Chapter 138: So Simple
Shen Ping had yet to come back to his senses. The talisman suddenly hit his forehead.
Drip.
He seemed to hear the sound of water dripping on the mirror. Immediately after, the scene in front of him shattered and disappeared like a dream. He was still sitting cross-legged in the quiet room of the spirit pool. An ancient divine talisman appeared between his eyebrows.
The moment the divine talisman appeared, Shen Ping understood that this was his Life Divine Talisman. Almost subconsciously, he used his divine sense to communicate with this talisman.
Boom.
At the moment of contact, a large amount of comprehension of the Dao of Talismans and the essence of this Life Divine Talisman surged out continuously. His body tensed. He looked around and seemed to feel that something was different.
But soon, Shen Ping's head started to swell and hurt. His late-stage Foundation Establishment divine sense was dizzy from this majestic information. His mind flickered. His divine sense quickly cut off contact. The Life Divine Talisman slowly dissipated, as if it had been branded in the depths of his soul.
Phew.
Ha.
He took a few deep breaths. The continuous pain lasted for ten minutes before it eased.
"Life Divine Talisman." He touched the space between his eyebrows. There were no traces of talismans on his skin. But Shen Ping knew that he was different. The clear light ring flickered. The scripture that was bestowed by the assessment spread out.
From the beginning to the end, the spirit patterns were complicated and abstruse. They seemed to be casually outlined and gathered, but the level of the Dao of Talismans contained in them was as profound as the sea.
Previously, he looked at it seriously for a long time, but he could not understand it. He could only vaguely deduce that the changes in these spirit patterns and the combination were related to Talisman Dao Mystique.
Talisman Dao Mystique was not something that ordinary Talisman Masters at the Foundation Establishment Realm could comprehend. Although he had grasped the Sea of Talisman, it was a divine power given by the golden virtual frame. He closed his eyes.
The distracting thoughts dissipated, and he calmed down, Shen Ping opened his eyes again and his gaze landed on the scripture. Two hundred complicated and varied spirit patterns kept squirming as if it had a life of its own.
Soon, a set of diagrams completely formed by talismans and spirit runes was reflected in his pupils. This pattern was the pattern of the bronze disc.
Shen Ping frowned. Then, he took out the Green Talisman Sutra that Pei Huoyu had given him and opened it. There were only the first two volumes. However, according to Perfected Pei, if he could study the first two volumes in fifteen years, his future achievements would be extraordinary.
He spread out the scripture. He focused his gaze. The first volume of the Green Talisman Sutra was divided into four levels. Every level was like the previous scripture, outlining a large number of complicated spirit patterns.
If he wanted to understand it, the prerequisite was that he had to be proficient in every spirit rune. On top of that, he had to study the special diagram formed by the accumulation of spirit runes.
The talisman was the mark of a spell in the past.
However, after being modified by a powerful expert, it became like this. As long as one was proficient in the changes and extension of the spirit rune circuit, they could outline different talismans through special blood ink and talismans.
For example, Golden Light Talismans, Armor Spirit Talismans, Lightning Talismans, and so on. However, the higher the level of the talisman, the more spirit rune circuits there were, and the more complicated the changes were.
The difficulty was multiplied.
In front of him, the first volume of the Green Talisman Sutra only outlined 260 spirit patterns. Although it was only 60 more than the scripture, the difficulty was not just a little higher. Tens of breaths passed.
Shen Ping frowned even more. He flipped open the spirit runes of the second chapter in the first volume.
320.
It has increased again.
Ten minutes later, he could not help but shake his head. Then, there was the third… and the fourth. It took a total of two and a half hours. Shen Ping suddenly stood up. He paced back and forth in the quiet room of the spirit pool for a long time before saying, "I-isn't this a little too simple…?"
He vaguely felt that something was wrong.
Although his understanding of the Dao of Talismans had undergone a qualitative change through the Life Divine Talisman, this was the Green Talisman Sutra. Even if the first volume was not too difficult, he should not have succeeded in less than half a day.
Such a fast efficiency made Shen Ping feel uneasy. After some thought, he put away the scripture and shook his head as he walked out. Soon, he came to the quiet room where Pei Huoyu was.
Just as he was about to shout, the light armor that covered the natural outline stood at the door.
"What is it?" Pei Huoyu said calmly.
Shen Ping said hesitantly, "Senior Pei, t-this Green Talisman Sutra's difficulty is…"
Pei Huoyu interrupted, "Fellow Daoist Shen, I applied for the Green Talisman Sutra from the Mountain Fire Hall. To a talisman master, it's indeed very difficult to study and cultivate scriptures of this level alone without a master. Moreover, the Wei Kingdom is too small and doesn't have a senior who can guide you in the Dao of Talismans.
Therefore, I've thought about it seriously these few days and decided to find a talisman master senior to guide you from the headquarters."
Her voice was cold. "This is your last chance. It doesn't matter if you can't understand the scriptures. As long as you're willing to spend effort to learn, you can always understand them. Since I, Pei Huoyu, have become your Dao Protector, I will be responsible to the end!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around and left Shen Ping looking at her black hair.
Shen Ping was stunned on the spot. He did not expect that not only did Pei Huoyu not become cold because of what had happened previously, but she also wanted to find a senior in the Dao of Talismans to teach him. He stood there for a moment, then he bowed. "Senior Pei, thank you."
The further one cultivated in the Dao of Talismans, the more difficult it became.
Most Talisman Masters would seek guidance from their seniors when they felt that it was difficult to advance. At Cloud Mountain Parlour, ordinary rogue Talisman Masters did not have any connections to become disciples. They could only pay a considerable amount of spirit stones to study in the Talisman Treasure Hall established by the Golden Sun Sect.
He had been inside before. Unfortunately, it was too difficult to ask for guidance. It was the same now.
The Wei Kingdom was too small. Even the seniors with higher attainments in the Dao of Talismans in the main station of the True Treasure Pavilion were only at the third level. Although he could already understand the scriptures now that the Life Divine Talisman had condensed, for Senior Pei to have such thoughts, it really moved him.
After all, she was only a Dao Protector. To be able to protect his safety was already her duty.
"Senior Pei, I've recently obtained something and can already cultivate scriptures." Before he left, he said something.
…
Dozens of days later, Shen Ping's forehead was covered in sweat in the talisman making room. Even though he had broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm, making high-grade Level Two talismans had never been so strenuous.
Now, according to the pattern on the scroll, it was difficult to draw with 200 spirit runes. At this moment, he understood that understanding it was one thing, but creating talismans was another. Moreover, he did not buy the special blood ink needed for the pattern.
If it was made with that kind of blood ink, the process would be even more difficult!
Ten minutes passed. He shook his head helplessly. He had failed again. These days, he was not in a hurry to study the second volume of the Green Talisman Sutra. Instead, he prepared to understand the strange beast pattern diagram of the headquarters. In the end, it was so difficult to simply outline a talisman.
He even wondered if this was a talisman. After all, such a special talisman was not recorded in the talisman catalog of the True Treasure Pavilion. However, considering that this was a scripture bestowed by the headquarters, he gritted his teeth and persevered. "I can ask for guidance when the senior Talisman Master from the headquarters arrives." Shen Ping was looking forward to it.
At the beginning of the day, the communication talisman vibrated. It was Matchmaker Ceng. "Talisman Master Shen, the envoy from Spring Garden's headquarters has arrived. You can bring your wife here."
After hearing the contents of the message, he could not help but reveal joy and excitement. His wife was still in the shop. Shen Ping tidied up a little before leaving Tongquan Alley with Pei Huoyu and arriving in South City.
"Husband, why did you come to the shop today?" His wife and concubines came forward. Mu Jin's eyes flashed with joy when she saw Shen Ping, but she stopped after taking two steps and stood behind the counter with a smile on her lips.
Shen Ping replied casually, then said, "Yun'er, follow me."
Wang Yun was stunned and vaguely guessed something. She did not ask and followed closely behind Shen Ping.
Until they stood at the entrance of a shop, she looked at the words "Spring Garden". She felt cold all over. Her face turned even paler.
"H-husband…" Wang Yun said with difficulty. She knew this place better than anyone else. She thought that she would never come here again in her life, but she did not expect…
Shen Ping could tell that something was wrong with his wife's voice. He hurriedly held her palm. "Yun'er, don't worry too much. I brought you here to solve your cultivation problem! When you walk out of here again, Yun'er, you will definitely be able to cultivate."
It was extremely difficult for mortals to cultivate. Although Matchmaker Ceng had repeatedly guaranteed that nothing would go wrong, this was a bloodline modification. Shen Ping could imagine how dangerous it was.
Wang Yun's face regained its color, and her eyes lit up. "Husband, is this true?"
"Of course it's true! Let's go. I'll personally lead you on the path of cultivation!" He held Wang Yun's hand tightly and stepped into Spring Garden.