82: Chapter 82 Flowers Bloom

At 5:00 AM on Sunday, Chen Zhen opened his eyes.

He sat up, and without casting a Cleaning Spell, he looked directly at the pots of soul-calming grass.

On the largest plant, the second flower bud had already bloomed.

The pale purple flower trembled slightly in the morning light, with fine dewdrops condensing on its petals, each drop reflecting the pale purple halo of the Talisman Array.

A faint, secluded fragrance permeated the entire Secret Base, intertwining with the aura of the Spirit Gathering Talisman.

Of the other three plants, two had also sprouted flower buds; only the smallest one showed no movement.

[calming flower × 1 (Newly Opened)]

[Quality: Quasi-Spirit Plant · Top-Grade]

[Effect: Calming + 800%, can be used for incense/tea/ink/Alchemy]

[Status: Optimal Harvest Period (within 8 hours)]

Chen Zhen walked over to the soul-calming grass, crouched down, and examined the flower carefully.

The petals were fuller than the last one, the purple color was deeper, and the fragrance was richer.

In [Internal Vision], the flow of Spiritual Qi inside the flower was more than 30% stronger than the previous one.

This was the credit of the Eight-Talisman Chain Array.

He carefully plucked the flower and placed it into a jade box.

A single flower could do many things.

He stood up and looked at the flower buds emerging on the other two plants.

In another day or two, he would be able to harvest two more.

These four soul-calming grass plants could continue to bloom and bear fruit, providing a constant supply.

He turned, walked to the workbench, took out a mortar, and placed the freshly picked flower inside.

He infused his hands with Spiritual Qi and began to grind.

The pale purple petals turned into fine powder during the grinding process, and the fragrance became even more intense.

After grinding for fifteen minutes, he obtained about three grams of anshen flower powder.

It was one-third more than the previous one.

[anshen flower powder (Fine Quality)]

[Quality: Quasi-Spirit Plant · Top-Grade]

[Effect: Calming + 900%, can be used for incense/ink/Alchemy]

He nodded in satisfaction.

With this powder, he could concoct better Talisman ink and draw stronger Talismans.

He took the stack of blank Talisman paper from his Storage Space and began to draw Talismans.

Today's goal—twenty pieces.

Ten Calming Talismans, five Spirit-Refreshing Talismans, five Heart-Clearing Talismans.

All using Talisman ink mixed with the new powder, all infused with Stellar Energy.

His brush danced like a dragon and snake, one after another.

Purple light flickered across the Secret Base, making the rune arrays on the walls seem dull in comparison.

Two hours later, all twenty Talismans were finished.

[Stellar Mind-Calming Talisman (Top-Grade) × 10]

[Effect: Calming + 600%, duration 8 hours, nourishes the Divine Soul]

[Stellar Spirit-Refreshing Talisman (Top-Grade) × 5]

[Effect: Refreshing + 500%, duration 6 hours, slightly increases thinking speed]

[Stellar Heart-Clearing Talisman (Top-Grade) × 5]

[Effect: Heart-Clearing + 600%, duration 8 hours, resists negative emotions]

Chen Zhen looked at these twenty Talismans, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

This batch of Talismans was at least 50% stronger than the previous batch.

He put away the Talismans and stood up.

It was Sunday, and he still had the whole day.

First, he would go to the Old House to continue studying those notes.

At 8:00 AM, Chen Zhen stood in Shen Mo's grandfather's Old House.

Eight Composite Rune Arrays were pasted on the walls, and the Spiritual Qi concentration in the room was twice as high as when he last visited.

The Dongshan Rune on the blackboard echoed with the Spirit Gathering Talisman, forming a stable Spiritual Qi field.

He walked to the study and took out the notes he hadn't finished reading yesterday from his Storage Space.

"General Outline of the Dao of Talismans"—a book written by Shen Mo's grandfather himself, summarizing his lifelong insights into the Dao of Talismans.

He opened the first page.

"I began practicing Talismans at seven, and it has been seventy-three years since. My realizations and feelings are recorded in this volume, awaiting future generations."

He started at seven and passed away at eighty.

Seventy-three years.

Chen Zhen flipped through the pages.

This book was not just a simple record of Talismans, but a complete system of the Dao of Talismans.

Classification of Talismans, Materials for Talismans, methods of drawing Talismans, usage of Talismans, taboos of Talismans—each chapter had detailed discussions, accompanied by numerous examples and insights.

Flipping to the third chapter, it talked about "Talisman Ink."

"Talisman Ink is the blood of the Talisman. If the ink is not good, the Talisman will not be successful. Even if the ink is good, if the method is lacking, the Talisman will still not be successful."

It listed thirty-seven Talisman Ink recipes below, five more than the previous notebook.

One of them used three types of spirit plants.

calming flower, refreshment grass, and Ningxin vine.

"Combining these three can create 'Three-Flower Talisman Ink.' Using this ink to draw Talismans can connect to the Three Realms and suppress all evil. However, the three flowers are hard to come by; I only managed to make it once in my lifetime."

Chen Zhen read this passage and memorized the recipe.

He had the calming flower. Could refreshment grass be replaced by Mint? Where could he find the Ningxin vine?

He continued reading.

The fourth chapter talked about "Talisman Array."

"The power of a single Talisman is limited, but when multiple Talismans are combined, it becomes infinite. The Dao of the Talisman Array lies in 'connection.' Continuous and unbroken, successive and unceasing, only then does it form its momentum."

Dozens of layout diagrams for Talisman Arrays were drawn afterward—Two-Talisman Chain, Four Symbols Array, Eight Trigrams Array, Seven Stars Array, Twelve Yuan Chen Array...

He turned to the page for the Seven Stars Array.

It was almost identical to the Seven Stars Talisman Array he had drawn, but more complex. It wasn't seven Talismans, but forty-nine, arranged according to the positions of the Big Dipper, forming a massive star chart.

"Once the Seven Stars Array is formed, it can channel Stellar Energy into the body; one day of Cultivation is equivalent to a month of normal days."

One day equals one month.

Chen Zhen was tempted for a moment, but immediately shook his head.

Forty-nine Talismans—with his current Spiritual Qi, he couldn't draw them.

And even if he could draw them, he couldn't withstand it.

He continued flipping through.

Flipping to the last chapter, it was Shen Mo's grandfather's last words.

"I spent my life seeking the Dao, but achieved nothing in the end. It is not that the Dao of Talismans is untrue, but that my Aptitude was limited. The world is about to change, and the Dao of Talismans shall flourish. Those who come after should surpass me tenfold."

"Everything my family has collected for generations is entrusted to those with affinity. There is only one thing I request—if you meet someone holding a star core, tell them: On the day of the Seven Stars Alignment, the Heavenly Road will open by itself."

When Chen Zhen saw the last line, his pupils contracted slightly.

Someone holding a star core.

The day of the Seven Stars Alignment.

The Heavenly Road will open by itself.

He closed the book and remained silent for a long time.

Shen Mo's grandfather knew about the star core.

Knew about the Seven Stars Alignment.

Knew about the Heavenly Road.

Who was he?

At 12:00 PM, Chen Zhen left the Old House.

He stood at the entrance of the residential complex and looked up at the sky.

The sun was intense, stinging his eyes.

But in his [Internal Vision] perception, deep in the sky, there were seventeen faint points of light moving slowly.

star core fragment.

There were seventeen more.

And when was the "day of the Seven Stars Alignment" that Shen Mo's grandfather spoke of?

At 3:00 PM, Chen Zhen returned home.

His mother was knitting a sweater in the living room; seeing him come in, she looked up and said, "Your classmate came to look for you this afternoon."

Chen Zhen was stunned for a moment: "Who?"

"A boy with glasses, thin." His mother thought for a moment, "He said his name is Shen Mo."

Shen Mo.

"Did he say what it was about?"

"No." His mother shook her head, "He just said to give him a call when you are free tonight."

Chen Zhen nodded and went to his room.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Shen Mo: "Looking for me?"

Five minutes later, Shen Mo replied: "7:00 PM, same place."

7:00 PM, Secret Base.

Chen Zhen pushed open the door, and Shen Mo was already standing inside.

He was staring at the Talisman Arrays on the wall, and upon hearing the movement, he turned his head.

"These things," he pointed to the Talismans on the wall, "did you draw them?"

Chen Zhen nodded.

Shen Mo was silent for a few seconds.

"My grandfather drew for his whole life and never achieved this effect," he said. "How many days have you been learning?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

Shen Mo didn't press him further; he walked over to the pots of soul-calming grass, crouched down, and looked at the two newly emerged flower buds.

"Are these spirit plants?"

"Mm."

Shen Mo reached out to touch them, then pulled his hand back.

"Can I touch them?"

"Be gentle."

Shen Mo gently touched the petals, and the flower bud trembled slightly.

He withdrew his hand and looked at Chen Zhen.

"Who exactly are you?"

Chen Zhen looked at him.

"What do you want to know?"

Shen Mo stood up and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I want to know if you are the person my grandfather was waiting for."

Silence lasted for three seconds.

Chen Zhen spoke: "In your grandfather's notes, did he mention the 'star core'?"

Shen Mo's pupils contracted slightly.

"How do you know?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer; he took out the star core fragment that had already undergone Fusion from his Storage Space—no, it could no longer be called a fragment; it was the power in his Dantian.

He stretched out his hand, and a ball of dark blue light lit up in his palm.

Shen Mo stared at the light, freezing in place.

"This is..."

"The star core." Chen Zhen withdrew his energy, and the light dissipated. "The thing your grandfather spoke of."

Shen Mo was silent for a long time.

Then he took something out of his pocket and handed it to Chen Zhen.

It was a dark blue stone, thumb-sized, with a faint light flowing on its surface.

Chen Zhen's pupils contracted slightly.

star core fragment.

Another one.

"Left by my grandfather," Shen Mo said. "He said that if someone could activate it, I should give it to him."

He looked at Chen Zhen.

"Can you?"

Chen Zhen took the fragment.

He channeled Spiritual Qi into it.

The fragment lit up instantly, the dark blue light dazzling and eye-catching.

Three seconds later, the light subsided, and the fragment lay quietly in his palm, echoing with the Stellar Energy in his Dantian.

[Detected second star core fragment]

[Activation level: 0%]

[Whether to perform Fusion?]

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

The second one.

Fusion, or keep it?

He looked at Shen Mo.

Shen Mo was also looking at him.

"What else did your grandfather say?"

Shen Mo thought for a moment.

"He said there are eighteen star core pieces in total. The day they are all combined in Fusion is when the Heavenly Road will open."

Eighteen pieces.

He had combined one, and seventeen remained.

Now, the second one was in his hand.

He gripped the fragment tightly.

"I will keep this for now."

Shen Mo nodded.

"It was meant for you anyway."

He turned and walked to the door.

"Chen Zhen."

Chen Zhen looked at him.

Shen Mo looked back and smiled.

"Next time you come, draw more Talismans. This room is too dark."

The door closed.

Chen Zhen stood there, looking at the fragment in his hand.

The dark blue light flickered, as if it were looking at him.

Eighteen pieces.

The Heavenly Road.

He put away the fragment and walked to the pots of spirit plants.

The flower buds were still there, quietly waiting to bloom.

He reached out and touched them gently.

Soon.