Chapter 10: The Inheritance of Talismans (Part 2)

An old man beside him asked, “Senior brother, what astonishing performance?”
Another old man asked, “Are you referring to the Path of Illusory Talismans? Is this child going there for the first time?”
Mo Tian replied, “Yes, it’s his first time. I only heard about it from the inner disciples, so I brought him here to inquire about the situation, hehe.”
The old man next to him said, “What’s there to ask about on the first trip to the Path of Illusory Talismans? Has he completed the first circle already?”
The other old men all laughed. One of them said, “There’s no need to ask if he’s completed a full circle. I’ve seen children complete one and a half circles on their first attempt—that’s truly astonishing.”
Ku Mu wore a mocking smile. He said nothing, clearly dismissing everyone.
Mo Ni Er also had a strange expression. She held Guo Shier’s hand with a half-smile, saying not a word. Then Mo Tian said, “I heard this child… reached the third circle? Hehe, I find it hard to believe. Um, how old is this child?”
“What?”
“That’s impossible… The third circle requires being a great talisman master!”
Mo Ni Er said cheerfully, “Shier is ten years old this year. Hehe, he indeed reached the third circle. I saw it with my own eyes. That dead wood… Ku Mu also saw it. Hehe, sorry, but our Shier has already reached the end of the third circle and is almost at the fourth…”
The faces of the five old men present changed completely. They observed Guo Shier in their own ways, and after a moment, disbelief appeared on each of their faces. They had confirmed that Mo Ni Er wasn’t lying—the kid truly possessed the strength of a high-level great talisman master. It was absolutely astonishing.
Mo Tian wore a satisfied smile. Mo Ni Er was his daughter, and Ku Mu was his son-in-law. Although the two had a falling out and separated long ago, given Ku Mu’s personality—having offended countless people—he could only rely on the Mo family in the end. And since Guo Shier was Ku Mu’s disciple, he was also part of the Mo family. How could Mo Tian not be happy?
Ku Mu said coldly, “Shier has just come down from the Path of Illusory Talismans and needs time to consolidate his strength. If there’s nothing important, it’s best to talk later.”
Mo Tian quickly said, “Ah, right! Right! Then let’s find a place to stay here for now.”
Ku Mu replied indifferently, “I won’t disturb the sect master. I’ll take my disciple home.”
Mo Tian didn’t mind and said, “That’s good, that’s good… Ni Er, you should go with them too.”

Monier said, “Father, Guo Shier still wants to take the Fu Wu Xu Mi path, but there are no spots available. He also has a follower who has entered the inner sect and is considered an inner sect disciple, yet he still needs to take that path… Please give them a spot too.”
Mo Tian, as the sect leader, did have this authority. He said, “The kid wants to practice both magic and martial arts? That’s not bad; your master also did that… Alright, I’ll have someone assign two spots.” He didn’t allow any other elders to interject and immediately sent the three of them away, leaving no chance for the other elders.
The elders were furious, but there was nothing they could do—after all, Mo Tian was the sect leader and Monier’s father. After watching the three leave, one of the elders sighed, “Senior brother, that’s not fair… Why rush them off like that?”
Mo Tian chuckled and said, “The kid needs to strengthen himself. If this goes on any longer, my daughter will turn on me.”
All those elders were shrewd and gave him disdainful looks. Mo Tian quickly changed the subject; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to handle it. Though he was the sect leader, these elders also held significant power, so it wasn’t easy to offend them.
…
The three returned to Kuumu’s home. Monier stayed behind and immediately took charge of managing the estate. She didn’t want Guo Shier to live in such a shabby place, so she hired many workers to renovate it. Meanwhile, Guo Shier followed Kuumu into the underground talisman-making hall.
They found an open area and laid down thick animal skins as a mat. Guo Shier sat down and began to consolidate the benefits he had gained.
Clusters of talismanic mist floated in his soul, while his life talisman sphere rotated slowly, absorbing those patterns bit by bit. Through his life talisman sphere, Guo Shier gradually understood their meanings and transformed them into his own knowledge. To his delight, those talismanic patterns were strengthening his life talisman sphere, making it increasingly powerful.
If the life talisman sphere was the skeleton, then the absorbed talismans were the limbs and fists. The talismanic patterns he obtained this time were like flesh, tendons, internal organs, brain, and heart—bringing him endless benefits.
Many basic knowledge points and those needed at higher levels also entered his soul through the talismanic patterns and into his brain. With just some practice, he could master them completely. This was why this continent was superior to those with lower-level talismans—this method of inheritance was truly remarkable.

Guo Shier sat for eight hours every day to absorb various kinds of knowledge, using the rest of the time to study spells, read books, eat, chant scriptures, and sleep. He hardly ever left the spellcraft hall. Aside from Monier occasionally sending word for Guo Shier to come down for meals, both master and disciple stayed underground. Sometimes Guo Shier felt like a little mouse, with his master being an old mouse.

During this time, Guo Shier led a very fulfilling life.

Sometimes he would also talk to Kuumu to ask questions about cultivation. “Master, is it true that as long as one follows the Path of Illusory Spells, one can obtain all the traditions?” This question had been bothering him for a long time, and he finally couldn’t hold back from asking.

Kuumu replied, “Traditions… are just traditions. Everyone who enters the Path of Illusory Spells receives different traditions—more or less—depending on their individual abilities. Some absorb more, some less. Everyone has different comprehension and learning abilities, so… even if they receive the same traditions, their actual strength varies greatly.”

Guo Shier thought of his master Luo Jie. Their study of spells was true learning—without any tricks—often requiring most of a lifetime’s time and effort. No wonder the highest level they could reach was master. If they had a tool like the Path of Illusory Spells, they might have reached the level of sage in the same amount of time.

Kuumu said, “Some people can master most of the knowledge after just one journey on the Path of Illusory Spells, while others remain confused after seven or eight attempts. So it’s not omnipotent either.”

Guo Shier asked, “Master, have we gotten a spot on the Path of Spell and Martial Arts?”

Kuumu replied, “Ask your master wife. I don’t know. Haven’t you seen I’ve been here the whole time? Where would I have the time to go up?”

Guo Shier said, “Okay, I’ll go ask my master wife.”

Kuumu waved his hand and went back to his own tasks. He was too lazy to get involved in such matters, especially those related to dealing with people. With Monier handling everything now, he was happy to avoid the hassle.

Guo Shier didn’t care who took care of things—as long as someone did. Smiling, he said, “Master, I’m going up.” After practicing for some time, he could now enter and exit the spellcraft hall on his own. This was a place even Monier couldn’t enter.

The manor had been renovated and looked brand new, with more people working there—all servants hired by Monier.

When those servants saw Guo Shier, they respectfully called him “young master.” Guo Shier didn’t put on any airs; he simply continued to act like a child.

When Monier saw Guo Shier, she smiled happily and said, “Baby, why did you come out today?” She no longer called him Shier but “baby” instead, leaving Guo Shier with no choice. After being called that often, he gradually got used to it. Fine, if it’s “baby,” it’s “baby” — it doesn’t cost him an ounce of flesh anyway.
“Elder Sister, I came out to get some fresh air.”
Monier loved holding Guo Shier and watching his slightly embarrassed face. She reached out to pick him up and said, “Baby, I’ve prepared a few gifts for you. Hehe, you’re sure to like them.” Then she took out a wooden box about a foot long and said, “Open it and take a look.”
Guo Shier opened it and was surprised to find three talismans inside.
“A flying talisman, a golden armor amulet, and a spirit-hiding talisman! Haha, I like them! Thank you, Elder Sister!”
Through the inheritance of the Virtual Mist Path, Guo Shier knew much more than before and recognized the three talismans at a glance. All three were high-grade talismans of the True Treasure level, even stronger than ancient talismans. Especially the flying talisman, which he had long wanted; he never expected to get one so quickly.
With a gesture, the three talismans instantly turned into mist and were swallowed by him. Soon, they appeared on his life talisman sphere. He found that the space of the spirit-hiding talisman was as large as four cubic meters — a huge space. He exclaimed in delight, “Great stuff!”
Monier was very happy and said, “I’m glad you like them. The flying talisman and the spirit-hiding talisman aren’t anything special; ordinary people also have them. But this golden armor amulet is quite rare. Hehe, I snatched it from your master. Consider it a gift from him.”
After setting Guo Shier down, Monier added, “Baby, you got the spots for the Talisman Martial Virtual Mist Path you asked for last time. Hehe, there are two spots. When do you plan to use them?”
Guo Shier said excitedly, “I got them? That’s great! I’ll use them right now!” He waved to call the servant outside and instructed him to find Eagle Demon.
Monier said, “Use them now? That’s too hasty. You should prepare a bit first. The Talisman Martial Virtual Mist Path isn’t easy to navigate.”
As they spoke, Eagle Demon arrived in the room. Guo Shier smiled and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, I’ve got the spots for the Talisman Martial Virtual Mist Path. Let’s get ready, and we can go.”
Eagle Demon was overjoyed. He had also heard about the wonders of the Talisman Martial Virtual Mist Path here and had been thinking about when he could go. Such an opportunity for inheritance was extremely rare.
…
Three days later, Monier brought Kuumu out of the ground and took Guo Shier and Eagle Demon to the Talisman Martial Virtual Mist Path.

Guo Shieru flew in the air with ease. Flight talismans couldn’t reach great heights, reaching at most a hundred meters—which already satisfied Guo Shieru greatly. Kuumu led the Eagle Demon in flight, while Monier followed Guo Shieru, constantly reminding him to be careful.
A few hours later, the four of them arrived at the Symbol-Wu Illusionary Path. Compared to the previous Symbol Illusionary Path, this one was truly enormous. It was also spiral-shaped with six loops, but the path was much wider, covering a larger area, with even more people waiting outside.
The four reached the entrance, which was a huge platform. Guo Shieru stared in astonishment at the crowd preparing to enter and said, “My goodness… How is this possible?”
Book 8: The Struggle for the Altar