9 Chapter 9 Sky Piercing Puppet Technique

"..... Inferno Life Arts..... Evergreen Truth Mantra..... Seven Flashing Sword Technique..... Imperial Blood Technique..... Twin Furnace Sutra..... Okay. I can definitely see why Rin was complaining earlier".

I small sigh escaped my lips.

If I was being perfectly honest, hearing his "eighth-grader syndrome" names the first couple times seemed pretty cool and all.

But after going through over a hundred different Cultivation Methods and Battle Techniques, each with "strong", yet weird sounding names, the whole process seemed kind of boring.

After going over a hundred different Cultivation Methods, I had found a single one that suited Rin and none that suited my own needs.

From what I had been told picking a Cultivation Method that matched an individual's affinity increased cultivation speed by different folds, depending on Talent Rank.

If two people were to cultivate the same Fire Attributed Cultivation Method, the individual with the Fire Affinity would see an increased cultivation speed and higher quality cultivation.

Think of it as having two separate fires, and then throwing one of them onto the other to increase the intensity and heat. The same could be said for other Affinities albeit with a different metaphor.

In the event that two people with Fire Affinities both Cultivate the same Cultivation Method, the one with the higher Ranked Affinity would see a greater increase in cultivation speed and quality. The increase in strength or the amount of Qi may be more, or at an even greater purity.

But I was getting ahead of myself. There were still other important factors that I myself didn't fully comprehend.

"Like the Imperial Blood Technique states that those with special "Yin Blood" can cultivate this with a much higher efficiency. Some of the other Methods reference special Bloodlines, and special Physiques and even stuff like "Spirit Roots" and "Earth Roots"..... What the hell does "Golden Buddha Bones" even mean?".

Once more a sigh escaped my lips. This was getting out of hand.

Unconsciously reaching towards a Cultivation Method named "Frozen White Album", I felt the touch of another person on my hand, causing me to take a step back as I turned towards the other person.

"Sorry about that, I didn't see you there".

The girl in question didn't seem to mind thankfully, but just gestured for me to take the "Frozen White Album" from the shelf.

"No, I should be the one apologising. After all, I wasn't really trying to grab that Cultivation Method, so much as I was trying to grab your attention".

The girl smiled and took a step back before giving me a small bow. Just from her appearance and demeanour, she seemed like the type of elegant young miss who was the scion of a powerful family.

..... Of course the latter was just conjecture.

"My name is Yang Hua. This may seem forward, but I would like to know what the relationship between you and Tohsaka Rin is?".

I frowned.

As much as I'd like to imagine that this girl was interested in me, she was definitely more interested in Rin, and not for the same reasons I was.

I took the "Frozen White Album" off the shelf before narrowing my eyes at "Yang Hua". If I wasn't mistaken, she was one of the girls who possessed a Rank 5 Affinity. For, "Flowers" if I wasn't mistaken.

"We are..... partners. You can interpret that definition as you see fit".

Yang Hua smiled. Unlike Rin whom could "smile without smiling", Yang Hua's smile seemed completely real and full of happiness. If it wasn't for the sinister aura coming off her body, I would think that she was just an extremely beautiful young girl.

"I see..... I had assumed that the two of you were related in some way, but that doesn't seem the case. In any event, would it be possible for me to meet with Tohsaka Rin? I'd ask her directly, but she doesn't seem like the type to accept with no apparent benefits for herself".

"And I do?".

My sudden retort caused Yang Hua to smile, and cover her mouth as a little chuckle escaped her lips.

"It seems that I may have been incorrect about you Jinsei Rentaro. Perhaps the "Mystery" surrounding you is as great as the one surrounding Tohsaka Rin".

"And perhaps it would be best for "Flowers" to bloom elsewhere Yang Hua? It would be terrible if somebody where to step on them, thinking they might've been a weed".

Yang Hua's eyes narrowed, but her sinister looking smile never left her face. Like an elegant ojou-sama she bowed before walking past me, not letting up her expression in the slightest.

"I would be careful when handling Flowers Jinsei Rentaro. You'll often find that those who aren't pricked by their thorns.....".

My eyes followed Yang Hua's figure, even as she turned a corner and moved towards another section of the Hall. While I did expect something like this to happen eventually, the fact that it occurred on the first day caused the sides of my head to hurt.

..... If I die, I'll probably be reborn as a Lancer or some shit.

At least then I can explain just why my luck is so bad.....

I let out another deep breath. Perhaps I should take a break from searching this part of the building, and try another section of the Hall that I haven't-.

The moment I turned my head around, I noticed a faint glimmer of light appear in the corner of my eye. The fact that this building was kept bright and not in the dark was due to the glowing crystals placed in the roof and on the shelves.

Fire apparently wasn't allowed in the Workers Disciple Hall, and obviously for a good reason.

"..... Is that what I think it is?".

On one of the shelves, a rather old looking manual was placed behind a bunch of other Cultivation Techniques. It made the books in front of it stick out a little bit, which wasn't completely out of the ordinary, but the fact that this book "shone" a little caused me to frown before taking a step back and reach towards it.

Holding it in both hands, the words "Sky Piercing Puppet Spell" could be seen at the top. It didn't have a cover or anything, so even the outer layer of the manual was just paper.

The strangest thing about this Technique was that on the top left corner of the front page, a tiny little crystal could be seen connected to the book itself.

It seemed as though this "Sky Piercing Puppet Spell" had grown this tiny crystal. A tiny little crystal which looked a lot like-.

"A Saint Quartz!".

My eyes widened.

It had only been a short time since I had come to this world, and since I had been introduced to the Type-Moon System. Other than the thirty free Saint Quartz I had received at the beginning from the New User Gift, the System hadn't told me how to obtain Saint Quartz.

I assumed that since the System was capable of giving me Saint Quartz that their might be some sort of daily gift, but holding the nail sized piece of Saint Quartz in my hand, I couldn't help but smile before turning towards the Technique in my other hand.

Other than the fact that it seemed kind of old, there had to be something special about this Technique that made it different from others.

..... I mean it was literally growing a Saint Quartz. It's not as if it is a plant or anything. It's a freaking crystal for crying out loud....

"Anyway, there is no limit to the number of books I can take, only for how long I can take them. For now at least, all I need to try and find is a proper Cultivation Method..... I wonder if Rin is having better luck than I am?".

She still had the Runestones and her father's Pendant on her, so maybe she used one of them in order to divine where a good Cultivation Method was?

..... I didn't really know if that was possible, but I really hoped it was.

I sighed once more.

It seems I might have to settle for something a little less than perfect.....