The second thing he learned about the Vessel Sigil techniques was that the two sigil techniques could be likened and even equated to the weapon or skill intent of people like sword cultivators.
Both kinds of techniques require a lot of talent, skill, willpower, and mental control. These requirements make it difficult for those at the fourth mortal coil to learn and master them.
It is said that intent and the sigil techniques are usually meant for nascent soul cultivators. Only special and talented cultivators at the fourth mortal coil can learn them.
This declaration made him remember the talented golden core elder of the Sword Way sect who had waylaid them on their way back to the sect after raiding the Milton family.
He can still remember how that sword cultivator had nearly beheaded him without moving his sword, even though he had an energy shield protecting him. This made him feel some pressure even without knowing what the vessel sigil techniques were capable of.
He said to himself, "I am not scared that I won't be able to comprehend this Life and Death Vessel Sigil technique, but I can tell that it won't be easy at all."
All of this doomsaying was just about the difficulty of one vessel sigil technique. But he had to comprehend and master not one but two of the vessel sigil techniques in order to get started with the Life and Death Vessel Sigil Technique.
So he couldn't help but feel a heavy heart as he read the description of the two vessel sigil techniques. It was with this heavy heart that he continued to read about them.
After reading further, he learned that, in essence, the vessel sigil techniques are permanent spells that create vessels in which the power of the elements can be stored for one's use.
For example, the Wood Vessel Sigil technique involves creating a permanent mana network on one's forehead where the pure life-giving wood element can be stored independent of the life seed.
The permanent mana network serves as a vessel and looks like a sigil on one's forehead. But this vessel is not for storing wood mana, like life seeds.
The life-giving wood element that the vessel sigil stores doesn't come from ambient mana. It comes from other plants.
The wood vessel sigil, once constructed, can be used to siphon the pure life energy from plants. This pure life energy can be used to heal people or hasten the growth and development of other plants.
It is said that a golden core senior who has mastered the wood vessel sigil can use the life energy she siphoned from other plants to help a stunted plant grow and transcend its mortal coils.
A lot of examples were given about the usage of the wood vessel sigil, but this particular example reminded him of how his third-rank silver pine tree had come about.
He remembered that the person who solved this mission was a golden core elder. That person had also claimed that their feat was not easily reproducible and that he would need to pay them again for another rank 3 silver pine tree.
He still isn't sure how she was able to achieve something that had stumped many people for so long, but he was starting to suspect that it had something to do with the wood vessel sigil technique.
After putting away that stray thought, he refocused on the book. What he learned next was that the lightning vessel sigil technique was also similar to the wood vessel sigil technique.
The lightning vessel sigil technique also stores lightning, but not just any lightning or lightning element. It doesn't get its source from mana. It instead gets the lightning it stores from the heavens.
So the lightning vessel sigil technique stores heavenly lightning. A cultivator who possesses this technique can store heavenly lightning and use it for future purposes such as fighting people.
In summary, the two techniques grant a power that transcends one's capabilities.
He nodded and said in admiration, "Truly worthy of being considered apex techniques. They are worthy of being difficult."
"But if they are so great and they are likened to the sword intent of sword cultivators, how was that senior brother from the sect able to defeat and even kill the talented Golden Core elder of the Sword Way sect?"
This was a question he couldn't answer. He didn't know much about the two fighters and what happened during their fight, so he couldn't answer the question with any level of accuracy. So he stopped thinking about the question.
Then he turned his attention to his current situation. He asked himself, "Since I can't learn the sigil techniques now, what should I learn?"
His eyes shifted to the catalogue of spells in the large crystal ball at the entrance of the library as he contemplated this question.
He is not looking for spells to learn because he needs them. He knows a lot of spells already and isn't lacking.
The problem here is that he has few rank 3 spells and is currently in possession of a token that he can use to exchange for a top-notch spell. So he should get a useful spell that will enhance his strength.
He has thirty-three rank 2 spells and techniques, while he has just five rank 3 spells. Of those five rank 3 techniques, none of them is a spell.
All five of them are the Unification of Hearts, Mind, and Body Weapon Technique, the Wood Element Host Technique, the Lightning Element Host Technique, the Beast Link Spell, and the Life and Death Lightning Art.
In terms of power, there is no difference between a rank 2 spell and a rank 3 spell. Both spells have a power output of 10. Where the difference comes in is the complexity of the spells.
Rank 3 spells are more complicated than rank 2 spells. This complexity translates to an increased difficulty in learning and a larger capacity for energy.