Starting as a Talisman Master

Lu Chi understood the other party's unspoken meaning: he wanted to take the opportunity of the magical contest on the day of the sermon to test his own abilities.

He subtly focused his spiritual senses and discreetly perceived the other party's aura.

Qi Refining Level 8.

With such cultivation, if placed among the major families of Qingque Mountain Market in the past, one would already be a figure who could be ranked as an elder and suppress a region.

In addition, Zhao Ya has been immersed in Taoist practices in Taiqing Palace for many years. As a member of a major sect, he must have no shortage of magical artifacts and spiritual objects. His true combat strength must far exceed that of ordinary Qi Refining Level 8 cultivators outside.

However… Lu Chi’s gaze shifted slightly, but his heart remained indifferent.

With the Taiyuan Xuanshui Classic and many other trump cards in his possession, how could he be any worse?

"Since you are in such a good mood, I will gladly accompany you."

Lu Chi uttered a curt remark and then said no more, passing Zhao Ya, whose face was gloomy, and disappeared into the wind and snow.

Back at Courtyard No. 7, Class A, Lu Chi quickly put the chance encounter out of his mind. In the struggle for the Great Dao, skill is what matters; overthinking is pointless.

For some time afterward, there was no reply from Old Man Gu, so it seemed that he hadn't found a way to make the second-tier talisman anytime soon.

Lu Chi was not anxious, so he simply stayed at home and devoted all his energy to the scroll of "Ren Shui Xuan Shu Chao".

With the profound and unfathomable water-based magic of the "Taiyuan Xuanshui Jing" as a foundation, Lu Chi's cultivation of this same type of magic can be described as having a commanding presence.

In just over half a month, he had already comprehended all the techniques recorded in the scroll, including "Water Binding Lightning," "Ice Condensation Spike," and the incomplete "Azure Wave Escape," and cultivated them all to the entry level, greatly enriching his combat skills.

Time flies when you're cultivating immortality; before you know it, it's already the fifth day of next month.

The day when Master Yan would begin his sermon had finally arrived.

In a major sect like Taiqing Palace, the opportunity for a Foundation Establishment cultivator to personally impart knowledge and resolve doubts for outer disciples is extremely rare.

They would only occasionally open a lecture and give some guidance to the lower-level disciples when these senior disciples finished their seclusion, were in a good mood, and had some free time.

Therefore, today, whether they were on duty or in seclusion, all the outer disciples of Baicao Peak dared not be absent and rushed to the summit early.

Lu Chi mingled among his fellow disciples in small groups, climbing the stone steps of the mountain path.

The information he had inquired about, intentionally or unintentionally, during a casual conversation with Tao Feng a few days prior flashed through his mind.

The senior master who is about to give a sermon is a true mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator with profound magical power and the most rigid and strict temperament.

In contrast, although Old Man Gu was in charge, his cultivation was only at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Moreover, he had been stuck at this level for many years, and his blood and energy had deteriorated, and his potential had long been exhausted.

In addition, Lu Chi also took the opportunity to inquire about Yun Zhi and Song Qi, who had accompanied her that day.

Although Fairy Yunzhi is also in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, she possesses the extremely rare "Earth Spirit Root" aptitude in the cultivation world. Young and promising, she is the undisputed pride of Shuiyun Peak.

Song Qi, on the other hand, possessed a superior spiritual root and had reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage. He belonged to the Tianxing Peak of the Taiqing Palace and was a notoriously strict and ruthless law enforcement disciple.

"Earth Spiritual Root, High-Grade Spiritual Root..."

Lu Chi thought to himself, "Such talent is indeed enviable."

Passing through layers of clouds and mist, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a vast blue stone training ground. On the training ground, countless prayer cushions were already filled with solemn-looking disciples of Baicao Peak.

As soon as Lu Chi stepped into the training ground, a soft voice transmission reached his ears: "Junior Brother Lu, this way."

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw Tao Feng winking and waving at him from a row of prayer cushions to the back.

Beside him sat two or three familiar-looking outer disciples, all of whom were familiar faces whom Lu Chi had occasionally interacted with and discussed the properties of spiritual herbs on Hundred Herbs Peak over the past six months.

Lu Chi nodded slightly with a calm expression, walked leisurely through the crowd, and sat cross-legged on an empty futon next to Tao Feng.

As soon as he sat down, he heard Tao Feng shrink his neck, his face contorted in a pained expression, and mutter to himself in a low voice:

"May the Ancestral Master protect me! Today, my Martial Uncle Yan is holding an altar; please, please don't choose me to test him. My wood-type protective spell hasn't improved at all lately. If I'm chosen to demonstrate it in front of everyone, I'll be skinned alive..."

Hearing his complaints, the fellow disciples beside him immediately let out a suppressed chuckle in perfect unison.

Although they were laughing at Tao Feng, a similar sense of unease and tension was also evident in their eyes.

Upon seeing this, Lu Chi knew that this strict senior uncle had accumulated great prestige on Baicao Peak. When he lectured, he must have a strict routine of publicly checking his disciples' studies and combat skills, and his methods were extremely ruthless.

No wonder that, looking around, all the hundreds of outer disciples on this vast blue stone training ground were sitting upright, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

Just as they were pondering this, the sea of ​​clouds directly in front of the temple suddenly began to surge violently.

A massive and heavy spiritual pressure descended from the sky as if it were a tangible force, instantly silencing the slightly noisy dojo to the point where you could hear a pin drop.

Amidst the churning sea of ​​clouds, a middle-aged Taoist priest, clad in a dark green robe and with a face as hard as iron, stepped out from mid-air and landed steadily on the white jade platform directly in front of the Taoist temple.

This was the most rigid and strict of all the master masters.

Surprisingly, after Master Yan took his seat, he did not launch into a long discourse on the great principles of heaven and earth as usual. Instead, he swept his piercing gaze across the entire room and coldly uttered two words: "Ask a question."

The so-called "opening the altar to preach" was actually a way for the disciples to raise their questions and difficulties in cultivation according to their seating order, and he would answer them on the spot.

Lu Chi pondered to himself on the futon.

The outer disciples came from diverse backgrounds and practiced a wide variety of techniques and spells, which naturally did not entirely match Master Yan's own path of cultivation.

If he only talks about his own insights, most of his disciples will be completely confused. This kind of personalized teaching is indeed an excellent method.

However… Lu Chi’s gaze swept over the hundreds of disciples densely packed in the training ground, and he understood.

The questioning and answering of questions by the audience, in order of seating, not only tested the preacher's vision and knowledge, but also consumed a tremendous amount of time and energy.

No wonder most of the Foundation Establishment stage senior disciples in the sect would rather go into seclusion and cultivate than easily open an altar to preach. This kind of thankless and arduous task is extremely difficult to endure.

As the Q&A session progressed, the atmosphere in the temple was sometimes heavy, and sometimes accompanied by Master Yan's merciless reprimands.

As the sun's shadow gradually slanted, most of the day quietly passed, and finally it was Lu Chi's turn to take his seat.

Tao Feng and the others sat upright, as if waiting to be punished.

Tao Feng braced himself and asked about the sluggish operation of a wood-type spell. As expected, he was harshly criticized by his senior master for being "impetuous".

Despite being scolded, Master Yan's subsequent insightful guidance was like a revelation to Tao Feng, who repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

Several fellow disciples nearby also asked about their bottlenecks in cultivation, and all of them received answers.

Soon, it was Lu Chi's turn.

Lu Chi remained composed, rose, bowed respectfully, and looked directly at his stern-faced senior master on the high platform. He spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"May I ask, Senior Uncle Yan, what insights and experiences you gained when you broke through to the Foundation Establishment stage, as well as the crucial points during the breakthrough? I hope you can enlighten me."

Upon hearing this, the already quiet temple fell into an even more deathly silence. Tao Feng, standing to the side, was so shocked that his mouth gaped open slightly, and he kept giving Tao Feng meaningful glances.

On the high platform, Master Yan frowned slightly, and his two sharp, almost tangible gazes instantly fell on Lu Chi.

He detested his disciples' unrealistic ambitions the most. A disciple at the seventh level of Qi Refining, who was still quite far from the perfection of Qi Refining, presumptuously came to ask about the key points of Foundation Establishment.

Normally, he would have given him a severe scolding and made him sit down to reflect on his actions.

However, when his divine sense swept over Lu Chi's body like a cold wind, the fierce look in his eyes paused slightly.

He keenly sensed that the water-based magical power within the young man before him was not at all superficial or chaotic, but rather deep and profound, exuding an unshakable steadiness and resilience.

Master Yan was unaware that although Lu Chi's cultivation had progressed rapidly over the past six months, it was by no means the kind of forced growth that ordinary cultivators experience.

Although he frequently used the power of pills and the ripening of spiritual plants to improve his cultivation, thanks to his pure body with the talent of [Immaculate], those poisonous pills and filth that would have caused ordinary cultivators to have blocked meridians and weak foundations were all refined into pure essence after entering his body, leaving no hidden dangers.

As for the [Azure Law] talent, it was obtained by using the innate essence of the spiritual plants as they broke through the soil, sprouted, and advanced in order to cleanse his Qi Sea while he was tending to the garden full of spiritual herbs.

Like the spring thunder awakening the insects, his magical power was imbued with the tenacious spirit of plants and trees, making him deeply rooted and difficult to shake by external forces.

Furthermore, the "Taiyuan Xuanshui Scripture" itself places great emphasis on the condensation and solidification of magical power. With these three factors complementing each other, his foundation has long been polished to perfection, so naturally there will be no slight weakness or flaw caused by taking drugs to break through to a higher realm.

This deep-rooted character prevented Master Yan from uttering his full-blown reprimands.

Judging from his demeanor, he was by no means the kind of person who was restless and impatient; rather, he seemed to be a person who had long been determined to cultivate on the path of Tao.

The tense atmosphere was completely broken. Master Yan stared at Lu Chi for a moment, his cold and hard face showing no sign of softening, but he suppressed the urge to reprimand him.

He withdrew his gaze, took the opportunity to scan the entire room, and finally spoke coldly: "Since you have such a heart for the Dao, I will make an exception today and talk about the three life-and-death barriers during the Foundation Establishment stage."