"That's only natural."
Ai Yueli didn't stand on ceremony and spoke frankly. "The combined application of characters is the most basic foundation of the Talisman Dao."
But fearing she might dampen Ye Ling's enthusiasm, she quickly added, "That said, you haven't even begun studying talismans yet, and you're already able to sense the principles behind how characters link together. That goes far beyond anything I understand."
Ai Yueli wasn't lying. Whether it was combining characters or perceiving the meaning behind them, these were the very roots of the Talisman Dao.
What she didn't say was that these were only "basic" by her standards.
In ordinary talisman practice, one started by learning calligraphy, then moved on to rigid memorization and mechanically copying ghostly symbols.
Many talismanists didn't even know what they were drawing. They only knew that if they drew it that way and infused the talisman paper with True Qi, a talisman would be produced.
Knowing how it works, but not why.
Even the talisman masters of today's cultivation world merely understood the meanings of the characters. They still had no idea why those characters could produce such astonishing effects.
Only beings at the level of true Talisman Grandmasters would even attempt to study the Dao principles woven behind the characters.
Yet for Ai Yueli, this was simply the starting point of entering the Talisman Dao.
That was precisely why, for so many years, no one had ever passed her disciple-acceptance trial.
"Please grant me your teachings, Fourth Master!"
Ye Ling didn't mind at all. When it came to learning, he knew how to remain humble. Only by constantly studying and improving himself could he ever stand above the heavens.
"Take it."
The Ai Yueli he had been eagerly anticipating merely flicked her hand, and an ancient tome thicker than a city brick appeared in her grasp.
As she handed it to Ye Ling, she said, "This is The Complete Record of Character Combinations. It contains all possible character combinations. Memorize it first, and then I'll teach you how to condense characters."
???
Fourth Master, something is seriously wrong with you.
Ye Ling stared at Ai Yueli, eyes wide with disbelief.
I thought you'd be better at teaching than Bai Yiyi, but you're even worse than her?
As Ye Ling silently complained, several lines of small text suddenly appeared before his eyes—
[Triggered Series Quest]
[Series Quest: Is This Way of Drawing Talismans Reasonable? (1)]
[Quest Requirement: Establish a reasonable method of drawing talismans and gain the host's master's approval]
[Quest Reward: Host directly masters The Complete Record of Character Combinations]
[Note: This is a series quest. Upon completing the full series, the host will obtain an Immortal Brush]
Only after seeing the reward did Ye Ling finally take the ancient tome.
"You're wondering why it isn't recorded on a jade slip, aren't you?"
Ai Yueli had clearly misunderstood his confusion. She explained calmly, "Because it involves the Dao, every page of this ancient book is equivalent to a small world. Be careful when reading it. Don't get hurt."
What?
You can get hurt just by reading a book?
Ye Ling gained a deeper appreciation for the profound foundations of the Heavenly Gate Sect.
"This was written by a peerless powerhouse of ancient times. Your Grandmaster was fortunate enough to find it in an ancient ruin. Don't casually lend it to others."
"Hm?"
Ye Ling would never lend such a treasure to anyone anyway, but he caught the implication in Ai Yueli's words. She had directly handed such an important ancient book to him.
Yet Ai Yueli still didn't realize what he was puzzled about and continued explaining, "It wouldn't be good if it injured someone."
"Huh?"
Now Ye Ling was genuinely confused.
Shouldn't a treasure like this be locked away in the Scripture Pavilion?
"Fourth Master, are you only worried that it might hurt people?"
Ye Ling frowned slightly, feeling he needed to clarify her intent.
"Of course," Ai Yueli said bluntly. "Items that contain Dao resonance require guidance before ordinary cultivators can use them."
After that, she winked at Ye Ling and praised him. "But since you can already perceive the Dao behind the characters, as long as you're careful, you definitely won't be harmed by this ancient book."
"Fourth Master, that's not what I'm confused about."
Her explanation still didn't resolve Ye Ling's doubts, so this time he asked directly, "This ancient book is a treasure Grandmaster found in the ruins. Shouldn't cultivation-related items like this be stored in the Scripture Pavilion?"
Ye Ling opposed hoarding knowledge like a worn-out broom, and he opposed shutting oneself off from the world.
But the premise of his opposition was that his own things really were worthless, that whatever he produced couldn't compare to others'.
Call him selfish if you want, but if it meant handing genuinely good things over for everyone to share, he absolutely wouldn't do it.
So from the very beginning, the thought of letting anyone else read this ancient book had never crossed his mind.
"The Scripture Pavilion?"
Hearing Ye Ling ask so bluntly, Ai Yueli finally understood. Her expression remained calm as she replied, "That's not necessary. At the very least, something like this doesn't count as a real treasure."
What she didn't say was that, at her current level, she could write a book like this herself, one even clearer and more comprehensive.
She simply planned to wait until she had finished teaching Ye Ling and fully integrated the entire process before putting pen to paper.
"Huh?"
Ye Ling found it hard to believe. He felt like Ai Yueli was fooling him.
Even as a complete layman, he could tell how important this ancient book was. Anything that involved the Dao was never simple.
"You don't believe me?"
There was no smile on Ai Yueli's face, but her beautiful golden eyes grew uncommonly bright as she spoke, her vermilion lips parting slightly. "Didn't I tell you before? In this day and age, anyone below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage doesn't study the Dao. So how many people do you think could actually read this book, let alone understand how valuable it is?"
"..."
Ye Ling fell silent. What Ai Yueli said made sense.
Still, even if it wasn't useful right now, keeping such a treasure as a collectible would feel pretty good.
And if some future junior managed to comprehend its mysteries, wouldn't that be an absolute windfall?
"Stop thinking about it. Even if you threw this book out on the street, no one would be able to understand it."
Seeing Ye Ling's innocent expression put Ai Yueli in an even better mood. She blinked more frequently, her beautiful golden eyes growing ever brighter.
"Alright, I was overthinking it."
Ye Ling gave a bitter smile. He really didn't understand the current state of the cultivation world and had ended up being overly protective, like cherishing a broken broom.
"This is just an introductory book to the Talisman Dao. Just keep it safe. After all, it's something your Grandmaster left behind."
Ai Yueli was far more mature than Bai Yiyi and hadn't reached the point of being emotionally attached to this ancient book. If anything, even she found it a bit of a headache, so being able to keep her distance from it was naturally a good thing.
In fact, she had already started imagining the scene of Ye Ling being tormented by the book until his head throbbed with pain.
Good disciple, your master went through the same suffering back then too.