Chapter 18

To charge or not to charge?

After calming down, Lin Xun kept pondering this question. Everything to him was unknown.

He was unsure of the risks hidden in the first level of the Green Cloud Great Path, known as the "Spirit Refinement." If he failed to pass, what consequences would he face?

However, he was very clear that if he could pass, he would obtain the "Little Nether God Technique" and take a step closer to the blood-red gate at the end of the Green Cloud Great Path, the "Heaven-Connecting Gate."

Should he charge or not?

At this moment, no one could tell Lin Xun what to do; he had to make the decision himself.

Wait!

Lin Xun suddenly remembered that if there was no one here, where did the voice just now come from?

"May I ask, Senior, if I wish to charge this level, what preparations do I need to make?"

Lin Xun suddenly raised his head, bowing respectfully to the surroundings. Although he didn't know who the owner of the voice was, he knew that lowering his stance to ask was the best attitude.

However, after waiting for a long time, no one responded. Only the light curtain in front of him continued to float quietly, emitting a gentle glow.

"It seems I can only make the decision myself."

Lin Xun sighed inwardly, but his eyes showed a determined look. He was never a person who hesitated or wavered.

Since the opportunity was right in front of him, if he didn't try, he would never be content!

"Charge!"

Lin Xun uttered a single word.

It was like a signal. As soon as the sound was emitted, that clear and cold voice sounded again: "The challenge begins. Grasp and master the [Flowing Light Spirit Pattern], and you will pass the challenge."

Flowing Light Spirit Pattern?

It was actually a test of his ability to engrave spirit patterns?

Just as Lin Xun was puzzled, the light curtain in front of him suddenly rippled, as if awakening from a dormant state.

Then Lin Xun saw a complex, intricate, and obscure spirit pattern appear in the light curtain. Each spirit pattern was like dancing light, swirling and flowing, dazzling to the eye.

Lin Xun's gaze was immediately drawn, and he couldn't help but step forward, focusing intently.

Since he was very young, Lin Xun had been with Mr. Lu, and through constant exposure, he had become extremely familiar with the art of spirit patterns.

Spirit patterns, also known as spirit pattern diagrams, each type can exert different effects and powers.

Depending on their power, spirit patterns are divided into basic spirit patterns and advanced spirit patterns.

Basic spirit patterns are single spirit pattern diagrams, such as the Crimson Fire Spirit Pattern, Green Wood Spirit Pattern, and Metal Spirit Pattern.

Advanced spirit patterns, also called spirit pattern arrays, are combinations of different basic spirit patterns.

Generally, spirit pattern apprentices and spirit pattern masters refer to basic spirit patterns and advanced spirit patterns as "spirit pattern diagrams" and "spirit pattern arrays."

This naming convention is also related to the ranking of spirit pattern apprentices and spirit pattern masters.

In the cultivation world, those who can proficiently master thirty-six basic spirit pattern diagrams are called初级 spirit pattern apprentices, those who master seventy-two are called intermediate spirit pattern apprentices, and those who master one hundred and eight are called advanced spirit pattern apprentices.

Those who can independently complete a "spirit pattern array" are called qualified "spirit pattern masters."

Of course, Lin Xun was not familiar with these titles, but he knew the various basic spirit patterns like the back of his hand.

During the years he spent with Mr. Lu, Lin Xun's daily life was almost inseparable from learning and engraving spirit patterns. Now, the spirit pattern diagrams he had mastered numbered in the thousands!

However, these were all basic spirit patterns. With his current cultivation, Lin Xun could only engrave basic spirit patterns.

Even so, if other spirit pattern masters in the cultivation world knew that Lin Xun, at just thirteen years old, had mastered thousands of basic spirit patterns, they would be utterly astonished.

After all, mastering one hundred and eight basic spirit patterns was enough to be called an "advanced spirit pattern apprentice."

By comparison, it was clear that Lin Xun had extraordinary achievements in the field of basic spirit patterns.

Unfortunately, Mr. Lu never told Lin Xun about these titles, and every time Lin Xun asked about it, he would be denied by Mr. Lu.

However, no matter how much Lin Xun thought, he had never heard of a "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" among the basic spirit patterns in the world!

Indeed, Lin Xun immediately recognized that the pattern on the light curtain was a basic spirit pattern, not a spirit pattern array.

However, in his memory, he had never heard of the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern," and Mr. Lu had never mentioned it either.

Of course, Lin Xun also knew that the number of basic spirit patterns was vast, countless, and just because he didn't know them didn't mean they didn't exist.

Gathering his thoughts, seeing that the first level of the Green Cloud Great Path was just a basic spirit pattern, Lin Xun's heart was immediately lifted.

He wasn't good at many things, but he was very confident in the field of spirit patterns, especially when it came to comprehending and mastering a basic spirit pattern, which was not a challenge for him.

Without hesitation, Lin Xun began to focus on comprehending it.

When he truly started to comprehend it, Lin Xun realized he was wrong, and how wrong he was!

In his field of vision, the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" was like countless dancing lights, tracing different trajectories in a continuous loop.

Each trajectory was so profound, but when countless trajectories intersected and overlapped, constantly moving, it was no longer just profound, but complex, intricate, and obscure!

Just a glance was enough to make one's eyes dazzled, unable to discern the details. Looking for too long could even make one feel agitated and almost want to vomit blood.

Although his body was slender, Lin Xun's consciousness was always strong and resilient, a necessary quality for a spirit pattern apprentice.

Without a strong soul, it was difficult to comprehend and master spirit pattern diagrams.

Therefore, not everyone in the cultivation world had the qualifications to become a spirit pattern master, which was one of the main reasons why spirit pattern masters were so scarce.

However, facing this "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern," even Lin Xun felt his head throb and his mind strain after looking for too long.

This made Lin Xun realize that he had underestimated this "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" too much.

This spirit pattern, although a basic one, was extremely unique and different from any basic spirit pattern he had mastered before.

In the past, the patterns and trajectories of basic spirit patterns were all traceable. Apart from being complex, they were not difficult to understand.

Most importantly, all basic spirit patterns were static!

This was common knowledge because each basic spirit pattern had unique and fixed patterns and trajectories. If the patterns and trajectories were off or incorrect during engraving, it would be considered a failure, and no power would be generated.

It was like writing on paper; each character represented a different meaning. If the strokes were wrong, it would be a wrong character, and it would be meaningless.

However, the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" before him broke Lin Xun's fixed thinking. He realized for the first time that static spirit pattern diagrams could actually "move"!

But since the patterns and trajectories of this "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" were moving and changing, how could he engrave it?

After all, once engraved, the patterns and trajectories would be fixed!

The more Lin Xun thought, the more shocked he became, and the more he felt that this "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" was extraordinary. If his guess was correct, there might not be a single basic spirit pattern in the current cultivation world that could compare to it.

It was too unique, breaking the fixed routine of engraving spirit patterns and pioneering an unprecedented new school!

Was this still considered a spirit pattern diagram?

Lin Xun frowned and thought for a long time, but he couldn't come to a conclusion.

He stopped thinking and focused on studying.

Time passed unnoticed. Lin Xun's head became increasingly swollen and heavy, and his thoughts were almost unbearable.

His eyes and mind were filled with the intricate, obscure, and chaotic trajectories of the spirit patterns.

In a daze, Lin Xun seemed to see countless lights streaking across the night sky, some dim, some bright, some long like silk, some short like feathers...

But no matter what kind of light, they all moved extremely fast, like fleeting fireworks, disappearing in an instant.

Vaguely, Lin Xun felt he had grasped something. Subconsciously, he raised his finger and lightly traced on the light curtain.

Buzz~

His fingertip, like a spirit brush, lightly drew a graceful and delicate trace on the light curtain, which immediately began to dance.

As Lin Xun's fingertip continued to trace, more and more trajectories appeared, all graceful and lively, dancing on the light curtain.

Soon, an astonishing scene occurred. The other spirit pattern trajectories dancing on the light curtain, as if drawn by something, gathered around the trajectory Lin Xun had traced, like fish finding their leader, moving together.

A faint smile appeared on the corner of Lin Xun's lips. Indeed, it was as he thought!

His fingertip continued to move, and the spirit pattern trajectories on the light curtain increased. Eventually, when the light curtain seemed unable to bear so many trajectories, Lin Xun, inspired, suddenly paused his tracing.

Buzz!

A strange hum sounded, and countless spirit pattern trajectories on the light curtain began to gather and merge...

Finally, they all merged into the trajectory under Lin Xun's fingertip.

Boom!

Immediately, the entire light curtain turned into a rain of light and disappeared.

At this moment, Lin Xun withdrew his fingertip, and in his mind, he had mastered all the secrets of the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern."

The secret was that the "Flowing Light Spirit Pattern" was not a basic spirit pattern but a cultivation technique!

However, someone had used the method of spirit patterns to completely integrate the secrets of the cultivation technique into the patterns and trajectories of each spirit pattern!

The name of this cultivation technique was—[Little Nether God Technique]!

Lin Xun murmured, "It seems it should be called a '传承 spirit pattern.' I wonder who could create a completely new spirit pattern just to pass on a cultivation technique. Such a feat is truly incredible..."

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ps: Chen Xi's path in the Dao of Talismans and Lin Xun's path in the art of spirit patterns are destined to be completely different. Stay tuned.