Chapter 141: Three-in-one Dao Spiritual Root
As the thought stirred, Fang Shu’s heart also rose with apprehension.
He worried that the Dao Talisman would self-destruct, or its internal structure would be damaged, resulting in more loss than gain.
But after careful thought, his mind steadied, and he secretly thought: “Unless this thing is deceiving me, and its authority has not fully transferred to me, otherwise, it should not have any intent to self-destruct against me.”
But for caution’s sake, Fang Shu also abandoned his extreme ideas and decided to first probe it only with spiritual sense.
It must be known that spiritual sense is formless, and using spiritual sense to scan things is one of the most commonly used methods among Immortal Cultivators at Refining Qi and above.
Slowly, Fang Shu introspected inwardly, and layers of flesh, meridians, and bones within his body appeared in his perception, some red, some white, some purple.
In his own brain matter, he easily found that Dao Talisman, which seemed both illusory and real, existing in his soul and embedded in his brain matter.
Under Fang Shu’s urging, spiritual sense slowly surged toward the Dao Talisman in his brain.
The Dao Talisman stood quietly, showing no abnormality, and no resistance.
Layer upon layer of extremely complex and profound structures were immediately laid bare before Fang Shu.
Unlike what he had imagined, although this thing’s structure was complex and made his eyes dazzle, it did not reach the point of giving him a trembling sensation like an ant gazing at the blue sky.
It could even be said that as he scanned through it, his heart repeatedly had moments of realization, and he faintly understood many of the Dao Talisman’s structures.
Subconsciously, he also used the Dao Talisman to sketch and analyze the Dao Talisman itself, and text actually appeared on the Dao Talisman:
【Mountain Sea Immortal Palace Talisman of the Outer Disciple Secret Script, collecting… collection progress ninety-nine percent… estimated analysis time… over a hundred years, under a thousand years…】
Fang Shu examined it, murmuring in his heart: “Fastest a hundred years, slowest a thousand years.”
This time consumption seemed not slow to him, but rather quite fast. Even with his current lifespan, it might be seen within his lifetime.
But soon, his gaze first glanced at the three words “Talisman of the Outer Disciple” in the Dao Talisman’s name, then fell on the word “ninety-nine percent” in the progress text.
He secretly thought: “Only ninety-nine percent collected, still short one percent.”
As for what that remaining one percent was exactly.
Fang Shu’s spiritual sense shifted and soon captured a strand of extremely faint yellow light within the Dao Talisman, calling it light, but it was not light, more like a flickering spark.
This thing’s quality was also like true qi, extremely profound, and like a living being’s spirituality, although extremely faint and minuscule, yet intangible.
In the obscurity.
Fang Shu felt that this “spark” was the Dao Talisman’s most core location. As for the various external structures of the Dao Talisman, they were merely extensions and controls of it.
And as Fang Shu observed this “spark,” it rapidly flickered on and off, as if about to perish.
But the next moment, it suddenly blazed with pure yellow light, covering Fang Shu’s entire mind.
At this moment, Fang Shu’s heart trembled.
He finally, like a minuscule ant, raised his head and beheld the vast and boundless… Yellow Heaven.
When Fang Shu came back to his senses again, this spark had burned out completely and was thoroughly extinguished, vanished without a trace.
But the entire Dao Talisman was still slowly operating, with no damage whatsoever.
At the same time, a feeling arose in Fang Shu’s heart.
He could now inject true qi, divine threads, and such things one by one into the Dao Talisman; even if damaged, he could restore it to its original state by copying it exactly, slowly.
As for that flickering yellow spark just now, it was not truly gone, but replaced by his own consciousness.
This situation was like he had been granted some true authority, although extremely weak, but already qualified to fully control this Dao Talisman.
From now on.
He not only held the supreme authority over this Dao Talisman, but was fused with it as one; this thing itself was like one of his three souls and seven spirits, one of his five viscera and six bowels, inseparable.
He was the Dao Talisman itself, and the Dao Talisman was his extension.
The connection between them was even tighter than the spiritual root he had personally planted.
Immersed in such realization, Fang Shu’s mind was hard to extricate. When he came back to his senses again, the two words “spiritual root” lingered repeatedly in his heart.
Thus, after much contemplation and repeated hesitation.
He finally steadied his mind and decided to follow that obscure realization, inserting the spiritual root divine threads from his forehead into the Dao Talisman in his brain.
Buzz buzz buzz!
Strands of runes, like a waterfall, flowed past in his perception.
The insect herb divine threads had just been inserted when they were taken over by the Dao Talisman in reverse, and under Fang Shu’s acquiescence, even denser divine threads surged out, connecting the two, making it indistinguishable who was master and who was guest.
Until a line of text appeared, the Dao Talisman slowly returned to calm:
【Talisman Master gives birth to spiritual sense, sprouts true qi, plants spiritual root… Dao Talisman accepting the transition… estimated time seven days and three hours.】
At this moment, a guess had already arisen in Fang Shu’s heart.
That was his Natal Gu, spiritual root, and Dao Talisman—these three were forming a trinity.
Or rather, these three would jointly constitute his spiritual root, inseparable!
A sense of astonishment arose from this.
But Fang Shu did not get carried away; it must be known there were still seven days before the Dao Talisman would complete its metamorphosis, and only then could he see the full picture.
Thus, he restrained himself, continued sitting cross-legged in the Spirit Chamber, inhaling and exhaling spiritual energy, awaiting the Dao Talisman’s transformation.
Soon, one day, two days, three days…
Seven days passed in a flash.
The Dao Talisman in Fang Shu’s brain trembled lightly, completed the transition without complication, and various pieces of information appeared in his mind, making him instantly aware of the changes after the transition.
Buzz!
He opened his eyes, and spiritual sense rapidly spread out.
He saw the length, width, height of the vast Spirit Chamber, brick and stone materials, ground ashes, spiritual energy concentration, and such information all floating in his mind, dazzling him for a moment.
Suppressing this messy information, Fang Shu shifted his attention, condensing his spiritual sense on a bead in front of him.
A detailed and thorough piece of information quickly surfaced in his mind:
【Lead Essence Treasure Bead: contains Metal and Stone Poison, embryo material for Refining Qi magic treasure, poison damage at thirty percent, can be repaired, specific repair method as follows… Talisman Master can also use as cultivation material, to be swallowed by Natal Gu, transform into form, enhance gu ability.】
Fang Shu’s mind stirred greatly.
But he still restrained himself, switching targets again, directing spiritual sense onto other things:
【Clean Clothes Talisman: one tribulation talisman, can cleanse dust and filth, ordinary quality. Drawn by crude Talisman Master.】
【Unknown pill: obtained from another, red color, red inside, fishy sweet smell, highly resembles Essence Nourishing Pill. More specific identification methods, Talisman Master can test on rats or rabbits…】
He looked around the Spirit Chamber, soon scanning all living and dead objects inside with spiritual sense.
By now, his gaze was blazing like torches.
Various signs proved that the transitioned Dao Talisman was no longer just able to monitor his physical body, but could also scan outward through spiritual sense, and based on existing knowledge, penetrate things.
Not only spiritual sense, but divine threads as well; even if Fang Shu merely looked with eyes or listened with ears, the Dao Talisman could collect various information and glimpse somewhat, just varying in depth.
With this wondrous use at hand, henceforth when encountering enemies or things, he would be able to discern the subtle and obscure, see clearly at a glance, greatly useful!
In the Spirit Chamber, Fang Shu stood up, the joy in his heart hard to suppress.
In this seclusion cultivation, he not only successfully planted the spiritual root, broke through to Refining Qi, gained the divine threads innate ability, but the Dao Talisman itself also underwent a transition, gaining even more wondrous uses.
All this did not betray his arduous cultivation and painstaking research!
On the altar.
Fang Shu with a smile on his face, paced back and forth, his mind surging uncontrollably, and he lightly recited:
“Sleeve full of true qi exiting the stone pass,
Looking back at mortal village, wind and dew cold.
Henceforth life and death seeking immortal guests,
How many from here ascend Mount Lu.”
The Spirit Chamber boomed, filled with laughter inside.
Fang Shu flicked his sleeve, stirred true qi, swept up and stored all items in the room, then pushed open the heavy stone door, carrying wind and qi as he departed.
This took eighty-four days.
His immortal undertaking greatly succeeded, formally emerging from seclusion.
