"However, your presence here limited you. In later generations, much research has already been done on the paths of the Blade Dao and the Sword Dao.
The Sword Dao and the Blade Dao were not the same, the former being too aggressive in killing and domination, a common issue in the path of blades.
Often, it was not because one was not strong enough to break through but because their overwhelming sharpness and excessive force prevented them from breaking through.
I could tell that your Heavenly Blade Realm was still not solid, and the breakthrough seemed somewhat forced.
Next, apart from practicing the blade with your physical strength daily, stop your cultivation.
First, read the Hidden Blade Scripture. Someday, when I look at you again, your Blade Qi and Blade Intent can remain unwavering, then we'll talk about other matters."
"I will respectfully follow your guidance, sir," said Jia Shisi, with gratitude.
He could hear that Yang did not want to damage his confidence and merely explained it was not that he was inadequate nor that Yang was stronger, but that Yang's era had surpassed his own in this regard.
That was all there was to it.
The first meeting went smoothly.
After meeting Zhang Quli, Yang seemed to regret not having met him sooner.
When the Jade Box was brought over, a special place was set aside for Yang to conduct his research.
Yu Ziqing did not hurry to leave, watching Yang's actions from afar.
Once he had the item in hand, Yang no longer felt anxious. Instead, he cautiously examined the talismans for a long time.
After conducting considerable research, Yang had a change of thought, and suddenly three overlapping talismans appeared above his mouth.
Chains extended from the Void on both ends of each talisman, binding them.
Yang's gaze became hollow, but this time it was clearly different from before.
He maintained a sliver of consciousness.
The three talismans on the Jade Box seemed to sense something, lighting up with a faint glimmer.
Beside Yang, three Imprint Stones simultaneously recorded everything.
Moments later, the talismans transformed by the Silence Divine Spell dissipated, and Yang continued to examine the talismans on the Jade Box and the Imprint Stones. After a long pause,
Yang finally turned to look at Yu Ziqing in the distance.
"Shall I open it now?"
"Peel off one first. No need to open the Jade Box yet. The contents inside don't need to be seen for now."
Yu Ziqing extended his hand to touch the top talisman.
Upon reaching for it, he could not feel the talisman's presence, as if it were a picture drawn on the Jade Box.
Yu Ziqing flipped his hand, producing the Dadui Jade Seal, holding it in his hand.
When touching it again, he could clearly feel the thickness of the talisman's edge.
With a gentle stroke, Yu Ziqing peeled off a corner of the tightly adhered talisman.
The top talisman came off effortlessly.
The talisman's material was peculiar, nothing like talisman paper, having a silken texture, more akin to some processed hide.
Alternatively, it might be the inner layer of some living being's skin, having hardness yet a very soft and peculiar feel.
Yang did not touch it with his hand but took out a small disk. The talisman then hovered above the disk.
Yang examined the front, then turned to check the back.
The patterns and the talisman core on the front seemed normal, but the back was anything but.
Covered in densely packed intricate lines and many tiny runes, as Yu Ziqing glanced at it, his Yin God involuntarily opened its eyes.
Wherever he looked, the talisman seemed to transform into hundreds of layers, each with dense lines and runes.
Just trying to see it a bit clearer made him dizzy and disoriented.
Yu Ziqing stepped back, closed his eyes, and took a while before he could reopen them, the spinning, dizzy feeling slowly fading.
Yang, meanwhile, had not only transformed his eyes into dragon eyes but his entire form became a black Dragon Body, hovering in midair, staring intently at the talisman.
For a full two-hours' time, Yang let out a sigh, pulled out a cover, and placed it over the talisman.
"The legacy of this item must be extremely ancient, traceable back to the Jiazi Era.
It appeared to be a talisman but was actually made by layering over a hundred talismans together.
Taken apart individually, they were useless, but combined, they formed a completely new talisman.
This technique still exists today.
Back in the day, the Langya Institute, commissioned by someone, crafted a super-talisman layered with seventy-two layers.
However, that talisman was half an inch thick and over three feet long.
Even for Langya Institute, they certainly couldn't achieve something this small, this thin.
Because they couldn't find such suitable materials.
The material of this thing, not sure what creature's hide it was, being peeled over a hundred layers, still remained intact, and could be reassembled."
"Can you decipher the Silence Divine Spell?"
"Not that fast," Yang gave Yu Ziqing a sidelong glance and snorted with derision, "What do you understand? Even when taking a big step forward with the direction, it's not something that can be solved in a day or two. Peel off the second one."
Yu Ziqing peeled off the second talisman, and Yang continued his research.
After a few two-hours' sessions, upon peeling off the third talisman, the Jade Box still remained unresponsive.
Yu Ziqing, pressing on the Jade Box, waited until Yang had preliminarily researched the third talisman, then asked,
"Do you think I should look at the thing inside, or not?"
"I guess it wouldn't be a problem if you looked at it, but it might not be the case for others."
Yu Ziqing pondered for a moment, then slowly opened the Jade Box.
Inside the Jade Box lay a Jade Scroll, appearing quite ordinary.
He had imagined, perhaps the sealing would cause its contents to fly out once opened.