Li Xin obtained a one-month grace period through coordination with Xu Yul.

  Preparedness prevents calamity. If one was prepared for anything, even sudden crises could be overcome. The preparation Li Xin needed now was only one thing—becoming stronger. Yet Li Xin’s thoughts were still lingering on the conversation from moments ago.

  A Talisman Array…

  Li Xin recalled the hand motions Xu Yul had shown and moved his fingertips along with the memory. From the moment he heard the concept of a Talisman Array, a single thought refused to leave his mind. He could draw talismans and fully internalize their abilities. Not merely drawing and using them, but engraving the principles of the talisman into his body and drawing them out at will.

  Then, if…

  If he internalized all the talismans that formed a Talisman Array. Would it be possible to deploy a Talisman Array using only his own power?

  As that possibility surfaced, his heart began to pound. A vague sense of anticipation and excitement stirred in his chest. But even in this state, Li Xin did not lose his composure and calmly faced reality.

  …Right now, I know nothing.

  A Talisman Array was a field he had never once handled before. Which talismans were needed, and how they were arranged. Attempting to realize a Talisman Array without even basic knowledge was like trying to pluck stars from the sky with bare hands.

  In the end, what I can do right now is…

  To draw more talismans, and draw them more perfectly.

  Li Xin quietly closed his eyes. The day he would have to leave Qingshan Valley was closer than he had thought. When that time came, he would lose this peaceful life and be forced into a struggle for survival. But Li Xin was neither impatient nor afraid. No one taught him, and there was no answer written anywhere, but. Just as he had always done until now. Focusing on the single stroke right in front of him was the path he had chosen as a talisman practitioner.

  ***

  Having sorted through his thoughts to some extent, Li Xin decided to personally test the two items he had received from Xu Hui. Since the Warm Spirit Incense only showed its effects when mental energy was depleted, he chose to experiment with the Five-Element Converging Array Plate first.

  Li Xin spread out the cushion and sat cross-legged atop it.

  Let’s start with the wood attribute.

  As he focused his consciousness on the Array Plate, the cushion’s color shifted to a vivid green.

  Qi gathered rapidly. Dense, luxuriant vitality filled the surroundings. He felt as if he were sitting in the middle of a vast forest. Li Xin cautiously circulated the Wood Vitality Art.

  Li Xin’s eyes widened in shock. Normally, the wood qi he could barely grasp felt like thin threads, but now it surged in like a waterfall.

  So this is the power of a formation.

  Amazed by the effect of the Five-Element Converging Array, Li Xin immediately tested the other attributes. When he adjusted it to the ‘fire’ attribute, the cushion was dyed red, and even the room temperature subtly rose. Switching to ‘earth,’ the cushion turned yellow, and a faint scent of soil could be felt.

  Next, when changed to ‘metal,’ the surrounding air seemed to grow noticeably sharper. Finally, ‘water.’ The cushion was tinged with a calm blue, and a deep, tranquil qi like a winter lake seeped into his body. It felt as though he were immersed in water.

  Compared to water qi and wood qi, my affinity with the other attributes is definitely lacking.

  Still, the fact that he could feel even a slight difference demonstrated just how remarkable the formation was.

  “It really is a good item.”

  After testing its performance once, Li Xin was satisfied with the effect of the Five-Element Converging Array Plate.

  Though it was limited by its fixed cushion form, that made it perfectly suited for a talisman practitioner who sat still and focused on talisman crafting.

  “…She just gave this to me?”

  Li Xin looked down at the cushion and fell briefly into thought.

  Xu Hui had handed him this Array Plate as if it were nothing special, but this was by no means an ordinary item.

  Li Xin suddenly wondered whether Xu Hui had given him this Array Plate on behalf of the Xu clan, or of her own accord. Several possibilities crossed his mind, but he soon shook his head. Whatever the circumstances, it did not matter right now. There was only one thing Li Xin needed to do. To make full use of the tools given to him and rapidly raise his strength. Unfortunately, though the Array Plate’s effects were outstanding, for now there was no clear use for it beyond improving his basic affinities.

  What will help me immediately is this.

  Next, it was time to test the effect of the Warm Spirit Incense. To properly confirm its effects, he first needed to expend his mental energy.

  Li Xin picked up his brush. There was no better way to rapidly consume mental energy than drawing talismans. The talisman he would draw this time was, once again, the three-stroke Strength Talisman. He had succeeded once before, but it was by no means an easy talisman.

  The first attempt failed. The brush trembled slightly, and the stroke became crooked. The second attempt also failed, regretfully. This time, it was better than before. He maintained focus until drawing the final stroke, but at the last moment his qi scattered, and the talisman burst on its own.

  Repeated failures gnawed away at his mental energy even faster. Li Xin picked up the brush again and gathered all his focus into his fingertips.

  As if pouring all the qi in his body into the brush tip, he drew the strokes slowly and precisely. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and along his cheeks.

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  And finally, on the third attempt, a Strength Talisman was completed. The level of completion was mid-low. His physical strength increased as he drew the Strength Talisman, but that alone was not enough to raise the completion further. Even so, Li Xin was not disappointed. If he kept drawing, the strength would naturally accumulate, and the completion would gradually rise along with it.

  “Hoo—”

  Perhaps because of the two prior failures. His eyelids felt unbearably heavy, and his concentration had sunk to rock bottom.

  Now was the time to use the Warm Spirit Incense.

  He carefully took out one stick of incense from the silk pouch and placed it on the brazier in the corner of the room. A faint smoke rose, and a clear, refreshing fragrance spread throughout the room.

  The moment the scent flowed through his nose and seeped deep into his lungs. The pain pressing down on his head vanished like a lie, and his blurred vision became crisp and clear.

  “This is…!”

  Li Xin could not help but exclaim in admiration.

  The Qingming Spirit Grass he had consumed in the past had also helped with mental recovery, but the Warm Spirit Incense was several times more effective, yet placed no burden on the body at all.

  The perfumer who makes this Warm Spirit Incense must be making a fortune.

  Impressed by the effect of the Warm Spirit Incense, Li Xin realized that learning any of the Hundred Auxiliary Immortal Arts would never hinder one’s livelihood. The performance of the Five-Element Converging Array Plate and Warm Spirit Incense he had personally tested far exceeded his expectations. These two would become powerful weapons that would allow him to make full use of the given month.

  “Good.”

  Li Xin steadied his mind while inhaling the white smoke. Until the day he left Qingshan Valley, he needed to keep pushing himself.

  ***

  Time passed swiftly.

  With the help of the Warm Spirit Incense, Li Xin was able to steadily draw as many as three Strength Talismans a day. Fortunately, it seemed that his efforts bore fruit.

  At last, the results appeared before his eyes.

  [You have completed a 3-stroke Strength Talisman.]

  [Completion Rating: Upper-Lower.]

  [Physical strength has greatly increased.]

  [The 3-stroke Strength Talisman has fully settled into the body.]

  [Current Applied Value: Upper-Lower.]

  “…Finally.”

  Li Xin quietly set down his brush as he gazed at the floating text. It had been exactly one week since he began drawing the Strength Talisman. In quantity, it was barely around twenty talismans, but three-stroke talismans were on a completely different level from two-stroke ones. When drawing the third stroke, he had to gather the strength of his entire body and consider harmony and balance as well. Since rewards were granted based on completion, the focus required for a single talisman far exceeded imagination.

  Li Xin briefly looked at the pile of talismans stacked at the corner of his desk. Among them were failed attempts, and some that barely received a lower grade. The message that appeared then was still vivid in his memory.

  [Physical strength has slightly increased.]

  Through that experience, Li Xin became certain that talisman rewards were divided into lower, middle, and upper tiers.

  What he had completed this time was an upper-lower grade Strength Talisman. Judging by the disappearance of the phrase ‘Physical strength will no longer increase,’ it seemed that raising a talisman’s completion also increased the applied value accordingly.

  There was clearly room for further improvement, but Li Xin felt no confidence that he could achieve a higher completion than this. It was the moment he truly felt how difficult it was to create the legendary supreme-grade talismans he had only heard about.

  [‘3-stroke Strength Talisman’ has been fully internalized.]

  [Conditions met.]

  [You comprehend the martial art ‘Mountain Fist’ from the talisman.]

  [Your understanding of Shattering Mountain Fist has deepened further.]

  Upon fully internalizing the Strength Talisman, Li Xin felt his understanding of Shattering Mountain Fist become far clearer. The sensation of qi condensing into a single point, and the trajectory at the moment it erupted into an explosion. Everything became so vivid it felt within his grasp.

  To test his strengthened power, Li Xin headed straight to the back mountain. A boulder similar in size to ones he had faced before came into view. Slowly regulating his breathing, he clenched his fist instead of a brush for the first time in a while.

  A tremendous impact rang out. At a glance, the boulder showed no visible change, but when Li Xin slowly withdrew his fist…

  The rock crumbled from the inside, turning into powder.

  Watching the scene, Li Xin quietly nodded. The power of Shattering Mountain Fist was several times stronger than before. Moreover, since Li Xin was on the verge of entering the second stage of Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art, there was ample room for its power to grow even further.

  Only then did Li Xin truly feel it.

  Even within the same realm, the gap can be this vast.

  And a thought naturally followed.

  If demonic beasts are evaluated as having strong combat power even within the same realm, just how terrifying must their strength be?

  Though the internalization of the Strength Talisman was complete, there were about three weeks remaining. There was no time to rest even for a moment.

  ***

  Li Xin immediately went to find Xu Hui and presented an upper-grade three-stroke Strength Talisman. Xu Hui stared at the talisman in silence for a long while. As her fingertips delicately traced the strokes, a subtle light flickered briefly in her eyes.

  “At your current realm, it will be difficult to draw a better Strength Talisman than this. It’s time for you to learn a different talisman.”

  “I understand.”

  Li Xin nodded obediently at her words. He too had already sensed his limits and made up his mind. The time to cling to a single Strength Talisman had passed. What he needed now was the expansion of new possibilities.

  “What kind of talisman do you want to learn?”

  “I would like to learn a defensive talisman of the water or wood attribute.”

  Li Xin answered without hesitation. He already possessed a powerful offensive method in Shattering Mountain Fist, and had secured a degree of mobility through Azure Smoke Step. He could even sense danger to some extent through the Art of Tracking Fragrance, but his defensive measures were woefully lacking. In real combat, a single mistake or fleeting opening directly led to death.

  “A Protection Talisman… are you confident?”

  “Yes.”

  Li Xin’s eyes, filled with resolve, did not waver. Xu Hui quietly observed that gaze, then nodded. She then took something out from one side of the drawer.

  “This is the Ice Shadow Talisman. Among water-type talismans, it’s specialized for defense.”

  Li Xin carefully accepted the talisman Xu Hui handed him. On the talisman paper shimmering with a blue hue, three strokes were drawn neatly.

  “…This is only three strokes?”

  At a glance, it was just three simple strokes. Yet the flow of qi felt within was anything but simple.

  The first stroke was heavy and solid, as if condensing qi at the center. The second stroke felt as though it spread thinly outward in all directions from that center, and the third stroke wrapped around the entire structure while carrying a finely trembling responsiveness.

  Condensation, diffusion, reaction. The three strokes held each other in balance, neither suppressing nor scattering. If the qi deviated even slightly at a single point, there was a high risk of the entire structure collapsing.

  This is on a completely different level from the Strength Talisman.

  Li Xin quietly drew in a breath while holding the talisman. Honestly, he had little confidence in whether his current skill could manage it. But one thing was certain—mastering this talisman would become a shield that protected his life going forward.

  Li Xin’s gaze sharpened as he stared at the Ice Shadow Talisman.

  Let’s do it.