The gazes of others were of no concern to Yu Ci, but Immortal Leader Xie was a different matter. His gaze was like a tangible sword, piercing into Yu Ci's heart through his eyes.
For a moment, Yu Ci felt as if he was suffocating, but then he heard a voice of praise: "Good question!"
Elder Jie Liang's tone seemed to lift slightly, but soon, things returned to their usual course. To Yu Ci's question, only a dismissive response was given: "You are not an Inner Disciple, such profound doctrines are not meant for you, silence!"
Rebuked, Yu Ci obediently closed his mouth. The mocking gaze from the two young men in front of him was completely ignored.
The turmoil in Yu Ci's heart was far from the calmness displayed on his face. Elder Jie Liang's words, although reprimanding, could also be seen as a sidelong response to his question: Wasn't the doctrine of the Great Dao, the pure principle, inextricably linked with Soul Sensing? And, wasn't the direction he was heading towards aligned with the "Great Dao"?
This was a question only he could ponder. Elder Jie Liang ended the lesson on discipline and moved on to another topic: "Do you know how to draw talismans?"
The question was unusual, and even though the answer was clear, no one in the hall dared to respond.
Elder Jie Liang didn't need anyone's cooperation, he continued on his own: "Today, I will teach you how to draw talismans."
With that, he extended his hand, his slender fingers bending in the air, and a divine light shone, forming a twisted "silence" character, which was a Clear Mind Incantation.
Such a simple talisman could be easily completed by everyone here, but what happened next left all the cultivators in the hall dumbfounded.
Once the talisman was formed, Elder Jie Liang started again from the beginning, using the same Clear Mind Incantation, but this time, he didn't draw it somewhere else, but on the talisman he had just completed, retracing it. To the untrained eye, it didn't look like much, but for those cultivators who had studied talismans for many years, they could clearly see that the divine light emitted from Elder Jie Liang's fingertips was not illusory at all, but was following the path of the previous rune patterns.
This method seemed simple, but not a single cultivator in the hall could do it.
Because once a talisman is formed, the divine light attaches itself, and the talisman is no longer a symbol drawn purely with vital essence, but a new talisman spiritual artifact that calls upon the spirits, and influences the natural world and the spirituality of all things. At this point, if one were to infuse vital essence again, if it does not completely conform to the circuit after the spirit attachment, the two energies will clash, and the talisman will not hold.
There has never been two completely identical talismans. Even for the simplest Clear Mind Incantation, who here could guarantee that they could remember the circuit of the spirit attachment perfectly, and when re-drawing the vital essence, follow the established circuit exactly?
Moreover, it was far from over. Elder Jie Liang seemed to have developed an addiction to repetition. He did not stop after the second time, instead, following the precedent, he went on to the third, fourth, and even up to the ninth and tenth times. In the end, he had drawn it a total of thirty-three times before he finally ceased.
At this point, the suspended Clear Mind Incantation could hardly be called a Clear Mind Incantation anymore. The strokes of the character "静" had become blurred in the brilliant Divine Light, and the dense Divine Light gathered but did not disperse, forming a halo the size of a fist around the Talisman. It looked more like a large, bright pearl suspended in the hall.
The Moral Hall was deathly quiet.
Such skill!
Probably the only thought left in the minds of the cultivators in the hall.
At this point, Elder Jie Liang said, "This is the Qi Leading Method, a very effective method in talismanic cultivation practice. You can succeed by practicing it as I did."
Practice as he did? How to practice?
It was not that no one had tried to secretly attempt it, but without exception, all had failed. This seemingly child's play technique had left these cultivators, who had been immersed in Talisman for many years, scratching their heads. At this point, everyone was eagerly looking over, waiting for Elder Jie Liang to explain further.
However, Elder Jie Liang responded with only one sentence, "This technique has no tricks, it's all about familiarity. You can practice it yourselves."
The hall was dumbstruck, and Yu Ci felt a headache coming on. This Immortal Elder was truly not likable. Why did he talk endlessly about what people didn't want to know, yet was stingy with words when it came to what they wanted to know?
To Elder Jie Liang, the complaints of the cultivators meant nothing. He still did things his own way. Seeing that no one in the hall was speaking, he went straight to the next procedure:
"If you have any doubts about what I have taught today, you can ask now, and I will answer as appropriate."
Upon hearing this, there was clearly some commotion in the hall. Those resident Outer Disciples and Freelance Daoists who knew this procedure didn't waste any time, huddling together in groups of three or five, quickly reaching a consensus.
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One of the Outer Disciples was elected to come forward. After a bow, he tentatively asked, "How can the Qi Leading Method be considered as minor success or major success? Is there a certain rule?"
"Such a minor technique, how can there be any major or minor success?"
Elder Jie Liang saw that the cultivators were still holding on to the previous question, and his tone sounded somewhat displeased, "If you have succeeded, you will naturally succeed every time. If you have not, even if you have succeeded thousands or tens of thousands of times, there may still be trouble the next time."
The Outer Disciple hit a snag, retreated and sat down, exchanging glances with his companions.
Yu Ci, however, was struck by a thought. According to Elder Jie Liang's words, there must indeed be a knack to this, otherwise, how could there be talk of "succeeding every time"?
While he was thinking, someone in the front row stood up gracefully. After bowing to Elder Jie Liang, he spoke clearly. Yu Ci looked over and saw that the speaker was none other than Kuang Yan Qi.
"I've often heard from my elders at home," the disciple began, "that the path of the Talisman lies in the auxiliary, not the principal. It prioritizes planning and preparation over adaptation to emergencies. If one can identify the enemy and prepare in advance, it can indeed be highly effective. However, if one encounters an enemy in a narrow path, or faces a blade in close contact, one is bound to suffer a significant disadvantage. I, a humble disciple, am not certain if this understanding is correct or not, and I earnestly seek the guidance of the Immortal Elder."
At these words, the atmosphere in the hall shifted once again.
Kuang Yan Qi's question was both pertinent and astute. The unavoidable issue when using a Talisman was how to balance the power and efficiency of the Spirit Talisman.
Everyone knew that the Talisman was profound and powerful. However, compared to other methods, drawing Talismans took an exceedingly long time. The more powerful the Talisman, the more complex it was. Although there were countless simplified and expedient techniques within the path of the Talisman, they still fell short when compared to other attack methods such as Sword Energy, Magical Instruments, or Divine Power.
Before one could finish drawing a Spirit Talisman, one's head might already be severed by an enemy. Such occurrences were almost daily events. For the Cultivators in the hall who excelled in the use of Talismans, this was an extremely realistic issue.
Without a doubt, this was a major topic. If Elder Jie Liang were to answer, he might likely deliver a lengthy discourse, which would be highly beneficial for the Cultivators present. Yu Ci noticed that many people were looking at Kuang Yan Qi with newfound warmth and kindness.
Yu Ci also smiled, his opinion of the young man improving.
Elder Jie Liang glanced at Kuang Yan Qi and gave a slight nod, "It varies from person to person."
Had he dismissed the question with just that, no one could predict the disappointment the Cultivators would feel. Elder Jie Liang seemed to finally understand the situation and after a brief pause, he continued:
"In an emergency, one essentially wishes to speed up the process of drawing Talismans. In this case, you have two choices. One is to seek improvement within oneself, and the other is to utilize External Objects. These two methods complement each other."
These were the signs of a lengthy discourse. The Cultivators in the hall held their breath, fearing they might miss a single word.
However, Elder Jie Liang paused again, pulling out an object for everyone to see. It was a bead the size of a longan, deep purple in color, with a hidden glow and some intricate patterns flowing on its surface. Elder Jie Liang held it lightly between his thumb and index finger for everyone to see more clearly. However, after being exposed to the air for a short while, the glow of the bead expanded, engulfing Elder Jie Liang's first knuckle.
Faces in the crowd were a mix of curiosity and confusion, "What is this?"
Elder Jie Liang remained silent, releasing his fingers. The bead floated in the air, its halo expanding further, almost the same size as the thirty-three-layer Clear Mind Incantation Talisman next to it. Then Elder Jie Liang began to draw Talismans on the bead.
It was the Five-Thunder Talismans!
He had not noticed it when Elder Jie Liang was drawing the Clear Mind Incantation, but now as he switched to the Five-Thunder Talismans, Yu Ci finally saw the extraordinary skills of Immortal Leader Xie. The pattern of the Five-Thunder Talismans was a series of "thunder" shaped symbols connected together, externally assisted by a cloud pattern Star Map. As Elder Jie Liang's fingertip traced the symbols, he moved from the outside in, from the Star Map to the cloud, and from the cloud to the thunder pattern. His speed was not particularly fast, but the standard of his steps could be used as teaching material.
Within these three steps, the Star Map is employed to depict the vast cosmos, the Cloud Essence is used to signify weightiness, and as for the calligraphy and painting of the Thunder Script, it is even more extraordinary. With every Divine Light stimulation, Yu Ci's entire being would resonate with Primordial Qi, vibrating from within and radiating outward, his ears filled with the rumbling sound of thunder.
Yu Ci took a deep breath, striving to steady his mind, at least to prevent himself from springing up from his Meditation Cushion. In fact, at this moment, he was utterly entranced, feeling as though every brush stroke of Elder Jie Liang was aimed at the itchiest spot in his heart.
Previously, Yu Ci had used Five-Thunder Talismans, and one could even say he used them quite well. For instance, against the old Demon Tu Du, he used a Five-Thunder Talisman in conjunction with the power of the Heavenly Punishment Thunder Method, blasting open the barrier of the Sun Soul Banner. Together with the Foggy Sword Divine, they launched a pincer attack, ultimately tearing open the Sun Soul Banner, giving Tu Du a good show.
However, as he watched Elder Jie Liang draw the talismans now, he realized that when he had used this talisman in the past, there were many instances where he had merely been copying blindly, resulting in imperfect imitations. These minor flaws, Elder Jie Liang could correct with just a single stroke, providing him with a perfect solution. By the time the entire talisman was drawn, Yu Ci's understanding of the Five-Thunder Talismans had been completely renewed.
It was only at this point that he thought of a question: What was Elder Jie Liang doing?
Subsequently, the cultivators in the hall saw the Five-Thunder Talisman, which had been attached to the Purple Light Bead, melt into it!
The bead's light surged once again, distorting and elongating the radiance of the adjacent Clear Mind Incantation, seemingly on the verge of collapse. It took a full moment before it returned to normal.
Finally, Elder Jie Liang spoke, "This is the first Five-Thunder Talisman I made after attaining the Golden Elixir. From then on, whenever I had some leisure time, I would infuse it with the Qi Leading Method once a day. To this day, it has been fifty-seven years."
His voice was not very loud, but every word was like a thunderbolt, leaving the cultivators in the hall speechless.
Yu Ci didn't know what the others were thinking, but his first thought was to scoot his Meditation Cushion back a bit.
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I will still follow the plan, earnestly asking for readers' support.
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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free] on: https://www.readgates.com/article/74a39e