Chapter 2: The Divine Talisman Of Creation

Chapter 2: The Divine Talisman Of Creation

The dark void stretched endlessly, boundless and infinite.

Chen Feng’s consciousness drifted aimlessly, and in his dazed state, he seemed to hear the sound of a baby’s wail.

"My child…" A gentle, clear voice filled with excitement spoke urgently, "Quick, bring him to me."

...

"Feng’er, you’re three years old now and old enough to understand. Mother must go to a faraway place to take care of some matters, and I don’t know how long it will take. This jade pendant is for you."

"It holds a great secret. You must keep it safe and never lose it. If one day you can unravel its mystery, you’ll be able to find me…"

...

"Little Feng, you’re ten now and know how to take care of yourself. Father can finally set out to find your mother with peace of mind."

...

"Brother Feng, where did you get this jade pendant? I love it so much."

...

The black crescent jade pendant was flung at him like trash, striking his face before clattering to the ground.

A bloodstained hand reached out from the pile of fallen leaves and grabbed the pendant. Instantly, it transformed into a streak of light and shot into his brow.

"Creation… Creation…"

A divine voice, faint yet transcendent, pierced through the ages and roused Chen Feng from his stupor.

Before him, a black crescent tore through the chaos, radiating layers of luminous halos that filled the heavens and earth.

Compelled by an irresistible force, Chen Feng fixed his gaze upon it. The black crescent seemed forged from divine jade, inscribed with four ancient and mysterious characters that contained boundless profundity and supreme truths.

"The Divine Talisman Of Creation…"

Though he couldn’t decipher the cryptic script, Chen Feng instinctively grasped its meaning.

Fragmented images flashed before his eyes—a rugged giant with muscles coiled like dragons wielding an axe to split the chaos, birthing all creation; an immortal draped in flowing white robes, bathed in radiant mist, flicking his sleeves to unleash a vast river of sword qi that obliterated countless stars; an ancient god clad in indomitable armor, bearing the sun and moon upon his shoulders, chasing light and lightning, each step leaving galaxies far behind…

Chen Feng was utterly overwhelmed, shaken to his core.

A sudden epiphany arose within him.

In the face of such vast and mighty power, everything else seemed insignificant.

"This… is what men like us should aspire to!"

The dark void trembled violently. Chen Feng felt a force of rejection, and everything before him twisted into indistinct blur.

...

"I… How did I get back to my quarters?"

Chen Feng jolted upright, his eyes darting around in bewilderment.

"Someone brought me back… Who?"

As his mind cleared, he couldn’t fathom who might have carried him back. Over the past six years, his heart had been wholly devoted to Yang Xuening, leaving him without a single friend. It wasn’t as if he could have magically returned on his own.

"My injuries…"

While lost in thought, Chen Feng noticed that all his wounds had seemingly healed. After a thorough check, he marveled at his recovery and absentmindedly set aside the octagonal black sandalwood box he had pulled from his robes.

"Was that not an illusion just now?"

"So the secret Mother spoke of in the jade pendant was the Divine Talisman Of Creation all along…"

"I’ve unlocked the pendant’s secret now, Mother. Soon, I’ll find you and Father, and our family will be reunited."

Chen Feng murmured to himself, overcome with emotion.

Normally, he wouldn’t have allowed even a speck of dust to tarnish the jade pendant, let alone stain it with blood.

Back then, due to his young age, Chen Feng hadn’t fully remembered his mother’s earnest advice. Considering Yang Xuening the most important person in his life, he had given her the jade pendant as a token of affection. Fortunately… Yang Xuening had thrown it back at him, or else he would have missed out on a great opportunity. As his thoughts shifted, Chen Feng focused his mind and ‘saw’ a black moon in his consciousness, slowly radiating layers of dark ripples.

"The Divine Talisman Of Creation—peerless and profoundly mysterious—constantly emanates divine essence that protects the soul, calms the mind, and subtly enhances comprehension and wisdom. It can even temporarily boost insight during contemplation. Currently, the only function I can actively use is refinement..."

"Refinement—it can purify pills and other substances, extracting their purest essence without a trace of impurity, allowing for complete absorption."

"In other words… with this refinement ability, as long as I have enough pills, my cultivation can advance rapidly."

Chen Feng’s eyes gleamed with intensity.

Thankfully, the Foundation Establishment Pill hadn’t successfully reached Yang Xuening’s hands, nor had the person who sent him back to his quarters taken it. Otherwise, he’d be in dire straits now.

"Yang Xuening, Ye Yunqi—you pair of treacherous snakes, just you wait!"

"Father, Mother… From this moment onward, I will not fail your expectations. I will walk the path of martial arts, hone my sword, and strive for supremacy!"

The light in Chen Feng’s eyes gradually solidified, each word carrying an unprecedented firmness and a resolve unshakable even by the collapse of mountains.

"In martial cultivation, the Body Forging Realm serves as the foundation, divided into nine levels. Each transformation enhances the body, but the first three levels focus primarily on the tempering of skin and flesh, granting what is known as Skin and Muscle Force."

"The middle three levels emphasize the transformation of tendons and bones, their power referred to as Tendon and Bone Force."

"The final three levels revolve around the refinement of internal organs, their strength called Organ Force."

"Right now, I’m at the third level of the Body Forging Realm. However, once I take this Foundation Establishment Pill, I’m certain I can break through to the fourth level in a short time..."

The Foundation Establishment Pill was a high-grade elixir for the Body Forging Realm, capable of consolidating one’s foundation and nourishing vitality—its effects far surpassing those of the Body Forging Pill.

Picking up the octagonal black sandalwood box beside him, he opened it and stared at the yellowish-white pill inside, about the size of a longan fruit. A mix of complexity and hope flickered in his eyes.

"Divine Talisman Of Creation… let me witness your power."

The pill entered his stomach, transforming into a surge of heat that rapidly spread through his body.

A sudden anomaly occurred!

A pulling force emerged from the depths of his mind, reversing the flow of the pill’s heat and drawing it upward into his consciousness.

In the next moment, an incredibly pure stream of warmth surged from the depths of his mind, swiftly flooding Chen Feng’s body and limbs.

His body trembled slightly as his muscles and skin rapidly reddened, a faint layer of bloody light spreading over his form.

The essence of the Body Forging Realm lay in strengthening one’s vital energy and blood, then using that energy to temper the body, inducing transformation.

In other words, the higher one’s cultivation in the Body Forging Realm, the more vigorous their vital energy and blood.

Conversely, the stronger one’s vital energy and blood, the smoother their progress in the Body Forging Realm.

As the refined power surged, Chen Feng’s vital energy and blood continuously expanded, the bloody glow growing denser, seeping through his flesh into his tendons and bones, tempering his sinews and skeleton.

His tendons vibrated like plucked strings, his bones as if struck by a hammer—the pain unbearable.

After about fifteen minutes, the bloody light gradually receded, the agony fading into a soothing sensation.

"Tough and powerful… Is this the strength of tendons and bones?"

Carefully sensing the powerful energy contained within his body, Chen Feng murmured to himself.

"The sensation of Skin and Muscle Force is steady and harmonious, while Tendon and Bone Force is tough and sharp, like the edge of a blade or the tip of a spear—unyielding and unstoppable."

Mastering Tendon and Bone Force meant his cultivation had broken through to the Fourth Level of the Body Forging Realm.

And it seemed he wasn’t just at the initial stage of this level.

A faint smile appeared on Chen Feng’s face.

"At this rate of improvement, as long as I have enough pills, I might be able to reach the Seventh Level of the Body Forging Realm before the Huntian Sect’s annual assessment..."

As he pondered, Chen Feng slowly stretched his limbs, and a series of crisp cracking sounds, like frying beans, echoed through the air.

"Now that I’ve reached the Fourth Level of the Body Forging Realm, tempering my tendons and bones and generating Tendon and Bone Force, I can verify my progress with a mentor and receive Body Forging Pills as a reward from the Dao Academy. Though they’re far less effective than Foundation Establishment Pills, they’re still useful. Moreover, I can now handle the strain of Graded Martial Arts, so I can ask a mentor to teach me graded sword techniques."

"As long as my strength increases, I can challenge the Dao Academy Puppet Formation for rewards and earn more silver to buy more pills. Otherwise, the thirty taels of silver my family sends each month won’t be nearly enough."

With this thought, Chen Feng immediately got up, washed up, and changed into a long robe he rarely wore—a Blue Cloud-Patterned Robe that accentuated his tall, agile frame, giving him an air of grace.

Glancing down at himself, he felt as if reborn. Satisfied, he nodded, picked up his sword, and pushed the door open to leave.