Talisman Dao Prodigy, Lightness Talisman Complete!

The formal talisman drawing began.

There were three materials: a First-grade Low-rank talisman brush, First-grade Low-rank Talisman Paper materials, and First-grade Low-rank talisman ink.

Li Qingyuan held the brush, took three deep breaths to steady himself, then dipped its tip into the dark-red talisman ink. The tip touched down, and he began to draw.

"Eh~" The moment he set brush to paper, Li Qingyuan froze, his brows knitting together.

His expression turned startled as he thought, There's actually resistance coming from the talisman paper?

Li Guangao watched from the side, stroking his beard with one hand, a faint smile on his face as he mused to himself: Little fellow, drawing talismans is not like hosting a banquet, nor is it painting or embroidery.

Among the Hundred Arts of Cultivation—formations, alchemy, artifact refinement, talisman drawing, puppetry, beast taming... the talisman path ranked among the foremost. It was not so easily learned.

Li Qingyuan gathered his focus, steadied his rhythm, and drew the talismanic runes stroke by stroke.

Bang~

On his very first attempt, when the Lightness Talisman was only one-fifth complete, his spiritual power became unstable, and the talisman paper destroyed itself.

Li Qingyuan's face twitched as he said ruefully, "One Spirit Stone, gone."

A sheet of First-grade Low-rank Talisman Paper material was worth one Spirit Stone.

And that did not even include the talisman ink consumed.

As for labor costs, Li Qingyuan felt that he did not yet count as labor. He had not even entered the door of the talisman path; he was still far from it.

Li Guangao asked, "Qingyuan, how does it feel?"

Li Qingyuan pondered before replying, "Grandpa Clan Leader, when drawing a talisman, a force of resistance comes from the talisman paper material, repelling the talisman brush."

"Under that sense of repulsion, the talisman drawer must circulate their own spiritual power with perfect precision to cancel it out. Not a fraction too much, not a fraction too little."

Li Guangao was greatly gratified. "Very good. To gain such insight on your first attempt at drawing a talisman."

"It seems you have great talent in talisman drawing."

Li Guangao said, "Continue. Don't be stingy with the materials."

"During the early stages of learning the talisman path, consumption is unavoidable."

Li Qingyuan nodded. "Yes."

He spread out a second sheet of talisman paper material, then raised his brush and continued drawing.

This time, prepared in advance, Li Qingyuan began circulating his spiritual power. Slowly, he tried to sense the aiding force, offset the resistance, and seek a certain balance.

One-fifth, one-quarter.

Bang!

This time, after drawing just over one-quarter, Li Qingyuan's spiritual power circulation slowed by a fraction. The spiritual power flowing into the talisman brush weakened slightly, leaving it unable to perfectly offset the aiding force.

As a result, the spiritual power within the talisman paper material fell into disorder and destroyed itself.

"Phew~" Li Qingyuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, closed his eyes, and recalled the cause of his previous failure.

A quarter of an hour later, Li Qingyuan began his third attempt.

One-fifth, one-quarter, one-third.

Bang!

This time, when the talisman was one-third complete, Li Qingyuan made a mistake, and the talisman paper material was ruined.

Li Qingyuan sighed softly. "Drawing talismans is even harder than I imagined."

Li Guangao smiled. "Of course drawing talismans is not simple. Otherwise, wouldn't everyone in our Li Immortal Clan be able to become a talisman master?"

"Over the years, I have trained over a dozen people one after another, yet not a single one succeeded. Instead, they consumed quite a few materials."

"Still, you are very impressive~" Li Guangao praised. "After only three attempts, you can already successfully draw one-third of it. You are far better than I was Back Then."

Li Guangao smiled kindly, his praise and encouragement coming from the heart. "Child, Grandpa Clan Leader believes that your future attainments in the talisman path will surely surpass mine."

"Now, rest and regulate your breathing for a while. Restore your spiritual power and soul, then we will press on with renewed vigor."

Li Qingyuan nodded. "All right, Grandpa Clan Leader."

Li Guangao could not be considered a powerful cultivator, much less a grandmaster of the talisman path, but he could be called a good teacher. He would not start beating or scolding Li Qingyuan at the slightest setback.

Therefore, even after several consecutive failures, Li Qingyuan did not feel much psychological pressure. Instead, he was continually encouraged, and his confidence gradually took root.

After resting and regulating his breathing for a while, the talisman drawing continued.

Failure, failure, and more failure.

But his progress was plain to see.

One-third, just over one-third... one-half, just over one-half...

Before he knew it, an entire day had passed. Aside from lunch and dinner, and the time he spent meditating to restore his cultivation, Li Qingyuan had been drawing talismans the entire time.

Buzz, buzz!

Suddenly, Li Qingyuan swept his talisman brush, drawing the final stroke and completing it.

The talismanic runes took shape, and spiritual energy manifested.

"Hahaha, it's done, it's done!" Li Qingyuan laughed joyfully. "Grandpa Clan Leader, I finally did it."

"I drew a Lightness Talisman."

Li Guangao was meditating and refining qi nearby, refining Spirit Stones. His cultivation had been stalled at Qi Condensation Sixth Layer Perfected for many years, and he already qualified to attempt a breakthrough to Qi Condensation Level 7.

Deep in cultivation, he was suddenly jolted awake by Li Qingyuan's laughter.

Li Guangao immediately dispersed his spiritual energy and withdrew from his cultivation state, widening his eyes. "You did it?"

"Let me see!"

Li Guangao used his spiritual power to manipulate an object from afar, drawing the Lightness Talisman into his palm. After examining it back and forth, an incredulous look appeared in his eyes. "You really did it."

"Qingyuan, you actually drew a Lightness Talisman in only one day?"

"You brat are not only a cultivation prodigy, but also a talisman dao prodigy."

Li Qingyuan smiled modestly. "It is all because Grandpa Clan Leader taught me so well."

"Besides, I used up a full twenty sheets of talisman paper material and wasted twenty Spirit Stones before successfully drawing one talisman paper."

"If Grandpa Clan Leader had not poured out your effort and resources to nurture me, Qingyuan could never have succeeded."

Li Guangao shook his head. "No, no, no. Resources are certainly important, but talent is even rarer."

"Do you know how many Spirit Stones I consumed before I drew a Lightness Talisman Back Then? How much time I spent?"

Li Qingyuan shook his head. "Qingyuan does not know."

Li Guangao sighed. "Back Then, I consumed more than two hundred Spirit Stones and spent a full half month before I could barely draw a Lightness Talisman."

"If the previous Clan Leader had not been my biological uncle, and if I had not been the family's appointed Young Clan Leader at the time, receiving the clan's full support—"

"Even I would have found it extremely difficult to become a talisman master."

Li Guangao's face was full of anticipation and hope as he said, "Child, your comprehension is truly something I have never seen in my life."

"Looking across all of Willow Crane Island, you are also one of heaven's favored sons."

"Unfortunately, your Spirit Root aptitude cannot be exposed, and neither can your cultivation. Otherwise, I would certainly make you the Young Clan Leader openly and gather the strength of the entire clan to nurture you."

Li Guangao said, "Before reaching Late Qi Condensation, you—and the entire clan—must endure in silence."

"Only upon reaching Late Qi Condensation will you possess the strength to protect yourself, and only then can you reveal your cultivation before others."

Li Guangao spoke earnestly. "Qingyuan, you must understand that among Qi Condensation Families, our Li Clan has allies, but also enemies."

"Especially the Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan, the Liu Family. They will never allow a second Foundation Establishment Immortal Clan to emerge on Willow Crane Island."

Li Qingyuan replied respectfully, "Grandpa Clan Leader, rest assured. Qingyuan understands."

"Oh, right, Grandpa Clan Leader..." Li Qingyuan said, "I want to continue practicing the Lightness Talisman and draw more talisman papers, to make up for the losses caused by my failures."

"Do you think I can take some of the talisman paper materials, talisman brushes, and talisman ink back with me?"

Li Guangao readily agreed. "No problem."

"And I said before that as long as you successfully drew one talisman paper, this talisman brush would be yours."

"I will also give you half a jin of talisman ink and twenty sheets of First-grade Low-rank Talisman Paper material. After returning, draw more of them and raise your success rate."

Li Qingyuan's face filled with delight. "Thank you, Grandpa Clan Leader."

"Qingyuan will certainly not disappoint your expectations."