This gathering of the Light of Fortune almost made Lu Zheng unable to resist bringing out the remaining seventy Cloud Pattern Swords.
It’s also because he now doesn’t lack the Light of Fortune and is wary of being too shocking, so he held back in the end.
With thirty swords, he could still bluff about having good luck and years of accumulation.
But a hundred swords, especially when not from an official iron workshop, would easily lead others to think Lu Zheng had acquired techniques for reliably producing Hundred-refined Steel and Divine Weapons.
The gap between triple digits and double digits is simply too vast.
Lu Zheng didn’t wish to stand out because of this.
"I’ve also prepared so alcohol gifts; there’s quite a bit. Master Ming Guang, where should I put them?" Lu Zheng asked.
Having brought out thirty swords and possessing a Storage Dharma Artifact, Daoist Ming Guang couldn’t overlook him, so he imdiately asked, "How much have you prepared?"
"Knowing there are many from the sect, I’ve prepared a hundred casks of Wuliangye and another hundred casks of Flower Carved Wine," Lu Zheng replied with a grin.
Daoist Ming Guang blinked; although he didn’t know what Wuliangye and Flower Carved Wine ant, he guessed they were types of alcohol, especially with two hundred casks...
"Follow ," Daoist Ming Guang stood up and led the two to the back hall, towards the cellar where the alcohol is stored.
Upon reaching the cellar, Daoist Ming Guang pointed to a small open space and said to Lu Zheng, "Place it here."
"Alright!" Lu Zheng nodded, then reversed the gourd, and one by one, twenty-pound casks of wine flew out from the gourd’s mouth, neatly arranged in the corner.
"Our temple has quite a few good wines. Just in ti for the approaching New Year, everyone can enjoy sothing new," Daoist Ming Guang said with a smile, then discreetly swallowed his saliva.
...
In the afternoon, Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing returned to Daoist Ming Zhang’s courtyard, finding him conversing over tea with another Daoist.
Upon introduction, they learned he was also an uncle from the temple, called Daoist Mingxin.
Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing chatted with them briefly, and since the evening lesson was approaching, Daoist Mingxin excused himself, hearing Daoist Ming Zhang intended to take two apprentices to participate in it.
...
In the following days, Lu Zheng and Yuan Jing stayed at Daoist Ming Zhang’s courtyard, either accompanying him to visit friends or in the White Cloud Temple exchanging knowledge with fellow disciples.
They even took a side trip touring Jizhou Prefecture, buying so local specialties which were stored in the gourd, taking no space at all.
Returning to White Cloud Temple, Lu Zheng quickly noticed a familiar aroma of wine wafting in the air.
Then, while walking in the temple, it wasn’t just the young Daoists, even the True n of the Ming Generation and so Ancestors of the Yue Generation smiled at him, praised him for gifting wine to the temple, saying he was truly sensible and courteous, leaving Lu Zheng quite astounded.
Gradually, he learned from conversations that the wine Lu Zheng gifted was supposedly brewed by himself, and after hearing about its complex thods and limited production, their attitude improved even more.
"It’s rare for you to be so thoughtful, young master. I once learned a stealth technique in the Jianghu during my younger days, which is sowhat interesting. I’ll pass it onto you."
"I have a Dream-Entering Skill here, useful for wandering Jianghu and awakening spirits. I’ll teach it to you as well."
"I heard Yuan Zheng, your talent is extraordinary, having mastered the Body-Freezing Curse. Very good, I’ll pass you the Spirit Attachnt Curse, to be used alongside a puppetry spell. It’s a small trick for the Jianghu that you can learn and play with."
...
"Thank you, Master Uncle!"
"Thank you, Senior Uncle!"
"Thank you, Ancestor!"
And so several casks of wine reserved for Lu Zheng in the gourd disappeared.
Exchanged for various techniques, each having its own rits though not forming a complete system.
The Invisibility Technique goes without saying; Lu Zheng previously often used an Illusion Technique instead of true invisibility, despite the essential differences between them.
An Illusion Technique affects a certain range of the environnt or the opponent’s body, distorting their sight to achieve invisibility. Hence, if the opponent is strong, it’s easy to be exposed, and it’s also difficult to beco invisible from a distance.
In other words, using it as an Invisibility Technique limits the potential of an Illusion Technique; instead, create a real-world illusion like Daoist Yuting is the correct thod for illusions.
The Invisibility Technique is specialized, acting on oneself without affecting others, allowing one to remain safely invisible even if the opponent is highly cultivated—provided they are not vigilant.
In terms of invisibility efficacy, the Invisibility Technique overwhelms the Illusion Technique.
Previously, Shen Ying perford a Dream-Entering Skill on Lu Zheng, but that was Shen Ying’s innate talent, which couldn’t be taught.
Now, Lu Zheng mastered the Dream-Entering Skill; upon marking them with a spell, he observes the target in a dream, experiencing life’s essence and teaching them swiftly—a use Daoist explained while enlightening spirits.
Given Lu Zheng’s current cultivation, he can’t yet support using Spirit Awakening Technique—a direct knowledge implant spell used by the cave elder on him and Hu Yijun on Liu Qingyan’s family—but until then, Dream-Entering Skill remains a useful technique.
The Puppetry and Spirit Attachnt Curses are even more impressive, enabled by Lu Zheng practicing the Nine Heavens Golden Palace True God Transformation Technique; otherwise, his two-century White Cloud True Qi Dao practice wouldn’t sustain it.
Paper figures, wooden puppets, earth dolls—Puppetry shapes them human-like, mimicking blood and ridians like an Illusion Technique, then empowered by Spirit Attachnt Curse, making them seem alive and controllable at will.
Compared to lower-tier Jianghu spells summoning spirits into paper figures and controlling with talismans, Spirit Attachnt has fewer side-effects, greater power, and puppets can show so of their strength, significantly increasing potency over soul-driving spells.
Lu Zheng: ≧∇≦
Swords exchanged for fortune, wine traded for techniques!
This visit to White Cloud Temple has almost entirely fulfilled its objectives.
Daoist Ming Zhang’s gaze towards Lu Zheng seed speechless, whereas Yuan Jing looked at Lu Zheng, amazed.
I’ve returned to White Cloud Temple more than once before, yet it seems my relations aren’t as good as your first return... Just a glance at the Cloud Pattern Sword, and Yuan Jing fell silent...
Furthermore, every ti Daoist Ming Zhang went out visiting, he carried a small cask of Wuliangye or Flower Carved Wine, pleasing the hosts and boosting Daoist Ming Zhang’s prestige.
During this ti, Lu Zheng had the fortune to visit the back mountain and t several elders, reportedly over two hundred years old.
Yet, Lu Zheng couldn’t gauge their cultivation, only observing their penetrating gazes and harmonious stance with nature, gaining slight insights aligning with his own learnings.
...
Ten days swiftly passed, soon reaching New Year’s Eve; White Cloud Temple had prepared all ceremony tasks for the Dharma Assembly on the following day, now comncing the temple-wide vigil.
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