The so-called talismanic magic is a spell that uses spiritual power as a guide to draw special marks on paper or in the air, thereby stimulating the energy of heaven and earth to perform the spell.
The most common talismanic arts are based on the Five Elements, which can use the power of runes to summon raging fire and thunder, making them highly offensive, but lacking in follow-up power.
Aside from the Five Elements techniques, most other techniques rely on the power cultivated by the cultivator themselves, such as swordsmanship and spatial power. These techniques are written into talismans stroke by stroke, and can be activated by spiritual power when fighting an enemy.
Therefore, talismanic magic is more like a freely castable summoning and sealing technique.
In Gu Yifeng's view, the same applies to the Dao of Talismans.
Unlike conventional summoning and sealing techniques, talismanic arts follow the laws and principles of nature and are traceable, much like the manifestation of the Great Dao.
Gu Yifeng pondered this in his heart, and suddenly it occurred to him: the manifestation of the Dao naturally refers to the traces of the Dao. What are the traces of the Dao? They are all the actions that occur spontaneously between heaven and earth in the world, such as rain, thunder, gales, and tsunamis...
Every action leaves its own unique trace in nature, and these traces represent the great principles of the universe.
Thinking of this, Gu Yifeng no longer hesitated, and his hands unconsciously began to trace the outline, his consciousness dancing in this white, boundless space of consciousness.
With two fingers together, he traced graceful lines, which eventually coalesced into regular runes. Order and disorder were entirely at his command, a sign that he had truly mastered the art of runes, able to do as he pleased.
"Talisman Technique: Fire Meteor".
Gu Yifeng uttered a soft shout, and then the runes in front of him flickered, instantly transforming into bursts of scorching power. The next moment, more than a dozen huge fiery meteors appeared in the white space and crashed forward.
The moment it landed, a wave of heat spread out, unleashing a violent storm. This was a talisman personally created by Gu Yifeng, and its power was comparable to a high-level cultivation technique.
Although it cannot perfectly draw upon the power of heaven and earth, it can utilize the earth's energy to enhance the power of the talisman, thus reaching the Earth-level standard.
With Gu Yifeng's current strength, a single strike would be enough to defeat an ordinary cultivator in the late stage of the Condensation Realm.
After completing this talisman, his consciousness did not immediately leave this space. Obviously, it was not time yet, and he could continue to create. The futon also played a part in this.
Sitting cross-legged on a futon can enhance a cultivator's inspiration, allowing spiritual energy to continuously rise from the dantian and flow into the sea of consciousness, bringing a sense of coolness, making one's five senses clear, spirit refreshed, and able to maintain the best state at all times.
If the opportunity is right, one can even enter a state of enlightenment or sudden awakening.
However, Gu Yifeng was unaware of all this. He only felt that he still had many inspirations in his heart, and since there was still enough time, he could continue to improve them.
With this in mind, he continued to practice the Fire Meteor rune technique in this space, constantly refining it and making improvements to the way the runes were drawn.
At the same time, he constantly recalled the records on the Myriad Scriptures, combining the two to absorb and transform the knowledge within, making it his own.
It wasn't until an hour had passed that Gu Yifeng was forcibly kicked out of his consciousness space. After regaining consciousness, the puppet in front of him had already arrived beside the stone pillar, waiting for the results to be recorded.
Without hesitation, he channeled his spiritual energy, extending two fingers of his right hand. With just the beginning, he drew upon the surrounding spiritual energy, quickly outlining the runes perfectly.
"Talisman Technique: Fire Meteor!"
Gu Yifeng gave a soft shout, and the last stroke of the rune was completed. Then, a crimson light shone out and spread out. In the blink of an eye, a shooting star was formed in mid-air and crashed down, landing on the stone pillar.
With a loud bang, a heatwave storm spread out, blowing around the area, and the stone pillar instantly lit up with a purple light, which continued to deepen.
The light lasted for a full half-hour before it stopped, reaching its peak of purple.
"Talisman Technique: Fire Meteor, the test result is—quasi-heavenly-level talisman technique, perfectly passed!"
The puppet's stiff voice rang out, and then it sent Gu Yifeng out of the third level.
Nangong Wan's jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Then, she absentmindedly unleashed the spell she had created. It was an ice-type martial art with decent power, though it only barely reached the red level. Fortunately, she passed the test smoothly.
After passing the first three levels, the real challenge lies in the next ten levels. The fourth to sixth levels are mainly about body training, where you must kill demonic beasts, break through formations, and refine demonic energy within a time limit.
Each level sounds simple, but in reality, it requires a great deal of effort to solve.
The seventh to ninth trials are about tempering the mind. You will enter an illusionary realm and face betrayal from relatives and friends, isolation from your sect, and enemies everywhere.
The illusions are so powerful that they can silently alter a person's perception while they are immersed in them, ensuring that these illusions are 100% real and will not reveal any flaws.
Such a powerful illusion is so potent that almost no one can escape by discovering any clues.
The tenth to twelfth trials are the "probing the Way." These three trials are completely different from the previous ones. Each trial questions and tests one's resolve. If one lacks composure and willpower, the elimination rate for these three trials may even exceed that of the previous six.
It wasn't until the final stage that the trial reverted to its usual format: a ring competition. All those who made it to the final stage had to compete in the ring.
According to Nangong Wan's explanation, this final test will only select sixteen disciples to join the ancient sage's lineage, which shows how fierce the competition is.
Gu Yifeng and Nangong Wan easily passed the three trials of body tempering, overcoming them with almost no effort and in less than an hour.
Nangong Wan passed the three trials of the Heart Refining Technique quite quickly, because the Nangong family had protected her well since she was a child. Apart from the threat from the branch, Nangong Wen had protected his daughter almost meticulously.
Therefore, for Nangong Wan, the three trials of refining the mind were not even as difficult as the three trials of refining the body.
However, Gu Yifeng was different. He almost failed in the very first challenge. In the illusion, he knelt on one knee on the Blue Star, and all he could hear was the sound of his parents crying.
In his past life, his parents kept questioning him about why he had abandoned them and come to the Continent of Light alone. Then the scene changed, and his parents had another son, completely ignoring his eldest son's return.
In short, this first hurdle struck at Gu Yifeng's weak point, and he was almost defeated by his inner demons.
Fortunately, his Dao heart was still quite stable. Faced with the dual suppression of his inner demons and illusions, his sword rang out repeatedly within his body, and he managed to break free from it after spending a little more than half an hour.
After this period of mental refinement, his Dao heart became more steadfast, and he also became clearer about his goal: to improve his cultivation as soon as possible, break through to the Immortal Realm, return to Blue Star, and reunite with his parents.
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