Chapter 7

Leaning against a wooden barrel over a meter high and two meters in diameter, Tang Chuyang scrubbed the black impurities from his body while pondering matters of cultivation.

To form a contract with a Guardian Deity, one must reach the third realm of the One Essence Boundary, the Nourishing Spirit Period!

The Nourishing Spirit Period is the process of converting Essence Spirit power into Essence Spirit faith. Once a cultivator accumulates enough Essence Spirit faith to satisfy a Celestial Soldier, they can leave their body in spirit form to tour the Upper Realms. When a Celestial Soldier is moved by the Essence Spirit faith offered by the cultivator, they will reveal their true form to the cultivator.

At this point, the cultivator needs to remember the appearance of the Celestial Soldier. After the Essence Spirit returns to the body, the cultivator can draw and condense the image of the Celestial Soldier on the corresponding attribute deity seal. The more realistic the image, the higher the success rate of the contract, and the more Essence Spirit of the Guardian Deity can be summoned in the future, making the Guardian Deity stronger.

Last night, after a heartfelt conversation with his second sister Tang Chulan, Tang Chuyang received some very exciting information. According to his second sister, not all cultivators on the Five Elements Continent need to tour the Upper Realms to form a contract with a Guardian Deity. In some ancient families and major sects with long traditions, there is a special item called a 'Deity Statue.'

These Deity Statues are carved by cultivators of the Five Elements Continent who have reached the Celestial Rank using their Essence Spirit power. They are usually their own contracted Guardian Deities, so they are carved very realistically, almost identical to the true form of the Guardian Deity. Their descendants can directly form a contract with their Guardian Deity using these 'Deity Statues' without the need to tour the Upper Realms and take the risk.

Of course, the prerequisite is that they can offer enough Essence Spirit faith. Guardian Deities are not benevolent beings who will lend their Essence Spirit to mortals for free, even a negligible thread of Essence Spirit.

Such a special item, similar to a tradition, is not something a small family like the Tang family can possess. However, Tang Chuyang's memory told him that although the Tang family did not have a Deity Statue, they had a 'Marching Army Map' of the Heavenly Emperor lineage!

The Marching Army Map is the Tang family's clan treasure, featuring hundreds of Celestial Soldiers and three Celestial Generals, all depicted in exquisite detail. It was created by the first patriarch of the Tang family, who personally collected various materials and drew the 'Hundred Soldiers Map' of the Heavenly Emperor lineage. All direct descendants of the Tang family who do not wish to take the risk of touring the Upper Realms generally use the 'Marching Army Map' to draw and condense their Guardian Deity.

The status of painters on the Five Elements Continent is extremely revered. Unlike painters on Earth who only draw two-dimensional or three-dimensional pictures, painters on the Five Elements Continent are known as 'Spirit Painters.' They are cultivators themselves and can not only summon their own Guardian Deities but also draw Guardian Deities on special spirit paper or demon beast skin, refining them into 'Summoning Maps.' With these, they can summon Guardian Deities to battle without any consumption, simply by reciting incantations!

The most urgent thing Tang Chuyang wanted to do now was to see the Tang family's Marching Army Map with his own eyes and learn all the information about the Heavenly Emperor lineage, to see if the Heavenly Realm of the Five Elements Continent is the same as the 'Heavenly Court' he was familiar with on Earth!

If he could confirm this information, with the various Daoist classics he studied for over a decade on Earth, he could not only draw the images of Celestial Soldiers and Celestial Generals but even the image of Hongjun lecturing!

Thinking about this, Tang Chuyang became even more eager. "Damn, Celestial Soldiers are just a bunch of trash. If I draw the images of Yang Jian, Nezha, and Sun Wukong, I could scare them to death!"

"After taking a bath, Tang Chuyang put on the clothes placed beside him. The clothing on the Five Elements Continent is very unique, combining elements of Tang and Ming dynasty attire from Chinese history. The colors are distinct and bright, and the men's clothing, in addition to formal wear, includes a layer of gauze-like outerwear, giving a fresh and elegant appearance.

Tang Chuyang's outfit was a moon-white base with light blue wide stripes, adorned with golden embroidery, forming a blue and white one-piece long robe. Around his waist, he wore a three-finger-wide, gold-embroidered, jade-encrusted purple sash, and over it, a semi-transparent light purple gauze outerwear. He looked like a fine young gentleman!

"Little brother, are you done? I'm coming in!"

At this moment, his second sister Tang Chulan's crisp voice came from outside the door. Although she was asking, she kicked the door open without waiting for an answer and barged in, turning to look at Tang Chuyang with a smile.

"Little brother, I have some big news. Grandma... Uh, little brother, why are you so beautiful today?"

"Beautiful? Is that a term used to describe men?"

Tang Chuyang's forehead was covered in black lines as he looked at his second sister, who was staring at him in a daze. His resentment towards his delicate appearance was somewhat alleviated. Just a little dressing up could impress even his second sister, who was usually rough and blunt and treated all men with indifference. This made Tang Chuyang quite pleased with his appearance.

"Oh, oh, I mean handsome..."

Tang Chulan was startled by her little brother's words and quickly added, her charming face slightly blushing. She had always treated her little brother like a child, but seeing him in formal attire today, she suddenly realized that the mischievous little brother who used to run around with a runny nose had grown into a handsome young man.

"Hey? That's not right! Little brother, why are you dressed so provocatively today? Are you going on a date? Isn't Yuwen Rou in Liuyun City? I haven't heard that she's back!"

"Second sister! What are you talking about? Who said I dressed up? I just put on some clothes. Provocative? And a date? Do I even have a girlfriend? Uh, I guess I do..."

Tang Chuyang's voice grew softer as he spoke, his memory telling him that he did indeed have a girlfriend, though it couldn't really be called a relationship. After exploring all his memories, Tang Chuyang found that it was just a one-sided infatuation, and the person was Yuwen Rou, whom his second sister mentioned.

Yuwen Rou was not from a family. She was the daughter of the county magistrate Yuwen Tao of Jingyun County. She was petite and beautiful, the top of the 'Three Flowers' of Jingyun County. The other two flowers were one from the Tang family's archenemy, the Lin family, and the last one was his second sister, Tang Chulan.

Although Tang Chuyang was slender and delicate, he matured early in matters of the heart. He started to secretly admire Yuwen Rou at the age of thirteen, which would be considered early love on Earth.

It was the first time his aunt Tang Yunting took Tang Chuyang to the county magistrate's residence to celebrate Yuwen Tao's birthday. When Yuwen Rou, who had just turned sixteen and completed her coming-of-age ceremony, performed a dance on stage, Tang Chuyang was immediately captivated. He has been secretly admiring her ever since, for over two years.

Although his second sister Tang Chulan often teased Tang Chuyang, they had a close relationship. She knew about his infatuation with Yuwen Rou and often used it to make him behave. They had many arguments over this.

Seeing her little brother's serious expression and realizing he had no intention of going out, Tang Chulan knew she had misunderstood him. She stuck out her tongue cutely and changed the subject:

"Right, little brother, did you gain anything from the cultivation knowledge I explained to you last night?"

"Yes! I have already broken through the Qi Induction stage..."

Tang Chuyang said this with conviction, his face serious. He was telling the truth.

However, when Tang Chulan heard this, she burst out laughing, "Little brother, can you find a more reliable topic to brag about? Breaking through to the Qi Condensation stage in half a day with no foundation? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child?"

"Since you don't believe the truth, I'll have to tell a lie. Actually, I gained nothing last night..."

"Ha! That's more like it. Although you have good potential, you've never seriously cultivated before. It would be strange if you had gained anything!"

Seeing Tang Chulan's 'I knew it' expression, Tang Chuyang could only sigh in frustration. Indeed, breaking through a small realm in half a day was an incredible feat that no one would believe.

Seeing Tang Chuyang's dejected look, Tang Chulan thought she had discouraged him too much. She blinked her beautiful eyes and said with a smile:

"Don't be disheartened. Come on! I'll take you to the Rear Pavilion today. There are many books about 'Summoning' there. Since you plan to start cultivating, you should familiarize yourself with various summoning techniques and choose a cultivation method you like!"

Hearing the words 'Rear Pavilion,' Tang Chuyang became excited. That was exactly where he wanted to go.

The 'Rear Pavilion' is the Tang family's clan forbidden area, similar to the Sutra Hall of Shaolin Temple in Tang Chuyang's memory. All the cultivation techniques, summoning techniques, and control methods for Guardian Deities are stored there.

Although the 'Rear Pavilion' has the word 'pavilion' in its name, it is not a building on the ground but is located underground. The entrance is a wooden pavilion in the shape of a pagoda, situated at the back of the Tang family compound, hence the name 'Rear Pavilion.' This also serves to mislead those with ill intentions.

Twenty years ago, the Tang family was the first family in Jingyun County. Although all the direct male descendants have either died or disappeared, the family's foundation remains. Even in its decline, the collection in the Rear Pavilion is still one of the best in Jingyun County. Therefore, as soon as Tang Chuyang entered the underground chamber, he was dazzled by the rows of bookshelves and the countless books on them.

"So many books..."

"Of course! This is the accumulation of hundreds of years of the Tang family. Our Rear Pavilion is one of the best in all of Jingyun County!"

Tang Chuyang ignored his second sister's proud expression and immediately dove into the vast sea of books. He had too many uncertainties in his mind, and he needed these books to provide answers.

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