"Get up."
"This entire Fei Xian Peak… aside from you, I can't think of anyone else who could inherit the Yinzhou Corpse Cultivation Method."
Mu Canglong spoke teasingly, then retrieved a black wooden box from his storage pouch. With just one glance, Wen Jiu could tell it was extraordinary. Though there wasn't much corpse energy seeping from the box, what little there was felt incredibly dense.
This wasn't just the body of an ordinary black ghoul.
Its intensity, and the fact that it had remained undispersed after so many years, meant that it undoubtedly came from a powerful walking corpse.
Previously, Mu Canglong had given Wen Jiu the Yinzhou Corpse Cultivation Method, which included teachings on cultivating walking corpses, but it lacked a mid-tier Rank One Yin Talisman Method and a mid-stage Qi Refining Yin Method. Wen Jiu speculated that these were likely inside the box.
Perhaps it even contained techniques for after he reached the sixth level of Qi Refining. If that were the case, it would save him the trouble of searching for them later.
Mu Canglong's expression turned serious as he spoke. "Boy, remember my words—never be too hasty, and always know when to cut your losses. The techniques of the unorthodox path drain lifespan too quickly and will never sustain you in the long run."
"I understand!"
Wen Jiu nodded.
As always, he kept his words brief.
His greatest secret was his lack of fear toward yin energy, death energy, and corpse energy.
Even though he was indebted to Mu Canglong for passing on these teachings, he had no intention of revealing this secret.
"Inside, there's also a secret Yin Talisman technique my father acquired in his early years, called the True Meaning of Yin Talismans. Open it and take a look." Mu Canglong gave a signal, and Liu Xiao immediately stepped forward, took the box, and handed it to Wen Jiu.
As soon as Wen Jiu opened the wooden box, he saw two black booklets—and a brush.
A talisman brush.
But it was different from ordinary talisman brushes, which were usually thick like calligraphy brushes. This one was slender.
It resembled a painting brush, with a very fine tip.
The material was equally unusual—the shaft was a thin black bone. Not human, not from a spirit beast… more like some kind of demon. It emitted an eerie energy, as sinister as corpse energy, making it impossible to distinguish between the two.
The bristles were just as extraordinary. Each strand of hair seemed almost alive, faintly shifting on its own. The aura it exuded was so strange that Wen Jiu couldn't discern its nature at all.
"This is a mid-tier Rank One Yin Talisman Brush, an integral part of the True Meaning of Yin Talismans. My father always said that only by using this brush can one draw true Yin Talismans." Mu Canglong gazed at the brush, his expression tinged with nostalgia.
Wen Jiu couldn't resist picking it up. The moment he held it, he immediately sensed how different it was from a normal talisman brush.
A regular talisman brush was just a medium. When drawing talismans, one had to channel yin energy from the dantian into the brush, guiding it to the tip before carefully inscribing each stroke.
But the Yin Talisman Brush was different. The moment it touched his hand, it began absorbing his yin energy—like a leech. After absorbing the energy, it stored it within, meaning that when he held the brush later, he wouldn't need to channel energy from his dantian or waste mental effort carefully controlling the output. All he had to do was focus entirely on guiding the brush.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
It might seem like just one less step, but in talisman-making, this was a game-changer. He could devote all his focus to controlling the brush, drastically increasing his success rate.
Dividing one's attention would never compare to giving something one's full focus.
"Many thanks, Deacon Mu!"
Wen Jiu was overjoyed.
With this brush, his success rate in talisman-making would undoubtedly reach new heights.
If nothing else, this brush alone was reason enough for him to pay his respects at the late Elder Mu's grave.
Seeing how ecstatic Wen Jiu was, Mu Canglong immediately realized something. "You brat… have you already started drawing Yin Talismans?"
Following his principle of revealing only a little while keeping much hidden, Wen Jiu responded, "Reporting to Deacon Mu, yes. At present, I can barely manage to draw a low-tier Rank One Soul-Stealing Talisman, but my success rate is low—I only succeed occasionally."
The moment those words were spoken, Mu Canglong and Liu Xiao's expressions changed dramatically. Damn. How long had it been? This kid had already raised a corpse, advanced to the second level of Qi Refinement, and now he had even become a First-Grade Yin Talisman Master.
Talisman Masters were different from Qi Refinement cultivators. In Qi Refinement, even those with inferior spiritual roots could enter the path of cultivation. Though their potential was limited, they could still progress slowly over time. But for Talisman Masters, it was another story entirely. Talent, intuition, and comprehension were all essential—without them, one simply couldn't succeed. No amount of time could make up for a lack of these qualities.
"You really do have an astonishing talent for the Left Path… It's a pity you weren't born in a better era," Mu Canglong sighed. "If you had been born fifty years earlier, you would have been a rising star of the Left Path lineage on Dead Man's Peak. Unfortunately, though the Left Path still has some inheritance there, after the betrayal and defection of the Left Path faction and the chaos caused by the Blood-Robed Tower, the current generation of Dead Man's Peak cultivators despises those who walk the Left Path. After all, almost every surviving cultivator here has lost at least three to five family members at the hands of Left Path heretics."
"I see." Wen Jiu suddenly understood, though he couldn't help but feel somewhat helpless.
Mu Canglong reassured him, "Still, no matter what, Dead Man's Peak can tolerate your existence. You don't need to worry about that. And now that you've become a First-Grade Yin Talisman Master, this Black Bone Yin Talisman Brush will be the perfect addition to your arsenal."
"Thank you, Steward Mu!" Wen Jiu cupped his hands in gratitude.
Then, Mu Canglong shifted the conversation. "Aside from that, I also have a secret corpse-nurturing technique, which my father acquired by chance. It's called the 'Three Malice Corpse Nurturing Method.' My father once mentioned that by using a specially crafted corpse-nurturing coffin in combination with this technique, the results would be greatly enhanced. The corpses raised through this method are far stronger than ordinary walking corpses and can be called 'Three Malice Walking Corpses.' Even at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement, they are formidable. This technique is probably the most suitable for you—your talent in corpse nurturing surpasses even my father's."
"You flatter me, Steward Mu," Wen Jiu responded humbly.
His gaze then fell upon a black-covered manual, the four characters "Three Malice Corpse Nurturing" written on its surface.
The moment he opened it and skimmed through a few lines, he was completely captivated by the profound and powerful corpse-nurturing techniques within. Compared to this, the methods he had used in the Land of Broken Corpses were nothing short of crude.
Mu Canglong gave a bitter smile. "Take it. This mission to hunt down the remnants of the Blood-Robed Tower and investigate the Peak Lord's death… I don't even know if I'll make it back alive to see how far you progress. But I hope that you'll carry forward the Yinzhou corpse-nurturing techniques so that they won't die out."
Wen Jiu carefully placed the manual into his storage pouch and spoke thoughtfully, "Steward Mu and Brother Liu are bound to be blessed with great fortune. Not only will you return safely, but you will also uncover the truth and rise to greater heights."
"Haha, I'll take that as a good omen," Mu Canglong chuckled in satisfaction.
Then he added, "However, I didn't give you any cultivation techniques beyond the sixth level of Qi Refinement. If one day you reach that stage and seek to advance further, you must go to the main peak of Dead Man's Peak and find a manual called the Yinzhou Left Path Record."
"The Yinzhou Left Path Record?"
"Yes. My father's inspiration for creating the Yinzhou Corpse Nurturing Art came from that very manual. It is a true Left Path Foundation Establishment technique, with corpse nurturing being only a minor branch of it."
Mu Canglong explained, though he intentionally left out one crucial detail—the fact that no one had successfully cultivated the Yinzhou Left Path Record in the past hundred and fifty years. After all, almost no Left Path cultivator had ever lived long enough to reach Qi Refinement Perfection and attempt Foundation Establishment.
The Left Path was fast, but its price was a short lifespan.
Mu Canglong chose not to mention this because he knew Wen Jiu would never abandon the Left Path. Perhaps, with his talent, he might be able to find his own path within the Yinzhou Left Path Record, just like his father once did.
As for Foundation Establishment…
To be honest, Mu Canglong didn't dare to hope.
In his opinion, if Wen Jiu could reach the late stage of Qi Refinement, that would already be an impressive achievement.
Because even though Wen Jiu was extraordinarily talented in the Left Path, he still only possessed inferior spiritual roots.