I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 22 - Killing Intent!

—

The next morning, Xu Shen slowly woke up. The glaring sunlight and his slightly groggy mind made him momentarily forget where he was. He vaguely remembered someone coming to pick him up last night…

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by Wang Qingqing’s face, which was filled with a hint of anger.

Xu Shen immediately sat up straight. “Baby, when did you get back?”

He had drunk way too much last night. They had finished all the spirit wine, but it hadn’t been for nothing. As soon as he woke up, he could feel it—he had broken through.

Mid-Awakening Realm!

“Not bad, Xu Shen. Now you’re even drinking heavily?” Wang Qingqing narrowed her eyes, clearly displeased.

“Ahaha… What are you saying? I was drinking spirit wine!”

“I’ve been a master of the drinking scene for years—regular alcohol doesn’t faze me,” Xu Shen said with a smug expression.

Wang Qingqing gave him a skeptical look, placing a hand on his bandaged arm. Feeling the distinct energy of a mid-Awakening Realm cultivator, she finally withdrew her hand.

“Are you done with your training?” Xu Shen asked curiously. Wang Qingqing had gone to the capital to cultivate Ghost Attribute runes and techniques. He thought she’d be gone for at least a week, but she was back so soon.

Wang Qingqing nodded and raised her hand. Instantly, the room turned icy cold as a pitch-black spear emitting dense ghostly energy materialized in her grasp.

Late-Awakening Realm!

Xu Shen immediately sensed her cultivation level and couldn’t hide his surprise.

The Ghost Attribute was terrifying. In such a short time, she had gone from newly awakened to late-Awakening Realm.

“How’s that?” Wang Qingqing asked with a smile.

“Not bad, not bad. Very impressive,” Xu Shen said, stroking his chin. “My wife is amazing.”

The spear dissipated as Wang Qingqing smacked Xu Shen on the head and walked out the door. “Stop calling me your wife!”

“Hehe…” Xu Shen rubbed his head, grinning foolishly.

Glancing at the time, his face suddenly twisted in panic as he bolted out the door.

He was late—he still had to train the Battle Art with the old man!

“Brother, where are you going? It’s the weekend,” Xu Xia asked, clutching a stuffed doll as she stepped out of Uncle Wang’s house.

Xu Shen patted his sister’s head with a serious expression. “For the strong, there are no weekends.”

With that, he disappeared in a flash.

Li Li poked her head out in confusion, watching Xu Shen’s retreating figure before shaking her head. “That boy…”

She turned to Wang Qingqing, who was quietly eating breakfast. “You’re going to your father’s today. He’s arranged for someone to train you.”

“You’ve cultivated techniques and engraved runes, but jumping straight to late-Awakening Realm has left your foundation unstable.”

Wang Qingqing nodded but then asked, “What about Xu Shen? Isn’t he going?”

Li Li shook her head, recalling something Wang Bing had mentioned before. A soft smile appeared on her face. “That boy has his own training methods.”

—

Meanwhile, the old man sat in his courtyard with a serious expression. Though above ground, he could clearly hear the screams and roars coming from below. The faint scent of blood wafted up.

“Is that brat really making himself bleed during training?” The old man muttered in confusion before standing up to check on him.

Just as he was about to open the passageway, Xu Shen’s hoarse voice echoed from below.

“I’m fine! I’m training! Don’t come in, or I might lose control!”

The old man’s expression grew more peculiar but decided against going down. If the kid were really in trouble, he’d scream for help—no need to worry.

—

Below ground, the once-pristine white floor was now stained red with blood.

Xu Shen’s face was twisted in pain, flushed red as he gritted his teeth. His forearm was sliced open from wrist to mid-arm, exposing raw muscle dripping with blood.

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Holding the black knife in his left hand, he moved it carefully along his arm while biting down hard. Each stroke drained his precious Engraving Points at an alarming rate!

“ARGH!!”

With a final roar, Xu Shen yanked the knife away as the last of his Engraving Points disappeared!

Instantly, spiritual energy surged around him, flooding into his arm at breakneck speed!

The torn skin healed rapidly as a crimson rune began to take shape—a thick and simple design that extended from his wrist to the middle of his forearm.

It radiated an inexplicable aura of power.

As energy surged through him, Xu Shen sat cross-legged with a solemn expression. Blood energy roared within him like thunder as his eyes snapped open!

A flash of blood-red light streaked across them.

Late-Awakening Realm!

With the Weapon Rune now extending halfway up his forearm, Xu Shen had directly broken through to late-Awakening Realm!

From what Xu Shen understood, before reaching Core Solidification Realm, runes could significantly influence one’s cultivation level. However, after Core Solidification, runes alone wouldn’t suffice for breakthroughs—at most providing minor boosts.

“Damn… that hurt,” Xu Shen muttered, exhaling deeply as he flexed his arm. A series of cracking sounds echoed from within his body.

“So strong.” Clenching his fist, Xu Shen felt power surging from every fiber of his being—far stronger than yesterday.

BOOM!

He punched the ground, leaving a small crack while causing the entire underground space to tremble slightly!

“The old man said you need a certain level of strength to crack this special floor.”

Looking at the crack he’d made, Xu Shen wondered how his current strength compared to other realms. Probably not at Flame Mastery yet…

Flame Mastery was said to be a transformative stage for cultivators—where runes gained entirely new powers.

Turning back to continue training the Battle Art, Xu Shen felt like he was close to mastering it but couldn’t quite grasp one crucial element.

When he’d asked the old man about it, the response had been vague: “Everyone’s different—I can’t tell you.”

With no other choice, Xu Shen kept practicing in hopes of finding that missing piece.

—

By noon, Xu Shen emerged from the underground space—still unable to fully master the Battle Art.

After greeting the old man briefly, he headed back home for lunch before planning to attend lessons at Experimental High School in the afternoon.

His schedule was packed—extremely fulfilling!

Despite it being the weekend, third-year students still had classes in preparation for college entrance exams. Ding Wentian’s hired teacher would definitely be at school.

After grabbing a quick bite at the repair shop, Xu Shen leisurely made his way toward Experimental High School.

“Hey kid! Who are you? I’ve never seen you here before,” the school gatekeeper stopped him as he approached.

“Uncle, I’m Xu Shen,” Xu Shen replied with a smile.

“Xu Shen? Never heard of you. You don’t look like a student,” the gatekeeper shook his head skeptically.

“Ahem… Principal Ding sent me for tutoring!” Xu Shen said as he placed a pack of cigarettes on the gatekeeper’s desk.

The old man’s face lit up instantly. “Ah! Xu Shen! My memory must be slipping—of course I remember! Next time don’t be so formal—just come right in!”

With practiced ease, he pocketed the cigarettes without missing a beat.

Xu Shen stared in awe at the gatekeeper’s sleight of hand. How many years did it take to master that?

“Uncle, you’ve got skills!” Xu Shen praised.

“Hmph! You don’t know who you’re talking to! Back in my day… cough cough… Anyway, get going!” The gatekeeper coughed awkwardly before waving him through.

Shaking his head in amusement, Xu Shen entered and made his way toward Ding Wentian’s office—still partially housed in an undamaged section after recent events.

After some searching, he found Ding Wentian’s office and pushed open the door without knocking.

“Ahh!” Ding Wentian jumped in surprise before hurriedly hiding his phone under his desk. Seeing it was Xu Shen, he relaxed but scowled irritably.

“Can’t you knock?”

“I only knock with my foot,” Xu Shen replied nonchalantly.

“…”

“Go to the office at the end of this floor—there’s a female teacher waiting for you there,” Ding Wentian waved him off impatiently.

Xu Shen turned to leave but paused at the door. “Need any good websites?”

“GET OUT!!”

Laughing mischievously, Xu Shen left—making sure to lock the door from outside as a parting gesture…

Humming a tune as he reached the designated office door—he knocked lightly with his foot.

“Come in,” a gentle voice called from inside.

Stepping in—Xu Shen froze mid-step before straightening up instinctively.

“Ms… Ms. Wang? What are you doing here?”

Sitting inside was a woman dressed in a gray dress with her hair neatly pinned up and wearing silver-framed glasses. She looked about thirty years old—stunningly beautiful with an air of intellectual elegance…

She exuded an aura of scholarly refinement—a stark contrast to anything Xu Shen expected…

And she was none other than his elementary school homeroom teacher…

“Xu Shen—it’s been years—you haven’t changed much,” Ms. Wang said warmly—her eyes softening as she looked at him.

She’d only recently learned about Xu Shen’s circumstances after transferring here—and had vivid memories of him as a mischievous yet memorable student…

“Aha… What a coincidence! Fancy meeting you here…” Xu Shen laughed nervously as childhood memories flooded back—equal parts fear and nostalgia…

“I’ve been informed about your situation,” Ms. Wang said gently. “I’ll do my best to help you catch up on your studies—but you’ll need to cooperate.”

“Understood!” Xu Shen nodded obediently like a well-behaved child…

“Good—let’s start with reading comprehension…”

—

By 8 PM that evening—Xu Shen stumbled out of the office looking dazed…

“Whoever brought Ms. Wang here… Don’t let me find out—I’ll make sure to thank them properly…” He muttered darkly through gritted teeth…

Though happy to see her again—the study session had reignited childhood memories of her devilish teaching methods…

His phone buzzed suddenly—it was Zhang Zhuangshi calling…

The first words out of Zhang Zhuangshi’s mouth sent icy killing intent flashing through Xu Shen’s eyes!

“Brother Shen! We found out who let that ghoul into the hotel—and I know where they are!”