The road from the Archive Pavilion back home. The sky was clear, the sunlight warm, and the breeze brushed by softly, but Li Xin’s mind was anything but clear—stray thoughts would not stop.

  Just who exactly was that person?

  Thanks to the young man’s help, Li Xin had been able to fully understand the structure of the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. If he had the materials right now, he felt he could draw the talisman immediately. However, curiosity arrived before any sense of achievement.

  Who was that young man? And what kind of relationship did he have with Xu Hui?

  At that moment, another face surfaced in Li Xin’s mind—Liu Guangjin of the Baizhang Association. How had he been able to introduce Xu Hui to him? Could Liu Guangjin also be entangled with that young man?

  The puzzle pieces in his mind were scattered in confusion, but one crucial piece was missing. There was not enough information. No matter how much he thought about it, he could not reach a conclusion. So Li Xin organized his thoughts cleanly.

  “So, was there any harm done to me?”

  There was none. His relationship with Liu Guangjin was still amicable. Thanks to Xu Hui, he had been able to enter the Talisisman Union as a Talisman Hand, and the advice from the young man he met today had broadened his insight into the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.

  That was all. In that case. Forgetting was the right choice. Everyone lived with secrets. Li Xin was no different. His past life and his own abilities—he had never once told anyone about them. If someone tried to dig them up, he would have no choice but to kill them.

  Li Xin accepted that fact calmly. It was not a matter of emotion, but a matter of survival. If so, others would be the same. Anyone, if it meant protecting their own secret, could eliminate another person at any time. Thus, ignorance was bliss. If there was benefit, accept it; if there was no danger, ignore it.

  “As long as no one crosses the line first, I won’t cross it either.”

  The strong uncover others’ secrets and reign above them, but the weak survive in silence. He was not strong yet, however, he knew how he had to survive.

  He quietly closed his eyes, then opened them again. The sunlight was still warm, and the breeze was still soft. The world had not changed, but Li Xin’s state of mind had become a little more solid. It was time to draw talismans again.

  ***

  Time passed quickly. The familiar sensation of ink at his fingertips. The motion of inhaling and lowering the brush tip. Before he knew it, Li Xin was drawing his hundredth Warm Heart Talisman.

  One stroke, then another. The brush tip did not tremble even once. When the final stroke touched the paper, a faint aura spread across the talisman, and a message surfaced in one corner of his vision.

  [You have completed the Warm Heart Talisman.]

  [Calmness has slightly increased.]

  [The Warm Heart Talisman has fully settled into your body.]

  [No further changes will occur.]

  Li Xin quietly set the brush down and let out a deep breath.

  …It’s done.

  There was no amazement, no joy, it was simply something that ought to have happened. In the past, it would have been a result he would have cheered over again and again. Now, even the amplitude of such emotions seemed to have diminished.

  Li Xin rose from his seat and took out a small hand mirror. The face reflected in the mirror was no different from usual, neither expressionless nor emotional—just the usual Li Xin, but he knew that something had definitely changed.

  Of course, since the Warm Heart Talisman was only a two-stroke talisman, its effect was not that great. However, the reward that followed had changed his emotions at their very roots.

  [You have completely assimilated the Warm Heart Talisman.]

  [Condition met.]

  [You have comprehended the mental secret art ‘Calm Heart Mantra’ from the talisman.]

  A familiar pain pierced his brain. A strange pressure, as if someone were gently tapping inside his head. It was not simple memorization, but a sensation of being engraved more deeply and clearly into his body.

  A passage appeared in his mind.

  [Calm Heart Mantra]

  Stabilizes the Sea of the Heart, maximizes concentration, and allows resistance against emotional agitation and external mental interference.

  Sea of the Heart…

  Li Xin quietly recalled the mnemonic verse. A deep, dark body of water formed in his mind. Within it, emotions sank and thoughts were organized, and he repeated a single word—Calm heart.

  At first, it did not go well. Emotions kept resurfacing like flowing water, but Li Xin did not give up.

  Again, and again. Then, somewhere within his mind, an energy as thin as a thread began to rise. Following that flow, Li Xin quietly submerged himself.

  The sound of wind, the flow of water, the cries of birds… He could hear all of it, and yet, at the same time, hear nothing at all—perfect tranquility. He was now submerged within his own ‘Sea of the Heart.’

  Time passed and Li Xin opened his eyes. The world was the same, but his mind was far clearer.

  He picked up the brush again. One piece of test talisman paper. The hand holding the brush did not shake. The ink did not blot on the paper. The strokes flowed naturally.

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  One stroke, two strokes. Throughout the process, Li Xin did not forcibly restrain his emotions even once.

  Is this… the effect of the Calm Heart Mantra.

  Talisman crafting was not a simple technique. It required the harmonization of energy, concentration, and emotional balance working together, but human emotions were inherently unstable.

  Anger, fatigue, anxiety, expectation, joy…

  Any of them could affect the brush tip, but the current Li Xin was as calm as a windless lake. Without stray thoughts, without emotion, he could complete talismans with nothing but concentration.

  In this state, the number of talismans I can draw in a day will increase.

  Before, mental exhaustion limited him to eight per day. Now that he had obtained the Calm Heart Mantra, ten—perhaps even twelve—might be possible. And this did not merely mean an increase in quantity.

  The Calm Heart Mantra was a mental secret art. It was a path that dealt with ‘Spirit,’ the most difficult to handle among essence, energy, and spirit.

  Normally, it was a realm one could barely set foot in after more than a decade of meditation and cultivation, but Li Xin had leapt past that time in one go.

  If others were to find out about this…

  Nothing good would come of it. Jealousy, envy, or greed might quietly creep in and consume him.

  The effects of the Calm Heart Mantra were clear. A thirty percent increase in mental strength, improved concentration, and resistance to emotions and external mental interference. Judging by numbers alone, it did not seem that impressive. It had no mountain-shattering momentum like the Shattering Mountain Fist, nor mysterious effects like the Azure Smoke Step, yet among all the rewards he had obtained so far, Li Xin was the most satisfied with the Calm Heart Mantra. The Calm Heart Mantra would become an important pillar supporting him throughout his cultivation.

  After finishing the assimilation of the Warm Heart Talisman. Li Xin tidied up the desk and opened a drawer on one side of the wall. A small pouch caught on his fingertips. He carefully took it out, loosened the tied string, and counted the jeon inside.

  A total of 1,200 jeon. It was not a small sum, but it was not large either. Considering that he had drawn a hundred Warm Heart Talismans, the income was far less than expected. The cost of materials was the problem. From the ink and talisman paper alone, Warm Heart Talismans were expensive, and the success rate was not particularly high either.

  Still, I made a profit.

  Li Xin closed his eyes and slowly organized his plans. The next target was the Concealing Fragrance Talisman. The key material required for it was the root of Flower Fragrance Grass. For talisman paper, White Pine Paper, and for the brush, a horse-tail brush was optimal.

  “If I’m buying them anyway, I should get good ones.”

  A skilled calligrapher does not choose his brush.

  They said that someone truly skilled did not discriminate between good and bad brushes, but Li Xin’s skill had not yet reached that level. Knowing his own shortcomings well, he wanted to use the best equipment possible.

  Good tools improve the quality of the result.

  Especially brushes—they were directly linked to a talisman hand’s fingertip sensitivity. The relationship between brush and talisman hand was like that of sword and swordsman. The more familiar it became in the hand, the more sensitivity accumulated, and familiarity bred precision. In the end, the completeness of a talisman depended on each and every tool. That was not theory, but a fact proven by countless talisman hands.

  “After buying materials, I’ll spend what’s left on pills.”

  Li Xin’s current cultivation level was Stage 1, Layer 2. Since successfully breaking through a month ago after taking the Pale Azure Jade Pill, there had been no progress at all.

  That was only natural. He had poured all of his energy and mental strength into talisman crafting. The reason Li Xin had been able to break through previously was not solely due to the effect of the Pale Azure Jade Pill. It was because he had already accumulated energy while staying at Layer 1 for a long time. When the stimulation of the pill was added on top of that, he had been able to take a step forward.

  Cultivation was originally a cycle of filling, refining, and tempering energy. Advancing in level was a realm where one had to climb the steps one by one.

  This time, something like a Heavenly Azure Pill or a Minor Spirit Pill should be fine.

  Pills still had the effect of shortening time, after all. Even if it was not for an immediate breakthrough, it was good to take them steadily.

  Li Xin neatly folded the jeon again and put them back into the pouch. It was still not enough, but from now on, he could prepare things one by one. The plan was clear, and he had the driving force to move forward.

  ***

  Li Xin went to find Liu Guangjin with the completed Warm Heart Talismans. The transaction proceeded in a familiar flow, and since the price was fixed, there was no need for haggling. After the deal was finished, Li Xin quietly spoke.

  “Next, I’m thinking of drawing the Concealing Fragrance Talisman.”

  Liu Guangjin narrowed his eyes slightly, then soon laughed lightly.

  “The Concealing Fragrance Talisman isn’t bad either.”

  Alchemists, tanners, hunters, cooks, and the like. Concealment talismans were items with stable demand guaranteed in and of themselves. If one had sufficient proficiency, their profitability was not bad either. Knowing that well, he did not bother adding any nagging.

  “Then, I’ll see you next time.”

  Li Xin quietly bowed his head and stood up from his seat. For this round of material purchases, he decided not to rely on Liu Guangjin.

  When a relationship starts to tilt to one side, it soon collapses.

  Since he had already received help once, piling on another request was dangerous. This was not a matter of pride. In a world tangled with countless emotions and interests, to survive within it, one had to avoid being entangled in others’ expectations or favors.

  An alley in the commercial district of the Inner Quarter. Amid old buildings, in the heart of a shopping street where medicinal herbs and incense mingled, there was a brush shop he had been keeping an eye on—Script & Brush Pavilion.

  The owner of this place was an old man named Xu Renlu. He had once been an outer disciple of the Qingshan Sect, and was evaluated as someone skilled in both talisman methods and ink techniques. Within the sect, his talent had been counted among the best.

  However, during cultivation, he suffered fatal damage to his qi channels and was ultimately forced to abandon the path of cultivation. Leaving the sect of his own accord, he opened a small brush shop in the Inner Quarter, which was the present-day Script & Brush Pavilion.

  Brushes made by someone who had inherited the sect’s techniques. Their quality and craftsmanship were on a completely different level from other brushes. But that was not the only reason Script & Brush Pavilion was famous.

  Xu Renlu was notoriously temperamental. If you came to buy a brush carelessly, it was common to be chased out for saying the wrong thing. Whether you had a lot of money or a powerful background—it meant nothing to him. In fact, he disliked such people even more.

  “Why do you need a brush when you don’t even know how to use one.”

  “Why would someone who can’t even write properly buy this brush?”

  The brushes he made were not mere commodities. Even if they were displayed in a case, they were not items sold indiscriminately to anyone who wanted them. Only after personally observing, speaking with, and evaluating a person—and acknowledging, ‘This one seems suited to your hand,’ would he finally hand over a brush. That was why people said you didn’t buy brushes from Script & Brush Pavilion—you obtained them. Thanks to that, Script & Brush Pavilion remained the only craftsman’s space within a commercial district reeking of money.

  Moreover, the brushes made by Xu Renlu were not simple tools. They were said to possess strange properties that stabilized the flow of energy and prevented talisman lines from trembling. In fact, among the talisman hands who frequented the Inner Quarter, there was a saying.

  “If you intend to walk the path of a talisman hand, you must pass through Script & Brush Pavilion at least once.”