Natal Spirit Talisman

Yu Qinghong had all the bearing of a senior junior sister. She carefully taught him the complete set of thirty-six Green Leaf Spirit Talismans, explaining where each talisman was lacking and what wondrous uses it would gain once completed. She left nothing unsaid and answered every one of Chen Ganliu's questions.

The Green Leaf Spirit Talismans were divided into the grades of Jia and Yi. The thirty-six Green Leaf Spirit Talismans of the Qi Condensation realm primarily cultivated Jia Wood, with each talisman corresponding to one Jia Wood spiritual vein.

It was simply exceedingly difficult to find someone with all thirty-six Jia Wood spiritual veins. Thus, the disciples of the Green Leaf Sect primarily cultivated their innate spiritual veins and were often proficient in only three to five talisman arts.

Chen Ganliu had, after all, spent decades painstakingly studying talisman arts, and he was also well versed in the Heart Talisman Technique. He truly understood one thing and grasped ten more, drawing inferences from one example to another. He learned incredibly quickly.

Seeing how "quickly" Chen Ganliu learned, Yu Qinghong secretly thought, My junior apprentice brother's talent is unparalleled. He's already at the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, having boiled liquid into Qi, and has also opened dozens of apertures. He isn't far from reaching perfection in Condensing Qi into Apertures at the Third Layer of Qi Condensation. He certainly isn't one of those people who enter the sect for decades yet accomplish nothing.

"I've been looking after Master recently. Perhaps I should first teach you how to condense a Natal Spirit Talisman."

A Green Leaf Spirit Talisman that harmonized with one's own spiritual veins was known as a Natal Spirit Talisman. Once cultivated, its power was far greater than that of the other talismans.

According to the rules of the Green Leaf Sect, only those above the Third Layer of Qi Condensation would be formally taught how to condense a Natal Spirit Talisman. This was because sect members above the Third Layer of Qi Condensation would no longer be driven down the mountain.

The talisman arts that had spread beyond the Green Leaf Sect did not include the secrets of condensing a Natal Spirit Talisman in harmony with one's own spiritual veins. Thus, no matter how those who had not taken a master cultivated, they could never surpass the disciples of the sect itself.

Yu Qinghong felt that Chen Ganliu would probably perfect Condensing Qi into Apertures in two or three years. Although she was teaching him a little early, there was nothing improper about it.

Chen Ganliu had just finished learning the thirty-six beginner talismans and was secretly delighted, thinking about how to first cultivate the Spring Verdure Talisman, when he heard Yu Qinghong say, "Junior apprentice brother, the secret art I'm about to impart is an extremely core technique of our sect. It may only be taught to those who will remain on the mountain."

"I'm teaching it to you ahead of time. You must not tell anyone else. Without the teacher's permission, you must not teach it to anyone either."

Chen Ganliu nodded repeatedly and sat upright. As he listened to Yu Qinghong recite the formulas for condensing a Natal Spirit Talisman one sentence at a time, he recalled his years as a Servant Disciple in the Immortal Encounter Sect in his previous life. His heart was filled with a hundred tangled emotions, and a thought suddenly arose: If I had obtained this secret art in my previous life, I fear I could have broken through to the Third Layer of Qi Condensation before I turned fifty.

After teaching him the secret art of condensing a Natal Spirit Talisman, Yu Qinghong also let out a sigh of relief and said, "With what I've taught you, your cultivation should be free of problems for the next few years."

Chen Ganliu had lived through three lifetimes, and he was well versed in the ways of human affairs. He heard the implication in Yu Qinghong's words and could not help asking in alarm, "Is Master's injury really that serious?"

"Senior Sister, didn't you refine spirit pills? Fairy Nan also sent over some spirit pills. Can't Master recover from his injuries soon?"

Yu Qinghong shook her head and sighed. "That devil's techniques were sinister and vicious. Even Fairy Nan's Dao Path was affected. How could the teacher's injuries be easily healed?"

"Even our grandmaster is helpless. If there's still no improvement after some time, Master will take me out to find the patriarch. The patriarch is a great cultivator of the True Yang Realm. He must have a way to heal Master's injuries."

In his previous life, Chen Ganliu had never heard his senior junior sister mention this close friend, nor had he ever seen Yun Susu visit Blazing Light Cave on Double Sun Mountain. Now, he suddenly realized something and thought, Could it be that Master didn't have much longer to live?

Was that why Senior Sister later felt guilty and never mentioned this friend to anyone?

Chen Ganliu hazily remembered that every year, his senior junior sister would seek out a quiet room for one or two days, burn incense, and reflect on her mistakes. Back then, he had thought it was merely ordinary meditation and self-cultivation. Now that he thought about it, perhaps she had been mourning her friend.

His heart grew heavy. Although he had not been this master's disciple for long and had only met her once, their master-disciple bond was genuine. She had even had senior junior sister Yu Qinghong teach him the Green Leaf Sect's Dao arts. Her kindness ran deep. He thought, I should find a way to help Master heal her injuries.

Yu Qinghong gave Chen Ganliu a few more instructions, then let him leave.

Chen Ganliu returned to his residence and racked his brains. What news or opportunities from his previous life could help him and his senior junior sister find a way to heal Master's injuries?

He thought for a long time but still found nothing. He meditated for ages, yet could not calm his mind. When he tried to sleep, he tossed and turned. His mind flashed first to his senior junior sister's appearance back then, then to his sickly master. After struggling for a long while, his head grew muddled. Somehow, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck him, and he cried out, "How could I have forgotten that?"

The Immortal Encounter Sect had only the Geng Metal lineage and lacked the Xin Metal lineage. Back then, his senior junior sister had carried the Geng Metal Qi Condensation Method down the mountain, hoping that if she encountered an opportunity, she could obtain the subsequent cultivation method and pass it on to future generations.

Over the years, the married couple had learned of two opportunities. But because his senior junior sister's cultivation had fallen a realm and Chen Ganliu's cultivation was too low, they could only gaze at them from afar despite having the news.

One of these two opportunities involved a descendant of White Daoist from the lineage of the Jade Purity Feather Ascension Tower.

That descendant was named Qiu Sheng. He was dashing and suave, gentle and passionate, and had improper relations with quite a few female cultivators. Later, no one knew how, but he became involved with a highly cultivated female rogue cultivator from an unorthodox sect. When his sect learned of it, they flew into a great rage.

Fearing punishment from his sect, Qiu Sheng stole several treasures from it and fled to Plum Blossom Mountain, one of the five great sacred mountains of the Demon Race.

After reaching Plum Blossom Mountain, he still refused to settle down. He abandoned that female rogue cultivator from the unorthodox sect and became involved with a beautiful female demon—a Scorpion Demon who had cultivated for more than fifteen hundred years.

At first, the two had been deeply in love, and the Scorpion Demon had been gentle and tender. Later, unable to bear the loneliness, he fell for someone else and went off to flirt with other female demons.

The Scorpion Demon was furious but pretended not to know. While they were enjoying themselves, she struck him with the inverted-horse venom from her sting.

That Scorpion Demon had more than fifteen hundred years of cultivation and had already entered the Golden Core realm. The inverted-horse venom was a drop of innate, deadly poison gathered and refined on the hook of her tail. How could Qiu Sheng withstand it?

He fought back with all his might, struck the Scorpion Demon with his palm, and fled to seek help from his old lover.

The female rogue cultivator from the unorthodox sect had been abandoned by him and was already filled with resentment. Not only did she refuse to save him, she also struck him with a spiritual shuttle.

He was indeed worthy of being a disciple of a great sect. Even after suffering two heavy blows, he still escaped Plum Blossom Mountain, after which all trace of him vanished.

Chen Ganliu and his senior junior sister both guessed that his severe injuries had probably flared up and killed him somewhere. If they could find where he had died, perhaps they could obtain the Dao arts of the Jade Purity Feather Ascension Tower lineage, along with those few treasures forged from Western True Gold.

The two of them had even made several calculations based on the rumors and roughly narrowed down the possible place of Qiu Sheng's death. But that place was no longer within Great Qian's borders. Moreover, it was too close to Plum Blossom Mountain, where countless great demons ran rampant. They reckoned that if they went there, their chances of surviving were less than one in a hundred, so they had not dared go.

He had been listless for two days straight. Today, he had to pull himself together...