The Essence of the Talisman Dao, Honoring the Worthy and Humbling Oneself

"Three-Sub-Talisman?"

Within the Nine Mountains Realm, Senior Sister Zhang looked at the Spirit Message sent by Zheng Fa in the Comprehensive Mirror and was somewhat surprised.

She was in the Black Tortoise Wall, in a classroom at the Nine Mountains University's Artifact Refining Academy.

Besides Madam Xuanhua and Shi Nandang, there were also a group of outstanding students from the Artifact Refining Academy in the classroom.

This is the Vast Sun Artifact Refining Technology Compilation Group.

The weapon-refining Secret Method of Vast Sun Mountain that Biography of Zheng Fa back were numerous and powerful, representing a tremendous treasure for the Nine Mountains Realm.

But knowledge from books is static; only knowledge learned through practice is useful.

Therefore, Senior Sister Zhang and Madam Xuanhua have been selecting a group of disciples these days.

The task is to first organize and categorize the various Secret Method, then familiarize themselves with them, and integrate them into the Nine Mountains Sect's own weapon-refining techniques.

The ultimate goal is to upgrade and transform these techniques using the industrial thinking of the Nine Mountains Sect, thereby reducing costs and increasing efficiency.

Although it was only the beginning, Senior Sister Zhang and Madam Xuanhua had already realized that these techniques were truly profound and complex.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Fa brought them another surprise at Vast Sun Mountain.

Madam Xuanhua also looked at the information in the Comprehensive Mirror, her face showing surprise:

"The Storage Bag is related to the Three-Subsymbol Theory? Could it be that you, Sect Leader, already know the function of the third part of the talisman?"

Zheng Fa, in Shi Nandang's residence, looked at Madam Xuanhua's question, thought for a moment, and replied:

"I should say I've come to understand the fallacies of the Three-Subsymbol Theory."

The Three-Subsymbol Theory appeared very early on.

At first, Zheng Fa and his group discovered the Five-Element Sub-Talisman.

Later, they discovered the Divine-Name Sub-Talisman.

However, the meaning of the other parts of the Talisman Diagram remains a mystery and difficult to interpret, both in modern and Nine Mountains Realm research.

Zheng Fa explained his thoughts, "To be precise, the Three-Sub-Talisman is actually divided into two parts. The simpler ones are the Five-Element Sub-Talisman and the Divine-Name Sub-Talisman, which have already been deciphered. The other part is extremely complex and consists of the talismans that have not yet been deciphered."

These sub-symbols may have different functions, but they are considered as one because we do not understand their meaning.

Senior Sister Zhang replied, "Then what does this have to do with the Storage Bag?"

"I've studied many methods for crafting Storage Bag in the Scripture Tower of Vast Sun Mountain, and I've discovered a problem—the material of Storage Bag isn't its essence; its essence lies in the runes Talisman Diagram on Storage Bag."

"Senior sister, I believe you can also see that the Talisman Diagram on the Storage Bag contains all Five-Element Sub-Talisman, but the unsolved talismans are relatively simple."

At this point, Zheng Fa took out a Storage Bag from his sleeve and gently stroked it with a deep gaze.

The Nine Mountains Sect has been researching Storage Bag for some time now.

Objectively speaking, progress has been minimal.

However, the Talisman Diagram on these Storage Bag have been statistically analyzed.

Before his senior sister could reply, Zheng Fa continued, "The simplicity of this unsolved talisman, in my opinion, is probably due to the simplicity of its Storage Bag function."

Senior Sister Zhang seemed to understand a little. "Storage and retrieval? You mean, the third part, the sub-symbols, is related to the function of the Talisman Diagram?"

"Yes!" Zheng Fa replied with a smile, "Senior sister, let's hypothesize: if we were to implement storage and retrieval using Coding, what functions would be needed?"

Senior Sister Zhang's research in computers far surpasses Zheng Fa's, and she immediately replied, "Ultimately, it boils down to two parts: allocating storage space size and determining storage space location."

Zheng Fa replied, "I think that's the essence of Storage Bag!"

Within the Nine Mountains Realm, Senior Sister Zhang was stunned.

She lowered her head in deep thought, as if she had grasped something.

Shi Nandang and Madam Xuanhua, who were not very familiar with computer languages, were completely confused.

The two dared not speak, and could only communicate with their eyes.

When they saw the confusion on the other person's face, a smile involuntarily appeared on their lips, and there was even a hint of mutual appreciation in their eyes.

"If we understand the Talisman Diagram in this way..." Senior Sister Zhang remained silent for a long time, her eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if she had been struck by boundless inspiration.

Holding the Comprehensive Mirror, she quickly said:

"So, the third sub-symbol in the Storage Bag Talisman Diagram must specify the size and location of the storage space?"

"The Storage Bag's space isn't actually unique; it's connected to a strange space?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Xuanhua and Shi Nandang understood.

Zheng Fa from Vast Sun Mountain replied:

"My understanding is roughly the same as yours."

If we use real-world examples to explain it, Zheng Fa's current guess is that the Storage Bag is somewhat like a supermarket locker.

The Talisman Diagram is equivalent to a barcode, containing information such as the size and location of your cabinet.

The key is that you can carry this locker with you and open/close it at any time to store and retrieve your items.

The focus isn't even on the Talisman Diagram, but on where the space is.

"What about the other Talisman Diagram? Is the essence of the Talisman Dao of Runes a function?"

Senior Sister Zhang suddenly sent me a question.

Zheng Fa couldn't help but laugh.

In terms of synchronized thinking, there is truly no one in the Xuanwei Realm who is more in sync with him than Senior Sister Zhang.

Deciphering the secrets of the Talisman Diagram on the Storage Bag has far greater significance than simply understanding the Storage Bag, or even understanding space!

This will be another major breakthrough for the Nine Mountains Talisman Dao – they have determined the function of the third part of the sub-talismans, or at least part of it.

"Senior, I'm starting to think that Three-Sub-Talisman somewhat similar to functions in computer theory."

"The third part, sub-symbols, represents the computation and implementation of functions. For example, the function of Storage Bag is almost equivalent to data storage—except that we are not calling the hardware space, but the actual heterogeneous space."

"And the Five-Element Sub-Talisman..." Zheng Fa thought for a moment, then uttered a somewhat bold conjecture, "... are the output type of functions."

To put it bluntly...

If we consider Spiritual Qi as the physical law of other worlds...

The function of those Talisman Diagram is to invoke the rules, matter, and even space of a certain world—as you can imagine, this part is extremely complex.

Therefore, Zheng Fa and his group were unable to understand the third part, the sub-symbols.

However, the rules governing time-space air conditioning will alter the matter in the world where the cultivator resides, producing abnormal physical phenomena.

The final result will be output in the form of material changes, that is, the transformation of the Five Elements.

Zheng Fa added, "As for the Divine-Name Sub-Talisman, could it be a function name? Or world coordinates? I'm not sure yet."

Within the Nine Mountains Realm, Senior Sister Zhang seemed to have been inspired, engaging in a lively discussion with Zheng Fa, together refining this new theory of Talisman Dao.

Shi Nandang and Madam Xuanhua looked at each other in bewilderment.

What the heck?

Wasn't it supposed to be Storage Bag?

How did we get to the origin of the Talisman Dao?

But the glint in Zhang Taishang's eyes and the smile on his lips told them that Zheng Fa's words made a lot of sense!

At least Zhang Taishang agrees!

The two looked at the Comprehensive Mirror and then at Zhang Taishang, feeling as if they were in different worlds despite being in the same classroom.

After discussing the theory of Talisman Dao with Senior Sister Zhang, Zheng Fa thought for a moment and then walked towards the door.

The Three-Subsymbol Theory —no, it's now called the Function-Talisman Diagram Theory —is a new framework for explaining the Talisman Dao in the Nine Mountains Realm and Zheng Fa.

Even considering the relationship between Spiritual Qi and Talisman Diagram, to ultimately understand the truth Spiritual-Energy Decline, we probably have to focus on the Talisman Dao.

The problem is that even if the properties of the third part of the symbol are understood, analyzing its essence remains extremely difficult.

This matter cannot be rushed.

Various thoughts raced through his mind as he flew toward another hilltop.

Vast Sun Mountain has fourteen peaks. Besides the main peak where the Three Palaces Hall and the Nine Luminaries Heaven are located, there is another important mountain - Thousand Cauldrons Peak.

This mountain is specifically for Vast Sun disciples to use in refining weapons.

There are over a thousand precious cauldrons on it, all of which are Xuanwei and exquisite artifacts for refining, including two Spirit Treasure- level cauldrons, demonstrating the immense wealth of Vast Sun Mountain.

Looking out from the city towards Thousand Cauldrons Peak, one can often see flames flickering on its summit, burning day and night.

Zheng Fa landed outside a cave abode, deliberately making some noise with his feet.

The flickering fire in the cave paused slightly. A Nascent Soul Cultivator, his face wary, emerged from the cave. Upon seeing Zheng Fa outside, he quickly cupped his hands and said:

"Greetings, Venerable Shi!"

His expression revealed his surprise at why Shi Nan, Shi Nandang an important figure, would seek out a Nascent Soul Cultivator like himself.

"I've heard that you are very skilled in crafting the Mystic Fire Mirror?"

Zheng Fa nodded and directly stated his purpose.

I wouldn't say I'm an expert, I can only say I have some insights.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator said modestly.

Zheng Fa cupped his hands and said, "Then I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

"..."

The Nascent Soul Cultivator in front of Zheng Fa stared wide-eyed as Zheng Fa cupped his hands in greeting, his eyes trembling. "Please... please enlighten me?"

Clearly, he never expected that Shi Nandang Spirit Transformation cultivator and the legendary fourth Holy Ancestor of the sect, would seek guidance from a mere Nascent Soul like himself.

How could a lowly person like me deserve the word "ask for advice"?

Zheng Fa waved his hand and said, "Those who are enlightened are my teachers."

He can't go to Tianhe anytime soon, and he doesn't want to be idle on Vast Sun Mountain.

Senior Sister Zhang is organizing the weapon-refining Secret Method of Vast Sun Mountain, but this is actually not an easy task:

The prevailing trend of Xuanwei has led many cultivators to hoard their secrets and even hide the key points of certain Secret Method.

Even if the Secret Method is complete, there will still be many difficulties in the process, from theory to practice: after all, weapon crafting is a skill.

A single insightful comment from an experienced master can be more powerful than any Secret Method.

Therefore, after Zheng Fa finished stealing the scriptures from the Scripture Tower, he ran to Thousand Cauldrons Peak to continue stealing the masters.

The Nascent Soul Cultivator stared blankly at Zheng Fa's earnest expression, a hint of reluctance flashing in his eyes. After a long while, he gritted his teeth and said, "This humble one will certainly tell you everything I know."

Zheng Fa understood, of course, that this person wasn't one to readily offer advice and was unwilling to reveal his unique skills.

But Zheng Fa's current status is what it is.

Whether due to the difference in status or to curry favor, this disciple dared not, and could not, refuse.

Zheng Fa smiled and probed the Creation Jade Disc with his Divine Sense.

Senior Sister Zhang sent two lists:

A list was filled with the names of Vast Sun Mountain disciples—most of whom were authors of various weapon-refining Secret Method, and of course, weapon-refining masters from Shi Nandang's memories.

The second list consists of the problems encountered by the disciples of the Nine Mountains Realm in refining the Mystic Fire Mirror.

Zheng Fa simply started asking questions one by one from the second list.

That Nascent Soul Cultivator truly lived up to the reputation of being a talent chosen by Senior Sister Zhang. He had been immersed in the refinement of the Mystic Fire Mirror for a long time, and on average, he could answer eight or nine out of ten questions, with one or two of them being particularly insightful.

As Zheng Fa listened to the man's answer, he sent it back to the Nine Mountains Realm for Madam Xuanhua and her disciples to discuss and refer to.

Madam Xuanhua and her group had some new ideas and questions.

Senior Sister Zhang summarized it and sent it back to Zheng Fa.

At first, the Nascent Soul Cultivator seemed quite relaxed when answering Zheng Fa's questions.

But later, Zheng Fa asked more and more profound questions, and he spent more and more time thinking about them. Gradually, he had to rack his brains to find the answer.

Towards the end, there were some questions he couldn't answer, or even realize it himself, and could only offer guesses.

Seeing that he was truly empty-handed and had nothing new to offer, Zheng Fa thanked him sincerely once again before taking his leave.

After Zheng Fa left, the Nascent Soul Cultivator sighed with a complicated expression, shook his head, and returned to the Pill Cauldron to continue refining the Mystic Fire Mirror.

But as soon as he raised his hand, he realized something was wrong—he had gained some different insights into the refining of his Mystic Fire Mirror!

He only came to understand many issues he hadn't been aware of before after Zheng Fa asked him.

Only after it was completed did he realize that this Mystic Fire Mirror was the best one he had ever crafted in his life!

Holding the Mystic Fire Mirror, he looked in the direction Zheng Fa had left, his eyes showing more surprise and less resentment.

"The Venerable Shi spends all his time at Thousand Cauldrons Peak."

On Thousand Cauldrons Peak, a group of disciples were discussing in hushed tones.

One of the pretty female cultivators nodded. "Yes, it seems he consulted quite a few disciples. He even came to see me a few days ago."

"Oh right, you've refined the Frost-Soul Pearl quite well. It's a pity about your unique Secret Method."

The group nodded, looking at the female cultivator with pity.

Another disciple said, "He seizes and plunders so cunningly, yet no one in the sect can stop him!"

The others dared not speak; they were not to be trifled with the Venerable Shi, nor could they afford to offend the disciple who had spoken.

This person was a direct descendant of a Luo Clan who Corpse Liberation; he possessed excellent aptitude and was extremely favored.

The conflict between the Luo Clan and the Venerable Shi was common knowledge, and they had long known about this person's dissatisfaction with the Venerable Shi.

To everyone's surprise, the pretty female disciple shook her head and said, "What a pity? No, I'm more than grateful."

"..."

Don't you know?

"What?"

"Many of those who were approached by the Venerable Shi have made some progress, more or less."

"Is that so?"

"Moreover, Venerable Shi is exceptionally skilled in weapon crafting. So, while I was asked for guidance, it was more like a discussion..." the female disciple continued, "He also has a deep understanding of the crafting of the Frost-Soul Pearl. In fact, I learned even more than Venerable Shi."

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, finding it all quite strange, yet the female disciple's expression seemed genuine.

Many of my fellow disciples are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Venerable Shi.

One of the disciples nodded and said, "That makes sense. When have we ever had the chance to discuss weapon-refining Secret Method with Venerable Shi before?"

The others figured it out too.

The Venerable Shi's talent is well-known, and ordinary disciples would benefit greatly from Dao Discussion with him.

This pretty female cultivator is proof of it.

"So, the Venerable Shi is instructing his disciples?"

"..."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

After a long while, one of them glanced at the direct descendants of the Luo Clan and spoke:

"Although I don't know the details... I think the matter of the Immortal-Trapping Sword shouldn't be the Venerable Shi's fault."

The direct descendants of the Luo Clan were stunned and turned to look at the others.

Most people were nodding their heads, as if in agreement.

No, the Holy Ancestor isn't even alive yet, and you've already made a judgment?

"Winning hearts and minds!" From within the Three Palaces Hall, the Yun Clan cultivator stated confidently, "Shi Nandang is trying to win hearts and minds!"

Cloud True Immortal remained silent, his expression somewhat solemn, and he also felt that what was said was true.

Shi Nandang's "inquiry" benefited many disciples in the sect, who made some progress in their skills.

Even those who haven't made much progress simply feel that they lack the necessary aptitude and haven't been able to learn anything from the teachings of the Venerable Shi.

As far as he knew, there were many in the Yun Clan who were Shi Nandang.

He also felt it was outrageous:

A Dao Fruit Seed, eagerly instructing his disciple!

He offered guidance, yet claimed he was seeking advice, being polite and courteous, giving his disciples ample face.

Shi Nandang, I'd still do it!

If it were him, he would be extremely grateful.

After much thought, he only had one idea— Shi Nandang truly trying to win people's hearts and prepare for the establishment of the Stone Clan.

Although the Three Clans are called races, the Vast Sun Technique is actually a unified whole, making it relatively easy for cultivators below the Spirit Transformation to switch between different paths.

Given Shi Nandang's current reputation, one can imagine how many disciples would switch to his Cultivation Method when Dao Fruit Shi Nandang!

"This boy has grand ambitions..."

Cloud True Immortal frowned, finding it troublesome.

It would be better if Shi Nandang competed with me for resources.

But this action left him unsure how to respond.

"Holy Ancestor, why not let it leave Vast Sun Mountain?"

The Yun Clan cultivator suddenly made a suggestion.

Cloud True Immortal's heart skipped a beat. "The Tianhe Sect?"

"That's right! We won't give Shi Nandang to win over the sect's disciples." The Yun Clan Spirit Transformation spoke confidently, "Once the Tianhe Sect's affairs are settled and Ancestor Luo is resurrected, we can watch the tigers fight it out."

Upon hearing this, Cloud True Immortal laughed and said, "That's a good idea."

When Zheng Fa entered the Three Palaces Hall, he was also somewhat troubled:

He'd had enough of Vast Sun Mountain.

The stolen weapon-refining techniques, especially the easier ones, have been almost completely organized with the help of the disciples from Vast Sun Mountain on Thousand Cauldrons Peak.

The rest are either of little value or too difficult to understand; even on Vast Sun Mountain, few people could figure them out.

In his view, Vast Sun Mountain was almost bald from all the exploitation he had done.

As for competing with Cloud True Immortal for resources... he doesn't really lack them.

The East-West Continent Trade Route have yielded so many spiritual materials spirit medicine that even the frugal Zheng Fa has become somewhat arrogant and looks down on the meager earnings of Vast Sun Mountain.

After all, Lu Mo had almost squandered all of Vast Sun Mountain's wealth.

In particular, Vast Sun Mountain's business has been impacted by the Nine Mountains Sect, and its Spirit Vein have been damaged, leaving it pitifully poor.

This made Cloud True Immortal want to go to the Tianhe Sect and plunder their territory.

Zheng Fa also wanted to go to the Tianhe Sect, but this matter still required Cloud True Immortal's approval.

"I will be setting off for the Tianhe Sect soon, and you will come with me..."

"In accordance with the Founder's decree!"

"It's like a pillow being delivered when you're sleepy," Zheng Fa said quickly.

Cloud True Immortal was taken aback, looking at the genuine joy on Zheng Fa's face, and was a little puzzled.

Wasn't this person trying to win people over?

Giving up so easily?

Watching Zheng Fa leave in a hurry, Cloud True Immortal remained silent for a long time before suddenly speaking, "He... just wanted to instruct the disciples of his sect, didn't he?"

The Yun Clan cultivator also looked pained. "It seems this person hasn't thought that far ahead at all."

The two remained silent for a long time, only watching Zheng Fa's retreating figure.

Everyone felt that the figure was getting bigger and bigger.

I'm getting smaller and smaller.