Gu Xiu was currently unaware of the changes in the outside world. He was still immersed in the transcription of the Heavenly Talisman Script.
It was called a transcription.
But in truth, it was more of an enlightenment.
The power of the nameless ancient tome was not limited to upgrading secret manuals, nor was it merely for merging cultivation techniques.
It had another function.
The ability to grant rapid comprehension.
Gu Xiu had discovered this when he transcribed the three Daoist scriptures before. Any technique he wrote down in the ancient tome…
…would grant him a much deeper level of understanding.
However, Gu Xiu had already studied the three Daoist scriptures in detail, so the effect hadn't been pronounced. This time, with the Heavenly Talisman Script, it was exceptionally clear.
Under normal circumstances, it would take at least a year to gain a slight understanding of this Heavenly Talisman Script. To fully master it would take even longer.
But now, with the help of the ancient tome…
With every character Gu Xiu wrote, his comprehension of the Heavenly Talisman Script deepened.
In just a single day and night…
Gu Xiu penned the final character.
Instantly!
The ancient tome within his Dantian Sea erupted in a brilliant light. The few pages then floated up and coalesced into a complete book, which hovered to the side.
On its cover, however, were only two words.
Talisman Book!
Gu Xiu opened it, a little surprised.
The Talisman Book was now even more formidable than the already powerful Heavenly Talisman Script.
After a cursory glance, Gu Xiu came to a realization.
The common Talisman Dao was about awakening the Heaven and Earth Dao Rhythm and cooperating with it, making it an aid.
The Heavenly Talisman Script, however, did not just awaken the Dao Rhythm; it made the Dao Rhythm proactively affine and even take the initiative to assist the Talisman Master. It also contained a degree of understanding of the Dao Rhythm itself.
As for the Talisman Book…
Though he had only skimmed it, Gu Xiu could tell.
What was written in this Talisman Book was no longer limited to the existing Heaven and Earth Dao Rhythm. It contained methods on how to *construct* the Heaven and Earth Dao Rhythm!
This revelation left Gu Xiu utterly shocked.
Search tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w for the original.
The Heaven and Earth Dao Rhythm was the very power of the world's rules. Not even a Supreme at the Great Ascension Stage would dare claim they could create the power of the world's rules from thin air.
The methods in this Talisman Book were nothing short of divine!
But soon, Gu Xiu shook his head and closed the book.
It wasn't that the Talisman Book wasn't powerful, but that it was far, far more difficult to comprehend than the Heavenly Talisman Script.
Gu Xiu had once stood at the pinnacle.
He knew very well that for a cultivator, the most important thing was one's own self!
Right now, he was too weak.
A mere Lianqi 3rd Level cultivator was just a novice who had barely stepped through the door. It was impossible for him to forcibly comprehend something of the Talisman Book's caliber.
The more he looked…
The more detrimental it would be to his current state.
Withdrawing from his inner vision, Gu Xiu glanced at the Green Bamboo Rod beside him, a hint of wonder in his eyes. "This Green Bamboo Rod is far too powerful."
According to his observations in the Illusory Realm…
Jiang Xun had used this Green Bamboo Rod many times, fishing up all sorts of heavenly materials, earthly treasures, spirit stones, and immortal medicines.
More often than not, however, he just fished up useless junk.
This time, Gu Xiu himself hadn't held much hope. He would have been content just fishing up some cultivation resources.
He never expected…
That on his very first try, he would fish up a celestial tome of this level!
He wanted to try fishing again.
But when he did, the Green Bamboo Rod showed no reaction. It was just as it had been in the dream; the rod could only be used once every ten days.
Any more than that would not trigger its effect.
Gu Xiu felt no regret. For cultivators who might spend months in a single session of seclusion, ten days was but the blink of an eye.
Putting the thought aside, Gu Xiu began to pack his things.
It was time for him to leave.
He had spent the entire month in arduous cultivation, all to break through to the Lianqi 3rd Level. Now that he had succeeded, he could no longer stay in this cave abode.
Not only was this place relatively close to the Qingxuan Holy Land, where he could be discovered at any moment…
But the spiritual energy here was also too thin, which meant it was unsuitable for long-term residence.
The path of cultivation…
…revolved around spiritual energy.
In a place with dense spiritual energy, cultivation was naturally twice as effective. The spiritual energy in this cave was truly sparse. For the past month, Gu Xiu had been relying on the Spirit Stones he had left over to aid his cultivation.
Now, his Spirit Stones were depleted.
He could not stay any longer.
After restoring the cave to its original state, Gu Xiu cautiously stepped outside. But just as he emerged…
Gu Xiu couldn't help but frown.
In the sky above…
A streak of rainbow light flashed past.
Though it was just a fleeting glimpse, Gu Xiu recognized the person. It was his former Senior Sister.
Nian Chaoxi!
"What is she doing here?"
Gu Xiu frowned. He didn't think Nian Chaoxi was looking for him.
His impression of this Senior Sister had never been very deep. Nian Chaoxi had been quite reclusive even five hundred years ago.
She had never been particularly close to him.
After he returned from the sect five hundred years later, their interactions were even fewer and farther between.
However…
Although he didn't understand why Nian Chaoxi was here, Gu Xiu thought for a moment, then went back into the cave to make a few more arrangements before carefully departing into the forest.
He did his best to avoid being seen by Nian Chaoxi, lest it lead to unnecessary trouble.
This time, he had his own goal.
Yunxiao City!
This city was far from the Qingxuan Holy Land and was a city of rogue cultivators, not controlled by any major power.
When Gu Xiu left the Qingxuan Holy Land, he had already decided to be just a rogue cultivator. For the rest of his life, he would not be burdened by too much and would live only for himself.
This place was a good destination.
And more importantly…
If the vision he saw in that glance of a thousand years was not mistaken, a great opportunity would soon arise in Yunxiao City!
An opportunity that, in the Illusory Realm, had ultimately become Jiang Xun's stepping stone.
But now…
Gu Xiu, as a rogue cultivator…
…wanted to fight for it!
***
Half a day after Gu Xiu left the cave, the entrance to the abode—a place only he had entered in five hundred years…
…now welcomed its second visitor in five centuries.
It was none other than Nian Chaoxi!
One month.
A full month had passed since Gu Xiu left the sect, and Nian Chaoxi had been searching for him for just as long.
Although she had spent most of that time unconscious from the backlash of her Tianji divination technique…
And even now, her injuries had yet to fully heal…
Thankfully…
After paying such a heavy price, she had finally succeeded!
Looking at the cave before her, Nian Chaoxi's eyes filled with excitement.
"There are traces of an array here. My Tianji divination was not wrong. Gu Xiu didn't go to Qingxuan City after leaving the sect; he came here!"
Certain of her conclusion, Nian Chaoxi took a deep breath and did not rashly enter the cave.
Instead, she called out softly, "Little Junior Brother?"
The cave was silent. There was no response.
Nian Chaoxi couldn't help but speak again. "Little Junior Brother, it's me. I'm your Senior Sister, Nian Chaoxi."
The cave remained silent.
"Senior Sister has something she wants to say to you…"
"May I come in?"
As she spoke, Nian Chaoxi's voice trembled slightly. The utter silence from the desolate cave made her heart clench.
Could it be…
Something happened to Little Junior Brother?
At this thought, Nian Chaoxi dared not delay any longer and rushed into the cave.
But…
There was no Little Junior Brother to be found. The entire cave was covered in a thick layer of dust, showing no signs of anyone having been there at all.
"This…"
"How is this possible?"
"This cave is clearly Little Junior Brother's handiwork, and my Tianji Technique indicated that he was right here in this cave…"
"Did something go wrong with my Tianji Technique?"
Nian Chaoxi was in disbelief. She had always been confident in her Tianji Technique, but for the past month, every time she tried to divine Gu Xiu's whereabouts…
…she was met with a backlash.
It made her begin to wonder.
Had something truly gone wrong with her art of divining Heavenly Secrets?
"No!"
"There's something wrong with this cave!"
"It's clearly covered in dust, but why are there no snakes, insects, rats, or ants after being abandoned for so long?"
"And this array shows signs of recent activation!"
"This…"
Suddenly, Nian Chaoxi made a discovery, and a look of delight reappeared in her eyes.
"It's Little Junior Brother!"
"Little Junior Brother has always been cautious. He didn't want to be tracked, so he used a special method before he left!"
"He's nearby!"
She cultivated the Tianji Technique, and to avoid harming others or herself, she rarely got close to people.
But when it came to Gu Xiu…
She actually understood him quite well.
Her junior brother had always been a cautious and prudent person, even five hundred years ago. It wasn't surprising that he would do something like this.
Confirming her suspicions…
Nian Chaoxi immediately began to search the cave carefully. And this time, she did indeed find something.
In a corner of the cave, mixed in with the dust, was a fine, green powder.
"This is…"
"A Spirit Stone?"
"A Spirit Stone that's been completely drained?"
Nian Chaoxi was taken aback. Spirit Stones could be used directly for cultivation, and once all the spiritual energy within was absorbed, the stone would shatter on its own.
That wasn't strange.
What was truly strange was why the Spirit Stone had shattered into such a fine powder.
When used to power an artifact or an array, a Spirit Stone's energy is rapidly depleted, causing it to shatter into chunks.
However…
If a cultivator used it for cultivation, slowly absorbing the spiritual power until it was completely exhausted, it was possible for it to end up like this.
"Could it be that Little Junior Brother's cultivation has recovered?"
"He's started cultivating again?"
Nian Chaoxi was surprised, and then a sharp pang of heartache shot through her.
When cultivators absorbed spiritual energy from Spirit Stones, they were mindful of the shattering stone dirtying their clothes. Thus, most would discard the stone when only a sliver of spiritual power remained.
Those who wouldn't let even a single trace of spiritual energy go to waste…
…were usually rogue cultivators who didn't have enough Spirit Stones. To think of Gu Xiu's previous monthly stipend in the Qingxuan Sect…
At this moment, Nian Chaoxi felt an overwhelming ache in her heart.
"Little Junior Brother, I will find you!"
"I will… compensate you!"
Having made her decision, Nian Chaoxi finally left the cave and rose into the air. "He can't have gone far!"
However, just as she was about to resume her search, the sect token hanging at her waist suddenly began to hum.
Nian Chaoxi frowned.
An urgent summons from Master!
She looked at the message on it. There was only one word.
Return!!!
Nian Chaoxi hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed. She glanced at the endless Tianqi Mountain Range before turning and heading back toward the Qingxuan Holy Land.
***
Meanwhile, Gu Xiu, who had stopped somewhere in the forest, seemed to sense something.
He looked back behind him.
But he quickly withdrew his focus and narrowed his eyes at what was in front of him.
Ahead.
A demon blocked his path
Proofreader: Peter Pan