[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou":3,"chapter-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-236":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ink Saint of Great Zhou",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292199,4481,"Chapter 236: Changes","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-236",236,"\u003Cp>In the limited time available, Lu Fang asked Tianji Daoist as many questions as possible about the restrictions of the Dao, gaining profound insights and forming a general understanding of the Dao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The mysteries of the Dao are endless; what we can grasp is but a fraction. How to resist or evade them requires your own careful observation and practice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianji Daoist paused, then continued: “I’ve told you all I can. As for the ancient alien races you’ll encounter, what you choose to do is entirely your decision—we outsiders can only offer advice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My disciple has been waiting here for you, wasting several days. We’ve spoken, we’ve eaten—now it’s time for us to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Disciple, I’ll wait for you outside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianji Daoist rose, belched, and walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan’s face, already flushed, turned even redder once they were alone; her lips quivered several times, yet she stammered and could not utter a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, gathering her courage, she waved her clenched pink fist and said: “Big Brother Lu, you must be careful. My master said those ancient alien races are extremely powerful—don’t let your guard down.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand.” Lu Fang smiled gently. “Thank you for this. Is there anything I can help you with?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan shook her head rapidly, lowering her head to change the subject: “By the way, learning the Wuliang Secret is easy, but forming the Wuliang Talisman is not. There are a few small tricks here—for example…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She explained in great detail, so detailed it bordered on tedious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it like this?” Lu Fang extended his hand, and in his palm, spiritual light flickered, rapidly coalescing into a Wuliang Talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan stared, dumbfounded, then forced a nervous laugh: “Big Brother Lu, you’re truly gifted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Tianji Daoist’s voice called from outside: “Still not ready? It’s getting late.” A man of his wisdom could not miss his disciple’s feelings—but alas, her affection was unrequited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan had admired Lu Fang since the time he stayed at the Shen Family Manor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lu Fang felt nothing of the sort toward his disciple—he treated her more like a close friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Better to cut short than prolong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it!” Shen Xiaoxuan replied impatiently, reluctant: “Big Brother Lu, next time I come to the Capital, take me to fun places, okay?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure.” Lu Fang smiled and watched Shen Xiaoxuan and Tianji Daoist depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianji Daoist glanced at Shen Xiaoxuan’s foolish smile and sighed: “Next time you see him, just become sworn siblings. Don’t think of anything else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, what are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan flushed with anger, glaring fiercely at Tianji Daoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a clever child—I trust you’ll make your own judgment.” Tianji Daoist said no more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Xiaoxuan pouted, her expression tinged with melancholy. She was good at everything—except she was overly sensitive to others’ emotions. She knew exactly what her master meant, and she sensed how Lu Fang truly felt toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Shen Family Manor, she already knew he saw her as nothing more than an ordinary friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meeting had brought them slightly closer—but only to the level of a very close brother-sister bond. Yet knowing this changed nothing. This was her heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She simply couldn’t control herself—she wanted to be kind to him, she thought of him unconsciously, she worried for him…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without thinking, she turned back to look—he was still standing at the inn’s entrance, smiling at her. She smiled from deep within, her eyes curling into crescents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no help for it—just seeing him made her whole heart and soul burn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after his figure vanished from sight, her heart still pounded wildly, no matter how hard she tried to calm it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, on the other side:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After watching Tianji Daoist and his disciple leave, Lu Fang turned and entered the inn. Under the innkeeper’s guidance, he reached a second-floor guest room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Acquiring Jian Stone wouldn’t happen overnight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to stay in the Ghost Market for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity to cultivate the Wuliang Secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Wuliang Secret contained three techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whichever technique was used, one must first form the Wuliang Talisman. The first, “Seal Realm,” could seal one’s cultivation base; the second, “Seal Memory,” could seal part of one’s memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The third technique, “Imprison,” could flexibly seal both cultivation base and memories, and even implant false memories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While sealed, one would fully unseal only under extreme life-threatening conditions—so there was no risk of dying while sealed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Fang could now barely use “Seal Realm” and “Seal Memory,” but the sealed strength and memories were minimal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could barely use the third technique as well, but any emotional instability would trigger the unsealing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This secret required high cultivation to support it, and mastery would come only through repeated refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the next half-month, Lu Fang rarely left his room, devoting himself entirely to cultivating the Wuliang Secret—and his progress was remarkably swift.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed the Dao imposed no restriction on this talent of his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While cultivating, he discovered that his hyper-perception greatly aided his practice of the Wuliang Secret, especially when forming the Wuliang Talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With the Wuliang Secret as I’ve cultivated it now, it should be sufficient for my current needs.” Lu Fang stretched, rising. He calculated the days—he had spent half a month in the Ghost Market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was time to visit the Shen Family General Store and see if they’d found any Jian Stone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Fang stepped onto the first floor of the inn, he overheard a group of guests discussing the Sealed Lands and ancient alien races.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listened closely, but realized they knew little—they were merely repeating rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He decided not to approach them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Shen Family General Store, Lu Fang was delighted to find Shen Yue had gathered twenty-two pieces of Jian Stone—though each was no larger than an egg, they were exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yue sighed: “I’ve used every connection and person in the Shen family here—this is all I could acquire. And I bought them all from a single person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I asked him where he got these stones. He said he stumbled upon a storage pouch and found these inside.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you heard of any other sources for these stones?” Lu Fang pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Yue shook her head, bitter-faced: “It’s strange. If these stones existed in the Scorched Lands, there should be more—and word should have spread. But our people have found no other leads.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1073,"2026-06-20T03:56:22.339Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","51fe8ce736205022d55879a88ba0681d426ddb231faeb3b4cc2321335fabd671","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-237","the-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-chapter-235",289,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ink-saint-of-great-zhou-cover.jpg"]