31: Chapter 31 Training Lesson 1

The gas lamps in the corridor outside the Chanis Gate lit up promptly at six in the morning.

Lu Li stood at the entrance of the corridor, holding the sealing rune identification chart given by Old Neil. The chart was densely packed with seventeen of the most common warning rune structures.

Next to each structure, the triggering conditions, safe passage distance, and reset methods for accidental activation were noted.

"Walk from the main entrance to the Chanis Gate, then return the same way."

Old Neil stood at the end of the corridor, his staff thumping against the floor. The newly replaced crystal at the head of the staff shimmered with a pale blue light under the gas lamps.

"There are nine warning runes along the way. Three are on the walls, four are in the seams of the floor tiles, and two are on the edges of the ceiling vents. Your task is to complete the route without triggering any buzzers."

Klein stood beside Lu Li, also holding an identical identification chart.

He had already circled the exact locations of all nine runes with a pencil, noting precautions next to each circle—'For the third floor tile seam rune, stride at least seventy centimeters,' 'For the seventh ceiling vent rune, bow your head to avoid the infrared detection zone.'

"Are you ready?" Old Neil asked.

"Ready." The two answered almost simultaneously.

Lu Li took the first step. The first warning rune in the corridor was on the right wall, about a meter off the ground. The rune structure was a simplified snake ring, and the trigger condition was spiritual fluctuations exceeding the Sequence 9 threshold.

The safe passage distance was fifty centimeters—as long as one didn't get too close or actively release spiritual detection, it wouldn't trigger. He suppressed his spiritual fluctuations to the minimum and walked steadily along the base of the left wall.

Klein followed behind, his steps light and steady. The two paused before the second rune—it was a piece of dark green crystal sand embedded in the seam of the floor tiles. The trigger condition was unknown, and Old Neil had only written "detour" in the training instructions.

"The color of this crystal sand is the same as those scale samples in the Underground Channel Secret Room." Klein lowered his voice.

"It's not the same thing. The scales in The Dark Channel were alive; this piece is dead." Lu Li squatted down to observe it for a moment from a safe distance, then stood up and walked around it to continue forward.

Five minutes later, the two stopped in front of the Chanis Gate. No buzzer sounded. All nine warning runes were passed safely.

Old Neil lifted his staff from the floor and tapped it lightly against his palm. "Passing on the first practice run is very good. But today is just to familiarize yourself with the route. For the next two weeks, you need to walk this corridor repeatedly until you can remember the location of every rune even with your eyes closed."

"Just like how you taught Daly back then?" Klein asked.

"Daly got three wrong on her first try. She said the spirit medium vision is different from normal vision, with an extra layer of spirit body remnants on everything." Old Neil turned and pushed open the door to the Potion Room. "You are less trouble than she was. Rest for fifteen minutes, then come to the Potion Room to learn daily monitoring of the sealing nodes."

In the Potion Room, two sets of portable compasses and a blank sealing node monitoring record sheet were already laid out on the workbench.

Old Neil took the structural diagram of the Chanis Gate perimeter seal from a drawer and spread it on the table. The diagram marked the specific locations and monitoring frequencies of twelve secondary sealing nodes.

"The frequency for daily monitoring is once every four hours. You don't need to remember all twelve—the Backup Team is only responsible for the four outer nodes, located at the first corner of the corridor, the third corner, the ventilation duct directly above the Chanis Gate, and the drainage branch interface on the second underground floor."

His fingertips traced the structural diagram one by one, writing a number in pencil next to each stop. "These four locations have the highest monitoring priority because they are closest to the three anchors that were purified earlier. Although the anchors have failed, the sealing structure at those locations is still more fragile than elsewhere."

"What do I need to pay attention to when monitoring?" Klein pulled the structural diagram closer and drew circles around the four node locations with a pencil.

"First, the deflection of the compass needle. The normal range is within plus or minus five degrees; if it exceeds five degrees, mark it on the record sheet. If it exceeds ten degrees, notify me directly. Second, the spiritual temperature around the node. Prometheus is sensitive to temperature—" Old Neil looked at Lu Li, "No need for a compass; just use your gloved fingertips to sense it from five centimeters away. If the temperature is more than one degree higher than the surroundings, you must also record it."

Lu Li put on his gloves and flexed his fingers. "What is the reason if it is more than one degree higher?"

"Spiritual friction inside the sealing node. A normal node will have a slight warmth when running, but an aging node will have increased friction due to rune wear, causing the temperature to rise."

Old Neil took a portable thermometer from the drawer. "Use this to calibrate your sense of touch. Measure a few times first; once your sense is stable, you won't need to measure every time."

Over the next hour, Old Neil took the two to test the four nodes one by one.

Lu Li hovered his gloved fingertips over the surface of each node, feeling the subtle temperature difference—the node at the first corner was slightly warm, the node at the third corner was cool, the node in the ventilation duct directly above had the highest temperature, and the node at the drainage branch interface had the lowest temperature. Klein recorded the data one by one, his handwriting as neat as print.

"Why is the temperature at the drainage branch interface lower than elsewhere?" Klein paused his pen.

"Because that location is closest to The Dark Channel. Although the residual pollution in The Dark Channel has been purified, the sealing structure automatically contracts in a low-temperature environment. The contraction tightens the rune patterns; after the patterns are tightened, the spiritual flow rate accelerates, and the temperature becomes even lower."

Old Neil put the thermometer back into his pocket. "Half of the work in seal maintenance is on a physical level—temperature, humidity, air pressure; these common factors also affect the stability of Beyonder characteristics."

By the time the training ended, it was already evening. Lu Li and Klein came out of the Potion Room and walked back along the corridor. When passing that dark green crystal sand in the floor tile seam, Lu Li paused.

"What's wrong?"

"The crystal sand is glowing." Lu Li squatted down and hovered his gloved fingertips over the crystal sand. That tiny grain of crystal sand was emitting a faint dark green fluorescence, flickering on and off, with a rhythm synchronized to a heartbeat. "It was dead before the training started, but now it's glowing."

Klein pulled a paper figurine from his sleeve and squatted beside Lu Li. He placed the paper figurine next to the crystal sand and activated it with his spirituality. A layer of extremely faint gray mist patterns emerged on the back of the paper figurine. The patterns twisted for a few seconds, then condensed into a line of small text: "This sealing node has a weak resonance with the residual spirituality of the third anchor. The resonance frequency is consistent with the pulse frequency of the silver snake key. It is presumed to be a natural aftershock after the anchor purification, with no risk of pollution diffusion."

"Old Neil previously said the key is still sitting on the lead tray in the Potion Room. If the crystal sand still resonates with the key, it means the Antigonus bloodline mark inside the key has not been completely eliminated." Lu Li stood up and put his gloves back into his waist pouch.

"The longer the key stays in Tingen, the more of these aftershocks there will be. When did Old Neil say it would be handed over to headquarters?"

"After the seal stability report is officially filed. If all goes well, before the end of the month." Lu Li continued walking forward.