A few days later.

On a mountain peak.

A white waterfall cascaded down, producing a thunderous roar.

Underneath the waterfall, Bai Yu stood with his body bare, assuming a peculiar stance, allowing the waterfall to crash against him.

The force of the several hundred meters high waterfall could easily knock a person off balance, the water striking the body like knives cutting through skin.

Yet Bai Yu remained completely unfazed, calmly enduring the impact of the waterfall.

His entire skin emitted a faint, crystalline glow.

After a full hour, he finally rose from the pool.

"Phew, this training session increased my Iron Armor Technique proficiency by 2 points."

"The progress in cultivating the Iron Armor Technique is advancing rapidly."

Iron Armor Technique is an external martial art, specifically designed to enhance defense.

It's particularly difficult to initiate, requiring methods like whipping and hammering to strengthen the skin membrane.

Additionally, one must use herbs like snow lotus and deer blood to cleanse the body, nurturing hidden injuries to avoid damaging the core.

However, Bai Yu had no such concerns.

He directly spent 110 points of Life Experience to elevate the Iron Armor Technique to the level of 'Practice Makes Perfect.'

Once initiated, it wasn't as difficult; instead, he needed to train under waterfalls and in windy, sandy areas, using external forces to temper himself.

The progress was quite promising, with each training session increasing proficiency by 2 points.

Now, ordinary people couldn't even break his skin with a knife.

With the Iron Armor Technique, his cultivation in the Skin Tempering Realm was advancing swiftly.

His proficiency had already reached 63%.

Bai Yu estimated that in another half a year, he could temper his entire skin membrane to perfection, leaving no weak spots.

He dressed and used the Void Walking Step to head towards the charity mortuary.

Back at the charity mortuary, Zhu Tong was idly fiddling with an abacus in the main hall.

Seeing Bai Yu return, Zhu Tong began to complain:

"The weather's turned cold lately, and business at the charity mortuary has increased, all due to unfortunate souls freezing or starving to death."

"There's no big business from wealthy families, and few ordinary families are buying burial plots."

"Workload has increased, but our income has significantly decreased."

Bai Yu replied with a smile:

To access the premium content, go to [ pawread.com ].

"What can we do? This is the line of work we chose."

Zhu Tong sighed:

"Living off the charity mortuary, making money off the dead."

"Without any side income, relying solely on our hundred-wen monthly salary, how can we support a family?"

"Only Uncle Jiu, with his feng shui and sha-subduing skills, can make money off the dead without compromising his conscience."

Daoist Lin Jiu never interfered with their dealings, secretly collecting burial fees, but he never participated in sharing the profits.

Bai Yu would collect his share but always secretly return it.

Zhu Tong shook his head and sighed:

"Life is tough. Are we supposed to live like laborers, eating two meals a day?"

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead and said:

"Oh right, Uncle Jiu instructed earlier that you should find him in the backyard. I reckon it's something good."

Bai Yu felt a surge of joy. Could it be that Uncle Jiu had taken on another job?

After chatting briefly with Zhu Tong, he quickly headed to the backyard.

At this time, Uncle Jiu was drawing talismans.

Mixing black dog blood with cinnabar, he drew lines on yellow paper, creating a Yellow Talisman.

Bai Yu stood by, watching intently.

Once a talisman was completed, Uncle Jiu grabbed it and threw it forcefully.

The Yellow Talisman transformed into a burst of fire, shooting out.

Uncle Jiu asked proudly:

"Xiao Bai, did you see anything?"

Bai Yu hesitated and said:

"Did you add white phosphorus again?"

Uncle Jiu's beard twitched in anger:

"Nonsense, what white phosphorus."

"This is a genuine Fire-Starting Talisman from the Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture, capable of igniting fire out of thin air. Impressive, right?"

Bai Yu was momentarily stunned, thinking to himself:

"Isn't this just a lighter?"

Of course, he couldn't say that, so he feigned ignorance and praised:

"Being able to start a fire out of thin air is amazing. No need to carry a fire striker anymore."

Uncle Jiu was very pleased with Bai Yu's lack of knowledge and asked:

"Xiao Bai, do you want to learn?"

Bai Yu was taken aback.

This Fire-Starting Talisman wasn't particularly powerful, just igniting a small flame, barely enough to singe a bit of hair.

However, it was still a skill, so he nodded eagerly like a pecking chicken:

"I want to learn, of course I want to learn."

Uncle Jiu smiled proudly:

"Would you be willing to take me as your master? I'll teach you the Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture, making you a true Yin-Yang Master."

In this era, taking on an apprentice required three years of assessment, three years of apprenticeship, and another three years before becoming a master.

He had previously assessed Mangzi in this manner.

After three years and another three years, Mangzi was sent away.

Uncle Jiu wasn't old-fashioned and immediately reflected on his approach.

Moreover, Bai Yu's aptitude surpassed Mangzi's.

He was a genius who could play the suona to evoke a soul-calming ambiance.

Therefore, he skipped the assessments and directly took on the stance to accept an apprentice.

Bai Yu was naturally overjoyed.

If he could learn all of Uncle Jiu's skills, he could easily earn ten taels of silver for any job in the future.

Far better than earning a meager salary.

On the spot, he washed his hands, burned incense, and formally offered tea to acknowledge his master.

Uncle Jiu drank the apprentice tea and said:

"In our line of work as Yin-Yang Masters, we don't live as long as cultivators, nor are we as powerful as martial artists."

"We simply provide feng shui consultations, subdue sha, and avert disasters in exchange for a meal."

"So there are just two rules: first, never betray your master; second, never use the Zhuyou techniques for evil."

Bai Yu nodded quickly:

"Rest assured, Uncle Jiu, as long as no one provokes me, I won't harm anyone."

"I just want to live a steady life at the charity mortuary."

Uncle Jiu laughed:

"I'm confident in you. You're a pure-hearted child, not causing trouble."

"The rare thing is, you've always maintained a sense of kindness, returning the money earned from the dead."

"That's why I accepted you as my apprentice."

Next, Uncle Jiu brought out the Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture passed down by the ancestors and handed one volume to Bai Yu.

"Take it back and study well. In three days, I'll see how well you've understood it."

Bai Yu took the Yin Talisman Scripture and returned to his small courtyard to begin reading.

The Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture contained various talismans and techniques for dispelling sha, averting disasters, and even exorcising ghosts.

Not particularly grand, but very practical.

For example, there was a Bone-Transforming Talisman. If someone got a fishbone stuck, they could draw the talisman, chant the incantation, burn it, and drink the water to soften the fishbone.

Bai Yu flipped through it, and his attribute panel gained a new skill.

Zhuyou Yin Talisman Scripture (Fragmented Tome, Not Yet Initiated, 3/10).

Bai Yu had extraordinary comprehension when it came to funeral-related matters.

Whether it was playing the suona or the Yin Talisman Scripture, he grasped them instantly.

Three days later, Bai Yu began learning to draw talismans with Uncle Jiu.

Sha-Transforming Talisman, Sha-Subduing Talisman, Bone-Transforming Talisman—Bai Yu quickly got the hang of them.

Uncle Jiu was amazed and praised him as terrifyingly talented.

After a busy and fulfilling apprenticeship, Bai Yu prepared to visit the black market once more.