The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 35: Chapter 34: Encountered Under the Moonlight

Shen Luo turned a corner, a rockery coming into view.

The highest peak of the rockery had been leveled quite smoothly, forming a platform several feet wide. A figure was seated cross-legged on top of it, it was Yu Yan.

His hands were now joined together, in the shape of a Treasure Vase, his eyes closed tightly, his breath moving in and out slowly, each exhalation and inhalation extremely drawn out.

Between his mouth and nose, one could faintly see two strands of milky-white gas, roughly the thickness of a finger, moving in and out. Moreover, there was a faint trace of white light haloed around the top area of his skull.

“This is the true cultivation of immortality!” Shen Luo’s eyes widened, unable to resist a surge of excitement.

The reason he had spent heavily to join the Spring and Autumn Pavilion that year, was in order to seek out real Daoist magical techniques, such that he could undergo a complete transformation, thereby prolonging his life span.

However, the “Small Transformation Yang Technique” could only nurture Yang Gang power, strengthening the body, and was utterly incomparable with a real Daoist technique.

Shen Luo couldn’t help but stand in place, blankly looking at everything in front of him.

As time passed bit by bit, the moon began to set, and the moonlight started to wane.

The white halo over Yu Yan’s head dispersed and his hands formed a finishing gesture in front of him. The milky-white gas around his nose vanished abruptly, signifying the end of cultivation.

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Shen Luo came back to himself in a startle, hastily retracting his body into the shadows, intending to quietly leave.

However, unbeknownst to him, he had been standing for too long and his legs were now entirely numb, unresponsive. His body swayed, hitting the nearby wall, making a muted sound.

The sound wasn’t loud, however, it was particularly noticeable in the silent environment.

“Drat!” Shen Luo cursed himself under his breath, hoping in his heart that Yu Yan hadn’t noticed this disturbance.

“Nephew Shen, is that you?” Unfortunately, Yu Yan’s voice slowly drifted over, defying his wishes.

A chill ran through Shen Luo, he turned around and found Yu Yan – he had no idea when he had come down from the rockery – standing not too far in front, giving a superficial glance.

“My apologies, Uncle. I accidentally saw you practicing and found it to be quite fascinating. I could not resist watching for a while, and am sorry if I caused any inconvenience.” Shen Luo gave a bow and apologized.

“It’s fine. Unlike others, I don’t abide by so many annoying conventions. It’s just a little observation. In fact, I can’t fall asleep as well. Why not accompany me over there to sit for a while.” Yu Yan said nonchalantly, then walked towards a pavilion by the pond.

Shen Luo limped and followed him. Subtly, he started to use the “Small Transformation Yang Technique”, after promoting the circulation of Qi and blood in his body, the discomfort in his feet gradually disappeared.

The two sat down in the pavilion. Yu Yan flicked his sleeve and miraculously, two plates of side dishes, a pot of wine, and two wine cups flew out.

The liquor flowed into his stomach, the rich aroma of the wine spread out, resonated in his internal organs, and refreshed his spirits.

Shen Luo felt the Yang Gang power he had condensed while practicing the “Small Transformation Yang Technique” be stimulated by the wine, and it began to revolve in the meridians of his body on its own.

Not only that, a cool sensation surged out from his internal organs, melding into the Yang Gang power. The strength of the Yang Gang seemed to have increased by a bit, practically surpassing half a month’s diligent cultivation.

Shen Luo was exhilarated and greedily eyed the wine pot, wishing he could snatch it and drink it all.

“Hey, hey, how’s the wine?” Yu Yan, too, threw back a cup, his peripheral vision caught Shen Luo’s change in expression, and he asked with a hint of laughter.

“Such splendid wine! I have enjoyed plenty of fine wines before, but compared to your Spirit Wine, they are like plain water. Which ingredients did you use to brew this exquisite wine?” Shen Luo conscientiously filled Yu Yan’s cup and asked.

“What, you think my wine is good, and now you want to pry into its recipe to brew it yourself?” Yu Yan glanced sideways at Shen Luo and laughed.

“I can’t hide anything from uncle.” Shen Luo chuckled a little awkwardly, feeling exposed.

“Even if I reveal the recipe, it won’t help. Have you ever heard of the Snow Mountain Spirit Snake? It appears once in a thousand years and is priceless. Its gallbladder is even more rare. It’s not something one can easily get,” Yu Yan said, taking a sip of his wine.

“Moreover, even if you did have the recipe, it would be useless. Brewing this wine requires soaking it in the gallbladder and refining it with the Spirit Fire. Although you are wearing a Taoist robe, it’s apparent that you haven’t cultivated any Daoist techniques. How can you harness the Spirit Fire?” He seemed rather fond of wine, as he drained his cup once again.

Shen Luo merely responded with a few polite chuckles. His actions didn’t falter, he quickly accompanied Yu Yan in another round, all the while quietly circulating the “Small Transformation Yang Technique” to refine the refreshing Qi in the wine, slightly enhancing his Yang Gang power.

“Uncle Yu, you are deeply proficient in the art of Talismans. I have been practicing one for a while now, but am not sure if I am doing it correctly. May you provide some guidance?” Shen Luo filled Yu Yan’s cup once more and asked hesitantly.

“Oh, which talisman? Draw it and let me see.”

With a casual flick of his sleeve, Yu Yan produced several green talisman papers, a small white cup filled with a deep red liquid that resembled blood but didn’t smell rancid, and a white jade brush.

Several runes were engraved on the jade pen, and its end was packed with golden hair, each strand emitting a faint luster. Clearly, these were not ordinary hairs.

Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Shen Luo took a deep breath. He picked up the jade pen, dipped it in the red liquid, concentrated his mind, and began to draw the Small Thunder Talisman.

The hair of the jade pen was soft yet firm, making it ten times better than any pen he had used before.

Furthermore, the red liquid was not like the Black Dog Blood he used before. Besides not coagulating, he could vaguely sense an invisible Qi flowing within the liquid, allowing him better control over the talisman drawing process.

In less than half a moment, the runes on the Small Thunder Talisman were complete.

Shen Luo felt this was the best talisman he had ever drawn; it might even be successful. Unfortunately, he did not have a Yuan Stone to activate it.

“Oh, so it’s a Small Thunder Talisman. It’s considered a quite complex low-level talisman, it indeed poses some difficulty for you at your current stage.” Yu Yan glanced at the talisman paper in front of Shen Luo and casually remarked.

“I would appreciate uncle’s guidance.” Shen Luo bowed in respect.

“Although your brush strokes are smooth, they lack harmonized spiritual energy and the talismanic force is intermittent. At best, it’s a pseudo-talisman.” Yu Yan picked up the talisman paper; a flash of light shimmered on his fingertip.

With a “hiss,” the talisman paper shattered into a brilliant white light upon command, but did not transform into thunder and lightning.

Shen Luo stared blankly at the spectacle, scratched his head awkwardly.

“The Daos of Talisman inscription are vast and profound. In order to succeed in making any talisman, one must grasp its essence. For instance, the essence of this Small Thunder Talisman lies in using human energy to connect with the energy of Heaven and Earth. The runes that are inscribed on the talisman paper are crucial. During the talisman-drawing process, you must unify your spirit, Qi, and essence as one, infusing them into the talisman. There must be unobstructed harmony from beginning to end for the talisman to be successful.” Yu Yan looked at Shen Luo seriously and with profound emotion.

“How can I achieve the unity of the three and integrate them as a whole?” Shen Luo listened attentively, unable to help asking.

There was a similar mention in the “Secret Techniques of Talismans Authentic Manual,” but at the time when he read it, he had no one to guide him and he felt confused. Yu Yan’s explanation today was much more straightforward and easy to understand.

Chapter Thirty-Five