The Lord of Void and Real

Chapter 36: Chapter 35: Glimpse of the Path

“As easy as it sounds, the actual execution is pretty tough. Everyone has their individual circumstances and the difficulties they need to overcome in order for the three elements to harmonize are also varied. In your case, Shen Luo, you seem to be in the prime of your youth and your energy and spirit are abundant. However, your vitality seems to be lacking a bit, have you fallen seriously ill before?” Yu Yan looked Shen Luo in the eyes and pinpointed his problem.

“Uncle, your observation is spot on. I was attacked by Yin Qi a few years ago and it took me several years to recover from my illness”, Shen Luo responded by nodding his head in agreement.

“That explains it. When you drew the talisman earlier, your energy and spirit were well integrated but the combination of your spirit and Qi was lacking. The talisman you drew ended up being merely form without substance; naturally, you were bound to fail.” Yu Yan took a sip of his Snake Gallbladder Wine and grinned.

“So, what should I do? Do I need to nurse my body back to health and replenish my vitality before I can draw talismans?” Now that Shen Luo finally understood where his problem lied, he asked anxiously. He even remembered to pour wine for Yu Yan.

“Of course, replenishing your vitality is necessary. However, it doesn’t mean you can’t draw talismans right now. You should just pay more attention to the integration of your spirit and Qi when you draw talismans.” Yu Yan was rather pleased with Shen Luo, who seemed eager to learn.

“How can the spirit and Qi be integrated?”

“In order to make your spirit and Qi merge as one, you must let it arise from your heart and not force anything. When you draw talisman, you have to stabilize your spirit, and distribute your Qi in your chest…” As Yu Yan was drinking, he gave Shen Luo some pointers on how to merge the spirit and Qi.

Shen Luo was holding his breath and listening attentively so that he wouldn’t miss any single word.

Yu Yan was well-versed in talisman and his casual remarks already helped to clear half of the doubts in Shen Luo’s mind, enlightening him greatly.

After Yu Yan finished talking, Shen Luo closed his eyes, recalling the points Yu Yan just taught him.

A moment later, he suddenly opened his eyes, picked up his White Jade Talisman Brush, and started to draw the Small Thunder Talisman on a new talisman paper, with strokes as vigorous as a dragon and as graceful as a snake.

As instructed by Yu Yan, he calmed his spirit, gathered his energy, spirit, and Qi together and infused them into the talisman through the brush in his hand.

In just a moment, a Small Thunder Talisman was completed. It was flawless from beginning to end without any breaks.

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Shen Luo flicked his wrist. The final stroke was drawn down in a vigorous stroke, full of the spirit it seemed as if it was about to fly off.

The entire Small Thunder Talisman suddenly shone slightly, made a ringing sound, and only dissipated after a while, with the light on the talisman disappearing along with it.

“Well done, give it a try.” Yu Yan smiled approvingly and waved his hand.

A grey stone fell onto the table. It was a Yuan Stone.

Shen Luo expressed his thanks, placed the Yuan Stone on the talisman, activated the Yuan Stone with the “Small Transformation Yang Technique,” and poured the white Qi from within into the talisman.

After many practices, he could make use of the white Qi in the Yuan Stone with ease.

A faint red light flashed by. The Yuan Stone cracked open in response, the white light on the talisman surface grew brighter, then shattered.

“Hiss”

A bolt of white lightning appeared out of nowhere, shot out, and struck the pond in front.

A wave of white water exploded in the pond, splashing up to several meters high. Countless water droplets scattered and splashed onto Shen Luo’s face, causing a stinging sensation.

Shen Luo seemed oblivious to it, he clenched his fists tightly, and kept them clenched so hard that his nails dug into his flesh, just to suppress the excitement in his heart.

Today, he had finally mastered the art of creating his first talisman, which moreover was quite an offensive and useful talisman. Most importantly, he was one step closer to the world of immortality.

“Thank you for your guidance, Uncle!” Shen Luo concealed his excitement, turned, and gave Yu Yan a bow.

“It’s a small matter, you do have a good knack for talismans, catching on pretty quickly. Ah, if only my stubborn son had your aptitude”, Yu Yan said dismissively, sighing lightly.

“Brother Yu Da’s martial arts skills are profoundly deep, I am far from his level,” Shen Luo only could say nice things about Yu Meng.

“Hmph, what use is being good at martial arts! I don’t know any body refining techniques, so I can’t teach him,” Yu Yan said grumpily.

“Body refining techniques!” Shen Luo intended to learn more but, seeing Yu Yan’s displeasured expression, he wisely didn’t probe further.

“You’re quite talented, which is really rare. It’s a pity our ancestors made a rule that talisman techniques couldn’t be passed on to those outside the clan, It wouldn’t have been a problem to give you more pointers”, Yu Yan glanced at Shen Luo and chuckled.

Although Shen Luo hadn’t been expecting to learn more, he was still somewhat disappointed hearing this. Nonetheless, he still expressed his gratitude, “Thank you for the kindness, Uncle. I just don’t have the luck. Your talisman technique is a heritage art of your ancestors!” Immediately, he asked with a hint of curiosity.

“Of course, the Yu Family’s techniques are all passed down from a very famous Heavenly Master a thousand years ago. Even in the cultivation world back then, he had a formidable reputation.” Yu Yan seemed proud as he mentioned this.

“Sadly, the disaster of demons occurred. Our ancestor died in battle against the demons. Although his techniques were passed down, they were incomplete. Over the years, the Yu Family lost many high-level cultivators and a lot of our legendary skills gradually faded away. Now that the inheritance has passed down to me, there’s only a smidge left. I even have to combine it with talismans to practice. We really have failed our ancestors!” Yu Yan’s voce grew increasingly mournful as he spoke, he gulped down another mouthful of wine fiercely.

Shen Luo looked at Yu Yan, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol and already slightly tipsy, and fell deep into thought.

A thousand years ago?

Wasn’t that the era he lived in?

“Every family has its ups and downs, just like the changing phases of the sun and the moon. You possess grandeur skills, Elder, and as you progress in your cultivation over time, you might not be much inferior to your ancestor,” Shen Luo comforted after pulling himself out of his thoughts.

“Only young calves like you dare to say such words. With the pitiful amount of skills I possess, what sort of cultivation can I actually achieve? Over the years, I’ve come to realize that wanting to achieve great success by hard work alone is useless. The key is to have opportunities. Take our ancestor for example, initially, he was only a ferryman of the Luan Shui River outskirts of Song Fan County Town. But he was blessed with deep luck and fortune that he found the ‘Nameless Heavenly Book’, which helped him to cultivate and gain God’s Power. Without opportunities, no matter how hard you work, everything would be in vain in the end.” Yu Yan drank another cup of wine, his face was flushed and he was already somewhat drunk.

“Song Fan County, Luan Shui River…” Shen Luo’s eyes twinkled.

Isn’t Song Fan County just nearby Chunhua County? It should not be too far from Chun Qiu Pavilion.

And he vaguely recalled having heard of the name Luan Shui River somewhere.

“Master Yu was born into such a humble background, and yet he achieved such great success later, he truly was a man blessed by heavens. Do you know the details of the unusual encounter he had back in his time?” Shen Luo impulsively asked, pouring wine for Yu Yan.

“Why are you asking so detailed? Are you thinking of going there to try your luck? It’s useless. Our Yu family members have already searched there countless times over generations, practically turning it upside down,” Yu Yan glanced cynically at Shen Luo and chuckled.

“Oh, Uncle, you’re kidding. I just want to widen my horizons,” Shen Luo scratched his head and smiled.