Chapter 00135: The Beginning
# The Beginning
Chapter 135
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 135: The Beginning
It seemed that Qi Xinyue had gained some assurance from Ding Huan, as her cultivation efforts began to align more closely with those of Lao Liu.
Ding Huan, on the other hand, pulled out a pile of jade slips.
The first one he picked up brought him immense joy—*The Hundred Taboos of True Essence Circulation*.
As he scanned it with his divine sense, he found it filled with detailed explanations about the dos and don'ts of cultivation techniques.
Some were absolute no-gos, while others offered alternative approaches.
Even after reading just a small portion, Ding Huan felt he had gained a wealth of knowledge.
The so-called "hundred taboos" weren't literally a hundred; in fact, the details mentioned far exceeded a thousand.
Ding Huan already had a solid foundation in cultivation theory, so he was able to extrapolate and gain even more insights than what the jade slip alone offered.
Having reached the peak of a ninth-level gene cultivator, Ding Huan lacked a foundational gene cultivation technique and had no idea how to break through to the next stage.
Deep down, he had the idea of creating his own foundational technique, and this jade slip was like laying the groundwork for that.
Once he started, Ding Huan couldn't put the jade slip down.
He spent over half a month studying it before finally moving on to the second one.
*Extreme Shadow Evasion Technique*? As Ding Huan's divine sense scanned the jade slip, he grew more and more excited.
This was a movement technique, and a good one at that.
The only movement technique he knew was the Wind Riding Technique, but as his cultivation level increased, he found it increasingly inadequate.
After just a brief look, Ding Huan carefully stored the jade slip away.
This wasn't the place to practice such techniques.
It seemed that the real treasure of the Star House wasn't the house itself, but the jade and bamboo slips inside.
The third jade slip was already in Ding Huan's hands, and he eagerly scanned it with his divine sense.
The first two had been exactly what he needed—what would the third one be?
*Dao Talismans: Volume One*.
Ding Huan's hand trembled.
He had assumed that since *Dao Talismans: Volume Two* was a bamboo slip, the first volume would be the same.
To his surprise, it was a jade slip.
If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have waited until now to look at it.
But soon, he was glad he hadn't known.
If he had, he wouldn't have spent a year refining his divine sense.
He would have jumped straight into talisman crafting.
With this jade slip in hand, Ding Huan had no interest in anything else.
He was completely absorbed in the vast ocean of knowledge it contained.
The first volume was far more detailed than the second, starting with materials.
For talisman crafting, the range of materials was incredibly broad—beast materials, natural treasures, spiritual plants, and even minerals could be used.
The section on talisman symbols was densely packed, starting with basic symbols, then moving on to the five elements and various other elemental symbols.
Ding Huan noticed mentions of space and time symbols, as well as attribute symbols, but these weren't explained in detail.
The jade slip simply stated that they were for advanced practitioners to study.
However, the basic and elemental symbols were explained thoroughly.
It was clear that the creator of this jade slip wasn't well-versed in space, time, or attribute symbols.
Ding Huan didn't mind—he didn't understand them either.
For him, the key was being able to draw his first talisman symbol.
Only by mastering the symbols could he begin crafting his first talisman.
The most basic talismans were drawn with a talisman brush, while intermediate ones were created using spells.
The jade slip didn't cover advanced talismans, but after obtaining the Star House, Ding Huan suspected that the highest-level talismans were drawn using the laws of the universe.
Regardless, Ding Huan's immediate task was to craft a talisman brush and start drawing his first symbol.
Fortunately, he had asked Dou Qingzhi to collect a pile of beast hides for him.
The first thing that came to mind was the hair from the giant ape, a ninth-level beast, which would be perfect for making a brush.
He also had some feathers from the giant owl, but as a beginner, he decided to save those for later.
For the brush handle, Ding Huan chose the bones of the giant owl.
He didn't have any other suitable materials on hand.
This was his first time crafting a talisman brush.
Initially, he planned to follow the method described in the jade slip, but as he began, various forging techniques popped into his mind.
Unintentionally, he incorporated these techniques into the process, which led to the failure of his first attempt.
For the second try, Ding Huan decided to stick strictly to the method outlined in the jade slip.
This time, it only took him an hour to successfully craft his first talisman brush.
According to the jade slip, the lowest-grade talisman brush was a low-grade magical tool.
Ding Huan knew his brush wasn't at that level, but as a beginner, he didn't mind.
Besides, if he had a magical tool, he would have been able to fly long ago.
As for talisman materials, Ding Huan had plenty.
A pile of beast hides was stored in the Star House.
He wasn't sure if the beast blood had gone bad after a year, but when he pulled out a bucket, he found that it seemed fine.
The Star House's unique environment seemed to preserve things well, as no living organisms, not even microbes, could survive inside.
However, the spiritual energy in the blood had significantly diminished and would likely disappear entirely soon.
Talisman materials, also known as talisman bodies, were crucial.
The best talismans required the best materials.
Ordinary people used cinnabar and yellow paper to draw talismans, with the paper being the most basic talisman body.
As a ninth-level gene cultivator with a solid divine sense and the *Dao Talismans* jade slip, Ding Huan's starting point was much higher.
Even without a low-grade magical tool brush, he had beast materials and blood.
Though the spiritual energy in the blood was weak, it was still from a beast.
With everything ready, Ding Huan began crafting his first talisman body.
As a beginner, it didn't need to be complex—just capable of holding a talisman symbol.
The Blue Star continued its lonely journey through the vast universe.
Qi Xinyue, eager to reach the Foundation Establishment stage, had gone into seclusion and rarely emerged.
Lao Liu, on the other hand, seemed to have disappeared entirely, with no news from him.
The only sign of life on the Blue Star was Ding Huan, who was tirelessly crafting talisman bodies, drawing symbols, and experimenting with talismans, bringing some vitality to the otherwise silent ship.
Time flowed by slowly.
Starting with his first water-condensing symbol, Ding Huan gradually opened the door to the vast world of talismans.
After successfully creating his first Clear Water Talisman, he went on to craft more and more.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he could only produce first-level talismans.
Even when he used the blood and hide of the giant ape, the result was still a first-level talisman, albeit a slightly better one.
Ding Huan realized that his lack of progress wasn't due to his skill but rather the limited materials and the low-grade brush he was using.
According to the *Dao Talismans*, the highest-level talismans didn't even require a brush.
But as a beginner, Ding Huan still needed one.
He decided to stop crafting talismans for now.
It had been nearly two years since they began drifting through space.
The cosmic guidance orb he had taken from the Zhan Shen Continent showed no signs of activity.
He had no idea how the dung beetle had managed to leave—it probably didn't even have a cosmic guidance orb.
Ding Huan's divine sense swept over Qi Xinyue, who was now a ninth-level gene cultivator, matching his own level.
He wasn't surprised; with her talent, resources, and dedication, it would have been strange if she hadn't reached this stage.
Next, his divine sense turned to Lao Liu.
Since boarding the Blue Star, Lao Liu had done nothing but cultivate.
To Ding Huan's surprise, Lao Liu had also reached the peak of the ninth-level beast stage, equivalent to the giant ape he had killed.
Judging by the flow of demonic energy around Lao Liu, it seemed he was trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage and become a demon beast.
Ding Huan's interest was piqued.
Lao Liu was an ancient being and likely had his own methods for Foundation Establishment.
However, after observing for a few minutes, Ding Huan withdrew his divine sense.
He could tell that Lao Liu had attempted this breakthrough multiple times, but the fluctuations in his energy suggested that success was unlikely, at least not in the void of space.
As if sensing Ding Huan's divine sense, Qi Xinyue stopped cultivating and came out.
"Xinyue, I don't think we can keep waiting like this. If we do, we might not even make it out of the solar system before our lifespans run out," Ding Huan shared his thoughts.
Qi Xinyue, sharp as ever, sensed that Ding Huan was considering a risky move.
"If you think it's the right thing to do, then go ahead. Wherever you go, I'll follow," she said softly, her meaning clear—if Ding Huan died, she would follow him.
Ding Huan nodded and then sent a mental prod to Lao Liu, who was still cultivating.
Lao Liu was annoyed—he had noticed Ding Huan's divine sense earlier.
"Huan Ye," he grumbled, knowing Ding Huan would understand without needing to write anything.
Ding Huan's divine sense swept over the unchanging void outside the ship, and he sighed.
"Lao Liu, drifting aimlessly through space isn't getting us anywhere. I think we should find a wormhole and take the Blue Star through it. We'll leave our fate to the heavens."
"Huan Ye, whatever you decide, I'll follow," Lao Liu wrote this time.
He had tried to break through to Foundation Establishment multiple times, but success seemed impossibly far away.
For Lao Liu, if he couldn't advance in cultivation, life wasn't much different from death.
(End of Chapter)