House-Protecting and Evil-Breaking

Zhou Yi flipped through the book several times, memorizing it thoroughly.

Breaking through to the Innate Realm wasn't just about increased martial prowess; rather, martial prowess was merely an external manifestation. It was, in essence, a transformation of essence, energy, and spirit towards a higher level of life.

His memory was now nearly photographic.

"I originally thought I was stuck in a bottleneck in my martial arts, so I was looking for some techniques to practice. Now that I have the art of talismans, I can be considered half a cultivator after mastering it."

Cultivators regard techniques like talismans as means of self-preservation, while immortal cultivation methods are the foundation for achieving the Dao. Seeking techniques without a foundation is putting the cart before the horse.

Zhou Yi, having obtained the Longevity Dao Fruit, saw things from a different perspective than cultivators.

All means of increasing strength in the world, whether cultivation methods, talismans, or weapon refinement, were techniques to protect the Longevity Dao Fruit.

"Talisman brush, made with white fox tail hair, with the fur of a century-old white fox being the best."

"Talisman paper, still made from tanned animal hide, the older the animal, the higher the success rate..."

Zhou Yi didn't need to hunt himself. Shenjing was the place where the essence of Fengyang Kingdom converged. Rare and precious items like the fur of a century-old white fox would inevitably be sent to Shenjing for sale.

If he didn't have enough silver, he could owe it first!

The next day.

Zhu Xiaowei, having heard that the small thief in the Heavenly Prison had been eliminated, naturally noticed Yu Jie's disappearance. The two events corroborated each other, filling him with dread. The other party had entered the Heavenly Prison through his connections.

"Old Zhou, you are our Heavenly Prison's pillar of strength!"

News of Zhou Yi's body tempering reaching the internal organs would soon reach the Brocade Guard, and someone would definitely come to recruit him.

The Zhou family had been jailers for five generations, making their background as clean as could be, far more reliable than recruited martial arts experts.

"Don't worry, Master Zhu, I can't bear to leave the Heavenly Prison either."

Zhou Yi wasn't unmoved by the talisman inheritance that might be hidden in the Imperial Prison, but he had enough patience to wait for the opportunity.

Time was always on Zhou Yi's side!

A month later.

The talisman brush and paper were successfully made.

Zhou Yi followed the book to learn how to draw talismans on his own. Naturally, he didn't succeed at first. The true essence, when condensed at the tip of the brush, couldn't be integrated into the talisman at all.

"Nothing is difficult in this world, but practice makes perfect!"

In the blink of an eye, two years had passed.

Zhou Yi's life was a monotonous routine, calm and uneventful, but he also heard many major events from his colleagues.

In the early years of Hongchang 13, shortly after Zhou Yi broke through to the Innate Realm, Fengyang Kingdom and Great Yong officially signed a peace treaty.

The Minister of Revenue submitted a memorial stating that the national treasury was empty, requesting the dismissal of the Northern Frontier army. Since Emperor Hongchang ascended the throne, there had been constant wars, large and small, for thirteen years, making this reason very reasonable.

Rumor had it that Chief Grand Secretary Zhang Zhengyang, in the Hall of Heavenly Mandate, in front of Emperor Hongchang and civil and military officials, respectfully asked Li Wu: "This matter is of great importance, and we still need Duke Who Pacifies the Nation's approval before we can dismiss the border army!"

What happened afterward had various versions circulating among the people, from Li Wu scolding the Chief Grand Secretary in court to Li Wu succumbing, ultimately leading to the disbandment of 70% of the million-strong army in the Northern Frontier.

The imperial court was turbulent, and the martial world was also fraught with intrigue.

An unknown rumor had emerged, claiming that the Cang Family, a wealthy clan in the Jiangnan region, possessed a demonic art that could devour people's internal energy.

The Cang Family, once an insignificant local clan, had produced top-tier and first-rate experts in rapid succession over the past ten years, as if all its members had become martial arts prodigies with innate talent.

Moreover, the Cang Family specialized in internal energy, which aligned with the rumors circulating in the martial world.

In Hongchang 14, the Cang Family was besieged by more than a dozen sects led by Buddhist and Taoist factions, and over a thousand members were killed, with no old, weak, women, or children spared.

Someone asked Master Fang Yuan of Huasheng Temple: "Does the Cang Family really possess a demonic art that devours people's internal energy?"

Master Fang Yuan, with a compassionate expression, chanted a Buddhist prayer.

"Amitabha! Perhaps someone has found it."

This statement spread throughout the martial world, adding another stain to the Buddhist sect, causing various gangs and sects to mock them for a while. After a few months, no one mentioned it anymore.

After all, there were too many major events happening in the imperial court and the martial world, and the Buddhist sect couldn't occupy the trending topics for more than a few days.

An event like Zhou Yi becoming a first-rate expert was still considered big news in the Heavenly Prison, and might still cause some ripples in Shenjing, but in Fengyang Kingdom, it wouldn't even cause a ripple.

The Brocade Guard sent people to recruit him, first promising him the position of Centurion, and later raising the offer to Vice Commandant.

Zhou Yi refused several times, and the matter was dropped.

The world's attention was always focused on the latest people and events. Two years had passed, and no one paid attention to a mere jailer anymore. Occasionally, when mentioned at the dinner table, he would be scorned and despised.

"Even if this kind of person is an expert, he's still a hopeless case!"

At the end of Hongchang 13, near the Lunar New Year's Eve.

An imperial edict spread throughout the world, announcing that the position of Crown Prince, which had been vacant for many years in Fengyang Kingdom, finally had an owner.

The First Prince, Zhao Xian, whose wife was the daughter of the Emperor's Tutor, Zhang Zhengyang.

"No wonder he can be ranked as the Chief Grand Secretary, this old man is extraordinary!"

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue a few times and put the matter behind him.

The imperial court and the martial world were like clouds to him, far less interesting than the art of talismans.

After two years of tracing and sketching, Zhou Yi had worn out several talisman brushes and ruined countless sheets of talisman paper. Drawing the four types of talismans had become almost instinctive; he could complete the complex strokes in one go.

True essence gathered at the tip of the brush, merging into the talisman with each stroke. The cinnabar became crystal clear on the talisman paper.

Poof!

With a soft sound, the true essence in the cinnabar dissipated, and the talisman paper shattered into powder.

Zhou Yi was already used to this. He carefully pondered the reason for the mistake and replaced the talisman paper to continue drawing.

Two years, from complete ignorance to a beginner. It was through this process of pondering and correcting mistakes that Zhou Yi had a premonition that the day of successfully creating a talisman was not far off.

"I'm almost out of talisman paper. I'll have to go and get a few more on credit."

Zhou Yi had heard that the Fierce Tiger Gang in the south of the city had recently obtained a white tiger skin, and the gang leader was holding a tiger appreciation banquet.

"Since we are fellow disciples who practice the Five Tigers Fist, it's only right to borrow it!"

The Fierce Tiger Gang leader was a disciple of Luo Hu. He had not participated in the rebellion back then. Afterwards, he took the subsequent boxing manual and nourishing prescriptions when the martial arts gym was sealed by the Brocade Guard, and now he had also become a local big shot.

"...Utter emptiness, spiritual talisman forms of its own accord!"

Zhou Yi's mind was clear, and as the last stroke fell, a faint spiritual light flickered on the talisman paper.

"Huh? It didn't break!"

Zhou Yi was surprised. He picked up the House-Protecting Talisman and examined it carefully. It was exactly as described in the book, but he didn't know if it would work.

He poured true essence into it, and the talisman burned spontaneously without fire.

An invisible and intangible wave swept across the entire courtyard.

At this moment, It was deep winter, and the night was still.

Suddenly, gusts of yin wind blew in the courtyard, emitting a wailing sound.

"Who's there?"

Zhou Yi's eyes flashed like lightning, and he suddenly looked towards the jujube tree in the courtyard.

In the originally empty space, clusters of black mist floated, vaguely resembling human figures, with only two red glows on their faces.

Turning his head, he saw that under the grape trellis where he usually ate, drank tea, and wine, some were hiding on the trellis, some were sitting on the stone stools, and even two ghostly figures were lying on the dining table.

More than a dozen pairs of scarlet eyes stared at Zhou Yi with resentment, as if they would pounce on him at any moment to bite him.

"Ghosts?"

Zhou Yi felt no fear in his heart. On the contrary, he was very interested. He gathered his true essence into a hand and grabbed a ghostly figure.

As a result, the ghostly figure let out a shrill scream when it touched the true essence, and then turned into nothingness.

"They're too fragile. They can't be called ghosts; they're just remnants of souls at best."

Zhou Yi, protected by his true essence, walked towards the ghostly figures.

Wooo...

The resentful and ferocious ghostly figures retreated in fright, eventually squeezing into the corner of the wall, overlapping like smoke and mist.

"You died at my hands in life, and you don't dare to resist even as ghosts. How boring! How boring!"

After Zhou Yi spoke, he condensed his true essence into a sword and shuttled back and forth through the ghostly figures several times, killing them all again.