Talisman Cultivation Technique, Opening the Kidney Divine Aperture

The next morning.

If you want to forge iron, you must be strong yourself.

I should just honestly focus on improving my strength.

Currently, the priority is to advance the Sea-Covering Supreme Art.

As long as the Sea-Covering Supreme Art reaches the second level, it can open the Divine Aperture of the kidneys. Reaching the fourth level will open the Divine Aperture of the liver. The benefits are extraordinary.

Mu Ye had already thought of a way to cultivate.

If the game world doesn't work, then he would do it in reality.

After a day of labor, Mu Ye did not return to his stone house. Instead, he made a trip to the market, intending to purchase some talismans.

Qinghe Market was a small market built against a mountain, serving as a small settlement for cultivators under the jurisdiction of the Jinshi Sect.

Yet, no matter how small the settlement, it was still much larger than any city in the mortal realm.

The market was protected by a second-tier defensive array, capable of easily resisting attacks from Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators; even a Golden Core cultivator could not break through it in a short time.

The market was fully equipped with all sorts of facilities: the Spirit Beast Pavilion, Tianxiang Pavilion, Wanbao Workshop, Dufa Arena, and streets crisscrossing in every direction.

All kinds of magical artifacts—flying swords, gourds, cattail fans, jade belts, spirit boats... it was enough to dazzle anyone.

Under normal circumstances, Qinghe Market would not be this crowded.

Recently, however, evil cultivators had been running rampant, and the outside world was extremely dangerous. For the sake of safety, many cultivators had spent a large number of Spirit Stones to obtain a temporary Identity Token for Qinghe Market to reside there.

As a result, the number of cultivators in the market continued to grow.

When there are more people, consumption increases, and prices rise.

Mu Ye arrived at a stall selling talismans.

"What kind of talismans do you need, fellow cultivator?" The talisman master running the stall was only at the third level of Qi Refining. He was a thin, gaunt man, but he had quite a bit of talent in the way of talismans and was a well-known low-level talisman master in Qinghe Market named 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 him up and down. At a glance, he knew this was a chore disciple from the outside; they usually didn't have many Spirit Stones and couldn't possibly afford to spend dozens of Spirit Stones to get a temporary Identity Token for Qinghe Market. He understood the situation immediately.

He promptly pulled out several types of first-tier talismans.

"These are all first-tier defensive talismans. Some are for self-defense, and others are for trapping others."

"The Earth Armor Talisman can form a layer of rock-solid earth armor on your body. It can withstand three first-tier Qi Refining spells or one second-tier spell."

"The Water Evasion Talisman is crafted using the Five Elements Evasion Technique. It allows you to turn into a stream of water and escape into a river or creek, moving beyond the range of an enemy's attack."

"The Mud Swamp Talisman can cause the ground to collapse, firmly trapping the enemy, stagnating their spiritual power, and significantly reducing their combat effectiveness."

The vendor had brought out only first-tier talismans, the most expensive of which were worth three Spirit Stones—a relatively accessible price.

These talismans were all first-tier and of decent quality, having impressive effects on cultivators below the third level of Qi Refining.

Normally, handyman disciples wouldn't use these talismans; even the cheapest ones were quite expensive for them.

However, with evil cultivators running rampant, it was normal for handyman disciples to buy spiritual talismans for self-defense.

"Do you have anything even cheaper..."

"Preferably water-type."

Mu Ye asked.

"Something even cheaper?"

The vendor frowned slightly, rummaged through his Storage Bag, and pulled out a handful of water-blue talismans. "I do, this one! The Water Prison Talisman!"

"This talisman is also used to trap enemies..."

The vendor introduced, "It's just that the effect of this one is slightly inferior. It can form a water prison, using immense water pressure to trap the enemy. For cultivators below the third level, it can trap them for days and nights, but for those above the third level... uh, it can only trap them for... a short while... the higher the cultivation, the shorter the duration..."

That evil cultivator was rumored to have the strength of the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining.

His strength was incredibly formidable; he had recently gained notoriety for killing a ninth-level cultivator.

This type of defensive talisman had poor effects and didn't sell well.

After all, for cultivators above the third level, the effect was negligible.

Mu Ye's eyes lit up.

"I'll take this one."

"If I buy ten, can I get a discount?"

"Hmm... these low-grade Water Prison Talismans are normally one Spirit Stone each. If you buy ten, how about I give them to you for nine Spirit Stones?"

"Then I'll buy one first."

The vendor's face darkened. If you weren't going to buy that many, why ask?

After the exchange of money and goods, Mu Ye left the marketplace and returned to his stone house in Qinghe.

"Water Prison Talisman..."

Mu Ye took out a Water Prison Talisman, took a deep breath, injected spiritual energy to activate it, and stuck it onto his body.

A moment later, streams of water emerged from the talisman, instantly enveloping Mu Ye. The tidal pressure transformed into a cage, binding his body while a surge of immense water-attribute spiritual energy washed over him.

This is the feeling...

Mu Ye's mind shook, and he immediately began circulating the Vast Sea Supreme Art.

That's right, he intended to use the talisman to attempt his cultivation!

Before long, Mu Ye clearly sensed that as the water prison pressed down, waves of water-attribute spiritual energy surged into his body, tempering every organ. Under the circulation of his cultivation technique, his kidneys were subjected to the most intense water pressure.

After only half an hour, a surge of immense power overflowed from his kidneys.

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

This power felt subtle, giving the exhausted Mu Ye, who had been working all day, the sudden illusion of being full of energy, as if he could take on anything at any moment.

As expected, it worked! This cultivation method is viable!

Mu Ye felt a flicker of joy.

Cultivating the Sea-Covering Supreme Art in this game world was quite difficult; the first hurdle was the cultivation environment, and the second was the cultivation resources.

Now, this Water Prison Talisman had created an excellent environment for cultivation. Even though his martial arts aptitude in this regard was average, he could still maintain a rapid cultivation speed.

It was similar to how he had practiced the Crimson Flame Fist in the mines previously.

The only catch was that it required one Spirit Stone to start.

"One Water Prison Talisman, based on the time I spent cultivating, should last for a few days without an issue..."

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

"I'll go buy a few more tomorrow."

The cost was a bit high, but Mu Ye felt it was well worth it.

Ten Water Prison Talisman cost nine Spirit Stones.

With nine Spirit Stones, it would be difficult to even buy a low-grade cultivation technique or spell, yet he could use them to cultivate a Divine Aperture True Martial Art. The boost to his combat power would be significant.

According to Mu Ye's estimation, at the fourth layer of the Sea-Covering Supreme Art, after opening the Divine Apertures of two major organs, he would have a total of nearly eight hundred Divine Apertures. If a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator were to get close to him, a single punch would be enough to finish them off.

If he could finish cultivating the Zuixiang Eighteen Touches and perform an assassination or something similar, he might even be able to take down a seventh-layer cultivator.

This 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.

Entering the game, he took a look.

[Sea-Covering Supreme Art (Part 1): 19/100 (First Layer)]

The effect is significant!

Mu Ye was overjoyed. His method was correct!

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

He checked the time; the sky had already darkened.

"Tomorrow is a rest day. I'll pull an all-nighter playing the game tonight!"

There was a reason Mu Ye dared to practice for so long.

Just as Mu Ye intended to enter the game, a knock sounded at the door.

He opened the door to find a strange female cultivator with a cold and arrogant expression.

"Are you Mu Ye?" the female cultivator asked indifferently.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I am the maid of Madam Huang from the Spirit Beast Pavilion," the female cultivator said. "I heard that you had a decent relationship with that Chen Li, also known as Chen the Lame?"

Mu Ye's heart stirred. Madam Huang?

It seemed that Chen the Lame's former wife was surnamed Huang.

The reason she abandoned Chen the Lame was because she had climbed a higher branch.

"I won't waste words with you," the female cultivator said coldly. "Tell me the locations Chen the Lame frequents. This man has turned into an evil cultivator. Don't say I didn't warn you—people who turn into evil cultivators are the most likely to strike at those they are familiar with!"

"If he is brought to justice sooner, you will be safer yourself."

"How about this: if you tell me, my mistress promises to help you obtain a temporary Identity Token for the market, allowing you to live within Qinghe Market. Plus, she will give you a number of medicinal pills. How does that sound?"

Nowadays, obtaining a temporary Identity Token in Qinghe Market cost at least twenty Spirit Stones; it was very expensive.

Is that so?

Mu Ye thought to himself. He had encountered Chen the Lame twice... and it seemed he had never tried to harm him.

Regarding the matter of Chen the Lame turning into an evil cultivator, Mu Ye always had some doubts.

The reason was simple: according to what the Jinshi Sect disciples had said previously, it was Chen the Lame's original wife who had identified him after noticing his evil deeds.

Then why was she perfectly fine?

Can you trust the words of a woman who is so treacherous and willing to abandon her own husband?

Mu Ye didn't really believe her.

Furthermore, the original owner of this body did have a decent relationship with Chen the Lame, and betraying a friend like this...

"I really don't know about this..." Mu Ye shook his head. "If I had known, I would have said so earlier, especially since the outer sect disciples of the Jinshi Sect were also offering rewards."

"Heh..." The female cultivator cast a sidelong glance at Mu Ye, her expression cold. "Then you had better be careful. This place isn't a marketplace; it's quite dangerous. Be careful that you don't get slaughtered by some evil cultivator without even making a sound."

"Especially that Chen the Lame."

Her words carried a distinct tone of intimidation. After finishing, she walked away with her head held high.

"This maid-servant cultivator is probably at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and she's from the Spirit Beast Pavilion... No wonder she could abandon Chen the Lame."

Mu Ye shook his head.

The Spirit Beast Pavilion was founded by the Spirit Beast Sect, a rather famous organization in the Cultivation World. They maintained good relations with many sects and had their own shops in numerous marketplaces.

Of course, a Spirit Beast Pavilion in such a remote, small place was likely as insignificant as a grain of rice within the entire Spirit Beast Sect.

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

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

At night, he would use the Brothel Patron in the game to visit the Zuixiang Pavilion to improve his skills, and incidentally, practice the Zuixiang Eighteen Touches.

Just like that, half a month flashed by, and the day finally arrived for Miss Yuanshuang of the Zuixiang Pavilion to open her gambling pool...

A new week is here, come hit me with those votes!

Update times will return to around 13:00 at noon.