Starting as a Talisman Master

Zhou Jinyan took it with both hands, and upon looking at it, her eyes lit up immediately, and she clicked her tongue in amazement.

The talisman paper was of a deep, calm color, with clean and strong lines. At the center of the talisman, there was a faint spiritual energy gathering that did not dissipate. Although it was not activated, it had a restrained tension that far surpassed that of ordinary spirit-gathering talismans.

Lu Chi smiled slightly and replied, "I'm glad you're satisfied, Brother Zhou. We've known each other for a while, so there's no need to sell this talisman at the shop's price. Just sell it at the lowest price."

"That won't do!"

Zhou Jinyan carefully put the talisman into her pouch while looking at him suspiciously: "Just tell me straight, where did you get this talisman? Did some talisman master teach it to you privately?"

Lu Chi did not speak, but first led him inside to sit down, poured him a glass of warm water and handed it to him, before slowly saying, "This talisman... was drawn by my own hand, not by anyone else."

"What did you say?!"

Zhou Jinyan was taken aback, and the teacup in her hand trembled, almost spilling it.

He widened his eyes. "You drew this yourself? You... you've become a talisman master? That ice arrow talisman last time, could it have been drawn by you too?"

Lu Chi nodded calmly, his tone indifferent: "I did not say this before, nor was it intentional. In fact, I have only recently comprehended the way of the talisman master. Now that I have succeeded, I dare to speak frankly."

Zhou Jinyan stared at him blankly, her lips moved, but she couldn't say a word for a moment.

Just a few days ago, he advised the other party to simply plant some spirit grains and stabilize their lives for a few years first.

At that time, Lu Chi remained silent, only saying lightly, "I already have a plan." In his heart, he thought this kid was too proud to admit his mistake and didn't know what was going on...

Thinking back to that situation now, I can't help but feel ashamed. Who could have imagined that the "plan" was actually this kind of plan?

He chuckled twice, picked up the teacup, took a sip, and concealed the slight unease on his face.

"I see... No wonder your words were ambiguous that day. I was mistaken. I had preconceived notions and thought you were just a craftsman who spent his days in the talisman shop. How rude of me."

Lu Chi simply smiled faintly and said, "I am originally a craftsman, Brother Zhou is not wrong."

Zhou Jinyan clicked her tongue in amazement, then suddenly slapped her thigh and lowered her voice, saying:

"I see... You were already capable of becoming a talisman master, but you wanted to start your own business and just kept it a secret?"

"Even that old scoundrel Luo was completely fooled by you, and in the end, he had to personally kick you out..."

"This is going to be quite a show! If he finds out you only became a talisman master after you left home, he'll probably be begging you to come back in the dead of night!"

Lu Chi glanced at him sideways, still smiling, but said nothing.

Although the other party's words were mostly true, I had also filled in a lot of my own imagination.

However, since going with the flow can conceal the professional stats, it might not be a bad thing.

Zhou Jinyan took out a low-grade spirit stone from his pocket, his movements noticeably slower. He twirled it between his fingers, as if weighing its weight, before reluctantly placing it on the table.

"Since you drew this talisman yourself, you know its value. Since this is a transaction, you can't just take it for free."

Lu Chi did not touch the spirit stone, but instead gently pushed it back: "The essence of friendship lies in sincerity. Why bother with so many empty formalities? Since you insist, just leave some spirit sand."

Zhou Jinyan paused for a moment, then finally sighed softly, "Fine, I'll take advantage of you this time."

Lu Chi carefully put away the spirit sand, paused slightly, and said, "There is something I would like to ask Brother Zhou for help with."

"Go ahead and say it!" Zhou Jinyan readily agreed. "As long as it's within my ability, I won't refuse."

Lu Chi said, "If Brother Zhou thinks this Spirit Gathering Talisman is acceptable, please make the connection and bring in a few spirit farmers who can use it. I will pay you a fair price and would rather have none than something of poor quality."

Zhou Jinyan patted his chest and said readily, "Leave this to me! Although I'm not much of a figure in the community, I've still dealt with a few spirit cultivators for years."

"They're even stingier than me. If they knew there were high-quality spirit-gathering talismans at a fair price, they'd be happy to come over."

Lu Chi remained expressionless and simply nodded: "I will certainly reward you handsomely after the matter is accomplished."

"You're being too polite," Zhou Jinyan waved her hand and laughed. "Seeing a friend achieve something is more comforting than anything else."

"Besides, I'm hoping you'll have some free time someday and draw a few more talismans for me."

Having said all that, Zhou Jinyan, seeing that the sky was already turning west, got up to take his leave.

Lu Chi escorted the man to the door, watching him until he disappeared into the alley before turning back into the house and taking out a spirit-gathering talisman that had just dried.

This was drawn before Zhou Jinyan arrived; the symbolism is still strong, and the spiritual light has not yet dissipated.

Spirit-gathering talismans are also helpful for cultivation, and since he can draw them, he naturally prepared one for himself.

He unfolded the talisman, walked to the north-facing wall in the room, flipped his hand over, and stuck the corner of the talisman on.

Driven by spiritual power, the talisman trembled slightly, and wisps of spiritual energy seemed to be drawn in, slowly spreading out.

Lu Chi stood still, carefully sensing the changes in the atmosphere inside the room.

Before long, he noticed that the spiritual energy around him had slowed down slightly, and the flow of magic power within his body was also a little smoother than before, so he nodded slightly.

In the past two days, besides this Spirit Gathering Talisman, he also drew two Ice Arrow Talismans while he was still in good condition for self-defense. They are now hidden in his sleeve pouch and can be taken out at any time.

Lu Chi sat cross-legged on the futon under the talisman and began his breathing exercises.

The Qingque Mountain Market is built on a first-order spiritual vein, with spiritual energy progressing layer by layer from south to north and from low to high.

The place he rented was located in the southwest corner of the market. Although it was quiet, it was far from the main spiritual vein, and the spiritual energy he absorbed on a daily basis was quite thin.

Without external assistance, walking alone would be fraught with difficulty.

Nowadays, a spirit-gathering talisman affixed to the house may not bring about drastic changes, but it is like a drop of sweet dew falling on parched land, and its advantage lies in its long-lasting effect.

According to the original estimate, it would take two or three months to reach the fourth level of Qi Refining.

If this talisman can be maintained every day, it is indeed possible to shorten the time considerably.

Although he was pleased, he remained calm and composed.

The aid of the Spirit Gathering Talisman is ultimately not the fundamental solution. In fact, it is not as effective as the people living in the caves deep within Qingque Mountain, where the spiritual energy is most abundant.

Those places are surrounded by magical formations, with spiritual veins flowing through them; one day there is equivalent to three days of breathing exercises for others.

However, the rent for such land is extremely high, so it is not a place we can afford to dabble in now. We should wait until the talismans are completed and then make a decision.

After completing his breathing exercises, he slowly finished, stood up, removed the talisman, sealed the spiritual energy, washed his face by the basin, and walked steadily back to his desk.

The writing brush and ink on the table had already been arranged, and the spirit sand, jade plate, and talisman paper were all neatly arranged.

This time, he did not immediately use his divine sense to summon [Burning Thought], but wanted to see if he could draw the talisman using only his own ability after making several talismans.

Although his professional talent was strong and helped him break through the impasse, it was ultimately an external force.

The path of cultivating immortality, if one relies solely on external things, is like a boat without a mooring rope, ultimately unable to travel far.

Lu Chi pondered for a moment, then picked up the talisman brush, mixed the ink and sand, and slowly unfolded it according to the spirit-gathering talisman pattern that he was already familiar with.

When the pen touches the paper, although it is not as effortless as a natural talent, there is no hindrance.

He hesitated only occasionally at the turning points, but quickly regained his composure and continued writing stroke by stroke until the base of the talisman slowly took shape.

This is true spiritual practice.

It is not a miracle of divine inspiration, but the accumulation of daily practice.

Lu Chi was focused, his breathing was deep and even, and a thin layer of sweat had appeared on his forehead. A drop slid down his temple without him noticing.

Hard work pays off.

He failed.