Three Talisman Sects, truly deserving of the name!
Only upon truly beginning to understand the Great Dao of talismans did Zhong Bai's perception of talismanic formations genuinely broaden.
Were divine ability arts powerful? Indeed, they were very strong.
However... human energy had its limits, and the true essence within the body was the same. Could one possibly use thunder arts to blast apart a low-level white-haired zombie every time one encountered it?
Therefore, the importance of talismans lay in pre-storing one's true essence through the method of talismans, enhancing one's endurance in battle.
Such was the general principle. Even so, Zhong Bai still did not spend the majority of his time studying talismanic formations.
He only planned to learn a few dozen relatively practical talismans. What truly required his focus remained his Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art!
Every day, Zhong Bai needed to spend a large amount of time absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, refining it into his dantian to increase his cultivation, while simultaneously infusing true essence into the thunder seal within his dantian to continuously solidify it.
This process in itself was very time-consuming and arduous. Zhong Bai was different from Lin Fengjiao and Four-Eyes; the cultivation of thunder arts was simply this difficult...
They all said that cultivation made people indulge in it.
Before reaching the Qi Condensation First Layer, Zhong Bai had still felt that was somewhat exaggerated, but now, he only hated that his time was insufficient and could not all be used for cultivation.
A full year and a half—if it hadn't been for the fact that Zhong Bai needed to go to the Three Mao Patriarchs Hall to receive his talisman after three years of entering the sect, he might not have stopped his daily mechanical operations.
Inside the Law Enforcement Hall.
True Immortal Qianyuan still showed no changes at all, just like a year and a half ago, as if the passage of time could not affect him in the slightest.
Tap, tap, tap...
Accompanied by a crisp sound of footsteps, True Immortal Qianyuan also raised his head to look at the newcomer.
The tranquil eyes without a ripple now revealed joy and gratification.
"A year and a half has passed, and your cultivation in the Talisman Hall has come to a temporary close. Not bad, not bad, Qi Condensation Second Layer.
Zhong Bai, you have entered Mount Mao for three years now, and today is indeed the time for your formal Talisman Granting Ceremony.
Tell me, have you thought about what Daoist name to take?"
This question was neither big nor small. Aside from making one's future reputation more illustrious, more importantly, truly no one wanted to wander the mortal world under their secular name.
Zhong Bai was slightly dazed. He had now shed much of his youthful awkwardness. In the blink of an eye, he was already nineteen years old. In this chaotic era, if it were anyone else, they would have long since married, had children, and settled down.
Yet after entering Mount Mao, Zhong Bai felt he was still very young, so he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation and never once considered the matter of his Daoist name...
"Cough, cough. Master, this disciple has not thought of one. However, whatever Master bestows is the best. This disciple requests that Master bestow a Daoist name!"
Well, as for the problem, bounce it back to wherever it came from. In this regard, Zhong Bai was quite skilled.
Upon hearing this, True Immortal Qianyuan, having long anticipated it, smiled faintly and then spoke: "Disciple, I plan to bestow upon you the Daoist name Qianhe!
I wonder how my disciple feels about this?"
A loud crash exploded in Zhong Bai's mind. What did he just hear?
The Daoist name his master gave him turned out to be Qianhe???
The astonishment in his heart made Zhong Bai forget to reply for a moment.
Seeing this, True Immortal Qianyuan assumed Zhong Bai was dissatisfied with the Daoist name he had chosen, and his brow could not help but furrow slightly. He considered this Daoist name very well chosen; it was full of dominance!
Taoist Qianhe of the Mount Mao Law Enforcement Hall...
True Person Qianhe of the Mount Mao Law Enforcement Hall...
True Lord Qianhe of the Mount Mao Law Enforcement Hall...
True Lord Qianhe of the Mount Mao Law Enforcement Hall!
Well, muttering it to himself a few times inwardly, True Immortal Qianyuan felt satisfied no matter how he listened to it.
"What, disciple, do you feel it is not good?"
True Immortal Qianyuan's words pulled Zhong Bai back to reality. No matter how turbulent his inner depths were, he could only suppress them now.
Taking a deep breath, Zhong Bai slowly shook his head.
"Master, this disciple does not feel it is bad. It's just that the moment the two characters 'Qianhe' came out, my heart experienced some turbulent waves, as if they originally belonged to this disciple."
Hearing this, True Immortal Qianyuan could not help becoming cautious. The premonitions of the Taoist sects were always very accurate. Since Zhong Bai said so, it proved that the Daoist name Qianhe had its special aspects.
"Then... still persist in using the Daoist name Qianhe?"
"It is fine, Master. This disciple has no fear!"
No matter what, he was ultimately a disciple of Mount Mao. Even if he really was Qianhe himself, Zhong Bai felt his core had already changed.
The original Qianhe had not cultivated the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art, and as for himself, he certainly would not repeat the same mistakes!
"Good. This frame of mind has always been the reason Master values you. Zhong Bai, now follow Master to the Three Mao Patriarchs Hall to prepare for the Talisman Granting Ceremony!"
"This disciple obeys Master's decree!"
The master and disciple quickly arrived before the Three Mao Patriarchs Hall. Stepping into the hall, dozens of gazes immediately fixed squarely on Zhong Bai.
The Talisman Granting Ceremony was not a major event for Mount Mao, but generally speaking, when personal disciples of the elders from various halls and chambers received their talismans, elders from the remaining halls would all come to observe the ceremony.
Therefore, at this moment, excluding the Earth-Immortal-realm elders of Mount Mao, just the older disciples alone numbered more than twenty. Combined, dozens of pairs of eyes stared at Zhong Bai.
For an ordinary person, this kind of scene would truly be a bit hard to handle, but Zhong Bai was considered a seasoned veteran.
"Disciple Zhong Bai pays respects to all senior uncles, senior uncles-in-law, and senior martial brothers!"
After offering a slight bow of greeting, everyone in the hall also nodded in response to Zhong Bai's salutation.
"Senior Uncle Ming, Zhong Bai's Talisman Granting Ceremony will be left to you to preside over, Senior Uncle."
Upon entering the hall, True Immortal Qianyuan went straight to Ming Wanqian, who held the highest seniority in the hall.
Normally, a personal disciple's Talisman Granting Ceremony required the sect leader to preside over it personally, however...
The Maoshan Sect Leader, which was Shi Jian's master, had already entered seclusion before Zhong Bai became a disciple of Mount Mao.
Therefore, the current Mount Mao was almost led by Ming Wanqian as the figurehead. Of course, Ming Wanqian himself possessed very high seniority, so no one felt that was inappropriate.
"Hahaha, Qianyuan, you actually finally deigned to leave the Law Enforcement Hall. I thought you would spend every day guarding that treasure of yours, the Kui Niu Drum, to pass the time."
Ming Wanqian could not help teasing True Immortal Qianyuan. Throughout all of Mount Mao, who didn't know that he, Qianyuan, was an old homebody, having handed over almost all the affairs of the Law Enforcement Hall to the Second Elder, Liu Gang?
As for True Immortal Qianyuan himself, he spent every day practicing alongside the Third Elder, Cui Cheng, who was equally reclusive, right beside the Kui Niu Drum.
Well, over time, it became common knowledge.
Teasing aside, when Ming Wanqian cast his gaze toward Zhong Bai, the appreciation in his eyes was undisguised.
"Good lad, only a year and a half, and you're already at the Qi Condensation Second Layer. It looks like it won't take even a year or a half to break through to the Qi Condensation Third Layer.
I must say, the early-stage cultivation speed of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art when paired with the Kui Niu Drum is truly defying the heavens!"
Actually, Ming Wanqian was not envious of this point, though he was somewhat shocked. Did they not see that it had taken Lin Fengjiao of the Talisman Hall about five years to step into the Qi Condensation Third Layer?
As for Zhong Bai, he could reach the same height in four years. One had to know that Lin Fengjiao's innate talent was even slightly better than Zhong Bai's...
Hearing his grand-senior-uncle praise him, Zhong Bai felt his earlobes turn slightly red. He knew his own affairs best; in this past year and a half, aside from possessing the supreme treasure of the Kui Niu Drum to assist his cultivation, his master, True Immortal Qianyuan, had also expended goodness-knows-how-many spiritual pills.
All in all, apart from being unable to offer guidance on the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art, True Immortal Qianyuan had practically covered all other material aspects.
Under such conditions, if Zhong Bai still couldn't make rapid progress in his cultivation, he might as well just bash his head against something and die.
Before you continue