Fortunately, before they could begin what promised to be a time-consuming and likely frustrating search, a familiar voice broke through the silence.
“No need to search for me. I’m already here.”
“Master,” they greeted in unison.
“I assume you’ve come because you’ve reached the Entry level of the Divine Sense Refining Method?”
When they all nodded, Great Elder Jianhai felt a flicker of surprise. Although he had half-expected this outcome—especially considering the exceptional progress they had made in just three days under his watch—being faced with the actual result still left him genuinely impressed.
While his disciples might not fully grasp the magnitude of what they had achieved, he certainly did. Normally, a cultivator at the first layer of the Spiritual Foundation Realm would require roughly two months to gain proper control over their Divine Sense. Yet these four had managed to accomplish it in just a single week!
And not with some simplified training technique, but by using the Divine Sense Refining Method—a cultivation method designed not only to allow one to control their Divine Sense, but to refine and strengthen it as well. Its difficulty of comprehension was several times higher than a basic method focused solely on control.
“Deploy your Divine Sense,” he instructed, “Let me evaluate your progress.”
The four disciples immediately obeyed, and in the next instant, four invisible domains of Divine Sense spread out and intertwined around them.
Great Elder Jianhai, using his own far superior Divine Sense, had no difficulty analyzing theirs in detail. Yet, as he did, a frown gradually formed on his face.
‘Strange… Their Divine Sense range is already at twenty meters, when the standard for someone who just broke through to the Spiritual Foundation Realm—and hasn’t trained it—is typically around ten meters.’
‘Could they have progressed beyond the Entry level?’ he briefly considered the possibility, only to dismiss it an instant later. ‘No… I can sense it clearly—they’ve only just stepped into that realm. It’s best to attribute it to what they are: four little monsters. In comparison to their level of comprehension, having an unusually strong Divine Sense is a small surprise.’
After silently observing them for a few more seconds, the old man finally gave a slow nod of approval. “You’ve made solid progress… but don’t let it get to your heads. The path of cultivation is long—without end, in fact. What you’ve accomplished is merely the beginning.”
His tone wasn’t stern, but it carried a calm authority—a voice tempered by experience. “Complacency is the enemy of talent.”
Fortunately, none of them showed any signs of arrogance. Each of the four nodded in unison, their expressions composed and focused. That simple response was enough to bring a faint glimmer of relief to the Great Elder’s eyes—a subtle shift, but not unnoticed.
Then, as if something had just occurred to him, Jianhai waved his sleeve. In a swirl of shimmering light, a set of talismans materialized in the air before each of his disciples. There were three bearing the symbol of a translucent bubble, two etched with drifting clouds, and one adorned with a stylized sword. Twenty-four talismans in total—six for each of them.
“Master, these are…?” Mikael asked, his gaze narrowing slightly as he examined the floating talismans.
“Mm? Ah, right. Life-saving talismans,” Jianhai replied with a casual air, as if he were handing out mere trinkets instead of rare, valuable artifacts. “Imprint them with your spiritual signature. Their functions will become clear when the moment comes.”
His voice softened—just a touch. “Normally, a Core Disciple might receive one, two if they’re exceptionally promising. But I’ve never been one to follow the standard rules. You’re my disciples—not just names written on a ledger. If something happens to you because I didn’t prepare you properly, that failure would be mine to bear.”
He paused for a second, then added with a dry note, “Besides, if I give you six each, I won’t have to waste time rescuing you myself.”
Though his words carried humor, the underlying concern wasn’t lost on them. The talismans hovered a little closer, their surfaces catching the light in faint glimmers—silent guardians waiting to be claimed.
“You’ll learn their effects when you need to—ideally not all at once,” Jianhai said, his voice steady once more. “Just keep in mind: each one is single-use, and they don’t all activate the same way. Think before you act. Don’t throw your lives away just because you’ve received some protection.”
The four exchanged glances. Within their eyes stirred a mix of emotions—gratitude, curiosity, and a quiet resolve.
Mikael’s face remained impassive, but deep inside, something subtle shifted. Until now, Jianhai had been a title more than a person—his ‘Master’ only in name, not in bond. Yet this act, given freely and without prompting, carved its place into Mikael’s memory. He still wouldn’t call it closeness, not yet… but the distance had shrunk, if only by a small, silent step.
“And don’t even think about wasting them just to see what they do or when the situation isn’t critical! They are costly life-saving talismans not trinkets!” Jianhai warned, turning around to leave. “If you do, I’ll know. And I’ll make sure the lesson you learn afterward makes you wish the talisman hadn’t worked.”
With that, the old man’s figure blurred and vanished deeper into Sword Heart Peak, leaving behind the quiet hum of the talismans still waiting to be claimed.
Following his departure, the Dao Family took the time to imprint their respective talismans with their spiritual signatures. Once that was done, they used their Divine Sense to gain an understanding of their functions, and after that, each of them placed the talismans in their respective storage ring.
Then, just as they were about to activate the teleportation formation to return to their Cultivation Manor and resume their training, their Master reappeared—acting as though he hadn’t left just moments earlier—and began to speak.
“Now, listen closely. Now that you have your Divine Sense under control, your plaques aren’t just for identification—they also function as communication tokens. As long as you remain within the territory of the Wandering Sword Sect, you can send messages freely, thanks to the relay nodes we’ve installed throughout the region.”
He raised his hand, a golden glow pulsing from his own jade plaque. “Add my imprint now. You’ll be able to contact me directly through yours, though I advise you not to flood me with trivial nonsense.”
The four shared a brief, bemused glance at their Master’s eccentric behavior, but knowing his reputation, none of them questioned it and followed his instructions, linking their plaques to his under his guidance.
“Once you leave sect grounds, communication becomes more limited,” he warned. “The farther away you are and the longer the message, the more Qi it will consume. Choose your words wisely when you’re out there.”
Only after confirming that all four had completed the process did Jianhai wave his sleeve, his figure starting to blur again. “You’ve got your tools. I’ve got other matters to attend to. Don’t make me regret giving you those talismans.”
With those final words, Jianhai’s figure disappeared once more—this time, for good.
Following his departure, the four of them linked their identification plaques with each other, then moved across Sword Heart Peak until they found Lian’er, who happily linked her plaque with theirs.
They briefly considered doing the same with Renjiro, but remembering his previously cold and uninterested attitude, they decided against it and activated the teleportation formation, returning to their Cultivation Manor.
Upon arrival, the four naturally separated, each choosing to focus on their individual pursuits—whether it be training in the Divine Sense Refining Method, practicing their new Cultivation Methods and Techniques, or simply taking time to stroll leisurely through the Sect grounds.
Given their current status, as long as they remained within the Sect, they shouldn’t encounter any issues. And even in the unlikely case that something truly troublesome arose despite them staying in the Sect, their life-saving talismans would immediately activate to shield them.
Moreover, with their Identification Plaques allowing them to communicate freely and across any distance within the boundaries of the Wandering Sword Sect, none of them felt concerned about being separated or losing contact.
With those reassurances in place—and fully aware that the path of cultivation was, by nature, one that had to be walked alone—the four of them went their separate ways. They understood that if they wanted to continue progressing, they couldn’t always remain at each other’s side. Mikael, in particular, made his way toward the Scripture Pavilion.
He quickly arrived at the familiar, beautifully crafted, pagoda-shaped building. Without hesitation, he entered and made his way up to the fourth floor.
However, unlike the last time he had come to the Scripture Pavilion, he wasn’t here to search for Cultivation Methods or Techniques. This time, he bypassed those sections entirely and headed straight toward an area he had never set foot in before—the knowledge section.
It wasn’t dramatically different from the upper levels he’d visited previously, but there were clear distinctions. The number of ‘books’ here was far greater, and they were clearly of a different nature. In addition, the space was arranged to be more reader-friendly, with several comfortable seating spots designed for prolonged reading and study.
After giving his surroundings a quick once-over, Mikael wasted no time and began browsing the shelves. It didn’t take long for a book titled Different Paths of Ascension to catch his eye.
Yet as he began reading it, a subtle frown appeared on his face. ‘The cultivation concepts this book discusses are too obscure... I can’t understand them at all.’
He flipped through a few more pages, hoping the later sections would be easier to grasp. But it quickly became apparent that wasn’t the case.
‘And that’s not all… this book is difficult in the same strange way the Divine Sense Refining Method was. It’s like the words are trying to slip away from my mind. Both comprehension and memorization feel unusually difficult. If I really tried to study this book properly, my reading speed would be even slower than that of an ordinary person—at least if I wanted to actually remember anything!’
With a quiet sigh, Mikael returned the book to its place on the shelf before turning to head downstairs. ‘Let’s take a look at the books on the first floor instead. If I’m right, they should be easier to understand—both in terms of the cultivation concepts and whatever is causing this bizarre difficulty in comprehension.’
Once he reached the ground floor, Mikael was quickly proven right. As he began reading some of the books available there, he found that he could grasp the terminology without too much trouble. While memorizing and understanding the content still demanded effort, it was nowhere near as overwhelming as before. It was still significantly more challenging than reading an ordinary book, but at least he could now read quickly and absorb the material without much resistance.
Time passed swiftly as Mikael buried himself in book after book, soaking up knowledge like a sponge. His pace was steady and focused, his understanding sharpening as he progressed, uncovering a world of information that had previously been out of reach.
Though he explored a wide variety of topics, there was a clear emphasis on cultivation-related knowledge, with particular attention given to the intricacies of Cultivation Methods. The deeper he delved, the more he realized how vast and complex the world of cultivation truly was.
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