ATPnovel Chapter 103 Homologous Optimization
Chapter 103 Homologous Optimization
As Zhang Lin left the main hall, the morning light had already crossed the eaves, spreading a layer of pale gold on the bluestone floor.
Yu Youwei was still standing under the corridor, holding the brocade box in her hands, her knuckles slightly white from the force.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Lin knew that she had taken his words to heart.
"Let's go," he said.
Yu Youwei nodded and followed behind him.
As soon as the two stepped out of the hall, a young Taoist in green robes came to greet them, bowing respectfully: "Senior Brother Zhang, the Peak Master has ordered me to lead you to the new cave dwelling."
The young Taoist was about eleven or twelve years old, and he was the one who had delivered the message to him yesterday.
Zhang Lin nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."
Then he looked at Yu Youwei.
"Together?"
The three of them walked up the stone mountain path.
Cuiping Peak has a gentle slope, with stone steps carved into the mountainside. Green bamboo is planted on both sides, and the bamboo leaves rustle in the morning breeze, casting dappled light and shadow.
After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, we turned into a side path. At the end of the side path was a cliff, with a narrow plank road carved out of the cliff face, only wide enough for one person to pass through.
The young Taoist walked at the front, his steps light and quick, clearly accustomed to this path.
He turned around and said, "Senior brother, watch your step. This plank road is narrow, but we'll get through it."
Zhang Lin stepped onto the plank road, where clouds and mist surged below the cliff, their depths unfathomable.
Yu Youwei followed behind, her steps steady, and she showed no fear.
The three of them crossed the plank road, and suddenly the view opened up before them.
A cave dwelling is built against the mountain. In front of the entrance is a stone platform several meters in diameter. Two old pine trees are planted on the edge of the platform. Their branches are twisted like dragons and their needles are lush and green.
The lintel above the cave entrance is inscribed with three simple and ancient characters: Songtao Residence.
The young Taoist pushed open the stone door, and sunlight streamed into the cave through several holes drilled in the stone wall, illuminating the entire room.
The cave dwelling was not large in scale, but it had all the necessary internal organs.
The outer room is for receiving guests, with stone tables and benches and tea sets. The inner room is a meditation room for cultivation. A branch of the underground spiritual vein happens to pass through this place, and the spiritual energy is more than 30% richer than that of the courtyard at the foot of the mountain.
There is another alchemy room on the east side, complete with alchemy furnace, medicine shelves, and spiritual material cabinet. Although it is not as spacious as the public alchemy room outside the gate, it is quiet and private.
"If you need anything, Senior Brother, the servants at the foot of the peak can send someone over to clean at any time," the young Daoist said. "The Peak Master instructed that you should just focus on your cultivation for the next month, and the servants at the servants' hall will not disturb you easily."
Zhang Lin nodded, took out a few low-grade spirit stones from his storage bag, and handed them over: "Thank you for your hard work."
The young Taoist's eyes lit up. He accepted the spirit stone, thanked it profusely, and left.
Yu Youwei looked around the cave, her gaze lingering on the alchemy room for a moment before she said, "It's much better than my courtyard."
"You'll receive it when you pass the year-end exam and become a disciple of your master." Zhang Lin sat down on the stone bench, took out the jade slip that recorded the mission, and probed it with his spiritual sense, carefully reviewing the information about the anomalies in White Stone Town.
Yu Youwei did not disturb him. She walked to the stone platform, sat cross-legged under the pine tree, opened the brocade box, took out the Moon Essence Seed, and carefully sensed it in her palm.
After a moment, Zhang Lin put away the jade slip, walked to the stone platform, and sat down opposite her.
"White Stone Town," he said, "is located at the border of Yunmeng Continent and Xiji Continent. More than three thousand people evaporated overnight. Two groups of cultivators went to investigate. Three people from the latter group went missing, while two escaped by chance."
Yu Youwei looked up: "Was it a human or a demon?"
"It's still unclear," Zhang Lin shook his head. "However, this mission was issued by the aristocratic families."
Yu Youwei paused for a moment, then said, "A trap?"
"Yes." Zhang Lin didn't hide it from her. "The aristocratic families used the Patrol Division to issue the mission, designating a direct disciple of Cuiping Peak to go. It's obvious they're targeting me."
"Master means to turn the tables on them."
He didn't elaborate, and Yu Youwei didn't press him for details.
She simply looked at him quietly for a moment, then lowered her head and refocused her gaze on the Moon Seed in her palm.
"Is a month enough?" she asked.
"enough."
"Then go ahead." Yu Youwei stood up and carefully put the Moon Essence Seed back into the brocade box. "When you come back, I will make the Sun and Moon Spirit Seed sprout."
She said this in a calm tone, as if stating something that was bound to happen.
Zhang Lin glanced at her, but didn't reply; he simply nodded slightly.
Yu Youwei carried the brocade box down the mountain path.
Her figure gradually blurred in the mountain mist and eventually disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest.
Zhang Lin returned to the quiet room, closed the stone door, and took out the ancient scroll from his storage bag.
The scroll felt heavy in my hand. When I unfolded it, I found that what was engraved on it was not ordinary text, but runes that shimmered with spiritual light.
These runes use spiritual awareness as a medium; only by probing into them with one's spiritual awareness can one glimpse their true form.
Zhang Lin closed his eyes, his spiritual sense slowly probing into the scroll.
In an instant, Zhang Lin's spiritual consciousness was pulled into a vast void, where eight jade talismans floated. Each talisman was as large as a mountain and its entire body was covered with mysterious spiritual light patterns.
Eight jade talismans are arranged in a circle, but only four of them are intact, with ancient seal script appearing on their surfaces.
Concealing one's form and shadow, riding the void and soaring through the sky, disappearing into the heavens, appearing in existence and vanishing into nothingness.
Each jade talisman was inscribed with densely packed methods for circulating true qi, each character ancient and obscure.
Zhang Lin glanced through it quickly and immediately understood that this set of techniques was not intended for Qi Refining cultivators.
At the end of the scroll is a line of small characters in vermilion ink, written in a vigorous style, clearly annotated by Lu Yuanshan himself.
"This method is taken from the Daoist book of the Supreme Elixir View. It is a superior second-grade Daoist method. It originally requires the use of true essence to inscribe the inner landscape talisman. However, I observe that your spiritual awareness far exceeds that of ordinary Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators. Perhaps you can inscribe the Eight Transformations Jade Talisman with true essence. If you cannot, do not force it. Be careful."
Zhang Lin closed the scroll, his expression unchanged.
Lu Yuanshan passed this technique on to him, probably with a try-it-out mentality, not expecting him to actually understand it.
However, Zhang Lin did not think so. This technique was derived from the Supreme Inheritance, and he had also cultivated the Supreme Induction Chapter. The two were of the same origin, so he might be able to comprehend one or two aspects of it.
Once you get started, you can use the system's power to complete the essentials of Taoist practices.
Putting aside his extraneous thoughts, Zhang Lin first silently recited the Taishang Ganying Pian (Treatise on Response and Retribution) once, and then began to contemplate it.
-----
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
A phantom jade talisman within the dantian was finally completed, transforming into an ancient seal script character: 藏 (cang).
This is the technique of concealment he has mastered in the past three days; it grants him the ability to become invisible.
With his comprehension and the foundation of a first-grade, third-level breath-concealing technique, inscribing this rune was relatively smooth.
But this is just the beginning.
Zhang Lin summoned the system interface, and a light screen that only he could see appeared before his eyes.
[The incomplete "Eight Transformations of Hidden Land Mystery Technique," a superior second-grade technique. It can be enhanced. Enhancement requires 2000 spirit stones. Enhancement effect: A second-grade great-grade technique, adding four transformations: Flying Spirit in Eight Directions, Dissolving Form and Escape, Returning to Dawn and Transforming into Mystery, and Concealing Scenery and Dancing in the Sky.]
[Other Three Pure Ones Daoist texts were detected (Taishang Ganying Pian, Shangqing Yinqi Jue), triggering a shared-origin optimization. Tracing back to the source, even those in the Qi Refining stage can fully comprehend the Eight Transformations. The time for inscribing talismans is halved, and the consumption of spells is reduced by 20%.]
He counted the storage bag and found over eight thousand low-grade spirit stones and ten mid-grade spirit stones.
Two thousand is enough.
However, after the enhancement, only a little over six thousand spirit stones remained, while each of the spiritual items required for the Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment was worth several thousand spirit stones.
The thought flashed through Zhang Lin's mind in an instant, and his hand was already on the pile of spirit stones.