Traces of Sorcery

"Hmm, I still won't try to persuade him. With Junior Brother Qingyun's looks, if he were to work at the Hall of Seeking Offspring in the Front Pavilion, wouldn't he steal all my thunder!"

He Xiao thought this, but seeing Li Qingyun engrossed in reading scriptures, and realizing he himself had idled away the entire day without doing any cultivation practice, he suddenly felt a sliver of pressure.

He forced himself to perk up and walked to his desk. Looking at the two pieces of talisman paper that had been lying there idle for many days, he hesitated for a moment before finally rolling up his sleeves, picking up his brush, dipping it in gold powder and cinnabar, and beginning to draw.

Before he had written much, the weariness that followed the initial excitement washed over him. He tossed his brush aside, got back into bed fully clothed, and in an instant, began to snore contentedly.

The snoring, echoing long and loud in the room, was ultimately quite a disturbance.

After his concentration was broken for the third time, Li Qingyun could no longer sit still. He let out a wry smile of helplessness, then got up and left the room.

There was no moon tonight, nor were there any twinkling stars. The sky above Maple Mountain was pitch black, with only the scattered lights from the back mountain, casting flickering, eerie crimson shadows on the peaks and trees.

The mountain wind was cold. Li Qingyun tucked his sleeves in and walked quickly through the darkness. The dark red maple trees on either side blurred past, and in a short while, he arrived at the pool where he had bathed during the day.

This was one of the few places in the back mountain he had explored.

Mist billowed, obscuring the flowers and trees around the pool, creating a hazy scene.

His eyes, however, held a mystical light, allowing him to see through the mist. He found a relatively smooth, yellow-wax-colored rock by the pool. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, he brushed away the dirt and dust, then sat down leisurely.

"It's quiet here at night. No one will disturb me."

He flipped open his transcribed copy, and his mind immediately calmed as he began to focus on comprehending the Qi Concealment Art.

Gradually, the aura of mana on his body slowly receded, becoming internalized.

"This spell is indeed simple. Of course, it also helps that I have the foundation of the scriptures and Daoist texts from the Scripture Depository, which makes comprehending it feel relatively easy. However, I always feel that the effect of concealing my aura is not as satisfactory as I'd like..."

With a thought, he changed his sitting posture to the standard meditation pose.

Having established a mana foundation, and seeing that he could achieve results by cultivating on his own just now, he felt confident and decided to try the mysterious Daoist effigy projection in his mind again.

"This Daoist effigy can help cultivate mana, so can it help comprehend spells?"

Buzz!

Before he could think further, in the dark void within his mind, the mysterious Daoist effigy with its lowered gaze reappeared.

However, Li Qingyun noticed that the Daoist effigy, seated in the darkness, did not have the Qi Concealment Art scroll appear before it, nor did clear energy rise from its head.

"Qi Concealment Art! Qi Concealment Art!"

"That's strange... Perhaps it only helps cultivate mana?"

Li Qingyun mentally visualized the Qi Concealment Art, trying to project it before the Daoist effigy, but there was no reaction whatsoever.

Instead, he vaguely felt that the mysterious Daoist effigy with its lowered gaze seemed to exude a faint trace of disdain, not directed at him, but at the Qi Concealment Art itself.

However, his thoughts did receive some response.

Under the drive of his strong intent, the dark wall behind the mysterious Daoist effigy finally showed some change, condensing into a faint ripple like water.

Seeing the ripple in the darkness, Li Qingyun instinctively understood, "This is the trace left by the Qi Concealment Art!"

"Spells and profound arts can both leave traces in the mysterious Daoist effigy's space, but in completely different forms. The Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art manifested as a scroll floating before it, while the Qi Concealment Art merely left a faint ripple on the dark wall..."

He focused his attention on the faint ripple on the dark wall behind the Daoist effigy, and then something magical happened again!

He felt his comprehension of the Qi Concealment Art begin to soar!

Just now, carefully reading and circulating mana was a preliminary step, but now, by gazing at that faint ripple, his understanding of the Qi Concealment Art advanced further. Many unclear and vague points began to become clear.

Although it wasn't comparable to the Precious Furnace Qi Absorption Art, where the Daoist effigy projection directly cultivated mana for him, being able to assist in spell comprehension was equally extraordinary!

"This mysterious Daoist effigy of mine is truly incredible, helping this Daoist Lord soar with ease and achieve great things..."

His heart was filled with continuous surprise, and the aura on his body also kept changing. From the outside, it became even harder to detect any surge of mana.

This Qi Concealment Art was now mastered, at least to the point of effortless control!

"It's enough for now! Let me try this Thunder Seal next. This is a powerful technique for controlling lightning and subduing demons. Once I master it, I'll have some ability to protect myself!"

Li Qingyun, filled with anticipation, took out the Thunder Seal transcribed copy again.

This spell was chosen after much deliberation. He intended to make lightning techniques his first protective art.

The You Kingdom was plagued by demons and monsters, and the common people suffered. Even in bustling county and prefectural cities with extraordinary families and unorthodox sects, "strange" incidents still occurred from time to time, causing many civilians to go missing or die tragically.

Lightning techniques, with their immense power, could summon lightning and thunder. A single clap of thunder could kill demons, making them vanish into dust. This was definitely a superior spell for suppressing anomalies, expelling ghosts, and eliminating demons.

Once Li Qingyun mastered lightning techniques, he would undoubtedly be able to establish himself in this world. The feeling of unease and wandering in his heart would at least be greatly reduced, dispelling some of the invisible pressure hanging over him.

However, lightning techniques were notoriously difficult. Driving the lightning of heaven and earth was an unimaginable challenge.

Great power came with high difficulty and great cost... Ordinary Daoist True cultivators would not choose lightning techniques as their primary cultivation path.

Li Qingyun was relying on the mysterious Daoist effigy in the dark space of his mind, which could help him continuously cultivate mana. In the future, his mana would be incomparably vast and powerful.

Choosing lightning techniques as his main cultivation path would undoubtedly amplify his own advantages twofold!

"This Thunder Seal technique involves performing six mudras, reciting incantations, and simultaneously visualizing a Divine Firmament Demon Subduing Dao Lord. These three aspects work in conjunction to reach a subtle balance point, and then one fuses their own mana with the lightning's yang intent drawn from the void, ultimately manifesting as the power of lightning!"

"It seems clear and easy to understand, but in practice, it is extremely difficult. The entire casting process cannot have the slightest error!"

"Especially if one is not proficient enough and takes half a day to summon lightning, it would be as useless as a chicken's rib. Enemies won't stand there waiting to be struck by lightning..."

After attempting to comprehend and practice it himself, Li Qingyun couldn't help but sigh. He was, after all, not a cultivation prodigy.

Stuttering, his hand seals went from clumsy to relatively proficient. He could initially form six types of Thunder Seals and had memorized the incantations. However, performing the hand seals and reciting the incantations simultaneously, with the two needing to mesh perfectly, drastically increased the difficulty!

Not to mention he also had to visualize and silently chant to the Divine Firmament Demon Subduing Dao Lord at the same time.

This legendary supreme being seemed to hold some authority over lightning techniques.

He tried more than ten times. Twice, the hand seals and incantations finally aligned correctly, but in the most crucial step of the spellcasting, the Divine Firmament Demon Subduing Dao Lord seemed to offer no response at all.

This being in the netherworld appeared completely unwilling to acknowledge him!

This was the downside of his "self-taught" practice. Without a Daoist master's guidance, and without seeking instruction at the lecture hall in the back mountains, how could he possibly understand the intricacies involved?

If he had spent a hefty sum to hire a Daoist master from the temple for guidance and to resolve his doubts, that master would surely have told him that before practicing the [Thunder Seal], one must first long-term worship and visualize the Divine Firmament Demon Subduing Dao Lord. Only by becoming familiar with him first and establishing a good relationship, with a sincere heart, would the Dao Lord even glance his way!