Taiyan Talisman (Seeking Bookmarks, Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Wang Ping knew his Master would not speak nonsense. That final addition had surely been meant to imply something, yet he had not said it outright, so Wang Ping found it inconvenient to press further.

"That is all you need to know. Now, let us return to the main matter... Of the seven secret methods of the Mystic Sect and Heaven Sect, aside from the originals, they can only be recorded briefly. Normally, they exist within our Divine Souls."

Daoist Yucheng set down his teacup and said, "I possess the cultivation methods for the first two realms."

Wang Ping was taken aback and did not know how to respond, so he could only remain silent.

"That is why I had you join the Daoist Scripture Hall early and take the Sixth Seat—to contend for the secret method of the Third Realm in the future, and perhaps even seek the Fourth Realm if possible. As for the Fifth Realm..."

Daoist Yucheng shook his head. Then, gathering himself, he said solemnly, "Now, I will impart to you the Entry Realm method of the Taiyan Talisman..."

As he spoke, his hands rapidly formed a complex magic seal. A golden talisman slowly appeared before him.

"Concentrate and calm your mind..." Daoist Yucheng softly rebuked.

Wang Ping immediately did as he was told.

The next moment, Daoist Yucheng sent the golden talisman before him into Wang Ping's body. Wang Ping only felt his Qi Sea turn over, and a blank talisman appeared at its center.

At this point, Daoist Yucheng said, "This is the only help I can give you as your Master. The rest will depend on yourself..." As he spoke, he handed over a Bamboo Slip. "This is the secret method for entering the realm."

Wang Ping immediately suppressed the questions in his heart. Rising to his feet, he respectfully accepted the Bamboo Slip from Daoist Yucheng. As a streak of light entered his brow, a body of knowledge flowed into his memories. At last, the Light Screen Panel appeared:

[Taiyan Talisman First Realm: One of the five great Orthodox Xuan Gate Methods. Cultivates Wood Spirit Qi, one of the five great primordial energies of the world, and uses the abilities of ancient life to defy fate and alter one's destiny, greatly increasing lifespan.]

[1: Complete Foundation Establishment and communicate with the Wood Spirit. Then connect with the Huai Tree Soul that accords with your own Divine Soul, and use the Wood Spirit Qi within your body to establish a blank talisman.]

[2: Connect once more with the Huai Tree Soul that accords with you, then draw a Spirit Talisman upon the blank talisman you constructed. You must precisely master every step of drawing the Spirit Talisman. Do not attempt this before then. (Spirit Talisman Proficiency 0/100).]

[3: Only after completing the Spirit Talisman can you formally enter the realm. Next, you must perfectly fuse your Divine Soul and body with the Spirit Talisman. Frequently using the Wood Spirit Qi driven by the Spirit Talisman to condense your Divine Soul can help you fuse with it quickly. (Progress 0/100).]

[Note 1: Failure to draw the Spirit Talisman will drive the Huai Tree Soul mad. It will most likely assimilate you into a mutant. The success rate is entirely random. Current success rate: (10/100).]

[Note 2: You must not rush the fusion with the Spirit Talisman, or you will easily suffer a backlash. The Spirit Talisman can grant you several times more True Essence than those in the same realm, but it can also make you Explode and Die.]

[Note 3: Get angry less and think more. That way, the Wood Spirit will like you.]

After reading the Light Screen Panel's contents, Wang Ping lightly raised his brow. This time, there was no time annotation—only two progress bars and one success rate.

Could it be that the time required this time was so long that even the Light Screen Panel could not calculate it?

"The difficulty of entering the Taiyan Secret Method lies in grasping the right moment..."

Daoist Yucheng began imparting his experience. "It sounds somewhat ethereal, and it truly is ethereal. This is also why countless Qi practitioners are stopped in their tracks. The only thing we can do is sit quietly and slowly seek that fleeting sensation within silent self-perception. Some people sit in dead meditation for decades and still may not find it; others may find it in merely a Quarter Hour!"

"..."

Wang Ping's gaze returned to the success rate in 'Note 1' on the Light Screen Panel. A moment ago, it seemed to have jumped to (60/100), but now it had changed to (2/100) and remained there.

This... did not seem very difficult.

"There is one more crucial point. Before drawing the Spirit Talisman, you must become proficient with it. When Master taught me back then, he required me to draw it blindfolded within ten breaths. I demand the same of you. Only after accomplishing this may you formally enter Secluded Cultivation and search for that fleeting inspiration!"

"One final matter... You need to pick up the Annotation of Heaven and Man and read it again."

Wang Ping and Daoist Yucheng spoke for an entire day. At first, Yulian watched with great curiosity, but by the end, she could only boredly coil around Wang Ping's wrist and sleep soundly.

When they returned to the small courtyard atop the mountain, Liu Shuang had already left. She had gone to establish a new cultivation ground. Yang Ziping was absent as well; according to the Young Disciple's report, he had gone down the mountain to the Liu Family of Yongshan County.

Wang Ping returned to his room and sat alone for a day and night before settling his emotions.

He had many things to do next. First, he had to restore the Spirit Gathering Array in the Mountain Top Garden. Every day, he also had to spend at least Three Hours practicing the Spirit Talisman, another hour studying the Annotation of Heaven and Man, and use the remaining time to read books related to the Five Sects of Mystic Gate and the two sects of Heaven Sect.

On the tenth day after successfully achieving Foundation Establishment, the Spirit Wood in the garden had been cleared away completely.

After finishing his daily work, Wang Ping took out his Storage Bag and began tallying his assets. He had one hundred and twenty thousand taels of silver left. Liu Shuang needed at least twenty thousand taels as a token for establishing her new cultivation ground. Yang Ziping's marriage and establishment of a cultivation ground would require no less than thirty thousand taels. Then there was the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass needed for his two Disciples' Foundation Establishment, as well as the Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass for his own garden...

Fine... He would have to add refining 'Power Pills' to his daily work from now on!

Fulfilling days always passed quickly. On the twentieth day after Wang Ping successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, Zhao Qing brought back news: there was no problem whatsoever with the Liu Family in Yongshan County.

That only left matchmaking and formally asking for her hand. Wang Ping oversaw the entire process. Once everything had been settled, the wedding was scheduled for next month, because if they did not marry soon, the woman's belly would begin to show.

One day.

After Wang Ping finished studying the Annotation of Heaven and Man, he was preparing to take a stroll before refining pills when Yulian said, "We have not gone to play by the stream in a long time. How about going today? I have a feeling—you will definitely succeed today!"

Fine. Wang Ping's magic seal of All Soldiers Are Grass and Trees had yet to succeed, its progress remaining stuck at (99/100)!

At her words, Wang Ping's heart stirred as well. He immediately took out the Jiaobei and cast a divination.

Granted!

By the stream...

Yulian happily dived into the water to look for her fish and shrimp.

Wang Ping formed a magic seal with his hands, condensed his Divine Soul, and communicated with the Wood Spirit. The blank talisman in his Qi Sea lightly stirred, making his Spirit Sea incomparably clear at that moment. An order escaped his mouth instinctively: "Shape!"

Ahead of him, with an infusion of Wood Spirit Qi, the vines that had long since withered grew wildly to over a man's height in the Blink of an Eye. They then became a humanoid puppet, whose vine-like arms wrapped around the thick tree trunks on either side.

Crack!

The sound of a Wooden Stake bursting rang out as the two sturdy trunks were brutally torn apart!

Joy appeared on Wang Ping's face. Hearing the commotion, Yulian poked her head out of the water. She stared, dumbstruck, then lifted her eyes to gaze at the sky and reminded Wang Ping, "Look at the sky..."

Looking up...

The joy on Wang Ping's face immediately froze. In the northwest, the Azure Sky was now shrouded by Lieyang, blazing as though the heavens themselves were on fire...