82: Time flies, and cultivation continues; the cloud-script seal is initially formed, and the talisman array appears.

Spring went and autumn came; the seasons alternated.

For a Mortal, a year might be a long period of joys and sorrows; but for a Cultivator, especially one in secluded cultivation in a dead zone of the deep sea, a year was merely a slightly longer meditation session.

Inside the Immortal Cave, the wick of the ever-burning lamp had been replaced three times.

Zhou Wannian still sat cross-legged on the prayer mat, but the aura on his body had undergone a fundamental transformation.

Initially, the spiritual power fluctuations on his body were a gentle and lingering wood-attribute aura.

But now, that aura had become ethereal and unpredictable, sometimes loose like clouds and mist, sometimes hard like metal and stone.

Within his Dantian and Qi Sea, the originally thick mist of spiritual power had been dismantled into countless tiny, glowing runic structures.

These runes were like living tadpoles, swimming joyfully through his Meridians. With every cycle, they would absorb the surrounding Spiritual Qi and automatically weave into more complex spiritual power circuits.

"Whew..."

Zhou Wannian slowly opened his eyes, and within them, countless cloud patterns could be seen faintly swirling.

"The Qi Refining chapter of the 'Cloud Seal Heavenly Scripture', Major Achievement."

He raised his hand and flicked his fingertips.

He didn't use any Talisman paper; with just a thought, a wisp of spiritual power at his fingertip instantly twisted and folded, sketching a pale golden character for "Fire" in the Void Realm.

Boom!

A fireball the size of a washbasin appeared out of thin air, its temperature so high that it actually scorched and distorted the air.

"Void Talisman Drawing!"

Zhou Wannian's eyes were full of pleasant surprise. "This is the wonder of Cloud Seal Spiritual Power! No longer dependent on Talisman paper and talisman brushes as carriers, as long as I have enough spiritual power, I myself am the strongest talisman brush!"

Although the power of this 'Void Talisman' was slightly weaker than a physical Talisman and consumed a huge amount of energy, in a life-and-death struggle, it was an instantaneous Spell, the key to victory.

"The change in Cultivation Technique is complete, and my total mana has increased by forty percent compared to before."

"Next, it's time to upgrade my arsenal."

Zhou Wannian took out the 'Second-tier Talisman Array True Explanation' from his Storage Pouch.

Over the past year, besides Qi Refining, he had spent the rest of his time studying this craft.

"Previously, although my 'Poison Thunder Drill' was powerful, it was a single-target attack. When facing strong defenses or many enemies, it felt inadequate."

"Now, I'm going to turn them into... an array."

He took out five already drawn 'Second-Tier Poison Thunder Drills'. Instead of activating them directly, he used Cloud Seal Spiritual Power to construct invisible chains of spiritual power between them.

"The Five Elements generate each other, poison and thunder complement each other."

"Rise!"

The five Talismans floated in mid-air and instantly dispersed, occupying the five positions of East, West, South, North, and Center. As Zhou Wannian's hand seal changed, a strange resonance actually formed between the five Talismans; thunderous light wove into a net, and poisonous gas turned into mist.

[Second-Tier Talisman Array: Five Poisons Thunder Light Prison]

"Fall!"

Zhou Wannian pointed his finger at a sword-testing stone in the corner of the Immortal Cave (a piece of Black Iron Ore he had picked up in the sea).

Rumble—!!!

Five purple-black pillars of thunder struck down simultaneously, but they didn't explode. Instead, they formed a closed thunder-light cage. Inside the cage, thunder was like blades and poisonous gas was like acid, continuously strangling the stone for ten breaths.

When the thunderous light dissipated.

That incredibly hard Black Iron Ore had already disappeared.

Only a puddle of molten iron, still emitting black smoke, remained.

"How domineering!"

Zhou Wannian gasped, followed by wild joy.

This power was enough to heavily injure a careless Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator! Even against a Foundation Establishment mid stage, it could block them for a moment, buying me precious time to escape!

"Besides that, there's also this..."

He took out those few 'Heavy Water Yin Thunders' again.

"heavy water focuses on pressure, Yin thunder focuses on explosion."

"If I connect them in a series..."

He added 'Chain Detonation Runes' to several heavy water Talismans.

[Second-Tier Talisman Array: Thousand-Fold Wave Explosion]

Once thrown, it would be a series of explosions, wave upon wave, with the power increasing exponentially.

"With these two trump cards, I am invincible below Foundation Establishment."

"Above Foundation Establishment, I can also... run faster."

Zhou Wannian put away the Talismans with satisfaction.

This year of secluded cultivation had yielded remarkable results.

"Squeak squeak!"

Just then, a familiar cry came from outside the Immortal Cave.

The Restriction rippled slightly, and a large golden rat, soaking wet and holding a large crab in its mouth, squeezed inside.

It was Wang Cai.

During this year, while Zhou Wannian was in seclusion, Wang Cai hadn't been idle either. Although the area around Luan Ya Reef was desolate, there were still many good things on the seabed. It often sneaked out to "hunt," bringing back all sorts of strange seafood for Zhou Wannian.

"Went to catch crabs again?"

Zhou Wannian smiled as he took the crab, casually tossing a fireball Spell to roast it. "How many times have I told you? It's dangerous outside, don't run too far."

While gnawing on a crab leg, Wang Cai spat out a torn piece of cloth the size of a fingernail from its cheek pouch, pushed it in front of Zhou Wannian, and then gestured.

"Squeak! Squeak squeak!" (Outside! So scary! So many people!)

Zhou Wannian's expression turned solemn.

He picked up the piece of cloth.

The fabric was high-quality 'Flowing Cloud Silk', and it still carried a faint trace of Qingyun Sect's mana fluctuations. Moreover, looking at the tear, it had been ripped by a sharp blade.

"People from the Qingyun Sect?"

"And they were injured near this Luan Ya Reef?"

Zhou Wannian's brows furrowed.

This Luan Ya Reef was a notoriously dangerous place, shrouded in mist and filled with hidden reefs; normally, no one ever came here.

"Could those three Foundation Establishment old monsters still have not given up on finding me?"

"Or rather... have they expanded their search area to this dead sea?"

A year has passed.

Logically, with the Water Mansion collapsed and all clues severed, this matter should have been forgotten.

But clearly, some people were not reconciled.

"It seems I can't stay in this place for long either."

Zhou Wannian stood up, walked to the entrance of the cave, and looked through the Restriction at the mist outside.

Vaguely, he could feel several powerful Divine Senses sweeping through the distant mist. Although they were still far away, that unbridled dominance clearly belonged to Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators.

"The tree wants to be still, but the wind won't stop."

Zhou Wannian sighed, but there was no fear in his eyes, only a calm that he had long anticipated.

"However, the current me is no longer that Han the Runner from a year ago who could only crawl through sewers."

He felt the warm jar of 'earth vein foundation establishment spiritual milk' in his bosom.

At this moment, his essence, Qi, and spirit had all been polished to the peak of the Qi Refinement Stage.

The Cloud Seal Spiritual Power within his body was surging and roaring like a great river, longing for a broader world.

"Everything is ready."

"Since you've come looking for me, I'll change locations."

"I'll find a place where no one will disturb me and take that final step."

Zhou Wannian turned around and began to pack up the Immortal Cave.

There was no lingering attachment; all his belongings were in his Storage Pouch.

A quarter of an hour later.

The traces inside the Immortal Cave were cleaned thoroughly, as if no one had ever lived there.

Zhou Wannian took Wang Cai and quietly dove into the sea.

The water repelling token flashed slightly, and the man and rat blended into the deep sea currents like swimming fish, heading in the opposite direction of those searching Divine Senses—toward the edge of the deeper and more dangerous "Endless Abyssal Trench."

Although that place was known as a paradise for sea beasts, that referred to waters within a thousand feet.

In the true depths of the Abyssal Trench, the water pressure was so terrifying that even the Physical Body of a second-tier Yao Beast could not withstand it; it was an absolute forbidden zone for life.

But for Zhou Wannian, who held the 'water repelling token' and could ignore the water pressure, that was the safest... Foundation Establishment site in this world.

"The day of Foundation Establishment will be the time the hidden Dragon emerges from the abyss."

In the deep sea, a faint trail of spiritual power was left behind, which was then dispersed by the undercurrents.