Chapter 9: The Illusory Path of Talismans (Part 2)

Zhu Juan understood Kuumu’s words—his two young apprentices paled in comparison to Guo Shier, their potential being utterly insignificant due to the vast gap between them.
Guo Shier grew increasingly excited. The talismanic patterns surging forth like a tide were quickly absorbed by his life talisman sphere. He gradually grasped the meaning of talismans and learned how to create and use lower-level ones. This was a hundred times faster than his own learning pace—knowledge was being poured directly into his soul, allowing him to master it naturally. With a little practice, it would become his own knowledge.
Gradually, Guo Shier reached the end of the second circle. A faint pressure emerged, but it still couldn’t stop him. His life talisman sphere spun rapidly within his soul, resisting this pressure. He continued forward, and with each step, a large number of talismanic patterns sprouted from the ground.
Guo Shier realized he couldn’t rush. He needed to absorb as many of these floating patterns as possible—these were valuable resources that must not be wasted. He began consciously controlling his life talisman sphere. Initially submerged in his soul, the sphere had begun to loosen under the stimulation of the numerous patterns. Though he couldn’t take it out, he could still control it.
When he reached the end of the second circle and was about to enter the third, his feet grew heavy. Countless talismanic patterns surged toward him like a tide. Fortunately, he could now control his life talisman sphere, which spun rapidly, drawing in all the patterns outside his body. At this point, all the patterns were golden.
With a large number of golden patterns gathered around him, he resembled someone clad in thick golden armor, shining brilliantly.
Yan Ziling exclaimed in shock, “Does he really want to enter the third circle? That requires being a great talisman master! He’s… he’s just a child. How could he advance to that level?”
Kuumu replied, “Why not? What’s the reason?” His tone revealed a hint of pride that was hard to conceal. He was extremely pleased—who else in the Chenxiao Sect had such an outstanding disciple?
Zhu Juan was also stunned. Confused, he said, “This kid has master-level skills? What a joke!”
Monier clenched her fist and declared, “Our Shier is the strongest!”
Guo Shier glowed with golden light, like a bright lamp, drawing the attention of most people present. Someone shouted, “Look at that kid! He’s about to enter the third circle!”
Chatter filled the air as people asked who this child was—how could someone so young attempt to reach the third circle? It was utterly unbelievable.

Guo Shieru steadily stepped into the third circle. The crowd watching from outside immediately erupted in astonishment; everyone looked shocked—this was completely unexpected. The child had truly entered the third circle. Guo Shieru couldn’t see what was outside nor hear any sounds. He clearly showed signs of fatigue, as his soul had been operating at high speed for a long time, leaving him tired. Yet he felt he still had enough strength, so he continued moving forward. “Look! Look! He’s still walking! Good heavens, such a young child—how amazing!” “Whose child is this?” “…” Kuumu also appeared nervous; he didn’t know how far Guo Shieru could go. Monier was even more anxious. Unconsciously, she gripped Kuumu’s arm tightly, her eyes fixed on the Mysterious Path. Kuumu frowned slightly but didn’t move, allowing her to hold on. If the runes in the first circle were like scattered raindrops, those in the second circle were like a downpour, and in the third circle, they became raging floods. The overwhelming number of runes left Guo Shieru no time to absorb them, forcing him to slow down again and move forward bit by bit. But he refused to stop, knowing that once he did, it would be difficult to move forward. Although his speed slowed further, Guo Shieru gained a lot. He didn’t care how far he could go; what mattered was what benefits he could obtain. The onlookers were completely captivated by Guo Shieru, staring at him intently to see how far he could go. Some exclaimed, “Good heavens! He’s almost at the level of an intermediate grand rune master!” When Guo Shieru reached one-third of the way, he felt increasing pressure. He gritted his teeth and persevered, his steps no longer steady as he moved forward inch by inch. His soul began to ache, and his life rune ball could no longer accelerate. All he thought was to take one more step forward. Yan Ziling murmured, “How much perseverance does this require? He’s just a child—amazing! Truly amazing!” The pain in his soul was the most unbearable. Guo Shieru felt as though his soul was about to shatter. It was a strange sensation, and he had an urge to sit down and rest immediately. Suddenly, he had an idea and began reciting the Soul Scripture. After reciting it once, he was surprised to find that the pain in his soul had diminished significantly, and his absorption of the runes around him had accelerated a bit. Overjoyed, he continued reciting the Soul Scripture without pause. Zhu Juan said, “He’s still walking? How can this child withstand…”

The chatter outside the area gradually subsided as everyone held their breath, staring intently at Guo Shier, waiting to see how far he could go. Those present had walked the Misty Path many times and were well familiar with it; not only was it difficult for a child to pass, but even adults found it hard, with even the most determined people only able to endure a short distance.

Guo Shier’s pace slowed down further, but he didn’t stop, each step weighing heavily on him. The painful sensation in his soul gradually diminished amid the chanting, and the talismans around him were slowly drawn into his life talisman sphere. With each step he took, a fountain seemed to erupt from the ground, with countless talismans surging toward his body. Eventually, even the chanting couldn’t calm the restlessness in his soul. After taking two more steps, he slowly sat down. By then, he had reached the back end of the third circle. According to the rules here, he had advanced to the rank of Advanced Grand Talisman Master.

Kumu let out a long sigh—this result was beyond his expectations. He had thought it would be difficult for Guo Shier to even reach master level, let alone make it to the end of the third circle. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Guo Shier could advance to the rank of Talisman Master. This hurdle had stopped countless people, but with Guo Shier’s potential, it was no problem at all.

Monier clutched Kumu’s arm tightly, too excited to speak coherently. She never expected Guo Shier to be so strong. Suddenly realizing she was holding Kumu’s arm, she was startled and quickly pulled away, glancing at him angrily. Kumu was confused, thinking, “You’re the one holding me—why are you glaring at me?”

Zhu Juan also let out a deep sigh. This was astonishing—a ten-year-old child possessed the strength of an Advanced Grand Talisman Master. Everyone present was breathing heavily. Someone asked, “Is this child an inner disciple or a direct disciple?”

Yan Ziling sighed and said, “Congratulations, junior brother. I didn’t expect you, a man obsessed with cultivation, to be just as crazy when choosing a disciple.”

Kumu could no longer hold back and forced a stiff smile on his face.

There were many Advanced Grand Talisman Masters in the Chenxiao Sect, belonging to the core group of professionals. But someone like Guo Shier, who had reached that rank at the age of ten, was the first ever—something the Chenxiao Sect had never seen before.

Guo Shier sat on the ground, absorbing the floating talismans. His soul was filled with countless tiny talismans, and his life talisman sphere continued to grow, undergoing astonishing changes. He was now confident enough to release his life talisman sphere, but having absorbed too many talismans at once, he still needed a considerable amount of time to digest and assimilate them.

He sat there for three days. Kuumu and Monier waited outside for three days as well, with Zhu Juan keeping watch nearby. After handing over his duties, Yan Ziling also waited nearby.

Over those three days, Guo Shier barely managed to absorb all the talismans that had remained around him. He knew that even if he stood up, he wouldn’t be able to move forward any further. So as soon as he stood up, he without hesitation crushed the talisman hanging around his chest and was instantly sent out of the Virtual Maze Path.

Monier cheered and stepped forward to hug Guo Shier, saying, “Baby, you’re amazing!”

Guo Shier had no idea how far he had gone. He asked, “Where have I come to?”

Kuumu replied, “The end of the third circle… a senior grand talisman master.”

Guo Shier immediately understood that this was a benefit he had gained from the altar. If he had never been to the altar, it would have been impossible for him to reach this level. A joyful smile appeared on his face, and this smile deeply moved Monier. She kissed him instinctively and said cheerfully, “Shier, let’s go back. Your master wife will prepare something delicious for you.”

Kuumu said, “He needs time to consolidate his strength, not any talisman food.”

Monier couldn’t help but want to curse. Seeing the situation worsening, Guo Shier quickly said, “Master, I’m hungry.”

Kuumu suddenly realized that Guo Shier hadn’t eaten for three days. He said, “Alright, eat something first. I’ll take you back to stabilize your current condition.”

Zhu Juan stepped forward and asked, “Shier, I saw you were almost exhausted by the beginning of the third circle. How did you manage to reach the end? Hehe, do you have any secret?”

Guo Shier was secretly surprised. He smiled and said, “Uncle, I just kept moving forward… Didn’t you say to keep moving forward as much as possible? So I just kept moving forward. I don’t even know where I am.”

Yan Ziling said, “Kuumu, congratulations on having such a good disciple.”

Kuumu replied expressionlessly, “It’s passable, I guess.”

Yan Ziling said with a wry smile, “Passable? Then what about my disciple… does that mean I have to abandon him?”

Monier said, “Old Yan, ignore him. He’s just an idiot who can’t even say a polite word.”

A disciple came over and said, “Uncle Ancestor, the sect master asks you to take the disciples there.”

Kuumu asked, “The sect master wants me?”

The inner disciple said, “Yes.”
Monier complained, “Shier is hungry for three days already… Let’s go eat first, and then go!”
The inner disciple could only force a smile. Kumu nodded and said, “Go inform the sect master. Once Shier has eaten, I’ll take him to see him.”
Yan Ziling laughed and said, “Well, it’s even disturbed the sect master.”