingling's eyes began darting around suspiciously.
Then she quietly tiptoed toward Zhao Mu's workbench.
When she saw the Water Control Spirit Rune Diagram on the paper—
She froze again.
Her mouth slowly opened.
"He's already learning the second rune diagram…"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Senior Brother…"
"Is he… a monster?"
After a moment of shock, she clenched her fists firmly.
Her eyes filled with determination.
"From now on…"
"I must stick closely to Senior Brother!"
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)