His antennae darted around, seemingly curious yet cautious and afraid at the same time.
By now, Lin Jin had taken a seat.
Due to the dilapidated courtyard, the house was too dilapidated to move in. Hence, Lin Jin and Old Taoist sat in the yard, using rocks as stools.
Several dishes were placed on top of a wooden stool. Only the stewed meat was served in a bowl while the others were served in oiled paper and leaves. Lin Jin could tell that this old Taoist had great taste in food. Even in such an environment, he was able to gather so much food.
There was also wine.
A jar of aged wine had been opened and its aroma wafted through the air.
Old Taoist switched to a clean porcelain bowl and filled it up for Lin Jin.
"Appraiser Lin, I don't have anything good here. If you don't mind, you can try the dishes and wine." Old Taoist Wu Qian didn't feel awkward at all.
He knew that if it were the Curator here, he wouldn't be able to talk so freely.
The Curator was dignified and intimidating while Appraiser Lin was much more gentle and refined.
"You're welcome, Taoist. I'm here on the Curator's orders to have a chat with you," Lin Jin said as he picked up the bowl and took a sip.
The wine wasn't bad. It was comparable to the famous brews in the city's restaurants.
Lin Jin started the conversation by saying this.
"I was fated to witness the Curator's supernatural powers that day so I've been thinking a lot these days. I've been harboring questions for years and I need to get them out." Wu Qian took a sip as well.
Lin Jin smiled. "Feel free to speak your mind, Taoist."
"Alright." Wu Qian gave it some thought. "My master is Mount Tianhe's Cloud Sect. This sect was in its heyday a thousand years ago, but the path of immortality had fallen a thousand years ago. But back then, there were still some powerful cultivators who could ride the clouds and cast magical spells. They were free and unfettered, cultivating the path of immortality. But after my master, Daoist He Hang, Cloud Sect's population had withered and there were only two or three of them left. Pet beasts are popular now but I'm still cultivating the ancient way. But as time goes by, my cultivation hasn't improved at all and I'm at a loss for what to do."
Wu Qian narrated with a gloomy expression. The hardships he suffered over the years were nothing. More importantly, he had lost his goal.
If one didn't even know what to cultivate, wouldn't one be at a loss?
"That day, when I saw Curator use the Nebula Barrier, I was shocked. I didn't think that there would still be a capable cultivator in this world who could use such a technique. In the Daoist books, it is said that the Nebula Barrier can change the sky and the stars. Ancient almighty beings were able to set up a country with a single thought, changing the sun and the moon, and changing day to night. Curator may not be as powerful as the ancient almighty beings, but his cultivation is still profound. This humble Daoist was worried that there would be no one to guide me on the path of cultivation, which is why I asked Curator to give me some pointers. This humble Daoist would like to ask, would there still be a day when I cultivate according to the Immortal Dao?"
When Old Taoist Wu Qian asked this question, his eyes were filled with anticipation, like a lost person waiting for guidance.
This problem was a little big.
If Lin Jin wasn't sure himself, how could he give an answer?
"Well …" Lin Jin pondered for a moment. Based on the current situation, it was an indisputable fact that the Immortal Dao had fallen. Just like this old Taoist's heritage. After a thousand years, it still ended up in such a miserable state.
Hence, after some thought, Lin Jin answered honestly, "It's hard for me to say if there will be a day when I cultivate according to the Immortal Dao. It's the same even if Curator is here. Although you saw Curator cast his spell that day, you didn't know he was actually skilled in beast appraising. In essence, we're just beast appraisers. According to your Daoist teachings, we should follow the laws of nature. Now that beasts are in charge, why must we continue down this path? I see that Daoist Priest also has a monkey demon by his side. I believe that Cloud Sect must have a similar cultivation method. Why don't we study it? As for the Immortal Dao, we can continue cultivating it. Coincidentally, I also have a few cultivation techniques here. We can learn from each other and improve together. "
Lin Jin's answer was satisfactory.
Old Taoist Wu Qian's eyes lit up at this.
He knew that the laws of nature weren't something he, Lin Jin, or even the Curator could explore. Just as Lin Jin said, since beasts were in charge, they should just follow the laws of nature.
Next, Lin Jin explained 'visualization' to the old Daoist. The old Daoist listened attentively. After that, Lin Jin talked about 'inner breathing'. The old Daoist also had a corresponding technique. He compared it with Lin Jin's and lost. Obviously, the inner breathing technique that Lin Jin obtained from the Museum of Deadly Beasts was more powerful and orthodox. The old Daoist memorized it all.
As for the 'vein strengthening formula', the old Taoist didn't really understand it. That was normal. After all, the vein strengthening formula had to be used in conjunction with the pulse-seeking technique. Old Taoist didn't know much about acupuncture so he naturally wouldn't understand it.
Hence, Lin Jin didn't explain much about the vein strengthening formula.
Since Lin Jin had explained quite a bit, Old Taoist couldn't just freeload either. Hence, he took out his Cloud Sect's secret cultivation method.
It was mainly about the edict amulet.
Lin Jin wanted to know more about this so he listened attentively.
Speaking of which, what Lin Jin gave Old Taoist Wu Qian were mostly methods to condense one's physical body, psyche, and spirit energy. The edict amulet that the old Taoist mentioned was a proper Taoist spell.
Lin Jin was a perceptive person so after listening to it once, he was enlightened.
The so-called edict amulet was mostly written with one's own cultivation and spirit energy. Usually, it was cast by borrowing strength. If one wanted to cast a lightning spell, they could borrow the power of a thunder deity. There were many different thunder deities in Taoism, and some could borrow Heavenly Thunder. However, this was too mysterious and difficult to follow a set pattern. When Old Taoist talked about his area of expertise, his eyes lit up and he couldn't stop talking.
In between, the old Taoist drank wine and ate meat. He was clearly in high spirits.
"Everyone knows how powerful our Cloudlock Monastery's edicts were in the past. It's just that we didn't last long. In this humble Daoist's generation, we can't even write a proper edict talisman. It's a shame. We can only rely on what we have. The edict talisman we gave to the white ape was written by my grandmaster."
At this point, Old Taoist shook his head, hating himself for not living up to his expectations.
Lin Jin was pondering over the edict Old Taoist had given him. It was indeed a profound technique but Lin Jin had experience studying the Nebula Barrier so he was inspired.
"Take a look and see if this is how a five elemental fire amulet should be written." Lin Jin dipped his chopsticks into some wine and began writing on the stone slab.
Old Taoist Wu Qian had drunk quite a bit so he was a little tipsy. He craned his neck to watch Lin Jin write the edict on the stone slab. One glance and he was stunned.
He rubbed his eyes.
"Why does it feel like there's a ball of fire?"
Wu Qian thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. When he looked again, it was real. Not only was there a ball of fire, but it was actually burning.
Forget Old Taoist Wu Qian, even Lin Jin was startled. He had just finished writing the edict and tried to activate it. To his surprise, the stone slab actually burst into flames.
Moments later, the stone slab was charred black and cracked. This fire was no small matter.
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