Cultivation is Creation-Chapter 184: Thank You Yggy

There's something deeply unsettling about an empty village. The usual background noise of daily life: merchants hawking their wares, children playing in the streets, the general hustle and bustle of people going about their business: all of it replaced by an eerie silence that makes every footstep echo like a thunderclap.

I walked through the deserted streets of Floating Reed Village, my footsteps stirring up small clouds of dust. The evacuation had been orderly, as these things go. Years of practice drills and generational memory meant everyone knew exactly what to do and where to go. The elderly and children were already safely tucked away in the mountain caves, along with enough supplies to last weeks if necessary.

My parents had been among the last to leave, of course. Stubborn to the end, they'd insisted on securing every last valuable in their shop before heading to the shelters. I'd had to practically push them out the door, promising multiple times that yes, I would be careful, and no, I wouldn't do anything reckless.

"Just because you're a cultivator now doesn't mean you're invincible," my mother had said, fixing me with that look that all mothers seem to master: the one that makes you feel simultaneously loved and guilty.

"I know, Mother," I'd replied, trying not to think about how many times I already got killed.

Now, standing in front of our family home, I took a moment to appreciate the irony of the situation. Here I was, about to perform what would definitely look like some kind of demonic ritual, in the very place where this body had grown up learning to fear and avoid such things.

But first things first: proper precautions.

I pulled a wooden tablet from my storage ring, one of several standard cultivation tools that every disciple was expected to carry.

This particular one a tablet that was about two feet tall, carved from spirit-infused wood.

The front bore the traditional warning symbols: interlocking hexagrams that spelled out "Cultivation in Progress" in the ancient script, surrounded by ward-marks that would subtly encourage anyone nearby to remember they had urgent business elsewhere.

The back was covered in more practical protections: actual defensive formations that would activate if anyone tried to disturb the cultivator within.

"A bit dramatic, isn't it?" I muttered, setting up the tablet outside our front door. "All this just to say 'do not disturb'?"

"Given what cultivators get up to behind closed doors," Azure replied dryly, "the dramatics are probably warranted. Would you prefer people accidentally walking in on someone attempting breakthrough?"

He had a point. Cultivation breakthrough attempts could get... messy. There were stories about disciples who'd been interrupted at crucial moments, resulting in qi deviation that turned them inside out. Literally, in some cases.

"Besides," he added, "given what we're about to do, extra privacy seems prudent."

Also true. While technically there was nothing wrong with inscribing new runes: plenty of cultivators used various body-enhancement markings: most of them didn't use mysterious energy sources that made their runes glow with ominous red light.

I entered the house, taking in the familiar sights and smells. The main room still held traces of dinner: hints of rice congee and pickled vegetables in the air. Mother's sewing basket sat in her favorite corner, needles neatly arranged by size. Father's accounting books were stacked on his desk.

It felt strange being here alone. Growing up, this room had always been full of life: customers being fitted for new clothes as my parents worked side by side. Now it was just me, about to perform what essentially amounted to illegal body modification.

"The things we do to survive," I muttered, pulling the knife that Wei Lin had gifted me from my storage ring. Its edge sharp enough to split a hair lengthwise.

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"Master," Azure's voice held a note of concern, "are you certain about this? Adding three new runes in one session..."

"Better to do it now instead of waiting around," I replied, laying out my materials on the low table. "It can’t hurt to have more weapons during the battle."

“Which rune will you start with?” Azure asked.

"The Scorpion Rune," I decided, studying the pattern I'd memorized. "It's the most complex, and if something goes wrong, I'd rather deal with it before adding anything else."

The design was beautiful in a deadly sort of way: a series of interlocking curves that somehow managed to suggest both the graceful arc of a scorpion's tail and the molecular structure of its venom. The main pattern would need to go directly on my tailbone, with secondary lines extending up my lower back to properly channel the energy.

"This would be so much easier with a proper runemaster," I sighed, realizing the awkward positioning required. "Or at least an assistant who isn't just a voice in my head."

"You do have an assistant," Azure reminded me. "One who's been surprisingly quiet, actually..."

As if on cue, I felt a familiar presence stirring in my inner world. Yggy had been unusually subdued since we'd arrived in the village, probably picking up on the tense atmosphere. But now...

"Want to help?" I asked, and immediately felt a surge of excitement through our bond. A moment later, vines erupted from my sleeve, weaving themselves into Yggy's familiar form.

The vine creature materialized fully, its tendrils weaving excitedly in the air. It examined the knife, then gave me what was probably meant to be a reassuring gesture.

"You seem awfully confident for someone who's never done this before," I noted, but couldn't help smiling at its enthusiasm. "Or have you?"

Yggy's response was a complex series of gestures that somehow managed to convey both "trust me" and "this'll be fun" simultaneously. Given that it was essentially a sentient plant creature created by an eccentric elder's experiments... well, maybe it did have experience with this sort of thing.

"Alright," I said, removing my outer robe and lying face-down on the floor. "Just... be careful, okay?"

It felt strange being in such a vulnerable position, however, I guess it couldn’t compare to bonding my soul to another being. That thought helped me relax.

Yggy's tendrils took the knife and then began to trace the pattern. The blade was sharp enough that I barely felt the initial cuts, though the sensation of having someone: something?: carving intricate patterns into your lower back was decidedly odd.

"Your friend has remarkably steady hands," Azure commented, monitoring the process through our shared senses. "The line work is actually better than most lower rank Skybound."

He wasn't wrong. Despite its seemingly chaotic nature, Yggy worked with machine-like precision. Each cut was exactly the right depth, each curve flowing perfectly into the next. The pattern grew steadily more complex, secondary lines branching out like the roots of a tree, or perhaps the nervous system of some ancient creature.

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"Interesting choice of reference patterns," Azure noted as Yggy worked. "The main design is clearly based on scorpion anatomy, but these secondary lines... they're almost like plant root structures."

"Combining animal and plant patterns?" I raised an eyebrow, though the effect was somewhat lost given my face-down position. "That's... actually pretty clever. It should help the rune integrate better with my wood-based cultivation."

Yggy made a sound that might have been preening satisfaction, its tendrils never pausing in their work. The pattern was nearly complete now, covering most of my lower back in an intricate maze of lines and curves.

"Almost done," Azure reported. "Though you might want to brace yourself for the activation. This is going to be... interesting."

I took a deep breath, preparing myself.

Rune activation was always tricky: you had to channel exactly the right amount of energy in exactly the right pattern, or things could go very wrong very quickly. And with red sun energy... well, let's just say the margin for error was considerably smaller.

First, I activated the Shroud rune in my inner world, feeling the familiar sensation of my energy signature being masked. Then, carefully, I began channeling red sun energy into the newly carved pattern.

The effect was immediate and intense.

It felt like someone had replaced my spine with molten metal, a burning sensation that started at my tailbone and rapidly spread upward. The rune lines glowed with that distinctive red light for a moment before seeming to sink into my flesh, becoming part of me.

And then... something new grew.

The sensation was bizarre: like having an entirely new limb suddenly sprout into existence. I could feel it taking shape, muscle and bone and whatever passed for nervous tissue in magically generated appendages all forming at once.

When it was done, I had a tail.

Not just any tail, mind you. This was a fascinating hybrid of scorpion and plant anatomy - about four feet long, with a core structure similar to a scorpion's tail but covered in what looked like flexible bark scales instead of chitinous plates.

Dark green vine-like tendons wove between the segments, giving it an almost artistic quality. The stinger at the tip resembled a thorny seed pod more than a traditional scorpion's stinger, though I could sense it was already producing the promised neurotoxin.

"Interesting modification," I said, genuinely impressed by Yggy's innovation. The plant-like elements weren't just aesthetic - I could feel how perfectly they integrated with the Worldroot Conduit, making the whole structure feel more natural. "You actually improved the design."

"More than you might realize," Azure added. "The wood-style structure isn't just better integrated - it's actually stronger than traditional chitin would be. The Worldroot Conduit is constantly reinforcing it with wood essence, making the bark scales denser than steel. Plus, the vine-like connective tissue allows for faster, more precise movements than a pure scorpion structure could achieve."

Yggy's tendrils waved in what was definitely smug satisfaction, and I had to admit, the creature had earned the right to be proud. It had taken a solid design and made it exponentially better by adapting it to my specific cultivation style.

"Well," I said, carefully pushing myself up to a sitting position. "Let’s test it out."

The tail moved with my thoughts, as natural as moving an arm or leg. It could curl over my head like a traditional scorpion's tail, wrap around my waist like a belt, or extend straight out behind me.

To test my control over it further, I directed it to pick up a spare piece of cloth from my father's cutting table, it was delicate enough to handle fabric without tearing it.

Then I brought out a wooden practice dummy from my storage ring and set it up.

I had it strike out at full speed, the stinger punched clean through the hardwood like it was wet paper. More importantly, I could feel the neurotoxin channels working, ready to deliver a very unpleasant surprise to anyone who got stuck by that tip.

"The integration seems stable," Azure reported after running a quick diagnostic. "No signs of rejection or energy conflicts. Though I do note the toxin production is drawing more energy than expected."

I nodded, making a mental note to account for the additional energy drain in combat. The tail retracted smoothly, the plates folding in on themselves until it disappeared completely into my lower back. Another thought, and it extended again, the transformation taking less than a second.

"Good work, Yggy," I said, and the vine creature practically bounced with pride.

It was time for the next one.

The Shockwave Rune was considerably simpler in design: a series of concentric circles radiating out from a central point, like ripples in a pond. I chose my left palm for this one, partly because it would be easier to aim, and partly because having impact-based runes on both palms seemed like a good way to maintain symmetry.

I glanced at Yggy, who was watching closely. "Any ideas for improving this one too?"

The vine creature made a definitive head-shaking gesture, its tendrils drooping slightly in what seemed like apology.

"The Shockwave Rune operates on fundamentally different principles," Azure explained. "Unlike the Scorpion Rune, which creates a physical manifestation that can be modified, this one is pure energy manipulation. Adding an elemental aspect to it would drastically alter its basic function, creating a completely different rune.”

I nodded, even though I had already expected that answer, there was no harm in asking.

This one I decided to inscribe myself, though Yggy hovered nearby, clearly hoping to help. The cuts were shallow, more like scratches really, forming the pattern one ring at a time. The trick with this rune was in the spacing: each circle had to be exactly the right distance from its neighbors, creating a precise mathematical progression that would properly channel the energy.

"The proportions are critical here," Azure commented as I worked. "Too close together and the wave will be too focused, too far apart and it'll dissipate too quickly."

The pattern took shape slowly but surely, each ring adding to the whole until the complete design covered most of my palm. It was less visually complex than the Scorpion Rune, but in some ways more technically challenging. One mistake in the spacing could turn a controlled shockwave into an uncontrolled explosion.

"Ready for testing?" Azure asked as I finished the last ring.

I looked around my parents' immaculate home, taking in the carefully arranged furniture and the delicate decorations.

"Maybe we should test this one outside," I decided. "I'd rather not have to explain to my mother why her favorite vase suddenly exploded."

Before I could start on the final rune: the Tracker: Azure suddenly called out.

"Master, the spiritual pressure to the north just changed dramatically. The beast wave is almost here."