The rush of the Cultivation Essence slowly settled within Ren, leaving behind a subtle warmth and a clarity of mind they'd never known. The ruins, once a uniform expanse of grey and brown despair, now presented a landscape of possibilities, each discarded item a potential source of energy. Their Perception honed, Ren began to move with a more deliberate pace, their eyes scanning not just for size or shape, but for the faint, purer auras that hinted at greater potential.
They sifted through what looked like the remnants of a small, forgotten training ground—a patch of trampled earth near a crumbling wall where rough etchings of cultivation postures were barely visible beneath layers of grime. This area was particularly rich in impure spiritual residue, likely from long-gone practitioners. Ren methodically siphoned energy from discarded training weights and fragments of broken practice swords, watching their Salvage Points slowly accumulate.
[Raw Energy Siphon Activated: +0.003 Cultivation Essence (Impure) | +7 SP][Raw Energy Siphon Activated: +0.002 Cultivation Essence (Impure) | +5 SP]
Suddenly, a faint, almost invisible aura, different from the muted brown of impure energy, caught Ren's eye. It was a pale, flickering silver, barely perceptible, emanating from beneath a pile of rotting straw. Ren pushed the straw aside, revealing a small, torn scroll, its edges frayed, its paper brittle and stained with dirt and what looked like old blood. Only a few characters and a crude diagram were visible on its half-preserved surface. It looked utterly worthless, a failed student's discard.
Yet, that silver aura pulsed faintly. Ren picked it up, their fingers trembling. The moment their skin touched the scroll, the system's interface flared again, a new message appearing with an almost urgent chime.
[Artifact Salvaged: Torn Practice Scroll (Fragmented, Low-Grade)][Quality: Common][Raw Energy Siphon Activated: +0.05 Cultivation Essence (Pure) | +30 SP][New Skill Fragment Extracted: [Iron Skin] (Rudimentary)][Skill Acquired: [Iron Skin] (Rudimentary)][Effect: Temporarily hardens skin, providing minor physical damage reduction. (Requires activation via Cultivation Essence)]
Ren stared, their heart pounding. Iron Skin? They'd heard the Stone-Skin Sect apprentices boast about their "Iron Skin" breakthroughs, though theirs was clearly rudimentary. The very idea of possessing such a skill, even a fragmented one, was beyond their wildest dreams. The system had said it required Cultivation Essence for activation. Ren looked at their current pool – a princely 0.25 Cultivation Essence and 97 SP. Not much, but perhaps enough for a test.
They clenched their fist, feeling the subtle thrum of the system within them. The feeling of raw power, however tiny, was intoxicating. The thought of those sneering apprentices, Grisel, Borin Jr., and Spike, filled Ren with a quiet, burning resolve. Their time as an easy target was about to end.