159: Chapter 159 Practicing Drawing Symbols

"Yes, ma'am!" You curtsied playfully.

In the days that followed, Shen Qingluan began teaching you Spells step by step.

"The secret to the Object Manipulation Spell lies in the resonance between your Divine Sense and your spiritual power. Don't use brute force to grab things; you must guide them with your intent."

"The Water Mirror Technique is all about defense. The arrangement of your spiritual power must be dense. Your water mirror is as thin as paper; it shatters at the slightest touch!"

Under Shen Qingluan's strict, and at times harsh, tutelage, combined with your own decent Comprehension Ability, you managed to get the hang of all three Spells in just seven days. Although your casting was still a bit clumsy, you could at least form them successfully.

Days passed, and life in the courtyard was peaceful and fulfilling.

Shen Qingluan would occasionally take the time to guide you, while you cultivated day and night without rest. However, you soon discovered that after your Breakthrough to the first level of Qi Refining, your cultivation speed had slowed down significantly. The absorption of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had become extremely slow, and the drawbacks of your Low Grade Spiritual Root began to manifest.

Fortunately, thanks to the continuous supply of Yao Beast meat provided by Shen Qingluan, using blood and Qi to nourish your spiritual power, your progress wasn't too unsightly.

Three months later.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three fireballs flew out in a triangular formation, precisely striking three falling leaves in mid-air and incinerating them instantly.

You withdrew your finger and nodded with satisfaction. After three months of hard training, the three Spells had finally reached the Proficient Realm. Your casting speed had increased significantly, and you could now use them in actual combat.

Furthermore, your cultivation had naturally reached the Peak of the first level of Qi Refining, just a hair's breadth away from the second level.

"It's time to try making Talismans," you thought to yourself.

Ordinary Cultivators usually need to reach the second level of Qi Refining before their spiritual power reserves are sufficient to complete a Low Grade first-tier Talisman. However, the Burning Heaven True Art you Cultivate is incredibly domineering; the quality and quantity of the spiritual power you produce far exceed those of Loose Cultivators at the same level. Being at the Peak of the first level of Qi Refining was enough to support your extravagance.

"Maybe I'm some once-in-a-ten-thousand-years Genius of the Talisman Dao. I'll get it right on the first try, and then I'll have more Spirit Stones than I can spend!" You rubbed your hands together, feeling a bit money-hungry.

You returned to your room, dumped the Spirit Stones from your Storage Pouch onto the table, and counted them carefully.

"Eighty-five."

This included what you had saved from your previous odd jobs, as well as the "grocery money" Shen Qingluan casually gave you from time to time.

You put on your veil, left the courtyard, and headed straight for the grocery street in the market.

"Boss, I'd like a bottle of Low Grade first-tier Crimson Blood Spiritual Ink, half a catty of Purple Sun Cinnabar, and a stack of basic yellow Talisman paper." You stopped in front of an inconspicuous shop.

"Coming right up! That'll be thirty-five Spirit Stones in total." The boss packed the items efficiently.

After paying, you looked at the remaining fifty Spirit Stones and gritted your teeth before heading to the nearby Magical Artifact shop. A Talisman brush is crucial for making Talismans, but a Low Grade first-tier brush costs at least a hundred Spirit Stones—you couldn't afford that at all.

In the end, you found a defective brush with a slightly split tip in the corner of a pawn shop, which you bought for forty Spirit Stones.

"Literary arts are for the poor, martial arts are for the rich, and cultivation is a bottomless pit..." You returned home, clutching the remaining ten Spirit Stones, your heart aching.

Back in the west wing, you arranged your Materials on the desk.

Grinding the Cinnabar, mixing it into the spiritual ink, and smoothing out the Talisman paper, you took a deep breath, cleared your mind, and visualized the "Fireball Talisman" spiritual pattern recorded in the First-tier Low Grade Talisman Dao Legacy.

You picked up the defective Talisman brush, soaked it in spiritual ink, and slowly injected your spiritual power into the brush handle.

"First stroke, focus."

As the tip touched the paper, a dark red spiritual light traced mysterious patterns across the surface like a dragon moving through water.

It went smoothly at first, but when you reached the one-third mark, the split tip caused an uneven output of spiritual power.

"Hiss—"

A puff of black smoke rose from the Talisman paper, the spiritual pattern instantly collapsed, and the entire sheet turned to ash.

"Failed." You sighed, but you weren't discouraged.

You sat cross-legged to recover your depleted spiritual power, and half an hour later, you picked up the brush again.

The second time, halfway through, your spiritual power couldn't keep up, and the Talisman paper spontaneously ignited.

The third time, you paused too long at the intersection of the spiritual patterns, causing a conflict in the Spiritual Qi, and the paper exploded.

The fourth time...

The fifth time...

After five consecutive failures, the stack of yellow Talisman paper was nearly half gone. You slumped into your chair, looking at the pile of ash on the table, your face falling with frustration.

"Why! Why am I not one of those peerless Geniuses who can achieve an Epiphany with just a single glance!" You rubbed your sore wrist, complaining frantically in your heart.

However, amidst your frustration, you keenly noticed something unusual.

According to the Talisman Dao Legacy, when a Cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining first learns to make Talismans, their Divine Sense is exhausted after three consecutive attempts, leaving them mentally drained. Yet, you had drawn five times in a row; although your spiritual power was depleted, your mental state was exceptionally clear, and you didn't feel a shred of fatigue.

"Is my Divine Sense... much stronger than that of an ordinary Cultivator?"

You paused, and the Taixu Visualization Method you had obtained during the martial arts stage immediately surfaced in your mind.

"Could it be that this visualization method not only trains the will but also strengthens the Divine Sense imperceptibly?" Your eyes lit up. A strong Divine Sense meant you had finer control over your spiritual power, which increased your fault tolerance when making Talismans.

"Looks like I'll have to pick up the Taixu Visualization Method again." You made a mental note.

Five more days passed.

This morning, while you were practicing the Water Mirror Technique in the courtyard, Shen Qingluan returned from outside, looking a bit grim.

She stood by and watched you for a moment before suddenly saying, "Shuang Wan, your Spells are proficient now, but you lack actual combat experience. Paper talk is ultimately an illusion. Do you want to go to the Ten Thousand Mountains with me?"

You paused, looked at her, and didn't hesitate at all: "Sure, I'd love to."

You knew full well that towering trees don't grow in greenhouses. With Shen Qingluan, an expert at the Qi Refining Perfection level, to protect you, this was an excellent opportunity to practice.

Half an hour later, you and Shen Qingluan left Qingyue Market and plunged into the perilous outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Dense ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with the smell of rotting leaves and a faint scent of blood.

"Battles in the Cultivation World aren't about whose Spells look better, but about who is more ruthless, more precise, and better at calculating." Shen Qingluan walked in front, her voice cold.

"Hiss—"

Before her voice faded, a green-scaled snake as thick as a wrist darted out from the canopy like lightning, heading straight for your face. It was a Low Grade first-tier Yao Beast, and it was incredibly fast.

You were startled, but your body's instinctive reaction was faster than your brain.

"Water Mirror Technique!"

A palm-sized water mirror instantly condensed in front of you. The green-scaled snake slammed into the water mirror, causing violent ripples, but it barely blocked the attack.

"Fireball Spell, go!"

Taking advantage of the moment the green-scaled snake was knocked back, a flash of fire appeared at your fingertips, and a fireball precisely smashed into its wide-open snake mouth.

"Bang!"