226: Chapter 226 Three Months

By the time Ye Yisong woke up, it was already the evening of the next day. He stretched, yawned, and walked out of the Cultivation room, only to see Ye Jiexin still in his original position, studying the book in his hands.

"Old man, I'm starving to death. Is there anything to eat?"

Ye Yisong rubbed his shriveled stomach and plopped down opposite Ye Jiexin.

"I had them stew some meat soup in the food cauldron outside. Go get it yourself." Ye Jiexin didn't even lift his head, pointing outside.

"Alright, you really get me." Ye Yisong picked up the teacup in front of him, rinsed his mouth, and walked out. He saw ten people sitting neatly in the courtyard, each holding a carving knife, engraving Talisman boards.

"Brat, wasting my tea leaves." This was Tier 4 Spirit Tea—Cloud Mist Tea, which had the effect of calming the mind and spirit, and was of great benefit to Martial Artists when trying to comprehend Cultivation Techniques.

"Thirteenth Young Master."

Seeing Ye Yisong come out, everyone put down their work and stood up to greet him.

Among them, Ye Jiewen was quite tactful; he picked up a porcelain bowl next to the food cauldron, filled it with a full bowl of meat soup, and thoughtfully handed it to Ye Yisong.

"Uncle Jiewen, thank you for your trouble."

Ye Yisong reached out to take the porcelain bowl and impatiently took a few sips, which burned him so much he grimaced.

"What are you all doing? Why are you just engraving Talisman boards and not infusing them with Qi?" Ye Yisong asked curiously, looking at the mountain-high pile of Talisman boards.

"This is the task assigned by Ninth Brother. He said we were cutting corners and that our technique for engraving Talisman boards wasn't skilled enough. He ordered us to engrave at least thirty Talisman boards a day before we can rest." Ye Jiewen whispered into Ye Yisong's ear, stealing glances inside from time to time, terrified of being overheard by Ye Jiexin.

"The old man is doing this for your own good. Practice hard. I went through the same thing back then; otherwise, how could I have become a Fourth-Rank Talisman Master so quickly?" Ye Yisong understood what Ye Jiewen meant immediately—he wanted him to intercede with Ye Jiexin and let them off the hook.

"The kid is right. Don't look at his slacker appearance; he is much more diligent in the path of Talisman Making than you lot." Ye Jiexin strode out from inside, grabbed Ye Jiewen's ear, and said, "You dare talk behind my back? I think you're too idle. Starting today, you'll engrave five extra Talisman boards every day."

"Don't, Ninth Brother, I was wrong." Ye Jiewen's face turned bitter, and he quickly bowed to beg for mercy.

"Hahaha."

The other nine people laughed when they saw his cowardly appearance; this guy was always causing trouble, and now he'd messed up!

"Old man, here!"

Ye Yisong put down the porcelain bowl and filled one for Ye Jiexin.

"Phew, delicious." Ye Jiexin praised, "Jiewen, this kid's cooking is not bad. From now on, you're in charge of the ladle."

"Come, come, finish engraving the Talisman boards in your hands, and then you all come eat too. Don't let this kid have it all to himself."

"Yes, thank you, Ninth Brother."

The ten people smelled the fragrance of the meat soup, their appetites already whetted. Hearing the call, they sped up their work, wishing they could take a bite immediately.

Ye Yisong ate with Ye Jiexin, greeted the ten people in the courtyard, and walked into the Cultivation room to begin a new round of Cultivation.

On this return journey, Ye Yisong and Boss Ye had consumed a large number of Tier 4 Talismans. In particular, to quickly defeat Wei Shulun and Wei Shuting, they had used up no less than fifty Tier 4 Talismans in a single battle.

Now, the Tier 4 Talismans Ye Yisong had on him were few and far between, excluding the ones required for the task for Yuelai Pavilion.

For the next three months, Ye Yisong holed up in the Cultivation room on Lingmu Peak, returning to his daily Cultivation routine from Linhai Prefecture.

In the morning, he would Cultivate the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art; during the day, he would diligently practice Talisman Making, sometimes taking the time to guide the ten people in the courtyard outside. At night, he would Cultivate the Soul Splitting Art, using meditation to repair the fatigue of the day. His days passed quite fulfilling.

It is worth mentioning that in the second month, the Azure Sea Dragon Turtle finally woke up and successfully made a Breakthrough to become a Tier 2 Yao Beast. The Dragon horn on its head seemed to protrude an extra half-inch, and the blue light on its body became a bit more intense.

Delighted, Ye Yisong fed it a few more Spirit Beast pills. After eating, the little guy wobbled around the Cultivation room a few times before falling back into a deep sleep.

"Uncle Jiewen, help me look after the little turtle." This time, Ye Yisong didn't put the Azure Sea Dragon Turtle into the Spirit Beast bag but placed it in the center of the courtyard, letting it absorb the essence of the sun and moon on its own.

"Make sure you don't step on it."

"Alright, Thirteenth Young Master, rest assured, I will definitely take good care of it." Ye Jiewen licked his lips and agreed.

"Jiewen, make sure you don't 'take care' of it right into the pot, hahaha."

"Go away, what's that got to do with you all."

Ye Yisong was relieved to leave it in Ye Jiewen's care; since Ye Jiewen was able to stand out among the ten, he clearly had some ability.

"Could this kid really be blessed with good fortune? He even managed to obtain such a rare beast as the Azure Sea Dragon Turtle as his contracted Spirit Beast." Ye Jiexin accidentally saw the little turtle drooling while sunbathing in the courtyard and muttered to himself.

"Kid, where did you get this Azure Sea Dragon Turtle?" Ye Jiexin endured for a few days before finally calling Ye Yisong out.

"I found it." Ye Yisong teased, "Oh? Old man, you're quite knowledgeable. You recognize it?"

"Hmph, my knowledge is not something a frog at the bottom of a well like you can compare to." Ye Jiexin snorted coldly and didn't give Ye Yisong a pleasant look.

"Raise this Azure Sea Dragon Turtle well; it might become a great help to you in the future."

"Got it, old man. Look at how well I've raised it—it reached Tier 2 in just a few months."

After three months of closed-door Cultivation, Ye Yisong had gained a great deal. First, he had acquired three hundred new Tier 4 Talismans. His cultivation had also reached the Perfection of the Seven-Star Martial Sect realm, only one layer of paper away from the Eight-Star Martial Ancestor realm. Once his Martial Dao Foundation became a bit more solid, he would be able to pierce through this layer of paper and successfully make a Breakthrough.

The greatest harvest was the Cultivation of his Mental Energy, which had broken through to the Perfection of the Fourth-Rank.

However, afterwards, no matter how Ye Yisong Cultivated, his Mental Energy did not grow by even a fraction. He estimated that he had encountered a Bottleneck, which could not be broken without a great Opportunity.

The growth in his cultivation, combined with the consumption of raising the Azure Sea Dragon Turtle, caused Ye Yisong's purse to shrivel rapidly, and the Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch were already empty.

The two precious medicinal herbs given by Hong Xinghuai and Zhao Zuoxiang during the trip to the East Sea Province, the Tricolor Green Lotus and the Five-Color Lotus, had all been consumed by Ye Yisong and refined into his own strength.

"Sigh, too slow."

Having experienced the feeling of rapidly improving his strength, having to go back to step-by-step Cultivation—absorbing Spiritual Qi little by little and slowly improving his cultivation—was extremely unbearable.

"I've stored up six months' worth of Talismans. It's time to take a trip to Yuelai Pavilion to deliver the tasks for these past few months, lest they think I've run off with the Talisman Making Materials."

"By the way, I'll exchange the excess Talismans for Cultivation resources. I must quickly improve my cultivation; cultivation is the truth!"

"I just don't know if the Old Ancestor has the time."