Ji An dragged his table to the doorway, laid out the hundred low-grade talisman papers he had sold and borrowed back, then carefully arranged his talisman brush and ink.
Lighting a stick of incense, he dipped the brush in clear water and began tracing the Water Curtain Talisman on the tabletop.
With no experience to rely on, all he could do was practice the motions, building up the right feel until he could reproduce at least ninety percent of the form.
After half an hour of repeated practice and correction, he finally managed to copy the talisman with a close resemblance.
Ji An wiped the water stains away, prepared the talisman ink, and spread a sheet of talisman paper.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he reviewed every technique and precaution he'd studied, then snapped his eyes open, twin flashes of light gleaming within.
He seized the brush, channeling fine threads of mana into the tip. But before he could complete the talisman, the formation collapsed in failure.
Crafting a talisman was akin to casting a spell in another form, but with a key difference: the flow of mana had to perfectly match the brush's strokes.
It was his first attempt, and he had chosen to start with an inscribed talisman of actual grade. To succeed on the first try would have been the real miracle.
He began to review, comparing his mistakes against the notes of past talisman masters, then picked up the brush again.
This time was better, halting and awkward, but at least he completed the talisman's outline.
Yet, as the spirit ink dried, the spiritual power within rapidly dissipated, reducing it to waste.
"Not bad. The strokes are still stiff, but that's real progress."
Encouraging himself, Ji An reviewed once more, then pressed on.
He failed another five times in a row, but gradually found the balance between his mana output and the brush's absorption.
By then, half his mana was gone. Ji An sat cross-legged to rest, clearing his mind until he was calm again.
When his spirit was full once more, he resumed drawing, this time burning through every last drop of mana.
"Excellent! First session, twenty sheets used, and three successes. Now it's just a matter of building muscle memory."
A talisman maker with a thirty percent success rate could already turn a profit. He was at fifteen percent. With more practice, he'd be there soon.
Ji An activated one of the finished talismans. A pale-blue water curtain rose before him, but its defense was weaker than his own full Water Curtain Technique at the perfected stage.
Low-grade talisman paper simply couldn't hold enough spiritual power. Once his success rate improved, he could switch to mid-grade talisman paper.
At that point, the talismans might match his perfected water curtain in strength.
In the sunset glow, the leaves of his Firecloud Ginseng swayed like tongues of flame, brimming with vitality.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ji An saw the Spirit-Seeking Rat dragging his wood carving outside, gleefully butting against it in play. The scene was tranquil and warm.
Over the next few days, Ji An spent most of his mana drawing talismans, aside from the time he devoted to casting farming spells in his fields and courtyard.
By constantly reviewing and refining his technique, his success rate with the Water Curtain Talisman improved rapidly.
When the hundred sheets of low-grade talisman paper were gone, he had reached a forty percent success rate, holding thirty completed talismans in hand.
With his perfected Water Curtain Technique and exceptional divine sense, he had a natural edge in talisman craft, which was why he'd chosen it.
The talisman brush had served its purpose and retired in glory.
Ji An pointed a finger, releasing a golden ray of light. A thick wooden post shuddered as a hole appeared clean through it.
The post was already riddled with countless such tiny holes.
Although practicing the Geng Metal Finger didn't require a target, Ji An felt it was much more satisfying to have one.
When half his mana was gone, he switched to the Wind Riding Technique, darting through his courtyard like a nimble ape.
The Spirit-Seeking Rat and the wooden carving sat in a row, watching his "performance" while nibbling on nuts it had gathered nearby.
The spell lasted for a full quarter-hour. When the spiritual energy finally dispersed, Ji An collapsed into a lounge chair, switching to practice Object Manipulation.
The wood carving suddenly lifted into the air. The Spirit-Seeking Rat dropped its nut and leapt after it, its favorite game.
Ji An teased the little creature, only letting go of the carving when his mana was nearly spent.
He chuckled, reclined in the chair, and sank his mind into his dantian.
[Master: Ji An]
[Dao Resonance: 0]
[Spiritual Qi: Kan 96.6, Kun 237.8, Xun 168.8, Zhen 0.2]
[Techniques:]
Minor Rain Technique (Perfected 42%)
Thick Earth Formula (Perfected 32%)
Withering-Bloom Formula (Great Accomplishment 88%)
Flamefire Incantation (Great Accomplishment 30%)
Sharp Gold Art (Perfected 2%)
Object Manipulation (Great Accomplishment 12%)
Wind Riding Technique (Proficient 35%)
Water Curtain Technique (Perfected 1%)
Geng Metal Finger (Minor Accomplishment 24%)
Ji An had no plans to learn more spells for now; these were more than enough.
He intended to stockpile spiritual qi, then see what would happen if he pushed the Minor Rain Technique to Great Perfection.
That was the spell he cast most often, so his comprehension naturally grew. Added to that, the stone tortoise absorbed Kan-type energy daily. It was the perfect candidate for the test.
At the perfected stage, the Minor Rain Technique had already accelerated the growth of spirit grain. What kind of surprise would Great Perfection bring?
"Ha! Junior Brother really knows how to live. I'm envious!"
Ji An opened his eyes. Wei Songnian had arrived overhead on his spirit bird.
"Senior Brother's visit makes this humble courtyard shine with honor."
"It's been a while since I came. Seeing it now, you really do need a formation to seal it off. Tsk tsk, twenty years from now, you'll be rolling in spirit stones."
Wei praised. Just the Firecloud Ginseng alone, once mature, would sell for hundreds of spirit stones, never mind the spirit fruit trees.
Ji An laughed. "That's far in the future. Distant water can't quench present thirst. Please, come inside, Senior Brother."
Inside the bamboo house, Wei pulled out a formation disk with a grin.
"Mission accomplished. The seller was in a hurry to unload this sealing formation. Just give me eighteen spirit stones."
He also handed over a jade token and a jade slip.
"The slip contains the control incantations. The token is the key you'll need to pass through once the formation is active."
"Excellent. Let me try it out."
Ji An pressed the jade slip to his forehead. As expected, the control method was simple, probably because the formation itself was small.
He removed four spirit stones from the Spirit-Draining Array and slotted them into the formation disk, burying one at each corner of the courtyard.
When all was ready, he formed a hand seal. A faint white light rose, enveloped the courtyard, then faded from sight.
He cast Object Manipulation and hurled a stone. A flash of white blocked it, the stone clattering down at the bamboo fence.
Next, he tested with Geng Metal Finger. The golden light was stopped as well. Ji An nodded in satisfaction.
"Careful, using spell attacks will burn through spirit stones faster."
"Haha, I understand."
Back in the bamboo house, Ji An brought out the talismans he had drawn, smiling.
"Senior Brother, please sell these on consignment. Let's see what price they fetch."
Wei Songnian studied the talismans, faint blue runes glowing faintly across their surfaces. He hesitated, then said:
"Junior Brother, I'll need to test them first, that's standard practice."
"Go ahead."
Wei activated one, carefully gauging its strength and duration. A smile spread across his face.
"Good quality. I'll take them all. If the Water Curtain Talismans sell well, next time I'll pay you upfront."
After quickly counting, he sighed in admiration:
"Junior Brother's success rate is impressive. Give it time, and spirit stones will flow to you in waves."
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