The morning sun filtered through the dusty windows of the talisman shop. Golden rays touched the old wooden counters and the neat shelves lined with inks, brushes, and talisman paper. Felix stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame as he took in the familiar scent of dried herbs and parchment.
It had been two months since the incident. A month recovering under Lina's careful watch, and another month back here, in the quiet space he called home. His injuries had healed slowly. The pain in his meridians still echoed faintly, but he was finally able to walk without assistance. The fractures in his bones had knitted together, and his skin bore only faint scars.
Rin had been there when he returned. The girl had taken it upon herself to sweep, tidy, and prepare the shop as if it had always been hers. Her presence was a silent comfort. She didn't fuss or ask too many questions. She simply helped.
"Another cup?" Rin asked, entering from the back room with a kettle of herbal tea.
Felix nodded, taking the warm cup with a grateful smile. "Thanks."
She set it down beside him. "You're stronger now. You seem different."
He sipped the tea. "I feel different. The method I created… it's more than just a way to cultivate. It's changing how I think, how I perceive the world."
For the past month, Felix had focused entirely on understanding Breath of the Mystic Vessel. Every day was a quiet rhythm of meditation, breathing exercises, and studying the changes within himself. The breakthrough had pushed him into the mid-stage of the Awakening Realm. He could feel the strength in his limbs, the steadiness of his breath, the clarity of his thoughts.
His stamina had nearly doubled. Tasks that once left him winded now felt easy. More importantly, his mind had expanded—his thoughts organized like flowing lines on a talisman sheet. He could focus on multiple things without confusion. During his meditations, he saw the patterns of essence in the air, traced their movement, and understood how they responded to different emotions and intentions.
The most profound discovery, however, was the ability he now called the Essence Condenser. Like a crystal chamber formed within his core, it allowed him to compress and refine spiritual energy to a degree that went beyond anything in standard talisman creation. The name wasn't perfect, but it captured the function. With it, Felix realized he could embed more complex effects into talismans—layer enhancements, longer durations, even dual effects without sacrificing stability.
He had yet to test it fully. His hands were still weak from the injuries. The fractures in his fingers, though healed, protested whenever he tried to grip a brush. Lina had warned him to avoid strenuous tasks. "Healing isn't just about the body," she had said. "Let your spirit catch up."
So, Felix experimented without crafting.
He mapped theoretical formations using his mind. He practiced breath control, refining energy streams without letting them settle. He used mock talisman papers to trace designs with just water, observing how long he could hold a formation before it collapsed. His ability to multitask had grown sharper. He could track the essence from a candle flame while reading an old formation scroll, all while maintaining a steady breath cycle.
"Are you going to make one today?" Rin asked as she dusted the shelves.
"Not yet," he said. "Maybe in another week."
She gave a small nod. "You've changed."
"In a good way?"
"Yes." She paused, then added, "You're more patient now."
Felix smiled. That was true. Before, he had rushed. Always trying to push limits, improve faster, create something greater. Now, he understood the value of waiting. Of preparation. The cultivation method he had created rewarded patience. It wasn't flashy. No brilliant lights or roaring power. Just clarity. Precision. Subtlety.
Many would glance at Breath of the Mystic Vessel and think it suited only scholars or talisman makers with no desire for battle. A tool for craftsmen, not warriors. But Felix saw its deeper potential. The ability to see energy clearly, to analyze it in real time, to refine and enhance it while maintaining focus—this was power. Quiet power, but power nonetheless.
Even without crafting, he had begun planning new talisman types. His sketches lined the walls of his room. Diagrams of overlapping runes. Notes on elemental fusion. Ideas for slow-release formations. He imagined a talisman that could absorb ambient energy and use it over time. Another that could defend against spirit-based attacks. None of these were possible before—not with traditional methods.
With the Essence Condenser, though, they might be.
Felix meditated every morning and night. During these sessions, he observed how the energy around him changed. How it pooled in corners of the room, danced near heat, avoided metal. He learned to reach into these flows with his senses alone, to direct them subtly.
Sometimes, while Rin worked in the background, he'd sit with his eyes closed and simply breathe. Breath in, observe the intake. Breath out, refine. Breath in, condense. Breath out, release. Over and over until his mind felt like clear water and his spirit a steady stream.
He began experimenting with energy threads. With focus, he could pull a strand of essence and hold it like silk between his fingers. The sensation was strange—like holding a thought made real. It was faint, nearly invisible, but it was there.
He used this to test mock formations. Instead of drawing, he would trace patterns in the air, see how energy responded. Sometimes it dispersed. Sometimes it clung. When it clung, he knew he was on the right path.
"I don't understand how you're doing that," Rin said one day, watching him move his hands slowly through the air.
"Neither do I," Felix replied. "But I feel it. It's like… weaving light."
She sat beside him. "Are you afraid it'll go away?"
He hesitated. "A little. But it hasn't faded yet. In fact, it feels more stable each day."
During the second month, his body caught up with his spirit. He began practicing physical exercises again—slow, deliberate movements meant to test his balance, strength, and flexibility. The enhanced stamina was noticeable. He didn't tire as easily. His breathing remained even. Even lifting heavier items felt easier.
One afternoon, he attempted a simple rune drawing. Just a basic fire rune, traced with water on talisman paper. His hand trembled, but the line was smooth. The pattern held longer than it ever had with water. The energy clung to it.
"It's working," he whispered.
His recovery was nearly complete. He still avoided full talisman crafting—it demanded too much focus and fine control—but his confidence had returned. More than that, he understood what he had now.
Breath of the Mystic Vessel was a gift. Not just a personal cultivation method, but a tool to elevate his craft to a new level. With time, he could revolutionize how talismans were made.
And this power… was his alone.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the workshop, Felix sat quietly, breathing steadily. Rin had gone to fetch dinner. The shop was silent, save for the gentle creak of wood and the distant chirping of birds.
He traced a formation in the air—slow, deliberate, invisible. A triple-layer seal. It held for six seconds before dissolving.
"Better," he said softly.
The path ahead was still long. But he wasn't afraid anymore.
He was a talisman maker. A cultivator. A creator.
And Breath of the Mystic Vessel would carry him forward.