After the internet was disconnected, I connected to the magic world.

"Runes?" Zhou Ming was taken aback.

"Is it similar to Taoist talismans?"

"Not at all."

Xuan Qing shook his head and began to explain to the group: "What is a talisman?"

You write a document, submit a report to the gods and spirits, and ask them to lend you some power.

It's like getting a note from a leader; you can only use it if they approve it, otherwise it's just a piece of waste paper.

But runes are different. Runes are the result of ancient sages observing the workings of heaven and earth, the cycle of the sun and moon, and the changes of the four seasons.

The Daoist principles, gradually summarized, are the rules of heaven and earth themselves.

Using runes to cast spells eliminates the need to invoke any deities; it directly mobilizes the power of heaven and earth themselves. It's as if you yourself are the rules themselves. Isn't that amazing?

Zhang Lei said "Oh," and then suddenly realized, "I understand!"

Is it the kind of rune described in Western fantasy novels?

Is that Odin, the one-eyed dragon, who hung on the World Tree for nine days and nine nights, exchanging one eye for it?

"fart!"

Xuanqing almost laughed out of anger, pointing at him with her finger in exasperation: "You bunch of little brats, your minds are full of foreign things all day long, have you forgotten about your own precious children?"

The runes of China are thousands of years older than the runes of those barbarians!

It existed as early as the pre-Qin period!

Cloud patterns, thunder patterns, cloud patterns, mountain patterns, water patterns, and even the Eight Trigrams are all the most basic runes!

Go to the museum and look at those Shang and Zhou bronzes; the cloud and thunder patterns engraved on them are all runes!

"Those Western runes, who knows, might be defective copies passed down from us. Are you really going to treasure them like that?"

The group of people, embarrassed by his scolding, dared not refute him and quickly changed the subject:

"Master, what exactly is the purpose of these runes?"

"It's incredibly useful."

Xuan Qing said with an arrogant expression: "When engraved on a weapon, the weapon becomes a magic weapon that can cut through iron like mud and also inflict elemental damage."

Engraving it on a pill can enhance its grade and may even imbue it with spirituality.

It can be used to set up formations, such as spirit-gathering formations, killing formations, and bewildering formations, all relying on runes.

They can even use runes to cast spells, summoning wind and rain, and moving mountains and filling seas are all within their grasp.

To put it bluntly, once you thoroughly understand runes, they become omnipotent.

The group's eyes lit up as they looked at the stack of talismans on the table, with Zhang Lei being particularly impatient:

"Master, have you mastered it? Show us your skills!"

"It's not that easy."

Xuan Qing shook his head. "Runes need spiritual energy to activate, but what we have in our bodies right now is true energy, which can't be activated at all."

"what?"

Zhang Lei immediately deflated, "Isn't that a waste of time? I thought you could unleash a fireball or something."

"What's the rush? If I didn't have some results, would I have brought this out?"

Xuan Qing snorted and picked up a talisman: "Didn't you all think spirit stones were useless before?"

The energy inside cannot be absorbed, and once you reach the Innate Realm, you won't use it as currency anymore.

When I was studying runes, I discovered that I had specially modified an Qi-drawing talisman, which could draw spiritual energy from spirit stones to activate runes.

Furthermore, second-tier demonic beasts, also known as innate-level demonic beasts, have spiritual energy in their blood.

The talisman drawn with the blood of a demon beast mixed with cinnabar does not require additional energy induction; it only requires destroying the structure of the runes on it.

The stored spiritual energy inside will automatically trigger, releasing a spell.

He stood up and said, "Come on, I'll take you outside to try out the results of my research over this long period of time."

Three basic attack spells: Fireball, Freeze, and Wind Blade.

Its power is certainly not as great as our full-power martial arts techniques, but its advantage lies in not consuming any true energy. It's perfect for catching people off guard and ambushing them.

The group quickly followed him out of the inn and onto the open space behind it.

Xuanqing held a yellow talisman with red patterns between two fingers and exerted force with his wrist.

With a "rip," the talisman was torn in two.

The moment the talisman broke, the red patterns on it suddenly lit up, emitting a blinding red light. Xuan Qing casually tossed it forward.

"Boom!" A fireball the size of a millstone shot out with a whooshing sound, slamming into the earthen slope more than ten meters away.

With a loud bang, a crater more than half a meter deep was blasted out, and the soil around the crater was burned black and emitting black smoke.

Zhang Lei's eyes widened in disbelief. He yelled and rushed over, squatted down by the pit, touched the still-warm soil, and shouted back:

"Holy crap! That's awesome, Taoist priest! This thing is incredibly powerful!"

When the fight starts, I'll throw out a dozen or so cards first. Who can defend against that?

Even a master with innate talent would lose a layer of skin if unexpectedly struck, right?

Zhou Ming nodded, his eyes shining: "It is indeed powerful, although its power is not as great as our full-force strike."

However, it doesn't consume true energy, which is equivalent to having more than a dozen skills that don't consume mana, making it extremely useful in prolonged battles.

Even in dangerous situations, throwing a few talismans allows you to turn and run without expending any true energy.

Zhao Hao also came over, picked up a talisman and examined it from all angles. Suddenly remembering something, he looked up and asked:

"Master, since even second-tier demonic beasts have spiritual energy in their bodies, does that mean we can also absorb spiritual energy and officially begin cultivating immortality after breaking through to the Innate Realm?"

"You don't need to be a martial artist anymore?"

Xuan Qing shook his head: "I specifically asked the head of the Qingyun Sect about this matter, and he is a master of the Innate Realm."

What's inside him is innate qi, the product of true qi evolving to its extreme, which is completely different from spiritual qi.

The innate stage of a martial artist and the Qi Refining stage of an immortal cultivator are two completely different paths. Even if we break through to the innate stage, we are still a martial artist.

Unable to absorb spiritual energy, unable to use true magic.

"Huh?" The group was a little disappointed.

Then the group tried the Freeze Talisman and the Wind Blade Talisman.

The freezing talisman was torn open, and a blast of cold air swept across, instantly freezing a large area of ​​ice on the ground, several centimeters thick, with a frighteningly low temperature.

The Wind Blade Talisman was even more ruthless; when torn open, three transparent wind blades, each half a meter long, flew out and sliced ​​a tree as thick as a bowl in half, leaving a smooth cut like a mirror.

Each of the three talismans had its own use, and the group was having a great time playing with them. Zhang Lei tore off three talismans in one go.

If Xuanqing hadn't been so distressed that he snatched the talismans back, he would have squandered the entire stack.

After having enough fun, the group returned to their private room at the inn, closed the door, and began to discuss serious matters.

"Now that we have three options, let's discuss which one to choose."

Zhao Hao sat in the main seat, stopped making a fuss, and looked at the group. "Let me state my position first: I have already signed a preliminary cooperation agreement with the authorities."

He recounted the conditions he had previously negotiated with the officials, and concluded by saying:

"The conditions offered by the authorities are indeed generous; they don't force me to join the organization, nor do they interfere with my actions in Kyushu."

I just helped them bring in some equipment and sell them some materials. In return, they gave me money and protected my parents' safety.

I think this deal is a good one, but asking me to completely obey the official orders is impossible. I am destined to be the Emperor; how could I possibly work for someone else?

"I think Haozi is right."

Zhang Lei was the first to nod, "We should take the benefits from the government, but we can't sell ourselves out."

If you actually get a permanent position and are managed by others every day, what's the point?

I definitely won't be a lone wolf. It's too dangerous to be alone. If I get surrounded, there won't be anyone to help me, and if I die, no one will even collect my body.

I think forming a sect together is a good idea. We know each other well, so I feel comfortable working together. There's strength in numbers, and we can support each other if something goes wrong.