Back at Spirit Plant Mountain, Li An took out his talisman pen and paper.
The talisman pen bought from Xu Qiuhui wasn't completely useless yet; it could still be used for a while. However, Li An put that pen away for now, keeping it as a treasure.
Then he took out a new talisman pen.
"Flame Talismans, Cold Wind Talismans, and Earth Shield Talismans, the more the better!"
Li An murmured. During the battle with Fan Jie, he only had a ninety-five percent certainty of killing him.
First, he poisoned Fan Jie, rendering his cultivation useless. Then, he used all his talismans... but there was still risk.
If Fan Jie hadn't been so aggressive, to the point of forcing his hand, Li An wouldn't have risked killing him.
Immediately, he began crafting the three premium talismans.
Now, with increasing skill and a better success rate, he used up a hundred sheets of talisman paper, producing ten Flame Talismans, four Cold Wind Talismans, and three Earth Shield Talismans.
Seventeen sheets!
Even for first-grade lower-rank premium talismans, the success rate was approaching twenty percent.
This success rate could be considered quite an achievement for a Talisman Master in the Profound Yang Sect.
"With my current spiritual power, I'm not tired after consecutively drawing a hundred first-grade lower-rank talismans, and during battle, I can also wield ten first-grade lower-rank talismans simultaneously!"
Li An nodded with satisfaction, feeling much safer with the talismans at hand.
He used the remaining forty-three sheets for other talismans.
"It's been a year since making Spirit Gathering Talismans; I can start making Qi Replenishing Talismans now!"
Qi Replenishing Talismans are also first-grade lower-rank talismans, but slightly better, more sought-after than Spirit Gathering Talismans.
Their purpose is to rapidly restore spiritual qi from spirit stones for cultivators.
Especially useful for low-rank cultivators during battles.
The price is higher too; three Spirit Gathering Talismans sell for one spirit stone, but three Qi Replenishing Talismans can fetch an additional half stone, with each having a unit price of half a spirit stone!
While making Qi Replenishing Talismans wasn't hard for Li An, he delayed it to match the growth time of a typical Talisman Master.
Pen in hand, he focused, as runes began to emerge under his strokes...
By evening, Li An had used the remaining forty-three sheets to make fifteen Spirit Gathering Talismans and five Qi Replenishing Talismans.
...
Time flew by.
In a blink, half a year had passed.
During the peaceful half-year, Li An regularly visited the trading market to sell Spirit Gathering and Qi Replenishing Talismans, gaining a small reputation.
After all, a menial worker becoming a Talisman Master was news among the lower disciples.
During this time, Li An went to Yangdao Residence three times but still didn't see Xu Qiuhui.
His cultivation speed increased as well since he no longer lacked spirit stones, spending approximately five spirit stones each month just for regular cultivation.
The higher purity of the spirit stones allowed faster absorption, and the second leaf of his Life Seed grew wider and thicker!
Meanwhile, he continually refined the Water Arrow Skill and the Light Body Technique.
Although limited by his realm, he couldn't progress further, but he had already mastered the use of the Star Dagger, this single sharp-pointed dagger, turning it into his flying sword!
Four months later, the sect examination was approaching.
On this day, Li An reviewed his gains from the past year.
Through relentless sale of spirit talismans, monthly provisions from Spirit Plant Mountain, and additional rewards, aside from daily cultivation expenses, he still had twenty-three spirit stones remaining.
He also always carried thirty Flame Talismans, ten Cold Wind Talismans, and ten Earth Shield Talismans; among low-level cultivators, he could be considered 'wealthy'!
Most importantly, his second Life Leaf had reached perfection, and his third leaf was budding.
He went into seclusion, preparing to break through to the third level of Qi Cultivation!
...
Half a month later.
Li An emerged from his residence, his energy has further advanced.
In his dantian, a third leaf sprouted from his Life Seed.
He felt invigorated and clear-minded!
"Currently, my lifespan should be around one hundred and eighty years!"
Li An felt more at peace, steadfastly seeking the path to longevity, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope!
As his Life Seed grew, his vitality and spiritual power became more abundant.
His Spirit Root was slowly evolving, though still a Yellow Rank Lower Grade Spirit Root, his sensitivity to the Great Dao and spiritual qi became sharper than before.
Generally, a Yellow Rank Lower Grade Spirit Root has a sensitivity value around 30.
Now, Li An felt his sensitivity value had increased to about 40!
A sensitivity of 60 points would make it a Yellow Rank Middle Grade Spirit Root, comparable to Mu Qingwan, who was first upon entering the sect.
In the following period, Li An continuously consolidated his realm.
On this day, in the mountains.
Li An sat on a rock a hundred meters from the mountain stream, quietly listening to the subtle ripples in the water pool, suddenly conjuring eight water arrows, swiftly shooting them towards the small pond.
Splash! Splash!
The eight fish fluttered a few times in the water, then all floated to the surface, dead.
"I can now hear insects chirping from a hundred meters away... The range of the Water Arrow Skill is also a hundred meters, and I can shoot eight water arrows at once!"
Li An whispered, then activated his Spiritual Qi, and the starlight dagger in his palm was forced to float in mid-air, before shooting out with a burst!
Thirty meters away, a thick tree was directly pierced through, the hole in the tree was blood-red.
Inside the tree, two woodpeckers cooing to each other were caught by the sound, and were extinguished with one blow!
"In battle, use runes for cover, and use the 'Flying Dagger' to surprise; even a fourth level Qi cultivator might not be able to defend against it."
Li An stood up, satisfied, walked over to the woods to pick up the dagger, and returned to the base of Spirit Plant Mountain.
That night, he took a hot bath and had a good night's sleep. The next morning, he packed two talisman brushes, a few unsold Qi Refilling Talismans, and four remaining Spirit Stones into his bag and set out.
After three years at Spirit Plant Mountain, it was time to say goodbye.
"Li An, are you going to take the sect examination?"
Wang Zilin limped over, with a variety of emotions welling up in his eyes.
"Yes."
"The three of us came to Spirit Plant Mountain together, and now Susu is dead, I'm crippled, and you're the only one who can still walk out, that's nice..."
There was grief in Wang Zilin's eyes, and inexplicable reluctance, as Li An was leaving, and he was going to be all alone.
"These grains are for you. I picked them from the field these past few days, the best ones!"
He took out a small bag of refined rice and handed it to Li An with both hands.
His hands were full of calluses, and in just three years, he had become so weathered that he looked more like a farmer from the mundane world than a cultivator.
Li An sighed slightly in his heart, then accepted it.
"Keep this talisman. If the new Spirit Plant Mountain steward withholds your monthly allowance, just give them the rune."
Li An took out a Qi Refilling Talisman and gave it to Wang Zilin.
Wang Zilin instantly protested, "No, this is too valuable, I can't accept it... I didn't give you rice for this."
"Don't be polite."
Li An stuffed it into his hand and then walked away.
After walking a hundred meters, Li An suddenly stopped, turned around and said, "Remember, your monthly allowance is one piece, not half a piece!"
Then he left without turning back.
Standing there, immersed in his emotions, Wang Zilin was stunned when he heard this.
Damn?!
"Li the Skinflint, oh Li the Skinflint, you've been withholding from me all this time? You're really something."
He gritted his teeth, stared at Li An's departing figure with red eyes, and shouted, "Li the Skinflint, come back and visit when you have time!"
His voice echoed in the empty Spirit Plant Mountain.
...
When he left Spirit Plant Mountain and reached the outer gate, it was already noon.
The gate was bustling, and on a wide open ground, the Alchemy Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, Talisman Hall, Physician Hall, and others had each set up areas to welcome applicants and conduct selections.
The front of the three major halls, in particular, was packed with people, and the queues were very long.
Ordinary disciples with average aptitude wanted to become formal disciples, but besides reaching the fifth level of Qi cultivation, they also needed a large number of contribution points.
Very few could meet these requirements.
So, most people's dream was to enter one of the three major halls.
The Alchemy, Artifact, and Talisman halls had the most benefits and were the most relaxed.
"Brother Li, you finally made it!"
Wang Dazhu and Zhao Xian came over, both with excitement and anticipation in their eyes.
The three greeted each other and exchanged encouraging words, then headed to different halls.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Li An noticed, among the crowd, two bright young women walking side by side, chatting and laughing.
One of them wore a pale yellow long dress, tall and beautiful, and was Xu Qiuhui.
The other girl wore a white pear blouse, like a jasmine flower, her black hair as dark as ink, her skin fair, matching Xu Qiuhui in beauty, but with a slightly different temperament.
If Xu Qiuhui exuded a mature and cool elegance, then this girl was more lively and wise.
Li An did not queue up, but walked over and bowed, "Greetings, Immortal Xu!"
Xu Qiuhui smiled softly and said, "Qingxue, this is Li An, the Talisman Master I mentioned to you."
Li An keenly noticed the change in her tone of address.
The girl named Qingxue looked at Li An in surprise and said, "I know him, Li An from Spirit Plant Mountain. Since he went to the trading market, our Talisman Hall disciples couldn't sell the Spirit Gathering Talismans and Qi Refilling Talismans there... because their quality isn't as good as his."
She had a playful glint in her eyes, "So it's a narrow road for enemies, huh!"
Li An smiled slightly and said, "It's my fault, I apologize."
As he spoke, he took out two Fire Talismans, handing them to Xu Qiuhui and the girl named Qingxue, "Immortal Xu, I've recently managed to craft two Fire Talismans, a small token of respect."
Then he looked at the girl in white, "A small apology!"
In the girl's eyes, a look of surprise appeared. She took the Fire Talisman handed to her by Li An, examined it carefully, and there was a trace of solemnity in her beautiful eyes!
...