Starting as a Talisman Master

The door was pushed open a crack, and inside, the talismans glowed faintly, indicating that the trapping formation talisman had already taken shape.

This talisman is not for killing, but rather uses its runes to connect with the earth's energy, transforming it into a binding net. Once triggered, spiritual threads will spread from the ground and corners of walls, trapping the intruder within a small area.

Those trapped have their spiritual energy blocked and their movement techniques restricted. If they try to force their way through the formation, it will only trigger a backlash.

Lu Chi had previously placed two mid-grade trapping array talismans inside the house, which echoed each other to form a small array.

The two talismans stacked together are quite powerful, enough to trap a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator. If the cultivation level is higher, it may not last long, but it is enough to delay them for a moment.

At this moment, pale yellow spiritual threads intertwined, like a net or a lock, firmly binding a figure. The person was thin, with an indistinct face, as if shrouded in a light spiritual mist, making it difficult to discern facial features.

Qi Refining Level 5, indeed a thief skilled in disguise!

The cultivator who had been robbing someone noticed someone entering and looked up abruptly. A hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said in a low voice, "Fellow Daoist, please hold your hand. Let's talk this out..."

Before he finished speaking, a flash of inspiration appeared in the formation, and he quietly threw out a hidden weapon from his sleeve.

The needle, as fine as a mosquito's buzz, went straight for Lu Chi's brow.

Lu Chi was already on guard, and with a slight shift of his body, he activated the Ice Arrow Talisman at his fingertips.

A flash of cold light pierced through the air.

The indoor temperature plummeted, and frost filled the air.

Before the needle even got close, it was frozen by the cold and fell to the ground.

The next instant, the ice arrow pierced into the formation.

The thief hurriedly circulated his spiritual power, and a light gray protective shield appeared on his body. He was also at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, but he was bound by the binding array, making it difficult for him to move freely. In his haste, the protective shield cracked everywhere.

A cold glint passed right through him.

A muffled groan.

The thief's body trembled violently, frost flowers spread across his chest, his spiritual power dissipated, the talisman light trembled slightly, but the binding lines tightened even more, locking him firmly in place.

Fear finally showed in his eyes, and his voice trembled: "Fellow Daoist, spare my life... I only wanted money..."

Lu Chi approached step by step, his expression calm: "Seeking wealth? Seeking it from me is seeking death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the second ice arrow had already formed.

The chill intensified.

This time, it hit right in the throat.

The frost instantly sealed his throat, the thief's pupils dilated, the unfinished sound in his throat turned into white mist, and his body slowly collapsed.

The light from the talisman dimmed.

The room fell silent again, with only the chill lingering. Lu Chi stood there, his breath still ragged.

Before the chill had dissipated, his face turned pale. He activated two Ice Arrow talismans in quick succession, almost draining a portion of his spiritual power, and his meridians felt slightly stiff.

Using talismans in combat saves the time of hand seals and incantations, and allows for extremely fast attacks. However, the spiritual energy consumed when activating them is no less, especially since a high-grade talisman was used just now. The greater the power, the heavier the backlash.

A superior-grade Ice Arrow Talisman is usually a trump card for survival. Using it against a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator who is trapped by an array talisman seems a bit wasteful.

The thought flashed through my mind.

He did not regret it.

Even a lion must exert its utmost effort to hunt a rabbit; in the dead of night, there is no room for luck. If one is too frugal and allows the opponent to escape and turn the tables, the consequences will be even more difficult to manage.

It's just a matter of drawing another one; anyway, Qin Su Niang has plenty of materials for the talisman.

Lu Chi slowly exhaled, suppressing the chaotic spiritual energy within his body. Only after confirming that the other party's life force had completely ceased did he step forward and examine the corpse.

The disguise wore off, revealing an unfamiliar face.

Thefts have been rampant in the market lately, and most of them are related to this person... Should he report this to the market official? He changed his mind and decided against it.

Simply erase the traces; do not create any further complications.

Lu Chi took out a fire talisman and burned the corpse, then used a dust-cleaning talisman to clean up the remaining traces in the formation.

The chill gradually dissipated, and the room returned to its original state.

After doing all this, he slowly exhaled and looked up at the three spiritual plants in the courtyard. Their branches and leaves were silent, and the locust tree in the distance was silent, as if the whispers from before had never happened.

Lu Chi's heartstrings slowly relaxed, and his thoughts shifted, causing him to pause for a moment in surprise.

The person just now clearly had the aura of the fifth level of Qi Refining, while he was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, yet he managed to kill someone beyond his level.

Thinking of this, I felt a slight jolt in my heart, but then I calmed down and did not feel smug.

The opponent was trapped by the binding array, making it difficult for him to move freely, and he had to hastily respond to the attack.

He used a high-grade ice arrow talisman. With a single strike of its cold light, its power was close to that of the late stage of Qi Refining. Ordinary people in the mid-stage of Qi Refining would find it difficult to withstand this talisman.

If it were a cultivator like Cao Zhen who also cultivated body techniques, with abundant qi and blood and strong bones, the ice arrow might not be able to kill him in one blow. In that case, it would be hard to say who would win.

Lu Chi gradually calmed down and first bent down to pick up the fine needle that had just fallen to the ground.

The needle was jet black, no more than an inch long, with a faint glow at the tip, and extremely light to the touch. There were no runes or spiritual energy flowing on it; it was simply coated with a little poison. Thrown out with spiritual power, it would catch its target off guard.

It was just an ordinary concealed weapon, not a magic weapon.

Lu Chi put away the fine needle, then sat down at the table and placed the stolen storage bag in front of him.

The looting phase.

This time, not only did we waste two trapping talismans, but we also destroyed two ice arrow talismans. It would be a huge loss if we didn't gain anything decent.

Spiritual energy probes in.

The bag was quite spacious and contained a lot of miscellaneous items.

Nearly a hundred low-grade spirit stones were piled in one corner, along with several bottles of Qi-Nourishing Pills and Healing Powder. The quality was not high, but the quantity was considerable.

Several low-level magical artifacts were scattered among them; they were all common items, presumably obtained from different cultivators.

There were a few talismans in the corner, mostly of medium to low quality, crudely made, and clearly not from a master craftsman.

Lu Chi's gaze sharpened as he continued to reach into the bag, slowly taking out an old book and a jade pendant.

The book's cover was dark and the edges were worn, but the pages were extremely thin, making almost no sound when turned. The cover was inscribed with five characters in light ink: "The Record of Hidden Shadows and Changing Forms".

The calligraphy is in running-cursive script, with a free and unrestrained style, unlike the orthodox methods of sectarianism, but rather has a touch of the refined and unrestrained spirit of a hermit in the mountains.

Lu Chi turned to several pages and saw that they contained only techniques for concealing one's breath and hiding one's form.

They may teach people to conceal their energy, allowing spiritual power to lie deep within their meridians, making it difficult for outsiders to detect; or they may describe methods of changing bones and appearance, using subtle spiritual power to manipulate the skin and bones, altering one's appearance, and even slightly concealing one's voice.

Several of the key points clearly correspond to the techniques used by the thief cultivator earlier.

Lu Chi remained expressionless and closed the book: If this method is used properly, it will be beneficial for walking in the market and avoiding trouble. It is worthwhile to secretly practice a bit of it.

However, it must not be shown to others lightly, lest it be mistaken for a thief or robber, causing unnecessary complications.

He set the book aside for the moment and picked up the jade pendant.

The jade is warm and lustrous, with a light blue color, and is about half the size of a palm.

The front is engraved with fine water patterns, like the ebb and flow of tides, with layers upon layers of patterns. In the center is a tiny black stone grain, like the eye of the night tide.

The back is blank, with only a thin circle of symbols engraved around the edge, barely visible.

What is this? Lu Chi examined it for a moment but could not recognize its origin.

It was neither a sect token nor something used by market officials.

The water pattern was quite unique, seemingly containing some kind of code, but it had never been seen in Qingque Mountain before.

He examined the jade pendant from all angles, but still had no clue, so he put it away.

Tonight's gains far exceeded expectations, but the more unexpected they were, the more alarmed we became.

He slowly closed the storage bag and glanced around the room.

This small courtyard was located on the outskirts of the market, where spiritual energy was scarce, the walls were low, and people from all walks of life came and went.

In the past, he was just a talisman repairman with no money to his name, so living here was quite suitable for him.

Now that I have more spirit stones, talismans, and the secrets of spirit plants and elixirs, it would be too conspicuous for me to still reside in this place.

If it weren't for the warning talismans and binding array talismans that were set up in advance tonight, the place would probably have been turned upside down.

Stealing repairs is only one aspect.

Luo Wenshan's thoughts are unfathomable, and the undercurrents in Xuan Yin Valley are far from calm.

If the other party truly intends to investigate, the outer perimeter of this market is poorly guarded and easily spied on. Even if the person sent is not highly skilled, it would be enough to test their strength.

Lu Chi lowered his eyes for a moment, and had already made up his mind.

move place!