Chapter 6

" Nope, I want to try it myself." Shen Luo smiled and said.

He still remembered that over a year ago, when he went to ask Daoist Luo to teach him the art of talismans, the usually mild-mannered Master Luo directly refused him, even when he offered a sky-high price of two hundred gold, the other party remained unmoved.

Master Luo made it clear that the talisman techniques taught in the temple were not the kind of tricks used by charlatans to deceive people, but rather true secret techniques that only inner disciples with magical powers could practice. Not to mention him, a nominal disciple, even formal outer disciples could not think about it.

"Alright, I'll bring it for you." Bai Xiaotian nodded after hearing this.

"If possible, see if you can get some rooster blood and black dog blood from the tavern." Shen Luo added as he saw him about to leave.

"I know you often read miscellaneous books, but don't take what those literati and miscellaneous scholars write too seriously..." Bai Xiaotian frowned and said.

He was one of the three inner disciples in the sect, naturally able to access the true art of talismans, but the strict rules of the sect meant that even if he and Shen Luo were close friends, he would not reveal even a bit of it.

"Rest assured, I know my limits and won't act rashly." Shen Luo yawned and responded vaguely.

Bai Xiaotian knew that persuasion was futile, so he waved his hand and turned to leave.

Watching his figure disappear into the mountains, the smile on Shen Luo's face gradually faded.

He knew that the other party was well-intentioned, worried that he might go astray, but only he himself understood his situation.

It wasn't that he was determined to pursue these side paths; it was simply that his lifespan was limited, forcing him to seek another way out.

Over two years ago, the invasion of yin energy had already damaged his vital essence. In the past two years, he had mostly relied on a dose of "Red Snow Powder" every three months to maintain his vitality.

Even so, he still felt his health deteriorating. Walking a bit more than usual would make him short of breath, especially last winter, when he wore a fur coat but still felt a cold chill inside, with his limbs icy cold.

The reason he only took the medicine every three months was not that he couldn't afford the hundred silver taels, but that this would maximize the effectiveness of the medicine. Taking it more frequently would not only be wasteful but could also lead to over-supplementation, which Master Luo did not allow.

As for practicing the Small Yang Transformation Technique, his progress was extremely slow. Even today, he had just barely entered the initial stage, and his cultivation speed was even worse than the least talented outer disciples in the temple. According to Master Luo, even if this technique were to reach its peak, it could only extend one's lifespan by a maximum of twenty years.

But at his cultivation speed, he might not even have the chance to reach that peak and could pass away first.

He had come to this mountain temple at such great cost, not just to eke out a few more years of life.

Shen Luo pondered this as he slowly walked down the mountain.

The Spring and Autumn Temple was built against the Qinghua Mountain, with the main structures distributed along the mountain. Except for the mountain gate near the waist of the mountain, the rest of the buildings, including the Lingguan Hall and the Jade Emperor Hall, were arranged in layers, with the most important Three Pure Ones Hall located at the summit.

In the temple, apart from the inner disciples, the rest of the disciples' living quarters were concentrated on the mountain path between the mountain gate and the Lingguan Hall, on three mountain waist cliffs. Due to the relatively open terrain, each person could have their own room.

The temple did not impose many restrictions on the disciples' cultivation. Except for specific lecture days when all disciples had to gather in front of the Three Pure Ones Hall to listen to Master Luo and other senior members explain Daoist classics, the rest of the time, they did not need to do morning prayers together.

After all, the Small Yang Transformation Technique had already been distributed to each disciple, and everyone practiced according to their own abilities.

Shen Luo's practice place was not far from the Jade Emperor Hall, and he had already returned to the square in front of the hall.

Approaching the hall door, he did not enter but only bowed outside the hall, rested for a moment, and then turned to leave down the stone steps.

"Isn't this Junior Brother Shen? Have you finished your practice? How is it? Have you entered the initial stage of the Small Yang Transformation Technique?" At this moment, a familiar voice came from inside the hall.

Shen Luo sighed inwardly and turned around.

As expected, it was Senior Brother Ding, who usually didn't get along with him. His belly had already protruded out of the hall door before he even crossed the threshold.

Behind him were two young men in blue cloth Daoist robes, one holding a broom and the other a bucket, looking like they had just finished their daily chores.

"Salutations to the senior brothers." Shen Luo's face was already wearing a warm smile as he greeted them with a bow.

"Junior Brother Shen, I must say, in cultivating the Small Yang Transformation Technique, one must avoid being overly eager for quick results. Although you haven't entered the initial stage in two years, don't be too anxious. After all, there's plenty of time ahead. Talent is something that can't be rushed; just keep working hard..." Seeing his proper etiquette, Senior Brother Ding couldn't say much more and first offered some insincere comfort, then began to lecture in the manner of a senior brother.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother. I have luckily entered the initial stage today, and Senior Brother Bai has already confirmed it for me." Shen Luo blinked and replied casually.

"What... What? You've already entered the initial stage? Bai Xiaotian knows too?" Senior Brother Ding was taken aback, and his face turned somewhat grim.

The other two young men also looked at Shen Luo with surprise, their eyes full of astonishment.

After all, they were well aware of Shen Luo's situation; otherwise, he wouldn't have made little progress in two years of hard practice.

According to their private speculations, with Shen Luo's physique, it might take another three to five years to even enter the initial stage.

Shen Luo had anticipated their reactions but said nothing more, just smiling and nodding.

A hint of frustration flashed in Senior Brother Ding's eyes. If Bai Xiaotian hadn't known, he could have concealed the matter and tried to cancel the bet, but since the other party already knew, the previous bet was truly lost.

"If there's nothing else, I won't disturb the senior brothers' chores." Shen Luo smiled and bowed to the three of them again.

"Hold on, Junior Brother Shen, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Although Bai Xiaotian has confirmed it, he has only just entered the initial stage, so it's hard to say if he might have made a mistake. Why don't I help you confirm it again?" Senior Brother Ding's eyes narrowed, and he said with a forced smile.

Hearing this, Shen Luo felt somewhat displeased.

This Senior Brother Ding actually had no grudge against him, but he had a deep conflict with Bai Xiaotian.

The reason was simple: Senior Brother Ding's younger brother, Ding Hua, was also a disciple of the Spring and Autumn Temple and, like Bai Xiaotian, one of the three core disciples.

Ding Hua was a disciple of the temple's abbot, while Bai Xiaotian was a disciple of Daoist Luo, and the third disciple was a disciple of Master Wang. All three were the most talented in the temple and naturally competed with each other openly and secretly.

"I think it's unnecessary. Senior Brother is busy with cultivation, so there's no need to worry about me." Shen Luo's smile faded.

Although he was usually polite, he was not someone to be easily pushed around.

He knew when to be firm and when to yield.

"Junior Brother Shen, how can you speak to Senior Brother Ding like that? He means well." One of the men behind Senior Brother Ding said sternly.