At this moment, the anomalies on my body could only be seen by Xu Yan and Chen Yuanshan because I had my eyes closed, unable to see anything. However, I felt a sense of comfort, akin to basking in warm sunlight during a cold winter.

Suddenly, a mysterious force pulled me into an illusion. I found myself in a world entirely bathed in golden hues. The pathways were golden, the trees and flowers were golden, and even the sun in the sky radiated a golden glow.

Several black birds with three legs, resembling ravens, circled above my head. These birds emitted a golden light.

While Chen Yuanshan was transmitting his techniques to me, Xu Yan quietly observed everything.

Chen Yuanshan withdrew his right hand, and I exited the illusion, returning to reality.

"Alright, you can get up now," Chen Yuanshan said to me.

Upon hearing his words, I opened my eyes and got up from the ground. I felt significant changes in my body – it became lighter, and I felt a circulating energy within me.

"I've transferred the power of Dao techniques into your body. It's like planting a seed that needs your own cultivation to sprout and grow into a towering tree. As the saying goes, the master leads the way, but success in cultivation depends on the individual. I've set you on the path of cultivation; whether you can succeed or not depends on yourself," Chen Yuanshan explained.

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"Master, what should I learn now?" I asked Chen Yuanshan with confusion.

"Mao Mountain, along with Dragon Tiger Mountain and Hezao Mountain, is one of the three major Taoist schools of symbols and talismans, known as the Three Mountains of Symbols. Since you've joined the Mao Mountain Sect, your focus will be on practicing talismans. Taoist talismans can be used for praying to deities, summoning spirits, exorcising ghosts, healing, and even controlling weather phenomena," Chen Yuanshan explained.

After saying this, Chen Yuanshan walked to the bookshelf, took out a comprehensive book on talismans, and placed it on the coffee table.

"Let me read it myself," I said.

"Do I have to accompany you? If you don't understand something, you can ask Yanzi for help," Chen Yuanshan said, pointing to Xu Yan. Then, he picked up an old, yellowed book from the shelf and started reading it himself.

Just as I picked up the comprehensive book on talismans and was about to start reading, a police car stopped at the entrance of Daoist Respect Hall. Liu Yuzhu got out of the car and walked in briskly.

"Master Chen, at 4 am today, we found Yu Deng at his home. When we found him, he was already dead," Liu Yuzhu said and took out three photos from his pocket, placing them on Chen Yuanshan's desk.

Chen Yuanshan casually picked up one of the photos and examined it closely.

Xu Yan and I stood up, walked to the desk, and glanced at the photos placed on the coffee table.

The photo depicted the dead body of a young man who appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He was wearing only black boxer shorts, his face was purplish-blue, his eyeballs protruded and rolled upwards, filled with burst blood vessels, and his tongue protruded from his mouth. The man's expression displayed both pain and terror.

In the photo, the young man had his hands around his own neck, causing him to suffocate to death.

"It should be the work of that female ghost. An eye for an eye, this is his karmic retribution," Chen Yuanshan said to Liu Yuzhu and placed the photo back on the desk.

"Master Chen, you mentioned yesterday evening...