Chapter 145: The Hidden Spirit Meridian

Chapter 145: The Hidden Spirit Meridian

Chu Ning flicked his wrist, unleashing all the true talisman spells contained within his talisman ring. Then, he casually reached into his storage bag and retrieved five Scarlet Flame Fire Talismans.

After waiting for the cooldown period of the true talisman spells in the ring to expire, he proceeded to infuse all five Scarlet Flame Fire Talismans into the ring.

It was at this moment that Chu Ning noticed something new in the center of his palm, where the talisman ring rested. A scarlet-red talisman pattern had appeared, causing him to exclaim softly, "Talisman seed!"

After his major breakthrough, Chu Ning had discovered and unlocked the hidden talent of the true talisman spirit body. With each use of the true talisman spells, he inched closer to condensing a talisman seed, which would allow him to cast spells without relying on the talisman ring.

Having already infused and used a significant number of Scarlet Flame Fire Talismans in the past, and now adding another five, he had finally reached the hundred-use milestone.

Chu Ning could now sense that even without the true talisman spells stored within the ring, he could easily cast this particular spell.

With this realization, Chu Ning waved his hand, sending five fiery pillars, each as thick as his arm, surging forth. The display exhausted the true talisman spells within the ring.

His eyes then flickered as he gazed at the talisman pattern in the center of his palm. "The second talent of the Wu Fire Spirit Body—doubling the power of fire-based attack spells. I wonder if this enhancement also applies to the Scarlet Flame Fire Talisman spell now that it has formed a talisman seed."

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Chu Ning channeled his spiritual power into the talisman seed in his palm. Once a true talisman spell was transformed into a talisman seed, it became akin to a cultivated spell, no different from the talisman patterns inscribed on talismans. Naturally, it required his own spiritual power to fuel its activation.

In the next moment, Chu Ning flicked his wrist, and a bowl-thick tongue of scarlet flame shot out from his hand, striking the wall made of spirit rocks.

Instantly, the entire stone room was filled with flying sparks.

"It works!" Chu Ning's eyes lit up as he witnessed the results.

From the thickness of the flame to the fluctuations of spiritual power, he could clearly sense the difference between this scarlet flame and the ones he had cast before. Indeed, the strength of this single flame had doubled.

"With this, I've essentially mastered a fire-based spell. Let's call it the Scarlet Flame Technique!" Chu Ning smiled faintly, and in his hand, a jade slip appeared—the manual for the Fiery Flame Technique.

"This technique is said to be incredibly difficult to cultivate, but I'll give it a try." As he muttered to himself, Chu Ning carefully sensed the incantation for the spell within the jade slip.

After a while, he lifted his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. "The initial stage of cultivating the Fiery Flame Technique doesn't involve directly transforming into a fire beast. Instead, it starts with something as basic as a fireball spell, gradually enhancing one's ability to control fire."

Chu Ning was slightly surprised by this discovery, but his hands were already in motion. He waved his hands, and a fireball appeared in each palm.

However, instead of casting them, he slowly brought the two fireballs closer together.

"Bang!"

The moment the two fireballs touched, they exploded. Chu Ning quickly cast a protective spell around himself to prevent the fire from harming him.

Shaking his head, he refocused and summoned two more fireballs, attempting to merge them once again.

This time, the fireballs merged only a little before they exploded once more.

Undeterred, Chu Ning tried again and again. He persevered tirelessly, attempting the merge hundreds of times.

Finally, the fireballs in his left and right hands merged without exploding. Surprisingly, though, the merged fireball didn't increase in size. It remained the same as before.

"If I throw this fireball, its power will be twice as strong as before, and with the enhancement of my Wu Fire Spirit Body, it will be even more formidable. In a magical duel, it could really catch someone off guard.

According to the Fiery Flame Technique, I shouldn't stop at merging just two fireballs; I should be able to merge ten!" Chu Ning's eyes glittered with determination, illuminated by the dancing flames.

However, he knew that this wouldn't be easy.

The current rate at which the fireballs merged was very slow, making it impractical in a magical duel. To truly achieve a fireball fusion attack during a duel, he would have to complete the merge in the instant he cast the spell with a single hand.

This level of difficulty was at least ten times greater than what he had just accomplished.

To achieve this, there was no shortcut—he would have to practice relentlessly.

And so, Chu Ning resumed his attempts at merging fireballs.

A day later, Chu Ning stepped out of the stone room, his mind still replaying the process of cultivating the Fiery Flame Technique.

"With the talent of my Wu Fire Spirit Body, I've only managed to increase the speed of merging those two fireballs by a little after a whole day of practice. To truly achieve instantaneous fusion, I'll probably need at least ten days to half a month of intense training.

And that's just the basics; no wonder they say that cultivating the Fiery Flame Technique is extremely challenging." Chu Ning mused to himself, now clear about the direction of his future magical practice.

He would first focus on instantaneously casting the fireball spell and then work on merging two fireballs. After mastering that, he would increase the number of fireballs.

During this period, Chu Ning didn't plan to remain holed up in cultivation. There were loose cultivators to trade with, and he could sell the talismans he had inscribed. This would be his means of earning spirit stones during his stay in the Thousand Lakes and Islands region.

He knew his own situation best. While his Yin Wood Spirit Body and Wu Fire Spirit Body granted him faster cultivation, his progress was also inseparable from the abundant resources he had access to.

If he wanted to maintain this rapid cultivation pace, he needed to ensure a steady supply of resources, and that meant having a plentiful supply of spirit stones.

Among the talismans he had learned to inscribe from Qingxi Zong, there were some specific ones that he didn't plan to sell here. They were too distinctive, and he was concerned that they might leave a trail that could be traced back to him.

However, he had no such qualms about selling common talismans like the lower-grade elementary Fiery Flame Talisman, the Mysterious Ice Talisman, and the Revitalization Talisman.

As for more advanced talismans, he had other plans.

Over the past few days, by deciphering the talisman sources, he had not only mastered the art of inscribing the Seal Sword Talisman and the Mysterious Water Spirit Talisman but had also learned to inscribe several other types of talismans.

While selling these lower-grade intermediate talismans might attract some attention, the lower-grade elementary and lower-grade intermediate talismans he had were perfectly suitable for sale.

Having previously scouted the market in Qianhuan Island, he knew that the overall standard of talisman crafting in the Thousand Lakes and Islands region was not exceptionally high, and intermediate-level talismans were quite rare. As for elementary-level talismans, they were available but priced slightly higher than what Chu Ning had encountered in Yanji Fang. The same went for spiritual tools and pills, which were generally more expensive.

This was probably one of the downsides of not having prominent sects around—the lack of systematic training and heritage made it challenging to cultivate a large number of talented practitioners in the arts of cultivation, talismans, spiritual tools, and alchemy. The only exception was formations, thanks to the presence of the Cen Family. It was said that the family's ancestor had once obtained ancient formation heritage, and the family members were inherently talented in understanding formations.

After Chu Ning displayed his talismans, it didn't take long for people to approach him and inquire about purchasing them.

Although Chu Ning's talisman crafting technique was self-taught through deciphering talisman sources, the quality of his talismans was comparable to, if not better than, the ones he had learned from Qingxi Zong. Moreover, his prices were not exorbitant, so most customers who came to inspect his wares ended up making a purchase.

"Looks like there will be quite a few talisman users participating in the Thousand Island Competition in twenty days," Chu Ning mused to himself. However, he remained unfazed, confident that his proficiency in using talismans gave him a distinct advantage. Even if others had talismans, they wouldn't be as liberal in their usage as he was.

Over the next ten days, Chu Ning spent two to three hours each day selling talismans at the loose cultivator grounds. The rest of his time was dedicated to cultivating in the stone chamber of the inn, and the days passed by swiftly.

On this particular day, instead of heading to the usual trading spot, Chu Ning made his way directly to a grand arena on the southern side of Qianhuan Island. This was where the Thousand Island Competition would take place in ten days, and it was also the venue for islands seeking recruits to gather and attract potential candidates.

Having thoroughly studied the information provided by Chen Wangdao on the jade slip, Chu Ning knew that despite the region being called the Thousand Lakes and Islands, there were only around four to five hundred islands inhabited by cultivators. The remaining islands were either devoid of spiritual veins or infested with demonic beasts, making them unsuitable for cultivators to dwell upon. These islands varied greatly in size and the richness of their spiritual energy.

Chu Ning had already set his sights on several potential targets, and as he entered the arena, he made his way toward them.

"We at Hanshui Island have already recruited a full team," a cultivator informed him.

"I'm sorry, but we at Fengpo Island have also completed our recruitment," said another, addressing Chu Ning's cultivation base. "If you had contacted us earlier, we might have been able to consider your application."

"Full..." Chu Ning's brows furrowed slightly as he visited several islands, only to be met with similar responses.

Many of these islands were indeed recruiting, but most of the spots had already been filled by invitations extended to acquaintances of the island's residents. As a stranger with no connections, Chu Ning was finding it challenging to find a suitable place to join.

As he continued browsing, his eyes suddenly lit up. The islands he had initially considered were no longer recruiting, and even the top-ranking islands, which he had hoped to avoid, were no longer accepting applicants.

Only the islands with first-grade spiritual veins, further down the rankings, showed interest in him. They would gladly welcome a cultivator of Chu Ning's level—at the eighth layer of Qi Refining—but the small islands with meager spiritual energy couldn't meet his cultivation needs.

"Hello there, fellow Daoist!" a voice called out as Chu Ning hesitated.

Turning, he saw a yellow-robed cultivator at the eighth layer of Qi Refining standing nearby. The man, who appeared to be in his fifties, bowed politely and introduced himself. "My name is Tian Xiangfei. Are you also looking for an island to settle down on? Would you care to join me and a few other Daoist friends for a chat?"

Chu Ning glanced at him and shook his head. "I don't know you, so I'm not interested."

Upon hearing Chu Ning's refusal and seeing him about to walk away, Tian Xiangfei smiled gently and said, "Please wait, fellow Daoist. I noticed that you've been wandering around for quite some time without finding a suitable island to join. My friends and I are in a similar situation, and we're planning to form a team to directly compete for an island's qualification. We'd like to invite you to join us."

Chu Ning, who had been about to leave, paused at these words, a hint of surprise flickering in his eyes.

"Form a team to compete for an island's qualification?" Chu Ning quickly understood what the man meant. Chen Wangdao had mentioned that the Thousand Island Competition wasn't just about islands vying for better management rights. If a cultivator believed they were stronger than the current island master, they could issue a challenge. Should they emerge victorious, they would gain the island master's qualification. The fate of the previous island master—whether they stayed or sought another island—would be decided by the new island master.

However, there was a stipulation for this method: the number of participants in the challenging team could only be half the number of the original island's participants in the competition. Hence, this option was rarely chosen, as the islands often had numerous Qi Refining late-stage cultivators due to their long-standing presence. For a newly formed team to challenge and defeat them with only half their numbers was an arduous task.

Additionally, this method required a substantial amount of spirit stones to be paid to the Thousand Island Alliance. If the challenge failed, the spirit stones would go to the challenged party.

Chu Ning considered all this in an instant and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested."

Indeed, he had no desire to suddenly team up with strangers to seize an island from its current owners. If it were just a competition between islands, leading to an exchange of islands, it wouldn't be unusual, and any grudges formed would be commonplace. However, directly taking over an island from its existing owners would create deep-seated enmity.

Chu Ning continued to browse, as there were still several hundred islands with spiritual energy. He wanted to see if there were any suitable ones.

After a few steps, another person appeared before Chu Ning—a middle-aged cultivator who looked to be in his forties.

"Greetings, fellow Daoist. I am Jiang Hongguang, the master of Feihong Island. Are you looking for an island to join?"

Feihong Island?

Upon hearing the self-introduction, Chu Ning's mind immediately flashed with information about this island.

Among the thousands of lakes and islands, Feihong Island was considered mediocre, possessing only a single first-grade spirit vein of average quality.

However, the spirit vein was too small, and despite the island's considerable size, it held little reputation within the Thousand Lakes and Islands.

"Indeed, I am looking for an island to join, but your Feihong Island's spirit vein is not quite up to my standards in terms of grade and size." Chu Ning replied.

Hearing this, Jiang Hongguang did not hesitate and glanced around before transmitting his voice:

"Fellow Daoist, may I have a private word with you?"

Facing Chu Ning's puzzled gaze, he continued, "We recently discovered a new spirit vein, and if I'm not mistaken, it should be a second-grade one."

Chu Ning's eyes lit up with surprise at these words, and he continued to observe Jiang Hongguang.

When the latter nodded again, Chu Ning transmitted, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, let's find a place to discuss this further."

Joy flashed across Jiang Hongguang's face as he heard this, and he gestured, leading Chu Ning to the side.

Within the competition arena, each island had its own raised platform.

For smaller islands, the platforms spanned about ten feet, while larger islands had platforms several times that size.

Each island's platform was surrounded by restrictions that both isolated sound and provided a degree of defense.

This surprised Chu Ning.

Upon entering Feihong Island's platform, Chu Ning saw two women seated inside—one a middle-aged beauty similar in age to Jiang Hongguang, presumably his wife, and the other a younger woman.

Jiang Hongguang introduced them, pointing to the woman beside him and then to the younger woman, "This is my wife, Yu Yuanxiu, and my younger sister, Jiang Lan. We have yet to ask your name, fellow Daoist."

Chu Ning bowed to the three of them, "My name is Chu Ning. Earlier, Fellow Daoist Jiang mentioned..."

"Please wait, Fellow Daoist Chu," Jiang Hongguang interrupted, then took out a talisman and activated it.

Recognizing it as a sound-blocking talisman, Chu Ning remained silent.

A light shield enveloped the four of them, and only then did Jiang Hongguang speak, "Apologies, Fellow Daoist Chu, but I'm a cautious person by nature."

Chu Ning smiled but did not respond.

Jiang Hongguang continued, "Fellow Daoist Chu, from your earlier words, it seems you had some prior knowledge about our Feihong Island.

Indeed, our island only has a single first-grade spirit vein, so it has been managed by just the three of us from my family.

However, recently, we accidentally discovered another spirit vein, and it should be a second-grade one."

As he spoke, Jiang Hongguang closely observed Chu Ning's expression.

Seeing that Chu Ning did not reveal much, he continued, "Although this spirit vein isn't very large, it is, after all, a second-grade one, and it should be more than sufficient to support one or two more cultivators.

At the same time, we're concerned that other islands might find out and challenge us.

That's why we want to recruit another cultivator to help manage the island."

Chu Ning now understood their intentions, and his heart stirred.

He could understand why they had approached him.

Among the three of them, Jiang Hongguang and his wife were both at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, while Jiang Lan was at the seventh layer.

His cultivation at the eighth layer of Qi Refining would be a valuable addition without posing too much of a threat to them.

For Chu Ning, if their words were true, this could be a good choice.

The island had a second-grade spirit vein, and the relationships among the island's managers weren't complicated.

With this in mind, Chu Ning asked, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, could you bring me to the island to have a look? If it's indeed as you say, I'm willing to join."

"Of course, we can go right now," Jiang Hongguang replied.

He then dispelled the sound-blocking shield, and the four of them headed directly to the teleportation formation of Qianhuan Island.

Each island had its own teleportation formation, which Chu Ning found very convenient.

As soon as he entered Feihong Island, Chu Ning sensed the spiritual energy and slightly furrowed his brows. It was noticeably inferior to Qianhuan Island, clearly indicative of a first-grade spirit vein.

However, since they had mentioned a second-grade spirit vein, Chu Ning didn't jump to conclusions.

"Please follow me, Fellow Daoist," Jiang Hongguang said as he flew ahead.

Soon, he came to a halt in front of a desolate mountain on the island. "Fellow Daoist Chu, the spirit vein is within this mountain. Its spiritual energy is dense and doesn't disperse, so you can't sense it from the outside."

As he spoke, Jiang Hongguang took out a flag and waved it. "I bought a simple formation and set it up here to prevent accidental intrusions."

The formation mist cleared, and the four of them entered the mountain's interior, where Chu Ning immediately sensed a concentration of spiritual energy unlike what he had felt outside.

"Hmm, I didn't expect there to be a hidden spirit vein here," Chu Ning exclaimed in surprise.

The so-called hidden spirit veins referred to those that, due to special circumstances, had spiritual energy that remained dense and undispersed.

And now, Chu Ning was standing before one.

Chu Ning reached into his spirit beast bag and released Ling Xiao Bai.

This was something the little guy excelled at.

"Tweet!"

As the three cultivators looked on curiously, Ling Xiao Bai poked his little head out, turned around a few times, and then transmitted his thoughts to Chu Ning.

After hearing the little guy's assessment, Chu Ning turned to Jiang Hongguang and said, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I'm in."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end