CHAPTER 53: GENIUS... OF COURSE!

"How?" Lena whispered, her voice filled with awe. The look in her eyes as she stared at him had now changed from fear to respect.

"I am a fast learner," Rhys said simply.

The first day of Rhys’s training passed in a blur of impossible learning. Elder Solon would unroll a new scroll, explain a new, incredibly complex theory, and Rhys would master it in seconds.

He learned about runic synergy, elemental balancing, and spatial anchoring. By the end of the day, he had absorbed all the knowledge contained in the primary scrolls.

He had learned in one day what would have taken a normal genius a lifetime.

Elder Solon was no longer just surprised. He was filled with a deep, profound joy. He looked at Rhys not as a tool to be used, but as a true successor to his legacy.

That evening, as they were finishing their lesson, Solon looked at Rhys with a serious expression.

"I have been a scholar for thousands of years," the old man said. "I have never seen a talent like yours. It would be a waste for such a genius to not have a proper master."

Rhys rolled his eyes.

"Cough, I mean, it would be a waste for me if I did not become the master to such a genius." He paused.

His ancient eyes were filled with a hopeful light. "If you are willing to be my disciple..."

Rhys furrowed his brows in a thoughtful expression.

He respected the old man. Despite his annoying habit of assuming Rhys was always scared, Elder Solon was a true scholar. His knowledge was vast and deep.

Rhys felt a genuine respect for him. But if he accepted to become a disciple of the old man...

’Whatever, what if the old man has some hidden treasure he has kept until he finds a heir? Why waste such a golden opportunity.’

And it was not as if he was going to marry the Elder, for him to have to consider every possible outcome. So he dispelled his hesitation and knelt on one knee.

"Disciple greets Master," he said, his voice clear and respectful.

Elder Solon let out a hearty laugh. It was a sound full of joy and relief, a sound that had probably not been heard in this silent, underground settlement for a thousand years.

"Good! Good!" he said. "Stand up, my boy. A master must give his new disciple a gift."

’See, i am smart.’ Rhys thought as Eggy agreed.

[...]

He looked over at Lena, who had been watching the entire scene with a mix of awe.

"Lena, my child, could you leave us for a moment? I wish to speak with my new disciple in private."

Lena looked at Rhys with sparkling eyes, then back at the Elder. She gave a small bow and quickly walked away, disappearing into one of the dark tunnels.

"It seems my old disciple likes you, haha," Elder Solon laughed, but Rhys could see the sadness in his eyes.

Rhys also felt a bit bad. To live a life among dead people and build relationships with them while trying to escape the desert, all while knowing that if he one day escaped, every relationship and person he knew would disappear...

What a cursed fate.

Elder Solon returned to his calm expression. When he made sure no one was nearby, he took a scroll and opened it, surrounding their chamber in a formation.

Rhys was taken aback after seeing it. It was ’Dimension Block’, a Heaven-grade formation that summoned the void to surround the area, suitable to block anyone from sensing what was inside.

To summon such a high-level formation...

Rhys gulped down his nervousness, his heart beating in anticipation.

Elder Solon reached into a hidden compartment in his old stone chair. He pulled out a dusty, ancient-looking core. It was not grey and smooth like the other cores Rhys had seen.

This one was a swirling vortex of black and grey energy, contained within a clear, crystal sphere. It pulsed with a raw, chaotic power that made the air around it feel heavy.

It was a Profession Core. His breath hitched in his throat as the System’s voice sounded in his ear.

[A Tyrant-grade profession core has been detected...]

’A Tyrant-grade profession core...’

The latter part dumbfounded him further.

[Profession Core: Tempest Djinn]

[Grade: Tyrant]

"I took this from the body of the Tempest Djinn, many centuries ago," Elder Solon explained.

"It is a Tyrant-grade core. It is too powerful and too wild for an old man like me. A treasure like this... it is better for the younger generation to have it."

He held the core out to Rhys.

"Take this," he said. "It is my gift to you. With your talent, you will make better use of it than I ever could."

Rhys was speechless.

He had expected a simple gift, maybe an old artefact or a rare material. He had not expected a Tyrant-grade profession core. The generosity of the old man was immense.

He felt a deep, genuine sense of gratitude as he quickly took the core from the old man, thinking he might change his mind in the next moment.

Elder Solon’s lips twitched.

[That was rude.]

System and Eggy agreed, making Rhys feel a bit guilty.

’Gosh, I was just excited,’ Rhys thought, while bowing deeply from the waist.

"Thank you, Master," he said, his voice filled with sincere respect. The core felt heavy and full of a wild, untamed power.

"Absorb it now," Elder Solon said. "I will stand guard. This core is from a Tyrant. The process will not be easy."

Rhys nodded. He sat down on the floor, crossed his legs, and held the core in both hands. He closed his eyes and began to absorb it.

The moment he connected his Qi to the core, a storm of pure, chaotic energy flooded his body. It was the power of the Tempest Djinn, the memory of a thousand wind elementalists, all screaming in his mind at once.

It was a wild and violent power, and it tried to tear him apart from the inside. But Rhys’s foundation was not normal.

His Void-Tempered Immortal Body was a vessel of absolute stability. His new meridian network was a perfect system for distributing energy.

He felt the chaotic wind energy rage through his meridians, but his body was like an unshakable mountain. It absorbed the storm. It tamed it.

He led the core into one of the micro-dantians he had chosen for formations and decided to bond the Wind element with this dantian.

He already had a Wind Element Ball in his possession, so he could sense the Wind element instantly and solidify the foundation of this dantian.

Slowly, the wild, screaming voices in his mind went silent. The chaotic energy became calm and obedient.

It settled into one of his empty micro-dantians, a new and powerful tool waiting for its master’s command.

Rhys opened his eyes. The swirling black and grey core in his hands was gone. He could feel a new, immense power sleeping inside him. He had done it.

He had absorbed the power of a Tyrant.

[Host has successfully absorbed the Tyrant-Grade Profession Core (Tempest Djinn).]

[Knowledge synergy detected with the Host’s understanding of the Wind Element.]

[New Profession Acquired: Tempest Weaver (Apprentice).]

[Grade: Tyrant.]

[About: Allows the user to weave and interconnect nodes with incredible precision. The wind shall hear your commands and think of you as one of its own.]

[System showing simplified status screen of Host.]

[Status]

Host: Rhys

Cultivation: Body Tempering (Peak)

Foundation: Void-Tempered Immortal Body

Lifespan Remaining: Infinite

Skill Cores:

1. Shadowed Dive (Ordinary)

Profession Cores:

1. Artisan Ash Veil (Ordinary)

2. Apprentice Tempest Weaver (Tyrant)

A low smile graced his lips. He had got his second profession core.

[Grades of Profession: Apprentice, Artisan, Master, Grandmaster, and Ruler.]