81: Chapter 81 Old House

At 6:00 AM on Saturday, Chen Zhen opened his eyes right on time.

He sat up. Instead of casting a Cleaning Spell as he usually did, he took the stack of newly drawn Composite Rune Arrays directly from his Storage Space.

He had drawn five more last night, which, added to the previous three, made a total of eight.

Eight Talismans were enough to cover a room.

He picked up the first Talisman and stuck it above the door frame.

The second, he stuck in the center of the west wall.

The third, on the east wall.

The fourth, fifth, sixth...

Once all eight Talismans were posted, the walls of the entire Secret Base were covered in pale purple runes arranged in a well-spaced, orderly fashion.

He stood in the center and activated the [Talisman Eye].

The eight Talismans lit up simultaneously, forming a complex network of spiritual power.

Those runes, originally independent, were now connected by some invisible force, echoing and reinforcing one another.

[Eight-Talisman Chain Array activated]

[Effect: Spiritual Qi concentration +120%, spiritual power circulation speed +80%]

[Duration: 12 hours]

[Special Bonus: spiritual plant growth speed +50%, Talisman effect +30%]

Chen Zhen felt the Spiritual Qi around him, which had almost condensed into mist, and took a deep breath.

This was a true environment to Cultivate.

He sat cross-legged and began to Cultivate.

The rotation speed of the spiritual bead in his Dantian was nearly twice as fast as usual. Spiritual power surged into his body like a tide, and every one of his Meridians was greedily absorbing this rich energy.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 321/1800]

It had increased by 28 points in one hour.

Three times faster than usual.

He looked at those eight Talismans, and a plan formed in his mind.

This thing was more useful than any Spirit Gathering Array.

He stood up and walked over to the pots of spiritual plants.

Under the blessing of the Eight-Talisman Chain Array, their growth was visible to the naked eye.

The second flower bud of the largest soul-calming grass was already one-third larger than it had been last night.

The golden edges on the leaves of the other three plants were also more distinct.

[soul-calming grass ×4]

[Estimated flowering time: 3-4 days]

Soon.

He packed up his things and walked out of the Secret Base.

Today, he had to go to Shen Mo's grandfather's Old House.

At 8:00 sharp, Chen Zhen stood at the entrance of the old residential complex.

On a weekend morning, the complex was very quiet, with only a few elderly people sunning themselves downstairs.

He crossed the flower bed, walked into the building, and went up to the fifth floor.

He took out his key and opened the door.

The room was still the same.

The curtains were drawn, the light was dim, and books were piled everywhere.

A smell of old paper and ink rushed to meet him, mixed with a faint musty odor.

He walked in. Without rushing to look through the books, he first took a walk around the room.

Two bedrooms and a living room, about sixty square meters.

The living room was the largest and had the most books piled up.

The bedrooms were smaller, each with a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk.

The other bedroom had been converted into a study, with bookshelves covering all four walls, packed densely with books.

He stood at the study door and scanned the words on the book spines.

"talisman scripture", "General Outline of the Dao of Talismans", "notes of past talisman masters", "Zhouyi Cantong Qi", "Baopuzi", "Yunji Qiqian"...

They were all Daoist classics and books related to Talismans.

He walked in and pulled a copy of "notes of past talisman masters" from the shelf.

He opened it to find handwritten, tiny regular script, recording the life of a Talisman master and their insights on Talismans.

"In the 23rd year of Daoguang, I traveled to Bashu and met an old man who taught me the Spirit Gathering Talisman. This Talisman was different from the ordinary ones; drawn on peach wood with cinnabar mixed in realgar wine, it could gather the Spiritual Qi of a ten-mile radius..."

Chen Zhen flipped through the pages one by one.

This notebook recorded the story of a Talisman master from the Qing Dynasty.

He closed the book and pulled out another one.

This one was from the Republic of China era; the handwriting was neat, and the records were more detailed.

"In the 16th year of the Republic of China, I met a strange person on Mount Zhongnan who said that the world was about to change and the Dao of Talismans would flourish. He taught me the Seven-Star Talisman, saying that this Talisman could draw upon Stellar Energy to protect oneself..."

Stellar Energy.

Chen Zhen's heart stirred.

He continued reading.

"I drew the Talisman according to the method and indeed drew forth Star Radiance. However, Stellar Energy is overbearing and cannot be endured by ordinary people. I tried it for three months, but eventually had to stop due to damaged Meridians."

This person had also tried Stellar Energy, but failed.

He closed the book and put both notebooks into his Storage Space.

He turned around and continued to browse the bookshelves.

He spent the entire morning going through the whole study.

He put all the useful books into his Storage Space—thirty-seven in total.

He sorted the useless books and left them for Shen Mo to deal with.

At noon, Chen Zhen walked out of the study.

He stood in the living room for a while, his gaze falling on that blackboard.

It was covered with runes; some he recognized, others were completely unfamiliar.

He walked over, picked up the eraser, and cleaned the blackboard.

Then he took chalk from his Storage Space and began to draw.

A central circle plus three dots.

Radial curves.

Nested geometry.

Peripheral dot matrix.

Dongshan Rune, complete version.

After finishing, he took two steps back and looked at the blackboard.

In the [Talisman Eye], these chalk lines faintly shimmered.

It wasn't spiritual power, but the power of the structure itself.

The blackboard was also a Talisman paper.

It was just a different medium for bearing it.

He thought for a moment, took the anshen flower powder from his Storage Space, mixed it into Talisman ink, dipped a brush into it, and drew a Spirit Gathering Talisman directly on the blackboard.

The moment the ink landed on the blackboard, the whole room vibrated slightly.

The Talisman on the blackboard and the Dongshan Rune drawn in chalk beneath it produced a strange resonance.

The two forces intertwined, forming a larger spiritual power field.

[Composite Rune Array · Dongshan Basic Array activated]

[Effect: Spiritual Qi concentration +200%, rune comprehension speed +100%]

[Duration: Permanent (requires regular maintenance)]

Chen Zhen stood in front of the blackboard, feeling the rich Spiritual Qi rushing toward him.

It was twice as strong as the Eight-Talisman Chain Array in the Secret Base.

And it was permanently effective.

He stared at the blackboard for a long time.

Shen Mo's grandfather hadn't chosen this room at random.

This room itself was a Talisman Array.

At 2:00 PM, Chen Zhen left the Old House.

Before leaving, he stuck those eight Composite Rune Arrays in different locations in the house—the living room, bedroom, and study, two in each room.

This way, he could use them directly next time he came.

He locked the door and went downstairs.

When he reached the entrance of the complex, he saw Shen Mo standing there.

Shen Mo was leaning against the wall, holding a bottle of water. Seeing him come out, he smiled.

"Finished looking?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Shen Mo handed him the water.

"Is my grandfather's stuff useful?"

Chen Zhen took the water and took a sip.

"Useful."

Shen Mo looked at him, waited a few seconds, and seeing he didn't continue, didn't press him.

The two walked side by side for a while.

When they reached the bus stop, Shen Mo stopped.

"I'm moving into the dormitory next week," he said. "You can use that room as you please."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"Why help me?"

Shen Mo thought for a moment.

"Because my grandfather said someone would come." He looked into Chen Zhen's eyes. "You are that person."

The bus arrived.

Shen Mo got on the bus and waved to him through the window.

The bus drove away.

Chen Zhen stood where he was, watching the bus disappear around the street corner.

At 7:00 PM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen sat cross-legged in the center of the Eight-Talisman Chain Array, surrounded by six pots of thriving spiritual plants.

He closed his eyes, his mind filled with what he had seen in the Old House.

Thirty-seven notebooks, recording the life's work of past Talisman masters.

From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, and from the Republic of China to the modern day—a two-hundred-year Legacy.

Finally, it was passed to Shen Mo's grandfather.

And Shen Mo's grandfather had entrusted it all to him.

He opened his eyes and took that copy of "notes of past talisman masters"—the one from the Republic of China—out of his Storage Space.

He flipped to the page recording the "Seven-Star Talisman".

It detailed the method of drawing the Talisman, the Materials, the timing, and the Talisman master's failed experience.

"Stellar Energy is overbearing and cannot be endured by ordinary people."

He stared at that line for a long time.

Then he stood up, took a blank Talisman paper from his Storage Space, mixed the Talisman ink, and began to draw.

The Seven-Star Talisman, seven in total, corresponding to the Big Dipper.

Tianshu, Tianxuan, Tianji, Tianquan, Yuheng, Kaiyang, Yaoguang.

He drew them one by one.

With each stroke, he deliberately infused a trace of Stellar Energy.

When he finished the last one, all seven Talismans lit up simultaneously, and a dark blue light illuminated the entire Secret Base.

[Seven-Star Talisman Array (Test Version) activated]

[Effect: Draw upon Stellar Energy, Cultivation efficiency +150%, duration 1 hour]

[Side effect: Meridian pressure +100%, not recommended for long-term use]

Chen Zhen looked at the notification and was silent for a few seconds.

One hour, 150% efficiency.

But the pressure on his Meridians doubled.

He thought for a moment, put away six of the Talismans, and left only the Tianshu one.

A single Seven-Star Talisman had half the effect, but also half the pressure.

He would use the full set when his Meridians were stronger.

He stuck that Talisman on the wall and began to Cultivate.

The rotation speed of the spiritual bead in his Dantian soared instantly. Stellar Energy surged into his body like a tide, and every one of his Meridians was slightly hot.

An hour later, he opened his eyes.

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 4 379/1800]

It had increased by 58 points in one hour.

He stood up and stretched his body.

His Meridians were indeed a bit swollen, but they could still bear it.

He looked at that Talisman, and a plan formed in his mind.

The Seven-Star Talisman could be used.

But he couldn't be too greedy.

At 11:00 PM, Chen Zhen finished Cultivating.

He stood up and walked over to the pots of spiritual plants.

Under the blessing of the Seven-Star Talisman, their growth speed was visible to the naked eye.

The second flower bud of the largest soul-calming grass was about to bloom.

[soul-calming grass ×4]

[Estimated flowering time: 2-3 days]

He nodded with satisfaction.

Tomorrow, continue studying those notebooks.

The day after, continue drawing Talismans.

Step by step.

He walked out of the Secret Base and looked up at the night sky.

The Big Dipper was hanging right at the zenith.

Starlight sprinkled down, echoing the Stellar Energy in his Dantian from afar.

He withdrew his gaze and walked home.

Tomorrow, Sunday.

One more day left.