Put away your magical powers now!.

Chapter 151 [A Bountiful Harvest]

Chapter 146 [A Bountiful Harvest]

"You mean, how can one use energy to power magical artifacts or cast spells in a place devoid of it?"

The one speaking was a little girl—this half-step Venerable Yun Que Yao Xiu, who was squatting on the ground of the balcony, holding a small shovel in her hand, shoveling soil into a flowerpot.

Beside her, on the balcony, were many flowerpots filled with various flowers and plants, including orchids, money trees, spider plants, and potted kumquats...

However, it's obvious at a glance...

They're all dead!

This powerful demon clearly has no talent for planting.

As she spoke, she buried the roots of a vibrant little seedling into the soil.

Wielding a small shovel, he compacted the soil...

The steps were correct, but Chen Yan's eyelids twitched as he looked at them.

The soil is packed so tightly, it's almost like it's been turned into concrete!

With this, what kind of seedling could survive? Even a peach spirit root wouldn't work.

“That’s easy,” the little girl laughed, looking up. “In this mirror world, that’s exactly what we do: use our own energy. But it’ll be troublesome if we run out of it.”

"What if you can't even mobilize your own vital energy?" Chen Yan thought for a moment and said, "Just think of yourself as an ordinary person without any cultivation or magic."

The little girl stared at Chen Yan for two seconds: "Are you kidding me?"

"I'm asking for your advice very seriously." Chen Yan shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about using spells. What about magical artifacts? For example, you can store your vital energy in the artifact, like a battery. Once activated, the artifact can operate automatically."

Or, you could seal a powerful spell, along with enough vital energy, inside a talisman, and then activate it in a place like the one I described, where there's no vital energy…”

The little girl thought about it seriously for a moment and then slowly said, "Making magical artifacts is very difficult. For someone who hasn't even started, it will take several years to learn this craft."

However, you could try the second type of magical artifact you mentioned. I remember there's a technique in talisman magic that can seal away a powerful spell along with enough vital energy, just like you described.

However, there are two problems to overcome. The first is the material – ordinary talisman paper is difficult to use, but the better the material, the easier it will be.

Secondly, there are the techniques of talismanic arts.

After thinking for a moment, Chen Yan actually took out the last [Formless Tribulation Breaking Slash] talisman that Gu Qingyi had left behind before she left and handed it to the little girl.

"This kind, right?"

The little girl took it and examined it carefully, then nodded: "The material of the talisman is very ordinary, but the sealing technique is very skillful."

She casually handed the talisman back to Chen Yan, seemingly without a care in the world.

Chen Yan carefully put away the "Mother's Love is Like a Mountain" talisman and smiled, "Could you teach me how to do this?"

The little girl glanced at Chen Yan: "You're a cultivator, you should be quite skilled in talisman techniques, right? Do you need me to teach you?"

"I don't want to learn talisman techniques." Chen Yan shook his head and said, "I can learn this kind of spirit-sealing technique myself, but... I'm not good at powerful spells, especially offensive spells."

The little girl laughed, a strange smile on her face: "So, you didn't come to ask me for the art of sealing spirits, but to try and trick me into giving you my true teachings!"

Chen Yan spread his hands: "So, are you going to teach me or not?"

"Tell me first, who do you intend to use the powerful offensive spells you learned from me to deal with?" The little girl sighed. "It's not that I'm stingy, but... if you learn spells from me and kill someone, incurring some karmic debt, I will be tainted by the consequences."

Chen Yan laughed: "Does it matter? You won't encounter the Heavenly Dao here anyway, so why are you worried about the Heavenly Dao coming after you?"

The little girl glared at her and said, "What do you think? Am I going to be trapped in this mirror world forever? Someday I'll have to find a way to get out."

Chen Yan narrowed his eyes: "What if I had a way to make you block out the Heavenly Dao?"

The little girl suddenly froze, slowly put down the small shovel in her hand, and stood up from the ground.

"Chen Yan, don't joke with me like that." The little girl took a deep breath: "Do you know what it means for someone who has been locked up in a cage for too long to say something like that?"

"I can't guarantee anything, but I have some ideas that I can try."

The little girl lowered her head and thought seriously for a while, then slowly said, "Three spells!"

She looked up at Chen Yan and said, "I can teach you three spells! They are all very powerful offensive spells, quite potent and very lethal—of course, just how powerful they are depends on your own cultivation level."

Chen Yan nodded and raised one hand with a serious expression.

The little girl looked into Chen Yan's eyes, walked over, and gently tapped his palm, a gesture of good-neck oath.

"Chen Yan, don't lie to me. Although I don't remember my past interactions with people, I have a feeling that I hate being deceived! If you lie to me, then our friendship ends here."

“Okay!” Chen Yan nodded solemnly.

·
In the days that followed, Chen Yan stayed home quietly. He used Chu Keqing's connections to purchase a batch of top-quality talisman paper.

These are all from Chu Keqing's Yunzong inventory.

Two boxes of high-grade talisman paper were moved to Chen Yan's house, along with a batch of high-grade cinnabar.

Chu Keqing also told Chen Yan that she had asked her friends overseas to work on the matter of purchasing a batch of high-powered firearms.

However, the woman still cautiously reminded Chen Yan of some things, and Chen Yan finally told the woman that he would never use these things within the territory of the Dragon Kingdom.

The technique of sealing spirits is actually recorded in the talisman section of the secret manual left by the old lady.

However, this technique requires a high level of control over one's vital energy; to put it bluntly, it relies on talent.

A strongman who can lift a thousand pounds may not be able to hold a needle well enough to embroider. That's roughly the idea.

Chen Yan practiced the art of sealing spirits diligently at home, and within a week, he had used up more than half a box of talismans.

He himself was not in a hurry. After all, the key to revenge is to be persistent in one's heart and to have a firm belief. There is no need to rush it for a day or two.

On the eighth day, Chen Yan finally achieved some success in his spirit-sealing technique.

He has successfully sealed a "finger sword" into a talisman.

Although it was just a finger sword strike launched from the ring finger with relatively low power, its strength was only enough to penetrate a wooden board.

Regardless, Chen Yan knew that he had taken a solid step forward.

It has completed the transformation from zero to something.

In the past few days, Lu Sisi would occasionally come over to keep Chen Yan company. Chen Yan wouldn't neglect his girlfriend. When Lu Sisi came, he would leave the training room, lock the basement door, and accompany his girlfriend to eat and go on dates.

Seeing Chen Yan staying at home obediently, ignoring everything around him and acting like a lazy bum, Lu Sisi felt relieved.

However, Chen Yan asked for leave from the academy and did not go to teach at the academy these days. Apart from spending time with Lu Sisi, he devoted all his other time to practicing talisman techniques.

Before we knew it, it was already mid-April.

The weather in Jinling Prefecture is getting warmer and warmer, with daytime highs already rising to the twenties.

This season is when cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and several cherry blossom viewing spots in Jinling Prefecture are packed with people every day, making it into the local news.

Chen Yan took some time out of his busy schedule and accompanied his girlfriend Lu Sisi on a weekend when she was on vacation. The two walked through the cherry blossom avenue amidst the crowds, and afterwards, they both complained to each other with long faces.

I wish I hadn't gone!

This isn't cherry blossom viewing, all you see are people!

I'm covered in sweat! This isn't flower viewing, it's pure torture.

Chen Yan personally cooked a few dishes to appease his girlfriend. The two spent a sweet weekend together, and on Sunday night, he drove Lu Sisi back to school.

I need to go out on Monday.

Standing downstairs at the girls' dormitory at Lu Sisi's school, Chen Yan smiled at Lu Sisi.

Lu Sisi was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Where are we going?"

“I need to go to the mountains because I’ve reached a bottleneck in my cultivation. I need to find a blessed land with abundant spiritual energy to break through that bottleneck.”

Lu Sisi's eyes showed some reluctance: "How many days...?"

"If it's fast, it will take three to five days; if it's slow, it will take at most ten days to half a month."

The girl stopped talking and just stared at Chen Yan quietly.

Chen Yan smiled gently, touched Lu Sisi's face softly, and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, it's just a training hurdle, there won't be any danger."

Lu Sisi sighed softly: "Alright, then go and come back as soon as possible, and tell me as soon as you get back."

·
After leaving the girls' dormitory, Chen Yan drove home, his expression calm and composed throughout the journey.

After arriving home, Chen Yan first took a shower and changed into clean clothes.

This time, he put on a new set of polar cold-weather clothing, gloves, and boots. He also took out his mountaineering backpack, which he had already prepared and packed with a lot of gear.

After making the preparations, Chen Yan instructed Gui Geng to guard the house.

He had just entered the basement training room when, after closing the door, Chen Yan touched the alchemy furnace hanging around his neck and took out a thumb ring, putting it on his finger.

Absorb vital energy!

The pulling sensation definitely appeared!

As Chen Yan intensified his absorption efforts, the pulling force became increasingly stronger.

Finally, Chen Yan felt that familiar, enormous pulling sensation. His whole body sank, followed by a strong feeling of falling, and then everything went black!
·
When Chen Yan opened his eyes, it was dark all around.

He smelled the familiar damp, cold scent.

This time, Chen Yan was prepared. When he felt that strong sense of falling, he immediately shrank back and assumed a protective posture.

So at this moment, Chen Yan calmly got up from the ground and quietly looked around at his surroundings.

confirmed!
This is that cave! The cave where I hid before I lost consciousness last time I came to the realm!
Chen Yan bent down, climbed out of the cave, and stood outside.

The sky was still pitch black, shrouded in thick fog. The damp and chilly atmosphere invigorated Chen Yan. The slight numbness and tingling sensation in his lungs after taking a deep breath actually fueled his fighting spirit.

I carefully checked my body and equipment.

Protected by the cold-weather clothing, my body is warm, although it is still frighteningly cold here, but it seems that the cold-weather clothing can withstand it completely.

Chen Yan was relieved.

He first took out a can of deodorizer from his backpack and sprayed it all over himself from head to toe. Then, Chen Yan took out a lightness talisman from his backpack. This was a talisman he had sealed in paper using a spirit-sealing technique. It contained enough energy to activate its effect as soon as it was torn open.

After attaching a lightness talisman to his body and backpack, Chen Yan strode off into the deep forest. His destination was very clear... the direction of the ferocious beast tribe's village.

·
Last time he escaped, it took Chen Yan a whole day to get from the village to the cave.

This time he was well prepared, with enough cold-weather gear and a lightness charm to reduce his burden and increase his movement speed.

Chen Yan reached the outskirts of the Ferocious Beast Clan village in less than four hours.

When passing a muddy puddle in the woods, Chen Yan smeared another layer of mud on his clothes to cover up the smell.

Upon arriving at the outskirts of the fierce beast tribe's village, Chen Yan lay on a tree, took out his binoculars, and observed for a while, thus gaining some basic information.

His binoculars had a rangefinder function, and at that moment he was about 300 meters away from the village.

The woods outside the village were already bustling with activity, which indicated that it was now considered "daytime" there.

Near the edge of the village, many human slaves were already working, cutting down trees. Among them were several monsters who looked like overseers, patrolling and wandering around the forest.

Chen Yan patiently lay on the tree and observed. After a while, he saw a "familiar face".

Chen Yan recognized the burly monster as the overseer, the one who had tried to cause him trouble and kill him several times after taking over from the Black Stone overseer.

This guy is still patrolling the area he's in charge of.

However, to Chen Yan's surprise, no one was working in the wooded area that belonged to Mu Wan's private property.

There were no slaves, nor was there any sign of the wooden bowl. Based on Chen Yan's understanding from his few days in this place, if the monsters in the village were wealthy, meaning they kept slaves at home, they would have the slaves cut down trees for work.

The poorer monsters, on the other hand, had to cut down trees themselves – before Mu Wan captured her, she had to cut down trees herself.

Chen Yan waited for several hours while perched on the tree, confirming one thing: no one had cut down the trees in the private area where the wooden bowl was kept.

He thought for a moment, then quietly climbed down from the tree, retreated into the depths of the forest, found a sheltered hillside, and curled up behind a hard mound of earth to rest and recuperate.

Chen Yan's heart is set on revenge, but he also has enough patience for the process of revenge!
·
After closing his eyes and entering a meditative state, Chen Yan rested for four or five hours.
Chen Yan opened his eyes when the chronograph watch hidden under his winter gloves vibrated slightly.

He listened intently for a while to make sure there was no danger around before taking out clean drinking water and high-calorie food from his backpack. He ate his fill with the cold water.

He also moved his hands and feet to get his legs, which had become a little numb after a long rest, moving them to improve blood circulation and restoring his overall dexterity to its best.

Chen Yan climbed up the strange tree again and lay on it to observe with his binoculars.

The slaves who had been working in the woods had all gone home; it was time to "finish work."

However, in the village, many houses still had kerosene lamps lit.

Chen Yan patiently waited on the tree until all the lanterns in the village went out, and he waited for another hour.

When the village was completely silent, even the few monsters that had once roamed the village, leading hunting beasts that looked like porcupines, patrolling around, eventually returned home, and the village seemed to fall into complete stillness...

Chen Yan then jumped down from the tree.

That night, Chen Yan did not enter the village.

He simply walked around the edge of the village twice in the woods, thoroughly familiarizing himself with the terrain and distribution of the surrounding forest...

Chen Yan also took out the paper and pen he had brought and drew out all the terrain he could measure before putting them away.

The terrain around the village is generally higher in the west and lower in the east, with the forests on the east side being more lush and the forests on the west side being sparser.

The stream at the entrance of the village flows down from the upper reaches to the west, and there should be some mountains at the end of the woods to the west, from which the stream should flow down.

There's also a road in the village that stretches into the forest—it's just a dirt road, without any signs of infrastructure. It's simply become a road from repeated use.

The road stretched deep into the western part of the forest, and Chen Yan had no idea where it led.

However, he went around to the west end of the village, found a hillside, and climbed a strange tree. This place was the highest point, and he could overlook the entire village.

Chen Yan carefully identified the layout of the buildings in the village.

In the southeast of the village, Chen Yan found the place he knew best—it should be Mu Wan's house.

But based on observations tonight, no lights are on in Muwan's house.

A little north of the village center, there is a cluster of two-story wooden houses, which are the largest buildings in the village. They also look more orderly.

Chen Yan guessed that it should be the residence of the leader monster.

Chen Yan's guess was confirmed the next morning.

He waited in the tree all night, and the next morning, he saw lights on in the two-story wooden building through his binoculars.

Then, the door on the first floor opened, and the leader monster, who was nearly three meters tall, walked out.

His tall but not bulky physique made him appear particularly fit.

Moreover, he didn't wear leather armor when he came out; instead, he was shirtless, revealing a well-built physique. Although his skin was still grayish-black, he exuded a sense of athleticism.

The leader monster's hair was loose—most monsters had sparse hair, even female monsters like the wooden bowl had very little hair on their heads.

The leader monster clearly has a lot of hair.

Chen Yan looked through his binoculars. After stepping out of the house, he stood in his own yard and stretched vigorously. Despite the cold air, he seemed completely unafraid of the severe cold.

He walked to the side, picked up a long knife, and began to chop and hack forcefully, as if he were training himself.

He practiced his swordplay, performing various slashing movements for a full half hour before the leader monster finally let out a long breath, exhaling hot white steam from his mouth, and then stuck his sword into the ground with his backhand.

Two female monsters emerged from the house, one on each side, and came to greet him, taking his fur cloak and draping it over his shoulders.

The monster leader laughed loudly and then went into the house.

Chen Yan silently watched all of this, then carefully observed the area around the leader monster's dwelling.

"Four...six...nine..."

Chen Yan counted silently.

The area around the leader monster's residence appears to be inhabited by some of the stronger monsters in the village, likely the most elite warriors of this beast tribe village.

Their houses are larger than those of other monsters, and they all have their own partners, with female monsters serving them.

Around the leader monster's dwelling, there were twelve monsters that looked elite and strong.

Chen Yan's criteria for judgment were based on the monsters' clothing and equipment.

The twelve monsters were not wearing fur coats, but leather armor—though the design was a bit rougher than the one worn by the leader monster.

Moreover, they all have weapons.

Four men carried spears, four carried hammers, three carried knives, and one carried a bow and arrow—the one with the bow and arrow also had a short sword tucked into his waistband.

In the entire village, only two monsters possess bows and arrows: besides the leader monster, there is only this archer.

This was valuable intelligence for Chen Yan, since the enemy only had two units capable of long-range attacks, which allowed Chen Yan to prepare many contingency plans in advance.

During the day, Chen Yan silently calculated the population of the village.

More than two hundred monsters have been observed in the village so far—70% of them are male.

But only about fifty of them are adults.

There are also more than sixty slaves in the village, all of whom are human.

Chen Yan discovered that the circumstances of these human slaves were all different.

In some wealthier monster families, slaves could live in a wooden hut that might be used as firewood.

In some poorer monster families, slaves would be chained outside the house after work in the evening and made to squat or sit outdoors.

Some wealthy monsters not only owned two wooden huts but also kept hunting beasts—those that looked a lot like porcupines. The slaves had no choice but to live with these beasts.

They didn't even eat as well as the prey they hunted.

Chen Yan was very wary of this kind of prey... This animal had an excellent sense of smell, and Chen Yan had experienced its power when he was fleeing.

The monsters had tracked down and searched the cave where he had last hidden, and if it weren't for Mu Wan letting him go, he might have been captured.

On this day, Chen Yan also observed something.

A convoy arrived at the village from the forest road on the west side of the woods.

Ahead of the caravan were several ferocious beast-like monsters on horseback—their horses were strange, more robust and taller than any horses Chen Yan had ever seen, and he didn't know what kind of exotic beast they were.

At the front of the group, several unchained and untethered hunting animals roamed in front of and to the sides of the group, acting as scouts.

A total of six horse-drawn carriages arrived in the village.

This convoy is here to buy timber.

After negotiating with the caravan, the leader monster traded two cartloads of timber for a cartload of supplies, and unloaded some food and various utensils.

The convoy only stayed in the village for a little over half a day before leaving.

As Chen Yan watched the convoy depart, he was also somewhat tempted and wanted to follow and see what the distant part of this realm was like.

But he quickly dismissed the idea.

He came for revenge.

Moreover, he has a very detailed plan.

After exchanging two cartloads of firewood obtained from felling strange trees in the forest for a full cartload of various supplies, the monster leader quickly summoned all the monsters in the village.

This action gave Chen Yan an opportunity to accurately observe the village's population. He reviewed his previous observation data again and made some corrections and additions to the details.

The number of able-bodied male monsters in the village has risen to sixty-two.

When assigning rooms, the leader monster chooses first, followed by the twelve elite warriors, and then the next level of monsters who are present.

The thinner and shorter someone is, the further down the sequence number they are.

Unfortunately, Chen Yan observed the entire village gathering for distributing supplies from beginning to end, but still did not find the wooden bowl.

On the third day, Chen Yan continued his observations on the hillside west of the village.

On this day, he focused his observations on the hunted animals.

After a full day of observation, Chen Yan grasped several characteristics of these hunting beasts.

This animal is fierce and runs very fast!

However, their downside is that they are short-tempered and may even bare their teeth at their owners—they have a large appetite and love to fight over food.

They would even secretly steal food from human slaves.

Chen Yan confirmed that this ferocious beast tribe's methods of taming and hunting animals were not sophisticated; they were rather crude and unsophisticated.

After the day ended and the night fell silent, Chen Yan left the village, bypassing it from a distance and heading east.

On the morning of the fourth day, Chen Yan returned to the cave where he had hidden during his escape.

On the way, he really wanted to go and see the place where Du Li died, but unfortunately, he couldn't find that place.

Du Li's body was either carried away by some wild beast in the forest, or it might have been found by the monster that had been chasing him, and then... fed to its prey.

There are wild animals in this strange forest, but Chen Yan has not encountered a single one.

He guessed that it might be because it was the "polar night" period, and with the extremely cold weather, wild animals had hidden themselves away or even gone into hibernation.

Wild animals in the forest will only resume their activity levels when the weather warms up each year.

After returning to the cave, Chen Yan moved some dry branches and other things nearby to block the cave entrance.

He stayed in the cave, ate some food and water, and then began to rest.

On the fifth day, Chen Yan did not leave the cave except to relieve himself.

The sixth day, the seventh day...

At some point on the seventh day, Chen Yan, who was meditating and resting, suddenly felt a strong sensation of falling.

He immediately opened his eyes, glanced quickly at the watch on his wrist, and then hugged his backpack to his chest.

The next instant, everything went black before his eyes.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his training room.

Chen Yan sat quietly on the floor of the training room. After a full ten seconds, he finally let go of the backpack in his arms.

He stood up, and a smile gradually appeared on his face.

Yes, seven days.

So... the teleportation mechanism works like this: it will automatically send you back after seven days!

Great, I think I've figured out the teleportation mechanism.

Moreover, I gained a lot this time!

·
(End of this chapter)