The Old Heavenly Master continued, "The Zhengyi Alliance Talisman, ever since it was passed down by the Ancestral Heavenly Master, has been used several times. Its last repair was in the early Ming Dynasty by the 43rd Heavenly Master, Ancestor Zhang Yuchu. At that time, the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman had gone through the chaos of the late Song Dynasty and the end of the Yuan Dynasty, and had already been used three times during several dynastic transitions over three hundred years.
If not for the 30th Heavenly Master Zhang Jixian in the late Northern Song Dynasty also being a first-rank Talisman Master, who repaired the talisman multiple times after it was used during the turmoil of the late Tang and Five Dynasties, I fear the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman would have been rendered useless. Even so, it could not be used again.
Therefore, Ancestor Yuchu poured his heart and soul into it, even sacrificing sixty years of his life to repair the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman, restoring it to three uses.
As of today, six hundred years have passed. In the late Ming Dynasty, Ancestor Yichen died in Yangzhou, using it once. During the Taiping Rebellion, the Taiping Army promoted the God Worshipping Society, and Shi Dakai and Li Xiucheng captured Longhu Mountain, almost severing the lineage of the Celestial Master's Mansion. It was used again then, to pass the Heavenly Master's Degree to the previous Heavenly Master.
So now, the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman has only one use left."
Qingshui nodded slowly and continued to ask, "So, Old Heavenly Master, you hope that after I achieve the first-rank Talisman Master status, I will repair this Zhengyi Alliance Talisman for Longhu Mountain? Didn't you say it would shorten one's life?"
Zhang Zhiwei nodded, then shook his head, saying, "Yes, but not entirely. It's not your life that will be shortened. When repairing it, the energy consumed comes from a special kind of Qi contained within the Heavenly Master's Degree. When the Qi is insufficient, it necessitates a reduction in lifespan.
Successive Longhu Mountain ancestors have speculated about this Qi. Many believe it to be Innate Qi, but due to a lack of methods to utilize it, this cannot be verified."
Innate Qi!
Even if it was only a possibility, and its usage was restricted, it still held significant reference value for Qingshui.
Because if it truly was Innate Qi, then it absolutely had to be Innate Qi suitable for humans!
Even if it wasn't, a first-rank Talisman would be enough to significantly boost Qingshui's strength.
"My cultivation, I dare not say that there will be no one after me, but looking back, even if Zhuge Wuhou and Ziyang Shanren were resurrected, I believe my life cultivation is not inferior to theirs. I have been able to expand the Qi within the Heavenly Master's Degree to more than twice its previous amount.
The extra portion, if used to repair the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman, would be enough to fully restore it without any loss of lifespan.
Even if the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman were used to transfer the Heavenly Master's Degree once, it could still be replenished twice.
This matter, even without Qu Tong's involvement, I still hoped to entrust to you. I didn't mention it before because I couldn't be certain if you had the potential to become a first-rank Talisman Master. Now, it seems I'll have to trouble Professor Zhuo.
It's been a full six hundred years, and not just Longhu Mountain, but the entire world hasn't produced another first-rank Talisman Master. If we don't seize this opportunity, who knows how many more years it will be until the next one."
"Old Heavenly Master, I accept," Qingshui nodded to Zhang Zhiwei.
The old man was over a hundred years old and, without Innate Qi to replenish his lifespan, didn't have many years left to live. His agreement to act this time, besides hoping to have one last grand experience before he passed, was also to seize this opportunity to secure Qingshui's promise to help Longhu Mountain repair the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman.
A Talisman Master who reached second-rank before the age of thirty was almost guaranteed to achieve first-rank in the future.
A smile immediately appeared on the Old Heavenly Master's face.
"In that case, if Professor Zhuo is free tomorrow, please come with me to Longhu Mountain to examine the first-rank Talisman Arts inheritance of my Celestial Master's Mansion. At that time, please do not spread any of the core inheritances of Longhu Mountain, Professor Zhuo."
That was almost one of Longhu Mountain's most precious possessions. There couldn't be copies for Qingshui to take out of the Celestial Master's Mansion; he could only stay on the mountain to study it and commit it to memory.
The next day, in the afternoon.
Qingshui and the Old Heavenly Master took a plane together, arrived in Jiangxi, and drove back to Longhu Mountain.
That night, in a guest room at the Celestial Master's Mansion.
"This is the inheritance of the first-rank Talisman Arts. From its structural design, it appears to be a combination of multiple special talismans. The one in the middle should be the core, involving the transformation of Qi. The one above seems to be related to the soul, and the one below touches upon the physical body.
It should be further decomposing and purifying the mental and physical energy within the Qi, making it even purer. No, it seems there's something else…"
After memorizing the Talisman Art, Qingshui continuously raised his hands in the air, sketching and simulating the talisman.
Indeed, the Celestial Master's Mansion had only one first-rank talisman. Strictly speaking, this item could not be passed on to anyone other than the Heavenly Master, as it was part of the restrictions of the Heavenly Master's Degree. However, the restriction wasn't enforced by a direct prohibition, but rather by institutional regulations that forbade its dissemination.
Perhaps the ancestors of the Celestial Master's Mansion had long anticipated that, eventually, the Celestial Master's Mansion would need to rely on outsiders to repair the Zhengyi Alliance Talisman.
Although it was only one talisman, it differed from those with single functions; it contained multiple functionalities.
"It should indeed be a method for refining Innate Qi, though the method is much more complex. The Breathing Style in the Demon Slayer World is a crude utilization of Natural Energy, not a refinement. The Sage Art in the Naruto World successfully refines Natural Energy, but it's only suitable for creatures classified as 'demons,' and its strength depends on the amount of Natural Energy, deeply tied to the external environment.
In contrast, in the Yi Ren World, whether it's the Sanyi Sect or the Celestial Master's Mansion, they both seek within and take nature as their teacher, gradually unearthing the hidden secrets of the human body. Although more difficult, it's far more profound. While the pure power level might be lower, each is a 'mechanism monster.' If a systematic development and summary of Innate Qi utilization were truly achieved, it might just elevate City D into a high-level martial arts world of the immortal hero genre."
Qingshui pondered the talisman, largely summarizing its essence in his mind.
The Demon Slayer World and Naruto World directly drew Natural Energy from the outside, while the Yi Ren World regarded the self as a small world identical to the outside, generating Natural Energy internally and combining it with mental and physical energy to cultivate Innate Qi directly.
The concept was indeed lofty, but the difficulty was also immense, so much so that in this world, success was almost impossible without external aid.
Even in Human-Immortal-Hero worlds, one had to absorb spiritual energy from the outside, and cultivate elixirs with heavenly materials and earthly treasures to extend life and become an immortal.
While the Yi Ren World also had various treasures, due to the concentration of Natural Energy, it clearly didn't have as many or as high-grade as those in higher-level worlds.
Under these conditions, trying to become "fat" all at once was clearly not possible.
At the very least, if you wanted to cultivate yourself to imitate heaven and earth in generating Natural Energy, you would already be a miniature world yourself.
And to achieve this step, with a mortal body and a lifespan of just over a hundred years, how many could succeed?
This method, if taken to those higher-level immortal hero worlds, might even give rise to advanced cultivation techniques for cultivating internal miniature worlds. But here, while not entirely impractical, unless one was an unparalleled genius with immense fortuitous opportunities, there was no chance.
It's likely that historical figures like Zhang Daoling, Ge Hong, Lü Dongbin, and Zhang Sanfeng, who truly might have become immortals, each had their own fortuitous encounters and cultivated Innate Qi, truly becoming "fat" all at once.
Was Ziyang Zhenren's opportunity the one he discovered in the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley?
After these people became immortals, where did they go? Why have no other deeds of theirs been passed down since then?
However, it's certain that True Man Ziyang didn't exhaust the serendipitous opportunity, so he left it for future generations, which later led to the creation of the Eight Unique Skills, these eight heaven-shattering, earth-shaking immortal techniques.
Given that Qu Tong wants to re-manifest the Eight Unique Skills within the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, to what extent can she restore that serendipitous opportunity?
Qingshui pondered this inwardly, all the while continuing to meticulously study the first-grade talisman.
The overall design of this talisman is actually similar to the inner alchemy pursuit of immortality practiced by Anomalous Humans. It uses the talisman as a microcosm to transform Qi into Innate Qi.
The only drawback is that while Innate Qi is produced this way, it can only be used indirectly through the talisman and cannot be directly applied to the human body to extend lifespan.
In this system, humans merely provide the energy source (Qi), the talisman acts as the medium to convert Qi into Innate Qi, and the Heavenly Master's Degree is the ultimate beneficiary within this system, ensuring the continuous, prosperous thousand-year legacy of Longhu Mountain.
What Qingshui aims to do is use the relevant knowledge he has already mastered to try and modify this first-grade talisman so that humanity itself becomes the beneficiary.
However, the difficulty involved should not be underestimated. If it were truly that easy, those few first-grade talisman masters in Longhu Mountain's history would have already modified it.
At the very least, he needs to master this talisman himself first.
He possesses more knowledge and resources, and his main body and Avatar can provide various forms of assistance not available in this world. Furthermore, with worlds yet to be unlocked in the future, success will come eventually.
...
Time flew by, and soon it was Thursday, the eighteenth day of the first lunar month.
This day was declared by the Old Heavenly Master as a "Tian She Ri," a day for dispelling calamities and misfortunes, turning bad luck into good. It's suitable for praying for blessings, offering sacrifices, consecrating objects, weddings, travel, and V-me-fifty.
...
Shaanxi, peripheral Qinling Mountains.
Tens of thousands of officers and soldiers are here to conduct combat exercises, even mobilizing two heavy synthetic brigades.
Military and political experts, bloggers, and foreign media from outside are all speculating about the purpose of East University's large-scale exercise this time.
However, those in the know understand that the exercise is merely a facade. The real purpose is to use various high-tech weapons to set up an inescapable net here.
Qu Tong warrants such attention. Her ability to modify both body and soul with Dual Hand is too greatly feared, and her capacity for causing trouble is too potent.
No prominent figure wants to see themselves or those around them completely manipulated, from body to spirit, one day.
Even if there's no immediate threat, they don't want Qu Tong to continue causing disturbances.
This is a new round of technological explosion. The country's military strength and aerospace technology are already comprehensively leading, but it still needs time to convert various technological achievements into national power for further advancement. It precisely requires a stable internal environment to cope with the rapid development of productivity.
If Qu Tong continues to cause trouble, the Anomalous Human World will undoubtedly explode. And if the Anomalous Human World, with its tens of thousands of super-powered individuals, explodes, it will inevitably impact the mundane world, causing significant negative consequences.
The attitude displayed by the highly influential great scientist who ushered in a new chapter of technology is also a significant driving force in this matter.
...
The exercise involving tens of thousands of military personnel is taking place in the peripheral Qinling Mountains, but the number of people entering the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley is also considerable, nearly a hundred individuals.
Old Heavenly Master Zhang Zhiwei, Sanyi Sect leader Lu Jin, Wang Family's Wang Ai, Lu Family's Lu Ci, and among the Ten Elders: Feng Zhenghao, Na Ruhuo, Guan Shi, the new head of the School of Techniques Tong Hui, and others. In addition, Tangmen Elder Zhang Wang, Truth-Seeking Society President Huang Ninger, Old Master Jia from Jia Family Village in Shaanxi, and experts from several other major factions have all arrived, each bringing a small group of elite personnel from their respective organizations.
Also present are Nadou Tong's six Temporary Workers, two to three dozen officially employed front-line field agents, and some experts from the military and national security.
Feng Baobao, Zhang Chulan, Ma Xianhong, Wang Ye, and others were conspicuously among them.
None of them were weak. Even Zhang Chulan, whose strength is considered excellent among the younger generation, could only rank near the bottom among this group.
Of course, his backing is the most significant.
"Hah, I'd estimate there are about one hundred to one hundred eighty people here. Almost all the most formidable old-timers in the Anomalous Human World have come. Professor Zhuo, your main body must stay safely with the military; don't follow them in. Otherwise, from Chairman Zhao to us, and General Lin, all of us would be implicated."
Xu Si, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, looked at the large group of Anomalous Human elites gathered in the open space ahead and said to Qingshui beside him.
"Don't worry, I need to keep my main body outside to ensure no one can escape the valley."
Qingshui pulled out a Devouring Pouch, released his Platinum Puppet Armor, and while speaking to Xu Si, he formed a hand seal with one hand and created a Shadow Clone.
"It's almost time. Notify everyone to assemble. Zhang Chulan, Feng Baobao, and Wang Zhenqiu have been into the valley with Mei Jinfeng and Xia Liuqing before, so they know the way. Let them lead."
The Shadow Clone called out, then began to automatically don the Platinum Puppet Armor.
The group was already fully prepared and ready to set off.
Accompanying them was an entire reinforced company of armed officers and soldiers, all fully equipped.
According to those who had previously entered the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley, the monkey population outside the valley posed a considerable danger. They were golden snub-nosed monkeys that had evolved due to the special Qi field within the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Valley.
The last time Zhang Chulan and his group went in, Mei Jinfeng was a familiar face to those monkeys, so they didn't attack. As for this time, Shameless Lotus wasn't sure if the monkeys would show them any deference.
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