When Chen Mu regained consciousness, he found himself in a vast starry sky. Countless scenes flickered into and out of existence before his eyes, then became symbols that floated in the air and circled around him.
These are runes? The foundation of the Dao of Talismans?
Chen Mu watched the runes circling him with great interest. Insights arose in his heart one after another, like flowers glimpsed from a galloping horse, leaving him serene and content.
Yin and yang, heaven and earth, black and white, water and fire... so that's how it works. The Path of Talisman Cultivation doesn't seem all that difficult...
Taiji, the Two Principles, the Four Symbols, the Eight Trigrams... could I use binary to calculate them...
What are these runes? Oh! They're the Five Elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth! They form the material foundation of this world.
Because of his profession in his previous life, Chen Mu had his own understanding of the Dao of Talismans. He became so absorbed in his insights that he completely lost track of time.
If my understanding is correct, then following this line of thought, I'll try working it out and see...
As Chen Mu moved his hands, the runes floating in the air began to combine. When they combined successfully, they became a new rune that continued to float in the air. If they failed, they sprang apart on their own.
Isn't this right?... What about this, then?
He kept experimenting, and as he combined the thousands of runes floating in the air, they actually grew fewer and fewer.
"What?! How is this possible? Runes merging, ten thousand Daos returning to one, this, this..."
White Turtle watched Chen Mu with his divine sense, his heart roiling like storm-tossed waves as shock overwhelmed him.
What was recorded on his shell was an ancient legacy called the True Explanation of Runes, which his master had left on his back with supreme Dharma Power.
White Turtle's master had been a peak mighty figure known as the "Rune Ancestor" in ancient times. Back then, White Turtle had followed his master into battle across the eight wildernesses of the cosmos, invincible wherever they went and basking in boundless glory.
The years had stretched on, and his master had left this world long ago. Many of his master's legacies still circulated in the world, but only he knew that the True Explanation of Runes on his back was the Rune Ancestor's most essential legacy.
He had thought that Chen Mu was merely a child from the wilds. Even if he showed him the True Explanation of Runes, grasping just one or two runes would be enough to benefit him for life.
But to his surprise, Chen Mu had actually absorbed the entire legacy, far exceeding his expectations.
I never expected him to have such talent. In that case... I'll follow him from now on! I want to see just how far someone who could absorb Master's entire legacy in one go will get.
In the void, White Turtle's exposed eyes gleamed with interest.
Early the next morning.
Bright sunlight shone through the forest, making the morning dew on the leaves and flowers sparkle like captivating pearls.
Inside the cave, Chen Mu woke up and carefully reflected on what he had gained the previous night, his heart brimming with joy.
Talisman cultivators and martial artists followed two entirely different paths of cultivation. Talisman cultivators primarily cultivated their Divine Souls and used them to activate runes, thereby gaining all kinds of powerful abilities, but they were much weaker than martial artists in direct combat.
However, as long as a talisman cultivator had enough time to make preparations, their combat strength was in no way inferior to a martial artist's.
Although a night of cultivation had not brought a leap in Chen Mu's combat strength, all five of his senses had improved noticeably, which was also a tremendous help to him.
Moreover, according to White Turtle, at his current cultivation speed, he would become a one-mark talisman master in less than three months.
A one-mark talisman master would have a "Life-Bound Talisman" born within their body. By then, they could cast talisman arts directly through their Life-Bound Talisman without having to draw runes beforehand. Only then would Chen Mu's talisman arts have real practical combat capability.
"Chen Mu, I've told you just about everything you need to watch out for when cultivating the Dao of Talismans. The rest is up to you.
"Take me along with you from now on! I spend most of my time sleeping, so don't wake me unless something important happens. Understand?"
"Sure, no problem."
Chen Mu readily agreed. White Turtle was only about the size of a palm, so keeping him inside the clothes over his chest would not get in the way.
Just as Chen Mu was getting ready to tidy up the cave, a man's shout came from outside.
"Chen Mu~! Chen Mu~! Are you here?"
Chen Mu sighed, recognizing his third uncle's voice. He told Duoduo to stay put inside for now, then walked out of the cave.
"Third Uncle, I'm here!"
In the woods in front of Heavenly God Cave, more than a dozen men dressed in animal hides had gathered. When Chen Mu reached the entrance, all of them turned their eyes toward him.
One of them, a tall, dark-skinned man, smiled involuntarily when he saw Chen Mu, but his face immediately darkened again. He shouted sternly, "Chen Mu, how dare you! This is sacred ground, not a place for you to fool around! Come back with me and admit your mistake to the clan leader!"
Three years ago, Chen Mu's parents had disappeared while away from home, so for the past few years, he and Chen Duo had been supported and cared for by their eldest and third uncles' families.
His third and eldest uncles had always treated them fairly well, but their thinking was too hidebound. Neither had objected to sacrificing Duoduo to the Heavenly God this time, so Chen Mu had been left to fight alone.
"Third Uncle! I'll never leave Duoduo in the mountains to wait for death. If I'm going back, then Duoduo comes with me! Otherwise, I'm not going back either!" Chen Mu replied loudly, his expression resolute.
"Fool! In Heavenly God Cave, Duoduo's soul will be guided to the Heavenly God's side. She won't suffer! Come back with me! Once we're back, your eldest uncle and I will plead with the clan leader for you. You'll be all right!"
Seeing that a hard approach was useless, the dark-skinned man softened his tone.
"Third Uncle, thank you for looking after me these past few years. You should go! I won't change my mind."
With those words, Chen Mu turned and went back into the cave.
Beside Chen Mu's third uncle, a thin man patted him on the shoulder, sounding somewhat impatient. "Brother Jie, I think we should just forget it! This kid won't shed a tear until he sees his own coffin! If we still can't catch enough prey, plenty of people in our village will die again this winter. One more won't make a difference."
They had originally planned to hunt somewhere else today. Only at Chen Hongjie's insistence had they changed their hunting grounds to this area, so they could look for Chen Mu on the way. In truth, the team members were all unhappy about it.
Chen Hongjie shook his head and sighed. There was nothing he could do now. By the village's rules, no one was allowed near Heavenly God Cave except during sacrificial rites, so even if he wanted to take Chen Mu back by force, he couldn't.
"Chen Mu, Duoduo has her own fate. Don't stubbornly cling to your mistake! If you still won't come out, I'm really leaving!"
The villagers depended on the hunting team's haul to get through the winter. As the hunting team's leader, Chen Hongjie was responsible to the village. He had already broken the rules and could not waste any more time.
When Chen Hongjie got no response from the cave, he pulled a bundle from his waist and tossed it inside.
"If you change your mind, you can come back anytime! Promise me you'll stay alive..."
After leaving those final words, he turned and departed with the hunters.
The bundle Chen Hongjie had thrown in was not large. Chen Mu picked it up and opened it to find an iron short blade wrapped in coarse cloth, along with several coarse wheat cakes.
Chen Mu walked to the cave entrance again and watched the figure in the distance recede farther and farther away. He murmured softly to himself.
"Thanks, Third Uncle~!"