The Cloud Tower Tree seed has sprouted!

A clear spiritual feedback jolted Yu Ci, nearly causing him to tumble headfirst from the Star Plucking Tower. In fact, he did flip over the railing, hastily deploying a Void Divine Travel Talisman, and shooting off towards that location with burning urgency. Still feeling insecure, he repeatedly called out in secret:

"Tower Guardian Senior, I need your help!"

A response came from the distance, and Yu Ci silently prayed for the Daoist Ancestor's blessing, realizing he had been too hasty. The Star Plucking Tower was a critical site for the Sect, heavily guarded, and heaven knows if any of the Sect's elders were watching. It wasn't that the item had a dubious origin, but some of the things inside were better kept out of the light if possible.

With this in mind, Yu Ci changed his flight path, his figure slicing through clouds and fog, heading straight for the Star Plucking Auxiliary Tower. As for the seed, he entrusted the Power Guardian Saint to look after it. This indeed seemed a safer option. By the time he reached his abode in the auxiliary tower, a layer of mist poured in through the window. As the mist dissipated, a handful of faint light floated in the void of the room, revealing two delicate sprouts of the purest tender green, a sight that instantly delighted the heart.

"It really has sprouted."

Seeing is believing, and after Yu Ci confirmed it, he didn't know what to say. He was caught off guard.

Wasn't it supposed to take ten years?

Since obtaining the seed, he had nurtured it daily with his vital energy as instructed by Qu Thunderbolt-Free and Xing Tian, until their auras communicated with each other. Then, he placed it high in the sky to absorb the nimbus Qi. His care had been meticulous, following each step without deviation.

So who could tell him what caused this anomaly in the seed?

He considered summoning Xing Tian, but that figure seemed wary of something and remained silent. The Power Guardian Saint was also at a loss, leaving Yu Ci with no choice but to temporarily give up.

Right, there was another matter of even greater importance.

Yu Ci carefully extended his hand, gently cradling the Cloud Tower Tree seedling—no, it should now be called a sprout. Sitting cross-legged, he extended his divine consciousness down, following the nearly imperceptible veins of the sprout, and suddenly entered a misty space.

Both Qu Thunderbolt-Free and Xing Tian had mentioned the Cloud Tower Tree's ability to create its own space, which was now beginning to manifest. The space wasn't large; if Yu Ci's Storage Ring could hold the volume of a room, this space was at most the size of a box... no, a jar!

But what concerned Yu Ci was not its size. He held his breath, using the method taught by Qu Thunderbolt-Free to transform his divine intent, as fine as a spider's silk, and keen to the extreme. He swept it gently through the tiny space.

Faint responses lit up one by one.

"Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen... seventeen!"

Seventeen points of Divine Light, like fireflies in the night, imprinted on his divine consciousness. After triple-checking to avoid any mistake, Yu Ci let out a long sigh, retracting his divine consciousness and unceremoniously sitting down on the floor. Only then did he remember the Cloud Tower Tree sprout in his hand. He quickly let go, allowing the sprouted treasure, no more than two inches in diameter, to float in the air. Its roots, finer than dust, naturally absorbed the surrounding Cosmic Qi for nourishment.

At this juncture, one cannot see the rapidity with which it breaks from its shell and sprouts overnight; its transformation and vital energy are so slow that they even lag behind its time as a mere seed.

How exactly did it undergo such a sudden change? Yu Ci could never comprehend it, but he found solace in one thought: at last, he had not failed the trust placed in him!

At the headwaters of the Boundary River, Qu Thunderbolt-Free had entrusted him with a task: to nurture the Cloud Tower Tree seed with all his might until it matured. This seed was specially induced by Qu Thunderbolt-Free from the Cloud Tower Tree that bore Return Village, as a precaution. It was no different from the others, save for one aspect: during its seeding, it absorbed a trace of the Spirit 'essence' imprints of seventeen Sword immortals trapped in the Eternal Abyss.

These Spirit 'essence' imprints, originally residing in the old relics of the Sword immortals of Return Village, were ingeniously replicated by Qu Thunderbolt-Free into the Cloud Tower Tree seed, sharing its vitality much like grafting onto a fruit tree. Thus, as the Cloud Tower Tree grew, these Spirit 'essence' imprints would gradually strengthen and emit clearer signals. Even if Return Village were to be destroyed, once the Cloud Tower Tree matured, it could still serve as a beacon and guide for the return of those Sword immortals.

Such was the plan, but as for its success, lacking any similar precedent, Qu Thunderbolt-Free could only leave it to the will of the heavens. Fortunately, even though fate was harsh, it did not completely thwart their efforts; at this moment, his attempt had succeeded.

After the Cloud Tower Tree seed germinated, there was no need to change its cultivation method; it was simply left to grow in the high skies, far more conspicuous than before, hence necessitating a foolproof strategy. As the "Local Strongman" of this place, Xing Tian and the Power Guardian Saint surely had an inescapable responsibility.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Shaking his head with a smile, Yu Ci temporarily placed the Cloud Tower Tree sapling in a corner, calmed his Heart-Mind, and redirected his energy to matters more closely related to himself.

The method of the natal gold talisman still required careful consideration.

He now had a concept, knowing that to form a natal gold talisman, one must follow the sequence of "six, six, twelve, twelve." Setting aside the latter for the moment, he focused on the immediate task of the "Nine Luminaries" six talismans, which he was still far from completing.

To form the natal gold talisman, the first requirement was that each Talisman must achieve the status of a "Seed True Talisman," meaning that the True divine of the Talisman must be etched deep into one's very being, so that the mere thought of the talisman would invoke its power, representing the deepest understanding of a Talisman.

Regardless of the type of talisman, to thoroughly comprehend its True divine, one must undergo thousands of practices and uses. Among the six talismans of the Nine Luminaries, the Nine Luminaries Dragon Abyss Sword Talisman, Supreme Polaris Star Pivot Avatar, and Heavenly River Prayer Incantation were the three talismans that he relied upon in the Sword Garden, saving his 'life' on numerous occasions. Now, he could only claim to be proficient in their use.

Yet there remain three talismans that, once mastered, were seldom cultivated further. These three talismans are the "Talisman of Soaring Flight with Substance Ingress and Void Egress," the "Chant of Pursuing and Restoring the Wandering Soul to Fix the Stars," and the "Lunar Essence Refining Shape Technique."

The "Talisman of Soaring Flight with Substance Ingress and Void Egress" is a kind of escape technique. Yu Ci has already cultivated the Five Elements Escape Technique, thus the opportunities to utilize this one are fewer; the "Chant of Pursuing and Restoring the Wandering Soul to Fix the Stars," as the name suggests, is a means of controlling the souls of the deceased, which is also seldom used; as for the "Lunar Essence Refining Shape Technique," it is indeed a marvelous method for drawing upon the lunar essence to strengthen the Yin Spirit. Regrettably, when Yu Ci enhances his Cultivation Level, he employs sacrificial methods that achieve dual benefits in one go, making this technique comparatively less efficient.

Under such circumstances, to form the Seed True Talisman, aside from extensive practice and devoted comprehension, there seems to be no other method to contemplate. However, exerting effort in this area means neglecting the refinement of Magical Instruments—what then?

Although Yu Ci is not a man whose promise is as good as gold, he cannot renege on a commitment made to his elders. He has agreed to complete the refinement of three Magical Instruments within a year of seclusive cultivation, elevating them to the standards of the fifth or sixth heavens. Now, with the task nearly complete, to divert his attention and risk failure at the last hurdle would be a great pity.

Yet, on the other hand, since he's hit a bottleneck just before advancing, refining Magical Instruments no longer contributes to improving his Cultivation Level. For Yu Ci to forsake the grand path of Forming the Golden Elixir and blindly persist in one direction is not his desire.

What a headache!

As he was mired in vexation, a voice suddenly rang out without warning, "I heard the Cloud Tower Tree seed has sprouted?"

"Eh, you've come?"

Yu Ci recognized the voice as that of Xing Tian, the cunning and slippery Sword Spirit, known for appearing and disappearing unpredictably, and never with the courtesy of knocking first. However, on this occasion, Yu Ci genuinely hoped for his arrival. Not to mention anything else, the sudden change in the Cloud Tower Tree seed demanded an explanation.

"You said it would take at least ten years for the seed to sprout. How do you account for this now?"

"Isn't it a good thing?"

Xing Tian responded evasively while scanning the Cloud Tower Tree sapling with his Divine consciousness. As Yu Ci's aura became increasingly intertwined with the sapling, he became aware of this action. The mutual sensing between them was slightly affected, and Xing Tian refrained from further detailed inspection, casually remarking:

"Last night, a great surge of vitality was infused, presumably from your end, and there has been progress in your Cultivation Level... Ah, indeed."

"Is that so?"

Yu Ci narrowed his eyes, sensing something odd about Xing Tian's demeanor. Last night, he had negotiated terms with He Qing, learning the "Yin Yang Transformation," and traded the Qi of the Heavenly Dragon True Form.

He briefly explained the situation to Xing Tian and then asked, “Any questions?”

“I haven’t witnessed it,” Xing Tian replied with an air of composure and calm, “However, it might be due to the Yin Yang Transformation method you practice. The Aura merges into the yin and yang, serving as a conduit, providing the seed with ample vitality. He Qing's Cultivation Level is more than a hundred times stronger than yours; a casual effort from her is more than sufficient for your benefit.”

“Didn’t she sense anything?”

“With you standing in front, if the Yin and Yang energies didn’t dissolve you, how could they touch the seed?”

Xing Tian’s answers flowed smoothly, sketching a rough outline of the process for Yu Ci. However, Yu Ci felt that Xing Tian’s initial mention of “a great amount of vitality” and the Yin and Yang energies must be somewhat different; at least, it wasn’t fully explained.

Yu Ci wanted to ask in detail, but it seemed that Xing Tian had already shifted its excitement from the sprouting of the Cloud Tower Tree and was showing signs of wanting to leave. Yu Ci couldn’t let it go easily and immediately presented a new problem, naturally, there was nothing else but the matter of his life-defining golden talisman.

“I don’t understand Talismans.”

Xing Tian seemed to have forgotten its performance when it set up various traps and mechanisms outside the source of the Boundary River. But as a Sword Spirit pursuing “Purification,” it indeed had reasons to detest the overly complex and cumbersome physical body system of symbols. Therefore, it simply focused on the crux of cultivation:

“In my opinion, you should continue refining. Refining is not about halting progress, but about accumulating power, which is the foundation for Forming the Golden Elixir. Your time in cultivation is short, your Cultivation Level relatively weak, and you still have unhealed internal injuries. Rushing to Form the Golden Elixir now may lead to unforeseen consequences. Besides, are you prepared?”

“Ah?”

“Forming your life-defining golden talisman is a different system. Although it's based on the Primordial Root Qi Method, you will need to ponder deeply when choosing the Vacuum Walking Method in the future. Don’t forget this.”

Is that so? Yu Ci was jolted awake. He suddenly understood a deeper meaning in Old Master Zhu’s overly simplistic message:

The requirements that the Elixir Formula, Vacuum Walking Method, and Thunderbolt Tribulation Method must be mutually compatible are critical considerations for any Cultivator before choosing an Elixir Formula. If one were to follow the path of the “Constellations Life-Defining Golden Talisman” completely, he might end up, just as He Qing said, confused about which sect or lineage he truly belonged to.

Of course, if Old Master Zhu were to oversee everything, the Lichen Sect would probably have the last laugh.

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