However, if your abilities are so outstanding that all forces want to curry favor with you but dare not make a move against you, then you can do anything you want in this world freely.
In the world before, Xu Nuo thought that being an eighth-level Taoist would suffice for such freedom, so he was accustomed to living freely.
As for advancing to the Yellow Rank to become a true immortal cultivator, he hadn't really considered it, as he always viewed aging, sickness, and death as natural human processes.
If everyone else died and left you alone, it wouldn't be something to celebrate. Moreover, he felt that living forever would be quite boring.
There seemed to be nothing in this world that could particularly interest him, but now he suddenly found something, and that was studying Park Su!
Whether before or after the apocalypse, as long as it wasn't something evil, he would only pursue what he wanted to do; he didn't like being constrained by others. Hence, improving his Taoist techniques had become an increasingly crucial task.
Before the apocalypse, as an eighth-level Taoist, the issues he faced were generally few, mainly involving exorcisms, ensuring safety, or blessings. Occasionally, he'd encounter some creatures that had become spirits, but since they were few and not strong enough to cause trouble, dealing with them was not difficult!
In fact, these plants and animals that had turned into spirits were more cautious of humans, and those who genuinely wanted to cause chaos were rare, not requiring his intervention.
But now, with the air rich in spiritual energy, he could clearly sense the aura of a spirit in Park Su's Green Vine. In essence, this Green Vine was likely a spirit that had become sentient due to the sudden increase in spiritual energy in the air. However, it was unclear why it would obey Park Su.
According to Park Su, if zombies evolve and humans evolve, then these spirits would likely evolve as well. Moreover, compared to animals, plants can absorb the spiritual energy in the air more efficiently for their own use.
If he continued to maintain his current level of Taoist cultivation, he might not be able to deal with these beings in the future, as no one knows if these spirits will target humans or zombies after gaining sentience, considering how humans have treated them in the past.
More importantly, he was concerned that some animals might also turn into spirits, causing even greater harm to humans. Although he wasn't particularly concerned about this, he didn't want humanity to go extinct.
After all, the spiritual energy he used for cultivating Taoist techniques could also supplement the spiritual energy used by superpowers, so all he needed to do was practice his Taoist arts.
However, he genuinely wasn't clear about what level his superpower would be considered if classified separately.
With Park Su cultivating in the next room, the wood-based energy he was emitting was quite beneficial for Xu Nuo, at least helping to refresh his mental state, making him feel invigorated and increasing his spiritual energy.
In Xu Nuo's view, absorbing spiritual energy during cultivation wasn't difficult, but increasing mental power simultaneously was challenging. He didn't expect that due to Park Su, he would find this process somewhat easier.
With his mental power increasing, checking the surroundings would become more convenient, providing an extra layer of security for both him and Park Su. So, one was absorbing crystal cores to enhance his superpower, while the other was cultivating Taoist techniques, until Xu Nuo felt the spiritual energy from Park Su's side weaken, then he got up to start drawing talismans, increasing his proficiency and the level of the talismans he could create.
Generally, an eighth-level Taoist could only make eighth-level talismans since the spiritual energy within an eighth-level Taoist could only support talismans up to that level.
However, Xu Nuo had always been talented in Taoist arts; he invented a method called "Gathering Qi" at the sixth level, which allowed him to create eighth-level talismans. By the seventh level, he could make Yellow Rank talismans, albeit only one every few days.
But even at the eighth level, he hadn't managed to break through to the Mysterious Rank from the Yellow Rank. The old man always said it was because he had become lax with his Taoist practices. Despite being at the eighth level, his skill in making talismans hadn't improved, and Yellow Rank was still just an entry level into immortality, something one could achieve with effort, but Mysterious Rank was beyond the reach of ordinary mortals like him.
The old man wasn't wrong; in the previous world, a Yellow Rank talisman could easily solve any problem, and he usually only needed one or two talismans of the fourth or fifth level when he went out.
He rarely even needed eighth-level talismans, let alone Yellow Rank ones. He was afraid that if he used them, their overwhelming effect might scare people into thinking he was a monster and capture him.
In terms of Taoist arts, he had reached the eighth level two years ago but then started researching all sorts of odd things, setting his Taoist practice aside.
He did this partly not to outshine the old man too much, considering the old man was three times his age but only at the tenth level. Xu Nuo could have broken through to the ninth level long ago if he wanted, but he hadn't even reached the Yellow Rank.
Although he knew the old man was good to him, people do have jealousy. If he surpassed the old man to reach the Yellow Rank, it would likely hurt the old man's feelings.
Moreover, Taoist arts were just the old man's expectations and his own hobby, nothing particularly vital to him.
So, there was no need to upset the old man, though he knew that if he performed well, the old man would be somewhat pleased, but there would still be a tinge of sadness about Xu Nuo's potential not matching his.
He didn't care much about these things, so why do something that would make the old man unhappy? However, now he thought that perhaps the old man's decision to leave, wanting to break through to the Yellow Rank, was one reason, and another might be that he saw through Xu Nuo's intentional delay in cultivation to not outshine him.
One should know that Taoist cultivation goes from level one to ten, then further divided into the four ranks of Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. In the peaceful times before, even third or fourth-level Taoists could handle most issues.
Someone like his old man, a tenth-level Taoist, had received much respect, but because he hadn't advanced to the Yellow Rank for a long time, he was aging more visibly and started seeking a breakthrough. The difference between the tenth level and the Yellow Rank might seem like just one step, but it's actually the vast difference between immortality and mortality.
The old man, being old and nearing the end of his lifespan, saw breaking through from the tenth level to the Yellow Rank as his only way to extend his life.
So when the old man left, Xu Nuo, although reluctant, didn't show it because he knew it was the best choice for the old man.
Moreover, he never thought there was anything the old man couldn't handle. Even now, the old man could manage, but it was uncertain whether he could break through to the Yellow Rank. If he couldn't, he might not live much longer. Xu Nuo knew many things were beyond his control; worrying was futile. Now, he just hoped the changes in spiritual energy in the air would help the old man break through, while all he needed to do was enhance his own strength.
After finishing his talismans, Xu Nuo stored them away. It was now six in the evening, and in July, the sky was already turning light. This was the time when the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was at its densest, especially at sunrise when absorbing the purple qi was the best method to improve Taoist arts.
So he opened his window, stood there, and began to absorb the purple qi of the rising sun. He hadn't properly cultivated in a long time, and this diligent practice through the night left him feeling refreshed.
As he closed his eyes, feeling the changes in his body's spiritual energy and the effects of the absorbed purple qi, he suddenly noticed a significant fluctuation in the surrounding energy, which made him frown and turn his gaze toward the room next door.
Logically, Park Su had only collected about thirty crystal cores yesterday, and by the latter half of the night, the life energy had noticeably dissipated, indicating he had finished absorbing it. But why was it suddenly becoming more concentrated, even with a trend of growing stronger?
This puzzled him, but then he considered a possibility - Park Su was about to break through. He sighed with a headache; after all, he was also on the brink of a breakthrough.
He had been suppressing his own advancement for some time, but recently, he not only drew many talismans but also absorbed a lot of spiritual energy. If it weren't for his superpower helping to distribute some of that energy, he would have broken through already.
Even with his superpower sharing the load, after spending the night drawing talismans with Park Su's energy and then cultivating with it, followed by absorbing the purple qi this morning, he felt his whole body filled with spiritual energy, ready to break through from the eighth to the ninth level at any moment. However, he was contemplating whether to break through here or wait for Park Su to wake up, discuss his plans, and then break through with Park Su's protection when Park Su unexpectedly broke through first, and with considerable commotion.
This left him somewhat helpless; at this rate of spiritual energy gathering, the convoy behind would soon notice the anomaly here.
Faced with this situation, Xu Nuo couldn't break through now either, so he had to suppress his own energy, preventing it from advancing.
Then he released his mental power to monitor the movements of the convoy behind them. The best way to keep them from noticing would be to set up an isolation formation around their house.
Setting up an isolation formation wasn't difficult for Xu Nuo, but doing so might affect Park Su's ability to attract spiritual energy.
In Xu Nuo's view, dealing with the convoy behind them is well within his capabilities, and it is simply not worth affecting Park Su's breakthrough for those people. Therefore, he directly rejected this plan.