Chapter 22: Origin Talisman Light Formation

According to Shi Kaihuang’s original plan, he was going to use this Grief Larva to show Su Chen that he was not an easygoing master.

But because Su Chen had unexpectedly passed this challenge, he allowed Su Chen to continue to charge forwards.

The second wave was a pair of low-grade Vicious Beasts that charged at him. Su Chen was able to deal with them easily using the Clear Wind Net. The third wave was an Origin Demon Puppet, which Su Chen exploded into bits using his wine jugs. On the fourth wave, however, Su Chen was finally unable to win. He was met by a dark-skinned individual wielding a cutlass. Not only was its skin densely covered in scales and barbs, but it also moved extremely fast. Su Chen’s Erupting Firebird was completely ignored by it, and its cutlass was extremely vicious, growing stronger with each strike.

Shi Kaihuang was secretly going easy on Su Chen. Otherwise, Su Chen probably would have already been defeated.

Even so, Shi Kaihuang was quite flabbergasted.

Su Chen’s strength was not very high, but his adaptability exceeded Shi Kaihuang’s expectations. It was already a great surprise that Su Chen was able to survive three waves.

After the test ended, the large hall disappeared. Su Chen discovered that he had reappeared inside another room. Shi Kaihuang stood right next to him.

“Ancient Arcana Techniques, a self-created net-type Origin Skill, and offensive medicines. You’ve dabbled in many different areas,” Shi Kaihuang said.

Su Chen replied, “This disciple encountered some good fortune in the past and gained a lot of knowledge concerning Ancient Arcana Techniques.”

“Oh? Then do you think that Ancient Arcana Techniques or contemporary Origin Skills are more powerful?”

“Ancient Arcana Techniques emphasize knowledge, whereas contemporary Origin Skills emphasize experience. Both have their own merits. However, purely in terms of Origin Energy application, I feel that Ancient Arcana Techniques are a tier higher.”

“Is that so? Do you feel that contemporary Origin Skills are unable to use enough Origin Energy?” Shi Kaihuang coldly laughed.

Su Chen knew that his answer would not grant him any favor in his master’s sight, but he nodded his head and said, “Yes.”

Shi Kaihuang harrumphed, “You’re just a frog in a well.”

As he spoke, he waved his long sleeves. Su Chen discovered that the room had instantly become a vast, starry expanse.

As he stood beneath the starry sky, Su Chen watched the stars in the sky twinkle. It seemed to incite a reaction from somewhere within his body, attracting the Qi to that area. He felt the Origin Energy in his body begin to surge.

“This is......” Su Chen cried out in amazement.

“This is the Origin Talisman Light Formation. It’s my greatest achievement during my fifty years at the Hidden Dragon Institute,” Shi Kaihuang replied.

“Origin Talisman Light Formation? Origin Talismans? That light isn’t starlight?” Su Chen couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course not.” Shi Kaihuang proudly jutted his chin out while replying with confidence, “I painstakingly refined and formed every star in this ‘sky’ that you see, and each one corresponds to a certain body part. There are a total of 8932 Origin Energy Talisman Nodes, and each one has a different effect on Origin Energy in the body. I used fifty years of my life to search for as many such talismans as I could. One could say that all possible nodes and categories of each Origin Energy Talisman are included. Any type of contemporary Origin Skill cannot exist without these nodes. 8932 Origin Energy Talisman Nodes implies that there are countless variations and combinations possible. Su Chen, tell me, with so many possible combinations, can Ancient Arcana Techniques really compare in terms of Origin Energy application?”

As he spoke, Shi Kaihuang’s tone became filled with self-confidence.

Su Chen was absolutely flabbergasted.

8900+ Origin Energy Talisman Nodes!

The human race usually only used around a thousand Origin Energy Talismans. In other words, these thousand Origin Energy Talismans and the resulting variations were enough to form the large library of contemporary Origin Skills currently in use.

Shi Kaihuang had discovered almost nine thousand Origin Energy Talismans and used them to construct a massive Origin Talisman Light Formation that corresponded to each inch of his body. Undoubtedly, this was a massive undertaking.

Su Chen was unable to restrain his praise.

But a moment later, he shook his head and said, “I admit that I underestimated the ability of contemporary Origin Skills to tap into various applications of Origin Energy, but Origin Energy Talismans are inherently tapping into the human physique, which can only contain a limited amount of energy. No matter how many Origin Energy Talismans exist, the human body’s ultimate capacity is set. In that sense, Ancient Arcana Techniques are still superior when it comes to applying Origin Energy.”

Shi Kaihuang knit his eyebrows in contemplation. “The human body is a treasure in and of itself. It contains limitless hidden potential. Ancient Arcana Techniques use Origin Energy Patterns to unleash Origin Energy, essentially borrowing the power of heaven and earth to perform magic. That’s not the right path in the end.”

Put plainly, Ancient Arcana Techniques and contemporary Origin Skills were based on two different kinds of ideas. The human race focused on strengthening their own bodies while the Arcana Race focused on strengthening the techniques themselves. They were founded upon two completely different schools of thought. Shi Kaihuang pursued an intrinsic increase in the strength of humans, so it was no surprise that he had disdain for Ancient Arcana Techniques.

Su Chen wanted to counter that the right path was whichever achieved their goal. Since they were planning on breaking through bloodline restrictions, it was important to remain open-minded for anything that was useful for their studies. But after thinking for a moment, he kept his mouth shut. After all, he had just formally become Shi Kaihuang’s disciple, and some comments were still inappropriate to make. Thus, he could only modestly listen.

Shi Kaihuang used the Origin Talisman Light Formation to understand the mysteries of Origin Energy Talismans. It was essentially a calculator for understanding how to conduct Origin Energy.

In some sense, it was similar to the Brooke’s Formula; they were both used to understand changes in Origin Energy conduction except that one was used for Origin Energy Patterns while the other was used for Origin Energy Talismans. They both had different functions, but both were extremely complex. In addition, both the Brooke’s Formula and Origin Talisman Energy Formation were tools used to understand Origin Energy. They did not provide results in and of themselves, but they could be used to calculate and derive a desired outcome.

Inventing this formation was no small feat, so it was unsurprising that Shi Kaihuang was so proud of it. With this formation, it was a simple matter to create a few simple contemporary Origin Skills as long as one’s requirements for those skills weren’t too high.

Su Chen originally wanted to pull out the Brooke’s Formula and show it to Shi Kaihuang to prove that impressive inventions for Ancient Arcana Techniques also existed. But after thinking for a moment, he felt it would be better to wait for a few more days. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Shi Kaihuang’s integrity. Rather, as a student there was no need for him to be so gung-ho about everything – it was too inappropriate.

Shi Kaihuang continued, “As an instructor, my responsibilities should have been to teach you a few powerful Origin Skills and give you pointers on your cultivation to raise your strength. But since you and I are both pursuing the same dream of the human race, the ultimate way to control Origin Energy, there is not much point in me teaching you any current Origin Skills. The only thing that is worth teaching you is this Origin Talisman Energy Formation. From today onwards, you will study this formation, including what it consist of, how it is made, and how to apply it. If you can master it, you will have mastered the essence of all contemporary Origin Skills!”

“Yes, instructor!” Su Chen respectfully replied.

It was better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish.

Shi Kaihuang was a man who thoroughly followed his own philosophy. He immediately handed over the most precious knowledge. Clearly, he had no intent of hiding or concealing anything.

It wasn’t because he trusted Su Chen, but rather because he had previously mentioned the second step.

In order to contribute to the human race, they could not afford to selfishly hide any secret techniques.

Shi Kaihuang had not been able to find someone who could accept and continue his dream in the past because even if he had given it to them, he or she may not have fully appreciated it. Now that he had found someone to continue his legacy, naturally he would transmit everything he had. Even if Su Chen betrayed him in the future, he would not feel any regret.

This was the attitude that someone who possessed an ultimate dream should have for their whole life.