Vol 2 Chapter 18: Refinent
Old Bai might have laughed off Bai’s First Law of Talisman Dao, but Five Thunder Talisman Body had him absolutely enthralled.
Ever since hearing about electromagnetic force and "punching stars apart," Old Bai had been fixated on the idea.
So when he found out that Zheng Fa was training Five Thunder Talisman Body at ho, he ca over imdiately to see it for himself.
Tang Lingwu tagged along too.
Old Bai glanced around and asked curiously,
“You train here?”
“Where else?”
“I an, don’t cultivators usually need rare treasures? Or at least a waterfall or sothing?”
“I do have a treasure.”
Zheng Fa nodded.
“Oh?” Old Bai’s eyes lit up with anticipation.
Zheng Fa pointed to the corner of the room.
Old Bai followed his gaze and saw it—a plain, unremarkable voltage transforr.
The label was still brand new.
“…Cultivation is this down-to-earth?”
Old Bai smacked his lips, looking vaguely disappointed.
Zheng Fa, on the other hand, thought he was underestimating a true artifact of the Thunder Elent!
His transforr had been upgraded!
He had added two wristbands with tallic contact plates onto the exposed copper wires.
Now, when he wore them, the tal plates would press against his skin—making it look like a pair of training bracers.
Before, he had to pinch the wires while training, making him look like an unlucky electrician who had accidentally electrocuted himself.
Now, he finally looked respectable.
Zheng Fa plugged in the transforr, set the voltage to 90V, then sat cross-legged and strapped on the bands.
As the electricity flowed, his muscles twitched involuntarily.
Old Bai and Tang Lingwu watched his arms spasm uncontrollably, their expressions full of concern.
They didn’t dare interrupt, so they held their breath and observed closely.
Suddenly, Zheng Fa opened his eyes.
“Tang Lingwu, help out.”
“Okay! I’ll turn it off!” Tang Lingwu thought he was in pain and rushed over to unplug the transforr.
“No, turn it up a notch.”
“…Higher?”
“Yes. I’m about to reach the next stage of Five Thunder Talisman Body—the voltage isn’t strong enough.”
Tang Lingwu hesitated before cautiously increasing the setting to 120V.
Zheng Fa’s muscles tensed.
His veins bulged slightly under his skin.
Clearly, his body wasn’t used to the increased current.
Old Bai and Tang Lingwu watched him intently, holding their breath.
After a few minutes, Zheng Fa opened his eyes again.
“Turn it off?”
“No. Higher.”
Tang Lingwu’s hesitation grew.
She placed her hand on the dial but turned back to confirm with him.
Zheng Fa nodded firmly.
Click.
“…Higher.”
Click.
“HIGHER!”
The voltage reached 210V.
This ti, Zheng Fa’s expression contorted in visible pain.
His muscles reacted violently—his arms, shoulders, chest, back, even his thighs rippled unnaturally, bulging and shifting beneath his skin.
To Old Bai and Tang Lingwu, it looked as if dozens of small mice were scurrying around under his flesh.
But as painful as it seed, Zheng Fa gradually adapted.
After about ten minutes, the discomfort faded.
Though his skin still trembled, his expression relaxed.
He continued ditating.
Forty minutes later, he finally opened his eyes.
He was so drained that he couldn’t even speak—he could only signal Tang Lingwu to turn it off.
His face tingled with numbness, but despite everything, he managed to smile.
Not just to reassure them.
But because there was sothing genuinely worth celebrating—
He had officially reached the "Tempering Flesh" stage of Five Thunder Talisman Body.
Zheng Fa opened his eyes in his cultivation chamber.
He clenched his fists, feeling an unmistakable increase in his strength.
Rising to his feet, he walked to his desk and picked up an iron paperweight.
With a slight squeeze—
The iron warped like clay in his hands, molding effortlessly to his will.
Satisfied, he placed it down and sat back on his ditation cushion.
He turned his attention inward—
Not to his physical strength, but to sothing else.
The discovery of Five Elental Sub-Talismans had been an unexpected blessing.
For a while, he had wanted to adjust the True Form Shadowless Talisman and Frost Blade Talisman in his dantian.
And after confirming that Five Elental Sub-Talismans were part of a greater whole, he saw a flaw in his current talisman arrangent.
Though the two talismans sat adjacent to each other, they weren’t truly fused.
They needed topological transformations—the sa way he had adjusted structures on the computer, not just in size and orientation, but through stretching and folding.
For most cultivators, even discovering Five Elental Sub-Talismans would be a monuntal feat.
Let alone restructuring them.
But Zheng Fa wasn’t most cultivators.
He focused his spiritual sense and began modifying his talismans.
Sun Daoyu and Zhou Qianyuan sat in their pavilion.
Zhou Qianyuan glanced at Sun Daoyu, who was still peering toward Zheng Fa’s courtyard.
"Senior Brother, how much longer are you going to watch him?"
"A few more nights should be enough." Sun Daoyu turned slightly, smiling.
"In reality, I can’t see him—I can only see the Five Elental Qi flowing in his courtyard."
“…Five Elental Qi?”
"Our Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes have three stages. I’m currently at the first—‘Observation of Qi.’”
Zhou Qianyuan listened attentively. He was set to cultivate the sa technique, so he was eager to learn.
"Do you know why Master believes Senior Sister Zhang’s Talisman Dao Foundation Establishnt Technique is flawed but thinks he can fix it?"
"Why?"
"Because of Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes."
Sun Daoyu’s tone carried pride.
"This technique is our faction’s foundation."
"Master told that," Zhou Qianyuan nodded.
"But do you understand why?"
Sun Daoyu smirked.
"The greatest strength of Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes is microscopic precision.
"It allows us to observe the properties and flow of spiritual energy far better than spiritual sense alone.
"That’s how Master could imdiately tell what’s wrong with Talisman Dao Foundation Establishnt Technique."
“…And what’s wrong with it?”
"Five Elents Disharmony."
"?"
"Senior Sister Zhang theorized that talismans follow Yin-Yang and Five Elent principles.
"But Master had already discovered this.
"The difference is—Senior Sister Zhang has the Yuan Spirit Dao Body, which allows her to develop techniques like Talisman Dao Foundation Establishnt Technique."
"And Master doesn’t?"
"Do you think Dao Foundations are sothing you can just experint with?
"Who else besides Senior Sister Zhang would even dare?"
Zhou Qianyuan hesitated, realizing Sun Daoyu had a point.
"Master once observed Senior Sister Zhang training with Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes," Sun Daoyu continued.
"And he noticed—her Five Elental Qi is slightly unbalanced.
"Her Dao Foundation isn’t completely harmonious."
Zhou Qianyuan winced.
"So… Master was watching her… the sa way you’re watching Zheng Fa?"
"Not exactly," Sun Daoyu replied. "Master doesn’t sit outside spying—he can see everything from ho."
He sighed enviously.
"I can’t wait until my Void-Seeking Spirit Eyes improve—I’ll try it myself!"
"…Maybe don’t," Zhou Qianyuan muttered.
Their faction’s traditions felt… questionable.
"Master thinks the technique can be perfected," Sun Daoyu continued.
"If he succeeds, it could beco the greatest Golden Core Talisman Cultivation thod."
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
"Wait… sothing’s changed in Zheng Fa’s courtyard!"
Zhou Qianyuan blinked.
"Changed?"
Sun Daoyu’s emotions shifted rapidly—first shock, then realization, then excitent.
"Senior Sister Zhang… she actually fixed it."
"Fixed what?"
"The disharmony is gone!
"The Earth and tal spiritual energies in Zheng Fa’s courtyard are completely balanced!"
He clenched his fists.
"I have to report this to Master imdiately!"
"If this is real… we all need to switch to Talisman Dao Foundation Establishnt Technique!"
Zhou Qianyuan: "…And what about my Thousand-Year Purple Bamboo Tears?"
Sun Daoyu:
"Brother, in cultivation, ten years is a blink of an eye!"
"…You said no matter how fast Zheng Fa progressed—"
"Brother, I have only pure, platonic brotherly affection for you."
"?"
"You’re not my Dao companion—I can’t give up Golden Core for you!"
“…Even if I was?”
"Even then!"
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