In the market, everyone stood frozen in place, not daring to move an inch.

After a long, long time, the thunder that had echoed countless times finally dissipated slowly.

The massive shadow gradually moved away, and the radiance of the Great Sun once again shone upon the world.

But by this time, the sun had dimmed, and it was unclear how much time had passed.

Gu Yuan looked down and touched himself, discovering the blood rain on his body had quietly disappeared at some point.

Yet a few spirit grasses on Silver Moon Bay, seemingly nourished, grew even more lush.

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

Only then did the people in the market awaken as if from a dream, and without a word, they hurriedly used their escape light to return to their respective cave mansions.

The fall of the True Dragon had no inevitable connection with the disciples of the Qi Refining Stage.

But this was undoubtedly the most earth-shattering event in the cultivation realm in tens of thousands of years, and the waves it created would surely affect everyone!

Gu Yuan didn’t know what kind of impact this event would have on him, whether good or bad.

"But no matter what, seizing the time to grow stronger is the most important thing."

Gu Yuan took a deep breath, adjusted his state, and then deployed his Cloud-Stepping Shuttle to continue flying toward the Pill Furnace Institute.

He needed to seek out the Jade Turtle Armor to refine the Dharma Seal quickly.

...

...

The disciple guarding the Pill Furnace Institute was also in a daze, and it took several calls from Gu Yuan to wake him up.

Fortunately, the process of purchasing the Jade Turtle Armor went very smoothly. The Daoist School was wealthy, and almost any treasure was kept in stock; Gu Yuan only took a piece from the Dao Pattern’s edge, obtaining it easily.

However, it was quite valuable, costing as much as forty spirit stones.

This made Gu Yuan once again sigh at the allure of the word "wealth."

If it weren’t for Stone Liquid, if it weren’t for the Golden Core’s aid, he truly wouldn’t know how to stand out in cultivation.

After obtaining the necessary items, Gu Yuan made no pause and returned directly to the cave mansion to begin preparing to refine the Dharma Seal.

...

Refining the Dharma Seal is not difficult; the hard part is how to comprehend the Dao Pattern.

It’s like a pile of building blocks; the materials don’t change, but constructing them into the desired model is the most important thing.

Gu Yuan knew that his talent was not exceptional, so he could only progress slowly, bit by bit.

This comprehension took him ten days.

...

"Buzz, buzz!"

On a transparent shadow wall, Gu Yuan’s spiritual sense was like water, gradually entwining the golden silk and jade thread, trying to outline it into a Dao Pattern.

But the fusion of the Dao Pattern always lacked a bit of smoothness, and at the final node, it exploded with a bang, turning the shadow wall into powder.

The shadow wall is an essential item for refining a Dharma Seal.

This object, paired with the golden silk and jade thread, can simulate the formation of a Dao Pattern. If the Dao Pattern is successfully outlined, hidden with celestial charm, the shadow wall will remain intact.

If the shadow wall explodes, it means the Dao Pattern is incomplete and has flaws.

Almost all cultivators use this item when refining a Dharma Seal to ensure comprehension of the Dao Pattern.

After all, spiritual materials have only one chance, and if they fail, they must start over.

But even a piece of the shadow wall for the Qi Refining Stage requires a spirit stone, and multiple failures can be quite painful.

At this moment, beneath Gu Yuan’s feet, there were already ten shattered shadow walls.

Gu Yuan’s heart bled, but he could only gather his spirits and continue to comprehend.

Thankfully, income from fishing every three days kept him from being in the red.

...

...

"Buzz, buzz!"

Under the control of his spiritual sense, gold threads as fine as hair moved up and down, left and right, as if a tempestuous storm and a misty fog appeared on the shadow wall.

A peculiar charm circulated without pause.

"Succeeded!"

"I finally comprehended this Cloud-Walking Seal!"

"Next is refining."

Gu Yuan took a deep breath, a trace of joy appearing on his face.

The Dao Pattern was intricate and complex, like seeing flowers in the mist; he exhausted his heart power to finally comprehend it on the thirteenth day.

This also gave him a clearer understanding of his own talent.

He was definitely not a genius.

But in his heart, he longed even more for those divine "Body Seals" or "Life Seals" that could change one’s qualifications.

However, thinking more was pointless; it was time to quickly refine the Dharma Seal.

"Clang!"

With a flick of Gu Yuan’s fingers, a green turtle shell appeared in his hand, with an ancient and heavy shell whose age was unknown.

On the shell, a network of green lines seemed natural, glowing in the quiet chamber.

These were the Dao Patterns.

Dao Patterns are born naturally, but that doesn’t mean they inherently hold great power.

They still require fusion and combination.

Why do people not have Dao Patterns, but all things and plants do? Gu Yuan was always curious, but he found no answers in the Scripture Pavilion and had to give up.

"Fog Spirit Grass!"

"Scattered Jade Flower!"

Gu Yuan flipped his hand, producing two spiritual materials in his palm.

One was a small gray grass emitting wisps of mist with a yin-yang pattern on its veins, and the other was a green spirit flower resembling jade.

Gu Yuan laid out each primary and auxiliary spiritual material, then took out a small bronze cauldron.

Inside the small cauldron, there was silver liquid, shimmering with an indescribable scent, though not unpleasant, somewhat like wine, seemingly intoxicating.

This was a crucial step in refining the Dharma Seal.

"Extract the Pattern!"

To place the spiritual materials into pre-prepared spiritual liquid, extract the Dao Pattern, and then the seal can be formed.

"Blub blub!"

Gu Yuan, according to the order, placed the Jade Turtle Shell, Fog Spirit Grass, and Scattered Jade Flower into the spiritual liquid.

This step was not aesthetic nor filled with the aura of immortal cultivation.

It reminded Gu Yuan of his past life’s laboratory.

But when the silver liquid shone and the Dao Patterns were stripped from the spiritual materials, everything suddenly changed.

"Hoo!"

"Crash!"

A strange power stirred Spiritual Qi; in the void, rain was born, mist swirled, and faintly there seemed to be the sound of thunder.

A peculiar Dao Charm was born.

Gu Yuan felt as if the most fundamental force of the world was beckoning to him.

But he had no interest in probing because he knew this was the norm for condensing a Dharma Seal; the Dao Pattern was inherently one of the Heaven-Earth Rules.

His spiritual sense surged out, agile like a Flood Dragon, swiftly coiling around the three Dao Patterns.

The Dao Patterns, once stripped, could only exist for a moment; if he missed this opportunity, they would dissipate into the void.

Fortunately, Gu Yuan had already understood the Dao Patterns, and with his strong spiritual sense, he quickly fused the three Dao Patterns into one.

An unusual seal text, emanating the aura of Dao Charm, circulated in the void.

"Now is the time!"

But it wasn’t over yet; Gu Yuan focused his mind, and mana within him surged out like a tide.

The mana of the Qi Refining Realm usually floated like mist, but under Gu Yuan’s desperate condensation, it became as heavy as water, eventually vaguely achieving a semi-solid state.

"Clang!"

The mana formed a mass, striking the seal text.

In the void, a sound like that of a golden bell suddenly rang, and a unique charm suddenly stirred.

"It’s done!"

Gu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

In the void, a jade seal the size of a cup floated up and down, with shapes of wind, rain, and mist on the seal, and Dao Patterns naturally forming beneath it.

"Crash!"

At a thought from Gu Yuan, in the quiet chamber, heavy rain suddenly fell, mist enveloped, and it felt as if rain and wind had descended, obscuring everything.