"Your master?"
Yu Ci had long suspected, and was not surprised, nor did he pay any attention. His Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman was sealed in the Divine Bronze Mirror, now concealed without showing its power. However, the sword aura had long locked onto Tie Lan, ready to erupt with lethal intent at any moment.
"I didn't know before that your noble master had a penchant for spying."
Yu Ci thought of Tie Lan's previous words. The man could even detail the order in which they entered the cave, clearly having a very clear grasp of the situation. After all, he had the Divine Bronze Mirror, others might also have similar treasures or methods. Thus, it was not surprising that the "master" knew that he had drawn the Upper Cave-True Starlight Sensing Divine Thunder Talisman.
Tie Lan clearly did not have the resolution of "If the master is insulted, the servant dies," or perhaps he simply did not care about it, and had no intention of drawing his sword. He fell silent and knelt on the ground in a very orthodox manner. The Red-eyed Ghost Eye, which had been glowing fiercely on his vague face, also dimmed. This appearance was like he was entering meditation.
This Old Ghost... Yu Ci was at a loss whether to laugh or cry for a moment. This guy had adopted a companionable stance. Apart from not informing him in advance and leading him here, this man was quite courteous, his methods both soft and hard, could be considered as masterful.
If you anger me, a divine thunderbolt will demolish this ghostly place.
Such words, Yu Ci ultimately did not utter. It was not that he was afraid of anything, but he was afraid that saying it would be embarrassing. He had noticed that in the talisman pattern fractal structure that covered the entire cave, many were of a defensive nature. If this rune array was still operating, combining these things together, even if they could not be said to be as hard as steel, they would not be far off. Moreover, the rock and soil layers conducted electricity quickly. No matter how strong the Upper Cave-True Starlight Sensing Divine Thunder was, it might not have the desired effect.
Yu Ci was not a fool who insisted on saving face. So far, Tie Lan's "master" had not used excessively malicious methods. But considering his ability to manage the Sunken Sword Cave in the sword garden and control a Sword Ghost like Tie Lan, he must be an extraordinary person. It would be unwise to fall out with him now. Besides, he wanted to see what this "master" was up to.
With a sneer, Yu Ci no longer looked at Tie Lan. He just stood in the middle of the cave, focused slightly, and looked up. This completely enclosed place, he didn't know what was used to light it up. Light filled every inch of the space, but no source of light could be found, which was very ingenious.
Yu Ci looked for the Central Symbol Script because the Talisman in the world, the Principle of Talisman Construction was unified, and the structure was more or less the same, no matter how complex the Talisman or the Rune Array that integrated the Talisman. Therefore, the first thing Yu Ci looked at was the central zenith. After understanding the Core Diagram there, he looked down at the Rune Patterns directly below to analyze them correspondingly. The layout and deconstruction of the three-dimensional Rune Array were generally like this.
"This must be a Sealing Talisman Array," Yu Ci turned to ask Tie Lan, but received no response.
Yu Ci didn't mind, his gaze leisurely shifting from the central area outward.
In truth, Tie Lan wasn't completely unresponsive. He had been observing the young cultivators' every move. Like the other Sword Ghosts, he was a resentful spirit of malicious qi formed from the amalgamation of Predestined Geng Metal qi in the Sword Garden. What set him apart was a treasure he stumbled upon after aimlessly wandering the Sword Garden for tens of thousands of years. Suppressing his innate malicious qi, he gained spiritual intelligence after centuries of cultivation. Consequently, he caught the Dharma Eye of the Master of the Sunken Sword Cave, who took him as a servant and taught him the Tao of Ghost Cultivation.
He had only achieved spiritual intelligence a few centuries ago, and his experiences were limited due to his focus on cultivation. His understanding of the outside world came primarily from observing the cultivators who entered the Sword Garden each year. Direct interaction with humans was scarce, often ending in a sword fight. Now, engaged in pure dialogue, he was a bit nervous but mostly curious.
Yu Ci didn't bother to conceal his emotions, his face a canvas of rich expressions. Tie Lan watched as Yu Ci's face shifted from comprehension to confusion, from deep thought to understanding, from doubt to a cold smirk:
"Nonsense!"
The blunt assessment from the young cultivator left Tie Lan momentarily stunned. He was still processing Yu Ci's strange array of expressions and remained silent for a long while, resorting to the safest tactic his master had taught him.
Yu Ci's piercing gaze swept over the Sword Ghost before returning to the Rune Array. After a quick glance, he was even more certain of his thoughts.
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This Rune Array... He initially thought it was an array composed of thousands of Talismans, which would make sense despite its scattered form. But now, he realized it was all rubbish! This was not an array, but a single Talisman, a Talisman with Thousands of Fractal Forms scattered!
What on earth was this?
Talismans could be divided into Fractal and Composite forms. A complete Talisman was composed of several to thousands of Fractal forms, driven by the one who draws the Talismans, creating the Mysterious Symbol Technique.
The key to a Spirit Talisman's miraculous effects lay in its Key points. According to Old Master Zhu, whether simple or complex, writing or designing a Spirit Talisman required all "orifices to be interconnected." This meant that the Key points of all Fractal forms had to be completely interconnected to facilitate the flow of spiritual qi. Otherwise, it would be considered a failure, a False or Fake Talisman. By that standard, Yu Ci, who had been drawing Fake Talismans for over a decade, was a bona fide charlatan.
The Super Complex Talismans, as seen before us, are divided into thousands, even tens of thousands of key points. If one were to draw them thoughtlessly, following the standard procedure, factoring in the consumption of vital energy and the intricate strokes, it would take at least several months to complete. This is where the ingenuity of constructing talismans comes into play.
A true Master of Symbolic Arts must be proficient in the Qi Leading Method. They exhaust their wisdom and use every means to optimize the Talismanic Structure, overlapping as many "fractal key points" as possible, from a few to dozens, even hundreds or thousands, reducing the original tens of thousands of key points to an acceptable number. As for the Talismanic Strokes, they are accordingly reduced, ultimately forming a simpler, yet equally potent talisman.
When contemporary Masters of Symbolic Arts compete, this technique of "Layered Orifice Combination" is a standard trick, often leaving the audience awe-struck, as if witnessing a divine spectacle.
Take, for instance, the "Heavenly Flying Stars" Talisman taught by Old Master Zhu, a classic example of a superior talisman simplified by a master's hand. The key points are no more than thirty-six, but its potency is not inferior to those complex charm scripts with hundreds of key points. The precision in constructing talismans and the speed of forming symbols far surpass them. When Yu Ci formed the Life Death Talisman, he also borrowed the idea of "Layered Orifice Combination". However, his understanding of the Qi Leading Method was far from the master's level, merely a rudimentary form.
These are the states a Spirit Talisman should have, requiring a certain level of talisman reading to understand this profound method. But look at this spectacle here, thousands of fractals scattered, distributed on the ceiling, ground, and walls, with no pattern, and the key points are innumerable!
It seems complicated and profound, but to those who know a little about talismans, such a situation only occurs when a master is teaching a disciple, breaking down each fractal for explanation. If one were to draw talismans this way, not to mention how long it would take, just to activate it, the spiritual energy required to connect all the orifices would be enough to drain a great master who has gained longevity in an instant - this is indeed a talisman, a life-taking talisman!
Yu Ci folded his arms across his chest and glanced at Old Ghost, "Are you guys playing a trick on me?"
What kind of opportunity could be found in such a nonsensical talisman form? Even if Yu Ci didn't take this opportunity seriously, he certainly had no interest in being toyed with.
In response, Tie Lan remained silent - he truly didn't know.
Yu Ci wasn't certain of the "Old Ghost's" mental state, but seeing its demeanor, he was loath to waste any more energy. He sat cross-legged on the floor, circulating his Qi, displaying an uncooperative attitude while also adjusting his mood.
In truth, if he really wanted to leave by force, he could probably do so now. Since the four walls were not inscribed with a Rune Array, and the nearly impossible to activate Talisman was present, Yu Ci wouldn't even need to use his sensing divine thunder. An Escape Technique would suffice.
However, a subtle emotion influenced his judgment, leading him to adopt a conservative stance.
This could already be considered a kind of spiritual intuition, something that those in cultivation cared a great deal about. Yu Ci adjusted his mood slowly until he was completely calm. Normally, his Spirit Platform should be clear, but now it seemed to have a touch of gray...
A thought jumped out in his mind, causing him to shudder in shock: "Is that person still watching me?"
As this thought materialized, it seemed like someone hummed softly in his ear. His body and mind relaxed, a previously hidden pressure revealed itself, then dissipated, leaving no trace.
In an instant, his Spirit Platform became serene and clear, reflecting everything. Unconsciously, the Talisman Pattern Fractals that had just swept into his sight flowed past his mind. The so-called principle of stillness giving birth to clarity, clarity giving birth to wisdom, wisdom giving birth to enlightenment, and enlightenment leading to understanding was exactly this. Especially for someone like Yu Ci who had been cultivating for many years and had a bit of Wisdom Root, many difficult questions that were hard to solve on ordinary days could be easily answered after truly calming his mind.
Suddenly, he understood something. His resistance was actually quite significant, otherwise, he wouldn't have deliberately forgotten this possibility: The Master of the Sunken Sword Cave probably wanted him to rearrange the Thousands of Fractal Forms with his Talismanic Cultivation Level, to make it a true Talisman!
Yu Ci laughed bitterly. He thought this person might have contracted the Madness of Lost Heart. Only the real Symbol Technique Grandmasters could possibly integrate Thousands of Fractal Forms into one. He had only practiced systematically for a few months, to pin such hopes on him was like asking a blind man about the way.
Besides, just because he asked me to do it, should I comply?
He rose to leave, about to refuse, when a door opened on the opposite cliff wall, letting in a completely different Radiance.
Tie Lan showed no surprise, also standing up to speak: "Please move forward, guest. Opportunities are not only here."
Why is he suddenly so generous? After thinking about it, Yu Ci didn't speak, silently following him, watching with cold eyes to see what he was planning.
Entering the newly opened tunnel, there were exposed lamps that were shaped like lotus flowers embedded in the walls, incredibly beautiful and exquisite. Following Tie Lan for about two miles, two forks appeared in front of them. The Old Ghost stopped here, but a bit earlier, Yu Ci had already sensed someone coming out from one of the forks.
Looking up, both sides were surprised.
...