The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Seeing Ao Shuang's expression, Wang Zhenhuan immediately realized that the contents recorded on the bamboo slip were not simple. He and Ao Shuang carefully examined the bamboo slip, and soon he figured out some clues.

Although the bamboo slips have one name, they are actually divided into two parts: the Secret Essentials of Zhou Tian and the Orthodox Method of Five Thunders. As the name suggests, the Secret Essentials of Zhou Tian consists of magical techniques passed down from ancient times.

These spells were all-encompassing, and many were things even Wang Zhen had never heard of. The first page contained a warning: "The Way of Heaven is formless, Yin and Yang are in balance."

This means that although the Way of Heaven is formless, it maintains a balance of Yin and Yang. The greater the power of a spell, the greater the price to pay. Therefore, one should think carefully before casting a spell.

The characters on the bamboo slips were only the size of a grain of rice, and Wang Zhenhuan found them quite difficult to read. But even so, he never put the bamboo slips down. When he got tired of standing, he simply sat down on the ground and read them with complete absorption.

Seeing this, Ao Shuang didn't disturb him and quietly withdrew. Wang Zhenhuan, however, was completely absorbed in the world of magic and knew nothing of it. The contents recorded on the bamboo slips were something he had always longed for but had never experienced.

Taoism believes that all things in the world are generated from the two energies of Yin and Yang. Therefore, magic is also based on the theory of Yin and Yang and can be roughly divided into two categories: those that act on things belonging to Yang and those that act on things belonging to Yin.

The essence of magic is to borrow the spiritual energy between heaven and earth through talismans, mantras, and hand gestures, and to achieve the desired result by changing the balance of yin and yang.

Wang Zhenhuan previously thought that magic was only used to catch ghosts. This understanding was correct, but not entirely. Magic can indeed be used to catch ghosts, but it is far more than that.

Not only can it catch ghosts, but it can also subdue demons and monsters. The book contains clear records and detailed descriptions of demons and monsters. The so-called demons are extraordinary beings with supernatural powers, and are generally referred to as monsters in folklore.

However, demons and monsters are actually two different things. Monsters are born with intelligence and can cultivate from a young age, which is why they can be called monsters. They are fundamentally different from demons. Generally, monsters are some kind of primordial, exotic species.

"Jing" is a general term for plants, rocks, and other things that have awakened and taken form. Records about demons are scarce. The book refers to them as yin beings belonging to yang.

What is a yang-attributed yin-thing? This sounds contradictory. But the first thing Wang Zhenhuan thought of was a zombie. Isn't a zombie a yang-attributed yin-thing? It has a physical body, but it is a yin-attributed thing.

Wang Zhenhuan read with great eagerness; no one had ever told him these things before. The contents of the book seemed to open a completely new door for him, and behind that door lay the truth of the world!

The uses of magic go far beyond simply catching ghosts and exorcising demons; if one word could describe it, it would be all-encompassing. The book records all these magical arts in detail.

For example, it can have effects on oneself such as prolonging life, strengthening the body, harming enemies and protecting oneself, and the Five Elements escape techniques. It can also have effects on the surrounding environment such as summoning wind and rain, and controlling thunder and lightning.

Of all these, Wang Zhenhuan was most interested in the method of turning beans into soldiers. The book recorded that the method of turning beans into soldiers did not use ordinary soybeans, but rather refined spirit beans.

The essence of "scattering beans to create soldiers" is not, as people imagine, turning soybeans or millet into divine soldiers. Rather, it uses these refined spiritual beans as a medium, allowing each bean to carry a trace of the caster's spiritual energy.

After drawing the talisman and performing the ritual, the spirit soldiers of the underworld are summoned to appear in the mortal realm using this spirit bean as a vessel. The book records that spirits of the underworld love to eat tofu, and tofu is a product of processed beans.

Natural elements cannot contain spiritual energy, so they can only resort to using soybeans or millet. Therefore, in essence, this method of turning beans into soldiers is a Yin-type magic.

However, Wang Zhenhuan only looked at it, because in order to attach spiritual energy to the beans, the spiritual energy must first leave the body. And only a True Person of Purple Qi could do the task of leaving the body to transfer spiritual energy.

Knowing what spells exist is only one aspect; it's also necessary to know which spell to use in which situation. Therefore, having explained the classification of spells, the book then records their uses.

Magic can be broadly categorized into two uses: perception and manipulation of yin and yang. For example, ordinary people generally cannot see ghosts or spirits, but Taoist priests can.

By suppressing one's own yang energy, one can see ghosts. Or, if someone is disguised, ordinary people generally cannot see through the disguise, but Taoists can use magic to see the true face under the disguised person's mask.

Such spells can be called techniques of perception and discernment. As for spells that transform yin and yang, as the name suggests, they achieve the desired result for the Taoist by changing the yin and yang attributes of things.

Highly powerful spells, those that alter the environment, fall into this category. These spells are primarily used in combat or against enemies, and generally have many limitations. If used incorrectly, they can cause a backlash of spiritual energy, or even shorten one's lifespan.

Like the Daoist Xuan Yangzi before, who, in his quest for the true scriptures, did not hesitate to control heavenly lightning, leveling the entire mountain to the ground. All the plants, trees, and beasts on the mountain died in vain, causing him to lose a great deal of his lifespan.

Not only did his hair turn white overnight, but he also lost his sight completely. The meaning behind this is self-evident. It must be Heaven's punishment for his blindness and his indiscriminate harming of the innocent. Therefore, Wang Zhenzhen no longer felt his previous joy.

On the contrary, the more he read, the heavier his mood became. Just like the opening words of this bamboo scroll: Heaven's way is formless, Yin and Yang are in balance. The more domineering the spell, the more severe the consequences of using it incorrectly.

However, in a moment of reflection, he gradually came to understand. Everything in the world is subject to constraints, whether it be humans or birds and beasts. Humans are governed by morality and ethics, and by the laws of the court, while animals are checked by their natural enemies.

Only in this way can yin and yang be balanced, and the same applies to magic. If there were no constraints or restrictions, and everyone who learned it released it at will, wouldn't the entire mortal world be in chaos?

Of course, the limitations of magic are not limited to this. Although the magic recorded in the Zhou Tian Secret Manual is diverse, it is extremely profound. Every single one of them is a commonly used method, and there are very few obscure magic spells.

Wang Zhen carefully counted them, and found nearly five hundred different methods, ranging from stopping a baby's crying to summoning wind and rain. Some even consisted of only a single finger gesture, clearly recorded in just a few words.

Moreover, not every Taoist priest can use these spells simply by reading them. Limited by the priest's ordination level, the power and number of spells are gradually increasing.

Wang Zhenhuan put down the bamboo slips and sighed with a wry smile. He now possessed a treasure trove, yet lacked the means to use it. This was because, although he possessed spiritual energy, he had not yet been ordained.

These spells are profound, but he can only use a few of them. It seems we still need to find a way to ordain him, so that he can be considered legitimate.

Just as he was sighing, a thin piece of copper paper suddenly slipped out of the bamboo slip!