I proved immortality with thunder magic.

Lei Hefeng, Qi Yuntao's residence.

"Oh, Junior Brother Zhou, you're also interested in talisman making?"

Looking at Zhou Tai, who had taken the initiative to visit him, Qi Yuntao's eyes flashed with a strange light, and his tone was also tinged with surprise.

As the person who personally led Zhou Tai up the mountain, he was definitely the one who knew Zhou Tai's situation best among Lei Hefeng's.

Therefore, he knew very well that with Zhou Tai's background and those few short years of cultivation, he should not have had the resources to learn how to make talismans.

But he also knew one thing: Zhou Tai was a man of great opinion and wisdom, and it was unlikely that he would come here specifically to make fun of him.

Therefore, he was naturally very surprised when he heard Zhou Tai's request to learn the art of talisman making.

Faced with Qi Yuntao's surprise, Zhou Tai said frankly, "To be honest, Senior Brother Qi, I am actually interested in making money. Based on my research over the years, I have found that talisman making is the most suitable way for me to make money, so I guessed that I wanted to learn this craft."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuntao was taken aback at first, then pointed at him and shook his head with a laugh, saying, "Junior Brother Zhou, you're really something. This is the first time I've ever heard someone link learning martial arts with making money. If the old talisman masters in the Talisman Hall heard you say that, forget about listening to their lectures, they won't even let you enter the Talisman Hall in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai immediately chuckled awkwardly and said, "I only dare to say this in front of Senior Brother Qi. If we really went to the Talisman Hall, I certainly wouldn't say it like that!"

These words pleased Qi Yuntao greatly, and his smile became even more genuine.

He looked at Zhou Tai and pondered for a moment before slowly speaking, "Regardless of your purpose in learning talisman making, Junior Brother Zhou, it's not an easy task. Even if I can sell you some talisman-making techniques at a low price, you'll still have to pay for the talisman brush, ink, and paper yourself. Do you have that many spirit stones?"

Hearing this, Zhou Tai was overjoyed and immediately nodded repeatedly, saying, "Senior Brother Qi, I understand what you're saying. Although I'm not wealthy, I can still afford a couple hundred low-grade spirit stones, which should be enough to cover the initial expenses."

This answer clearly surprised Qi Yuntao, who couldn't help but open his mouth and say, "You've only been a disciple for a few years, and you can already produce so many spirit stones? I underestimated you!"

Zhou Tai knew that if he didn't explain this clearly, it might lead to speculation, so he lowered his head with a look of shame and said, "It's embarrassing to admit, but when I first entered the sect, my spiritual root aptitude caught the eye of a cultivation family, so I agreed to let them perform a seed-borrowing act, which is how I made some money!"

"I see!"

Qi Yuntao suddenly realized what was happening, and his gaze towards Zhou Tai immediately showed more sympathy.

In his view, Zhou Tai's agreement to "borrow a seed" was definitely not voluntary, but rather coerced and lured by that cultivation family.

Such things are not uncommon in Spirit Beast Mountain or other major cultivation sects. As long as they are not done too outrageously, no one will care.

Although he felt some sympathy for Zhou Tai's plight, he had no intention of meddling in his affairs.

Therefore, he did not ask about the family's information, but skipped the topic and nodded slightly to Zhou Tai, saying, "Since you, Junior Brother Zhou, are not short of these spirit stones, I, your senior brother, am naturally happy to help you."

That's it!

Zhou Tai was overjoyed and quickly bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother Qi."

He then purchased three talisman-making manuals from Qi Yuntao for twenty low-grade spirit stones.

These three talisman-making manuals were all collected in the Spirit Beast Mountain Library. Qi Yuntao's private resale to his fellow disciple was not considered a violation of the sect rules.

Moreover, if he dared to use this item to report it, Qi Yuntao would definitely not admit it, and the sect's criminal law hall would most likely not believe the one-sided story of a menial disciple.

This is also the source of Qi Yuntao's confidence in selling his books.

Of course, Zhou Tai himself certainly didn't have those thoughts; he only remembered the kindness of his senior brother Qi.

After returning to his residence, he couldn't resist flipping through the three talisman-making manuals he had just acquired.

Among these three books, one was a talisman book recording the methods of drawing talismans. It contained a total of twenty-seven methods of drawing first-order talismans, each accompanied by a complete picture and a breakdown of the strokes, with very detailed explanations.

The second book records common knowledge related to talisman making, such as how to distinguish between good and bad talisman paper, ink, and brush, which materials are suitable for making talisman paper, ink, and brush, and what positive and negative effects different combinations of talisman paper and ink will have when making certain talismans, etc.

The third book is a talisman-making manual, which details the talisman-making process for seven types of talismans, deeply analyzes the various reasons for the failure of making these seven types of talismans, and provides the correct answers.

After reading the three classic texts, Zhou Tai knew that he had made the right choice.

As someone who has been through it all, Qi Yuntao obviously knows how beginners should try to avoid making mistakes.

That third book on talisman making was practically like being taught step-by-step by a master.

Zhou Tai estimated that the most valuable item was probably this talisman-making manual.

He suspected that this book might have been specially compiled by the senior talisman masters of Spirit Beast Mountain to facilitate the learning of talisman-making techniques by later generations of cultivators. Such a book would probably be very difficult to buy outside.

In the days that followed, Zhou Tai devoted a significant amount of time each day to researching talisman-making.

Qi Yuntao told him that beginners should not rush into serious practice. They should first repeatedly use a regular brush to copy the characters, practice their hand feel, and memorize every stroke of the talisman they want to draw until they can do it blindfolded.

Listening to advice leads to a full stomach, and Zhou Tai's personality was not impatient to begin with. He quickly made drawing talismans a daily habit, stipulating that he must draw one hundred blank sheets of paper every day.

Later on, he even made his own white paper from bamboo grown on the mountain, and he also started making his own brushes and ink.

Winter goes and spring comes; flowers bloom and fade.

That spring, while patrolling along the mountain stream and frog pond, Zhou Tai suddenly discovered a large number of black frog eggs in a patch of aquatic plants.

quack!

As Zhou Tai stopped to examine the frog eggs closely, a thunder frog suddenly emerged from the water beside him and squeaked a warning at him.

Looking at the bulging cheeks of the Thunderfrog, Zhou Tai knew that the creature was truly angry and could attack at any moment.

His expression changed slightly, and he quickly retreated and left the vicinity.

This is because he has been feeding the frogs here for three years, and all the Thunderfrogs are familiar with his aura; otherwise, they might have attacked him directly just now.

After retreating to a safe area, Zhou Tai remembered the frog eggs he had just seen, and a look of joy immediately appeared on his face.

"The Thunder-striped Frogs have started laying eggs! Doesn't that just prove I've been feeding them well? If I report this to Uncle Yang, I'll probably get a reward!"

Upon realizing this, he immediately took out a communication talisman from his storage bag.

This communication talisman was specially left to him by Yang Jinsheng so that he could contact him immediately in case of an emergency.

However, just as he was about to activate the communication talisman, he suddenly remembered something, hesitated for a moment, and then put the communication talisman back into his storage bag.

He then quickly left the mountain stream and frog pond and headed to Qi Yuntao's residence.

"What?! The Razor Frog has laid eggs!"

Upon learning of this from Zhou Tai, who had come to visit, Qi Yuntao was greatly surprised and stood up.

He looked at Zhou Tai with a face full of surprise and asked, "Junior Brother Zhou, are you sure you're not mistaken? Those really are eggs laid by the Thunder-Patterned Frog?"

Zhou Tai understood his concerns and immediately said with certainty, "There's no mistake. Those frog eggs are guarded by Thunder-Patterned Frogs. If they weren't laid by them, why would they drive away even when I, their junior brother, approach!"

Having received his confirmation, Qi Yuntao had no more doubts and clapped his hands excitedly, shouting, "Great! I'll report this to Uncle Yang immediately; he'll definitely be very happy."

Then the message was retrieved and reported.

After sending out the message talisman, he seemed to remember something and went up to Zhou Tai, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "Junior Brother Zhou, you've worked hard. When Uncle Yang arrives, I will definitely ask for your reward. I'm sure he won't be stingy with it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai immediately looked flattered and bowed, saying, "Junior brother was merely doing his duty; how could I trouble Senior Brother Qi to do this?"

But although he said that, he was very happy in his heart, knowing that he had made the right move.

If he directly sent a message to Yang Jinsheng, perhaps that Uncle Yang would be pleased and reward him, but Qi Yuntao might not be so happy if he found out.

Now, by relaying the message through Qi Yuntao, not only is he doing a favor, but if Qi Yuntao asks for a reward on his behalf, he will also be more likely to receive a real reward.

Qi Yuntao may have known that Zhou Tai was being modest and polite, but having indeed benefited from it, he was happy to cooperate at this moment.

He laughed heartily and said, "Junior Brother Zhou, you're too kind. I've seen all your hard work and contributions over the past few years, and Uncle Yang must be aware of them as well. The Thunder-Patterned Frog has successfully laid its eggs under your care, which is a great achievement and deserves a generous reward."

After saying that, he pulled Zhou Tai toward the mountain stream and frog pond, where they were to welcome Yang Jinsheng.

When they arrived at the location, they discovered that Yang Jinsheng had already arrived before them and was observing the frog eggs.

Seeing this, the two dared not utter a sound and waited obediently to the side.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Yang Jinsheng, having finished studying the frog eggs, finally turned his gaze to the two of them.

Then the man smiled slightly at Zhou Tai and said, "Not bad, not bad. Junior Nephew Zhou, you have done very well these past few years. I am very satisfied."

The series of "not bad" and the phrase "very satisfied" clearly demonstrated how good his mood was.

Qi Yuntao felt a pang of jealousy upon hearing this. He had followed this Uncle Yang for many years and had never received such praise before.

However, being a clever man, he naturally wouldn't show any unusual behavior at this moment. Instead, he took the opportunity to praise Zhou Tai, saying, "Uncle-Master is absolutely right. I greatly admire Junior Brother Zhou's diligence and hard work over the past few years, and I am ashamed to admit that I am not as good as him!"

Yang Jinsheng could easily understand the meaning behind his words, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Haha, that's truly rare! Even you, Yuntao, are willing to speak up for him. It seems he's not only good at raising frogs, but also adept at navigating social situations!"

After saying that, he looked at Qi Yuntao and asked, "In your opinion, Yuntao, how should I reward Zhou Tai?"