Alvin lounged in the speeding off-road vehicle.
He toyed with the keepsake the little princess of the Chi Dragon had left him the night before.
It wasn't just a tiny dragon tooth...
It was also a precious Ancient Rune, the "Life" character...
Strictly speaking, calling it a "character" wasn't quite accurate. At the very least, like the other Ancient Runes he'd obtained, Alvin couldn't read this "Life" character at all.
Its pattern was made of twisted, tadpole-like lines, carrying a restrained, subtle power that waited to be roused by the right means.
Alvin had no way of knowing why the little Chi Dragon's tooth bore the "Life" character.
The little thing had seemed so intelligent when they parted. First, it had let him touch the Source Pearl, then it had left him this "Life" character...
Maybe Alvin's generosity had made the little Chi Dragon feel it had to leave him something in return...
As he toyed with the dragon tooth in his hand, Alvin felt he might have figured something out.
These Ancient Runes might be core runes that formed naturally after certain animals, or even humans, grew powerful.
These runes represented the characteristics of their owners' power!
Over time, people had discovered their patterns and started collecting and using them.
It was now clear that Ancient Runes didn't necessarily have to be obtained from the bodies of dead ancient creatures.
Water spirits like the little Chi Dragon could freely control these runes and use a part of their own bodies as a vessel to pass them on to others.
Roc's "Swiftness" character had come from the Eagle Pearl...
Xingtian's "Slaughter" character had come from Resentment...
The "Binding" character on the Golden Vine had come from Great Rope's Brand!
In other words, there were all sorts of ways to use