Cultivation: I Have a Golden Talisman-Chapter 49: Inhuman

Fang Cheng tore onward at a furious pace, and soon, there were hardly any other Cultivators in sight.

Aside from the four or five fastest people who had shot ahead at the start, Fang Cheng was now in the second group.

In all the Yinluo Sect’s previous outer sect trials, the number of Late-stage Sensing Cultivators had never exceeded ten!

Most of the Cultivators participating in the outer sect trial were at the Mid-Sensing Stage.

This was because, for a Servant Disciple, breaking through to the Late Sensing Stage was extremely difficult with the limited resources and opportunities available to them.

It was just like Fang Cheng when he had first transmigrated: he had none of the four essentials—wealth, companions, techniques, or a proper cultivation ground. He estimated it would have taken him decades of arduous effort to reach the Late Sensing Stage by relying solely on the One Qi Technique and diligent cultivation.

Within his streak of Escape Light, Fang Cheng’s wide sleeves billowed and his sash danced in the wind.

Suddenly, he saw several streaks of Escape Light ahead descend toward a mountaintop. Not long after, they rose again and sped off into the distant sky.

’Could that be where the Trial Stele is?’

The thought spurred him into action. He directed his Escape Light downward and landed on the mountaintop.

Sure enough, a simple, thirty-foot-tall ancient Stone Stele stood alone on the mountain. No vegetation grew around it, the Spiritual Qi was in disarray, and the marks of lightning strikes were visible everywhere.

A battle had clearly taken place here.

With just a single glance, Fang Cheng could picture the scene: Qian Shaoning descending from the heavens, annihilating the local Demon Beast with a single lightning technique, approaching the Trial Stele, and then departing in a grand fashion.

Fang Cheng walked directly to the base of the Stone Stele, and the Trial Talisman hanging from his waist suddenly flashed. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He looked down and saw that another mark had appeared on the jade-pendant-like Trial Talisman!

’It seems I have to get within ten feet of the Trial Stele for it to register...’

Fang Cheng paused and scanned his surroundings.

He had no idea what method the Yinluo Sect Elders had used, but the Demon Beast was hidden nearby, waiting to burst out and ambush any Disciple who approached the Stone Stele.

Judging from the residual aura, the Demon Beast near the first Trial Stele was merely at the Tier One Mid Stage. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been obliterated by a single lightning attack from Qian Shaoning.

’The Demon Beasts probably get stronger the further I go!’

Fang Cheng didn’t linger. His figure flickered, and he shot up into the sky, giving chase to the few people ahead.

「Two hours later.」

He found the second Trial Stele in a mountain valley.

Once again, there was no sign of a Demon Beast, but the remnants of the battle were of a different nature. They were likely the work of a Cultivator who practiced a Fire Element Technique.

After the new mark was made on his Talisman Decree, Fang Cheng suddenly felt a peculiar sensation.

Through the Trial Talisman, he found he could faintly sense something in a specific direction, far off in the sky.

’Could it be... that there’s a connection between the Trial Talisman and the Stone Steles...’

Fang Cheng’s eyes glinted as a faint guess began to form in his mind.

He suspected that not even Wang Xingzhi knew this secret...

It was only thanks to his Sword Heart Clarity that he had noticed the slight sensation. Other Cultivators, unless they had some Secret Technique, likely wouldn’t be able to detect this subtlety.

’Perhaps this is a backdoor left open for the scions of the great families.’

Fang Cheng sighed softly. His Escape Light rose, and guided by the faint, almost imperceptible feeling from the Trial Talisman, he continued onward into the distant sky.

By now, he could no longer see any other Cultivators ahead of him.

Since the trial began, they had already flown for thousands of miles. All the disciples had scattered, each searching for the Stone Steles on their own.

Fortunately, the Stone Steles were not too far from the shoreline of the Abyssal Marsh. The first was only a few miles from the shore, and the second was less than ten.

It just took some effort to find them.

The only real danger was missing one.

This time, however, Fang Cheng switched his Escape Technique!

A sharp Sword Intent suddenly erupted from his body. His Escape Light grew much thinner, but it became like the flash of a blade, slashing through the air and creating a sound of wind and thunder.

SWOOSH!

In an instant, Fang Cheng’s speed more than doubled.

Sword Escape!

This Escape Technique was extremely draining on one’s Magical Power and focus, but its speed was comparable to that of a Late-stage Sensing Cultivator. Flying a thousand li in two hours was no problem at all.

Of course, his current Cultivation was still a long way from achieving the legendary Sword Qi Thunder Sound.

He shot forward like a sword, parting the clouds and stirring the air as he flew straight toward his destination, leaving a perfectly straight white trail in the sky.

「A little over two hours later.」

He halted his sword-like flight and hovered in the air, looking down.

There, within a mountain forest, was a clearing roughly a square li in area. In its center stood a Stone Stele, making it extremely conspicuous.

There were signs of a recent battle near the Stone Stele. The corpse of a Demon Beast lay in pieces, scattered across the ground, still smoldering with a crimson Demon Fire that had yet to go out.

The Demon Beast appeared to have been a giant spider, likely at the Tier One Late Stage. The fight must have been too fierce, however, as its corpse was so scattered that it held little value. Whoever killed it couldn’t be bothered to collect the remains and had simply left.

Fang Cheng landed, allowed the Trial Talisman to receive its new mark, and then walked into the dense woods. He took out an Essence Supplement Pill, swallowed it, and sat cross-legged on the ground to recover his energy.

Using the Sword Escape had consumed a great deal of his Magical Power. Fortunately, he had confirmed the Trial Talisman’s guidance ability. For the rest of the journey, he wouldn’t have to be in such a rush.

...

「Not long after.」

His Magical Power fully restored, Fang Cheng strolled leisurely out of the woods.

In the clearing, the Spider Demon’s corpse had been incinerated, leaving behind a patch of scorched earth.

Just then, a streak of Escape Light appeared on the horizon. It landed hurriedly and made a beeline for the Trial Stele.

Fang Cheng turned to see a portly, good-natured-looking man in fine robes.

’This man’s Cultivation is quite impressive...’

The portly man’s Cultivation had reached the Seventh Layer of Sensing. It was deep and solid, and his aura surged with power—it was obvious at a glance that he practiced a High-level Technique.

The man took out his Trial Talisman, and after he approached the Stone Stele, it flared with bright light, instantly gaining another mark.

However...

There were only two marks in total on his Talisman Decree.

The portly man noticed Fang Cheng as well. He carefully put away his Trial Talisman and turned to look, saying with some surprise, "Daoist Brother, are you also a Disciple in the outer sect trial? You’re surprisingly fast!"

Fang Cheng gave a friendly smile and nodded, but said nothing.

Seeing that Fang Cheng was only at the Sixth Layer of Sensing but had still arrived before him, the portly man couldn’t help but give him a few more glances, casting aside any thoughts of looking down on him.

"Which family do you represent, Daoist Brother?" he asked.

"The Ye Family," Fang Cheng replied simply, preparing to take his leave.

"So, the Ye Family..."

Just then, the portly man noticed the Trial Talisman at Fang Cheng’s waist. When he saw it already had three marks, he was stunned. "How do you have an extra mark?!" he asked, confused. "Isn’t this the second Trial Stele?"

Fang Cheng couldn’t help but smile. "This is the third Stone Stele I’ve found."

The portly man’s expression turned grim. He shook his head. "Impossible. I searched carefully the entire way here. I definitely didn’t miss one. You must have flown ahead and then doubled back... No, that’s not right! Your Cultivation isn’t high enough for you to be that fast..."

Fang Cheng said, "The second Stone Stele is in a valley about a thousand li from here. From the sky, that valley is shaped like an inverted V."

A thoughtful expression crossed the portly man’s face. He suddenly slapped his thigh and cried out, "I remember now! There is a place like that! Those blasted Elders, hiding a Stone Stele there!"

Without another word, his large, portly frame shot into the sky and he flew back the way he came.

After flying for several hundred yards, he came to an abrupt halt, spun around, and flew back toward Fang Cheng.

He shouted from the air, "Many thanks, Brother Ye!"

With that, he hurriedly turned his Escape Light around again, scattering a fluffy white cloud as he shot off into the distance.