You Tell Me

A quarter of an hour later, the flying boat soon arrived above a secluded valley.

Buildings rose and fell throughout the valley, surrounded by pleasing flowers and grass.

As the flying boat slowly descended, a golden shield rose from within the valley.

"An array formation..."

Lin Fan's expression shifted slightly.

The formation was large enough to envelop an entire valley, so its scale was clearly no small matter.

Moreover, as far as he knew, formations like this consumed spirit stones at an alarming rate. They were rarely activated within the sect on ordinary days and would only be deployed in the event of an attack or some special circumstance.

The flying boat came to a steady stop, and everyone filed out in turn, with Lin Fan being the last.

An old man dressed in white robes embroidered with golden patterns walked over from the plaza. He was short and thin, with graying temples, yet he looked full of vigor.

A woman followed close behind the old man. Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her figure hot and graceful, and every gesture she made brimmed with seductive charm.

"Greetings, Master Ruan."

"Greetings, Mistress."

Everyone spoke in unison and bowed respectfully to the old man.

Lin Fan followed suit and bowed.

"I'm very pleased that all of you could come."

Master Ruan swept his gaze over everyone and spoke with a beaming smile.

At this, Yun Peng, Wang Zhaofeng, and the others stepped forward one after another to flatter him. They were so warm and respectful that they seemed eager to praise Master Ruan to the heavens.

Master Ruan understood their intentions. Rather than continue chatting with them, he gestured for everyone to follow him.

He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped. Noticing Lin Fan in the corner, he casually asked, "You look unfamiliar. Who is this?"

Of the Blood Talisman Masters and prospective masters who had come today, he had at least some impression of nearly all of them. Only Lin Fan was a new face whose background he knew nothing about.

At this moment, Yun Peng stepped forward and said, "Master, this man is a disciple of Blackwood Cliff. Shi Tao personally recommended him."

"Blackwood Cliff... He came from a menial servant's background, right?" Master Ruan glanced at Lin Fan.

"That's right, Master Ruan," Lin Fan replied neither servilely nor arrogantly.

Upon hearing this, the others looked at Lin Fan with varying degrees of disdain.

Not only was he not a Blood Talisman Master, he had even come from the lowest and most despised background—that of a menial servant. Was someone like him really worthy of being invited here?

Master Ruan did not look down on Lin Fan. Instead, he nodded and smiled kindly. "You're a young man who's had it hard. Since you've come this time, do your best to learn something."

Lin Fan froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "I'll remember your teachings, Master Ruan."

Master Ruan did not spare Lin Fan another glance. Supported by the alluring Mistress, he headed toward the depths of Roaming Cloud Valley.

The others followed behind him in a grand procession.

Although it was called the Roaming Cloud Valley Blood Talisman Gathering, it was actually more like a "demon beast exhibition."

Quite a few demon beasts had been captured and brought here, where they were imprisoned together in one place.

To become a Blood Talisman Master, one had to master the Blood Demon Talisman.

And creating a Blood Demon Talisman required two prerequisites: first, observing and comprehending the demon beast's form and spirit; second, using the essence blood of different demon beasts as the talisman's material.

Cages throughout the valley held different demon beasts. As the black cloths were gradually pulled away, all kinds of demon beasts were revealed within.

There were not only ordinary demon beasts but also powerful demon beasts that had reached higher grades.

Demon beasts varied in strength. Their primary realms were Spirit Opening Realm, Wisdom Condensing Realm, Iron Bone Realm, Inner Core Realm, Form Transformation Realm, and Ancestral Return Realm.

These corresponded to the Six Realms and Nine Grades of cultivators.

Lin Fan noticed that besides Spirit Opening Realm demon beasts, there were also Wisdom Condensing Realm demon beasts in the cages. The dense Blood Qi they emitted gave him an intense sense of oppression even from some distance away.

Under normal circumstances, demon beasts of the same realm were far more vicious and terrifying than cultivators.

Lin Fan was "frightened" into not daring to approach the cages. His cowardly, timid appearance seemed perfectly natural.

The others found his reaction entirely reasonable.

Lin Fan looked toward the cage nearest him. Inside was a strange creature. At first glance, it looked like a bird of prey, but bizarrely, it had two ferocious heads.

Lin Fan glanced at the wooden plaque hanging on the cage: Two-Headed Bird, a ninth-grade Spirit Opening Realm demon beast, fed on human brains.

He examined the Two-Headed Bird, carefully observing its form and spirit.

Since Lin Fan wanted to become a Blood Talisman Master, he had to seize this opportunity to observe the forms and spirits of various demon beasts and lay down a solid foundation.

Besides providing the demon beasts themselves, the Blood Talisman Gathering would also provide a small amount of low-grade demon beast blood.

Lin Fan was also given a small bottle of Two-Headed Bird blood, but he did not rush to try making a Blood Demon Talisman. Instead, he moved over a chair and meticulously observed the Two-Headed Bird's form.

Time passed quickly.

Lin Fan initially observed the Two-Headed Bird, then examined the other demon beasts. He even began studying one or two powerful demon beasts that had reached the Spirit Opening Realm from a certain distance away.

His behavior seemed perfectly reasonable. He had started out timid and cowardly, but gradually became filled with curiosity toward each demon beast.

The Blood Talisman Gathering proceeded smoothly. While everyone observed the demon beasts, Master Ruan would occasionally offer guidance.

"Demon beasts are evil and savage, their very bones filled with a bloodthirsty nature."

"Their forms and spirits are not all the same. Some emphasize bloodlust and slaughter, while others emphasize cunning and deceit."

"If you wish to create a better Blood Demon Talisman, you must remember the forms and spirits of different demon beasts: infuse the talisman with their spirit and create it with their blood."

Master Ruan's expression was solemn as he spoke.

Everyone nodded in agreement. In terms of talisman attainments, Master Ruan was one of the few people in the entire sect who stood at the pinnacle.

"Infuse the talisman with its spirit, and create it with its blood."

Lin Fan pondered this thoughtfully.

Just then, another specially made iron cage was transported over.

The iron cage was huge and wrapped tightly in black cloth.

At Master Ruan's signal, someone stepped forward and pulled away the black cloth, revealing a white deer. Its antlers were elegant, its four limbs slender yet powerful, and it looked exceptionally docile.

"This is... a Golden Mane White Deer?"

Yun Peng glanced at it and praised it. "This demon beast is extremely rare. Master Ruan actually managed to obtain one."

Wang Zhaofeng also spoke up. "The Golden Mane White Deer looks no different from an ordinary white deer, but in truth, it's an exceptionally vicious demon beast. Its grade has reached at least the fifth grade of the Wisdom Condensing Realm. This Golden Mane White Deer already has four branches on its antlers. If it grew one more, it would probably become a spirit."

"It takes someone with Master Ruan's remarkable methods to capture one alive. Anyone else would never have had the ability."

As the two spoke, the other disciples also gathered around and began carefully observing the Golden Mane White Deer's form and spirit.

During this period, Lin Fan had seen many of the demon beasts imprisoned in Roaming Cloud Valley. Nearly every one of them had been hideously ferocious. Yet when he saw the Golden Feather White Deer today, he sensed not the slightest trace of savagery. Instead, it seemed faintly docile.

But he understood that since Yun Peng, Wang Zhaofeng, and the others had all identified it as a vicious demon beast, the Golden Mane White Deer was certainly not as simple as it appeared.

He said nothing and silently observed the demon beast.

Yun Peng and Wang Zhaofeng, on the other hand, continued speaking, their words bristling with rivalry as if they deliberately wanted to display their knowledge.

Just as the two were speaking heatedly, a cough rang out. Supported by the charming Mistress, Master Ruan slowly walked over.

He glanced at Yun Peng and Wang Zhaofeng before asking, "What is the most important thing when comprehending a demon beast's form and spirit?"

Yun Peng hurriedly answered, "Its habits, of course. To comprehend its form and spirit, one must first grasp the demon beast's habits."

"Take the Golden Feather White Deer, for example. On the surface, it looks as docile as a spirit beast, but in reality, it is a terrifying beast that lives on human blood. Its savagery and bloodlust are its essence."

The instant he finished speaking, as if to prove his words, the seemingly "docile" Golden Feather White Deer's head suddenly split apart, transforming into a bloody maw brimming with fangs. A heart-stopping Killing Intent spread through the air.

Lin Fan froze and secretly thought, So the more docile a demon beast appears on the outside, the more terrifying it is.

He intended to keep listening. Leaving aside an expert like Master Ruan, whose talisman attainments were exceedingly high, even Yun Peng, Wang Zhaofeng, and the others were genuine Blood Talisman Masters with unique experience and insights.

Master Ruan nodded slightly but did not affirm Yun Peng's answer.

At this moment, Wang Zhaofeng saw his opportunity and smiled. "Habits are certainly important, but I believe that if one wants to create a superior Blood Talisman, one must grasp a demon beast's characteristics. Take the Golden Mane White Deer, for instance. This demon beast is skilled at disguise and extremely cunning and treacherous."

"Using this characteristic to create a Blood Demon Talisman couldn't be more suitable."

Master Ruan looked toward Wang Zhaofeng as well. He nodded but said nothing.

One emphasized savagery and bloodlust, while the other emphasized cunning and deceit. Both had spoken with sound reasoning.

Lin Fan pondered this thoughtfully. Both Yun Peng and Wang Zhaofeng were right, but neither had given the full picture.

Savagery and bloodlust were its nature; cunning and deceit were its methods.

Of course, this was not a situation in which Lin Fan had any place speaking, and he had no desire to take the initiative to show off.

But things did not go as he wished. The more he feared something, the more surely it happened.

Master Ruan suddenly pointed at the Golden Feather White Deer. His gaze fell on Lin Fan in the corner as he asked, "You tell me. What exactly is this demon beast's form and spirit?"