Battle Intent

After leaving Heavenly Treasury Peak, Ning Ye took a detour to Heavenly Collection Peak.

Heavenly Collection Peak served as the open market for the Black and White Divine Palace, where many lower and middle-tier disciples traded their gains.

After purchasing a talisman brush, talisman ink, and talisman paper with spirit stones, Ning Ye bought a piece of ten-year-old Gloomy Wood before heading back.

Returning to his room, Ning Ye began to attempt talisman crafting.

The Heavenly Mechanism Sect's approach to talisman crafting focused primarily on object manipulation, refining clever tools driven by talismans.

In contrast, the talismans of the Black and White Divine Palace were centered on practical combat.

Compared to spells, the advantage of talismans lay in their low consumption and the ability to use multiple sheets simultaneously. In the heat of battle, while someone else was casting a single spell, you could unleash a barrage of talismans; the superiority of this approach was self-evident.

For Ning Ye, beyond the benefit of legally concealing his true strength, the path of talismans offered two other advantages: it was a way to earn money, and it served as a powerful supplement to his mechanical arts.

It could be said that the path of talismans was versatile, providing cover and assistance for many of his future operations.

As he crafted according to the methods, despite failing a few sheets initially due to unfamiliarity, Ning Ye quickly found his rhythm through constant practice.

By the time he drew the fifth sheet, a talisman was successfully completed.

Looking at the talisman in his hand, Ning Ye nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, it's an eighth-grade talisman."

The path of talismans was divided into three tiers and nine grades, categorized into Heaven, Earth, and Human tiers, with each tier further divided into nine levels.

The tier represented the quality of the talisman, while the grade represented the technique of crafting; neither had any relation to the level of the spell itself.

Human-tier talismans were generally suitable for ordinary spells, Earth-tier talismans were for powerful immortal arts, and Heaven-tier talismans were for heaven-and-earth divine abilities.

The grade determined the talisman's power.

Even the most ordinary ninth-grade talisman was equivalent to a similar spell released by a disciple in the early stage of the Cang Xiang Realm. If the grade were higher, the power would be even greater.

It was a pity that Ning Ye had been too distracted in the past, and his talisman crafting level had only reached the eighth grade. To go any higher, he would need to continue his research, as he had no old foundation left to rely on.

Ning Ye was not in a hurry, simply drawing the talismans slowly, stroke by stroke.

Three days later.

Seven Killings Cave, Absolute Blade Valley.

Zhang Liekuang stood in the center of the valley, as upright as a pine tree.

Zhang Liekuang never sat when he could stand.

Because if he sat, he would be shorter than others.

Zhang Liekuang could not tolerate being inferior to anyone; even though there were plenty of people in the Black and White Divine Palace stronger than him, Zhang Liekuang refused to lose to anyone in terms of aura.

He stood there, his aura like a blade, the edge pointing directly at Ning Ye.

His voice was like thunder: "I heard from Yu Chenguang that the cultivation method you chose after entering the sect is the Yang Talisman Scripture?"

Ning Ye lowered his head: "Yes."

"Why?" Zhang Liekuang's simple words carried the thunder of fury.

"Because this disciple wished to learn it." Ning Ye replied without flinching.

Because you wished to learn it?

This answer left both Yu Chenguang and Ling Wuyue stunned.

Although they knew this junior brother had a somewhat rebellious temperament, they were still shocked that he could be this stubborn.

Electric sparks flashed in Zhang Liekuang's eyes, and the entire valley brightened.

The fury of thunder was already brewing, and Zhang Liekuang's voice seemed to drift from a frozen abyss: "You wished to learn it? Just because you wished to learn it?"

"Yes!" Ning Ye answered loudly: "Master once taught that what one is devoted to is one's path! This disciple wished to learn the path of talismans, so I learned it."

Zhang Liekuang clenched his fist violently, causing the large boulders nearby to shatter, kicking up a myriad of dust and smoke that swirled like an invading army.

"Why wish to learn it?" Zhang Liekuang's voice carried thunder.

"Because the path of talismans has myriad changes and can compensate for the shortcomings of the Seven Killings Blade Intent."

"Bullshit!" Zhang Liekuang roared, causing the valley to tremble: "The Seven Killings Blade Intent is about moving forward without hesitation. How can one who looks ahead and behind be worthy of wielding a killing blade? The path of talismans indeed has many uses, but it also makes one prone to weighing pros and cons, calculating gains and losses in battle. You fail to realize that in the way of war, only the brave prevail. If your heart and spirit are weak, what will you use to kill?"

The roar was like a physical object, echoing repeatedly in the valley and even causing the stone walls to clang.

Standing in the eye of the storm, Ning Ye remained calm: "There are thousands of great paths in the world; there is not only one way."

This statement left Zhang Liekuang stunned. He could not say the words were wrong, so he retorted angrily: "You didn't perform like this on the trial battlefield back then."

Ning Ye held his head high: "That was because this disciple had no choice at the time. It is not that this disciple does not understand the meaning of the brave man's path, but I know even better that those who walk this path face nine deaths for one life. Heaven cherishes life; one should not discard it lightly. If destiny reaches an impasse and there is no way to retreat, then one must rise, fight, and kill. Regardless of life or death, fight until the end, and stop only when dead. But if one does this every single time, I fear one cannot walk far. That method of sacrificing one's life should be the final resort, not a conventional tactic."

These words left Zhang Liekuang momentarily dumbfounded.

The aura that had been like a blade pointing at the sky suddenly vanished, and Zhang Liekuang actually began to laugh softly.

Yu Chenguang and Ling Wuyue rarely saw him laugh, and both were astonished.

Zhang Liekuang said: "Well said! As the saying goes, that which is too rigid is easily broken and cannot last. Only by having both rigidity and flexibility can one complement the other. Perhaps this is why our sect has withered and struggled to gather talent... I once had over thirty fellow disciples, and now only I remain. I have also taken in over twenty disciples over the years, and now only the three of you remain. Chenguang even abandoned the path of the Seven Killings because of this. What a pity..."

He looked at Ning Ye: "Your master understands the logic you speak of. But do you know why, even knowing this, your master still insists on it?"

Ning Ye replied: "Because courage can be worn away. It is human nature to cherish one's life; if a balance of hardness and softness were permitted, I fear that from then on, those who practice the Seven Kill Blade would have an excuse to retreat. If that were to happen every time, there would only be softness and no hardness, and the Seven Kill Blade would no longer be the Seven Kill Blade."

"Hahahaha!" Zhang Liekuang threw his head back and laughed: "Well said! Human nature is weak; if you give them an excuse to retreat, they will shrink back whenever they encounter trouble. Every time a battle arises, they will always claim that the final moment has not yet arrived, or that it is not yet time to risk their lives. If this continues, their sharp spirit will be completely extinguished. Where would their fighting intent come from? Where would their killing intent come from? Therefore, those who practice the Seven Kill Blade can only advance, never retreat! Since that is the case, why do you still make this choice?"

Ning Ye replied: "Because this disciple has hatred in his heart, enemies in his eyes, and killing intent in his blade, yet I know the measure between advancing and retreating... This disciple believes that practicing the path of talismans will never weaken the fighting spirit within my heart!"

"Good!" Zhang Liekuang let out a thunderous roar: "Since that is so, I will wait and watch. You may choose what you wish to choose, and I will be watching your performance. If one day your performance does not meet my expectations, I will strike you down with my own hands, so as to save you from going out and losing face for me!"

Ning Ye bowed low and shouted: "I will certainly not fail Master's expectations!"