Legacy of the Spirit Stone

Chapter 59 – Fucheng

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

On the eve of departure, several cultivators of the Yang Clan were assigned by Elder Yu to guard various locations in the Forbidden Zone.

Liang Yi and Zhao Qi patrolled the cliff, Yang Linghu watched over the northern woods, while Elder Yu, Yang Lingqing, and Yang Lingrui guarded the ancestral hall.

The Immortal Lord had sent a message during the day, stating that tonight was the critical moment for mastering the talisman technique, and there must be no disturbance whatsoever.

Inside the ancestral hall, the light of the technique flickered continuously, causing ripples of spiritual energy to surge.

In the latter half of the night, as they felt the spiritual energy rushing in, everyone became tense.

This was the most crucial step, the success or failure hinged on this moment.

"The Immortal Lord's powers are boundless."

"The Immortal Lord's powers are boundless."

Each of them silently recited in their hearts, praying for Chen Yang's success in mastering the talisman technique.

Inside the ancestral hall, Chen Yang, since crossing into this world, felt an unprecedented sense of urgency.

From drawing to refining, he had meticulously crafted the Mountain Opening Talisman to near perfection.

Yet, at this final stage of forming the talisman, he sensed the familiar signs of collapse.

"Sigh... it seems I'm still a bit short. If I had another month, I might achieve a high-quality talisman."

Chen Yang held on for as long as he could, but seeing hope fading, he decided to settle for a lower-quality talisman.

Ding—

At that moment, a familiar yet strange power surged from his heart.

Chen Yang felt a crisp sound in his mind, and before he could react, the power followed his thoughts and quietly settled on the Vajra Talisman he was refining.

In the next instant, the imminent collapse stabilized.

Chen Yang immediately realized that this was the power of the prayers offered to him by mortals burning incense at the mountain during the grand ceremony!

He had previously tried to draw on this power from within but had never succeeded.

He thought it would only be useful when advancing to Core Formation, but unexpectedly, it played a role at this critical moment in talisman refinement.

Though he didn't understand the mechanism of this power, the opportunity was too rare to miss!

Chen Yang refocused, imprinting streams of spiritual power onto the talisman paper.

With the blessing of this prayer power, the talisman paper seemed to harden, and the entire refining process went smoothly.

Buzz—

Half an hour later, a white light blossomed above the ancestral hall, and a snow-white talisman danced out, landing in Yang Lingrui's palm.

Elder Yu and the others arrived, feeling the lingering, robust spiritual power on the golden talisman, unable to contain their excitement.

"A high-quality Mountain Opening Talisman!"

"The Immortal Lord's talisman technique is complete!"

A high-quality Mountain Opening Talisman, when caught off guard, could even threaten a cultivator at the Qi Condensation Eighth Layer!

This was something the Yang Clan cultivators had never dared to imagine.

With this treasure, Yang Lingrui could embark on his journey with confidence, and the Yang Clan could rest assured.

"With the Immortal Lord's divine protection, Lingrui is deeply grateful!" Yang Lingrui bowed.

As the sun rose, Gao Hui arrived at the foot of Pine Mountain.

This was his first time attending the Golden Scale Conference since taking office, and he was somewhat expectant.

If he could make an impression at the conference or hit it off with a young master or lady from a prominent family, perhaps his promotion would be within reach.

As he pondered this, he heard a commotion not far away.

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw four members of the Yang Clan descending the mountain.

Gao Hui was about to raise his hand in greeting when he noticed something odd about one of them.

As the four approached, Gao Hui saw Yang Lingrui's appearance and was filled with shock.

"Lingrui, what... what happened to you?!"

At this moment, Yang Lingrui's face was pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, his lips were bluish, and his breath was unstable.

This clearly indicated a problem during cultivation.

Upon sensing further, Gao Hui was even more astonished, as Yang Lingrui had already broken through to the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer!

"Chief Gao, sorry to keep you waiting." Yang Lingrui forced a weak smile.

"Sigh~ no need to apologize."

Gao Hui quickly waved his hand, then asked Yang Lingqing, "Patriarch Yang, what exactly happened?"

Yang Lingqing's eyes dimmed, and she said with guilt, "Lingrui was worried about the importance of the conference and feared his level was insufficient, which would bring shame to the Yang Clan. So he used the power of a Strange Stone and elixirs to forcibly break through."

"This..."

Gao Hui was momentarily speechless.

Elder Yu also shook his head and sighed, "I blame myself for not stopping this child. I thought it would go smoothly, but it turned out like this."

"Elder Yu, Sister Qing, it's okay. This was my choice, you don't need to blame yourselves," Yang Lingrui said weakly.

"Sigh... Lingrui, why did you do this!"

Seeing Yang Lingrui's condition, Gao Hui couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

With his talent, he could have steadily cultivated to the Qi Condensation Fourth Layer without rushing.

But Gao Hui understood his urgency.

A child carrying the hope of a family's prosperity bears a heavy burden.

Facing the upcoming Golden Scale Conference, Yang Lingrui wanted to elevate his level to bring honor to his family, which was understandable.

As Elder Yu said, if everything went smoothly, it would have been ideal, but unfortunately...

"Enough, what's done is done, there's no point in saying more. Let's just hope Lingrui's cultivation foundation isn't damaged."

Gao Hui thought this, then looked at the Yang Clan members and said solemnly, "Rest assured! I will take good care of Lingrui on this journey!"

"Then we'll trouble Chief Gao. On behalf of the Yang Clan, I thank you," Yang Lingqing said.

As the morning sun rose, casting its light through the Pine Mountain woods, Gao Hui and Yang Lingrui's figures disappeared into the distance.

After they left, Yang Lingqing and the others returned to their usual expressions.

"Who would have thought, Lingrui's acting is so convincing. Just a few blocked meridians, and he made it seem like he was severely injured. If I didn't know the truth, I would have been fooled," Yang Linghu marveled.

Elder Yu chuckled, "When the Dynasty cultivators came to purchase, you two weren't here. Lingrui's performance that day was even more impressive."

As they spoke, Yang Lingqing's gaze remained fixed in the direction of Moonwatch City.

Since taking charge, whenever someone went out or traveled far, she always felt a bit worried, even if she didn't show it.

She would even mentally prepare herself for the worst-case scenario and consider how to respond.

"May the Immortal Lord and Ancestor protect Lingrui."

She silently prayed in her heart.

"Huh? Lingqing, what are you thinking about?" Yang Linghu asked, leaning in when she didn't respond.

Smack!

"Ouch! That hurts..."

Naturally, he received a flick to the forehead with a mud ball.

"Heh, you've been causing enough trouble at home these days."

Yang Lingqing rolled her eyes at him, saying, "Focus on your cultivation and break through to the Third Layer soon. The northern remote mine has been idle for a while, and it's time to restart operations."