Talisman-Forged Cultivation: Opening the Kidney's Divine Aperture

Early the next morning.

You had to forge the iron yourself before it could be hard.

"I'd better focus on improving my strength."

For now, his main priority was improving the Sea-Covering Supreme Art.

Once the Sea-Covering Supreme Art reached the second layer, he could open the kidney's Divine Aperture. At the fourth layer, he could open the liver's Divine Aperture. The benefits were extraordinary.

Mu Ye had already thought of a way to cultivate it.

If the game world wouldn't work, he'd do it in reality.

After a day's labor, Mu Ye didn't return to the Stone House. Instead, he went to the market, intending to buy some talismans.

Qinghe Market was a small market built against the mountain. It was a small settlement of Cultivators within the territory governed by Jinshi Sect.

Even so, the smallest settlement was still far larger than the cities in the Mortal world.

The market had a second-tier protective array that could easily withstand attacks from Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators. Even Golden Core Realm Cultivators couldn't break through it in a short time.

The market had everything one could need: Spirit Beast Pavilion, Tianxiang Pavilion, Wanbao Workshop, Dufa Arena, and streets crisscrossing in every direction.

All kinds of magical artifacts—flying swords, gourds, palm-leaf fans, jade belts, spirit boats... There was enough to dazzle the eye.

Normally, Qinghe Market wasn't this crowded.

But evil cultivators had been running rampant lately, making the outside world extremely dangerous. Many Cultivators had paid a hefty sum of Spirit Stones for temporary Identity Tokens to Qinghe Market, moving inside for safety.

As a result, more and more Cultivators were gathering in the market.

With more people came greater consumption, and prices rose.

Mu Ye came to a stall selling talismans.

"What kind of talismans does this Cultivator need?" The talisman maker running the stall was only at Qi Condensation Third Layer. He was a thin, gaunt man, but had a fair bit of talent for making talismans. He was a well-known low-tier talisman maker in Qinghe Market, called Fu Yu.

"Evil cultivators have been causing trouble lately... I want to buy some defensive talismans," Mu Ye said.

"Oh, I understand, I understand!" Fu Yu looked Mu Ye up and down. One glance told him that Mu Ye was an Outer Disciple from outside the market. People like him usually didn't have many Spirit Stones on hand; there was no way they could spend dozens of Spirit Stones to get a temporary Identity Token for Qinghe Market. He understood at once.

He immediately took out several kinds of first-tier talismans.

"These are all first-tier defensive talismans. Some are for protecting yourself, while others are used to trap your enemies."

"The Earth Armor Talisman can form an earthen armor around your body, thick as solid rock. It can block three first-tier Qi Refining spells, or one second-tier spell."

"The Water Evasion Talisman was made using the Five Elements Evasion Technique. It can turn you into flowing water and let you escape into a river or stream, beyond your enemy's range."

"The Mud Swamp Talisman can make the ground collapse and cling tightly to your enemy, slowing the flow of their Spiritual Power and greatly reducing their strength."

The stall owner had brought out nothing but first-tier talismans. Even the most expensive cost only three Spirit Stones, which was fairly affordable.

These talismans were all first-tier, and their quality was decent. They worked quite well against Cultivators below the third layer of Qi Refining.

Normally, Outer Disciples wouldn't use talismans like these. Even the cheapest ones were rather expensive for them.

But with evil cultivators causing trouble, it was only natural for Outer Disciples to buy talismans for self-defense.

"Do you have anything a little cheaper..."

"Preferably water-type."

Mu Ye asked.

"Something a little cheaper?"

The stall owner frowned slightly, rummaged through his Storage Bag, and pulled out a handful of water-blue talismans. "I do! These! Water Prison Talismans!"

"These talismans are also used to trap enemies..."

The stall owner explained, "Their effects are just a little weaker. They create a water prison that traps enemies with powerful water pressure. They can hold Cultivators below the third layer for days and nights, but against those above the third layer... Uh, they can only hold them for... a short while. The higher the cultivation, the shorter the time..."

That evil cultivator was said to be at the seventh or eighth layer of Qi Refining.

He was incredibly powerful. Recently, he'd even killed a ninth-layer Cultivator, making his name known far and wide.

Defensive talismans like these were rather weak, so they didn't sell well.

After all, against Cultivators above the third layer, they barely had any effect.

Mu Ye's eyes lit up.

"I'll take these."

"If I buy ten, can you give me a discount?"

"Hmm... These low-tier Water Prison Talismans normally cost one Spirit Stone apiece. If you buy ten, I can let you have them for nine Spirit Stones. How about that?"

"Then I'll buy one for now."

The stall owner's face darkened. If you weren't buying, why ask?

After paying and taking the talisman, Mu Ye left the market and returned to the Qinghe Stone House.

"Water Prison Talisman..."

Mu Ye took out a Water Prison Talisman, drew a deep breath, and infused it with Spiritual Power to activate it before sticking it to himself.

A moment later, streams of water burst from the talisman, enveloping Mu Ye in an instant. The pressure of the tide turned into a prison that bound his body, accompanied by a surging wave of water-type Spiritual Power.

"That's the feeling..."

Mu Ye's heart shook. He immediately began circulating the Vast Sea Supreme Art.

That was right—he planned to try cultivating with talismans!

Before long, Mu Ye clearly sensed that as the water prison pressed down on him, streams of water-imbued energy poured into his body, compressing and tempering his organs. As the art circulated, the kidney bore the brunt of the pressure.

Just half an hour later, a vast force spilled out from his kidney.

Mu Ye knew that a Divine Aperture had opened in his kidney.

The feeling was subtle. Though Mu Ye was exhausted after a full day of labor, he suddenly felt as if he were brimming with energy, ready to throw himself into anything.

"Just as I thought, it worked! Cultivating this way is possible!"

Mu Ye was quietly delighted.

Cultivating the Sea-Covering Supreme Art in the game world was rather difficult. One reason was the cultivation environment, and the other was the resources required.

Now, the Water Prison Talisman had created the perfect cultivation environment. Even though his martial cultivation aptitude in this area was only average, he could still cultivate at an astonishing pace.

It was much like when he'd cultivated the Crimson Flame Fist in the mine.

The only catch was that it took one Spirit Stone to get started.

"A single Water Prison Talisman should last me several days at the rate I'm cultivating..."

"If I had ten, I could use them for at least a month or two... Maybe I could reach the second or third layer. Perhaps even the fourth..."

"I'll buy a few more tomorrow."

They were a little expensive, but Mu Ye felt they were well worth it.

Ten Water Prison Talismans cost nine Spirit Stones.

With nine Spirit Stones, it would be difficult to buy even a low-tier cultivation art or spell. But he could cultivate a Divine Aperture True Martial Art, and the boost to his combat strength would be enormous.

According to Mu Ye's estimate, after reaching the fourth layer of the Sea-Covering Supreme Art and opening the Divine Apertures in both organs, he would have a total of nearly eight hundred Divine Apertures. If a sixth-layer Qi Refining Cultivator let him get close, one punch would be enough to finish them.

If he could finish cultivating Zuixiang Eighteen Touches and pull off an assassination or something, he might even be able to take out a seventh-layer Cultivator.

That was no ordinary level of strength.

After cultivating for several hours, Mu Ye put away the Water Prison Talisman and let out a soft breath.

He entered the game to check.

[Sea-Covering Supreme Art (First Volume): 19/100 (First Layer)]

"The effect is remarkable!"

Mu Ye was overjoyed. His method had worked!

At this rate, he might reach the second layer in half a month at most and open the kidney's Divine Aperture!

He checked the time. It was already dark.

"Tomorrow's a day off. I'll stay up late and play the game tonight!"

Mu Ye had a reason for daring to try cultivating for so long.

Just as he was about to enter the game, a knock sounded at the door.

He opened it to find an unfamiliar Female Cultivator with a cold, proud expression.

"Are you Mu Ye?" the Female Cultivator asked coolly.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Madam Huang's maid from Spirit Beast Pavilion." The Female Cultivator asked, "I heard you're on good terms with Chen Li—that is, Chen the Lame?"

Mu Ye's heart stirred. Madam Huang?

As he recalled, Chen the Lame's former wife had been surnamed Huang.

She had abandoned Chen the Lame because she'd latched on to a more powerful patron.

"I won't waste words with you." The Female Cultivator's voice was cold. "Tell me the places Chen the Lame often goes. He's turned into an evil cultivator. Don't say I didn't warn you: people who turn into evil cultivators are most likely to attack those they know well!"

"Bring him to justice soon, and you'll be safer too."

"How about this: tell me, and Madam promises to help you get a temporary Identity Token for the market, so you can live inside. She'll also give you some pills. How does that sound?"

These days, a temporary Identity Token for Qinghe Market cost at least twenty Spirit Stones. They were expensive.

Was that so?

Mu Ye thought to himself that he had encountered Chen the Lame twice already... and neither time had he tried to attack him.

Mu Ye had some doubts about Chen the Lame turning into an evil cultivator.

The reason was simple. According to the Jinshi Sect disciples, it had been Chen the Lame's former wife who saw him committing evil deeds and turned him in.

Then why had nothing happened to her?

Could he trust the words of a woman who had betrayed her husband and abandoned him?

Mu Ye didn't think so.

Besides, his original self really had been on good terms with Chen the Lame. Betraying a friend like that...

"I really don't know..." Mu Ye shook his head. "The Jinshi Sect Outer Disciples offered a reward before, too. If I knew anything, I would've told them already."

"Heh..." The Female Cultivator glanced sideways at Mu Ye, her expression icy. "Then you'd better be careful. You're not in the market, and it's very dangerous here. Watch your step, or an evil cultivator might butcher you before you know it."

"Especially Chen the Lame."

Her words carried more than a hint of menace. When she finished, she strode away with her nose in the air.

"This maid from Spirit Beast Pavilion is probably at the fourth layer of Qi Refining. No wonder she could abandon Chen the Lame."

Mu Ye shook his head.

Spirit Beast Pavilion had been founded by the Spirit Beast Sect, a renowned force in the Cultivation World. It had friendly ties with many sects and shops in markets throughout the region.

Of course, compared with the whole Spirit Beast Sect, a Spirit Beast Pavilion in some remote backwater was probably no more than a grain of rice. It was nothing special.

Mu Ye didn't dwell on it and went back to grinding away at his game.

During the day, Mu Ye used Water Prison Talismans to cultivate the Sea-Covering Supreme Art.

At night, he used his Brothel Patron in the game to improve his skills at Zuixiang Pavilion, while also practicing Zuixiang Eighteen Touches.

And just like that, half a month passed in a flash. The day had come when Miss Yuanshuang of Zuixiang Pavilion would open her book...

A new week's here. Come on, shower me with votes!

The update time is back to around 1 p.m.