Was it the power of the bronze tripod that was insufficient, or was it his own realm that was not enough, affecting the bronze tripod?
Mystic Turtle spoke gently:
"Child, learning some Yin Yang Skill will not harm your Fate Grid."
Li Guanyi asked, "Then, the move that trapped me earlier?"
Mystic Turtle explained, "That was a technique of Qi Condensation, more special than the acupressure of Martial Artists or pressing the meridians of Taoists. Only a Magician who can observe Qi can see the difference, and only those who possess the power to Determine Yin Yang Five Elements can resolve it. Unfortunately, one can only cultivate it when entering the realm and allowing the Qi Mechanism to leave the body."
Li Guanyi felt regretful.
It was once again about Entering Realm.
Before and after Entering Realm, there is a special significance in all schools and sects.
Thinking this, the level of entering the Realm is particularly crucial.
Mystic Turtle looked towards the elder, who puffed his beard and glared angrily, unwilling to speak.
"You are the Siming, what are you looking at me for?"
Mystic Turtle nudged the elder.
He begrudgingly picked up a straight twig, scratched the ground a few times, each stroke leaving behind a trace of Qi Mechanism.
Then, he pointed the twig in the center of the pattern, and the Qi Mechanism began to flow.
Suddenly, the soil thickened, and then sprouted a bud, which grew and spread, eventually becoming a flowering tree. The tree blossomed with large plum blossoms, which fell into the palm of the youth and then the plum tree instantly withered away into a fierce fire. The fire rolled into a flow of water, falling to the ground, and turning to dust.
Everything was like a dream.
But Li Guanyi looked at his palm; the plum blossom was still there.
The elder threw away his stick and, without explaining, tilted his chin.
Mystic Turtle said, "This is the power of our Yin Yang Family, the transformation of Yin and Yang, Five Elements Life and Death."
"It is a power to explore the fundamental nature of heaven and earth, filled with profound mysteries. We're not adept at fighting and killing. Martial Artists of the same level would basically be killed upon approaching us. Even if it's not those Martial Artists, Taoists or Monks with similar levels of Qi Mechanism, we cannot defeat them. Are we barely stronger than those involved in calculating Mathematics?"
Li Guanyi asked, "Confucianism?"
The elder cursed, "Confucian Scholars are uncouth, especially adept at smashing people with bamboo slips!"
[Mystic Turtle] said, "Though we are not skilled in fighting and killing, if one masters this path, summoning great winds that cover rivers, and using Great Formations to disrupt celestial phenomena, whirling dust and changing battle formations would be an easy task."
"Since ancient times, strategists have all known this path."
"In this chaotic world, the strategists of the Yin Yang Family change the heavenly timing, strategists balance the great trends, mathematicians deduce the national strength of the countries, and ultimately on the battlefield, Fierce Generals charge into enemy lines and rival thousands of armies. Meanwhile, kings sit high in the courts, and the common people flow through the dust of the mortal world, just like the Five Elements."
"Child, if you want to learn, when you enter the realm, come and find me here."
"Let's not talk about master and disciple anymore."
[Mystic Turtle's] shell exuded power, voluntarily releasing a portion of it, and Li Guanyi felt the bronze tripod humming. This power entered it and naturally transformed into a Mystic Turtle, although it did not receive the Jade Liquid, the Mystic Turtle was already imprinted upon it.
This was the first time Li Guanyi actively transferred his own Qi to his own Dharma Form.
Mystic Turtle spoke gently:
"If such a talented individual is not imparted the technique, then the old friends would have to crawl out from their graves."
"After entering the realm, I can pass on to you a 'Dharma Form' method from the secrets of the Yin Yang Family."
The elder glared at his old friend.
When did you start to snatch up disciples?! Giving 'Dharma Form' from the Yin Yang Family is essentially dividing a part of one's own Qi, creating and sending it forth, and it's also the most core way of passing on tradition in the Yin Yang Family.
Li Guanyi, sensing the changes upon the bronze tripod, understood the intent of Mystic Turtle. He looked seriously at the plum blossom in his hand, accepted the relationship of this transmission of technique, and as he stood to say his farewell, he inquired:
"You are..."
Mystic Turtle said, "Me?"
"Never mind."
"I am just that old turtle who once carried the Luoshu."
...
Li Guanyi had departed, and the elder and the Mystic Turtle gazed into the distance, with the Mystic Turtle saying, "Zu should be arriving soon, with the Confucian scholar Wang Tong from Chen Country as well, and the seventh giant of the Mo School has already infiltrated the city. Both the aura of weapons and the aura of culture have soared to the skies."
"What are you looking at?"
The elder said, "I am looking at his stars."
Even though it was clearly daytime, the old man was staring intently at the sky, his gray hair fluttering in the wind, slightly moving. The Mystic Turtle regarded this gifted Siming, who had been unsurpassed for a thousand years. Siming, a senior of the Yin Yang Family, presided over the Heavenly Mandate.
Within the realm of observing celestial patterns, no one could surpass him.
This elder had once presided over the ancestral sacrifices of a great nation, in solemn scenes where even kings knelt below the high platforms, with blue smoke and giant flags billowing as if connected to the clouds in the sky. Dressed in elaborate and solemn attire, Siming was sitting cross-legged in front of the giant bronze tripod, solemnly and majestically chanting ancient sacrificial words.
Everyone said he was the most talented of the Yin Yang Family.
Only the Mystic Turtle knew that, at that time, the elder was hungover, sitting there merely nodding slightly, his solemn expression due only to the severe hangover headache, frowning tightly. When using the turtle shell for divination, he would carve secret patterns inside the shell with a sharp file beforehand, then burn it to create the desired patterns.
His lips slightly parted, beneath the solemn music, the Mystic Turtle heard clearly.
"Damn it, it hurts me to death."
He was the most talented Siming, but also the one who most scorned the divine mandate of the Yin Yang Family in their eyes.
At this moment, however, he sighed, "So it is, he is not from the White Tiger Sect."
The Mystic Turtle looked at his old friend.
The elder quietly said, "I cannot see that star, but the star representing his Fate Grid hangs high, like a vortex in the East Sea. The surrounding stars, including those of the Four Symbols, have all been devoured and swept away by it. Yet even so, his Fate Grid star did not emit any light."
"Like a star that should not belong to the starry sky, a purely black vortex star."
"I, cannot understand his Fate Grid anymore..."
"However, a Fate Grid is just innate; whether he accomplishes anything still depends on the person's capacity. This time, both martial and cultural energies converge in Guan Yi City, involving the Martial World, the Court, Ying Country, Chen Country, aristocratic families, regions outside the border, Confucianism, Taoism, the Mo School, the Military School, and rich merchants."
"Various forces enter the stage, aligning perfectly with the timely opportunity of the Dragon and Tiger."
"Just as water churns into waves, a fish can leverage the Qi Fortune of this era of great conflict to soar, transforming into a True Dragon, utilizing timely and geographical advantages to enter a supreme foundational realm."
"How far he can go, whether he becomes renowned or remains obscure and nameless."
"Depends on this occasion."
The Mystic Turtle fell silent: "Why don't you tell him?"
The elder paused: "...forgot."
The elder and the turtle looked at each other, and the elder jumped up and began to run wildly: "Disciple, Master, wait for me!"
"Wait for me!"
...
Li Guanyi returned to the Xue Family, intending to remind Elder Xue of the changes in the city's defenses, though the elder might already be aware, but he felt obliged to mention it; he also intended to have his aunt temporarily move into the Xue Family's other courtyard. Standing at the door, however, Li Guanyi saw a convoy arriving.
The visitors had a different demeanor from those typical of Jiangnan, many were burly and bold.
Curious, Li Guanyi greeted the Xue Family's guard, who acknowledged him as a Guest Elder, which caused a man in his thirties from the convoy to stop. He turned to look at the young man, his hair meticulously styled, wearing a jade hairpin, his face pale and gentle, sporting a goatee.
Qi flowed around Li Guanyi's eyes, and a white fox appeared on the man's shoulder.
A White Tiger paced beside Li Guanyi, with a Red Dragon circling around.
Dharma Form?!
That's not right, something that only heroes of the world possess. In the past, Li Guanyi had not seen such a thing for ten years, but within just this month, so many had gathered in Guan Yi City?! Instinctively feeling something was amiss, thinking of the changes in city defenses, he sensed an oppressive atmosphere like the calm before a storm.
The man's mouth curved into a slight smile, saying, "Guest Elder?"
"Such a young Guest Elder, the Xue Family's descendants are indeed exceptional."
Li Guanyi said, "Sir, you also possess an outstanding demeanor."
"Hahaha, I am just a mere traveling merchant from Guanzhong in Longxi, unworthy of the title 'sir.'"
The handsome man bowed slightly:
"A native of Longxi, with the double surname Changsun, named Wuchou."
"Pleased to meet you, young sir."