In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
That year's winter was much colder than Chen Mu had expected. Fortunately, he had stored enough dry firewood and had plenty of fresh water, so life in the cave was fairly comfortable.
During the day, Chen Mu taught Duoduo to read and write, writing characters on the ground for her to practice on her own. The rest of the time, he was almost always cultivating diligently.
Chen Mu's Soul Power had grown extremely quickly, and in the past few days, it had shown signs of a breakthrough. But White Turtle told him not to rush into it, and instead to sort through the insights he had gained when he received the inheritance.
To break through and become a One-Mark Talisman Master, he had to condense a Life-Bound Talisman in his sea of consciousness. A Life-Bound Talisman had a far-reaching influence on a talisman master's future, so White Turtle told Chen Mu to take it seriously.
Generally speaking, the formation of a Life-Bound Talisman was tied to personal aptitude, and ordinary cultivators had no choice in the matter.
But what Chen Mu had received was the Rune Ancestor's complete inheritance. The Rune Ancestor had reached the pinnacle of the Dao of Talismans, and anyone who cultivated the True Explanation of Runes could use their own will to influence the formation of their Life-Bound Talisman.
Chen Mu spent three days carefully reviewing his understanding of the Dao of Talismans, and finally gained a clear understanding of his own cultivation path.
Only then did he begin his breakthrough to One-Mark Talisman Master.
In his sea of consciousness, Chen Mu's Soul Power drifted aimlessly through the surrounding space like mist.
"Rise!"
Following the method recorded in the True Explanation of Runes, Chen Mu formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, stirring his Soul Power into motion.
Whoosh~~
A golden-yellow brush slowly appeared as Chen Mu moved.
As though dipping itself in ink, it absorbed the clouds of mist formed by the surrounding Soul Power.
"Great are the heavenly stems and earthly branches, the beginning of all living things. Rooted in heaven and earth, all phenomena trace their origins to them..."
"Water moistens and flows downward, fire blazes upward, wood bends and straightens, metal yields and changes, and earth receives the seed and gives the harvest..."
Chen Mu poured the insights he had gained over the past few days into the brush. It gained a spirit of its own and began drawing his Life-Bound Talisman in the air.
As the Life-Bound Talisman gradually took shape, waves of tearing pain swept through Chen Mu's head, a sign that his Soul Power was nearly exhausted.
He gritted his teeth and held on with all his might.
"Gather!"
As he finished the final stroke, Chen Mu let out a shout. The Life-Bound Talisman condensed into a solid form and hovered in the very center of his sea of consciousness.
The finished talisman bore a five-pointed figure drawn in broken lines at its center. An ancient character sat at the tip of each point, and a circular line enclosed the five-pointed figure, making it appear to be a single whole.
At the center of the five-pointed figure, a yin-yang fish pattern rotated. A single glance gave one an impression of profound mystery, as though the entire world had been encompassed within the talisman.
At the top of the talisman, a short section of a faint golden mark showed, representing Chen Mu's realm as a One-Mark Talisman Master.
Chen Mu opened his eyes and discovered that his five senses had improved again, but the most noticeable improvement was still in his Divine Soul.
Previously, when he called upon his Divine Soul, it had felt very elusive, and he had needed to concentrate to sense its existence.
But now his Divine Soul was much more condensed. With the slightest thought, he could use it to sense every rustle of wind and grass around him. He could even sense the sound of Duoduo breathing beside him.
Chen Mu formed a hand seal and drew a Water Condensation Talisman in the air toward the stone wall ahead.
"Condense!"
Clear water immediately welled out of the stone wall.
Chen Mu withdrew his Soul Power, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled in satisfaction.
"Not bad at all. It's a pity it puts such a heavy strain on my Divine Soul..."
With the help of his Life-Bound Talisman, Chen Mu could control the Spiritual Power in the air to form runes, but this method put too much strain on him and was not suited for regular use.
In battle, talisman masters mainly relied on talisman paper, Rune Artifacts, talisman formations, and so on, all of which required materials and effort to make.
"Chen Mu, you successfully condensed your Life-Bound Talisman, didn't you?"
White Turtle had woken up when Chen Mu first began his breakthrough and was now lying on his shoulder.
"Yes, I did! I'm a One-Mark Talisman Master now," Chen Mu said happily.
"Use your Divine Soul to send an image of your Life-Bound Talisman to my sea of consciousness. I'll take a look at it for you."
White Turtle urged him on, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.
"Sure! I'll give it a try."
Chen Mu had never tried using his Divine Soul to convey information before, but with White Turtle's help, he soon managed to send it over.
White Turtle carefully studied the rune Chen Mu had conveyed, but his brow furrowed.
"The five elements, yin and yang, transforming into one another? This should be... the Five Elements Chaos Talisman!"
"The Five Elements Chaos Talisman? Grandpa Turtle, is something wrong with this kind of talisman?"
Seeing White Turtle's expression, Chen Mu asked worriedly.
"It's not bad. On the whole, it's one of the strongest Life-Bound Talismans.
"But it's very difficult to improve this kind of talisman through cultivation alone. Only by constantly absorbing materials rich in the Power of Five Elements Creation can it grow stronger and stronger.
"But materials of the five elements that possess the Power of Creation are all treasures beyond compare in this world.
"So, Chen Mu, you've chosen a cultivation path full of challenges!"
White Turtle looked into Chen Mu's eyes, feeling quite helpless.
"Hahahaha! I thought it was something serious.
"I chose this talisman because it fits the path I understand best. No matter what, I'll do my best to keep walking it. As for how strong I become, I'll leave that to heaven's will!"
Chen Mu laughed heartily, paying no mind to what White Turtle had said.
In fact, the reason Chen Mu had condensed this Life-Bound Talisman was entirely because of his previous life.
In that life, he had once dreamed of changing the world through programming, but now that was clearly impossible.
While cultivating the Dao of Talismans, he had felt the joy of creation once again. He felt that the Five Elements Chaos Talisman was the talisman best suited to creation, and that was why he had chosen it.
Seeing that Chen Mu's Dao heart was steadfast, White Turtle felt greatly reassured and said no more.
Now that Chen Mu had broken through to One-Mark Talisman Master, he could spend more time on runes.
Before, he had learned only the Water Condensation Talisman, which had no lethal power. Now, he turned his attention to runes that could improve his combat strength.
A single day in the mountains, a thousand years in the world. The days of arduous cultivation flew by, and soon the depths of winter came to an end...