What about this move?
"The Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea".
"…………"
"It looks like... an old tree with gnarled roots."
"…………"
"It seems to be...it is...size and shape".
"Pfft..." Lu Jun and Ming Mei, who were standing next to him, couldn't help but burst out laughing.
When Xiao Wenbing had made his twentieth or so moves, Zhang Jie started spouting nonsense.
However, to his deepest shame, Xiao Wenbing immediately corrected his mistake and recited it in one breath: "A crane soars through the sky, a boy worships Buddha..."
After performing all 108 sword techniques, Xiao Wenbing recited the names of all the moves.
"Second Senior Brother, am I right?"
Zhang Jie said with a look of surprise, "So Junior Brother has already learned this."
Although Xiao Wenbing still had a smile on his face, it looked like a forced smile: "Second senior brother, I grew up in an orphanage. I saw the old director like this sword technique since I was a child, and he won the city's senior group sword dance performance championship many times."
Anger surged between his brows: "Does an old man really know the secrets of our Secret Talisman Sect? Then this sword technique is utterly worthless. As for the dozens of strong men unable to get close, Second Senior Brother, I am, after all, a Core Formation stage cultivator. If I were to be taken down by dozens of ordinary men, then..." Xiao Wenbing's voice suddenly sharpened: "Then where is justice? Where is fairness?"
Zhang Jie smiled awkwardly and said, "It was my fault, junior brother, please don't take offense."
Ever since Zhang Jie began his sword dance, Lu Jun and Ming Mei had been standing to the side with their heads down, wearing ambiguous smiles. Now, hearing Xiao Wenbing's question, their lips twitched and their abs trembled. If it weren't for the presence of the old Taoist priest Xianyun, they would have already collapsed from laughter.
"Cough cough." Seeing Zhang Jie's discomfiture, the old Taoist priest suddenly coughed.
Lu Jun and Ming Mei immediately straightened their posture, standing firmly with serious and solemn expressions.
Xiao Wenbing, however, remained furious, glaring at his three senior brothers.
If the old Taoist priest hadn't been there, Xiao Wenbing, though annoyed, would have been self-aware enough not to have shown such righteous indignation.
But since the old Taoist priest is here, we should certainly put on a good show; perhaps we can even get some unexpected benefits.
With a solemn expression, the old Taoist priest walked into the arena and took the black sword from Zhang Jie's hand.
With a gentle tremor, it suddenly emitted a dragon's roar, which drifted far and wide, stirring the hearts and minds of all who heard it.
Then, countless sword lights suddenly rose up. Without the old Taoist priest making any move, the black sword in his hand seemed to have a life of its own, drawing brilliant black streaks in the sky.
"disease……"
The old Taoist priest suddenly pointed and shouted.
The black sword in space underwent another change, reaching an incredible absolute speed.
In the flash of the sword light, it seemed to have transformed into thousands of forms.
Xiao Wenbing's face was pale, as if he were in a raging sea, surrounded by a vast, seemingly endless black sea of swords.
In his eyes, he could see nothing else; he was completely filled with the omnipresent blackness that permeated the entire space.
"receive……"
Suddenly, the view opened up before them, and the countless sword shadows vanished without a trace.
"Master..."
Having witnessed this dreamlike and miraculous flying sword miracle, Xiao Wenbing's opinion of the old Taoist priest Xianyun was completely overturned.
Although he became an apprentice of the old Taoist priest, the old Taoist priest never displayed any skills far superior to those of his disciples. Therefore, in Xiao Wenbing's mind, the old Taoist priest was only approachable, not fearsome.
However, at this point, his views completely changed.
It turns out that the dog that bites doesn't bark, but the dog that doesn't bark bites.
The fact that the old Taoist priest Xianyun could become everyone's teacher and command their obedience clearly shows that he possesses genuine talent and learning.
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Forty-Seven: The Hundred Arts of Taoism
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“Wenbing, there are thousands of schools of Taoism, each with its own strengths, and hundreds of Taoist arts, each with its own emphasis. However, no matter which art you choose to practice, as long as you work hard and persevere, you can achieve great success.” The old Taoist said earnestly, “Our Secret Talisman School specializes in the art of secret talismans, which is vast and boundless in its knowledge. Even if you spend your whole life, you will never be able to fully master it.”
"Yes," Xiao Wenbing replied respectfully.
"Martial arts are but trifles. Once you master the various talismanic techniques of our sect, you will be able to travel thousands of miles in an instant, roaming freely in the heavens and on the earth. You can even take the head of an enemy from a thousand miles away as easily as taking something out of a bag," the old Taoist said proudly.
"Yes, disciple will keep it firmly in mind and will not forget it for even a moment." Seeing that the old Taoist priest had rarely displayed such great power, Xiao Wenbing quickly cooperated.
The old Taoist priest Xianyun was satisfied with Xiao Wenbing's performance. He stroked his beard and smiled, "Your second senior brother meant well. You've just completed your cultivation, and you still have a long way to go. He didn't want you to be distracted, so he taught you a little something to suit the occasion. You don't need to take it personally."
Xiao Wenbing bowed his head in agreement, then suddenly turned around and bowed deeply to Zhang Jie, saying, "I was ignorant, thank you, Second Senior Brother."
Zhang Jie quickly returned the greeting, saying, "Brother, you were indeed wrong. Please forgive me, junior brother."
The two exchanged a smile, and the misunderstanding was cleared up.
Suddenly, Xiao Wenbing had a thought and asked, "Second Senior Brother, do you know the art of flying swords?"
“A little bit.” Zhang Jie was also a smart man; otherwise, how could he have cultivated to the Golden Core realm? After a moment’s thought, he immediately understood the meaning behind his junior brother’s words and said, “Among Master’s disciples, only Senior Brother and I have begun to learn other skills such as weapon crafting, alchemy, and flying swords.”
Xiao Wenbing's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "Where is Senior Brother Mingmei?"
Mingmei shook his head and sighed, "My cultivation has not yet reached the Golden Core stage. According to the sect rules, I am not yet allowed to engage in other studies."
"Can I only learn other skills after reaching the Golden Core stage? Does that mean I can't learn swordsmanship until I've reached the Golden Core stage?"
The old Taoist priest was puzzled. He couldn't understand why Xiao Wenbing was so obsessed with the art of flying swords. He frowned slightly and said, "Wenbing, although you have achieved inner core cultivation and your spiritual power has greatly increased, you are not a Golden Core cultivator after all. You cannot quickly absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to replenish your own losses. You are already struggling to make ends meet by just practicing the art of talismans. If you were to learn the art of flying swords, the final result would likely be that you achieve nothing."
Xiao Wenbing nodded silently. The reason he was so fond of flying swords was because he had read too many fantasy novels and had unconsciously developed a longing for the flying swords that everyone carried.
But when he truly embarked on the path of cultivation, he realized that it was not like that at all: "Yes, Master, I understand now. Before I reach the Golden Core stage, I will definitely study the art of talismans diligently and never dare to be distracted by anything else."
The old Taoist priest nodded in satisfaction, gave two instructions to Mingmei, waved his sleeve, and drifted away.
Xiao Wenbing put the newly forged flying sword into the Heavenly Void Ring. This thing is a good choice for intimidating people, but if he really encounters a powerful enemy who is not afraid of his runes, then it will be of no use at all.
The next day, Mingmei practiced all day and still seemed a little tired, but he still came to the quiet room to teach Xiao Wenbing various talisman techniques.
"Senior brother, you exhausted too much spiritual energy yesterday, why didn't you take a Lesser Rejuvenation Pill?"
Xiao Wenbing was extremely surprised to see Mingmei looking so listless.
Although this third senior brother doesn't have any special abilities like me, he still has his own natal golden talisman. Doesn't he know that the natal golden talisman replenishes spiritual energy more than ten times faster than the person himself? Why hasn't he recovered his original energy after a day?
However, Xiao Wenbing was too embarrassed to ask this question. Mingmei had been cultivating for nearly a hundred years and was at the late stage of Core Formation, while he was just a junior who had just entered the Core Formation stage. How could he know that Mingmei didn't have other plans?
However, the Lesser Rejuvenating Pill was a gift from Mingmei; surely he wouldn't have forgotten that as well.
He glanced at him lazily and said in a displeased tone, "The Lesser Rejuvenation Pill is one of the sacred medicines of the Daoist sect. My cultivation is not yet sufficient to open the furnace to refine pills. Ten years ago, I asked my senior brother for ten pills. Although I have been saving every penny, I still only have three left."
Only three left? That means they were all given to him.
Xiao Wenbing was suddenly overcome with a strange sense of emotion.
He was well aware of the importance of the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill to cultivators. Unlike himself, Mingmei did not possess supernatural abilities that allowed him to create an unlimited number of items except those from the Immortal Realm.
He was just an ordinary Core Formation stage cultivator, and in the past ten years he had only taken seven pills. But even so, he still gave him the last three pills. This kindness was truly rare, and it was definitely out of genuine goodwill towards him.
Xiao Wenbing smiled slightly. He would remember this kindness in his heart. He would certainly avenge any grievances, which was why he took advantage of the sword-forging process to tease Lu Jun and settle the score from their first meeting.
However, we should also repay even the smallest kindness with the greatest gratitude.
Mingmei ignored him and began to teach him on her own: "Junior brother, now that you have formed your inner core, you should practice drawing talismans with your bare hands more."
"Drawing talismans with bare hands?"
“Exactly. Although we can draw the runes in advance, what if we run out of runes when fighting an enemy? Wouldn’t we be helpless? Moreover, in some situations, we don’t even have time to take out the runes. Therefore, drawing runes with bare hands is an essential skill for our secret rune sect.”
Xiao Wenbing immediately recalled when he first arrived at Qiu'ai, when Mingmei had drawn a lightness talisman in the air, which had really frightened him quite a bit back then.
"Of course, it's also important to draw more as a backup if you have free time. Otherwise, if you run out of spiritual energy during a fight, you'll have to rely on your daily reserves."
Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly, giving his full support to this statement.
Seeing that Xiao Wenbing understood, Mingmei casually taught him five new talismans. He would demonstrate each talisman several times on the spot until Xiao Wenbing had completely mastered it. After teaching all five talismans, his energy was even more depleted.
"That's all for today. I need to rest for a while. I'll come back to check on your progress in a month. Junior brother, you must practice hard and not slack off."
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Forty-Eight: Drawing Talismans with Empty Hands
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Watching the figure disappear into the distance, Xiao Wenbing followed the method he had been taught and made several virtual dots in the air. However, he soon discovered that drawing talismans in mid-air was indeed not an easy task.
He kept making mistakes, either here or there, and tried seven or eight times in a row, but all of them ended in failure.
Xiao Wenbing took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes, which were now clear.
He stretched out his hand and tapped the air a few more times, streams of spiritual energy passing through his fingers and lingering in the void. As he finished the last tap, a sudden change occurred. As if drawn by the power of the runes, the fixed spiritual energy that had been lingering in the space began to move. They suddenly connected and formed a curtain of light, enveloping Xiao Wenbing entirely.
He let out a soft breath; the amulet was finally completed successfully.
This was the first time he had created a talisman independently in space using his own power without using a wolf-hair brush.
This talisman consumes a great deal of spiritual energy; regardless of success or failure, it will still take up about one-tenth of his spiritual energy. If it were before he formed his inner core, he might have had to consume all his spiritual energy and still not succeed.
The difference in spiritual power between the Core Formation stage and the Golden Core stage is more than tenfold. I wonder what the Golden Core stage is like.