Talisman Artistry Advancement, Mid-grade Talisman!

Most artisans in the marketplace only possessed low-grade first tier craftsmanship.

How rare was mid-grade craftsmanship?

Especially in the four paths of pills, talismans, artifacts, and arrays.

In the Clear River Market.

Talisman Masters who possessed mid-grade talisman craftsmanship either intended to pass their skills down to their descendants or had already taken on disciples.

"Senior Luo is an exception, but Big Brother Li missed his chance."

The more Chu Daniu thought about it, the more unsettled he felt.

After all, Li Chang'an had saved his life, yet he had no way to repay him.

Upon returning.

He made careful inquiries for a long time.

He accidentally discovered that Luo Kun liked wine.

"There is still hope!"

Chu Daniu's eyes lit up.

He immediately brought several jars of fine wine, ran outside Luo Kun's courtyard, and knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Junior Chu Daniu requests an audience with Senior Luo."

The courtyard gate opened.

Luo Kun's figure appeared behind the door and glanced casually at Chu Daniu.

"It's A Niu. I remember you. You're a winemaker?"

"Yes. Junior lacks confidence in the wine he brews, and hearing that Senior has deep insights into wine appreciation, I have come to trouble Senior."

As he spoke, Chu Daniu was all smiles.

He respectfully presented the several jars of fine wine he had specially selected.

"Oh?"

Luo Kun raised an eyebrow.

He casually unsealed one of the jars, and a rich aroma of wine immediately wafted out.

It made his nose twitch involuntarily.

"Not bad!"

Luo Kun nodded slightly and looked at Chu Daniu a bit longer.

"Speak, what brings you here?"

"Senior, it's like this..."

Greatly overjoyed in his heart, Chu Daniu immediately stated his purpose.

After listening.

Luo Kun said indifferently, "That Li Chang'an is stiff and lacks flexibility; he willhardly achieve much in talismans."

Hearing this evaluation, Chu Daniu's heart tightened.

"However, given the sake of these jars of wine, I can give him a few more pointers next time."

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Chu Daniu hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

He secretly made up his mind to come and deliver wine frequently in the future.

Meanwhile, things stood elsewhere.

After returning, Li Chang'an cast today's events out of his mind.

It's best to go to useless small circle gatherings like this less often in the future.

He took out the jade slip and continued to study talisman artistry.

After a few days.

Li Chang'an had a sudden flash of insight, and his grasp on drawing a first-tier mid-grade talisman increased by another fraction.

He had a feeling that he was only a kick away from breaking through!

"Perhaps I can give it a try."

He calmed his mind and focused.

Instead of trying immediately, he began adjusting his breathing.

He brought his condition to its peak.

Half a day later.

Li Chang'an sat before the desk, holding the talisman brush, and laid the talisman paper flat in front of him.

Beside him sat several common types of pills, including Qi Recovery Pills, Vitality Pills, and Qi Condensing Pills.

"If my mana falls short, I will immediately swallow pills to recover."

Li Chang'an had already pressed a few pills under his tongue in advance.

He had made thorough preparations for this attempt!

"Let's try the Wind Escape Talisman first. This kind of talisman is an advanced version of the Wind Speed Talisman, and its drawing difficulty is lower."

Li Changsheng concentrated his spirit and began to draw.

The tip of the brush, stained with spirit ink, slowly glided across the talisman paper, leaving behind complex patterns.

It was relatively smooth at first.

But before long.

Li Chang'an's face began to turn pale as he felt a trace of weakness.

Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately swallowed a pill.

Only then did he feel somewhat better.

However.

At the very instant he swallowed the pill.

An extremely minute erroneous movement occurred at the brush tip.

Sizzle...

A wisp of green smoke rose, and the gathered spiritual energy dissipated.

The talisman paper was ruined on the spot.

Failure!

"Sigh, it's still a bit lacking."

Li Chang'an sighed softly.

Yet he was not discouraged, for success and failure were within his expectations.

He sat cross-legged to recover the mana and mental energy he had just consumed.

A day later.

Li Chang'an tried again.

Perhaps because he already had the experience of one attempt.

This time was much easier than the last, and the talisman brush glided much more smoothly.

Before he knew it, the entire talisman was finished.

"Success!"

Joy appeared on Li Chang'an's face.

He picked up the talisman and scrutinized it closely.

This was the first time he had drawn a mid-grade talisman.

"Once there is a first time, there will be a second and third..."

The corners of Li Chang'an's mouth curled up slightly. He had barely crossed the threshold of a Mid-grade First Tier Talisman Master.

For the days that followed, he continuously drew mid-grade talismans.

The number of failures was quite high.

He had to fail about five times to succeed once.

His success rate was pitifully low, completely failing to break even.

He was essentially operating at a constant loss, using the spirit stones he had previously accumulated to plug the gap.

Yet Li Chang'an was quite satisfied.

Simply because.

As time passed, he drew more and more smoothly.

His success rate was slowly increasing.

"Fortunately, I harvested plenty of spirit stones from those rogue cultivators before."

Li Chang'an rejoiced inwardly; sufficient spirit stones were his source of confidence!

On this day.

Late at night.

Li Chang'an sat cross-legged in meditation, recovering his mana.

Midnight arrived, and the divination result appeared as usual.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination Result: Ominous]

[You are targeted by rogue cultivators, who attempt to trick you out of the marketplace]

"Rogue cultivators!"

Li Chang'an's heart was shocked.

For the past several days, the divination result had consistently been neutral.

He had assumed today would be the same.

Yet he never expected it to be an ominous hexagram!

"How did I get targeted by rogue cultivators?"

Li Chang'an found it unbelievable.

He had always kept a low profile.

Usually staying indoors and rarely stepping outside like a turtle, how could he possibly catch the attention of rogue cultivators?

Could it be because of the artisan gathering last time?

"The rogue cultivators intend to trick me out of the marketplace, which shows they don't dare to make a move inside the marketplace. Their strength shouldn't be too formidable."

The contents of the divination result.

Put Li Chang'an somewhat at ease.

As long as he stayed within the marketplace, he was safe.

Even if other unexpected events occurred, the divination result would provide a warning.

The next day, at noon.

Li Chang'an was eating lunch.

A man's voice suddenly sounded outside the door.

"Is Fellow Daoist Li at home? It's me, Wu Yun; we met at the gathering last time."

Hearing this voice.

Li Chang'an furrowed his brows slightly and put down his bowl and chopsticks.

Wu Yun possessed the cultivation of the Third Layer of Qi Condensation and was one of those low-grade talisman masters from the previous gathering.

Back then.

Li Chang'an had only exchanged a few casual words with him and they were not familiar.

"What brings Fellow Daoist Wu here?"

Maintaining his vigilance, Li Chang'an opened the door.

Wu Yun was standing right outside the door.

Beside him stood another person.

The two men's appearances were surprisingly similar, appearing to be biological brothers.

"To tell you the truth, there is a matter requiring Fellow Daoist Li's assistance."

With a smile on his face, Wu Yun spoke in a sincere tone.

He pointed at the person beside him.

"This is my elder brother, Wu Feng. He is a Feng Shui Master who spends year-round practicing geomancy and seeking out ancient tombs in the outside world."

Hearing this, Li Chang'an's gaze shifted slightly as he sized the man up.

This person's attire resembled that of a geomancer in the mortal world, and his aura was completely ordinary without anything special about it.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Li!"

Wu Feng smiled and cupped his hands, his tone very gentle.

Wu Yun then continued his introduction.

"Not long ago, my elder brother discovered a grand tomb which is highly likely to belong to a Foundation Establishment grand cultivator. However, that grand tomb is guarded by a special array and requires three people working together to open it."

Speaking to this point, Wu Yun's tone carried a bit of excitement.

He had come precisely to invite Li Chang'an to open the grand tomb.

"Why me?"

Li Chang'an asked in a deep voice.

"Fellow Daoist Wu, you have known Liu Yue and the others for longer. Why not look for them?"

"None of those people are trustworthy!"

Wu Yun stated it very bluntly.

He expressed that he trusted Li Chang'an more.

"They all feel that Fellow Daoist Li lacks worldly tact, but I feel that you are a genuine and honest person. Only a person like you is worth deep friendship!"