I Refused To Be Reincarnated

As his eyes progressively widened, Shepard noticed the old book with a frown and said through gritted teeth, "I still have this nonsense-filled book? Don't mind it. I spent a fortune, curious about its ancient language. Yet, the spells are flawed and don't manifest."

The seller advertised it as an ancient repertoire of spells drawing their powers from nature, assuring him of their potency. Yet, reality proved otherwise. Even now, he dreamed of confronting the author, Lin Yao, to vent his frustrations.

However, Adam's eyes glowed with excitement as he understood the profound meaning imbued in the old letters.

'The spells didn't manifest? Of course, they wouldn't!' His thoughts echoed thunderously in his mind, and his body trembled. 'The booklet doesn't record any spells. They are battle techniques!'

Then, he gazed at Julius, his lips stretching into a broad grin, causing the boy to shiver.

'Don't look at me like that!' Julius screamed inwardly as he hurriedly turned his head to the side. He knew the meaning behind the glint in his big brother's eyes but was too exhausted for his crazy ideas.

"I'll take this booklet," Adam said, his voice filled with confidence and yearning as Shepard gazed at him in confusion.

"I guarantee you it's useless. Don't waste your opportunity." He responded, scratching his head, unable to understand his new disciple's thought process.

"I'm sure," Adam answered seriously, as the sun cast shadows on the swirling mist covering his face.

Shepard's gaze sharpened as he tucked his fingers around his chin pensively. He studied the book extensively. It was a scam.

"Well... You can keep it. But don't come crying later to exchange it!" He declared, getting rid of the frustrating book and causing Adam's eyes to flare in happiness.

"Thank you. I'm impatient to study it, so can we return to our room?" He said, unable to contain his curiosity to discover the secrets hidden in the pages following the battle techniques.

Shepard chuckled in response, understanding the allure of new knowledge as he answered, nodding while covering the hints of disappointment in his voice, "Go. Don't forget to come tomorrow."

With a few short words, the duo excused themselves and swiftly returned to their room.

*****

Inside, covered by the dim light of the setting sun, his forehead covered in sweat, Arun focused his narrowed eyes on a flimsy, small mana block. After two days of arduous training, he was close to succeeding, marking his first proper step in his mana control journey.

Absorbed in his task, he failed to notice the duo's arrival and their encouraging smiles. Unwilling to break his concentration, Adam gestured toward the courtyard with his head, causing Julius to head there.

As the boy sat on a bench, gazing peacefully at the flowers and finally resting after the eventful day, Adam's voice suddenly forced him out of his tranquillity.

"Take the book out and open it in the middle." He said with a playful smile, his hands trembling in excitement.

"Sigh." The boy sighed as he retrieved the booklet and opened it before his big brother yelled in delight after reading the introduction.

"We found one! It's a cultivation technique!"

As his words echoed in the air, disturbing the calmness of the courtyard, Julius' eyes widened, his feelings a mix of joy, curiosity, excitement and gratitude.

'That's why he gazed at me.' He thought, his chest warming at the sacrifice. After all, to have another chance to browse the library, his big brother would need to accumulate a hundred golden tickets and knew he could have taken an elemental spell book to deepen his understanding and develop new mana techniques.

Then, he hurriedly grabbed the Qingming Sutra of Serenity with trembling hands to read the content before hearing his brother's laughter.

"Don't bother, you won't understand it. I'll translate it for you to understand the meanings and teach you the words' pronunciations." Adam said with a gentle smile, feeling happy for the boy.

Despite his unlocked talent suited for cultivation, Julius had to toil in the dark, hindered by the absence of a proper technique.

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Then, he busied himself, reading the meaningful sutra and sharing the insights he had gleaned from them with the boy, before reaching the last page three hours later and falling into deep contemplation.

The technique was of the earth rank and detailed all the steps needed to reach the Core Formation Realm, which equated to tier four. It also shared insights about battle stances and skills catered to each tier in the first part.

"You need to feel nature around you and harmonise with the five elements as you recite the sutra and sense the natural energy around you," he explained, summarising what the boy had to do to reach the Golden Core Realm as he understood the fundamentally different approach of this power system.

"Thank you!" Julius exclaimed, his toned arms extending into a bear hug as he caught Adam off guard. "After four years of struggle, I finally have a clear direction." He continued, his determination igniting a blazing fire in his heart as he thought about the golden core realm.

'Wait for me, mom.' He thought, already planning to save her from the Ashford family's grasp the moment he reached that level.

Simultaneously, Adam's eyes widened at the sudden display of affection and gratitude. He wasn't used to them and initially wanted to free himself, but after noticing the boy's trembling body illuminated by the pale radiance of the moon, his eyes softened.

He patted the boy's head with a gentle smile and said, "Things will only improve starting now. Don't doubt yourself. You have great potential. After all, I'm the one who taught you."

Julius nodded in response as he released the hug, a bright smile tucked at his lips as he asked, "When will your translation be complete?"

After a short pause, he responded, "It'll be done by tomorrow morning."

With a warm nod, Julius moved back to his room, appreciating the silence of the night and its brightly lit sky, before swiftly jumping into his comfortable bed, impatient to progress on his cultivation journey.