Chapter Four: Heavy Casualties

The legacy was in hand!

Li Chang'an did not dare linger outside for long and immediately returned to the Marketplace.

Once he was back in his room and had shut the door, he finally let down his guard.

He began carefully browsing the contents held within the Jade Slip.

"Spirit Shield Talisman, Cold Wind Talisman, Frenzied Blade Talisman..."

The low-grade Talismans included in this legacy were all the most common types.

There was no need to worry about finding buyers!

The more Li Chang'an read, the more delighted he became.

"Phew..."

He took several deep breaths to calm himself, then sat cross-legged and prepared to begin seriously studying the Way of Talismans.

But just then.

A voice suddenly rang out from outside the room.

"Big Brother Li, are you home?"

It was Xu Fugui's voice, and it sounded somewhat weak.

Li Chang'an rose to open the door.

Outside the door.

Xu Fugui's face was deathly pale, without the slightest trace of color.

He was in a sorry state, leaning on a crutch, with one leg seeming to be crippled.

Seeing this, Li Chang'an immediately asked,

"Fugui, what happened?"

"Big Brother Li, I shouldn't have refused to listen to you!"

With a mournful look on his face, Xu Fugui recounted what had happened to their group inside the Cave Mansion.

Everything had originally gone fairly smoothly.

Working together, everyone had broken through the already damaged Array.

They had successfully entered the Cave Mansion.

However.

There were no treasures inside the Cave Mansion at all. Instead, there was an even more concealed Array.

They had been completely unaware of it and had all entered the Array.

Then, that Array had actually exploded outright!

The group had suffered heavy casualties!

Four had died on the spot, while two others had been injured so gravely that they died on the way back.

Xu Fugui's luck had been fairly good.

He had not lost his life. He had only suffered some internal injuries and ended up with one crippled leg.

"Big Brother Li, if I'd known, I would've listened to you and not gone to that Cave Mansion!"

Xu Fugui was filled with endless regret.

What kind of opportunity was that Cave Mansion? It was plainly a giant pit!

His injuries were not light.

The thought of the Spirit Stones needed for treatment made his heart bleed.

Hearing this, Li Chang'an sighed and offered him a few words of consolation.

"As long as you're alive, that's what matters. Focus on recovering from your injuries."

After chatting for a while.

Filled with remorse, Xu Fugui limped away.

His miserable condition strengthened Li Chang'an's resolve to cultivate steadily.

"If it isn't absolutely necessary, I must never explore unknown Cave Mansions, Ancient Ruins, or the like."

Li Chang'an shut the door and calmed his mind.

He continued studying Talismans.

That night, during the Midnight Hour.

A new Hexagram Image appeared.

[Divination Result Refreshed]

[Today's Divination: Neutral]

[You gained little today, and no major events occurred inside or outside the Marketplace]

Nothing happened today.

Li Chang'an's state of mind was very calm.

The gains from these past two times had already left him thoroughly satisfied.

After all, he was not the Child of Fortune. He could not possibly have luck shining on him every day.

"As long as it isn't an ill omen!"

Li Chang'an liked peaceful days.

Over the following period.

He immersed himself in the world of Talismans and almost never left the house.

Each day's Divination was "Neutral," without any major upheaval.

Time passed unnoticed in cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, a month went by.

On this day.

Li Chang'an sat upright before the desk, his expression focused, a Talisman Brush held in his hand.

He had purchased this Talisman Brush in the Marketplace. Its grade was only Low-grade First Tier, making it the cheapest kind of Talisman Brush, yet it had still cost him a full thirty Spirit Stones!

If he had not accepted Zheng Jinbao's Spirit Stones, he would not have been able to afford this Talisman Brush at all.

The remaining Spirit Stones.

He had used them to purchase Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink.

"Today, I'll see whether I can draw a finished Talisman."

Li Chang'an gathered his concentration and began attempting to draw a Talisman known as the Light Body Talisman.

Among Low-grade First Tier Talismans, this Talisman's drawing difficulty was relatively low, and its effect was extremely simple: it made the user lighter.

The fine bristles swept across the Talisman Paper.

They drew lines of marks with the soaring grace of dragons and dancing beauty of phoenixes.

Before long.

Li Chang'an's arm halted, and the Talisman Brush in his hand stopped with it.

The Talisman on the desk had been completed.

He picked up the Talisman and infused it with a thread of Spiritual Energy to activate it.

"Buzz..."

The Light Body Talisman trembled faintly.

Li Chang'an felt his entire body grow light, and he suddenly felt as though he were drifting like an immortal.

"Success!"

A smile spread across his face.

He had never expected his first attempt to succeed!

The entire process had flowed like clouds and running water, incredibly smooth, without the slightest hitch.

This meant Li Chang'an had officially become a Talisman Master!

"I should have some talent for the Way of Talismans."

Li Chang'an was quite satisfied with his progress.

According to the descriptions in the legacy.

Cultivators with good talent could successfully draw Talismans within several weeks or several months.

Those with poor talent might struggle for years even to get started!

"I'll try some other Talismans!"

Riding the momentum, Li Chang'an continued drawing.

Very quickly.

He consecutively drew the Spirit Shield Talisman and Fireball Talisman, two Low-grade First Tier Talismans.

When he attempted to draw another new Talisman.

He accidentally made a mistake, ending in failure.

"Not bad. The success rate isn't low!"

Li Chang'an was quite satisfied with this success rate as well.

That was because it was his first time drawing Talismans, and his hand still felt somewhat stiff.

Once he became more proficient.

His success rate would improve considerably.

"According to the legacy, drawing Talismans consumes not only Mana but also a great deal of mental energy."

An ordinary early Qi Refining cultivator would feel slightly tired and mentally weary after consecutively drawing three Low-grade Talismans.

However.

Li Chang'an did not feel tired at all now.

He remained full of energy, his eyes bright and his spirit vigorous.

Perhaps because he had lived two lifetimes, his Mental Energy was stronger than that of cultivators at the same cultivation level.

He estimated.

His Mental Energy should be comparable to that of a Mid Qi Refining cultivator.

After that, he drew more than ten Talismans in succession.

At last, he felt a slight trace of fatigue.

"I haven't reached my limit yet, but I can't overexert myself."

Li Chang'an set down the Talisman Brush in his hand and rubbed his brow.

After meditating and regulating his breath for a while.

He put away all the Talismans and began his usual breathing cultivation.

That night.

Li Chang'an left the house and headed for a shop called the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was an old-established shop in the Marketplace.

The shopkeeper's surname was Qian. He was kind-hearted and had a good reputation.

Li Chang'an entered the shop.

He took out a Fireball Talisman and handed it to Shopkeeper Qian behind the counter.

"Shopkeeper Qian, how much would you pay for this kind of Talisman?"

"Let me see."

Shopkeeper Qian picked up the Talisman and examined it for a moment.

"Low-grade First Tier, Fireball Talisman. The quality is fairly average. As for the price... two Spirit Stones."

He offered a calm assessment and quoted a reasonably fair price.

Li Chang'an was no newcomer who had just entered the Cultivation World. He had a basic understanding of Talisman prices, so he knew Shopkeeper Qian's offer was quite reasonable.

He then took out two more Fireball Talismans, three Wind Blade Talismans, and four Spirit Shield Talismans.

Bringing the total to ten.

He sold them all to Shopkeeper Qian.

"Twenty Spirit Stones in hand!"

Li Chang'an was delighted inside.

After learning a trade, his speed of earning Spirit Stones far surpassed what it had been before!

Of course, this was mainly because Talismans were in relatively high demand.

Among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, pills, Talismans, Artifacts, and Arrays ranked among the top four. The other trades were all but incapable of matching these four in their speed of earning Spirit Stones.

"Shopkeeper Qian, bring me two bottles of Qi Nurturing Pills."

Li Chang'an pointed at the pills displayed in the cabinet behind him.

Qi Nurturing Pills were among the pills most suitable for early Qi Refining cultivators. One bottle cost five Spirit Stones.

In the past, he had never been willing to buy them.

Now, he could finally have a taste!