Chapter 93

"Your Majesty, I apologize. I know too little about the Daoist lineage, and my abilities in mystic arts are limited. I cannot compare to Lady Xi. Moreover, my situation is probably more related to the extraordinary encounters of my youth. The spiritual medicine I accidentally consumed back then seems to have significantly enhanced the vitality within my body. Only later did I discover that the talismans drawn by combining this vitality with the energy of the sky have such effects."

Yu Ji said with some shame. Compared to Lady Xi, he was much older and had more extraordinary encounters, yet he could not match Yao's achievements.

In the past, Yu Ji had been somewhat proud. Now, after witnessing Yao's abilities, his pride had vanished, and he had gained a newfound respect for this woman he once dismissed. As a fellow practitioner, he understood how difficult it was for Lady Xi to achieve such capabilities.

Yu Ji was a practitioner who had benefited from extraordinary encounters. In his youth, he had mistakenly entered a deep mountain, not only obtaining some Daoist teachings but also consuming a spiritual medicine that benefited him immensely. Without that spiritual medicine, the Daoist teachings alone might not have given him the abilities he has today.

"Both Lady Xi and Daoist Yu, I've been curious about something since just now. Where do talismans come from? Without talismans, can you still use those mystic arts?" Zhao Yun asked at this point.

Hearing this question, Zhang Hao was immediately startled. Indeed, he had forgotten about this. Perhaps it was the impression left by movies and novels he had seen that made him accept the existence of talismans as a matter of course.

"Talismans are the profound insights gained by Daoist masters in their meditations." Yao pondered for a moment, as if these explanations were somewhat complicated.

"Let me put it this way. Mystic arts were discovered by Daoists unexpectedly while exploring guiding techniques. Through these arts, Daoists discovered talismans. More accurately, they are runes, the patterns depicted on talismans. Initially, there were no talismans. However, some senior practitioners in the past noticed that the fluctuations of their inner energy were very special when using mystic arts. Recording these fluctuations led to the creation of the first runes. The predecessors believed that these runes, generated by the fluctuations of inner energy, had special meanings, and began to study and use them. Later, they found that when drawn on objects, these runes could produce effects similar to mystic arts.

The predecessors believed that runes were related to the mysteries of heaven and earth, so they had special effects. After many experiments, they found that paper was more effective, and cinnabar could enhance the power of the runes. From then on, a more complete form of talismans was established.

Drawing talismans is not easy, and their effects vary. Some can be triggered by ordinary people using their blood, while others require practitioners to use them.

It's not that one cannot use mystic arts without talismans; it's just that using talismans can enhance their power and reduce one's own consumption.

It depends on the specific situation. For example, the Wind Summoning Spell, which I am not good at, cannot be used without a talisman. However, the Speed Talisman can be used without one."

Yao's explanation was somewhat detailed, but Zhang Hao and the others listened attentively and roughly understood the origin and effects of talismans.

"Indeed, as Lady Xi said. The Daoist teachings I obtained by chance also included the tradition of talismans, but unfortunately, I can draw them but cannot make them effective. My Green Essence Talisman, on the other hand, was created when I discovered the special nature of my inner energy in my youth and accidentally comprehended the runes."

Yu Ji added. Zhang Hao nodded, realizing that the runes were the key. These runes seemed to have the ability to invoke different attributes of the elements, similar to what some novels described. However, it appeared that learning runes was not easy.

Thinking of attributes, he recalled that Lady Xi had also mentioned them earlier.

Zhang Hao looked at Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing, remembering that traditional Chinese medicine had a similar theory of attributes, such as the Five Elements theory of the human body's organs.

Could the mystic arts developed by Daoist guiding techniques be related to this?

At this point, Zhang Hao also thought about the refinement of his body during his enthronement ceremony. Thanks to the benefits of the Temporal Gate, he had entered a state where his inner energy was like flames, and the color of his inner energy had been changing, which might be related to attributes.

He believed that the human body was a vast treasure trove of wondrous abilities, but people simply lacked the ability to harness them.

After discussing this, they confirmed this point. Although Daoist guiding techniques had not yet reached the level of internal observation, they had a sufficient understanding of the body. For example, Yu Ji's liver was much more robust than that of ordinary people.

Although his other organs were also powerful due to the spiritual medicine, his liver had improved the most.

Lady Yao's situation was somewhat similar, but there were areas she had not mastered, such as the brain. Her illusions were created by using guiding techniques to stimulate brain functions.

Listening to the various discussions, Zhang Hao's eyes narrowed slightly. In this world and era, Daoism was just beginning to sprout. Although they currently had no ability to resist armies, if they developed further, they might evolve to the level of immortals.

Of course, that would likely take a long time. Now, Zhang Hao intended to give it a push.

Moreover, compared to inner energy, Daoist guiding techniques were not without their flaws. Zhang Hao wanted to know if there was a way to combine the two.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Hao immediately began to recruit Lady Yao and Yu Ji.

Since they had appeared here and actively demonstrated their abilities to Zhang Hao, it was clear they had intentions of joining him.

As the ruler of the world, Zhang Hao's commands were absolute. Moreover, under Zhang Hao, they could gain many benefits. Zhang Hao could collect many rare books and herbs that they had never seen before, and recruit many talented individuals for joint research. These advantages were irresistible to those who wished to advance further.

Furthermore, Zhang Hao was a legendary celestial being with even more incredible abilities.

Moreover, Yu Ji was a solitary individual with no worries, but Lady Yao was different. The Celestial Master Dao had been passed down for three generations, and she could not ignore her family. Therefore, she could not refuse Zhang Hao's requests.

Thus, under Zhang Hao's command, a Heavenly Dao Academy was established to recruit various talented individuals and develop the potential of the human body.

This was not an easy task, especially when it involved the human body. The human body is a complex machine, and even a small mistake could cause it to collapse. The Celestial Master Dao had many records of such incidents, including the death of Lady Yao's husband due to a training mishap.

But as an emperor, did Zhang Hao care about these things? Although it might seem cold and selfish, Zhang Hao's nature was developing in this direction. He only reminded the key figures in the Heavenly Dao Academy, such as Lady Yao, to be cautious.

In the imperial training ground, Zhang Hao moved with varying speeds, his face filled with a strange expression.

For the past ten days, he had been practicing the guiding techniques of the Celestial Master Dao under Lady Yao's personal guidance. He was very curious about their mystic arts and wanted to experience them firsthand.

Zhang Hao had a natural talent for guiding techniques. After taking control of this world, the refinement of his body by the Temporal Gate further enhanced his talent.

Thus, in a short time, Zhang Hao had already mastered the basics. This was also related to his current top-tier inner energy cultivation.

Although the inner energy of ordinary warriors and the inner energy cultivated by Daoist guiding techniques came from the same source, they had significant differences.

However, Zhang Hao, perhaps due to the refinement by the Temporal Gate, could transform his inner energy, which was one of the reasons he had mastered the basics so quickly.

Walking on the ground, he felt a strange energy emanating from his feet. This energy was different from the elemental energy absorbed through guiding techniques, as it could not be integrated into the body but had significant effects, such as replacing physical strength and, more astonishingly, reducing gravity.

With gravity reduced, movement became much easier and faster.

Zhang Hao found this effect very intriguing. In martial arts, lightness techniques seemed to have similar effects, but they were created by the inner strength cultivated through practice, which was similar to the effects of Daoist guiding techniques but had a different origin.

"Your Majesty's talent is unparalleled in this era!"

Seeing Zhang Hao return, Lady Yao sincerely praised him. She had not expected him to achieve such a level in such a short time.

She was even more surprised by the extraordinary nature of Zhang Hao's inner energy. Could this be the talent of a celestial being?

"Thank you for your guidance, Lady. Otherwise, I would not have progressed so smoothly." Zhang Hao smiled.

After spending so much time together, they had become more familiar with each other.

"Speaking of which, I, as a celestial being, do not remember any cultivation techniques. I have to find ways to cultivate on my own."

Zhang Hao sighed, "However, I believe that in the future, when exploring other worlds, we might encounter worlds with cultivators. Then we can obtain some cultivation methods and avoid the life-threatening risks of self-exploration."

For Yao and Yu Ji, Zhang Hao used the same explanation he had given to Huang Zhong and others. After witnessing the power of the Temporal Gate to traverse time and space, Yao and Yu Ji were deeply convinced and quite excited.

Hearing Zhang Hao's sigh, Yao felt a sense of longing.

She cared about the development of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect and her family. But deep down, her dedication to Daoist cultivation was perhaps an even greater pursuit she could not forget.

Zhang Hao did not say more but turned to discussing the cultivation of Daoist guiding techniques with Yao. He wanted to know what achievements the practitioners of the Celestial Master Dao had recorded in the past. Now that they could reduce gravity, could they also utilize gravity? What other mystic arts were recorded?

Yao did not hide her illusions from Zhang Hao, and he also made some progress in this area.

He discovered that this was similar to using mental energy to create illusions in the other person's brain, altering the information transmitted by the eyes. It was very intriguing, but it did not have the ability to control the other person like hypnosis.

After all, Daoism was still in its early stages, and it was unrealistic to expect too much.

Naturally, Yao did not hide anything from Zhang Hao and began to recount the legends recorded by the Celestial Master Dao.

As they were discussing, a woman's voice, filled with excitement and anger, suddenly came from a distance.