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Chapter 74: Talismans
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 11:41:19 +0000 UTCAll of this left Chen Xiao in shock. He desperately held himself back from shouting out in joy like Tong Nuonuo had. He forced himself to remain on stage, though his mind and body were completely consumed by the golden compass in his consciousness.
Chen Xiao was certain that the compass his master had once handed him didn’t have this level of mystical power. This change only occurred after he arrived in this world. It’s possible that after his death, his master had done something to the compass, which led to its current form.
The compass had unlocked new layers, gaining entirely new functions, all because it absorbed the energy of the earth's veins. Chen Xiao realized that dragon vein digging was far more effective at gathering energy compared to setting up Feng Shui for people's homes, and it didn’t come with any karmic consequences. The energy within the earth’s veins was ownerless, flowing like a stream through the mountains. Chen Xiao merely scooped up a handful, without affecting the flow.
Running at full speed to release the joy that nearly exploded in his chest, he couldn't contain himself and let out a few triumphant shouts. Thankfully, everyone in the village had gone to the bonfire party, so no one noticed his wild behavior.
He returned to his room in the dark, lit a lamp, kicked off his boots, and climbed into bed. He lay back against the blankets, closing his eyes, and continued to observe the changes in the compass in his mind.
After absorbing the energy, the compass transformed it into golden energy. Even after lighting up two layers of circles, there was still energy left. It flowed through the center that had already lit up, almost alive.
Chen Xiao tentatively reached out in his consciousness to touch the golden energy on the compass, trying to control it. The energy responded obediently to his intent, lifting easily off the compass. The compass itself didn’t react, which relieved Chen Xiao. It seemed that when the energy was abundant, the compass was generous and didn’t mind if some of it was taken away, as it didn’t interfere with its function.
Chen Xiao carefully sensed it. The golden energy had now completely transformed into a pure force, no longer possessing the traits of the original energy flow. After thinking for a moment, Chen Xiao decided to call this golden energy "primal energy." The term "primal" suggests the original nature of all things, and turning the energy from earth veins into pure force seemed fitting.
Guiding the primal energy from his consciousness, Chen Xiao directed it outward. He suspected that the location of the compass in his mind corresponded to the pineal gland, which Daoists refer to as the "spiritual palace" or the "upper dantian." If the primal energy could flow from this spot into his body, wouldn’t he be able to circulate it through his meridians like other cultivators?
Chen Xiao was so eager for power that he didn’t hesitate to try this risky experiment. After all, the primal energy was still something he didn’t fully understand, yet he dared to draw it into his own body.
The primal energy followed his guidance and smoothly left the spiritual palace, entering the center of his forehead. Chen Xiao felt a warmth at his brow, but before he could rejoice, the energy, no longer under his control, dispersed spontaneously. It followed his bloodstream, first entering his heart. As the heart beat, it quickly spread through his limbs and bones.
In the brief moment of a heartbeat, Chen Xiao didn’t even have time to react. His entire body felt warm and invigorated, and he couldn’t help but smile wryly. The presence of primal energy made everything feel clearer than ever. Without thinking, he adopted a cross-legged posture, mimicking Xi Yunqing, and carefully examined his condition.
When he opened his eyes, Chen Xiao felt both surprised and a little disappointed. As he had expected, the primal energy could flow through his body. However, unlike true Qi or true essence of a cultivator, the primal energy couldn’t circulate through the meridians for cultivation.
But there was one benefit—primal energy could spontaneously enter different parts of his body with each heartbeat, nourishing his organs and refining every cell. This was far more powerful than what cultivators experienced, who had to consciously refine their bodies. Even though they couldn’t reach every area, this was still a hundred times stronger.
The bad news was that Chen Xiao still couldn’t cultivate. Having primal energy didn’t change that. The good news was that as he continued his dragon vein digging, the more energy he absorbed, the more his body would be refined by the primal energy. Eventually, he could cultivate a semi-immortal body, much like a cultivator.
Thinking about it, Chen Xiao realized why he was different from cultivators. He couldn’t generate primal energy within his body, nor could he absorb spiritual energy directly from the air. The only time he could acquire primal energy was when the compass absorbed energy from the earth veins during Feng Shui setup or dragon vein digging. Only when the energy was abundant would he have extra primal energy to use.
It seemed that his primary focus would need to remain on Feng Shui. Chen Xiao sighed inwardly. Although he wanted to explore other paths, all he knew now was that he could eventually attain a semi-immortal body. But in terms of power, he still lacked the ability to protect himself.
Then, an idea struck him. He quickly took out the jade plaque he had kept close. Xi Yunqing had said that any form of power could activate the plaque to reveal its inheritance. Would primal energy work? If it did, he could use other magical tools or artifacts in the cultivation world that required energy to activate.
His heartbeat quickened as he swallowed. He pressed the jade plaque to his forehead and, using the compass, pulled out a strand of primal energy.
This time, he was careful, keeping the energy from scattering. As the energy touched the jade plaque, information was instantly projected into his mind. It worked! Chen Xiao couldn’t contain his excitement.
With primal energy, he was no longer an ordinary person who couldn’t cultivate. He could now afford to equip himself with weapons that required direct energy activation. Or… if he focused on the information in his mind, he could even create talismans.
The talisman’s strength should be judged by the amount of energy Chen Xiao expels when he touches it. Since Chen Xiao releases very little spiritual energy, the content of this message is not much. It includes only the basics of talisman paper crafting, paint recipes, how to process materials, and the type of brush to use. The talisman itself is just a simple foundational one, an invocation talisman with uncomplicated drawing techniques.
Since this message is intended for beginners, the materials and recipes don't include fearsome ingredients like beast blood, jade mine essence, or precious metals. Instead, it features simple fiber paper, wood, bamboo, and even grass fibers. The paints are similar, easy-to-find minerals, plant extracts, and animal blood.
Chen Xiao was so excited that he couldn't sleep. The whole night, he used his finger dipped in water to draw symbols on the table. Only when the morning light broke did exhaustion set in, and he collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep. Thankfully, the villagers all rested late at night, so when he woke up in the afternoon, no one noticed, except for Xi Yunqing, who lived next door.
Immortal Master Xi noticed that Chen Xiao hadn’t slept, with the light still on in his room. However, Xi Yunqing was a very passive conversationalist, and wouldn't think to ask unless Chen Xiao brought it up first.
In the following days, Chen Xiao kept himself shut away in his room. Tong Nuonuo tried to visit him several times but was met with the door being closed. Fortunately, Du Rong took him along when he went out, or else Tong Nuonuo would have gone mad from boredom.
Chen Xiao stayed locked in his room, using the collected grass paper, goat hair brush, and vermilion powder to attempt talisman drawing. However, the rules for drawing talismans in this world were strict. Since Chen Xiao wasn't following the prescribed recipe for the materials, the talismans he created were merely superficial, without real power.
Time flew by, and before long, Wu Qing was able to stand and walk again. His spine had fully healed, but his meridians and organs were still weak. Initially, everyone planned for him to rest a little longer, but he could no longer bear lying in bed and insisted on returning to Hanshan City. Given this, Xi Yunqing decided it was time to set off.
The next morning, nearly everyone in the village came to see them off. There were twenty-one young children, with the oldest being Ah Shou. There were also the top five from the competition, three men and two women, aged between twenty-two and thirty-five. It surprised the villagers that two of the winners were women. Although the women of Changjia Village were known to be capable and strong, they were not as showy as the men, so no one realized they were so capable.
Xi Yunqing was actually happy to see adult women in the group. Women were often more thoughtful and could better care for the children who were leaving home for the first time. Besides, there were girls and younger girls in the group, and some tasks could only be handled by women, as men would find them inconvenient.
At the farewell, there were still tears, but once they left the village’s vicinity, the children’s spirits brightened. Ah Shou, with great authority, silenced them, reminding them that they weren’t out on a casual trip, they were on a journey. Talking and playing around would only tire them out. Ah Shou smirked inwardly. These naive children had no idea how difficult the journey would be. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were too exhausted to speak later.
Du Rong led the group at the front, retracing the same route. Chen Xiao had gotten used to walking with them and adapted well to the journey. It was Wu Qing, still not fully recovered, whose pale face made it clear he was struggling. But since he insisted on traveling, they couldn't slow down for his sake. Wu Qing gritted his teeth and kept going, making Chen Xiao frown in concern.
That night, as they camped, Wu Qing suffered from severe diarrhea, and by the next morning, his legs were too weak to stand. He couldn’t possibly continue the journey in such a condition. The group gathered to discuss their options: either everyone would wait until he recovered before continuing, or they could split into two groups. One group would move ahead with the apprentices, and the other would stay behind with Wu Qing until he was better.
Wu Qing felt deeply guilty for causing such trouble. The once strong man was now nearly skeletal, his face pale, and his eyes rimmed with shame. Weakly, he said, "Don’t worry about me, go ahead. Since we already know the way, once I’m better, I’ll catch up on my own." He didn’t dare return directly to the uncertain situation in Hanshan City and had decided to stay at Xi Yunqing’s mountain valley estate first, to gather more information.
In the end, it was decided that Xi Yunqing, along with Ah Shou, would lead the apprentices ahead, while Chen Xiao, Tong Nuonuo, Du Rong, and Wu Qing would stay behind. They would continue once Wu Qing had recovered.
