Free Web NovelChapter 144: Chapter 144: The Celestial Book on the Wall
As for the idea that the Cloud Seal Celestial Book was on those Talismans, that couldn’t be right either.
Jiang Xu had sold quite a few of them before, including some Talismans drawn by Elder Li.
If the Cloud Seal Celestial Book was really recorded on these Talismans, Elder Li would never have let them leave the shop.
’But if it wasn’t on the Talismans, where could it be?’
’Could it be that its method of existence wasn’t something that could be easily perceived?’
Jiang Xu suddenly realized something and quickly used the Spiritual Eye Technique to inspect his surroundings again.
But upon looking, everything still felt no different from usual.
Jiang Xu was very disappointed.
’I thought this was the crucial point, but it turns out there’s still nothing here!’
But Jiang Xu wasn’t one to give up easily. He didn’t abandon his search and instead continued to observe carefully with his Spiritual Eye Technique.
Slowly, he noticed that something in the shop seemed off, as if there was some kind of extremely subtle change.
Although at first glance, his surroundings looked no different even with the Spiritual Eye Technique activated, after studying them for the better part of the day, Jiang Xu was instantly stunned!
He saw that the walls, floor, shelves, ceiling, beams... every surface was densely covered with peculiar Runes. They were so tiny they were almost invisible to the naked eye, layered one on top of the other, completely stuffing the entire little shop.
These minuscule Runes were blurry in Jiang Xu’s vision, blending perfectly with their surroundings. If Jiang Xu hadn’t been observing for so long, he would never have discovered them at all.
Furthermore, these Runes were constantly undergoing some unknown transformation. The appearance of each Rune changed its form every instant, dazzling the eyes and making them impossible to see clearly.
"So this is the so-called Cloud Seal Celestial Book?"
Jiang Xu was completely dazzled, unable to see anything distinctly.
’No wonder Elder Li is unwilling to leave. It turns out the inside of this Talisman Shop is filled with the Cloud Seal Celestial Book. For Elder Li, there’s probably no place more important than this.’
As Jiang Xu marveled at this, he also realized a problem.
Who exactly had arranged the Cloud Seal Celestial Book inside this shop?
’Elder Li?’
’It definitely couldn’t be him, because he can’t even remember these Runes.’
’If he can’t even remember them, let alone write them.’
But this meant the owner of the Celestial Book was a mystery.
One had to know that this Cloud Seal Celestial Book was something only a Tier Three Talisman Maker could master.
Didn’t this prove that the owner of this Talisman Shop was actually a Tier Three Talisman Maker?
’Then the title of "World’s Number One Talisman" isn’t just an empty boast?’
’Could it be the work of the former Talisman Pavilion Master that Yu Wenfeng mentioned? But why would he set something like this up in the Marketplace instead of within the Profound Origin Sect?’
Jiang Xu couldn’t figure it out. He just felt there was a hidden story here, and it probably wasn’t as simple as he thought.
’I was truly sitting on a mountain of treasure without knowing it, selling those Talismans in the shop, completely unaware that the most valuable thing was right beside me!’
Jiang Xu was filled with regret. If he had understood this earlier, then he would have... uh, actually, it seemed like it wouldn’t have changed anything.
Jiang Xu couldn’t make heads or tails of this Cloud Seal Celestial Book either.
’As expected of Runes said to have been passed down by an Outer World True Immortal.’
Jiang Xu couldn’t understand them at all.
The key was that even under the observation of the Spiritual Eye Technique, they were just as blurry and indistinct, their forms constantly shifting, offering no place to start.
’No wonder Elder Li can’t remember them at all. Who the hell could possibly memorize these damned things?!’
After watching for a while, Jiang Xu closed his eyes. He found that, contrary to what he had imagined, it wasn’t that he had no impression at all. An afterimage did remain in his mind, but it was so complex that he forgot it in moments.
’How can this be? Even I, a mere Tier One Talisman Maker, can retain a slight impression. Can Elder Li really not remember anything at all?’
Jiang Xu didn’t dwell on it. If even Golden Core Ancestors and Tier Three Talisman Makers couldn’t figure it out, how could he?
The problem Jiang Xu most wanted to solve now was how to memorize these precious Runes.
Since he could retain a slight impression of the Cloud Seal Celestial Book, he figured that if he spent enough time and effort, he might be able to memorize one or two of them.
Even if it was just rote memorization, memorizing one would be a win, and memorizing two would be a massive gain.
This wasn’t something a small fry like Jiang Xu could ever hope to come into contact with. Now that he had the chance to secretly learn it, not doing so would be a betrayal of the past month he’d spent running this little shop!
...
「For the next week or so,」 Jiang Xu tried every method he could think of to memorize, recite, copy, and trace the Cloud Seal Celestial Book inside the little shop.
But in the end, he couldn’t completely memorize even a single Rune.
Everything he remembered was fragmented and incomplete, unable to form a whole.
During this time, Elder Li continued to ignore Jiang Xu completely. Even when Jiang Xu tentatively recorded a fragmented Rune and placed it in front of Elder Li, there was no reaction.
Jiang Xu wasn’t disappointed; he was already used to it.
However, Jiang Xu had a new theory about why Elder Li was acting this way.
’First, Elder Li definitely knows that the Cloud Seal Celestial Book exists in this shop. It might have even been set up specifically for him.’
’Second, everything Elder Li does is certainly for the sake of comprehending the Cloud Seal Celestial Book. That’s a given. Therefore, the reason he’s maintained this posture in the shop for so many years must be in service of that goal.’
Based on these two points, Jiang Xu made a bold guess: if he imitated Elder Li’s behavior, could he also comprehend the Runes?
At this thought, Jiang Xu immediately brought over a chair, imitated Elder Li’s posture, and began to sit motionless.
Time slowly passed.
After sitting for more than six or seven hours, Jiang Xu couldn’t take it anymore.
It wasn’t that he was uncomfortable from sitting.
Rather, he realized how stupid this was.
’Just sitting here doing nothing... the Runes aren’t just going to jump into my head. It can’t possibly work like this.’
’But what’s the difference between me and Elder Li?’
Jiang Xu glanced at Elder Li, then suddenly slapped his forehead as he realized something.
Elder Li’s Cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment realm. His Divine Sense could be released to investigate everything around him.
But Jiang Xu was only at the Qi Cultivation stage. He only had Spiritual Sense, which had not yet become Divine Sense. The difference between the two was enormous; they couldn’t be compared at all!
’In other words, it’s highly likely that Elder Li has been using his Divine Sense to observe the surrounding Runes this whole time!’
’And he’s been doing it continuously, every single moment. Forget a full day, he probably hasn’t stopped for even a moment!’
Jiang Xu was horrified.
The Runes in the shop were as numerous as the hairs on an ox, and they were complex and ever-changing. If Elder Li’s Divine Sense was enveloping the shop, wouldn’t that mean he was receiving an enormous amount of information every single moment?!
