Chapter 46: Wolf Pattern Armor (Part 2)
"Devouring beast souls or even human souls is the easiest method, but consuming too many souls can severely affect one's mind, leading to mental confusion or, in severe cases, madness and a broken path to immortality."
"Through the Ghost Lantern, you can safely nourish your spiritual consciousness. Although the amount it provides is limited, it has no negative side effects. Over time, your spiritual consciousness will far exceed that of ordinary cultivators. I've cultivated for forty years and have never heard of or seen anything like this."
"These are runic symbols used by a contracted spirit beast. Use your spiritual consciousness to engrave them onto the Ghost Lantern. From now on, it won't be able to harm you. Also, keep the secret of the Ghost Lantern. If others find out, they might resort to robbery and murder, do you understand?"
Jiang Yuebai carefully memorized the runes Tao Fengnian had drawn for her. She had a feeling that Little Green's core, its lamp wick, held the residual obsessions of Ye Shiming. It wouldn’t hurt her until she found Five Flavors Mountain Hermit,
To be safe, she would follow her grandfather's advice.
The night passed peacefully, and Jiang Yuebai, who hadn't trained for once, enjoyed a good night's sleep thanks to the wine's effects.
Early the next morning, Tao Fengnian sent her to the Dharma Hall. She had arranged to meet with Lu Nanzhi and the others in the afternoon, so she arrived at the Dharma Hall early in the morning.
"…The Esoteric Formation Technique originated from the ancient scripture 'Dragon Armor Divine Chapter.' It involves calculations based on the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes and incorporates elements such as the Eight Gates, Nine Stars, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements."
"Formation techniques are one of the most challenging paths in cultivation. Merely learning talismans and runes won't be enough. You need to establish a strong foundation in mathematics and calculations…"
The inner disciples' instructor lectured loudly, but Jiang Yuebai couldn't grasp most of what he was saying. She realized that formation techniques were far more complex than she had initially thought. The list of foundational books alone was extensive, and this formation instructor had recommended over a dozen of them.
Having endured the lecture, Jiang Yuebai headed straight to the library and borrowed books such as "The Book of the River Diagrams of the Luo River," "The Supreme Mystery of the Jiazi Cycle," and "Yin and Yang Correspondence Theory."
No matter how challenging it was, she would read and memorize as much as she could to gain a better understanding.
Just as she left the Library, someone blocked her path.
“I knew I could find you here, you little troublemaker,” he sneered.
Jiang Yuebai looked up, her heart skipped a beat. It was Jia Wei!
She glanced around. There was a constant flow of people outside the Library. If he wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn't choose this place.
'What do you want?' she asked.
Jia Wei shrugged casually. 'I don't want to argue with a little girl like you. I'm here to give you a friendly reminder. Don't be naive and end up losing your life.'
'Are you talking about yourself?' Jiang Yuebai retorted, unapologetically.
Jia Wei chuckled. 'You think Tao Fengnian is being kind to you without any ulterior motives? Let me tell you straight; he doesn't have more than a year left. He's grooming you to be a new vessel for himself. When the time comes, he'll possess your body, and he'll be reborn!'
Jiang Yuebai's heart skipped a beat, and she stared at Jia Wei.
He chuckled darkly. 'Take care of yourself.'
Jia Wei left, leaving Jiang Yuebai with a cold shiver down her spine.
Did he just say... her grandfather had less than a year left to live? So, her grandfather had been getting weaker over these past few months because of this?
She didn't want to believe it, but upon reflection, her grandfather had entered the Dao at the age of thirty and was now seventy. He had failed to advance to a higher level twice, depleting his vitality...
She had always thought her grandfather would live to a hundred or, at the very least, eighty.
'It can't be true. There's no way my grandfather could...' Jiang Yuebai couldn't bring herself to think further and immediately flew towards the Huaxi Valley.
In the Huaxi Valley, there was a small courtyard with green-brick buildings.
As Jiang Yuebai sobbed and questioned him, Tao Fengnian seemed absentminded, taking a moment before saying, 'Are you only worried that I'm about to die, or are you also worried that I'll take over your body?'
Jiang Yuebai cried out, 'I'm not naive! How could I believe Jia Wei's words?'
Tao Fengnian smiled wryly and shook his head.
Jiang Yuebai, her tears wiped away, exclaimed, 'Why are you laughing?'
'You yourself said not to trust Jia Wei's words, so why are you crying?' Tao Fengnian said.
Jiang Yuebai was momentarily stunned, her tears mixing with her snot.
Tao Fengnian rubbed Jiang Yuebai's head. 'Don't worry. Originally, my lifespan was indeed short, but when I went to the Southern Valley Marketplace last time, I found a way to temporarily extend it.'
'How long is temporarily?' Jiang Yuebai asked.
'Three years. As long as you pass the Spirit Farming exam within three years, I can ask the sect for a ten-year lifespan-extending pill. Then, I can attempt to advance to a higher level again, and we'll have enough time to plan.'
'Why didn't you tell me sooner?' Jiang Yuebai asked.
' Laws of Nature follow their own course, and we can't force it. I didn't want you to practice under too much pressure,' Tao Fengnian replied.
Jiang Yuebai wiped her tears away. 'I promise I won't let you die, and you must promise not to leave me. Do you swear?'
Tao Fengnian, seeing Jiang Yuebai's determination, reluctantly made a show of swearing. Although they had a false alarm, Tao Fengnian had a foreboding feeling about why Jia Wei suddenly revealed this information.
Jiang Yuebai felt the same way, and her heart was uneasy.
After much thought, she decided not to wait for three years.
Extending one's lifespan was a perilous act, even with just a ten-year lifespan-extending pill. The process of refining it would attract the Heavenly Tribulation, making it hard to guarantee a successful outcome.
Jiang Yuebai made another trip to the Lecture Hall, where Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan promised to do their best to help.
However, they couldn't guarantee when they could obtain it.
The once bright days were now clouded with uncertainty. After that day, Jiang Yuebai didn't leave the valley, locking herself in her small courtyard and practicing the Spirit Farming technique day and night.
Tao Fengnian was right. Natural laws followed their own course, and although her previous training had been tough, she had been happy with every bit of progress.
Now, she felt the pressure of a heavy burden, constantly pushing her limits and leaving her breathless.
Moreover, her mastery of the technique wasn't improving as quickly as before.
Pushing too hard, striving too much—it was all backfiring on her. She was beginning to realize that.
Day after day of hard practice, she found solace only in exchanging letters with Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan, which helped ease her inner turmoil.
"Through the Ghost Lantern, you can safely nourish your spiritual consciousness. Although the amount it provides is limited, it has no negative side effects. Over time, your spiritual consciousness will far exceed that of ordinary cultivators. I've cultivated for forty years and have never heard of or seen anything like this."
"These are runic symbols used by a contracted spirit beast. Use your spiritual consciousness to engrave them onto the Ghost Lantern. From now on, it won't be able to harm you. Also, keep the secret of the Ghost Lantern. If others find out, they might resort to robbery and murder, do you understand?"
Jiang Yuebai carefully memorized the runes Tao Fengnian had drawn for her. She had a feeling that Little Green's core, its lamp wick, held the residual obsessions of Ye Shiming. It wouldn’t hurt her until she found Five Flavors Mountain Hermit,
To be safe, she would follow her grandfather's advice.
The night passed peacefully, and Jiang Yuebai, who hadn't trained for once, enjoyed a good night's sleep thanks to the wine's effects.
Early the next morning, Tao Fengnian sent her to the Dharma Hall. She had arranged to meet with Lu Nanzhi and the others in the afternoon, so she arrived at the Dharma Hall early in the morning.
"…The Esoteric Formation Technique originated from the ancient scripture 'Dragon Armor Divine Chapter.' It involves calculations based on the Eight Trigrams of the Book of Changes and incorporates elements such as the Eight Gates, Nine Stars, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements."
"Formation techniques are one of the most challenging paths in cultivation. Merely learning talismans and runes won't be enough. You need to establish a strong foundation in mathematics and calculations…"
The inner disciples' instructor lectured loudly, but Jiang Yuebai couldn't grasp most of what he was saying. She realized that formation techniques were far more complex than she had initially thought. The list of foundational books alone was extensive, and this formation instructor had recommended over a dozen of them.
Having endured the lecture, Jiang Yuebai headed straight to the library and borrowed books such as "The Book of the River Diagrams of the Luo River," "The Supreme Mystery of the Jiazi Cycle," and "Yin and Yang Correspondence Theory."
No matter how challenging it was, she would read and memorize as much as she could to gain a better understanding.
Just as she left the Library, someone blocked her path.
“I knew I could find you here, you little troublemaker,” he sneered.
Jiang Yuebai looked up, her heart skipped a beat. It was Jia Wei!
She glanced around. There was a constant flow of people outside the Library. If he wanted to cause trouble, he wouldn't choose this place.
'What do you want?' she asked.
Jia Wei shrugged casually. 'I don't want to argue with a little girl like you. I'm here to give you a friendly reminder. Don't be naive and end up losing your life.'
'Are you talking about yourself?' Jiang Yuebai retorted, unapologetically.
Jia Wei chuckled. 'You think Tao Fengnian is being kind to you without any ulterior motives? Let me tell you straight; he doesn't have more than a year left. He's grooming you to be a new vessel for himself. When the time comes, he'll possess your body, and he'll be reborn!'
Jiang Yuebai's heart skipped a beat, and she stared at Jia Wei.
He chuckled darkly. 'Take care of yourself.'
Jia Wei left, leaving Jiang Yuebai with a cold shiver down her spine.
Did he just say... her grandfather had less than a year left to live? So, her grandfather had been getting weaker over these past few months because of this?
She didn't want to believe it, but upon reflection, her grandfather had entered the Dao at the age of thirty and was now seventy. He had failed to advance to a higher level twice, depleting his vitality...
She had always thought her grandfather would live to a hundred or, at the very least, eighty.
'It can't be true. There's no way my grandfather could...' Jiang Yuebai couldn't bring herself to think further and immediately flew towards the Huaxi Valley.
In the Huaxi Valley, there was a small courtyard with green-brick buildings.
As Jiang Yuebai sobbed and questioned him, Tao Fengnian seemed absentminded, taking a moment before saying, 'Are you only worried that I'm about to die, or are you also worried that I'll take over your body?'
Jiang Yuebai cried out, 'I'm not naive! How could I believe Jia Wei's words?'
Tao Fengnian smiled wryly and shook his head.
Jiang Yuebai, her tears wiped away, exclaimed, 'Why are you laughing?'
'You yourself said not to trust Jia Wei's words, so why are you crying?' Tao Fengnian said.
Jiang Yuebai was momentarily stunned, her tears mixing with her snot.
Tao Fengnian rubbed Jiang Yuebai's head. 'Don't worry. Originally, my lifespan was indeed short, but when I went to the Southern Valley Marketplace last time, I found a way to temporarily extend it.'
'How long is temporarily?' Jiang Yuebai asked.
'Three years. As long as you pass the Spirit Farming exam within three years, I can ask the sect for a ten-year lifespan-extending pill. Then, I can attempt to advance to a higher level again, and we'll have enough time to plan.'
'Why didn't you tell me sooner?' Jiang Yuebai asked.
' Laws of Nature follow their own course, and we can't force it. I didn't want you to practice under too much pressure,' Tao Fengnian replied.
Jiang Yuebai wiped her tears away. 'I promise I won't let you die, and you must promise not to leave me. Do you swear?'
Tao Fengnian, seeing Jiang Yuebai's determination, reluctantly made a show of swearing. Although they had a false alarm, Tao Fengnian had a foreboding feeling about why Jia Wei suddenly revealed this information.
Jiang Yuebai felt the same way, and her heart was uneasy.
After much thought, she decided not to wait for three years.
Extending one's lifespan was a perilous act, even with just a ten-year lifespan-extending pill. The process of refining it would attract the Heavenly Tribulation, making it hard to guarantee a successful outcome.
Jiang Yuebai made another trip to the Lecture Hall, where Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan promised to do their best to help.
However, they couldn't guarantee when they could obtain it.
The once bright days were now clouded with uncertainty. After that day, Jiang Yuebai didn't leave the valley, locking herself in her small courtyard and practicing the Spirit Farming technique day and night.
Tao Fengnian was right. Natural laws followed their own course, and although her previous training had been tough, she had been happy with every bit of progress.
Now, she felt the pressure of a heavy burden, constantly pushing her limits and leaving her breathless.
Moreover, her mastery of the technique wasn't improving as quickly as before.
Pushing too hard, striving too much—it was all backfiring on her. She was beginning to realize that.
Day after day of hard practice, she found solace only in exchanging letters with Lu Nanzhi and Xie Jingshan, which helped ease her inner turmoil.
Comments
Post a Comment