29 Infinite Darkness

"The path to the Battle Mage Academy is long and arduous filled with countless dangers. It will take us about two and a half months to arrive.

In the meantime, I will give you some pointers from time to time, to enhance your Mana manipulation. As you all know, Mana is the essence of Magic, and increasing your control over it, helps in the overall increase of skills, Magic, and even stats.

Your foundations in everything depend on Mana manipulation, and without good control, your foundations would be shaky and waste the potential each of you has." Dio explained once they started moving.

He acted differently than when he was in Jade Wood City. He looked strict, caring, and performed as a proper teacher should.

While the other four were listening to him with wide eyes and open ears trying not to miss a word, he said, Xue Mo was sitting on the corner of the carriage, ignoring what's happening.

No one dared to disturb him as he didn't need to know this information. Even Dio didn't care as he knew that Xue Mo had exemplary Mana manipulation, one that is at his level, and one of the reasons that he 'won' him was this control.

The lessons that would be greatly beneficial to the rest was mundane and already mastered matters in Xue Mo and Lu Yao's eyes and is why they could ignore these lectures and focus on the more important stuff.

Knowing that Xue Mo likes his distance and not to talk, everyone, Dio included, gave him the space that he needed. One that he could converse with Lu Yao freely without getting worried about others spying.

"Yao, I will be telling you the two secrets that I talked about before." Xue Mo suddenly said in a serious tone catching Lu Yao, lied comfortably on his shoulder's attention.

She had never cared or pressed Xue Mo for any information that he wasn't comfortable enough to share, so for him to suddenly say this to her, meant that his trust in her had deepened that far.

To make sure that no one could hear them, Lu Yao asked Xue Mo for a paper. Knowing what she wanted to do, he gave it to her, as he started keeping some in his robe's pocket.

Drawing a weird symbol on the paper using her blood as ink, Mana was released on the paper and concentrated on the symbol, making the symbol absorb it and shine before releasing a small light that seemed to dull the sound around.

While this was happening as if they couldn't see what occurred, the five teacher-students who were conversing didn't react. Xue Mo wasn't surprised by that as he knew from what she said that Lu Yao was a Rune Master, and with her experience, she was able to conceal things without letting others notice.

"Now we could talk in peace; I laid a silence rune, and in it was an illusionary rune that would make them think that we are sleeping if they looked." Lu Yao said casually, but Xue Mo noticed some irritation in it.

"Damn it, I need better control of this body, although I could use it efficiently, ut p for complicated stuff that needs precision as rune engraving it needs work. This rune turned out to be worse than I thought it would be." Giving voice to her irritation Lu Yao seemed to feel better.

Getting her undivided attention, at last, Xue Mo started explaining about what happened to him after death and about him getting a wish, which he didn't know-how.

Lu Yao's expression alternated between shocked, amazed, sad, and happy. Xue Mo had unconsciously scrutinized her face as a trait that he had since he met her. He developed it to test her reactions to things as she was the first and maybe one of the few if he would have more people to trust.

He expected the shocked and amazed expressions and quickly understood what they came from as his experience was indeed that amazing. However, it took him some time to conclude what the sad and happy expressions were.

Lu Yao was happy because he survived and met her while also sad for his death. He got conflicted inside after understanding what Lu Yao's facial expressions meant thinking, 'This life I am lucky to have met you.'

Xue Mo had this thought for a while but never pondered it, but now after nearly two years of being with Lu Yao, he allowed this thought and the feelings that accompanied it to sink in.

Concentrating on what's important, Xue Mo said, "Although this 'system' is a great help and a good power-system, but it's not good to depend on it. Your case is the best example.

However, I could wish for something that would allow me to make something similar, something like Infinite Power. However, I cannot wish for Infinite wishes or a similar wish, not like I want to.

I don't care what someone else would use, I Xue Mo, am someone who doesn't rely on acquired power, which is why I didn't like the 'system,' something that is given and just like what happened to you can be as easily taken away.

Cultivation, on the other hand, is the true path of power, one that cannot be taken since it is something you achieved and wasn't given."

Lu Yao pondered Xue Mo's words for a while before speaking: "I see. So you want to make a system like the 'system' using your wish, the reason is that you don't like the short way of power and would like to gain it with effort and hard work that you put.

From what you said, the System won't have stats like the 'system,' but instead, it will depend on cultivation and be a cultivation system.

This needs thorough thinking and planning; we should also make it since it's a cultivation system, it should be able to learn, upgrade, and basically... cultivate."

Lu Yao stayed silent for a while before adding, "We have more than two months of free time, we could slowly plan how you want the system, that way you could gain the most out of this wish."

'Wish...' Xue Mo and Lu Yao thought at the same time before Xue Mo finished: "Indeed. I was thinking the same thing."

***

In a carriage filled with seven individuals, sat a scaly-looking man with a fox on his shoulder asleep at the far end of the carriage.

These two were Xue Mo and Lu Yao. While the other five people saw them asleep, they were actually inside the illusion and silencing rune that Lu Yao had made.

"I think we finished," Lu Yao said, getting a nod from Xue Mo.

"It had been two months and five days since we started brainstorming, and I think we made a good plan. Although we took more time than we expected, it was worth it."

Xue Mo remembered how in these two months, they had been working on brainstorming, calculating, laying out plans, and simulating how good each of their ideas fit or could help in the System.

Xue Mo had seen how hard Lu Yao worked, without even considering the idea of sharing the System with her. From what he noticed she was doing all that for him, this had strangely made him feel warm inside.

Other than researching, discussing, and planning, Xue Mo, Lu Yao, and the others had to hunt for their food, sometimes even stop to fight magical beasts and monsters, as Dio said that this is good for them and valuable experience.

Although Xue Mo fought nothing as he didn't need to, the others had to do as Dio ordered, as he was now their mentor.

Not wasting time, Xue Mo quickly used his wish and wished for the System. A black-light with golden and grey lines coursing through it was emitted from inside Xue Mo if it wasn't for the illusory rune that barely contained it and soon dimmed down, signifying the end of Xue Mo's wish.

Right after Xue Mo finished with his wish, a quick round of notification appeared in front of his eyes, and Lu Yao was surprised to see the same thing happen to her, as she looked at Xue Mo with wide eyes before concentrating on the blue monitor.

[Ding*]

[System is malfunctioning. Error @86G%*

The System is experiencing an error. A virus had entered the host.

The host is being overtaken—system initiating code: ALpha 65678.

Failing to stop the procedure, the System shall detach itself from the host.

System shut down procedure initiating: 1%, 5%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, (0%, 99%, 100%.

The System shut down had been completed. Goodbye host]

Just as the last message arrived, the blue display screen that had been with Xue Mo for more than a year had finally disappeared. Right after the blue monitor and the 'system' had left him, Xue Mo and Lu Yao saw a new display screen materialize in their view as something bound itself to their very souls.

[Infinite Darkness]

[Name: Xue Mo (Lu Yao)

Body: No Cultivation

Soul: No Cultivation

Energy: No cultivation]

Checking the new status screen Xue Mo and Lu Yao saw what seemed similar but smaller in size log to the previous System. It also seemed more monotonous, but in Xue Mo and Lu Yao's eyes, this was a treasure.

This was a System that could grow, develop, learn, and do much more in the future. That was why they made it so basic initially; this way, it had more things to learn and upgrade.

After examining the new System called 'Infinite Darkness,' they looked at each other and saw excitement and anticipation, to see just how strong and powerful this Infinite Darkness would become.

Lu Yao suddenly remembered what Xue Mo had done and asked, "Did you share the new System with me?"

"Why are you asking the obvious? If I didn't, how would you get it? Besides, we are Partners, if you were going to betray me that would have happened and I also installed a failsafe so that if anyone of us died, Infinite Darkness would self destruct." Xue Mo said before hiding,'I also added something else for later.'

After sorting everything out, they decided to test Infinite Darkness, so they thought inwardly, 'Infinite Darkness basic introduction,' prompting a black screen to display itself in front of them. This time, it had different words. [Infinite Darkness] [Introduction: Infinite Darkness is a system that can grow as it learns from the surroundings and adds what it learns to create appropriate cultivation techniques that best suit its hosts. Infinite Darkness does not use stats, and instead, it uses a cultivation base. It was designed to be able to cultivate anything, itself included.]

Reading the intro, Xue Mo and Lu Yao noticed how short and basic it is, just like how it should be.

Now that they have seen that Infinite Darkness was working correctly, Xue Mo decided to test the main function of Infinite Darkness, which was to create cultivation techniques.

"Infinite Darkness, analyze the Mana Controlling method and derive a suitable external cultivation method based on it."

Giving the command Xue Mo watched how the display blurred and started to twitch. It kept doing that for an hour while Xue Mo and Lu Yao patiently waited by the side without saying anything. But, Xue Mo felt that his mental energy was depleted a little. However, he had expected this. After all, Infinite Darkness was calculating and examining his and Lu Yao's knowledge on the external Mana cultivation technique, trying to find suitable techniques or ideas to derive a new method of it.

Furthermore, for Infinite Darkness to work, it had to use energy, and since it extracts info from Xue Mo and Lu Yao, then, in turn, uses their mental energy as the energy to expend.

After the hour finished, the blurring ended, and the depletion ended, they noticed a change to the previous black screen showing that it worked.

[Infinite Darkness]

[Name: Xue Mo (Lu Yao)

Body: No Cultivation

Soul: No Cultivation

Energy: {External Mana Method: It is a technique created to improve the control of Mana energy and cultivate it. Level 1)}]

With the method being created, Xue Mo and Lu Yao experienced a change. The technique imprinted itself in their minds, but it also helped to regulate their previous technique and upgrade it automatically to the new one.

Lu Yao had a shocked expression, her mouth agape, kept opening and closing. She couldn't believe what they had just done. She had lived with the 'System' all her life so she didn't think that she would be ever free from it. But, right in front of her eyes, Xue Mo freed her from the 'System.' He even gave her a new one that wouldn't betray her as the old one had done.

Xue Mo knew what a shock it was to Lu Yao, so he left her alone while exploring the new technique he and Lu Yao created.

He tried the new method that already fixed itself in him. As soon as he applied it, he felt the change. Controlling Mana was more natural, and it felt as if he always had this comfortability.

Xue Mo sighed in relief as Infinite Darkness was just like he wished and hoped for.

With a sparkling shine in her eyes, Lu Yao asked, "I know we are partners, but we aren't that close, and we haven't known each other for long, so why would you do something like this for me?" Lu Yao was happy but also seemed to have her heart burst open as she came out with her true feelings and emotions that she was suppressing.

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