Mystic-Seeking Seal Method

Mystic-Seeking Seal Method

Zhang Yu looked at that layer of light. He'd personally come into contact with the spiritual outer layers of Spiritual Aberrants before; every one of them had been dazzling and resplendent, blazing with brilliance. In comparison, Fan Lan's "Heartlight Seal" was far gentler and more restrained.

Yet when he gazed directly upon it, it felt more mutable and profound, carrying a unique rationality found only in humans. One could even directly imagine the owner of that Heartlight Seal from it. No wonder it was said to be a reflection of a person's inner strength.

As he pondered this, Bai Qingqing spoke from beside him. "Senior Brother Fan, are you going to teach us the Heartlight Seal now?"

Fan Lan shook his head. "I can't teach you the Heartlight Seal, because this seal already exists within the Seal of the Great Dao. Like the Self-Preservation Seal, you must seek it out yourselves. All I can do is find ways to guide you."

Bai Qingqing reacted swiftly. "In other words, it's possible that we may fail to find the Heartlight Seal?"

Fan Lan nodded. "That's right. But even if you fail to find this seal, it doesn't mean you can't cultivate. It merely means that in the future, you can only seek a long life and immortality, and won't be able to battle external enemies."

Bai Qingqing's expression shifted slightly. He was fiercely competitive, and he would absolutely refuse to accept such an outcome. He cupped his hands and boldly asked, "Then may I ask, Senior Brother Fan, does our Profound Residence have any secret transmission for finding the Heartlight Seal?"

Fan Lan smiled. "You guessed correctly. There is indeed a secret transmission for seeking Heartlight. Among Mystic Cultivators, we call it a Seal Method."

Bai Qingqing mulled over those words. "Seal Method?"

Fan Lan said, "Within the Seal of the Great Dao, there are countless Seal Glyphs. It is impossible to read them all. Among so many Seal Glyphs, how does one walk the correct path? If a cultivator relies on himself alone, then unless he possesses an immense Mystic Opportunity, he has almost no chance of finding them by himself."

"Seal Methods are secret transmissions devised through the explorations of those who came before. They can guide you in correctly reading the Seal of the Great Dao and finding Mystic Opportunities with the least Divine Essence. The Profound Residence possesses many secretly transmitted Seal Methods, but because each cultivator senses a different first of the Six Rectitude Seals, the Seal Method they should follow is likewise different."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu's heart stirred, and countless thoughts passed through his mind in an instant.

Fan Lan said, "Next, I will impart a Seal Method to each of you. If all goes smoothly, then after reading only three to five Seal Glyphs, you may be able to find the Heartlight Seal Glyph."

He first looked toward Zhang Yu. "Junior Brother Zhang, come over here."

Zhang Yu rose from his meditation cushion, walked over, and stopped before him.

Fan Lan took a wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to Zhang Yu with both hands. His voice was solemn. "There are three Seal Glyphs inside, along with the Seal Method hidden within them. After you've read them, whether or not you find Heartlight, you must come here and report to me."

Zhang Yu accepted the wooden box and nodded in agreement. After signing and affixing his seal to the document presented by an attendant, he stepped back and returned to sit upon his meditation cushion.

Fan Lan then said to Bai Qingqing, "Junior Brother Bai, come here."

Bai Qingqing immediately rose and crossed over in several strides.

Fan Lan likewise took out a wooden box and gave it to him, offering the same instructions. After Bai Qingqing signed and affixed his seal, then returned to his seat, Fan Lan's face turned stern. "Remember this: this Seal Method is a secret transmission of the Profound Residence. Without the Profound Residence's approval, it must never be divulged. Otherwise, the Profound Residence will certainly hold you accountable."

Zhang Yu considered this inwardly. If this matter depended solely on the disciples voluntarily obeying, then a signature and seal were far from sufficient. The Profound Residence surely had other methods to prevent leaks.

Fan Lan clapped his hands. Two attendants came forward, each carrying a lacquered tray. Resting upon silk cloth inside were two pill bottles.

Pointing at them, he said, "These are Brilliance-Collecting Pills, secretly refined by our Profound Residence. Taking them can help you accelerate the refinement of Divine Essence and stabilize your foundation, but..."

His tone grew more severe. "You must remember that you may take at most one or two of these pills per day, no more. Otherwise, they will scorch your internal organs and drain your blood and marrow. Not only will that fail to increase the speed at which you accumulate Divine Essence, it will instead burden and harm your body. The gains won't make up for the losses."

In truth, he was somewhat dissatisfied with the Profound Residence's decision to distribute pills so early.

Although these Truth-Gathering Pills could benefit disciples and accelerate their accumulation of Divine Essence, they would also make cultivators dependent on them. They should only be used when a cultivator had reached a bottleneck in gathering Divine Essence. Yet both Zhang Yu and Bai Qingqing had been born with abundant Divine Essence, and had no need for such things at present.

He sighed inwardly. The Profound Residence was still too impatient. He only hoped that, after receiving his reminder, the two of them would not blindly chase speed out of greed, but would know when enough was enough.

When Bai Qingqing saw the pill bottle, his eyes widened slightly. In that instant, his expression held much confusion and surprise. But he quickly realized that others might notice his reaction, so he immediately lowered his head. Only when the wooden tray was brought before him did he reach out, take the pill bottle, and slip it into his sleeve.

Yet as his fingers secretly rubbed over it several times, he discovered a familiar sensation. Then a thought that filled him with extraordinary excitement surfaced, and he simply couldn't suppress it.

He took several deep breaths, striving to calm himself, but the faint tremors running through his body still betrayed him.

Fan Lan noticed his unusual state, but merely assumed that, having suddenly received a secret transmission, Bai Qingqing was having trouble restraining his excitement. Thus, he paid it little mind.

Having explained all that needed explaining, he said, "You may both leave now. Go back and cultivate diligently. If you have any questions, come seek me at any time."

Bai Qingqing suddenly raised his head. "Senior Brother Fan, there is something at home that requires my attention. May I leave the Academy for a while?"

Fan Lan looked at him. "Can't you have someone else handle it?"

Bai Qingqing said, "Only I can deal with this matter."

After considering it, Fan Lan agreed. "Very well. But you must be careful. As I said before, the Divine Commandery Army will certainly retaliate against disciples of our Profound Residence. Remember, do not lose the things that have been given to you."

Bai Qingqing cupped his hands. "Qingqing will certainly be cautious."

In truth, he had already considered it. Taiyang Academy had just suffered a covert attack from the Divine Commandery Army, and its vigilance was at its highest. Even if the Divine Commandery Army intended to strike, they wouldn't do so at such a time. Leaving the Academy now was, instead, the safest course.

After bowing toward the seat, the two of them left the side hall.

Outside the hall doors, Zhang Yu exchanged formal farewells with Bai Qingqing. But he noticed that Bai Qingqing seemed to have urgent business. After hastily cupping his hands, he suddenly quickened his pace and departed.

Zhang Yu watched him go but didn't concern himself with it. Carrying the wooden box, he headed back toward the Flower Garden.

Night had already fallen. Bright lamps had been lit everywhere beneath the eaves of the halls, pavilions, corridors, and walkways. Like scattered stars joining into one, the entire Profound Residence seemed to hold up its own patch of sky beneath the dense night curtain.

Before long, Zhang Yu returned to his dwelling. He shut the door, sat down on the couch, and opened the wooden box.

Inside was the same apricot-yellow lining, upon which lay a jade slip arranged neatly. It seemed that the three Seal Glyphs and the Seal Method were all contained within it.

He took the jade slip into his hand. With a thought, he summoned the Profound Dao Chapter. Then, as before, he pressed the jade slip to his brow. In an instant, a stream of intent poured into his mind, and many principles became clear to him. At the same time, beside the Nourish Essence Seal and beyond the Seal of the Body, another Seal Glyph emerged, bearing the words "Vitality Seal."

However, the other two Seal Glyphs that should have appeared were nowhere to be seen.

He wasn't surprised. From that stream of intent, he learned that the other two Seal Glyphs respectively stemmed from the Seal of Intent and the Seal of Speech. Therefore, he first needed to confirm the paths leading to those two seals.

He moved his Divine Essence and sent it into each of the two seals. As the seals for "Intent" and "Speech" bloomed with light, two more Seal Glyphs soon emerged along their outer edges.