Hiding One's Light and Blending with the Dust

[The faint light from your fingertips finally landed on the Mystic Marrow Essence Jade.]

[The Artisan Spirit is now in effect.]

[Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement, effective.]

[Workaholic, effective.]

[You use your Divine Sense as your source and Spiritual Power as your blade to roam within the Mystic Marrow Essence Jade.]

[An hour later, the last rune fell, and the Mystic Marrow Essence Jade silently cracked.]

[Divided into two.]

[The entire piece of Mystic Marrow Essence Jade transformed into two Jade Talisman.]

[A pure white, warm-looking talisman, unassuming and serene, is a Yin talisman, containing the essence of "harmony and light."]

[A talisman, entirely black and as restrained as dust, is a Yang talisman, containing "the same dust."]

[One yin, one yang.]

The light from your fingertips has faded, but your hand lingered in mid-air for a moment.

[This result has clearly exceeded your expectations as the alchemist.]

[You originally only intended to refine a talisman to conceal the secrets of Heavenly Secrets, but unexpectedly, this Mystic Marrow Essence Jade spontaneously split into two.]

[You picked up the gleaming white Yin talisman, ran your fingertips along the smooth edge of the broken piece, and glanced again at the dark Yang talisman floating in the air.]

[Firmly fitted, yet clearly defined.]

Things involving Heavenly Secrets and cause and effect have always been mysterious and ineffable. Once something is established, it has its own predetermined fate.

[You thought about it and didn't insist on an explanation.]

[You put the two Jade Talisman together and hold them in your palm.]

[Since it conceals "harmony and light" and embraces "being one with the world"...]

[You murmured a name to yourself, and decided on their names.]

"Then, you shall call yourselves 'Heguang Tongchen Talisman'."

[The Heguang Tongchen Talisman is complete.]

[You looked at the two Jade Talisman in your hand and let out a long sigh.]

[After so long in seclusion and expending a massive amount of materials, this trump card that conceals the secrets of Heavenly Secrets has finally been created.]

[You plan to strike while the iron is hot and forge a few more for later use.]

[You take out another piece of Mystic Marrow Essence Jade from your Storage Ring.]

[The first rune landed on it, and then... nothing more. Before you could land the second rune.]

[Click.]

[The jade was directly crushed into powder.]

[You paused slightly, pondered for a moment, and then chose a piece of ordinary Mystic Marrow Jade.]

[This time, the first rune was only half-drawn before the Mystic Marrow Jade shattered again.]

You seem completely unsurprised.

[Then, you tried several different materials, some common and some high-grade.]

The result was that, without exception, they all shattered.

[Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of materials, just like that, nothing happened.]

[You stopped what you were doing, and your suspicions were confirmed.]

[That wisp of spiritual energy, in harmony with Heavenly Dao Heguang Tongchen Talisman.]

[You won't be able to refine a second batch in a short period of time.]

[You abandon your thoughts of further refinement and imprint your Divine Sense into the Dust-Sharing Yang Talisman.]

A strange sense of realization arises within you.

[You originally thought that concealing the Heavenly Secrets was a way of forcibly separating yourself from the intricate threads of fate.]

[It's like transcending the Three Realms and the Five Elements, elevating one's own existence.]

[Clearly, at your current level, you can't do it.]

[This Tongchen Talisman takes a different approach, minimizing the holder's presence.]

You went from a firefly in the night to a speck of dust.

[You fell to earth and mingled with countless other living beings.]

[Those with great power who deduce the Heavenly Secrets will only see a vast sea of dust.]

They can see the dust rising, but they can no longer single out that particular speck of dust of yours.

This is what it means to blend in with the world.

[You stepped out of Han Shishan's cave abode, your figure blurring as you sped towards the summit of Old Pine Peak.]

The night wind was strong, making the pine trees along the cliff rustle.

[You stand on the edge of the cliff, overlooking most of the Azure Cloud Sect.]

[Seventy-two Spirit Peaks stretched out in the night, with the occasional Escape Light of a patrolling disciple flashing across the sky.]

[The faint voices of two patrolling disciples talking can be heard from below.]

"I heard that the Mystic Marrow Jade Vein has been recaptured, and the Sect Master has richly rewarded Elder Han. Our Azure Cloud Sect has achieved a great victory this time."

"Victory my ass! Didn't you see all those rogue Rogue Cultivators in the market who went bankrupt? Even several of our outer sect disciples are forced to take on life-or-death missions because they borrowed money to buy Mystic Marrow Jade."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. The arrangements of the sect's higher-ups are not something you or I can discuss."

[The sound faded into the distance with the Escape Light.]

[You withdraw your Divine Sense.]

You lift your head and look up at the night sky.

The star at the very end of the handle of the Big Dipper, known as Military Breaker Star, remains bright and hangs in the sky.

[But in your perception, that star seems to have lost its corresponding target.]

[It's like a kite with a broken string; though it hasn't drifted away with the wind, it has lost contact with the person holding the string.]

[Po Jun signifies breaking with the old and establishing the new, indicating a major shift in the situation.]

[A new situation unfolds... Heavenly Secrets Turmoil, Slay the Unusual Threat...]

[Your eyes darkened slightly, as if you had gained a deeper understanding of the mysterious secrets of Heavenly Secrets.]

You turn around, ready to descend the mountain.

You stopped.

[A hundred feet ahead of you, someone has appeared out of nowhere.]

He stood with his hands behind his back on the edge of the cliff, wearing a plain blue robe.

He did not exert any pressure.

[The night breeze seemed to drift past his clothes as if they were nothing, as if he had merged into the world around him.]

[You'd never met this person before, but you recognized him at a glance.]

[Shen Yaoxin, Sect Master Azure Cloud Sect, Spirit Transformation Stage.]

[In the last simulation, when you, with your Golden Core Early Stage cultivation, encountered Gongshu Ke Spirit Transformation Stage, at the Thousand Mechanisms Sect.]

[The circulation of your internal Golden Core is noticeably sluggish.]

[The Fire Crow Seed in his Dantian completely subsided, and even the Spiritual Power of the Azure Origin Dao Canon became extremely viscous.]

Even if you have the Bully at Home Trait, it can't completely bridge the gap between two major realms.

[But things are different now.]

You are already at the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

[You have cultivated the Spirit Refining Technique; your spiritual strength far surpasses that of other cultivators of the same level.]

[You are draped in Formless Myriad-Breath Cloak.]

[Within your Dantian, the Star River Myriad Blades, is slowly rotating.]

[Even the Fire Crow Seed seemed somewhat eager to try.]

[More importantly, your Early Leave hasn't even been used yet.]

[Salty Fish, in effect.]

[Your State of Mind is as steady as a rock.]

[You look at this Nascent Spirit Transformation expert who rules over a sect, his expression calm and composed.]

[Options pop up.]

[A: Bows respectfully: "Outer Sect Disciple Lu Ping greets the Sect Master."]

[B: Standing with hands behind his back, gazing at the starry sky at a 45-degree angle: "You've come. You shouldn't have come."]

[C: Steps forward and hands over a business card: "Founder of Lu Capital in Qingyang City, it's a pleasure to meet you. Sect Master, would you be interested in learning about our financial products? Annualized return of 20%!"]