The Natal Talisman Seal was the most ordinary and common type of natal talisman seal among Talisman Masters.
The Natal Spirit Talisman often possessed special abilities. For instance, the Ancient Vortex Talisman Seal hidden within this Moss-Covered Ancient Wood had been modeled after the Devouring Ancestral Talisman, giving it a trace of Devouring Power.
The Natal Heavenly Talisman was elusive and intangible. Even ancient texts contained few records of it.
In other words, Lin Dong had struck gold this time.
"Come out, Ancient Vortex Talisman Seal!"
Having made up his mind, Lin Dong's spirit stirred, and the Spiritual Power within his Niwan Palace surged out at once like a tide, wildly crashing against the layer of Spiritual Power barrier on the surface of the moss-covered ancient wood.
Crack!
Against the Spiritual Power Lin Dong had cultivated for six years, the thin Spiritual Power barrier shattered. A speck of silver light shot into Lin Dong's mind.
"Ancient Vortex Talisman Seal, the Seal-Condensing Method!"
A torrent of information surged from the depths of Lin Dong's mind. It contained the specific Seal-Condensing Method and basic techniques for using Spiritual Power.
"So this is how the Seal-Condensing Method works. Let's begin, then."
After a long while, Lin Dong slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. He closed his eyes and followed the technique recorded in his mind, driving his Spiritual Power in a special rhythm until it spun rapidly within his Niwan Palace.
The Spiritual Power spun faster and faster within his Niwan Palace. At the center, it gradually condensed into a Mental Vortex.
The very instant the Mental Vortex took shape, a faint pull of suction burst forth, and the speed at which the Mental Vortex spun grew faster and faster, faster and faster.
At last, the Mental Vortex reached an inexplicable peak of rotation.
"Now! Condense for me!"
Seizing the moment, Lin Dong decided at once, controlling the high-speed spinning Mental Vortex and compressing it ruthlessly inward. With a booming "boom," the Mental Vortex shattered at once, and an utterly profound, ancient-looking rune swiftly emerged amid the endless fragments.
The Natal Spirit Talisman was complete!
Buzzz~
The instant the ancient rune took shape, it released waves of terrifying suction, drawing in and devouring every fragment of Spiritual Power within the Niwan Palace. Soon, a crack appeared across the rune's surface, and the rune split completely into two ancient runes.
But it was not over. After splitting off an Avatar, the Natal Spirit Talisman remained unsatisfied. Its talisman body writhed and split open a small crack, attempting to form a second Seed Body. After struggling for a long while without success, it reluctantly abandoned the attempt.
Peak Second-Seal Talisman Master, achieved!
"Whew~ The Natal Spirit Talisman is finally condensed, and I'm already at the peak of a Two-Seal Talisman Master. If I keep cultivating in seclusion a while longer, I should soon step into the realm of a Three-Seal Talisman Master."
Lin Dong's tightly shut eyes snapped open. He felt as though the entire Lin Family lay within his grasp. If he wished, he could even hear a few Lin Family servants whispering in the distance.
"Heh heh, kid, not bad, not bad. You should go find some metal material capable of channeling Spiritual Power to forge a weapon. That way you'll be able to fly via Object-riding Flight."
Little Marten had hidden in the Ancestral Stone Space and watched Lin Dong's entire Breakthrough. He now scurried out to offer a suggestion.
"That's right, I do need to forge a weapon."
Hearing this, Lin Dong's eyes lit up. Yuan Power cultivation allowed flight only after reaching the Three Creation Realms, but Spiritual Power was different. Once someone became a One-Seal Talisman Master, they could use Spiritual Power for Object-riding Flight. Lin Dong was already a Peak Second-Seal Spiritual Seal Master.
"Hmm, I recall that the Stone Talisman Space contains a Mental Grinding Disc that can accelerate your Spiritual Power cultivation. If you are not afraid of pain, you can use it to cultivate. The pain is difficult for an ordinary person to endure."
"Tsk tsk, back then, Lord Marten gritted his teeth and endured it twice. After that, he never touched the torturous thing again."
The Mental Grinding Disc still left Little Marten shaken.
"What's a little pain? As long as it makes me stronger, I can endure it."
Lin Dong pushed himself up with both arms, nimbly dropping from the platform to the ground. He began stretching his somewhat numb muscles and bones.
"Tch, another cultivation maniac."
Little Marten wore an expression that said, "I'm truly speechless." He muttered under his breath, then returned to the Ancestral Stone Space.
.....
With less than four months until the Clan Competition, Lin Dong devoted himself to seclusion at home, cultivating his Yuan Power and Spiritual Power.
Before long, the eve of the Clan Competition arrived~
"I've forcibly suppressed my Cultivation for more than two years. It is time for a Breakthrough."
At night, Lin Dong sat cross-legged on the platform, brimming with energy. He closed his eyes and sank his mind into his Dantian.
Within the vast Dantian, the two opposing Yin-Yang Energies had begun to merge. Faint wisps of energy cloud had also appeared.
As the Yin-Yang Energies circulated, they produced faint sounds like flowing water.
Yin-Yang Intercourse, condensing the Yuan Dan!
This was the sign that Lin Dong was about to enter the Yuan Dan Realm!
"Let's begin!"
Lin Dong's spirit stirred, and the Yin-Yang Energies that had already begun merging within his Dantian immediately began spinning rapidly in opposite directions, the speed growing faster and faster, faster and faster, the powerful centrifugal force compressing all the Yin-Yang Energies in the Dantian into faint wisps of energy cloud.
"Not fast enough yet. Faster, faster still..."
Lin Dong remained unmoved and continued driving the Yuan Power vortex into a frenzied spin. Soon, it compressed all the energy in his Dantian into droplets—one drop, two drops, three drops...
In the blink of an eye, all the merged Yin-Yang Energies in the Dantian had become several dozen heavy, ancient-looking droplets of golden energy.
Yin-Yang Intercourse, condensing the Yuan Dan!
"Now! Yuan Dan, condense for me!!!"
At his low shout, those dozens of golden energy droplets seemed to be gripped by an invisible giant hand. They compressed inward and rapidly formed a golden dan body with a slight Indentation on its surface.
Buzzz~
The moment the golden Yuan Dan took shape, it released an incredibly fierce suction force. It drew in every trace of energy mist remaining in the Dantian, along with the Yuan Power circulating through Lin Dong's Meridians, and pulled it all into itself.
The golden Yuan Dan's exterior grew rounder, more regular, and smoother before his eyes. Nine extremely fine star patterns flickered across its surface, while an exceedingly faint energy pulse rippled outward.
Nine-Star Yuan Dan, achieved!
Yuan Dan Realm, achieved!!
"A Nine-Star Yuan Dan — I've finally achieved the highest quality of Yuan Dan!!!"
Watching that golden Yuan Dan slowly spinning within his Dantian, watching those nine star-patterns across the dan body's surface, Lin Dong's heart surged with excitement.
If not for his determination to achieve a Perfect Mastery Yuan Dan, he would have entered the Yuan Dan Realm long ago. Why else would he have suppressed his Cultivation and waited until now?
No—to be more precise, he could only be considered to have reached the Lesser Yuan Dan Realm.
The Yuan Dan had Three Realms: the Lesser Yuan Dan, the Perfect Mastery of the Yuan Dan, and the Greater Perfect Yuan Dan.
Lin Dong had only just entered the first of the Three Realms of the Yuan Dan. The road ahead remained long and arduous.