Chapter 79: Ice Profound Soul-Sealing Talisman

Stepping into the Tai Xuan Sect pavilion, Hu Yao walked straight to a counter. Upon seeing an elderly man in a hemp robe seated behind it, her eyes lit up, and she immediately wrapped her arms around his. "Deacon Liu, you've been ignoring me for the past few months. I've been learning new dual cultivation techniques, but I haven't had anyone to practice with," Hu Yao pouted coyly. "Haha! Good! Good! Good!" Deacon Liu, who had initially looked somewhat impatient, instantly brightened up as his face turned a shade redder. He chuckled, repeating the word "good" three times. "Then... should I wait for you at your private residence?" Hu Yao's almond-shaped eyes gleamed, her voice tentative yet playful. "Hmm…" Deacon Liu hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright, go wait there for me." "Many thanks, Deacon Liu." Hu Yao smiled sweetly. Only then did she have the leisure to introduce Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou to him. "These two are new arrivals. Deacon Liu, please arrange a decent place for them." She spoke with a charming tone. "Newcomers?" Deacon Liu stroked his beard, his gaze shifting toward Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou. With a gentle smile, he explained, "Those entering Danqiu Mountain as wandering cultivators have two options: First, you can rent a cave residence under the Tai Xuan Sect… but judging by your appearance, I doubt you can afford it. Even the cheapest cave residence requires a rental fee of one spirit stone every three years. The second option is to settle in the shantytown on the outskirts of Danqiu Mountain. The shantytown has no rent, but you are required to cultivate one mu of spirit farmland per year in service to the Tai Xuan Sect. Are you two willing?" Wei Tu nodded without revealing his "immense fortune" of over fifty spirit stones. —His plan was to first settle down in the shantytown before deciding later whether to rent a proper cave residence. Seeing this, Fu Zhizhou also followed Wei Tu’s lead and nodded in agreement. "Since Daoist Friend Hu has personally asked me to take care of you two, I suppose I can’t completely neglect you." After officially registering them as residents of the shantytown, Deacon Liu pondered for a moment before pulling out a small jade token from his sleeve. "This is a spirit farmland lease token, granting permission to rent ten mu of farmland. You two can divide it among yourselves… Take it." With that, he tossed the token to Wei Tu. Hu Yao, going the extra mile, took Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou to the second floor of the Tai Xuan Sect’s administrative office. Using her personal connections, she helped them secure a plot of spirit farmland that was conveniently located near their residence. "Even the lowest-grade cave residence in the Tai Xuan Sect has a spirit-rich environment that is far superior to the shantytown. You two had better make something of yourselves soon. Just invite me over for a visit once you've moved up." As they left the pavilion, Hu Yao bid them farewell with a playful smile. Wei Tu had settled down in the shantytown. Through his conversations with Hu Yao, he learned that it wasn’t impossible to bring mortal family members into Danqiu Mountain. However, there was a mandatory fee, requiring a certain amount of spirit stones annually, used as a "body cleansing and bone-refining" fee. The spirit-rich environment of Danqiu Mountain could extend the lifespan of ordinary mortals. For martial artists who had yet to break into the Xiantian Realm, the benefits were even greater. As if seeing through Wei Tu’s thoughts, Hu Yao casually mentioned a certain Immortal talisman called the "Ice Profound Soul-Sealing Talisman". This unique talisman could freeze a mortal for a century, ensuring they did not age, deteriorate, or perish during this time. Once unsealed, the soul remained completely intact. However— Each Ice Profound Soul-Sealing Talisman was incredibly expensive, costing at least one hundred spirit stones per piece. Moreover, they were extremely rare, often impossible to purchase even with money. Upon hearing about this talisman, Wei Tu immediately made up his mind. If he ever gained enough power and resources, he would do everything he could to acquire one for Xinghua and his two children, ensuring they would never have to face the fate of mortality before he could help them achieve Immortality. Sitting cross-legged, Wei Tu stared at the golden-purple markings on his fate-bound destiny script, deep in thought. "Condensing the Earth Yuan Body will take forty years… but if I cultivate in a spirit-rich environment, I should be able to shorten that timeframe significantly…" The golden-purple script read: "Five Yuan Spirit Body - Earth Yuan Body: Practiced eight times daily, achieved in forty years." Wei Tu's brows furrowed slightly. "However… to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, the optimal breakthrough period is 'two full cycles of sixty years'—a total of one hundred twenty years…" "I've spent too much time in the mortal world." Reading this, Wei Tu sighed deeply. He had once believed that with his Late Bloomer destiny, once he entered the Immortal world, he would rise rapidly, eventually achieving Immortality and divine power. But unexpectedly, compared to martial cultivation, his progress in Immortal cultivation was exceedingly slow—as slow as a turtle crawling. By the time he reached eighty years old, he would barely be at the fourth level of Qi Refinement, only slightly better than an average low-grade spirit root cultivator. Nothing extraordinary at all. With only one hundred twenty years of lifespan left, even reaching Foundation Establishment was uncertain. From another perspective— His issue wasn’t lack of aptitude, but rather, a lack of lifespan to support his slow but steady progression toward higher cultivation realms. However— Wei Tu’s gaze shifted toward another line of golden-purple text. "Earth Spike Talisman (37/100): Practiced five times daily, mastered in seven years." "It seems… I have some talent in the Dao of Talismans?" Wei Tu raised an eyebrow. Just as long as he could develop his talent in talisman crafting, master a unique skill, and use it to earn spirit stones, he could compensate for his lack of innate aptitude in cultivation. Besides that— Wei Tu knew that the Immortal cultivation world had methods to extend lifespan, including specialized cultivation techniques and elixirs that could prolong one’s years. "The path forward is clear!" A sense of confidence surged in Wei Tu’s heart. At that moment— The door of the shantytown house was knocked upon. "Third Brother!" Outside, it was Fu Zhizhou’s voice. Wei Tu rose to his feet, stepped forward, and opened the door. "I’ve bought the Testing Spirit Talismans." Fu Zhizhou took out a stack of yellow talisman papers and grinned. The Testing Spirit Talisman could determine a mortal’s spirit root aptitude. Even after settling in Danqiu Mountain, Fu Zhizhou had not forgotten his family who remained in the mortal world. "Good. Let’s head down the mountain immediately." Wei Tu nodded. He quickly packed a few belongings, locked his shantytown house with a brass padlock, and left with Fu Zhizhou, heading toward the outskirts of Danqiu Mountain. The two quickly left the mountain gates. Outside Danqiu Mountain, they rented two swift horses and began their journey toward Yulong Prefecture, the capital of Luonan Dao. Months ago, the entire Southern Mountain Dao had been occupied by the rebels of Xiaoshan King. Because of this, their families, who had originally taken refuge in Xiaoyi Prefecture, had been moved again to Yulong Prefecture to avoid the ongoing war. After five days of travel— They arrived at a courtyard residence in Yulong Prefecture. Inside a quiet guest room— "This is the Condensing Moon Pill from the Immortal marketplace." Wei Tu retrieved a delicate silk box from his robe and handed it to Kou Liang. "After consuming it, it will enhance the transformation of your inner energy. It is also a crucial elixir for martial artists attempting to break through into the Xiantian Realm." The Condensing Moon Pill was not cheap in Danqiu Mountain’s alchemy shops. Each pill cost seven spirit stones. Had it not been for the unexpected wealth from Martial Luck Pavilion, he would have needed at least four to five years of farming spirit fields just to afford one. Low-level Qi Refinement cultivators mostly relied on spirit sand for cultivation rather than spirit stones. Hearing this, Kou Liang’s hands trembled slightly. "Thank you, Third Brother." His expression was filled with gratitude, and his voice choked up slightly. Although he never doubted Wei Tu’s promise from before, seeing it fulfilled now still stirred deep emotions within him. Nearby, Wei Fei couldn’t help but feel envious at the sight. "Second Brother…" Before he could speak— Fu Zhizhou chuckled and pulled out another silk box, placing it in front of Wei Fei. "This one’s for you." Years ago, Fu Zhizhou had accepted the Blood Nourishing Pill from Wei Fei. In return, he had promised to help Wei Fei reach the Xiantian Realm. Unlike Wei Tu, who only gave Kou Liang a single Condensing Moon Pill, Fu Zhizhou’s box contained not only a Condensing Moon Pill but also a Lesser Qi Gathering Pill. Of course— This was something he did not bother explaining to Kou Liang. After all, his exchange with Wei Fei was a direct repayment, whereas Wei Tu’s assistance to Kou Liang was purely an act of goodwill. "Aside from that, these are the Testing Spirit Talismans that Third Brother and I bought." "Big Brother, Second Brother, take some and use them on your family members." Fu Zhizhou placed a stack of yellow talismans on the table. "I don’t need any." "I don’t have any family…" Wei Fei shook his head. "Many thanks, Third Brother, Fourth Brother." Kou Liang expressed his gratitude before taking five talismans. His wife had passed away early, and although he had taken concubines, he had no real emotional attachment to them. The five talismans were meant for his two sons and three daughters. After dividing up the Testing Spirit Talismans— Wei Tu did not linger in the guest hall. He took three talismans and made his way toward the courtyard where his own family was staying. Shortly after— Three Testing Spirit Talismans were placed on the foreheads of Xinghua, Wei Yan, and Wei Xiuwen. The talisman papers glowed faintly. Xinghua’s talisman emitted a faint green light, about the size of a thumbprint. Wei Yan’s talisman glowed with two colors—light green and deep blue—expanding to half the size of a fist. Wei Xiuwen’s talisman shone with a golden hue, also half the size of a fist. "All of them are lower-grade spirit roots." Wei Tu sighed. The sliver of hope he had held onto during the journey was completely shattered as the light from the talismans flickered. Spirit root aptitude was largely based on fate, but parental bloodline also played a crucial role. If both parents had strong spirit roots, their offspring were far more likely to inherit better aptitude. Half an hour later— The four sworn brothers gathered once again. Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou wore expressions of disappointment, shaking their heads with a sigh. Since Wei Fei had no children, he was unaffected. However— Kou Liang’s reaction was completely different. "Third Brother! Fourth Brother!" "Hong Ying… Hong Ying has a mid-grade spirit root!" His face was filled with joy as he delivered the exciting news. "What?" "A mid-grade spirit root?" Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou looked at each other in astonishment. In Danqiu Mountain, most cultivators were wandering practitioners, and the vast majority only had low-grade spirit roots. This meant— Someone with a mid-grade spirit root had the qualification to join an Immortal Sect and didn’t have to remain a mere rogue cultivator. "Congratulations, Big Brother." Wei Tu clasped his hands together, offering his congratulations to Kou Liang. —Though he couldn’t help but sigh internally. "Why couldn’t one of my own children have mid-grade aptitude?"