25: Chapter 25 Talisman Pavilion

When the morning bell rang, Lu Mingyuan had already spent six hours studying the essentials of basic talismans.

The oil lamp burned quietly at the corner of the table, its wick occasionally making a slight "crackle." He closed the silk scroll and rubbed his brow, but his eyes shimmered with light—it was the excitement of new knowledge.

The Dao of Talismans was far more exquisite than he had imagined.

The book divided Talismans into three Realms:

The first Realm was "Tangible Talismans," where one followed a pattern, using cinnabar and yellow paper as carriers, requiring precise strokes for every talismanic character. Talismans at this Realm had limited power and were easily affected by the quality of the carrier.

The second Realm was "Spiritual Talismans," where a Talisman master could infuse their own spiritual power into the Talisman, giving it spirituality. Such Talismans could even sense filth on their own and activate in advance. This Realm required the Talisman master to have fine control over spiritual power.

The third Realm was "Intangible Talismans," where all things could serve as carriers—a blade of grass, a tree, water, stone, or even drawing Talismans in the void, using Heaven and Earth as paper. At this stage, Talismans were no longer "drawn," but rather, "with a single thought, the Talisman is formed." That was a legendary Realm, and the book only mentioned it once: "From ancient times to the present, those who have reached this Realm number no more than ten."

Lu Mingyuan had not even crossed the threshold of the first Realm yet.

But he was not in a hurry. Among the thirty-six types of basic talismanic characters recorded in the book, the three Talismans required by Immortal Master Yushu—"Heart-Clearing," "Evil-Expelling," and "Body-Protecting"—happened to be the most fundamental and important ones, serving as the very Foundation of the Dao of Talismans.

He took out the Talisman paper, cinnabar, and Talisman brush from his qiankun bag—these were gifts from Xuanweizi upon his departure, and he had not yet had the chance to use them.

He spread out the yellow paper, ground the cinnabar, and dipped the brush in the ink.

The tip of the brush hung three inches above the paper. Lu Mingyuan closed his eyes, and the structure of the "Heart-Clearing" Talisman appeared in his mind. It was a composite Formation made of twelve basic talismanic units, with a variant of the ancient seal script for "Quietude" at its core, surrounded by auxiliary characters representing "Tranquility," "Stability," and "Peace."

"Using the heart as the brush, and Qi as the ink..."

He silently recited the formula, infused a trace of spiritual power into the brush tip, and slowly lowered his wrist.

The first stroke—a horizontal line.

The cinnabar left a bright red mark on the yellow paper. The moment the brush tip touched the paper, Lu Mingyuan felt a faint resistance, as if the paper had an invisible membrane. This was the Talisman paper's natural rejection of spiritual power; beginners often failed at this very step.

He steadied his wrist, ensuring the output of spiritual power was even and continuous.

The horizontal stroke was level.

The second stroke—a vertical line.

The resistance increased slightly. Fine sweat broke out on Lu Mingyuan's forehead; this was not physical exhaustion, but the result of intense mental concentration. Every stroke had to ensure the spiritual power remained unbroken and the characters did not deviate; the slightest error would ruin the entire Talisman.

Time passed bit by bit.

When the final "hook" stroke was completed, Lu Mingyuan felt his Dantian empty out, having consumed thirty percent of his spiritual power. He put down the brush and looked at the characters on the paper—the twelve units were complete, the structure was clear, and the cinnabar color was full.

But... there was no spiritual glow.

A successful Talisman would naturally emit a faint light the moment it was finished, a sign of resonance between the talismanic characters and the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The one before him was merely an exquisite "drawing."

It was a failure.

Lu Mingyuan was not discouraged. He set the failed Talisman aside, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing for fifteen minutes, and after his spiritual power recovered, he picked up the brush again.

The second one still had no light.

On the third one, his hand trembled slightly on the final stroke, and the entire Talisman paper ignited with a "pssh," turning into ash.

The fourth, the fifth...

The sky gradually brightened, and birdsong echoed in the courtyard. A thick stack of failed Talismans had piled up in front of Lu Mingyuan. He had exhausted his spiritual power three times and meditated to recover three times. His wrist ached from being suspended for so long, and his mind was exhausted from the high concentration.

But the flame in his eyes only burned brighter.

"Where is the problem?" He stared at the latest Talisman, his Eye of Clarity operating at full power. Under this special vision, he could see the flow of spiritual power within the characters—most areas were smooth, but there were slight "clogs" at three nodes, preventing the spiritual power from forming a complete cycle.

"Is my understanding of the talismanic structure wrong? Or is the method of injecting spiritual power incorrect?"

He reopened the essentials of basic talismans, found the detailed explanation for the "Heart-Clearing" Talisman, and reread it word by word. When he read, "Talismanic characters are like rivers, and spiritual power is like flowing water. The water must follow the course of the riverbed; it cannot be forcefully blocked, nor should it overflow," his heart suddenly stirred.

Follow the course of the riverbed...

He picked up the brush again. This time, he was not in a hurry to draw the Talisman. Instead, using his finger as a brush, he drew in the air. Spiritual power flowed from his fingertip, leaving pale gold trails in the air. He drew very slowly, carefully feeling the natural flow of spiritual power at every turn.

When drawing horizontally, the spiritual power should be as calm as a stream;

When drawing vertically, the spiritual power should fall straight like a waterfall;

When turning, the spiritual power should be like a river winding around a mountain, smooth and without stagnation.

After drawing in the air ten times, he had a new realization.

He laid out the paper, dipped the brush in cinnabar, and set the brush down.

This time, his state of mind was completely different. He was no longer "injecting" spiritual power into the characters, but letting the spiritual power "flow" into the characters. The brush tip was like a boat, and the spiritual power was like water, following the riverbed downstream, naturally and effortlessly.

When the final stroke was completed—

A layer of warm white brilliance rippled across the surface of the yellow paper like a wave, lasting for three breaths before slowly receding inward. The texture of the Talisman paper also seemed to have changed; it felt slightly warm to the touch and had a faint effect of clearing the heart and calming the mind.

It was a success!

Lu Mingyuan let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his face. He carefully picked up this "Heart-Clearing Talisman" and felt the spiritual power contained within—though faint, it was pure and stable, exactly the characteristics of a "Low Grade Spiritual Talisman" described in the book.

With this successful experience, drawing the "Evil-Expelling Talisman" and the "Body-Protecting Talisman" became much smoother.

The core of the "Evil-Expelling Talisman" was a variant of the character for "Break." Its structure was fierce, requiring spiritual power to be injected like the strike of a knife or axe, emphasizing a sense of "sharpness." After failing seven times, Lu Mingyuan finally grasped that "sharp intent." Once the Talisman was finished, a faint golden edge flickered on its surface.

The "Body-Protecting Talisman" was the opposite; its core was the character for "Guard." Its structure was as rounded as a shield, requiring thick and continuous spiritual power. This Talisman was actually the easiest for him—perhaps because of the pure Dao Foundation cultivated from the Classic of Purity and Tranquility, which naturally aligned with the intent of "protection." He only failed three times before completing one, its surface shimmering with an earthy yellow glow.

The three Spiritual Talismans lay on the stone table, glinting with different colors in the morning light.

Looking at them, Lu Mingyuan felt a strange sense of accomplishment. This was different from a Breakthrough in cultivation; it was the joy of "creation"—turning intangible concepts, spiritual power, and intent into tangible creations with actual effects.

"Using Talismans to carry the Dao..." he murmured.

Now, he slightly understood the weight of those words. Talismans were not just tools; they were the manifestation of a Talisman master's understanding of the "Dao." The same Heart-Clearing Talisman drawn by different masters could have vastly different effects because the "intent of purity" they carried varied in depth.

"Knock, knock."

The courtyard gate was gently knocked. A Daoist boy about twelve or thirteen years old entered carrying a food box. He had his hair in twin buns and had a round face: "Layman Lu, breakfast is served."

"Thank you." Lu Mingyuan put away the Talismans.

The boy set out the light porridge and side dishes, glancing curiously at the Talisman papers on the table: "Is the Layman learning to draw Talismans?"

"Just a beginner."

"That's amazing," the boy said enviously. "I've been on the mountain for three years and still haven't learned to draw a single complete Spiritual Talisman. Junior Martial Uncle Zhang says my personality is too restless and I can't settle my heart."

Lu Mingyuan smiled. "Drawing Talismans does indeed require a quiet heart."

After the boy left, he had a simple breakfast and continued practicing. Success once did not mean success every time. The Dao of Talismans required thousands of repetitions until it became "muscle memory," until the talismanic characters would form with a single thought.

The entire morning, he repeated drawing the three basic Talismans. His success rate gradually increased from thirty percent to fifty percent, and the quality of the Spiritual Talismans occasionally jumped from "Low Grade" to "Medium Grade"—meaning the talismanic light lasted for more than ten breaths and the spiritual power fluctuations were more stable.

At noon, Zhang Qingyuan came to visit.

"How is Layman Lu's progress?" He walked into the small courtyard and saw dozens of Talismans neatly stacked on the stone table, momentarily stunned. "These... were all drawn by you today?"

"Yes."

Zhang Qingyuan picked up a Heart-Clearing Talisman, touching it with his fingertip to feel the spiritual power within: "A Medium Grade Spiritual Talisman... the Layman only received the book yesterday, right?"

"I started practicing this morning."

Zhang Qingyuan was silent for a moment and sighed, "Junior Martial Uncle Yushu truly didn't misjudge you." He put down the Talisman. "Since you have completed all three Talismans, according to the agreement, the Layman may study on Longhu Mountain for one month. However, the Junior Martial Uncle has further instructions: if the Layman is willing, you may go to the first floor of the 'Talisman Scripture Pavilion' this afternoon to browse for four hours."

Lu Mingyuan's eyes lit up. "Many thanks to the Immortal Master, and many thanks to the Daoist!"

The Talisman Scripture Pavilion was where Longhu Mountain stored its precious talismanic techniques and classics. Ordinary visitors didn't even have the right to approach it, let alone enter to browse.

"No need to thank me." Zhang Qingyuan's expression was complex. "Junior Martial Uncle seems to hold you in high regard. However..." He paused. "There are thousands of classics in the Talisman Scripture Pavilion; do not aim too high. If the Foundation is not solid, seeing more is just building a castle in the air."

"This Junior will keep that in mind."

In the afternoon, led by Zhang Qingyuan, Lu Mingyuan arrived deep in the back mountains.

A nine-story wooden pagoda was built against the mountain, with flying eaves and upturned corners. Copper bells hung from the corners of each eave, their chiming clear and distant as the mountain wind blew. The pagoda looked ordinary, but under the Eye of Clarity, Lu Mingyuan could see the entire tower shrouded in countless layers of talismanic Formations—protection Formations, warning Formations, illusion Formations, killing Formations... layer upon layer, it was truly an inescapable net.

A plaque hung above the tower door: 'Talisman Scripture Pavilion'.

The gatekeeper was a withered old Daoist, sitting on a prayer mat with his eyes closed, as if he had merged with the mountain stones. It wasn't until Zhang Qingyuan stepped forward to salute and present Immortal Master Yushu's token that the old Daoist slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, Lu Mingyuan felt his whole body tighten—the old Daoist's gaze was like a sword, piercing straight into the depths of his Soul. Fortunately, it was only for a moment before the old Daoist withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly.

The pagoda doors opened silently.

"Remember, only on the first floor, for four hours," Zhang Qingyuan said in a low voice. "Once the time is up, no matter where you are looking, you must come out. Otherwise, the Formations inside the tower will automatically 'invite' you out, and that experience is not pleasant."

Lu Mingyuan solemnly agreed and stepped inside.

The inside of the tower was much more spacious than it looked from the outside, clearly having used space-expansion Formations. Rows of ancient wooden bookshelves were neatly arranged, filled with bamboo slips, silk scrolls, leather rolls, and even Jade Slips. There was a faint scent of ink and aged paper in the air, mixed with a trace of spiritual power fluctuations—the natural aura of ancient texts.

He took a deep breath and walked toward the nearest bookshelf.