Starting Anew

Although the materials from the banner surface and flag pole fragments can no longer be extracted for artifact refining, adding some fragments when refining magic tools of the Yin, dark, bewildering, and death types should have a good effect. Especially for Yan Jujian and Ding Mingde, let them mess around first, since they don't have that many good materials.

Shi Xuan returned to his room and slept soundly. Although his energy could often be restored through visualization and qi circulation, psychological fatigue could only be eliminated through deep sleep. After all, Shi Xuan had not yet reached the realm of eternal life.

He slept until the sun was high in the sky the next day. Shi Xuan felt refreshed and clear-headed. After lunch, he returned to his room early to begin refining the magic tool.

Shi Xuan held the black banner horizontally on his knees, which were crossed as he sat. Following the steps for refining magic tools, he first visualized a talisman, then mobilized the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to condense this talisman before his eyes. He then visualized several more talismans until all the talismans for the first layer of restrictions had appeared before him.

At this point, Shi Xuan used hand seals to guide these talismans, making them move in mysterious trajectories before his eyes, ultimately forming the first layer of restrictions.

Next was the most crucial step. Shi Xuan visualized the overarching text of the Life and Death Disk magic tool within his soul. This was the key to activating the magic tool. He then mobilized the five-elemental power within his body to condense this text. With a breath, a complex black and white talisman flew out. It was dim at first but immediately stabilized by absorbing spiritual energy. Finally, guided by Shi Xuan, it struck the black banner. The magic tool immediately emanated a faint, ethereal glow, and a strange connection was established between it and Shi Xuan.

Shi Xuan waited for this moment. He immediately formed a hand seal, pointed his finger, and the first layer of restrictions before his eyes burrowed into the black banner before the ethereal glow disappeared.

The black banner began to vibrate in place, emitting a humming sound. Shi Xuan continued to follow the refining steps, stabilizing the restrictions from the outside with hand seals until a deep, dizzying bell chime, seemingly from the depths of his soul, rang out. Only then did the black banner quiet down. At this point, a pattern formed by strange patterns appeared on the banner's surface, resembling a bewitching eye, full of a disorienting allure.

Seeing this, Shi Xuan finally felt relieved. The black banner could indeed bear the restrictions of the Life and Death Disk. At least he wouldn't have to worry about the magic tool problem until his cultivation advanced further.

According to the "Treasury Records" and Shi Xuan's own experiments, this black banner had two functions. First, like the previous White Bone Soul-Driving Banner, it could emit black light, but instead of plundering blood qi, it could bewilder, daze, and make people faint, along with slightly weaker defensive capabilities. Second, it could absorb and digest diseased qi, foul qi, filth, and evil entities, and then release the mixed foul qi to form a mist of foul qi within a three-zhang radius. This mist could corrode flesh and blood, daze souls, cause illness, and contaminate objects.

This black banner could no longer be called the White Bone Soul-Driving Banner. Shi Xuan had originally planned to call it the Life and Death Banner, simple and straightforward. However, after understanding its functions, he abandoned this idea. After all, this magic tool currently had nothing to do with life and death. For now, he would call it the Soul-Bewildering Banner. When it gained abilities related to life and death in the future, he would call it the Life and Death Banner.

Shi Xuan continued to refine the second layer of restrictions before coming out for dinner. The restrictions after the first layer no longer required the same continuous effort as before. Instead, like cultivating spells, they were added and nurtured one talisman character at a time.

After dinner, Shi Xuan explained a portion of the introductory knowledge of artifact refining to Yan Jujian and Ding Mingde. He then said, "As you both know, I have matters to attend to. I have already delayed here for a long time. In at most another month, I will depart. If you have any difficulties in your Daoist cultivation, please seize this time to ask. When we meet again in the future, I hope you will not disappoint me."

The past few months had allowed the two to pass through the foundational stage of Daoist cultivation and accumulate more and more questions. Hearing that Shi Xuan was about to leave, they were very reluctant. However, Shi Xuan was now their elder, and they couldn't earnestly persuade him to stay. They could only bow their heads and agree.

Over the next half month, the two became models of diligent study and questioning. Apart from Shi Xuan's cultivation time, they would come to ask questions whenever they had any. Shi Xuan also thoroughly explained the half volume of the "Returning to Truth Scripture" Daoist text he had given them, to prevent them from going astray in the future.

During this period, Shi Xuan successfully refined the Soul-Bewildering Banner to the sixth layer of restrictions, and his spells had reached the third stage. The Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder was not far from the fourth stage, and he could succeed in about another month of cultivation.

However, after the spells reached the third stage, Shi Xuan discovered that his current soul strength was insufficient to bear any further increase in talismans. This meant that without a significant increase in his cultivation, he could no longer cultivate spells. However, the Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder was an exception; this minor divine ability should be cultivable to the fourth stage.

At the same time, Shi Xuan also began cultivating the "Secret Inner Scenery Five Thunder Method of Shangqing Yuyu." This was a derivative technique from the "Treasury Records" for this stage, essentially another name for the "Treasury Records" at certain stages.

The beginning of this lightning method clearly stated: "Thunder is the pivot of the changes between heaven and earth's yin and yang."

Adhering to this opening, it was not at all like the lightning magic Shi Xuan had imagined, such as palm thunder, summoning thunder spells, or invoking thunder gods. Instead, it spent a considerable amount of time discussing yin and yang changes and how to comprehend these changes through general lightning magic, and then integrating these yin and yang changes with one's soul cultivation and physical cultivation. In summary, it was not a spell secret manual but a orthodox cultivation method.

Therefore, after cultivating the beginning, Shi Xuan learned some strange lightning-related spells. For example, the Crimson Flame Thunder, generated by the yin and yang changes of fire element qi, had effects similar to general fire element spells, only slightly harder to extinguish and with slightly stronger explosive power. There was also the Ice Thunder, generated by the yin and yang changes of water element qi.

However, Shi Xuan had not yet learned the higher-level spells of these five-elemental yin and yang changes. For instance, the Divine Water Thunder, generated by the yin and yang changes of water element qi, a spell used for healing, was something Shi Xuan had not yet learned because his understanding of yin and yang changes was still superficial.

One day, as the cold wind whipped fiercely on the mountain, Shi Xuan called Yan Jujian and Ding Mingde before him. "You should have guessed what I'm going to say now. In the future, you must cultivate diligently on your own."

Then, Shi Xuan stopped them from speaking and said, with a touch of affectation and earnestness, "Jujian, although your martial arts cultivation has reached the Half-step Subtle Realm, and now that you've learned Daoist magic, it seems possible to enter the Soul Departure realm in a short time, I believe it will still take a long period of cultivation. This is because you have suffered many injuries that have affected your foundation, and they require slow recuperation." Shi Xuan paused intentionally here.

Yan Jujian nodded thoughtfully. "Martial Nephew has been impetuous in his youth and rebellious in his middle age, suffering many injuries. In recent years, while meditating and practicing, I always felt I was just a step away from enlightenment. My old wounds would also ache faintly on rainy days, but I never connected these things. It's only now that Martial Uncle has pointed it out. However, I wonder how Martial Uncle could tell that I was so heavily injured?"

"Heh heh, I observed your qi, Jujian. Although it is dense, your foundation is slightly thin, and it is filled with killing intent, which is how I knew." Shi Xuan found the Qi Gazing Technique to be a very marvelous spell. If the other party didn't know how to conceal their aura, one could gain a lot of useful information just by looking at the qi outside their body.

Shi Xuan continued his analysis. "Regarding the matter of injury and recuperation, I have already given both of you the prescription. Mingde missed the best time for body tempering, so he will have to work harder. Jujian, you are fifty-two this year. If you haven't broken through by the age of seventy, then there will be no hope of breaking through. This is because your qi and blood will begin to decline by then. Unless you have a great destiny or a grand encounter, there will be hope for successful advancement."

As he spoke, Shi Xuan felt like he was tutoring junior high students again, with a strong sense of elder affection in his heart. He continued earnestly, "I am telling you this hoping that you will neither be anxious nor complacent. The path of cultivation still requires diligently advancing with a pure and untainted heart."

The two listened to their Martial Uncle's teachings and simultaneously agreed and thanked him.

Finally, Shi Xuan advised Ding Mingde. "Mingde, you are educated, but your heart is simple and pure, so your handling of affairs is still somewhat naive. Therefore, you must resist temptation and act within your capabilities. Although your biggest problem is missing the best time for body tempering, I believe that lacking experience is also an obstacle to your cultivation of the Dao."

"Oh, right, please give us martial nephews Daoist names, Martial Uncle." Ding Mingde saw that ordinary Daoists they often encountered, who didn't know any spells, all had Daoist names. How could he, a future Celestial Master who knew true magic, not have one?

Shi Xuan thought for a moment, recalling a certain name. "In that case, Mingde, you are of the 'Nan' generation. Mingde shall be called Nanguang, and Jujian shall be called Nantian!" No, he was struggling to suppress his laughter.

"Alright, that's all for now. When we meet again in the future, do not disgrace the name of our sect." Shi Xuan left using the Minor Clear Wind Escape without waiting for their reply.

Yan Jujian and Ding Mingde only felt a gust of wind pass before their eyes, and their Martial Uncle had vanished. Besides feeling a sense of sadness at their parting, they were also amazed by their Martial Uncle's immortal techniques.

Due to the power of the Great Unity Sky Thunder talismans, both of them had misjudged Shi Xuan's strength. Shi Xuan had no habit of explaining his cultivation level, so in their eyes, Shi Xuan remained an image of an enlightened master, not a rookie who had just broken through to the Soul Departure realm.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Shi Xuan stopped his Minor Clear Wind Escape with a chuckle. Although it was fast and marvelous, he was not in a hurry now. Shi Xuan dared not squander his soul power like this, and he didn't have many talismans on him. These minor divine abilities should be saved for urgent use. Only after cultivating magical power would he dare to use the Minor Clear Wind Escape when not in a hurry.

Carefully discerning the direction, Shi Xuan slowly headed north along the official road. Mang Mountain, located south of the great river and north of the divine capital, was Shi Xuan's destination. Although it was a famous burial ground where countless people had come and gone over thousands of years, he had never heard of any divine or supernatural aspects there. However, since Old Daoist Xu had not been there, Shi Xuan had to go and investigate.