I forge immortality with spiritual treasures.

Chapter 22 Divine Runes and Restrictions

Ying Chan was somewhat surprised.

The question asked by Master Yu was not about the Daoist scriptures and treatises, but rather about some obstacles and confusions that arise during cultivation.

This is not something that can be easily resolved by simply saying "stay true to yourself."

When encountering many obstacles and illusions, if one simply ignores them, one is more likely to sink deeper and deeper. At worst, one may lose the ability to distinguish right from wrong, thinking that one is holding firm to oneself, but in fact, one has already dissipated one's cultivation.

Therefore, when encountering obstacles, one should not only remain calm but also be responsive.

Taoist scriptures and techniques contain various corresponding methods for resolving these issues.

"When practicing the method of discerning falsehoods, one should introspect with wisdom, look inward to the inner elixir (the crown of the head), first eliminate false thoughts, then dispel illusions..."

"If one's mind wanders, one will see demons dancing wildly."

"When you contemplate the Heavenly Venerable, divine light will appear above your head, and the chaotic demons will collapse on their own..."

"If you encounter a dreamlike scene where the body is decaying and the bones are exposed..."

He answered each question fluently and thoroughly.

Upon seeing this, Professor Yu nodded secretly. After asking the last question, he said, "You have a solid foundation and are diligent and courageous in your studies. You deserve to take the exam."

As they spoke, they pointed again and wrote a few strokes in the air: "Good comprehension, good character, worthy of a good exam."

Although both "good exam" and "excellent exam" are good exams, they should not be confused.

Those who pass the final examination are judged solely on the disciple's progress in Taoist practices and cultivation. Ying Chan, having entered the Taoist academy less than a year ago, was able to open the nine orifices, so it was foreseeable that he would pass the final examination.

A good exam is the teacher's praise for the student; it depends solely on whether the teacher appreciates the student.

Ying Chan was pleasantly surprised to receive such a good result and quickly said, "Thank you, Academician."

"Go ahead." Academician Yu waved his hand and turned to go into the back of the hall.

Ying Chan bowed again before leaving the hall and returning home.

Soon, they returned to the Taoist priest's place, where the young Taoist was still there, looking at Ying Chan with great surprise.

Ying Chan smiled slightly, stepped forward, and bowed: "Senior brother, young disciple, is it time for the assessment?"

“That’s natural,” the Taoist priest said. “Those who pass the exam will receive ten merits, and those who pass the exam with good grades will receive five merits. These have already been recorded for you, junior brother.”

As he spoke, he returned Ying Chan's wooden talisman and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, saying, "Congratulations, Junior Brother, on passing the exam with flying colors."

"Thank you, senior brother."

Ying Chan accepted the gift, returned the greeting, then bid farewell to the two men and turned to leave through the gate.

After leaving the Capital Examination Hall, Ying Chan headed straight for the Cloud Pavilion.

In the past few months, besides cultivating, he has spent a lot of time in the Cloud Pavilion, and has long coveted many Taoist books.

However, since he entered the Taoist academy, he has never taken on any duties in the Ministry of State Affairs, and therefore has no Taoist cultivation whatsoever.

Now that he has received an award from the Examination Institute, he can hardly contain himself.

Ying Chan walked swiftly and rushed into the Yunji Pavilion, then climbed the stairs step by step until he arrived at the wall of books on artifacts.

He didn't even need to look through the roster; he could just bring a ladder and climb up.

Soon, he had two large books in his hands: one titled "Detailed Explanation of Divine Runes" and the other titled "The Dao of Artifacts and Restrictions".

Divine runes and restrictions are the foundation of magical artifacts, and Ying Chan had long wanted to study them in depth, so he spent a long time choosing these two.

With the acquisition of "Detailed Explanation of Divine Runes" and "Restrictions on the Way of Weapons," his journey could be considered half complete.

Afterwards, Ying Chan wandered around the Yunji Pavilion several times before finally taking out a copy of "A Collection of Forty-Nine Methods of Spiritual Response".

This is a compilation of forty-nine magical arts, including the Five Elements, Yin and Yang, wind summoning, rain praying, spirit writing, traditional Chinese medicine, object manipulation, teleportation, illusion, and curse spells. Although they are all minor arts, they are undoubtedly just what Ying Chan needs.

These three books, each thicker than the last, were held in his arms and stacked up to be higher than his chest.

Ying Chan thought that these books were enough for him to study for a while, so he did not look for any other books.

Carrying the book back to the first floor, he found the only Taoist priest on duty to register, and immediately lost three points of the fifteen merits he had just received.

However, a little bit of Taoist skill can be exchanged for the right to freely browse and copy a Taoist book, which is a very worthwhile deal.

Ying Chan excitedly carried his books and found an empty spot to sit down.

Seeing how thick these books were, copying them would be a time-consuming task, so he wasn't in a hurry and first opened "Detailed Explanation of Divine Runes".

Unexpectedly, once I started looking, I became completely engrossed.

It wasn't until a faint bell sound pierced through the wall of books and reached his ears that Ying Chan finally realized what was happening.

It had fallen silent.

Fortunately, Yunji Pavilion does not close its doors after it becomes quiet.

Although it was no longer possible to register or borrow new Taoist books after the Taoist priest on duty left, the lights remained on, tacitly allowing disciples to study there.

Ying Chan was engrossed in his reading when, after a moment's thought, he decided to light a candle and read some more, burying himself in the book once more.

"Divine runes, restrictions... I see..."

The so-called divine patterns include dragon patterns, phoenix patterns, thunder patterns, mysterious patterns, jade talismans, etc. Some are passed down by ancient gods, some are created by powerful cultivators who comprehend the universe and imitate its creation, and some, like cloud seal script, originated from the true seal script of Taoism.

Without exception, these divine runes all contain unimaginable power.

Divine runes are inscribed inside and outside the ritual implements, which can then give rise to various supernatural abilities, such as changing size at will, controlling weight at will, suppressing mountains and stabilizing seas, and stirring up wind and thunder...

Such applications are endless.

Ying Chan had never learned how to forge magical artifacts, yet he was able to create a powerful bow comparable to one. This was because when he was studying the Qiankun Bow, he learned some of the essence of the divine runes on it.

He then inscribed these insights onto the bow, which gave it unfathomable power.

However, although Ying Chan was very clear about how he made the bow in the past, he ultimately knew how but not why.

Only after reading "A Detailed Explanation of Divine Runes" today did I feel as if the clouds had parted and the sun was shining through, and everything became clear.

As for prohibition, that's a different concept altogether.

The essence of a restriction is actually to imbue an external object with the magic of a cultivator.

For example, if a restriction that "separates the inside from the outside" is placed on a door or window, simply opening the restriction will naturally isolate the inside from the outside. Unless it is forcibly broken, not only will it be difficult for people to enter or leave, but even the slightest movement will be difficult to pass through the door or window.

Of course, if one's cultivation level is high enough and one is extremely proficient in magic, one can bypass the restriction, but that would be no different from breaking the restriction.

It is not difficult to infer from this that the significance of the restrictions on the art of weapon crafting is to endow the objects with 'magic'.

It can also be said that the name "ritual implement" originated from this.

Of course, with the development of the art of artifacts, the restrictions on magical artifacts have undergone countless evolutions and are now quite different from ordinary magical restrictions, so there is no need to elaborate further.

Ying Chan repeatedly studied "Detailed Explanation of Divine Runes" and "Restrictions on Weaponry," and his understanding of weapon crafting gradually became clearer.

Suddenly, another faint chime came from the sky.

Ying Chan then realized with a start that it had been all night.

He didn't feel tired, but after glancing at the three Taoist books, his eyelids started to twitch.

It seems this whole day will be spent copying and transcribing books...

(End of this chapter)