A month passed in the blink of an eye.

On the eve of their departure, several practitioners from the Yang Family were assigned by Old Yu to guard various locations in the forbidden area.

Liang Yi and Zhao Qi patrolled the cliffs, while Yang Linghu watched the northern forest, and Old Yu, Yang Lingqing, and Yang Lingrui stood guard around the ancestral hall.

During the day, the Immortal Master transmitted thoughts, emphasizing that tonight was the crucial moment for successfully crafting talismans, and there could be no disturbances whatsoever.

Inside the ancestral hall, beams of light surged continuously, flickering and causing the spiritual energy within to ripple.

In the latter half of the night, they felt the spiritual energy surging toward the talisman, and everyone instantly became tense.

They had reached the most critical step, where success or failure rested on this single attempt.

“The Immortal Master’s powers are boundless.”

“The Immortal Master’s powers are boundless.”

They silently recited in their hearts, wishing for Chen Yang to succeed in Talisman Technique.

Inside the ancestral hall, it was Chen Yang’s first time feeling such an immense pressure since crossing into this world.

He made the mountain-opening talisman with great care, striving for perfection through every stage of drawing and refining.

But at this final step of crafting the talisman, he sensed the familiar signs of collapse.

“Sigh… it still feels like it’s lacking something. If I had just one more month, the superior-quality talisman should be achievable.”

Chen Yang held on for as long as he could, seeing hope slip away, and then decided to compromise and aim for an inferior-quality talisman instead.

Ding—

At that moment, a familiar yet strange power surged from his heart.

Chen Yang felt a crisp sound in his mind and, before he could react, this power followed his thoughts and quietly landed on the mountain-opening talisman he was refining.

In the next instant, the momentum that had been on the brink of collapse instantly stabilized.

Chen Yang immediately realized this was the power of wishes given to him by the mortals who offered incense and worshiped at the foot of the mountain on the day of the Grand Ceremony!

Previously, he had tried to draw this power from within himself, but unfortunately had never succeeded.

He thought this power would only be useful during the advancement to Condensing Essence, but unexpectedly, it activated at this critical moment of talisman crafting.

Though he was unclear about how this power worked, he knew this rare opportunity could not be missed!

Chen Yang focused his mind again, imprinting streams of spiritual power onto the talisman paper.

With the boost of this power of wishes, the talisman paper seemed to harden a bit, making the entire refining process go smoothly.

Buzz—

Half an hour later, a white light burst forth above the ancestral hall, and a snow-white talisman leaped out, floating down into Yang Lingrui’s hands.

Old Yu and the others rushed over, feeling the rich spiritual power on the surface of the golden talisman, which had not yet fully dissipated, and they could hardly contain their excitement.

“A superior-quality talisman! This is a superior-quality mountain-opening talisman!”

“The Immortal Master’s talisman has been successfully crafted!”

A superior-quality mountain-opening talisman, when taken by surprise, could even threaten those at the eighth level of Gathering Qi!

This was something that the Yang Family practitioners had not even dared to imagine before.

With this treasure, Yang Lingrui felt confident about this journey, and the members of the Yang Family could also relax a bit.

“Thanks to the Immortal Master’s guidance, I am eternally grateful!” Yang Lingrui bowed.

As the sun rose, Gao Hui arrived at the foot of Song Mountain.

This was his first time participating in the Golden Scales Ceremony since taking office, and he felt a sense of anticipation.

If he could seize an opportunity to perform well at the ceremony or engage in a friendly conversation with some young lords or ladies from noble families, perhaps it would lead to a promotion.

As he thought this, he heard noises not far away.

Turning to look, he saw the four individuals from the Yang Family descending the mountain.

Gao Hui was about to wave in greeting when he suddenly noticed something was off about one of them.

As the four approached, Gao Hui saw Yang Lingrui’s appearance, his face filled with astonishment.

“Lingrui, what… what happened to you?!”

At that moment, Yang Lingrui looked pale, with beads of sweat on his forehead, bluish lips, and fluctuating breath.

This clearly indicated a problem had arisen during his cultivation.

After sensing further, he was startled because Yang Lingrui had already broken through to the mid-stage of Gathering Qi and reached the fourth level!

“Gao… Mayor Gao, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting,” Yang Lingrui forced a smile.

“Sigh, there’s no need to apologize.”

Gao Hui quickly waved his hand and then asked Yang Lingqing, “Yang Master, what exactly happened?”

Yang Lingqing’s gaze dimmed, and she felt deeply guilty as she said, “Lingrui was worried that he was not at the right level for the ceremony and would bring shame to the Yang Family, so he used the Mysterious Stone and elixirs to force a breakthrough.”

“This…”

Gao Hui was momentarily speechless after hearing this.

Old Yu shook his head and sighed, “This is also my fault for not being able to dissuade the child. I thought it would go smoothly, but I did not expect such a result.”

“Elder Yu, Sister Qing, it’s fine. This was my own choice; you do not need to blame yourselves,” Yang Lingrui said weakly.

“Sigh… Lingrui, why did you have to do this?”

Gao Hui looked at Yang Lingrui, feeling a twinge of heartache.

With his talents, he could have achieved the fourth-level Gathering Qi with gradual progress through steady cultivation.

But he understood the urgency in Yang Lingrui’s heart.

A child burdened with the hope of his family’s prosperity carries a heavy weight on his shoulders.

As the Golden Scales Ceremony was about to commence, it was reasonable for Yang Lingrui to wish to elevate his level and bring honor to his family.

As Old Yu said, if everything went well, that would certainly be the best, but unfortunately…

“Well, it is what it is now. There’s no use in saying anything further. I only hope that Lingrui’s foundation in cultivation is not damaged because of this.”

Gao Hui thought to himself and then looked at the Yang Family members, saying solemnly, “Rest assured! I will take good care of Lingrui on this trip!”

“Then please, Mayor Gao, take care of him. Lingqing thanks you on behalf of the Yang Family,” Yang Lingqing replied.

When the morning sun rose and sunlight bathed the forest of Song Mountain, Gao Hui and Yang Lingrui had already vanished into the distance.

After they left, the expressions of Yang Lingqing and the others returned to normal.

“It’s hard to tell normally, but Lingrui’s acting is truly impressive. Just a few issues with his Qi meridians could fool anyone into thinking he suffered a serious injury. If I hadn’t known the situation, he could have tricked me,” Yang Linghu remarked.

Old Yu laughed at these words, “When the dynasty cultivators came to buy, you two were not there. Lingrui’s performance that day was even more spectacular than today.”

As the two spoke, Yang Lingqing’s gaze remained fixed in the direction of Moon Watching City.

After taking charge of the family, she always felt a pang of worry whenever someone left or went on a journey, even if it did not show on her face.

She would mentally prepare herself for the worst-case scenarios and think about how she would deal with them.

“May the Immortal Master bless us, and may Elder protect us, for Lingrui’s safety.”

She secretly prayed in her heart.

“Huh? Lingqing, what are you thinking about?” Yang Linghu asked when he noticed her silence, leaning in to see.

Smack!

“Ouch! That hurts!”

The result was a mud ball hitting him on the forehead.

“Hmph, you’ve certainly caused enough trouble at home these days.”

Seeing him holding his head comically, Yang Lingqing rolled her eyes and said, “Focus on your cultivation, and break through to the third level as soon as possible. The northern mines have been idle for too long and need to be restarted.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep