Mingye's news had brought a great change to Chen Mu's state of mind.
He had already grown accustomed to life without his parents and devoted all his attention to studying runes, as though that would make the days pass faster.
But Mingye's arrival had made him keenly aware of that slender bond of blood he had in this world.
Although Chen Mu had only seen his parents before the age of five, he had possessed his memories since birth. The love he had felt from them had not diminished in the slightest because of his reincarnation.
In the talisman-making room, Chen Mu sat at the talisman-making table and could not help sighing.
With his current strength, he was no more than a firefly's light to the Flame Blessing Tribe.
The further one progressed on the path of cultivation, the more difficult it became. At his current pace, he had no idea how many years it would take before he had enough strength to bring his parents back.
Suddenly, inspiration struck. He got up and ran to the adjoining room to find Landuo.
"Landuo, do you remember what you told me last time about the ancient academies?"
"Of course I remember! Boss, are you interested?"
Landuo stopped adjusting the runic mechanism and turned to look at Chen Mu, a glimmer of anticipation in his eyes.
In his eyes, Chen Mu's ingenious ideas were practically monstrous. With such talent at his age, it would be a tremendous waste if he did not pursue further study.
"Mm, Landuo, can studying at an ancient academy help someone increase their cultivation faster?"
There was a trace of longing in Chen Mu's eyes as well.
Landuo burst out laughing. "Haha, of course! There are countless opportunities within the ancient academies, as well as renowned masters to teach you. No matter how you look at it, it would be much faster than cultivating alone here in the Wilderness."
Landuo paused, then continued, "But with so many opportunities, competition is naturally fierce. How far you ultimately get still depends on your own abilities and opportunities."
Chen Mu nodded and asked another question.
"Then do you know which ancient academy is closest to here?"
Landuo thought back for a moment, sounding a little uncertain.
"It should be the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion! But it's still nearly ten thousand li from here.
"I hear the ancient academies recruit disciples in the third and fourth months of every year. If you want to go, you'll have to set out within the next three months at the latest."
Chen Mu pondered for a moment and made up his mind.
"Over the next little while, help me find out more about the Heaven-Questioning Pavilion.
"I'll go into seclusion starting tomorrow. I hope to break through to the Earth Talisman Master realm, so I'll have a better chance when I go to an ancient academy."
"All right, no problem!"
Overjoyed, Landuo immediately turned and went out to arrange for people to gather information.
Two months later, at night.
On his bed, Chen Mu was cultivating the True Explanation of Runes with complete concentration.
Through years of gradual, accumulated cultivation, the mist in his sea of consciousness had grown denser and denser. By now, it had filled the entire sea of consciousness.
He did not know when he would finally be able to break through, but he still persevered in his cultivation every day.
Suddenly, he felt as though his sea of consciousness had grown a little full to bursting.
He was overjoyed. After waiting so long, the chance to break through had finally arrived.
As he continued circulating the True Explanation of Runes, the Soul Power mist in his mind seemed to be drawn by some force, constantly gathering toward the center of his sea of consciousness.
Whoosh!!
At last, the mist slowly condensed into an illusory human figure.
A closer look revealed that the illusory figure had Chen Mu's appearance. He beckoned with one hand, and the Life-Bound Talisman beside him immediately flew onto his right hand.
The illusory figure sat cross-legged like that in the center of Chen Mu's sea of consciousness, its expression neither sorrowful nor joyful, as though it had existed since time immemorial.
"Whew! I finally succeeded!"
After so many years of cultivation, Chen Mu had finally entered the Earth Talisman Master realm and condensed his soul into an illusory Yin Soul.
Heaven was yang, earth was yin. When the soul became full and condensed into an illusory Yin Soul, one became an Earth Talisman Master.
After entering the Earth Talisman Master realm, his soul was no longer limited to drawing runes. It could leave his body and strike at an enemy's mind, giving it a certain degree of practical use in combat.
However, a simple soul attack was not very effective in actual combat. At most, it could leave a martial artist of the same level feeling somewhat dazed.
To truly bring out the power of an illusory Yin Soul, one had to learn secret soul techniques. Such techniques could increase the soul's power and even directly annihilate an enemy's mind.
However, the Rune Ancestor's inheritance contained no secret soul techniques, so Chen Mu only knew about them and had not mastered any.
After Chen Mu emerged from seclusion, he happened to find that Tai Yunfan, the chief of the Taiyan Tribe, had come to visit Chen Village.
Since he had nothing else to do, he went to Chen Hongjie's house and met with Tai Yunfan.
After Wu Hongtian, the chief of the Wumeng Tribe, died in Chen Village, the village's name had become known throughout the Wuyan Mountain Range. Recently, a steady stream of tribal chiefs had come to visit, all hoping to find out whether Chen Village planned to expand.
The most uneasy among them was naturally the Taiyan Tribe. Chen Village lay within its territory, so if the village expanded, the Taiyan Tribe would be the first it faced.
However, Chen Village was located on the edge of the Taiyan Tribe's territory, and on the other side lay a vast unknown region yet to be conquered by humans.
The Taiyan Tribe's chief was sensible enough to give up the entire stretch of territory beyond Chen Village, toward the unknown region, with the village as the boundary. He hoped to establish relations with Chen Village and have the well water leave the river water alone from then on.
After all, the Taiyan Tribe's strongest member was only at the middle stage of the Qi Nourishing Realm. Chen Village had managed to kill Wu Hongtian, and although it had relied on the advantage of terrain, it at least had the strength to stand on equal footing with them.
Tai Yunfan had also brought Nan Huaiyuan with him. Chen Mu was rather well-disposed toward Nan Huaiyuan. Although the warning he had given at the Myriad Treasures Pavilion had proved unnecessary, Chen Mu still appreciated the favor.
In the end, Chen Mu made the decision to accept Tai Yunfan's friendly overture and agreed not to expand in the direction of the Taiyan Tribe.
In fact, Chen Village had no plans to expand its territory in the near future, nor did they intend to advance to a mid-tier tribe.
Although advancing to a mid-tier tribe would allow them to occupy vast territories, develop various natural resources, and rule over low-tier tribes and receive their tribute,
it would also draw the attention of high-tier tribes. Not only would they have to offer up many resources, but when necessary, they would even have to help the high-tier tribes fight other tribes. That was not what the people of Chen Village wanted.
Chen Village had an automated rune printer, which was already more than enough to supply the cultivation and daily needs of its fewer than a thousand people. Chen Village still had great potential, and none of them wanted to draw too much attention.
Chen Hongjie and the others had discussed it and decided to wait at least another three to five years, giving Chen Village a firmer foundation, before considering expanding their territory and advancing to a mid-tier tribe.