I Am a Rune Engraver, Carrying a Knife Makes Perfect Sense-Chapter 5 - The Forbidden Body

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“Cultivators have five major realms:

Awakening (觉灵),

Core Solidification (固心),

Flame Mastery (掌火),

Spirit Passage (通幽),

and Shadow Soul (阴神).”

“Each realm is divided into early, middle, and late stages. Every breakthrough signifies a massive increase in both your rune’s power and your own strength!”

“The most important step in cultivating runes begins today—awakening your attribute to determine which type of rune you are compatible with.”

“As for what runes are, I don’t need to explain that, right?”

On the experimental high school’s field, a chubby middle-aged man with glasses stood on a massive stone platform, shouting into a megaphone. Around the platform, hundreds of teenagers like Xu Shen stood, their eyes filled with excitement and anticipation.

Everything the principal was saying was common knowledge to these students. Still, it was a tradition to repeat these basics before the awakening ceremony—a practice passed down since the first awakenings.

At the back of the crowd, Xu Shen lounged lazily on a set of stairs, legs crossed, rubbing his chin as he observed the other students.

“What’s with that look in your eyes?” Wang Qingqing, sitting next to him, gave him a light slap on the arm. “Don’t go causing trouble again.”

Xu Shen snapped out of his thoughts and grinned. “I see a lot of familiar faces here—regulars from East Street.”

“What regulars?” Wang Qingqing raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“You don’t need to know, kid. Sometimes ignorance is bliss,” Xu Shen replied with mock seriousness.

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Wang Qingqing rolled her eyes and flipped him off.

Around them, some students glanced enviously at Xu Shen. Everyone had heard rumors about the school flower having a close male friend. To their dismay, it turned out to be Xu Shen.

“What does this guy have that we don’t?” they whispered bitterly.

—

Not far away, a scrawny boy nudged a burly student with a bandaged head. “Boss Liu Jian, weren’t you planning to warn off the school flower’s mysterious male friend? There he is.”

Liu Jian, despite being only eighteen, was built like a tank with bulging muscles and a full beard that made him look like he was in his thirties. However, the bandages on his head ruined his intimidating image.

Liu Jian’s face darkened as he glanced at Xu Shen before quickly looking away. “You see this bandage? That’s his handiwork.”

“What? He did that to you?!” The scrawny boy was shocked. “You’re Liu Jian! How could he take you down?”

Liu Jian snorted coldly. “That bastard doesn’t fight like a human. He’s vicious and relentless. If he weren’t worried about killing me, I’d probably be dead.”

He added bitterly, “Most of the cocky guys here have been beaten by him at some point.”

The scrawny boy was dumbfounded. No wonder even the school’s usual troublemakers were behaving themselves today.

—

Meanwhile, on the platform, the principal continued his long-winded speech with dramatic gestures. Xu Shen found himself dozing off, his head eventually resting on Wang Qingqing’s lap.

“Wake me up when it’s my turn,” he mumbled.

Wang Qingqing assumed he was still recovering from his injuries and nodded without comment.

Around them, whispers erupted among the students.

“He’s lying on her lap?! I haven’t even touched her water bottle!”

“I’ve never even smelled her hair!”

“Dude, you’re creepy,” someone muttered.

Some girls joined in the gossip. “That guy is so handsome and manly. Is he her boyfriend?”

“I heard about him—he’s the East Street bully. Way cooler than any of the guys at our school!”

“Hmph, so much for the school flower. Turns out she’s dating some thug.”

Wang Qingqing remained unfazed by the chatter. She didn’t care what others thought.

“Quiet down! What are you all whispering about?” The principal finally noticed the commotion and followed their gazes to Xu Shen lying on Wang Qingqing’s lap. His face darkened.

“How dare they act like this in my school?” he thought angrily—until he recognized Xu Shen’s face. Memories of unpleasant encounters flashed through his mind, and he quickly changed his tone.

“Alright! Let’s begin the awakening ceremony! When I call your name, step forward!” he announced loudly, redirecting everyone’s attention.

—

The ceremony began. Students took turns sitting on a special stone chair that would ignite with flames to reveal their attributes. The size and intensity of the resulting phenomenon determined their talent level.

One by one, students went up. Some awakened decent talents; others were less fortunate. By noon, Xu Shen had woken up and even shared lunch with Wang Qingqing.

As the day wore on and the sun began to set, a blinding golden light erupted from the platform.

“Murong Xin! Metal attribute... 350 meters high!!” The principal’s voice trembled with excitement as he announced the result.

The crowd gasped in awe. Murong Xin was a prodigy—her talent was unprecedented in recent history.

Murong Xin stepped down gracefully, her twin ponytails swaying as she walked. Her white outfit hugged her figure perfectly. She glanced briefly at Wang Qingqing with a hint of provocation in her eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Xu Shen snapped irritably.

Murong Xin shook her head with a faint smirk before walking away.

“Who is she?” Xu Shen asked lazily. “What’s with those ridiculous twin ponytails? Looks like she has two big footprints on her head.”

Wang Qingqing stifled a laugh. “Murong Xin. She’s always been competing with me for the title of school flower.”

“Jealous because you have an amazing boyfriend like me?” Xu Shen teased with mock seriousness.

“Get lost! Since when are you my boyfriend?” Wang Qingqing retorted with a smile she couldn’t quite hide.

—

Finally, it was Xu Shen’s turn.

All eyes turned to him as he stretched lazily and walked up to the platform.

“Long time no see, Principal Ding,” Xu Shen greeted casually before being silenced by the principal’s panicked hand over his mouth.

“Please don’t say anything weird!” Principal Ding whispered urgently.

“I got it,” Xu Shen replied with a knowing grin before sitting on the stone chair.

Flames erupted around him, engulfing his body entirely. Yet Xu Shen remained unfazed, sitting calmly as if on a throne. The crowd watched in shock—everyone knew how painful this process was, yet he didn’t even flinch.

Minutes passed... five... ten... fifteen. The principal began sweating nervously. If this went on any longer, Xu Shen might die from the flames.

Just as he prepared to intervene, the fire suddenly extinguished. A faint ripple spread outward—and then nothing happened.

The crowd stared in confusion. Where was the phenomenon?

“Xu Shen...” The principal finally spoke with a calm expression. “No attribute talent.”

Xu Shen blinked in surprise and turned to him. “Principal Ding, what does that mean?”

“It means you have no attribute talent,” the principal explained gently. “You can’t engrave elemental runes—only weak auxiliary ones. This condition is also known as the Forbidden Body.”

He patted Xu Shen’s shoulder sympathetically. “Don’t lose hope. Some people with Forbidden Bodies still manage to grow stronger.”

Xu Shen fell silent for a moment before breaking into a mischievous grin. “Principal Ding, have you read novels? The ones where ‘trash’ talents turn out to be overpowered?”

“Other people are other people—I’m me,” he declared confidently before stepping down from the platform with an air of nonchalance.

The crowd buzzed with mixed reactions—some mocking him, others curious about his attitude.

One boy who had been beaten by Xu Shen stepped forward smugly. “Xu—”

“If you keep yapping, I’ll beat you again,” Xu Shen interrupted coldly, silencing him instantly.

The boy muttered under his breath as he retreated, “Just wait until I engrave my runes...”

Wang Qingqing approached Xu Shen hesitantly, wanting to comfort him but unsure how to start.

“I’m fine,” Xu Shen said cheerfully before adding with a wink, “Good luck out there, darling.”

Seeing his carefree demeanor, Wang Qingqing relaxed. She knew him well enough to tell he wasn’t upset at all.

“Last one—Wang Qingqing!” the principal called out.

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