Even Eldest Senior Sister Is No Match for Me!

"You can't put it like that! I was merely making reasonable use of legal provisions," the Eighth Elder argued plausibly. "Besides, how was I supposed to know the other guy would rather expose himself as an unaffiliated demonic cultivator just to report me to the authorities and have me arrested!" Lu Yang was intensely curious about just how thoroughly the Eighth Elder had swindled the man to drive an unaffiliated demonic cultivator to disregard his own identity and go to the yamen. Normally, demonic cultivators feared dealing with the government more than anyone else. The Sixth Elder did not dwell on the matter. "Enough. I didn't come here today to debate who you've scammed. We need your help with talismans." Tao Yao gave Lu Yang an innocent look, and he instantly understood what her eyes were saying: *See? You can't blame me for thinking the Eighth Elder's whole specialty is fraud and deception. The moment we met, he started bragging about his swindles.* "Why didn't you say so earlier? When it comes to talismans, no one knows them better than me!" The Eighth Elder burst into hearty laughter; his accomplishments in the talisman arts were indeed formidable. "What kind do you need? Offensive? Defensive? How many? Senior Sister, just name it, and I can make it happen!" "Tribulation Transcendence and Half-Immortal talismans are a bit tricky, but I can make anything up to the Body Integration grade with no problem." The Sixth Elder shook her head. "We don't need talismans of such high caliber. My disciple has an idea that requires a talisman to pull off." The Eighth Elder looked at Tao Yao with great interest. "Let's hear it." Tao Yao recounted her conversation with Lu Yang as before. The Eighth Elder's eyes lit up as he listened, looking at Tao Yao with growing approval. "What a novel idea! Say, are you interested in becoming my disciple?" "From what I can tell, you haven't researched your Feathering Immortal Physique much anyway. If you're not planning to develop it, there's no need to stay under Senior Sister's wing. That illusion art of yours is practically made for swindling people alongside me!" Someone with such a sharp, nimble mind was tailor-made to study under him. He knew Lu Yang had a quick mind too, but he didn't have the guts to snatch a disciple from Yun Zhi's hands. Tao Yao jumped in fright, silently swearing on the spot that she would throw herself into studying her Feathering Immortal Physique the moment she returned, lest her master have a momentary lapse in judgment and transfer her apprenticeship to the Eighth Elder. "Alright, Eighth Junior Brother, stop frightening her. Let's talk about the talismans. Can you make them?" The Eighth Elder stroked his chin and chuckled mischievously. "Senior Sister, you wound me with your lack of trust. What difficulty is there in making that kind of talisman? I could toss one off in an instant." Lu Yang chimed in with two additional requirements: "Ideally, they must be mass-producible, and the cost must be low." "And they can't cause harm to mortals." High-level illusions were so sophisticated that even after mortals emerged from them, they would often remain muddled and unable to distinguish fantasy from reality. The Eighth Elder frowned, looking troubled. "Ensuring they don't harm mortals is simple enough, but mass production is far trickier." "I don't know how familiar you two are with talismans, but to this day, no one has successfully mass-produced them—not even the lowest-grade Great Strength Talisman." "A few fellow Daoists and I researched this problem once. Our initial idea was to use woodblock printing, just like printing banknotes. That way, the price of talismans would drop drastically." The Daoists who could discuss talisman craft with the Eighth Elder were naturally top-tier masters of the contemporary era. "Later, we discovered that wouldn't work. Every single stroke drawn on a talisman requires the infusion of one's essence, energy, and spirit. That requirement alone weeds out ninety-nine percent of cultivators who wish to become talisman cultivators. Using woodblock printing demands even more: you have to channel your essence, energy, and spirit simultaneously into every groove of the printing block." "It's not that no talisman cultivator can do it, but those capable of reaching such a level are far too few to sustain large-scale production." "We also considered having puppets craft the talismans, but puppets lack essence, energy, and spirit entirely. They can't craft talismans at all." "In short, we tried countless methods, none of which succeeded, so the project was shelved." "Martial Niece Tao's illusion lasts anywhere from half an hour to an hour, which falls under large-scale illusions. High-grade talismans can achieve it, but they cannot be mass-produced." Lu Yang fell into thought. He had known nothing about talismanry before and hadn't anticipated running into this hurdle. Suddenly, an idea struck him: "If I recall correctly, formations can also pull people into illusions, right? What if we combine talismans and formations?" The Eighth Elder let out a surprised grunt. Running a quick calculation in his head, he realized the approach might actually be viable. "Brilliant! If we simplify both the talisman and the formation down to the Qi Refinement grade and then combine them, it could actually work!" "A simplified formation-talisman like that could be crafted by a Qi Refinement cultivator!" "I'm not skilled in formations, so I need to go consult Second Brother. Go on back and wait; once the two of us reach a conclusion, we'll let you know!" The Eighth Elder was a man of action and dashed straight toward the Herb Garden. Right at that moment, Lu Yang heard Eldest Senior Sister's voice transmission in his ear: *"Come back. The cultivation method is finished."* Lu Yang's face brightened. Eldest Senior Sister's efficiency in compiling cultivation methods was as extraordinary as ever; barely half a day had passed, and it was already done. He approached the foot of Tianmen Peak cautiously, making sure the puppet wasn't blocking the gate before feeling safe enough to ascend. Along the way, Lu Yang stayed on high alert against a sneak attack by the puppet. Fortunately, his climb was smooth, and the puppet didn't give him any trouble. Upon reaching the summit of Tianmen Peak, he saw Eldest Senior Sister sitting quietly at the stone table, sipping tea. The puppet was pouring tea for her, utterly obedient and docile—a world apart from how it treated Lu Yang. On the stone table lay a brand-new manual: the Golden Core chapter of the *Art of Illuminating the Heart and Seeing Nature*. "Try cultivating it. I've made a few revisions based on your original draft." Lu Yang received it as if holding a priceless treasure. Eldest Senior Sister truly lived up to her title—far more dependable than the Immortal Fairy. The Immortal Fairy spent every day clamoring to teach him the Art of Playing Dead, unlike Eldest Senior Sister, who actually wrote him cultivation methods. Calligraphy reflected the person. Eldest Senior Sister's handwriting was just like her: neat, beautiful, and cold. Because the method had been structured around Lu Yang's own train of thought, he picked it up very quickly. After reading through it carefully twice, he had committed it to memory and could officially begin cycling his qi. Following the technique's principles, Lu Yang focused his intent onto a strand of spiritual energy. Under the direction of his consciousness, he guided this spiritual energy into a regular, rhythmic circulation throughout his body. Before long, he completed a great heavenly circuit, which meant he had successfully initiated the method. Lu Yang puffed up with immense pride. *I truly am a genius rarely seen throughout the ages! The strongest existence in the world!* Cultivation felt effortlessly simple, as if within easy reach. No one's talent could compare to his own. He shifted his gaze toward Eldest Senior Sister, who was quietly savoring her tea. *Even Eldest Senior Sister is no match for me!* "Wait, this isn't right!" Lu Yang snapped back to his senses, realizing that something was terribly wrong with him no matter how slow he might be. Just how tired of living would he have to be to arrive at a conclusion as utterly divorced from all logic as "Eldest Senior Sister is no match for me"? *It's the Invincible Core! The Invincible Core gave me invincible confidence, but I've always been able to suppress it with logic. The Art of Illuminating the Heart and Seeing Nature magnified the Invincible Core's confidence, making me believe I'm truly invincible under the heavens!* His body lunged toward Eldest Senior Sister completely out of his control, while the Invincible Core incessantly bombarded him with warnings against such suicidal behavior: *Please commit suicide immediately to maintain a one-hundred-percent win rate.* *Please commit suicide immediately to maintain a one-hundred-percent win rate.* The Invincible Core chattered endlessly, demanding that Lu Yang preserve his flawless record. Eldest Senior Sister lifted her eyelids slightly, realizing that in compiling the cultivation method, she had forgotten about this particular quirk of the Invincible Core. Fortunately, Lu Yang was someone who had weathered countless storms. In this critical moment of crisis, he reacted instantly. "Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers!" Lu Yang hurled full control of his body straight to the Immortal Fairy, who was busy enjoying the show. "Huh? HUH?!" The Immortal Fairy was caught completely off guard. She had just been watching the spectacle, so how had she suddenly become the spectacle? Piloting Lu Yang's runaway body, she launched an attack at Eldest Senior Sister—only to be flicked flying away by a single finger. Lu Yang successfully preserved his undefeated record.