Yu Ci remained silent for a while under the “Law” section. Suddenly, he turned and walked to the side section, browsing for a moment before heading to the other side of the hall to check the “Collection” and “Distribution” sections, spending quite some time there before finally turning back.
The old daoist priest, who had a good temperament, kept smiling and waited patiently without any sign of impatience.
Yu Ci approached the item column, thought for a moment, and then asked, “How should this be explained?”
The old daoist turned his head and saw a layer of ink characters appearing on the white wall of the “Item” section. The entries were clearly written: “Entry-level external disciple, one thousand merit points!”
Upon seeing this, the old daoist nodded slightly, “I am in charge of the Heart Prohibition Temple, which is for the external disciples. I have the authority to include those with a heart for the Way in this temple. For those with outstanding talent and character, and who have made significant contributions to the sect, they may also report to the mountain gate to learn the sect’s secret methods for seeking longevity, and ultimately immortality.”
“What are the secret methods? Are they Longevity Art?”
“External disciples can only receive the sect’s elixirs and techniques, which allow them to live up to three hundred years. This cannot be considered true immortality, but only a step towards it.”
“So the elixirs and techniques listed on the law column are those?”
“Yes.”
Yu Ci smiled upon hearing this, “That’s quite a bargain.”
He was referring to the significant difference in merit points between elixirs and becoming an external disciple, amounting to eight or nine thousand points. The old daoist also smiled, “Our sect’s elixirs and techniques are not easily granted. They are only available to those who have made great contributions to the sect. Younger generations often think too simply… And even with your three hundred points, it’s still not enough.”
“One must eat one bite at a time and take one step at a time,” Yu Ci replied.
After a brief pause, he pointed to the opposite side, specifically the “Collection” section,” which displayed merit information published in the name of the disciples of the Rifting Earth Sect.
“Master Yu, there seems to be a notice in that column about purchasing fish dragons. Is the three hundred merit points mentioned by the senior from there?”
“Indeed.”
The old daoist added, “This notice was published by Senior Brother Lu, who is a master of artifact refining in our sect. He is refining a magical tool and is missing fish dragons as a material. He has sought it in vain, hence this notice. The offer is thirty percent higher than the sect’s purchase price, so you have good luck!”
Yu Ci gave a forced smile at the old daoist’s teasing. With these words from the old daoist, his thoughts immediately focused on a particular matter:
“I have a question for the Master. Since I am not a disciple of your sect, can I accept those notices?”
The old daoist looked into his eyes, paused for a moment, and then smiled while stroking his beard, “Since you have come to the Heart Prohibition Temple, it is fate. In the Dao of Immortality, fate comes first, so naturally, you can. However, there are certain sect rules; notices on the “Collection” section cannot be accepted by non-disciples, while those on the ‘Distribution’ section have no restrictions.”
Without further ado, Yu Ci bowed deeply to the old daoist.
He was unsure if the old daoist brought him to the Hall of Collective Merit out of public spirit or personal favor, but the matter he had just agreed to was incredibly important to him, and he had no choice but to be grateful.
If the old daoist had not agreed, exchanging fish dragons for three hundred merit points and becoming an external disciple to obtain the longevity elixir would have been a mere dream. But with the old daoist’s words, Yu Ci could continuously obtain merit from the notices in the “Distribution,” section accumulating enough to ultimately achieve his goal.
Perhaps the process would not be smooth, but the door to the Dao of Immortality had been cracked open by the old daoist, and Yu Ci could not help but be grateful.
However, he quickly regained his composure, focused on the present, and asked the old daoist, “Is it possible to stay here at the temple?”
The old daoist blinked and smiled, “Outsiders are welcome to stay.”
Yu Ci was not polite and replied, “In that case, please allow me to stay.”
Before he could successfully join the mountain gate, the Sun Light Sect would surely want to get rid of him as soon as possible. But as long as he was in the temple, the Rifting Earth Sect would provide a large umbrella over his head. Even if Jin Huan’s terrifying Great Radiant Sun Technique could be dreadful, it would not reach him immediately.
***
Yu Ci settled into the Heart Prohibition Temple, enjoying a private courtyard with a tranquil environment. Meals were delivered regularly, and his treatment was quite good, though the compensation was modest. He found the arrangement quite comfortable.
Over the past few days, Yu Ci had not been confined to his quarters but had been exploring the temple, getting familiar with the surroundings. In his plan, Heart Prohibition Temple would be his home for many years to come, so getting acquainted with it early on was beneficial.
During his stay, Yu Ci made a new discovery. Although Heart Prohibition Temple was an external Daoist temple of the Rifting Earth Sect, not everyone there was an outer disciple. Out of around a hundred daoists, eighty to ninety percent were “temporary residents,” not officially affiliated with the Rifting Earth Sect. They stayed to practice, do chores, and maintain the temple. They also took on merit tasks from Hall of Collective Merit, hoping to eventually join the sect.
Yu Ci’s situation was similar to theirs. Over the past few days, he had encountered various people—some who sought to befriend him and others who kept their distance. The subtleties of human nature were apparent even in this place of meditation.
However, Yu Ci was not overly concerned with these social dynamics. His reasons for staying at the temple were his own and did not involve others.
Sitting in the courtyard, Yu Ci had a fiery red glow in his palm, burning fiercely but not harming him. Fine ash from the flames collected on the ground, forming a thin layer. Yu Ci closed his eyes, maintaining steady breathing. Before starting this task, he had carefully refined the Divine Illumination Bronze Mirror, achieving perfect purity of “Innate Qi.” His internal energy harmonized perfectly with his heartbeat and soul fluctuations, allowing him to channel the divine will into the flames in his palm seamlessly.
In his hand, the Nine Yang Talisman Sword was “devouring” another Three Yang Talisman Sword. The talismanic patterns on both swords aligned, and red light flowed, inscribing new patterns onto the wooden blade. Throughout this process, the Three Yang Talisman Sword burned continuously, with its heat fully absorbed by the Nine Yang Talisman Sword. If one were to listen closely to the flames beside Yu Ci’s palm, they would hear a faint rumbling.
This was merely the residual impact of the flames. The true, terrifying power was contained within the sword patterns, reacting intensely within his palms.
Yu Ci was refining the “Pure Yang Talisman Sword.”
During the past half-month from Cliff City, he had comprehended the jade slip for refining talisman swords obtained from Master Yan. For the past few days, he had been attempting to refine talisman swords to prepare for his plans.
Over his ten years of cultivation, thanks to the “Celestial Qi Gathering Secret Talisman Manual,” his foundation in talisman techniques was solid. Thus, refining the Six Yang Talisman Sword and Nine Yang Talisman Sword posed no difficulty. The only part requiring caution was the final Pure Yang Talisman Sword.
It was only through refining these talisman swords that Yu Ci understood why the Nine Yang Talisman Sword had such strong killing power when he used his primordial spirit to drive it.
The process of refining involved unstable transitions of the talisman patterns. From the beginning, a delicate dynamic balance was used to form the final pattern on the sword. The intense flames of killing Qi on the sword remained in a state of flux, continuously grinding and reacting, accumulating even greater power.
Of course, there was an outer layer of restriction to counter this dangerous balance. As the refinement progressed through the Six Yang, Nine Yang, and Pure Yang stages, the restrictions grew stronger. Once the restriction was broken, the explosive flames of baleful Qi became even more terrifying.
This was the essence of this talisman sword series.
Understanding this, Yu Ci realized that, ultimately, these talisman swords were akin to powerful one-time use talismans. The use of such talismans by Sun Light Sect seemed frugal but was actually a greater waste.
However, for Yu Ci, using the Pure Yang Talisman Sword as a weapon suited the current reality better.
The refinement of the talisman sword reached its final stage. Amidst the red flames, the Three Yang Talisman Sword disappeared completely, and the Nine Yang Talisman Sword twisted as numerous talisman patterns danced in the fire, then converged and were engraved onto the sword.
In the blink of an eye, the flames extinguished, and the sword took shape. The sword’s blackened body seemed burnt, but upon closer inspection, a dim light flowed on the surface, with hidden talisman patterns glowing with a fluid red light, like magma flowing slowly from deep within the earth.
“Ah, it worked!”
Yu Ci was slightly tired. He had taken a risk; if he had failed, the hard-earned talisman swords would have been wasted. Fortunately, his skill and luck were sufficient.
The newly refined Pure Yang Talisman Sword was still warm. Yu Ci cherished it, knowing it added security to his plans.
As time passed and the sword’s temperature returned to normal, the heat dissipated with the chill of late autumn. The courtyard returned to its serene calm, only to be interrupted by someone’s call:
“Brother Yu, are you here?”
The voice came from the sky.
Yu Ci looked up to see a white cloud moving across the autumn sky at an astonishing speed. It descended above the courtyard, and before it could stabilize, a person jumped down.
The newcomer was a young daoist with a plain appearance and slightly thick lips, looking like an honest boy. His face, however, was somewhat anxious. He was the one who had guided Jin Huan and others before.
The young daoist, named Bao Guang, was a registered disciple of Master Yu and an outer disciple of the Rifting Earth Sect. Although his talent was average, with guidance from a distinguished teacher, he was already a mid-level practitioner at nineteen, close to the Divine Connection realm, making him a promising young man. He had been staying at the temple recently, and he was the one who delivered Yu Ci’s meals in the morning and evening. Bao Guang was friendly and well-liked, creating a good rapport over the past few days.
Bao Guang jumped into the courtyard. Seeing Yu Ci’s stare, he hastily covered half of his face with his hand, reacting oddly.
Yu Ci couldn’t help but smile, “What’s wrong? Did someone bully you, or did you eat something that upset Master Yu?”
Bao Guang, realizing his overreaction, blushed and lowered his hand, revealing shallow scratches on his left cheek—minor injuries but quite disheveled.
“It’s not that I was bullied, but that I was harassed by a ‘Flat-feathered Bird’!” The young daoist understood the situation and could laugh at himself, though he was still embarrassed.
“Flat-feathered Bird?”
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