Star-Felling Gold-Shattering

Night had deepened. In Shen Qingzhou's courtyard, apart from the rustle of wind through bamboo leaves, only the sound of water from the mountain stream could be heard.

He had been copying the Abyss-Sinking Formula for seven days already.

Other than basic breathing exercises each day, he had spent all his time on this.

When others cultivated, they followed the technique's routes to circulate Qi, relying entirely on the slow grind of water dripping through stone.

Shen Qingzhou was different... after all, he had a cheat.

Every time he copied it once, his ability activated, his profession progress increased, and his understanding of the technique grew ever more profound.

When he finished writing the final character of the third layer of the Abyss-Sinking Formula.

[Detected that the host has reached a profession barrier]

[Profession [Scripture Master] and profession [Qi Collector] possess partially overlapping abilities. Beginning integration...]

[Integration complete]

[Comprehended composite profession ability: Source Tracing]

[Source Tracing: Analyze the "principles" of all things and trace the source of their "Dao."]

"Profession abilities fused?... This is a good thing. The panel is still pulling its weight!"

The brush in Shen Qingzhou's hand paused, and his eyes lit up.

As he sorted through his own Dao arts and foundations, it was as though a peerless beauty had shed a layer of gauze, revealing everything in crystal clarity!

Compared to before, it was simply a case of "not knowing the true face of Mount Lu because one stood within the mountain"!

"The struggle between lineages is not merely a struggle for resources."

The Kan Water Lineage's strengths lay in its formidable killing power, while its weakness was a lack of flexibility. But weaknesses could also be optimized through the construction of a combat system—patching up one's shortcomings.

What immortal cultivator did not know spells?

With that thought, his divine sense entered the jade slip Su Yu had given him once more.

Besides the cultivation method of the Abyss-Sinking Formula, the jade slip also contained two basic spells of the Kan Water Lineage.

[Star-Felling Gold-Shattering Blade]

[Jade Well Cleansing Water]

The theory was complex, the process tedious, and understanding it difficult...

For anyone else, without a master's guidance, it would take months or even years before they could so much as find the door.

But for Shen Qingzhou, this was nothing more than a matter of deduction.

"Source Tracing."

He focused all his mind on the method of the Star-Felling Gold-Shattering Blade.

He dismantled its framework and followed the vine to find the melon.

At the root of this spell was the star-felling slaughtering force within the Ginseng Water Ape lineage. Once unleashed, it wounded both flesh and soul alike. It was truly vicious beyond compare.

"But I like it."

The key lay in this method of compressing Metal-Water Qi.

The jade slip had not recorded it, but he himself deduced several methods.

He could wrap metal with water. It had the greatest power, but also created the greatest disturbance and was easy to expose.

Or he could twist metal and water into a single strand, like a drill. Its piercing power would be stronger, but its area of damage would be insufficient.

There was another method: turn the metal Qi into the form of water and condense it into a water blade. It looked as though it possessed little killing power, but once it passed through someone's body, the metal Qi would explode within their soul.

Shen Qingzhou closed his eyes and began simulating it in his Qi sea.

He extended a finger. A trace of spiritual Qi emerged from his fingertip, condensing into the shape of a water droplet.

This was the difference between the Qi Refining Realm and the Marrow Cleansing Realm.

The Marrow Cleansing Realm could only borrow the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. Like Tidal Sword Intent, it was imitation, it was borrowing.

Once one reached the Qi Refining Realm, the dantian Qi sea formed, and the spiritual Qi inside the body could circulate on its own. Once spiritual Qi left the body, it could be used to cast spells.

Compression was delicate work.

One careless mistake, and if the Metal-Water Qi was not balanced properly, it would explode in the Qi sea. At best, it would make one's blood and Qi churn; at worst, it would injure the dantian itself.

His first attempt failed. The metal Qi directly pierced through the water spiritual Qi's wrapping.

He tried again, but it still failed. This time, there was too much water spiritual Qi, and it could not bind the metal Qi.

The seventeenth attempt.

A droplet like black ink condensed at his fingertip.

Within this droplet, there was not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual Qi. It looked no different from an ordinary drop of water.

He flicked his finger, and the droplet flew out, landing on a clay vase in the corner of the study.

There was no sound.

The droplet seeped into the vase's clay body.

Three breaths later.

"Crack..."

A faint cracking sound rang out.

The half-man-tall vase split open from within along a web-like pattern of cracks, then silently collapsed, shattering into fragments the size of fingernails.

The cuts were smooth, as though countless tiny blades had sliced through it from within at once.

Success!

The Star-Felling Gold-Shattering Blade had now entered the beginner stage.

It could be said that this was currently his strongest killing move in spell combat.

Without stopping for even a moment, he moved on to [Jade Well Cleansing Water].

The origin of this spell corresponded to the purification authority of the Jade Well Star within the Ginseng Water Ape lineage. It purified death Qi, and its core was the cleansing of filth.

With his experience cultivating the Star-Felling Gold-Shattering Blade, this time went much more smoothly.

He walked into the courtyard and picked up a withered yellow bamboo leaf from the ground. The veins in the leaf had already died, its vitality severed. It was clearly beyond saving.

"By decree!"

Shen Qingzhou placed the bamboo leaf in his palm and activated the spiritual Qi in his Qi sea. Pale blue mist rose from his palm, bubbling as it wrapped around the leaf.

From its center, the withered yellow leaf slowly... visibly began to show a hint of green.

This spell could not only detoxify and dispel demonic Qi, but could also be used to stimulate spirit plants and refine pills!

Now, he had both offensive and supportive methods.

"Not bad, not bad!" Shen Qingzhou was quite satisfied. One had to eat one bite at a time and walk one step at a time.

He already had a direction. What remained was a matter of time and resources.

"As for resources... alchemy? Artifact forging? Talisman crafting? Formation setting?"

Shen Qingzhou paced over to the window.

In the distance, lights burned through the night. Peaks stood in clusters, each with its own trade.

"Where should I begin?"

He considered the question carefully. Randomly taking a master and learning a craft was certainly unreliable.

As the saying went, a skill at one's side kept starvation at bay. Mastering a trade was the most stable way to earn money!

His monthly stipend of three low-grade spirit stones was only enough for basic breathing exercises. If he wanted to accelerate his cultivation, buy materials for talisman crafting, or even try unlocking a new profession, which of those did not require resources?

The most common route was to take sect missions.

But right now, he was at the Qi Refining First Layer and had only learned two half-baked spells. Taking demon-slaying missions would truly be a case of having eaten too much and looking for trouble.

As for other missions, their cost-effectiveness was simply miserable beyond words...

Labor, too, differed in efficiency. One could not simply bury one's head and work blindly—that was the act of a reckless brute.

He needed time, and he also needed a more suitable point of entry.

Talisman crafting required only a talisman brush, talisman paper, cinnabar, and beast blood. The materials were easy to obtain, and it could be done silently in the study.

More importantly, the talismans created by many Talisman Masters were themselves a form of storable, single-use attack method.

They could be exchanged for resources in ordinary times, and in spell combat, he could throw out a handful of talismans and leave his opponent dumbfounded.

Compared with alchemists and artifact forgers, Talisman Master was already considered a profession that did not burn too much money. It suited his intentions perfectly.

"Then it's settled."

First, he would continue cultivating the Abyss-Sinking Formula, raise his cultivation, and strive to reach the Qi Refining Second Layer sooner. Then, he would thoroughly master the two spells until they became second nature.

Lastly, he had to find a way to obtain some talisman-crafting materials and a talisman Dao inheritance, then see whether he could unlock the [Talisman Master] profession.

By the time he finished planning, the sky had already begun to brighten.

Shen Qingzhou did not rest. He directly sat down cross-legged and circulated the Abyss-Sinking Formula to restore his depleted spiritual Qi and mental energy.

The Metal-Water Qi in his Qi sea circulated slowly. With every cycle, some of his fatigue faded away.

Early the next morning, Shen Qingzhou went directly to Cloudveil True Person's small courtyard.

The courtyard gate was half-open. He knocked three times on the door knocker.

"Come in."

It was still that lazy voice—Su Yu.

Shen Qingzhou pushed the door open and entered. Su Yu was reclining in a rocking chair beneath the old pine tree in the courtyard, tossing a green fruit in her hand and taking absentminded bites from it.

Cloudveil True Person was not there.

"Oh? Junior Brother, so early?" Su Yu sat up and smiled at him. "What, have you comprehended last week's assignment?"

"I have gained some understanding of the first three layers of the Abyss-Sinking Formula. However, there are still several points regarding the circulation of spiritual Qi that I do not understand, so I came to ask Senior Sister for guidance."

Shen Qingzhou spoke respectfully.

Su Yu paused in the middle of biting her fruit. She raised an eyebrow, casually tossed away the core, clapped her hands, and stood.

"Sure. Let's hear it."

Shen Qingzhou brought up a detail from the first layer of the Abyss-Sinking Formula concerning the "sinking of spiritual Qi" and asked for her instruction.

His question was tricky, and it also contained some of his own unique insights.

Su Yu had been rather casual at first, but as she listened, her expression gradually turned serious.

She stared at Shen Qingzhou and examined him carefully, her eyes carrying a trace of suspicion.

"You... really used only a few days to finish reading all three layers?"

"This junior brother is dull-witted. I merely managed to memorize them."

Shen Qingzhou answered respectfully.

"This is not a question of whether you remembered them."

Su Yu circled him twice, clicking her tongue in amazement. "The question you're asking has already gone beyond the scope of what someone in the Early Qi Refining Stage should be considering. This is the sort of question one considers only after reaching the Late Qi Refining Stage and beginning to condense one's own Dao resonance—how to optimize one's cultivation technique."

She stopped in front of Shen Qingzhou, raised one finger, and pressed it against his brow.

Shen Qingzhou's body stiffened, but he did not resist.

Su Yu's divine sense made one circuit around the edge of his Qi sea. Without probing deeper, she withdrew.

"Eh?"

For the first time, Su Yu's face showed genuine surprise.

"Not bad... Your Qi sea is actually even more stable than I imagined. You are only at the Qi Refining First Layer, yet your foundation is already so solid. Looks like you have put in no small amount of hard work in cultivation."

She withdrew her hand, folded her arms, and looked Shen Qingzhou over again.

"Enough. Stop pretending to be some simple fool in front of me. You didn't come to ask about cultivation questions, did you?"

Su Yu waved a hand and lay back in the rocking chair. "Whatever you want to know, don't beat around the bush. Your Senior Sister is too lazy to guess."

Shen Qingzhou secretly observed her, then stopped being polite and asked, "I want to know how to obtain sect contribution points as quickly as possible."

"Contribution points?"

Su Yu laughed, and the rocking chair swayed even more fiercely.

"Junior Brother, Junior Brother, you truly are an honest fellow."

She laughed for a while before slowly saying, "Then Senior Sister will explain it to you. There are three routes."

"The first is doing missions. There is nothing much to say about that. Most disciples begin that way. But there are too many monks and too little porridge; good missions are rare. Most of them mean working like oxen and horses, doing hard labor with little value, and it is extremely difficult to save up contribution points."

"The second is participating in the minor competitions. The rewards are generous, needless to say. But for you right now... there is no need to rush. The time has not yet come."

"As for the third..." She deliberately drew out her words, building suspense to the fullest.

"Please enlighten me, Senior Sister?"

"The third is taking the side path—achieving victory through surprise, understand?"

Su Yu sat upright and lowered her voice. "Our Kan Water Lineage is not adept at fighting head-on, but there are two things we possess that other lineages cannot compare with."

"First, detoxification. Jade Well Cleansing Water specifically counters sinister poisons and demonic Qi. When those pill refiners at Cinnabar Glow Peak encounter strange poisons they cannot cure, they eventually have to come begging to us. Sometimes, the fee for one treatment is enough to live on for several months."

"Second... talisman drawing."

Shen Qingzhou's heart stirred, and he listened attentively.

"Our lineage's talismans do not follow the righteous yang path. We specialize in concealment, isolation, and stealth. Those people heading into dangerous lands and secret realms in search of treasure love our [Constellation Concealment Talisman] the most. One talisman sells for fifty contribution points on the market, and demand still exceeds supply."

Su Yu pointed at herself. "Your Senior Sister here makes a living selling talismans. So, Junior Brother, do you want to learn? I can teach you."

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Shen Qingzhou with a faint, teasing smile.

So this was her true purpose?

Though he could not quite gauge what she was thinking... Shen Qingzhou truly did want to learn.

"I am willing to learn."

Without the slightest hesitation, he bowed. "I ask Senior Sister to teach me the art of talisman drawing."

The path of talisman drawing was exactly what he wanted.

He had a premonition that the opportunity to unlock the new [Talisman Master] profession had arrived.