Yu Ci’s response was straightforward. The talisman system he had discovered, involving demonic patterns and ghostly symbols, was quite complex, and it was one of the higher-level talismans he could master. Previously, he had only used this talisman with the unique power of the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, and that was just the most basic application. Now, he needed to familiarize himself with it again to ensure there would be no mistakes.
The process was brief. As Bao Guang was still absorbed in the intricate talisman patterns, Yu Ci had already stood up. Bao Guang, startled by his sudden movement, almost fell off the cloud. Regaining his balance, he heard the low rumble of incantations resonating in his ears.
“Senior Brother Yu…”
Bao Guang wanted to remind Yu Ci to be cautious, but then he saw a flicker of spiritual light at Yu Ci’s fingertips.
Various strange strokes layered upon one another, initially forming a ghostly face, followed by many ambiguous characters.
As the talisman took shape, Bao Guang inexplicably felt that the previously clear skies seemed to darken. However, when he looked up, the sun was still shining, though a chilling breeze seemed to brush past him.
The young daoist was so stunned that his words got stuck in his throat.
Yu Ci paid no mind to what others were thinking. At this moment, the only things in his mind and eyes were the floating talisman patterns and the flock of wild ducks on the lake, still unaware of the impending disaster. As the talisman was completed, the scene of the ducks playing on the water seemed to be pulled right in front of his eyes.
He silently activated the talisman.
In Bao Guang’s eyes, the talisman in front of Yu Ci suddenly disappeared. Then, his attention was drawn as if by an invisible thread to the flock of ducks a hundred feet away. The water rippled, spreading slowly, with a few restless ducks occasionally flying up and down. It appeared to be a peaceful autumn day.
But in the next moment, a thunderous clap erupted from the void, as if someone had shouted a soul-shaking command nearby. A thick black chain materialized out of thin air, covered in countless talisman symbols, clanking as it encircled the water’s surface within a hundred-foot radius before locking in place with a loud “clang.”
The sudden turn of events startled even Bao Guang, who had been mentally prepared, let alone the vigilant wild ducks. With a series of frantic flaps and cries, the ducks took to the sky, seemingly filling the air. Although there were only about a hundred ducks, in that moment, it looked as if they had multiplied into thousands or tens of thousands, scattering in all directions in chaotic flight.
High above in the ghostly clouds, Bao Guang was so nervous that he almost jumped down. He had been deceived once before and had retreated in defeat; now that thieving bird was at it again!
Yu Ci, however, remained calm and steady. Even before the talisman took effect, he had already initiated its more advanced transformation. Although the situation on the lake seemed chaotic, he was confident as he watched the deep talisman patterns on the thick black chain gradually light up.
Bao Guang, lacking the necessary cultivation, and those feathered creatures certainly couldnât see it either, but within the hundred-foot radius, countless fine, grayish threads as thin as silkworm silk had formed a dense net, enveloping the ducks. This net wasnât targeting the ducks’ physical bodies but rather their souls!
With a plop, a dark shadow fell, followed by what seemed like the activation of some mechanism. To Bao Guangâs astonishment, hundreds of ducks began to drop from the sky like dumplings, falling one after another into the water, floating densely on the surface in a scene that was indescribably comical.
“Hey, go retrieve them. It’s definitely among them.”
The Flat-feathered Bird could change its appearance, but it couldnât alter its soul. Under the binding curse of the All Encompassing Demon Blinding Talisman, no soul form could escape Yu Ciâs notice, so he was certain.
Bao Guang was utterly dumbfounded.
Speaking of which, the young daoist had a small selfish motive when he sought Yu Ci’s help. As an official disciple of the Temple Master of the Heart Prohibition Temple, he naturally had a higher status than the wandering daoists, even if he didn’t flaunt it. Seeking assistance from someone else was a bit embarrassing. As for his senior brothers, who were also external disciples, they were all high level cultivators, making it seem like overkill to ask them to catch a bird.
After much consideration, he concluded that Yu Ci was the best candidate. Although Yu Ci was not yet an external disciple, he had the potential to become one, and the Master had a favorable impression of him. Moreover, they got along well, making Yu Ci the ideal person to ask for help. The only uncertainty was Yu Ci’s cultivation level. The young daoist could only reason:
Anyone who could remain calm and composed under the pressure of the Lord of Sun Light Sect surely wouldn’t be lacking in cultivation, right?
This assumption proved correct, though the confirmation was so overwhelming that it left the young daoist feeling slightly woundedâthere was quite a large gap between their abilities!
In fact, this was a bit of a misunderstanding. The talisman Yu Ci used wasn’t as terrifying as it seemed. The so-called All Encompassing Demon Blinding Talisman was actually a type of talisman specifically targeting demonic beings and yin spirits, with limited lethality against living creatures. It was just that this flock of wild ducks had fragile bodies and low intelligence, making them susceptible to the curse. If it were used on a person with a sound mind and strong spirit, the most it could do would be to give them a chill.
Yu Ci vaguely sensed the young daoist’s thoughts, but he didn’t have the time to dwell on it. Helping Bao Guang catch the Flat-feathered Bird was just a trivial episode in his life, nothing more.
Bao Guang, after all, was a kind-hearted and good-natured child.
Whatever jealousy he felt vanished completely once they returned to the temple. He even offered to share the hundred merit points he earned, but Yu Ci declined. To him, Bao Guang, as the registered disciple of the Temple Master, held a special status in the temple and had a simple, kind-hearted nature, making him a good person to befriend. A mere thirty or fifty merit points wouldn’t make up for Yu Ci’s deficit, so he figured it was better to use this opportunity to build goodwill.
Of course, the trip to catch the Flat-feathered Bird wasn’t without its rewards. Yu Ci noticed that when he used the All Encompassing Demon Blinding Talisman, the “Innate Qi” flowed exceptionally smoothly. Especially when transforming the talisman into its advanced form, it responded effortlessly, as if his cultivation had invisibly advanced.
This was undoubtedly a good sign, so Yu Ci was in a rather good mood. After dinner, he did some light activities and was preparing to do his evening meditation when the young daoist, Bao Guang, visited him again. This time, he wasn’t asking for help but came with a message that old daoist Yu Zhou wished to see him.
This was the first time in the five days since Yu Ci had moved into the temple that Yu Zhou had requested a meeting.
The Heart Prohibition Temple was very quiet at night. The ever-burning lamps in each hall cast circles of light, cutting out their own territories in the darkness.
As Yu Ci walked through this vast space of light and shadow, he felt his heart was not as calm as it should be; there was a growing desire within him.
Yu Ci understood the source of his inner change: he longed for this place, this lifestyle. For him, it was novel and uniquely significant. Only by truly integrating into this place could he declare that he had reached a new level.
This was completely different from the aimless days of past years. Now, as he walked along this path, his coveted goal was clearly in sight, driving him with an urge to run and seize itâit was that simple.
As he continued to reflect on the significant changes in his life and mindset, Yu Ci found himself already stepping into the courtyard of old daoist Yu Zhou.
This was a secluded compound, and the old daoist was standing in the courtyard, holding an ancient pine-patterned sword, gracefully performing a sword dance as if for his own amusement. There was no sound of musical instruments in the courtyard, yet the low whistle of the sword slicing through the air and the faint rustling of robes provided the perfect harmony, with clear and distinct rhythms in the rise and fall of movements.
Yu Ci’s expression turned somewhat peculiar.
The old daoist was lost in his own world, while Bao Guang watched in rapt attention, neither of them noticing Yu Ci’s strange expression. It wasn’t that the old daoist’s performance was lacking, but to Yu Ci, this sword dance seemed almost childlike compared to what he had previously witnessed from Ye Bin.
On the night before he entered Heart Prohibition Temple, and right up until Jin Huan ascended the mountain, Yu Ci had been using the Divine Map to observe the activity within the temple. His observations had yielded two main insights: first, the conduct of the temple’s practitioners was upright, with strict discipline, and the Temple Master, old daoist Yu Zhou, had a relatively gentle temperament.
This had led Yu Ci to take the risk of entering the temple, a decision that now seemed very worthwhile.
Secondly, he had observed the old daoist’s swordsmanship. At that time, it was also in this small courtyard that Yu Ci had seen Yu Zhou practicing his swordsmanshipâa very peculiar sight indeed.
The Divine Map’s clarity was influenced by the strength of the observed target’s auraâthe more powerful the practitioner, the blurrier the image, as had been confirmed. However, when Yu Zhou was practicing his swordsmanship, Yu Ci could see everything with perfect clarity, leading him to severely underestimate the cultivation level of the person in the image.
Nevertheless, Yu Zhou’s swordsmanship had greatly impressed Yu Ci. Although he couldn’t grasp the profound principles within it, he saw that when Yu Zhou released his sword Qi, it reached a level of mysticism beyond comprehension. Each wave of sword Qi was like steam rising from water or like misty clouds, seemingly illusory, yet it pierced directly into the heart. It was the finest swordsmanship Yu Ci had seen in his twenty-five years of lifeâperhaps only the day when Ye Bin infused her sword intent into the clouds could compare. As he watched, cold sweat had unconsciously trickled down his back.
When the old daoist sheathed his sword and began to regulate his breathing, Yu Ci was dumbfounded. The distorted image on the Divine Map had directly confirmed that the old daoist was a Core Refinement cultivator, and the extent of the distortion surpassed even that of Jin Huan, revealing to Yu Ci that the old daoist was a true master. This realization had earned the old daoist Yu Ci’s deep respect when he entered the temple the following day.
That was all in the past, but watching Yu Zhou’s current sword dance, Yu Ci couldn’t help but compare it to his earlier memories.
Was this a show put on for his benefit? The old daoist’s intentions were indeed hard to read.
While Yu Ci was lost in thought, the old daoist had already stopped. His white hair fluttered in the night breeze, and his forehead was free of sweat, making him appear even more vigorous. Yu Zhou sheathed his sword and smiled at Yu Ci, saying:
“So you’ve come. Sit! This is a sword form I practiced in my youth. Now that I’m old and senile, I fear I might forget it, so I took it out for a spin.”
Bao Guang, standing nearby, proudly added, “Master’s swordsmanship is among the top five in our sect. Even many Void Stepping and True Immortal level masters can’t compare. This was personally assessed by the Sect Master back then.”
The old daoist chuckled at these words, “You fool, that kind of talk might deceive outsiders, but sword dancing and swordsmanship are not the same.”
Yu Ci fully agreed with this and appreciated the old daoist’s straightforwardness.
In the courtyard, there was a large locust tree, thick enough for two people to wrap their arms around. Beneath the tree was a set of stone tables and benches, typically used for cooling off during the summer. However, with the autumn wind now blowing, the leaves had fallen, and the dry branches swayed in the night breeze, giving off a rather desolate feeling.
Yu Ci wasn’t sure why he had such thoughts as he and the old daoist walked over and sat down. The old daoist gestured for Bao Guang to serve tea and then took out a jade token, handing it to Yu Ci.
Yu Ci received it, thinking it was some kind of jade talisman or slip, but upon closer inspection, he saw that the front of the token was inscribed with the characters for “Merit,” while the back was smooth and unmarked, leaving its purpose unclear.
“This is a merit token issued by the sect. When activated with your Qi or spiritual intent, it will display the number of merit points you’ve accumulated on the back.”
Immediately, Yu Ci focused his intent on the token. He saw a flash of light, and the smooth back revealed the words “Yu Ci, 360 merit points” in deep blue, standing out starkly in contrast.
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