In the Cang Xuan Realm, the Changsheng Temple lay in ruins. The once majestic Taoist temple no longer had incense burning, its structure decaying. The floor was cracked, with weeds growing in every crevice. It looked more like a slum than a temple.
In a desolate courtyard within the temple, Mike sat in a room, lost in thought. He never imagined things would turn out this way.
Mike wasn't originally from the Cang Xuan Realm; he came from a place called Earth. He had been an orphan since childhood, taken in by an old Taoist priest and raised in this very temple. The old Taoist had taught him fortune-telling, feng shui, talisman-making, and exorcism, as well as Taoist mental cultivation techniques. However, to Mike, all of this seemed like tricks to make money. How could there be such things as demons and spirits in the world?
Even the Taoist mental cultivation techniques—the old Taoist had practiced for his whole life without ever producing a single strand of spiritual energy. It
Two hours passed as Mike focused intently on the task at hand.
When he finished inscribing the final rune, he finally snapped out of his concentrated state.
"Strange," Mike muttered. According to the book, when a spiritual treasure craftsman makes a treasure, their soul should be overexerted, causing a headache or even dizziness. But Mike didn't feel any of those symptoms. In fact, he had completed the Seven-Treasure Gourd in just two hours.
"I'll give it a try," Mike said, as he touched the gourd with his finger, sending a wisp of his spiritual energy into it.
Immediately, the Seven-Treasure Gourd trembled in his hand.
A faint green light radiated from the gourd.
"Is this the activation?" Mike asked in surprise. Did he really create the legendary spiritual treasure?
That would mean he was officially a spiritual treasure craftsman, right?
"Huh?" Mike's excitement faded as he noticed something was off.
He carefully compared the descriptions in the book. According to the text, the Seven-Treasure Gourd should emit a red glow once activated.
However, Mike distinctly remembered that his gourd had emitted a green glow.
What was going on? Had he made a mistake somewhere?
He double-checked the runes he had inscribed, wondering if he had written something incorrectly. After carefully comparing the symbols three times, he found no errors.
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"Master, are you done yet?" At that moment, a voice called out from outside.
"What's the rush?" Mike opened the door to see three people waiting outside. The one with the highest cultivation level was Liu Dongyue, the second senior disciple of the sect. Beside him were a younger boy named Shi Ming and a girl named Yun Qianchu.
"Here," Mike tossed the Seven-Treasure Gourd to Liu Dongyue.
Liu Dongyue caught it, his eyes lighting up. "The Seven-Treasure Gourd!"
"It really is the Seven-Treasure Gourd!" Shi Ming and Yun Qianchu exclaimed, delighted.
For disciples from larger sects or wealthy families, spiritual treasures like this might not be rare, but for the disciples of Changsheng Temple, this was an extravagant luxury. It was something they could never afford.
Mike had briefly considered selling the gourd, but treasures made by famous spiritual treasure craftsmen had value. Who would buy something from an unknown craftsman like him? To others, his creations were just junk, worthless.
"Second senior brother, try it out!" Shi Ming urged excitedly.
"Try it out? What's the point?" Liu Dongyue shook his head. "Spiritual treasures have limited uses. This one can only be used nine times, and it's incredibly valuable. We can't waste it on something trivial."
"I want to see too!" Yun Qianchu pleaded, her big eyes looking at Liu Dongyue eagerly. Usually, if she acted cute, her senior brother would give in, but today, Liu Dongyue was firm. This treasure was too precious to be used carelessly.
Mike wanted to suggest that Liu Dongyue give it a try. After all, with the strange green glow, Mike felt that something wasn't quite right with the gourd, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
Seeing Liu Dongyue hesitate to try it out, the two others lost interest and went off to prepare dinner.
Liu Dongyue thanked Mike and, happily holding the gourd, left for the day.
Mike watched as the disciples walked away in their patched robes and sighed. The original owner of this body had been a gambling addict, and nearly everything of value had been sold off. Soon, the sect wouldn't even be able to afford rice.
Before thinking about how to return to Earth, Mike realized he needed to focus on surviving here first.
Maybe he should set up a fortune-telling stall tomorrow.
The next morning, Liu Dongyue came by to say his goodbyes.
"Master, after I leave, I hope you'll take care of the junior disciples," Liu Dongyue said thoughtfully. "Try to avoid gambling."
Although he wasn't in a position to lecture, Liu Dongyue was worried that Shi Ming and Yun Qianchu might suffer if they followed Mike's example, so he couldn't help but offer a word of advice.
"Don't worry," Mike assured him. He was no longer the same person who had fallen into the trap of gambling.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
"Wait, take this with you." Mike handed Liu Dongyue a talisman.
Liu Dongyue looked at it in surprise. "A Vajra Talisman?"
"Be careful out there," Mike said. "I don't have much to give you, but this talisman should serve as a protective charm." Mike had seen some cinnabar leftover from making the spiritual treasure and had quickly sketched a simple Vajra Talisman for Liu Dongyue's safety.
Changsheng Temple did teach talisman-making, but Mike's cultivation was still at the sixth rank, so his talismans were basic at best, with very little power. They were more of a gesture than anything.
However, as Liu Dongyue examined the talisman, he felt something different from others he had seen before.
The brushstrokes were smooth and intricate, and more importantly, the talisman exuded a faint aura of steadiness, as if it contained the strength to bind a towering mountain, immovable and unshakable.