Chapter 5: A Man Outdone by a Monkey

Chapter 5: A Man Outdone by a Monkey

"Overuse of divine sense can cause severe headaches. The pain will gradually subside within half an hour and disappear completely within three days."

"Every stroke in talisman-making is a process of gradually depleting divine sense."

"Before divine sense takes form, it cannot be controlled or altered by external forces. Only after a cultivator reaches the Foundation Establishment stage does divine sense transform into spiritual consciousness, allowing for further cultivation."

"Before divine sense fully transforms into spiritual consciousness, it can only recover slowly. External forces cannot intervene."

"Talisman masters and formation masters, if conditions permit, should cultivate a technique that strengthens divine sense or spiritual consciousness."

"Phew—"

Closing the talisman manual, Chen Ji let out a long breath, his thoughts racing.

"So that's how it is."

According to the manual, drawing talismans continuously depletes divine sense.

Previously, since Chen Ji had only drawn low-grade talismans like the "Vajra Talisman," the consumption was minimal, almost negligible, so he hadn't noticed it.

Yesterday, while drawing the "Gathering Qi Talisman," his divine sense had been completely depleted without him realizing it. After recovering his spiritual energy with spirit stones, he had continued drawing today, leading to this situation.

In other words, besides the "blue bar" of spiritual energy, cultivators also have a "yellow bar" of divine sense. However, this "yellow bar" only becomes visible after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Before Foundation Establishment, it exists but cannot be seen.

"It will take three days to recover. I won't be able to draw the 'Gathering Qi Talisman' for now."

According to the manual, both talisman-making and formation-making heavily rely on the strength of divine sense (or spiritual consciousness).

In fact, at later stages, many talismans and formations cannot be learned if one's spiritual consciousness doesn't meet the required standard.

"In the future, I should look for a technique that can strengthen divine sense (or spiritual consciousness)."

Putting away the talisman manual, Chen Ji decided that since he couldn't draw talismans for now, he might as well practice something else.

What should he practice?

Martial arts!

It wasn't that Chen Ji wanted to overexert himself, but the "Heaven rewards diligence" effect of the "Wordless Book" practically forced him to become a workaholic.

Moreover, this "effort always yields results" and "permanent mastery" effect, in Chen Ji's understanding, was indeed suitable for multitasking. In the future, he would definitely learn and practice more.

After all, having more skills never hurt anyone.

Martial arts, something from the mortal world, could also lead to the Great Dao in this world.

From the Postnatal realm to the Innate realm, then breaking through to the Grandmaster realm, one could eventually transition into the "body cultivation" path.

Of course, Chen Ji didn't have any "body cultivation" techniques. All he had was a martial art that the original owner had brought from the mortal world but never practiced.

"Five Animals Health Preservation Fist."

Although it was just a mortal martial art, it wasn't bad for Chen Ji.

Knowing his own limitations, Chen Ji currently only knew two talismans and a single spell—the "Rain Transformation Art" that came with the "Longevity Spring Art."

It wasn't an offensive spell or an escape technique, but an auxiliary spell used by spirit farmers.

His combat ability was practically zero, and his escape ability was equally lacking. Despite having the cultivation of the third layer of Qi Refining, he was all bark and no bite.

Having a martial art to rely on would only bring benefits, no downsides.

Moreover, the pitiful reserves of spiritual energy at the Qi Refining stage couldn't support a cultivator in casting many spells. This was also why Chen Ji hadn't been in a hurry to pursue "spell inheritances."

"The blue bar is too short."

Once, Chen Ji had heard that in ancient times, a certain "Fang Xi" ancestor had relied on unparalleled demonic martial arts and body cultivation to dominate his peers in the early stages of his cultivation career, eventually ascending to immortality in broad daylight.

It was because of this ancestor that the era of Qi Refining cultivators being able to transition through martial arts had begun.

So, at least at the Qi Refining stage, the benefits brought by martial arts were definitely not bad—in fact, they were excellent.

If it weren't for his hard life, tight budget, and busy schedule making talismans, Chen Ji would have started practicing martial arts long ago.

The "Five Animals Health Preservation Fist" sounded somewhat like the "Five Animals Play" from Chen Ji's previous life. In practice, it was even more similar.

Based on the movements of five animals—tiger, deer, bear, monkey, and bird—it derived five sets of routines that complemented and countered each other, allowing for seamless transitions.

"If in the future, I encounter various demon kings, demon lords, or even legendary 'true spirits' in the cultivation world, and use them as templates to improve this technique, wouldn't that be amazing?"

While letting his imagination run wild, Chen Ji browsed through the manual.

"The tiger's ferocity guides the liver's Wood energy; the deer's calm guides the kidneys' Water energy; the bear's steadiness guides the spleen's Earth energy; the monkey's agility guides the heart's Fire energy; the bird's lightness guides the lungs' Metal energy..."

"Five animals form five routines, corresponding to the five elements within the five organs..."

Reciting the manual in his mind, Chen Ji began mimicking the movements depicted in the illustrations.

At first, Chen Ji was a bit unaccustomed, his movements clumsy and his understanding incomplete, causing frequent pauses.

"Pay attention to your breathing. Your breathing must coordinate with your movements to execute the techniques completely."

As time passed, a complete set of movements began to take shape in Chen Ji's hands.

At times, he resembled the ferocity of a tiger; at others, the calm of a deer or the steadiness of a bear... The five forms alternated and cycled, creating a sense of endless vitality.

There was a subtle, almost philosophical beauty to it, pleasing to the eye.

In a daze, Chen Ji became fully immersed.

...

After a while,

"What the heck!"

Chen Ji snapped out of his immersion and was immediately shocked by the scene before him, cursing involuntarily.

He hadn't even had time to check the "Wordless Book."

"Ah Jin," the short and chubby golden monkey, had appeared out of nowhere and was standing beside him, performing the same movements—only better.

Bathed in sunlight, its golden fur gleamed, shining brightly.

Ah Jin's movements were neither rushed nor slow, combining strength and flexibility, giving Chen Ji the impression of a "grandmaster."

"What the heck!"

[Five Animals Health Preservation Fist: Beginner (154/200)]

Chen Ji had initially thought he was a once-in-a-generation martial arts prodigy, having mastered the "Five Animals Health Preservation Fist" in such a short time and even gained considerable proficiency.

But seeing Ah Jin, he realized what it meant to be outshined.

"I'm worse than a monkey? And this monkey is my pet?"

Feeling both embarrassed and annoyed, Chen Ji turned and went back inside: "Hmph, I'll deduct a meal of 'Fasting Powder' from you."

"A monkey should just practice monkey-style moves. How can it master all five animals?"

...

...

Three days later,

Over the past three days, aside from his daily cultivation, Chen Ji had been practicing martial arts with Ah Jin. Although his cultivation progress was slow, his martial arts skills had improved significantly.

Under the "guidance" of "Teacher Ah Jin," Chen Ji's "Five Animals Health Preservation Fist" had reached the "Intermediate" level in just three days.

To celebrate his martial arts progress, Chen Ji deliberately deducted another meal of "Fasting Powder" from "Teacher Ah Jin" as a form of celebration.

These days of martial arts training, while not advancing his cultivation, had greatly improved Chen Ji's mental state.

"Maybe in a few days, I'll even develop some muscles. Heh~"

...

"Phew~"

Chen Ji exhaled a long breath, calmed his mind, and returned to the talisman table.

Planting his feet firmly, his eyes sharp, Chen Ji felt his spirit was extremely full of vitality.

"Could divine sense be related to 'spirit'?"

For some reason, this question popped into Chen Ji's mind.

Shaking his head, now wasn't the time to ponder such things. Picking up the talisman brush, dipping it in ink, and spreading out the spirit paper on the table—

It was time to draw talismans!