bookandnovel Chapter 317: Connections and New Ideas
Chapter 317: Connections and New Ideas
Lassim stepped carefully away from the Nexus clearing of the forest, following the faintly glowing trail that led to the Re
Lassim studied the barrier, already analyzing its potential applications. "It’s a solid foundation," he said. "With more refinement, you could adapt it for larger-scale defenses, I think."
The group exchanged excited looks, their earlier tension replaced with enthusiasm and friendliness. Kaelin turned to Lassim, her expression earnest. "Thank you, Senior Brother Lassim. You’ve given us a lot to work with. If you’re ever interested in collaborating on more projects, we’d be honored to have you."
"I’ll keep that in mind," Lassim said with a faint smile.
Lassim had already turned away, his mind focusing inward, as he walked further toward the quieter edge of the grove. Yet, behind him, the murmuring of the disciples suddenly stopped.
Kaelin’s voice cut through the silence, "Wait… I was so distracted by the array that I just remembered. Did he say his name was Lassim?"
Rovan paused, the realization dawning on him as well. "Lassim? As in, that Lassim? That means he’s Sect Master Volten’s Personal Disciple? The one who fought during the Sect War?"
Another disciple, one who had stood by the others and only took notes during the process, chimed in. "You’re saying he’s that Lassim? The one who led raids and helped retake cities from the Sun Sect? When did he have time to learn about arrays? I thought he’d be some buff meathead-type warrior."
Kaelin’s round face was lit with a mix of awe and disbelief. "I thought he looked familiar! I’d heard stories about him and once saw him from a distance when he first arrived at the sect after he knocked out that bully inner sect disciple, but I didn’t expect someone like that to just… show up here and help with our array!"
Rovan scratched the back of his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "And we had him fixing our sloppy work like it was some kind of beginner’s problem…"
The gossip has spread and one of the younger disciples in the Spirit Growth stage had come over, her voice tinged with admiration, added, "He was so casual about it. No arrogance or anything. He just walked up, helped, and left."
Kaelin crossed her arms,"That makes sense, though. If he’s the Sect Master’s disciple, he probably doesn’t care about flaunting his status. He’s probably here to train for something even bigger or take out a problem beast in the area."
Rovan chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, now I really want to spar with him. If half the stories about him are true, it’d be a hell of a fight. Did you know that he fought two Spirit Ascension guards when he first arrived at the sect? Both of them were losing so badly that the Sect Master had to personally stop the fighting. It was the talk of all of us Guard disciples for weeks! Some scrawny kid beating up two Spirit Ascension Cultivators at the Spirit Transformation stage, man my blood is pumping just thinking about it."
Kaelin shot him a skeptical look. "You think you’d last more than a minute against someone like that? Did you not notice he’s already at Spirit Ascension level 2? You’re barely in the Spirit Ascension stage yourself!"
Rovan shrugged with a grin. "Hey, a guy can dream."
The group shared a laugh as they marveled at the encounter. Kaelin’s gaze turned back to the direction Lassim had walked, her respect for him deepening.
Unaware of the conversation that had taken place behind him, Lassim had turned his attention to how good it felt collaborating with the others. They hadn’t tried to do anything particularly new as far as defensive arrays were concerned. Overall, there must be countless similar designs that have been created over the years by using the trees as inspiration, but yet they were still practicing this skill to make something of their own.
The experience had been satisfying, but it also left him with some lingering questions: What would he create next with arrays? What project should he try and aim for?
His thoughts drifted to the constructs he had worked on with Rlyis and Eno. What if he could combine his knowledge of arrays with his fused mana elements to create a technique or tool that reflected his capabilities and elements as a cultivator? A construct would be nice, but there had to be something else that only he could make, just like only the Geomancers of Aetheria could make their floating gem-infused floating islands and fast, flying warship technology.
The specific idea of what he might be able to make eluded him, however. He needed time to think, to explore the possibilities and let inspiration take root. For now, he decided to let the idea simmer as he made his way back to the village.
The Tempest’s Cradle was a place of seemingly endless potential after just one day of observations, and he was determined to make the most of his remaining year here before the Elder’s summit.