Chapter 18: Wen and Wu

"Literary and Martial?" Zhou Yuan's eyes opened, glinting with a sharp light. In that instant, he understood why Cang Yuan had said that the Heavenly Yuan Brush was both a Genesis Weapon and a Genesis Rune Brush.

This was because the Genesis Rune named "Literary and Martial" endowed the Heavenly Yuan Brush with two forms.

"Martial Form!" Holding the Heavenly Yuan Brush, Zhou Yuan thought for a moment and then softly uttered the command.

A brilliant light erupted from the Heavenly Yuan Brush. Zhou Yuan watched, fascinated, as the brush, which was only about a foot long, suddenly began to expand.

In just a few breaths, a heavy, dark brush, roughly ten feet long, appeared in Zhou Yuan's hand. It was almost as tall as he was, its body mottled and gleaming faintly.

The tip, especially, had transformed. The formerly soft, snow-white bristles had tightly coalesced, now gleaming with a cold, sharp luster, resembling the keen point of a spear.

"Such a heavy weight!" Zhou Yuan gazed at the somewhat gigantic black brush in his hand. Its considerable weight caused his arms to sink slightly.

"Let's test its power." Zhou Yuan left the room and walked into the spacious courtyard. With a thought, the Heavenly Yuan Brush in his hand vibrated slightly, and instantly, the Genesis Qi in the surroundings rippled, silently flowing into the brush.

A Genesis Weapon, by definition, could absorb the Genesis Qi of heaven and earth to unleash formidable power.

As the Genesis Qi poured in, the Heavenly Yuan Brush began to glow. At its tip, formed by the coalesced white bristles, a sharp light flickered, expanding and contracting.

Zhou Yuan gripped the end of the brush like a heavy spear and suddenly swung it. Having never wielded such an unusual weapon, he felt a bit clumsy, but his strength was considerable. As the brush whistled through the air, it seemed to carry significant power.

With a sudden turn, the brush thrust violently towards a nearby bronze cauldron. A crisp sound rang out as the tip pierced directly through the cauldron, emerging from the other side.

"Impressive, very sharp." Zhou Yuan's eyebrow subtly rose at the sight. This level of sharpness could easily tear through even the physique of someone who had opened two meridians.

"It should just about qualify as a mid-grade Genesis Weapon."

Zhou Yuan felt a slight satisfaction. If he continued to nurture it, allowing the Heavenly Yuan Brush to absorb beast souls, it shouldn't take too long for it to reach the level of a Profound Genesis Weapon.

"Using a brush as a weapon is quite unusual and powerful. Although it's a brush, it shares commonalities with a spear, so I could learn some spear techniques in the future," Zhou Yuan mused to himself.

His gaze on the Heavenly Yuan Brush grew hotter. This was only the first Genesis Rune, and it already brought such a transformation. He couldn't imagine how formidable the Heavenly Yuan Brush would become once all nine ancient Genesis Runes were restored.

Zhou Yuan swung the Martial Form of the Genesis Rune Brush a few more times, fully enjoying himself, then with a thought, commanded: "Literary Form!"

The approximately man-sized Heavenly Yuan Brush suddenly shrank, becoming about a foot long, resting in Zhou Yuan's palm. Its tip, which had been sharp enough to pierce refined iron, now became soft, its bristles swaying gently.

Zhou Yuan flicked it with his fingertip, and the Heavenly Yuan Brush spun agilely in his palm. A light emerged from its soft tip.

This form of the Heavenly Yuan Brush was the Genesis Rune Brush, used for inscribing Genesis Runes.

"What an amazing 'Literary and Martial' Genesis Rune," Zhou Yuan exclaimed. The ability to change an item's form was certainly not something ordinary Genesis Runes could achieve. This "Literary and Martial" Genesis Rune must be of an extremely high grade.

"Have you finally activated the Heavenly Yuan Brush's first rune?"

Just as Zhou Yuan was enthusiastically switching between the two forms in the courtyard, a slightly surprised voice sounded. Zhou Yuan looked up to see Yaoyao standing gracefully outside the courtyard.

Beside her feet, Tun Tun was panting and scurrying along.

"Yes, just now," Zhou Yuan nodded, the Heavenly Yuan Brush in its Literary Form resting in his palm. He eagerly asked, "Sister Yaoyao, I have my Genesis Rune Brush now. When will you teach me Genesis Runes?"

Yaoyao moved with light, graceful steps, slowly approaching Zhou Yuan. She extended a fair, jade-like hand.

Seeing this, Zhou Yuan's mouth twitched. He could only instruct a nearby maidservant, who then brought over a jade bottle. "This is Red Tiger Wine, very potent. I 'borrowed' it from my father's private collection," he explained.

Yaoyao took the jade bottle, tilted her slender, swan-like neck, and took a small sip. A faint blush immediately appeared on her pretty face. Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she said, "Not bad. You didn't try to fool me."

It was clear she was very pleased with the fine wine Zhou Yuan had procured.

Zhou Yuan sighed in relief, about to speak, when he felt his pant leg tugged. He looked down to see Tun Tun gently nipping his cuff, its tongue lolling out, and then extending a paw.

"Just like your master!"

Zhou Yuan's eye twitched. He cursed under his breath but still had to instruct the maidservant to bring a plate of dried Genesis Beast meat and place it by his feet.

Seeing this, Tun Tun finally let go of Zhou Yuan. It lay down contentedly, eating the delicious dried Genesis Beast meat one piece at a time, its eyes narrowed in enjoyment.

Zhou Yuan also squatted down, running his hands roughly through Tun Tun's soft fur a couple of times. Tun Tun merely glanced at him, and for the sake of the dried meat, ignored this disrespectful fellow.

"Alright, today I'll start teaching you First-Grade Genesis Runes."

After a few sips of Red Tiger Wine, Yaoyao nodded her head in satisfaction. She then walked into the stone pavilion, where a jade slab for practicing Genesis Runes was already laid out on the stone table.

Yaoyao stood gracefully before the stone table, casting a glance at Zhou Yuan. "I'll write first, you watch," she said.

With a grasp of her slender, jade-like hand, a thin, green Genesis Rune Brush appeared. It emitted a faint green glow, and within the light, numerous intricate patterns flickered, giving it an exceptionally mystical appearance.

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly; Yaoyao's Genesis Rune Brush was clearly no ordinary item either.

Yaoyao gripped the Genesis Rune Brush, and her pretty face instantly became serious. A distinct aura emanated from her. The tip of the brush lightly touched the jade slab, and then, guided by her will, the brush began to move.

Standing beside her, Zhou Yuan watched Yaoyao's jade-like hand move gently. He couldn't help but inwardly praise, "What beautiful hands."

Yaoyao's small hands were slender and long, gleaming with a jade-like luster, so beautiful that one couldn't look away.

However, he didn't dare to stare and quickly refocused his gaze on the jade slab.

As Yaoyao's final stroke fell, light immediately surged on the jade slab. A complex Genesis Rune appeared on its surface, and faintly, the roar of a tiger seemed to echo.

"This is the Tiger Roar Rune, a First-Grade Genesis Rune. It can be inscribed on the throat, and once activated, it unleashes tiger-roar sound waves. If unleashed at close range, it can control enemies," Yaoyao explained calmly.

"Sound wave Genesis Rune?" Zhou Yuan was slightly surprised. This type of Genesis Rune was quite rare and could be life-saving or even turn the tide of battle in critical moments.

"Look closely, how many Genesis Traces does this rune have?" Yaoyao asked casually.

Zhou Yuan immediately understood that Yaoyao was testing his foundation in Genesis Runes. After all, even the highest quality Genesis Runes were composed of various Genesis Traces of different sizes, and identifying these traces was a fundamental skill in learning Genesis Runes.

Zhou Yuan carefully examined the "Tiger Roar Rune" on the jade slab. After a moment, he slowly said, "I count four hundred and thirty-seven traces."

The entry-level Genesis Runes Zhou Yuan had learned previously only had around a hundred traces, while this First-Grade Genesis Rune had four times as many.

Yaoyao subtly nodded. "To be precise, there are four hundred and forty-eight traces. But the fact that you could identify four hundred and thirty-seven indicates that your foundation is quite good."

"For the next few days, you'll practice replicating the 'Tiger Roar Rune' until you've completely mastered this First-Grade Genesis Rune."

Hearing this, a look of eager anticipation appeared in Zhou Yuan's eyes. Mastering this First-Grade Genesis Rune would be greatly beneficial for improving his strength.

With the Grand Examination approaching, he needed to possess the strength to contend with those who had opened four meridians if he wanted to rank among the top ten. Therefore, he had to seize every possible method to increase his power.