From the items left by the old Daoist, Fang Cheng's share consisted of only a single Tier One Middle Grade Cloud Soaring Talisman, three hundred Lower-Grade Spirit Stones, and... a paperweight carved from Dao Pattern Spirit Jade!
As for the Secret Techniques left by the old Daoist, they were all standard Loose Cultivator inheritances and were practically worthless compared to the three Cultivation Techniques from the Earth Palace!
Fang Cheng sat cross-legged on the bed, organizing his gains and in high spirits.
The Tier One Middle Grade Cloud Soaring Talisman was a Flying Escape Talisman. It granted a flying escape speed comparable to that of a Sixth-Layer Sensing Cultivator and could save a great deal of Magical Power.
If properly nurtured, this Talisman could be used many times.
The paperweight carved from Dao Pattern Spirit Jade, however, was a pleasant surprise.
He caressed the paperweight with his fingers. The Golden Talisman in his sea of consciousness trembled slightly, its text blurring for a moment before sharpening again—
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
One Qi Technique·Minor Achievement (200/200)
Cyan Profound Swordsmanship·Great Success (0/1200)
Nameless Gu Technique·Minor Achievement (65/300)
Creation Points: 300
An instant increase of three hundred Creation Points!
Fang Cheng didn't rush to spend his Creation Points. Instead, he put down the paperweight and began to carefully examine the Dragon Elephant Wanderer's three Cultivation Techniques.
The first technique, *Li Hen Demon Light*, had a cultivation method quite different from ordinary Cultivation Techniques. It involved contemplating the Resentment Celestial Demon to attract this Celestial Demon's demonic will, causing it to send down the Li Hen Demon Light, which the cultivator would then refine.
Cultivating this technique was fraught with danger. A single misstep would result in being possessed by the Resentment Celestial Demon and turning into a demonic creature.
A slightly better outcome was having one's soul and body eroded by the Li Hen Demon Light, dissipating into Demon Fire.
Only a prodigy of the Demon Dao, under the protection of their master and elders, could possibly cultivate this technique.
Of course, once the Li Hen Demon Light was successfully cultivated, its power was also terrifying. Wherever the Demonic Light passed, demonic will would assault the soul, and the Demonic Light, being of the fire attribute, could easily refine a Cultivator's Magical Power and body to ash!
The second technique, *Nine Heavens Cold Ice Technique*, was an "orthodox" Demon Path Cultivation Method!
This technique cultivated Cold Ice Magical Power and required finding an Extreme Cold Ice Fiend or an ice-attribute demonic creature to assist in cultivation before any achievement could be made.
The third technique, *Joyful Zen Skill*, was rather bizarre. It actually fused Buddhist Techniques with the methods of the Demon Sect, using the Demon Dao to cultivate a Buddha Heart, and then using the Buddha Heart to temper the Demon Skill, with each advancing the other.
Fang Cheng only dipped his toes into these three Cultivation Techniques, practicing them just a little, and the Golden Talisman in his sea of consciousness immediately responded—
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
One Qi Technique·Minor Achievement (200/200)
Cyan Profound Swordsmanship·Great Success (0/1200)
Nameless Gu Technique·Minor Achievement (65/300)
Li Hen Demon Light·Beginner (1/2000)
Nine Heavens Cold Ice Technique·Beginner (1/2300)
Joyful Zen Skill·Beginner (1/1900)
Creation Points: 300
Compared to the 300 points it took to reach the beginner level of the *Cyan Profound Sword Technique*, the cultivation thresholds for these three Cultivation Techniques were terrifyingly high!
And his main Cultivation Technique, the *One Qi Technique*, only required 300 points in total to comprehend the technique to the limit of its conceptual design... The difference between them was like that between heaven and earth.
'The *One Qi Technique* isn't up to the task. The *Li Hen Demon Light* only cultivates Demonic Light, not Magical Power. And both the *Nine Heavens Cold Ice Technique* and the *Joyful Zen Skill* are resource-intensive. One needs an Extreme Cold Ice Fiend, and the other needs a Tripod Furnace...'
Fang Cheng wanted to change his main Cultivation Technique, but without the necessary resources, there was simply no way to advance in either of those two techniques.
'I can only wait for the right opportunity to reconsider.'
He put away the three jade slips and began to recall the bas-relief mural in the Earth Palace!
This was his third gain.
The monk in the mural seemed to be the Dragon Elephant Wanderer's master, but that wasn't the key. The real Profound Mechanism lay in the stone gate!
That day, when Fang Cheng saw the bas-relief, the Golden Talisman in his sea of consciousness had flared with a brilliant light, revealing an abnormality.
At first, Fang Cheng thought the bas-relief could also generate Creation Points, so he quietly went over and touched it, but the Golden Talisman didn't react at all.
But as he was leaving, a mysterious perception was transmitted from the Golden Talisman, giving him a moment of sudden enlightenment, a great awakening.
The stone gate!
That stone gate was actually a Visualization Diagram.
The Profound Mechanism was in this very stone gate!
That was why, before leaving, he couldn't help but turn back for another look at the stone gate on the bas-relief.
At the time, Wang Xingzhi and the other three didn't notice anything unusual about him.
Now that he had finished organizing all his gains and his heart had settled, Fang Cheng could finally clear his mind of distracting thoughts and begin to formally contemplate the stone gate.
He sat in the lotus position, his eyes slightly closed, his mind focused and his body relaxed, entering a state of meditative concentration.
Deep within his consciousness, amidst a dark and chaotic void, a massive, majestic, and imposing stone gate slowly took shape!
As his Contemplation continued, the stone gate became increasingly clear, more and more real!
Every detail on the gate gradually manifested in his mind's eye...
After an unknown amount of time, he finally succeeded in completely visualizing the entire stone gate!
BOOM!
A roar echoed from deep within Fang Cheng's consciousness. The stone gate seemed to connect with some existence, transmitting an incomparably powerful shockwave that instantly threw him out of his Contemplation.
...
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
...
Void Ghost Market Observation Method (0.003/200)
Creation Points: 300
In his room, Fang Cheng looked inward at his sea of consciousness. As expected, another line of text had appeared on the Golden Talisman!
"Void Ghost Market Observation Method... What is this?"
Fang Cheng muttered to himself, somewhat puzzled.
So the stone mural in the Earth Palace really had been hiding a Spell.
And strangely, the Golden Talisman didn't show any realm divisions for this Contemplation Technique, and it was the first time a decimal point had appeared...
Techniques like the Cyan Profound Sword Technique, One Qi Technique, and Nameless Gu Technique all had realms like "Minor Achievement" and "Great Success," but this "Void Ghost Market Observation Method" alone had no realm indicator at all.
'This is strange. Maybe... I should give it a try?'
Fang Cheng's interest was piqued. In any case, he had no immediate use for the Creation Points on hand, so why not test out this Contemplation Technique and see what marvelous use it had?
With a thought, the text on the Golden Talisman immediately blurred and shifted, and then his Creation Points began to rapidly decrease.
The next moment, the text on the Golden Talisman changed—
[Talisman Master] Fang Cheng
[Divine Power Technique]
...
Void Ghost Market Observation Method (200/200)
Creation Points: 100
Within Fang Cheng's sea of consciousness, a majestic and immense stone gate slowly rose!
The stone gate was half-open, transmitting a mysterious perception that left Fang Cheng utterly dumbfounded.
It took him a long while to come to his senses. His expression flickered, and he "looked" at the stone gate in his sea of consciousness in disbelief.
'This gate can actually connect to a wondrous realm within the All Heavens and Myriads of Realms—the Void Ghost Marketplace... Just what was the Dragon Elephant Wanderer's origin?'
From the mysterious perception transmitted by the illusory image of the stone gate, Fang Cheng learned that after cultivating this technique, he could connect to the Void Ghost Marketplace once every ten years through Contemplation and enter it.
But each time, he could only stay for two hours!
'Ghost Market... Could it be the kind of black market that can't see the light of day? The Void Ghost Marketplace... if I take the name literally, it should be located in the void?'
Fang Cheng pondered this privately and decided to give it a shot!
This time, having used the Golden Talisman and Creation Points to raise the Void Ghost Market Observation Method to its limit, the stone gate appeared in his sea of consciousness with just a slight stir of his thoughts. That immense power that communicated with the void was transmitted, but it was constrained within the stone gate, no longer affecting Fang Cheng in the slightest.
He extended his right hand and circulated his Magical Power, slowly tracing an identical, "miniature version" of the stone gate in the air.
The instant the stone gate appeared, a spatial fluctuation emanated from it.
Brilliant light swirled behind the gate, exuding an air of mystery.