A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity-Chapter 52 - 51: The Willing Gets Hooked

Walking down the street, Lü Zhong decided to go ask Li Dong.

As an old Talisman Master, he might know a solution.

When he arrived at Li Dong’s house, Lü Zhong was greatly surprised to find that a different family was living there now.

After asking around, he learned that on the second day after teaching him the Evil Exorcism Talisman, Li Dong had moved his entire family out of Qingliu Square. He hadn’t told anyone where they were going.

’This path is a dead end...’ Lü Zhong grew more frustrated.

Seeing that the sun was already high in the sky, he had no choice but to head back home.

He picked up his Talisman Brush and continued with his Talisman Making. After wasting three sheets of Talisman Paper in a row, he finally succeeded in drawing another Evil Exorcism Talisman.

Unlike the completion of an ordinary Talisman, perhaps because it was precisely high noon, the phenomenon that occurred when the Evil Exorcism Talisman was finished was incredibly distinct. Wisps of illusory golden light gathered from all directions, all of them sinking into the Talisman Paper.

’This light... could it be Yang Qi?’ Lü Zhong’s eyes grew pensive.

Yang Qi—or to be more precise, Yang Spiritual Qi—is commonly found within living beings, yet it is extremely difficult to utilize. This becomes obvious when looking at related Magic Skills.

Yin and Yang repel each other; their meeting triggers a violent reaction.

Therefore, Yang Qi has an extremely strong suppressive effect on negative spiritual qis, such as Yin Spiritual Qi and Corpse Spiritual Qi.

Comparing the Evil Exorcism Talisman that had absorbed Yang Qi with the two defective ones, he could see that the surface of the successful Talisman was covered in a faint golden light—a manifestation of the Yang Qi it contained.

Lü Zhong took advantage of the peak Yang Qi at noon to continue practicing the creation of the Evil Exorcism Talisman.

Not until the Hour of Shen did he finally succeed again.

Compared to the one made at noon, the phenomenon for the Evil Exorcism Talisman drawn during the Hour of Shen was clearly much weaker. The golden light manifesting the Yang Qi was not only faint but also sparse.

Side-by-side, the golden light on this talisman’s surface was obviously dimmer than the previous one.

Based on these two points, the timing of Talisman Making had an enormous impact on the power of an Evil Exorcism Talisman.

Following this logic, the best time to draw an Evil Exorcism Talisman would be in the summer. Once winter arrived, it would no longer be suitable. At that point, no matter what time of day he chose, he feared the resulting talismans would all be defective.

Unless, of course, he used Talisman Ink infused with Fiery Sun Stone.

Lü Zhong quickly had another thought. What if he used Talisman Ink containing Yang Qi and also finished the Evil Exorcism Talisman at precisely high noon?

Would the power of the finished Evil Exorcism Talisman reach an even higher level?

Shaking his head, he didn’t dwell on it further.

Seeing that the best time of day for Talisman Making had passed, Lü Zhong put down his Talisman Brush. As his body habitually settled into a cross-legged position, he remembered that he still didn’t have the follow-up Cultivation Technique for the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Speaking of Basic Cultivation Techniques, it was a long and complicated story.

Unable to obtain the subsequent parts of the Water and Wood Sword Mantra, Lü Zhong had no choice but to start over with a different Cultivation Technique.

So on his way back, he had stopped by the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion to ask about their Basic Cultivation Techniques.

Naturally, he wanted to choose a Cultivation Technique with a special characteristic.

That way, his own strength could surpass that of most Loose Cultivators, and he wouldn’t fall too far behind those clan and sect cultivators.

But while the idea was good, achieving it was far from easy.

The Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion had plenty of Cultivation Techniques with special characteristics, but not many that weren’t tied to a specific power. Almost all of them were intentionally released by the Major Sects, and once you started cultivating one, you were left with no other choice.

Take the Little Flame Monarch Mantra, for example. It allowed one to cultivate Spiritual Power with the Burning Flame characteristic. This kind of Spiritual Power would undoubtedly give a huge advantage in combat. It was certain to let him easily crush most Loose Cultivators, and he could even hold his own against disciples from clans and sects. The temptation was immense. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Yet Lü Zhong didn’t dare choose it. The technique’s description stated outright that when one cultivated the Little Flame Monarch Mantra to the Late-stage Qi Refining, their Spiritual Power would occasionally become inexplicably agitated and chaotic. If ignored, there was a risk of Qigong Deviation. One had to consume a certain Secret Medicine refined by the Flame Sun Sect to suppress this hidden danger.

A Cultivation Technique like this was obviously bait.

If you cultivated the Flame Sun Sect’s Little Flame Monarch Mantra, you either had to switch techniques after reaching the Mid-stage Qi Refining, or you would be forced to join the Flame Sun Sect upon reaching the Late-stage Qi Refining. Otherwise, you would sooner or later die from Qigong Deviation.

One had to admit, it was a rather precise selection method.

The Flame Sun Sect could use this method to screen for disciples capable of reaching Late-stage Qi Refining.

It saved them both resources and training time.

The only trouble was the need to vet these disciples to weed out those with impure motives.

Basic Cultivation Techniques of this type made up the majority of the specialized techniques at the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion. As for the remaining ones that weren’t bait, they appeared flawless on the surface, but who knew what traps were hidden within them?

If he carelessly fell for one, he feared his entire cultivation would end up benefiting someone else.

’Thinking about it carefully, it’s not impossible.’

Taking it a step further, perhaps even some of the Basic Cultivation Techniques without special characteristics had hidden traps.

For example, they could spread a Cultivation Technique prone to causing Qigong Deviation to boost the sales of Calming and Concentrating Pills and auxiliary Spiritual Objects. Through this, they could periodically "harvest" Loose Cultivators, exploiting them for every last talismanic coin.

This was a very real possibility. Otherwise, given the cultivator’s nature of never acting without personal gain, how could so many Basic Cultivation Techniques be circulating in the Cultivation Realm? They would have long since been hoarded away by the Major Sects and clans.

"Difficult, difficult... so difficult!" Lü Zhong sighed, looking up at the ceiling. This path of cultivation was truly not easy; every step was a potential trap.

After much deliberation, he decided to choose a Cultivation Technique similar to the Little Flame Monarch Mantra.

In doing so, he would also be deciding which Sect he would join in the future.

As for the clan Cultivation Techniques, Lü Zhong didn’t consider them. Choosing one would be tantamount to marrying into the family.

As a mere outsider with a different surname, the more successful he became, the more he would be feared, and he would never be truly valued or promoted.

Sects, on the other hand, were much better in this regard.

Although they had their own internal factions, conflicts between outside cultivators and those from the Sect’s core lineage, and no shortage of political maneuvering, they had one great advantage: the unspoken rule that the capable would rise to the top.

One wouldn’t face countless extra restrictions just because of their bloodline.

...

The next morning, Lü Zhong arrived at the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion.

"Ah, Talisman Master Lü! What are you looking to buy this time?" The Receptionist in the shop recognized Lü Zhong, knowing he was a well-off and valuable customer, and greeted him with a beaming smile.

"I’m planning to choose a suitable Basic Cultivation Technique. I’d like to see the ones with special characteristics. Please bring me the catalog."

"No problem," the Receptionist agreed readily.

A moment later, they brought over a catalog.

Lü Zhong gave it a quick look and found that there were as many as thirty-six Cultivation Techniques suitable for him.

All these Basic Cultivation Techniques could cultivate Spiritual Power with special characteristics, and each had its own unique features. It was clear that the Ten Thousand Laws Pavilion had carefully curated its collection of techniques, not just gathered them haphazardly.

As he continued reading, he narrowed it down to three preliminary choices, each with its own pros and cons.