Chapter 79: Chapter 76: The Spiritual Sense Innate Talent and the Efficacy of the Divine Technique Art! An Advance on ’Fish Dragon Transformation’, a Boundless World Awaits
[Primordial Daoist Talisman]
[Currently Imprinted Divine Technique: Mountain and Sea Search!]
[Refinement Progress: 1%]
[A so-called Divine Technique is an art ’born of Heaven and nurtured by Earth.’ It must be practiced in person and cultivated to Perfection to fully grasp the Profound Mystery of the Jade Talisman.]
[Each time the Tutor uses ’Mountain and Sea Search,’ the Refinement Progress will increase. This can lead to comprehending and unlocking subsequent Innate Talents and wonders!]
[Currently Comprehended Innate Talent: Spiritual Sense]
[Your eyes now hold a divine light, able to pierce through mists and illusions. You can traverse mountain forests at night as if on flat ground. All spiritual things within a hundred-zhang radius are visible to you!]
The Primordial Daoist Talisman vibrated wildly.
The small seal script characters that appeared nearly filled Ji Xiu’s mental vision, leaving him no room to think of anything else. It took a long while for him to process the streams of information and fully digest the meaning.
’This Jade Talisman...’
’It’s a Divine Power Jade Talisman that records a technique called ’Mountain and Sea Search’!’
Simply by merging it into the Primordial Daoist Talisman, Ji Xiu had obtained an Innate Talent called ’Spiritual Sense’.
This so-called Innate Talent was different from the Traits he had comprehended, like Profound Blood Flood Dragon Tendons and Bosatsu Prison Break, which came from painstakingly practicing the Turtle and Snake Grand Foundation Stake and the Sword Mountain and Fire Sea Stance.
Those Traits were inherent features and insights recorded by the Law Creator, meant to be realized after practicing the Pile Skill and Martial Arts to a profound level.
But Spiritual Sense was a wonder created from nothing, bestowed directly upon him!
He could feel a strange sensation in his eyes. After blinking hard a few times, it seemed that if he focused, he could clearly see every single speck of dust floating between Heaven and Earth.
He recalled how, on a previous night, he and Duan Chenzhou had traveled the 500-li Mountain Dao. They had only been wandering the outskirts when their vision was completely obscured by a thick fog.
Even with Master Duan’s Qi and Blood flaring like a signal beacon, he had been helpless in that situation, forced to wander in circles and accomplish nothing.
If it weren’t for his Cultivation of Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate, which had attracted the Jade Deer with Green Horns, his progress in Bone Tempering would have been severely delayed!
Without the Essence Blood of an Enlightened Little Demon, supplemented by nourishing Mountain Ginseng, how could he have possibly endured the agony of breaking bones, the torment of reforging them, and the ordeal of recreating his Blood Marrow?
But now...
His eyes were now capable of seeing through anything within a hundred zhang!
’If I could get my hands on a Treasure Bow and master a Superior Bow Skill, wouldn’t I be able to roam this vast mountain forest as I please!?’
Speaking of ’Mountain Search’...
Anning County was just a poor, remote backwater, hardly worth mentioning.
The first hundred li of the 500-li Mountain Dao were also unremarkable.
But the further one went, the closer one got to the Earth Dragon Cave where an Outer Dao Mirage had once descended... the more pristine the preserved landscape became.
He had heard stories of foolhardy fortune-seekers from the Mountain Towns and Sword Manors on the outskirts of Anning County. They would spend three days and three nights combing the mountains and forests, barely surviving the ordeal, only to return with over a thousand taels of silver worth of Mountain Ginseng and Spiritual Materials.
In a flash, they would become influential, wealthy figures in town, surrounded by attendants. The haul from a single night was incomparably better than toiling away for years to build a marginally successful business in Anning County!
That was why there were so many major bandits, Mountain Towns, and Sword Manors outside the County.
Those who managed to make their way to Anning County were capable enough to establish foundations like the Three Great Gangs, which gave a hint as to just how deep and tangled the local power structures were.
Murder and arson for a belt of gold; a dark, windy night to brave the mountains deep.
If one didn’t get lost and had a guide...
...the profits would be truly... exorbitant!
This was especially true for someone like Ji Xiu, who was determined to break through the Power Barrier and achieve Refining Perfection in three major stages, and who needed to exhaust every means to gather resources in this poor, remote region.
It was like a lifeline in his time of need!
The Silver Carp Transformation scroll alone had nearly bankrupted both him and Duan Chenzhou, even forcing them to resort to banditry to rob others.
And that was to say nothing of the blood exchange for the later Fish Dragon Transformation or the marrow refinement for the True Flood Dragon Transformation, which required Centennial Demon Blood, powdered Demon Pills for Quenching Blood Marrow, and finally, the Dragon Gate Scroll to perfect the Mercury Blood Silver Marrow!
When it came to the Wind and Cloud Association’s business and the Medicine Hall’s profits, the lion’s share ultimately went to the three leaders and Old Huang.
They had large operations and many mouths to feed, and even though they looked out for him, his Cultivation devoured resources like a hungry whale. Even an income of several hundred taels a month left him struggling to make ends meet.
Moreover, the effects of Mountain Treasure Essence Blood were greatly diminished if it wasn’t fresh and warm, and it was often a product with a price but no supply!
Ji Xiu had been agonizing over this very problem.
However, with the advancement of the Primordial Daoist Talisman...
...none of this would be a problem anymore.
And this was only the first Innate Talent.
’If I achieve Perfection in my mastery of ’Mountain and Sea Search’ and awaken other Divine Talents... will I truly be able to do as the name implies? Not just traverse the 500-li Mountain Dao as if it were flat ground, but also, after entering Jiangyin Prefecture, hunt the sea, command the waves, and capture Treasure Fish and Marvels, Earth Treasures and Celestial Materials from the mysterious, boundless East Canghai?’
He’d heard that the Earth Dragon Cave at the end of the 500-li Mountain Dao had once been corrupted by the Abyss Ruins, one of the Outer Dao Celestial Universes, which had tainted the entire mountainous region with its baleful Qi.
This allowed the creatures and Spirit Monsters living in the mountains to gain a year’s worth of Cultivation in a single month, causing many valuable Great Demons to lie dormant at the far end.
But compared to the East Canghai, which spanned a vast 8,000 li and was home to Dragon Flood Dragons of the Water Race—a permanent treasure ground that had fallen from another Celestial Universe—it was like a firefly next to the moon.
In Duan Chenzhou’s words:
"Even if you took everything from the entire 500-li Mountain Dao of the Earth Dragon Cave, tied it all together, it wouldn’t even amount to one-hundredth of the harvest gained from commanding the winds and waves of the East Canghai!"
For a moment, Ji Xiu’s heart began to THUMP wildly in his chest, and a single sentence surfaced in his mind:
"This... is no mortal art!"
The wave of excitement soon passed.
He couldn’t help but grab Zhang Qing’s shoulders, his eyes suddenly narrowing as he spoke in a grave tone, "Little Sixth, tell me the truth."
"Where did you get this thing?"
He pressed the now-dull Jade Talisman into Zhang Qing’s palm, his voice laced with worry.
A treasure of this magnitude made even his heart pound with fear. He felt like a child carrying gold through a crowded market; possessing such a treasure was a crime in itself.
Forget about a mere Bone Tempering martial artist.
Even a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster would go mad for it, wouldn’t they?
’I can’t believe it... I obtained it so easily.’
"Master Han gave it to me," Zhang Qing explained. "Before he left, he told me that if he didn’t return after a few days, I was to travel through the night, cross the docks, go to Jiangyin, and give this Jade Talisman to the Jiangyin Garrison Commander, Luo Daocheng. He promised me a life of glory and riches in return!"
"But..."
"...he mentioned that you, Brother Ji, had a fateful connection with the Jade Talisman. I can never repay your kindness to me, so..."
Zhang Qing didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear.
After a moment of stunned silence, Ji Xiu’s expression turned solemn.
"That’s the Garrison Commander of the Prefecture City!"
"A single one of his fingers could crush Anning County and make the heavens fall."
"And what he can give you is far, far more than what I can."
"Little Sixth, do you have any idea what you’ve just given up?"
Zhang Qing shook his head.
"If I had any regrets, I wouldn’t have come here today."
"Brother Ji, even after giving you the Jade Talisman, I will still go to the Prefecture City."
"I will honor Master Han’s request. I’ve committed it to memory and will carry it out."
"I’ll wait for him in the County, but if he doesn’t return after a few days..."
A worried look appeared in Zhang Qing’s eyes.
"I will still fulfill the trust placed in me and deliver his message to General Luo at the Jiangyin Garrison Mansion."
Hearing Zhang Qing’s words, Ji Xiu frowned.
Han Ying had stolen a ’great treasure’ that General Luo Daocheng of the Jiangyin Garrison Mansion intended to present to a nobleman, then fled and joined the Central Yellow Sect, which worshiped the Divine Beings of an Outer Dao Celestial Universe.
This was the news Ji Xiu had heard from Duan Chenzhou.
And clearly, this Jade Talisman was the so-called great treasure.
But after many twists and turns... through a bizarre twist of fate, it had fallen into the hands of someone who should have been utterly impossible to acquire it: him.
’Still, what could have forced Han Ying to secretly give the Jade Talisman to Zhang Qing with instructions to return it to Luo Daocheng? Could it be that he regretted his actions and wanted to leave the Central Yellow Sect and return to Jiangyin Prefecture?’
Shrouded in a thick fog of mystery, Ji Xiu pondered the situation.
’However... to hell with it!’
’What’s eaten is eaten. It’s mine now.’
’If they want me to spit it back out... they’ll have to beat Master Duan first!’
...
「Duan Residence.」
"Apprentice, we’re rich."
"The three Manor Masters of your Wind and Cloud Association sent over a bounty of mountain delicacies. Add to that the Three Great Halls’ unique Bone Tempering Secret Medicine and the Spirit Wine brought by Lord Zhao the County Magistrate, mixed into boiling water..."
"...and with some high-quality Spirit Monster Essence Blood as a catalyst, it’s just enough for you to undergo another blood exchange and cultivate the ’Fish Dragon Transformation’!"
Ji Xiu had just stepped into Duan Chenzhou’s residence.
He saw Duan Chenzhou pointing at a pile of fine goods, a wide grin on his face.
"See? There are benefits to being famous."
"Look, we just sat here and people came bearing gifts."
For a moment, Ji Xiu hesitated.
"Uh, Master, as the saying goes, ’There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’ If something comes up..."
Duan Chenzhou waved a dismissive hand.
"Nonsense!"
"You do the amount of work you’re paid for."
"A business worth a mere thousand or eight hundred taels can’t even afford the price of my intervention. Since they delivered it to our doorstep, how could we possibly refuse?"
"Why are you just like your Ancestral Master’s eldest disciple?"
"We take what’s given. They brought it themselves, it’s not like your master went out and robbed them. What are they going to do about it?"
"Small favors, we don’t need to help with. Big favors, we can’t help with."
"In the Jianghu, you must understand this principle to live a long life, my apprentice."
Duan Chenzhou said earnestly, then waved a hand grandly.
"Come, come! Get in the cauldron, quick! Time for another blood exchange!"
Ji Xiu looked at the large bronze cauldron giving off white steam, grunted, and then hesitated again.
"Wait a minute, we haven’t been to the Mountain Dao. Where did you get..."
His gaze shifted to the side, and he couldn’t help but see the Jade Deer with Green Horns that had been tied up in the stables of the Duan Residence.
The deer was now lying on the ground, WHIMPERING, a look of complete despair on its face. Understanding instantly dawned on him.
"So that’s how it is... You poor thing!"
"You’ve sacrificed yourself for the greater good! I, Ji Xiu, will definitely repay this kindness in the future!"
"Don’t worry, after this, I’ll go find Lord Gu and learn his Arrow Skill. Once I’m self-sufficient, you won’t need to make such a great sacrifice again!"
Ji Xiu stripped off his outer robes, his eyes burning with emotion and his heart filled with solemn resolve!
[Would you like to prepay for the second scroll of Mortal Transformation: Soaring Dragon Gate—Fish Dragon Transformation?]
[Prepayment Condition: Using Centennial Spirit Monster Blood as a base, undergo a cleansing baptism, exchange your Blood Marrow six times, drive your Force into the very marrow... and transform a mortal skeleton into Fish Dragon Silver Bone!]
"Primordial Daoist Talisman..."
"Prepay it for me!"
[Prepayment of ’Fish Dragon Transformation’ successful!]
[Due to the upgrade of the Primordial Daoist Talisman, the Tutor can now perceive the true form of the ’Fish Dragon Transformation’ Dharma Gate, glimpse its traces, and deepen your Cultivation insights!]
[Currently available Martial Arts / Skill Daos to prepay: 1]
(PS: Two Chapters, over 6,000 characters. See you all tonight at the usual time. I’ll write 12,000 characters. Going to take a nap.)
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