Chapter 131: Golden Threads of Force, Completing the Foundation, A Sense of Crisis

It was a filament-like substance with an extremely high energy level. At the very least, it was far more potent than his own internal force.

Acting on intuition, he attempted to control the filament, discovering that it could be guided to flow just like the internal force within his body. Immediately, he began circulating the "Medicine King Strength-Locking Art."

*Sizzling...*

As this filament surged back and forth, Chen Yushu clearly felt his skin-membrane strength growing stronger. The membrane, which had already been tempered to be as tough as oxhide, began to reinforce itself once more.

"Internal Force Golden Thread?"

Chen Yushu suddenly recalled a description of a power he had read in a book. According to that text, the Internal Force Golden Thread was a form of power that could only emerge when a martial artist’s internal force was brimming and had reached its absolute limit. In a sense, this power level was comparable to internal energy, though it was not yet true internal energy; rather, it was a specialized manifestation of force. It was the quintessential power for physical tempering. Among millions of martial artists, only one or two might ever give birth to it in their bodies.

These individuals were either born with unique constitutions—such as a Martial Body, Divine Body, or Immortal Body—or they had been nourished since childhood by countless precious medicinal herbs and rare treasures, which had unknowingly refined their physique to the limit, allowing them to nurture the golden thread.

"And I, clearly, am not a Martial, Divine, or Immortal body... nor have I been nourished by grand medicines or treasures since childhood. My foundation is not profound."

"The only explanation for achieving this is the 'Medicine King Stance' that has reached the Perfection stage. Stance training is the best way for a martial artist to build a foundation. Most people find it quite an achievement to reach the Great Success stage in stance training. A Perfection-level stance? Even if someone could truly achieve it, it would require three, five, or even ten years of long-term accumulation. With that time, they would much rather focus on external forging and internal refining arts; who would waste so much effort on the most basic stance training?"

"As far as I know, once a martial artist begins practicing external forging arts, almost no one continues to practice stances. Naturally, it is impossible to pile up the effort to reach Perfection. Because, the cost outweighs the gain."

Chen Yushu knew the difficulty of training any martial art from an introductory level to Perfection. For instance, the only reason Qian Qian was able to bring his Medicine King Stance to Great Success was because he had to constantly instruct the apprentices at the medicine shop, combined with his many years of martial cultivation experience. Apart from teaching, he would never have focused his own practice on it.

"A Perfection-level Medicine King Stance, combined with a Great Success-level Medicine King Strength-Locking Art, which locks the surging force—that is what allowed the Internal Force Golden Thread to sprout within me. When my Strength-Locking Art also reaches Perfection in the future, my skin, flesh, tendons, bones, and marrow will be correspondingly elevated to the limit. Only then will I have truly laid an unparalleled foundation. For now, the emergence of the golden thread is merely further enhancing my physical strength."

Chen Yushu thought to himself, feeling calm. Whether it was Daoist cultivation or martial arts, one had to take it one step at a time. He would not become arrogant because of a small improvement. Of course, the appearance of the golden thread did bring him some solace. At the very least, he knew his path of cultivation was correct. In terms of foundation, he had truly caught up with those children of great families nourished by rare medicines, and with those "true" geniuses who possessed special constitutions like Martial or Immortal bodies.

Immediately, Chen Yushu returned to his study and began drawing talismans.

"After such a long time of practice, the 'Ghost-Slaying Talisman' and 'Lightning-Summoning Talisman' are finally about to reach the Great Success stage."

Chen Yushu glanced at his attribute panel:
Ghost-Slaying Talisman: Minor Success (389/400)
Lightning-Summoning Talisman: Minor Success (376/400)

These two were his most frequently used spiritual talismans, and their utility was indeed significant, possessing great lethality against ghosts and阴 (yin) spirits. Now that they were on the verge of Great Success, he felt a sense of anticipation.

He took out a piece of beast-skin paper, pressed down a corner with his Soul-Severing Ruler, and then picked up his Judge’s Pen. This pen was truly a middle-grade magical tool; as soon as his spiritual sense touched it, it flowed in seamlessly and smoothly, from the handle all the way to the tip. He dipped it into the talisman ink and began to draw. Naturally, he was crafting the Ghost-Slaying Talisman.

It is worth noting that the structural design of the Ghost-Slaying Talisman was now much simpler compared to when he started. From the original complexity, it had become simple and clear, much like the difference between traditional and simplified characters. The meaning remained the same, but the simplified version was easier to write and memorize, without any loss in efficacy. Unlike human scripts, however, the talisman structure was essentially a "textual" description that resonated with heaven and earth. The simplified, optimized structure was not only easier to draw, but its connection with the world was even tighter. Consequently, the quality of the talismans he drew would also improve.

Soon, a Ghost-Slaying Talisman was successfully drawn.

*Hum!*

Energy from heaven and earth immediately dissipated and flowed into it.

"A finished talisman? That’s not bad."

Chen Yushu glanced at it, not surprised. Even though he had brought the Ghost-Slaying Talisman to Minor Success, not every one could be a middle-grade talisman; the probability was still relatively low. Basically, out of ten, only one would be middle-grade, three or four would be finished talismans, and five or six would be ordinary. Getting a finished talisman on the first try was already quite good.

*Ghost-Slaying Talisman +2*

Seeing this, Chen Yushu was not surprised. He had realized that the experience points for his drawing were relatively stable. Ordinary talismans added one point, finished talismans added two, and middle-grade talismans added four. Getting two points for a finished talisman was decent.

"Continue!"

Without hesitation, he kept drawing. One, two, three... finished, ordinary, ordinary, finished, middle-grade... When the middle-grade talisman appeared, Chen Yushu’s eyes lit up, and he tucked it away into his storage bag. He intentionally collected any talisman of middle-grade or higher for his own use.

Soon, as another finished talisman took shape, Chen Yushu felt a surge in his mind. Countless experiences and insights regarding the Ghost-Slaying Talisman flooded in, as if he had been immersed in it for over a decade. With these insights converging, he began to optimize and adjust the entire structure. The talisman runes became even simpler, their resonance with the Great Dao of heaven and earth tighter. Each rune structure felt like a manifestation of the Dao, a reflection of natural laws, yet the power had not decreased in the slightest—instead, because of the structural changes, it had become even more formidable.

"The Ghost-Slaying Talisman has reached Great Success. This means that from now on, I can not only draw middle-grade Ghost-Slaying Talismans, but also superior-grade ones. Their power will surely be greater, and their lethality against ghost spirits will be even more intense."

Chen Yushu was overjoyed. "And that's not all. Besides the Ghost-Slaying Talisman reaching Great Success, my talisman-making experience has also reached its limit. I have advanced from the Entry level to the Proficiency level."

He quickly realized that his talisman-making skill had leveled up. Originally, it was Entry (92/100). This was because he had previously brought the Light-Body, Spirit-Summoning, Golden-Armor, Ice-Arrow, and Soldier-Armor talismans to Minor Success. Now, by pushing the Ghost-Slaying Talisman to Great Success, he had gained eight points of experience at once. The skill was now (100/100), naturally promoting it to the Proficiency level.

At that moment, Chen Yushu felt as if he had gained countless insights into the art of talisman-making. Various skills and information flooded his mind, giving him immense confidence for any future drawings. Even for newly learned talismans, he would be able to pick them up and reach the Entry level much faster.

"Talisman-making Proficiency. The improvement is comprehensive. It doesn't just apply to one specific talisman, but to all of them!"

A glint flashed in Chen Yushu's eyes. He remembered the difficulties he had faced when he first started. Even with his "Constant Meditation" state, the speed was relative. For instance, when he first drew the Soldier-Armor Talisman, which had thirty-eight complex rune structures, he had tried over a dozen times before succeeding. Now, he was confident he could cut that time in half. Efficiency had doubled.

"This is Talisman-making Proficiency. It improves not only the talismans I already know, but also the many I have yet to learn."

A clear look of joy appeared on his face. He checked his attribute panel:
Ghost-Slaying Talisman: Great Success (1/800)
Talisman-making: Proficiency (1/200)

Satisfied, Chen Yushu immediately began drawing the Lightning-Summoning Talisman. One, two, three...

"The Lightning-Summoning Talisman has also reached Great Success. Furthermore, I've discovered that with Proficiency, the probability of drawing finished and middle-grade talismans has increased significantly. Previously, out of ten, I'd get at most one middle-grade. Now, I've only drawn eight, and already have two middle-grade talismans. Even the number of finished talismans has surpassed the ordinary ones."

He knew this change was due to his promotion to Proficiency. It was a pleasant surprise. His interest piqued, he continued quickly until late at night. He stopped and took out a book from his storage bag: *Detailed Explanation of Array Dao*.

He had been spending time every day reading this book. The knowledge recorded within was complex and abundant, especially the variations derived from arrays. Even with his genius, it required significant effort to understand.

*Reading +5*
*Reading +7*
*Reading +6*
...

As he studied and understood, his reading experience increased rapidly. After an hour, he had to stop. His head felt dizzy, and his spiritual sense was depleted—a symptom of excessive mental exertion. Knowing that his "White Tiger Meditation" was constantly running—meaning his mental energy was always being replenished—he realized just how difficult this book was.

However, Chen Yushu’s gains were substantial. Not only did his reading experience increase by thirty or forty points, but his understanding of Array Dao had reached a new height. He was no longer a total novice. If he were to return to Qiuhe Mountain, he was confident he could break the array much more easily.

He might even be able to alter it. He could transform the "Yin-Shattering Gathering Array" into a "Red Sun Array." As soon as the sun rose, the scorching aura of the True Sun would pour into the tomb. The evil zombies would be scorched to ash, and even the Corpse Demon would be unable to sit still and would be forced to crawl out of its stone coffin. Its strength would plummet from its original ten parts to five or three.

"It’s a pity this book is so short. I'll probably finish it in two more days. It won't be easy to raise my reading experience this quickly afterward."

Chen Yushu valued his reading skill highly. It increased his knowledge and was closely linked to his meditative state. Having experienced the power of "Constant Meditation," he was looking forward to the next level of meditative clarity that would come with his reading progression.

"Unfortunately, Jianghuan Town is too small. Array books are hard to find. Otherwise, I could collect them in bulk to steadily increase my experience."

Chen Yushu checked his panel:
Reading: True Perception (189/1600)

He sighed; the sixth level of reading was a long way off. He returned to his room, circulated the White Tiger Meditation to recover his mental energy, and then flipped his hand to reveal a crystal-like object from his storage bag: the Spirit Essence of an Evil Entity.

This one was relatively small, sourced from an evil zombie. In his bag, he had another one, more than twice the size and of higher quality, belonging to the Corpse Demon.

"Although the Spirit Essence can be used to break through to the Dao, its function isn't much different from a Soul Bead. It just contains more abundant and pure spiritual particles. Of course, the corresponding negative emotions—evil, chaotic, bloodthirsty, and insane—are also more intense. Once absorbed, one is easily influenced."

Chen Yushu whispered to himself, but without hesitation, he connected his spiritual sense to it and began to draw.

*Sizzling...*

A stream of pure spiritual particles was pulled out and absorbed into his body. Simultaneously, countless negative emotions surged in his heart, trying to break his focus. However, Chen Yushu had anticipated this. In his "Constant Meditation" state, his mind was incredibly stable, and he swept away the negative emotions in an instant. He quickly absorbed and transformed the spiritual particles.

*One breath, two breaths, three breaths...*

Simultaneously, the speed of the White Tiger Meditation increased, causing his "Incense Dao Practice" to grow rapidly. As one strand of spiritual particles was absorbed, Chen Yushu pulled in another. Then a third, a fourth...

*Incense Dao Practice +1*
*Incense Dao Practice +1*

Chen Yushu had long known that his biggest weakness was no longer techniques, but his Incense Dao Practice. Two sticks of incense worth of cultivation was not weak for a beginner, but his situation was different. The entities he faced were growing stronger exponentially—from mere wandering ghosts to fierce ghosts, then to the evil-level Ghost Lady, evil zombies, and the Corpse Demon. Recently, he had even encountered hints of "Calamity-level" entities, like Old Master Zuo, Granny Jiang, and the "God-Favored One."

Crises were ever-present. He never assumed that safety now meant safety forever. The calmer things were, the more cautious he became, needing to accumulate strength.

*Incense Dao Practice +1*

Thinking this, Chen Yushu increased the amount of spiritual particles he drew. Only when the essence had shrunk significantly did he stop.

"This time, I absorbed about thirty percent of the spiritual particles. That means in two more sessions, I will have completely drained this essence."

Chen Yushu looked at the essence with satisfaction. This speed was quite fast. Because the negative emotions were so intense, any other cultivator would need to "adapt" and "digest" for a long time after absorbing just a strand to avoid "heart-demon" corruption. Absorbing ten percent a day was considered good for others; thirty percent was unheard of for his level.

"Thirty percent of the essence increased my Incense Dao Practice by ten points."

He checked the panel:
Immortal Law Cultivation: Two Sticks of Incense (72/100)

It had been sixty-two points before. An increase of ten points in one hour was not slow at all.

"At this rate, in about two or three days, my cultivation will reach the perfection of the Two Sticks of Incense stage, and I can begin charging toward the Three Sticks of Incense level."

A glint flashed in his eyes. Three Sticks of Incense was the final realm before entering the true Dao. Average "Soul-Walkers" often required over a decade of bitter cultivation just to have a sliver of a chance at that level. Most, without special encounters, needed twenty or thirty years. And he had only taken a few months. It was truly surprising, even to him.

The next day, when Chen Yushu arrived at the medicine shop, the assessment had officially begun. He watched for a while and found that Wang Kui was indeed the most outstanding among the apprentices in decoction. But his strength lay only in identifying herbs and controlling the fire. In martial arts, Lu Yuan and Xu San were a cut above.

After consultation between Liu Hexuan, Liu Xiang, and Chen Yushu’s master Su Ming, first place was awarded to Lu Yuan. Because Lu Yuan’s martial arts were the strongest among the apprentices, and his decoction skills were not much weaker than Wang Kui's. It was well known that the Liu Medicine Shop valued martial arts above all else. Consequently, Wang Kui missed the top spot. Even second place went to Xu San, whose "Six-Harmonies Fist" showed a forward-moving momentum that impressed Liu Hexuan.

"I thought Wang Kui was so strong, out of jealousy and fear that I'd steal his first place, he tried to sabotage me. And this is all he’s got?" Chen Yushu shook his head.

Of course, the assessment included other apprentices, but Chen Yushu had lost interest. He found a quiet place to practice martial arts. After dinner, he returned to his courtyard to take his pill and train. Liu Hexuan had warned him to take one "Pei-Yuan Pill" every three days, but Chen Yushu decided to take one every day. Although it would consume his stash rapidly, it would allow his strength to grow faster. He knew which was more important.

Aside from martial arts, he did not abandon his Daoist arts: the "Subduing Yin Formula," "Shattering Sha Formula," "Seven-Star Steps," "Qi-Gazing Art," "Hidden Incense Art," "Divine Descent," and "Yin-Pointing Sword"...

Just as he was practicing with great focus:

*Knock, knock, knock!*

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Someone was here?