OBS Chapter 52 The Path to Enlightenment, Consecrated by a Master
Chapter 52 The Path to Enlightenment, Consecrated by a Master
Since Jiang Jun decided to abandon the third stage of the Fusion Realm, "Body Integration," the Way of Suppressing Things and the Way of Controlling Demons officially parted ways.
"Perhaps I took a wrong turn." When he stopped practicing and reflected on his path, Jiang Jun looked back on the path he had taken and found that he had ultimately developed path dependence.
He blindly imitated the demon tamer, only using his divine sense to merge with the spirit of the object and his true energy to flow with the power of the object, never considering that it could actually be the other way around.
Use your own divine sense and true energy to cleanse and refine the original spirit of the talisman.
"Or rather, this is actually the cultivation stage of the third realm of the Demon Tamer: the 'Refining Realm'."
Jiang Jun shook his head: "But prioritizing order isn't wrong either. After all, there's no spiritual energy in the world. Relying solely on these spiritual plants, when will we ever reach the pinnacle of true energy?"
It still requires taking from the talisman and then feeding it back to the talisman. The idea of the Fusion Realm is not wrong, it just no longer requires the "body fusion" step.
Having bypassed this detour, Jiang Jun reflected on himself and realized that his realm had reached the "Refining Realm".
As far as he knew, the Refining Realm was also divided into three stages, but they were not carried out sequentially; rather, they proceeded in parallel.
The first is "fixation," which fixes the form of the strange creature integrated into the body to prevent it from becoming uncontrollable and also allows for better use of its power.
The second is "subduing nature," which involves suppressing the ferocious and cunning nature of the monster, causing it to fall into a deep sleep, and only waking it up when needed, in order to stabilize the monster's power.
Third is "Yingyuan".
The power of the monster itself is limited. Apart from being replenished and enhanced by treasures such as the "Azure Fish Monster Stone", it is actually constantly being depleted. The more frequently the monster is used by the monster tamer, the greater the consumption of the monster's essence.
"Yingyuan" allows the user to sense the Abyss of Ghosts, draw power from it, replenish the origin of their natal Ghost, and promote its continuous growth.
From Jiang Jun's current perspective, every step he took was like walking on the edge of an abyss, with potential pitfalls lurking everywhere.
If it weren't for the divine artifacts that act as a check, the demon tamers might actually be the biggest threat to this world.
"In my Dao of Suppressing Things, the Refinement Realm makes it unnecessary to fix the form or subdue the nature. As for Ying Yuan, if there were a Celestial Realm for me to cultivate in, I would be willing to devote myself to it, but unfortunately there isn't."
Jiang Jun shook his head, not thinking about the later stages any further: "Let's finish refining this 'Devouring Ghost Gourd' first and see how it goes."
The path of cultivation is about perseverance, like water dripping on a stone; it cannot be achieved overnight. Jiang Jun maintained his daily routine of cleansing and purification, and before he knew it, it was the end of May.
That day, he turned on his computer and found the class group chat buzzing with discussion about taking graduation photos and having a farewell dinner.
He then realized: as June approached, there were more school activities.
Since compiling the talisman and beginning his cultivation, Jiang Jun had rarely participated in such activities. But this time, as it marked the end of his university career, he couldn't refuse any longer.
All three roommates left messages in the dormitory group chat.
"Brother Jun, we're going back to Qingjiang tomorrow. Could you take us to pay our respects at our squad leader's grave?"
Jiang Jun's brow twitched slightly as he typed a reply: "That involves supernatural beings, aren't you afraid?"
The three people on the other end of the network were actually a little apprehensive.
But Kong Lingchen, known as "Master Jing," still replied, "After all, we were classmates. After graduation, we'll be scattered all over the world. This should be the last time I come to pay my respects to him."
"Don't worry, Brother Jun, I brought you gifts. These are just monsters, nothing to be afraid of."
These words sounded forceful, but even through the screen, Jiang Jun could sense that he was putting on a brave face.
The next day, Jiang Jun went to the airport to pick up his three roommates and bring them back to the dormitory.
Fortunately, he had cleaned the dormitory beforehand with the "Unspeakable Ghosts" and "Divine Chicken Talisman" to ward off evil spirits, so the dormitory was very clean.
The three guys in my dorm are all from big cities, specifically Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen.
When class monitor Jia Ke passed away, Jiang Jun helped pay the funeral expenses. This time when they met, everyone consciously returned the money.
"Sigh, I heard their whole family is gone. I wonder where all that money went? Did it all go to the grave?" Wang Wenhao from Shanghai sighed.
"It's not that bad. Burying money with the dead or burning cash as offerings is illegal. Besides, there's still a child," Li Cheng, from Pengcheng, added.
After chatting about Jia Ke for a while, everyone turned their attention back to themselves.
"Wow! Jun-ge, I feel like you've grown taller in the last six months?" Kong Lingchen, the youngest in the dormitory, gestured his height with a look of shock.
He was originally the tallest and heaviest in the dormitory, like a strongman in a TV series, and his presence alone blocked out the light.
He used to look down at Jiang Jun, but now he can look at him at eye level.
Jiang Jun casually replied, "It's probably a second growth spurt. After all, a boy grows to be thirty-six centimeters tall..."
Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng immediately perked up, hooking their arms around his neck and shaking him: "Brother Jun, do you have any secrets to growing taller? Share them with your brothers!"
"Go away! If such a secret recipe really existed, I would have registered a patent and started a company to make money long ago. Why would I need to do it secretly?" Jiang Jun waved their hands away in disgust, but a smile remained on his face.
During our four years of university, excluding the final year spent on internships and job hunting, we spent more than three years together, so our relationship naturally became deeper than that of ordinary friends.
After some casual conversation, Kong Lingchen mysteriously opened his suitcase: "Guys, I brought you some gifts!"
Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng looked over expectantly, only to see him take out a sandalwood box, open it, and inside were several yellow talismans, all individually sealed in plastic.
"Hey! Isn't this just a divine rooster talisman?" Li Cheng said, somewhat speechless. "This is all the rage in Pengcheng this year."
After all, there are many venomous snakes and insects in southern Guangdong, so warding off the five poisonous creatures is a necessity. In fact, the "divine rooster charm" is much more widely spread in the south than in the north.
"What do you know?" Kong Lingchen said, head held high. "My divine rooster talisman is no ordinary item! It's been blessed by a master!"
As he spoke, he solemnly bowed to the sandalwood box before handing each of the three a note: "Keep these safe, stick them on your wall when you get home, they'll have amazing effects!"
Seeing his seriousness, Jiang Jun and the other two also took it more seriously, accepting it with both hands and examining it closely.
Jiang Jun immediately sensed something was amiss upon handling it: this "Divine Rooster Talisman" possessed not only a weak power to suppress objects, but also a power similar to "Word Spirit".
He looked down and examined it closely. The first thing that caught his eye was a square red seal. The two characters "敕令" (Imperial Edict) in seal script were placed under the chicken claw print, as if the chicken claw had pressed the seal onto it.
This mark exudes righteousness and possesses an aura that can impeach evil gods and command the eight directions.
If Jiang Jun's guess is correct, it should be covered by some kind of mystical object.
With the blessing of this red seal, this "Divine Rooster Talisman" has surpassed the power of an ordinary talisman for suppressing objects, approaching one-thousandth of the power of Jiang Jun's original talisman.
"Thanks, brother!" Jiang Jun patted his arm. "This divine rooster talisman looks extraordinary. I will definitely treasure it."
"No! The talisman is meant to be used, don't keep it as a keepsake, just put it up when you get back," Kong Lingchen quickly reminded him.
Although Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng couldn't figure out the meaning behind it, they still appreciated the sentiment and said they would put it in their bedroom when they got home.
Seeing that they accepted the charms well, Jiang Jun took out the gifts he had prepared: three exquisite willow twigs shaped like keychains that were called "Ghostly Prohibitions".
Unlike ordinary handicrafts, it contains a wisp of his true energy, which is nurtured by the power of the object, and will not be wasted unless it encounters a strange monster.
He distributed the "Ghostly Prohibition" to the three of them: "Coincidentally, like Chenzi's, it was also blessed by a master. Not only can it be hung on the window, but it can also be carried with you to ward off evil spirits."
As he spoke, he waved his keychain, on which hung a small "Gui Bu Xu" (a type of pendant): "Look, I always carry it with me."
Kong Lingchen looked suspicious, but still hung the little thing on his waist. After all, it was a token of his brother's affection, and he could always take it off when it broke.
Wang Wenhao and Li Cheng brought local specialties as return gifts.
After exchanging greetings, the awkwardness of not seeing each other for half a year gradually dissipated, and the dormitory returned to its former liveliness.
After catching up on each other's recent lives for more than half an hour, they changed into simple dark clothes and set off for Cemetery No. 7.