Exclusive Talisman

"That's right."

Lan Chang'an knew that he had become something of a topic among the Mu Family's young women.

"You know how to draw talismans?"

"I know the basics, so I thought I'd practice a little."

Lan Chang'an answered modestly.

Mu Xiuyun's brows drew together as she said displeasedly:

"If you're only a beginner, you shouldn't aim too high and buy High-Quality Talisman Paper."

High-Quality Talisman Paper was suited for crafting First-Order High-Grade Talismans. Using it as a beginner would be wasteful.

One sheet of High-Quality Talisman Paper was worth several sheets of Ordinary Talisman Paper.

Beginners usually practiced with cheap talisman paper.

"Eldest Miss is right! I bought three sheets of high-quality paper to collect as encouragement."

Lan Chang'an remained calm and did not argue.

Mu Xiuyun glanced at the white-robed youth, serene as still water, then said no more and handed over the full set of talisman-drawing materials.

That counted as agreeing to Lan Chang'an's haggling.

"Many thanks, Eldest Miss."

Seeing Mu Xiuyun reservedly withdraw her jade hand, Lan Chang'an placed the Spirit Stones on the stone table.

She watched the two of them depart.

The red-clad girl wrinkled her delicate nose and looked suspiciously at Mu Xiuyun.

"Sister Xiuyun, you actually made an exception and gave that boy a discount?"

"I heard from Yunfei that when this man was intercepted by Zheng Family cultivators, he remained unruffled in the face of danger and even killed a Qi Refining Third-Layer cultivator in return, sparing the Lineage from losses."

Mu Xiuyun put away the Spirit Stones, her tone perfectly natural.

"Then he did render a service. Naturally, the Lineage would..."

Mu Yinglan pondered aloud, then her voice abruptly stopped.

If a young rising star of the Mu Family had displayed such performance, the clan would naturally reward them.

"Yinglan, what do you think of Lan Chang'an?"

Mu Xiuyun's lips curved faintly.

"He looks all right, but his skin is rather thick. Perhaps he thinks a bit too highly of himself?"

Mu Yinglan thought for a moment before voicing her first impression.

There were rumors within the clan that Lan Chang'an looked down on the women the Mu Family had arranged for him.

"Yinglan, if the Lineage asked you to marry Lan Chang'an, would you be willing?"

Mu Xiuyun smiled with her eyes.

"What! Marry him? Impossible..."

Mu Yinglan's cheeks reddened, and she shook her head as though she had been stung.

"Sister Xiuyun, surely the Lineage isn't thinking of pairing me with that boy?"

She suddenly realized.

Mu Xiuyun did not deny it. After a moment of thought, she said, "Lan Chang'an possesses a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root. It truly would be somewhat unfair to have him marry a mortal. Father is considering whether to find him a clan girl with a Spiritual Root."

"So you set your sights on your adorable younger cousin? No! I don't think much of him at all."

Mu Yinglan snorted in irritation.

"You don't think much of him?"

"Of course not! Lan Chang'an is around twenty, isn't he? Yet he only just advanced to Qi Refining Second Layer! They say he has a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root, but he can't even compare to some of the Low-Grade Spiritual Roots in our clan."

Mu Yinglan raised her pointed little chin and spoke bluntly.

As for herself, although she had a Low-Grade Spiritual Root, she had already cultivated to the Qi Refining Second-Layer Peak at sixteen. Before long, she could attempt a breakthrough.

In the Cultivation World, unless one possessed top-tier aptitude such as an Earth Spiritual Root or Heavenly Spiritual Root...

Otherwise, cultivation and age better reflected a person's prospects.

Inside the underground chamber of the side courtyard.

Lan Chang'an took out a complete set of talisman brushes, cinnabar, and talisman paper.

After mixing the cinnabar, he spread out the talisman paper.

He closed his eyes for a moment. The talisman-drawing techniques, experiences, and insights from his Previous Lives surged into his mind.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed like cold lightning as he held his breath and focused.

He seized the talisman brush, his movements flowing like clouds and running water.

Evergreen Mana, fine as silken threads, flickered from the tip of his brush as he traced the pattern onto the talisman paper in one unbroken stroke.

"Purification Talisman."

Pale-blue runes appeared. The spiritual light receded, and the Spirit Ink quickly solidified.

The Purification Talisman was an introductory Basic Talisman, not even First-Order.

"The feeling is too stiff."

Lan Chang'an was not quite satisfied. He drew another Flame Talisman and a House Protection Talisman.

In the mortal world, knowing a few Basic Talismans was enough to pass oneself off as some enlightened master.

After drawing three Basic Talismans.

Lan Chang'an found his rhythm, and his hand began to move smoothly.

Next, he began drawing First-Order Talismans, corresponding to the Qi Refining Realm.

First came two [Frostwind Talismans].

[Frostwind Talisman]: First-Order Mid-Grade. It possessed a certain range of attack and a fairly strong slowing effect.

Among First-Order Talismans, it was a rare group-damage talisman.

This talisman was not common.

That was because the [Frostwind Talisman] was not particularly powerful, difficult to draw, and had a low success rate. Few Talisman Masters practiced it.

Whoosh!

After drawing two First-Order Mid-Grade Talismans in succession, more than half of Lan Chang'an's mana had been consumed.

Limited by cultivation, every Talisman Master could only draw a limited number of talismans per day.

Drawing talismans consumed not only mana, but also an enormous amount of mental energy. It was not as though replenishing Spirit Stones could turn one into a perpetual-motion machine.

Fortunately, Lan Chang'an's energy channels were long and enduring.

After meditating for the time it took half an incense stick to burn.

He drew two more [Water Curtain Talismans], defensive First-Order Mid-Grade Talismans.

Considering that fire-element techniques were the most common and relatively powerful during the Qi Refining Realm, he had chosen to craft this talisman.

Finally, he drew another three [Wind Speed Talismans], also First-Order Mid-Grade Talismans.

As a Third-Order Talisman Master, the talismans Lan Chang'an drew were of high quality, and their power surpassed those of the same grade.

Frostwind Talismans, Water Curtain Talismans, Wind Speed Talismans.

He had crafted seven First-Order Talismans in total.

Lan Chang'an's energy had been squeezed dry, especially his mental strength.

That was still because his soul was powerful and the energy channels of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Art were long and enduring. Another Qi Refining Early-Stage cultivator would find it difficult to draw Mid-Grade Talismans.

After resting for a night, he was full of energy the next day.

Lan Chang'an still had ten sheets of First-Order Talisman Paper and three sheets of First-Order High-Quality Talisman Paper.

He planned to save the former to earn Spirit Stones and test the market.

With the three sheets of high-quality talisman paper, he intended to draw a powerful High-Grade Talisman.

This talisman was called the [Golden Blade Talisman].

It was an Exclusive Talisman he had improved during his Previous Lives.

"The [Golden Blade Talisman] has powerful penetration and strength close to a High-Grade Magic Item. Ordinary Qi Refining Late-Stage cultivators would struggle to withstand it. However, its crafting requirements are rather high."

Lan Chang'an's expression turned solemn.

Ordinarily, without cultivation at Qi Refining Seventh Layer or above, one simply could not draw the [Golden Blade Talisman]. Its success rate was extremely low.

To prevent his mana from running short, he ate a bowl of Spiritual Rice before drawing it.

His mind was intensely focused.

The brush tip traveled across the High-Quality Talisman Paper for several minutes. Near the end, the brushwork ceased to flow freely and gradually became somewhat difficult...

Sweat beaded on Lan Chang'an's forehead, and his face turned pale.

Sizzle~

The golden patterns on the talisman paper flickered a few times before a puff of green smoke rose.

"What a pity, I was just a little short." Lan Chang'an felt a slight ache in his heart.

Even when he had been at Qi Refining Seventh Layer in his Previous Life, the [Golden Blade Talisman]'s success rate had not been high.

If this talisman succeeded, it would become one of his trump cards.

Lan Chang'an did not lose heart.

After cultivating for three days, he bathed and changed clothes.

Then he tried again.

This time, he finally succeeded in drawing a [Golden Blade Talisman], though luck had played a part.

Another three days passed.

His third attempt at drawing the [Golden Blade Talisman] ended in failure.

All three sheets of High-Quality Talisman Paper had been used up.

"With my current cultivation, I only have a twenty to thirty percent chance of drawing the [Golden Blade Talisman]."

Lan Chang'an could accept the final result.

If not for the special nature of the Evergreen Art and his divine sense comparable to Qi Refining Seventh Layer, he would never even have considered attempting it.

Over the next half year.

Lan Chang'an devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation. The life-extending effects of the Ancient Wood Evergreen Art had begun to show.

In the Cultivation Room, Lan Chang'an opened his dark eyes.

A subtle, mysterious aura of the passage of years flashed as his cultivation technique circulated.

He did not know whether it was an illusion.

He felt that his ordinarily mediocre Evergreen Mana seemed to have strengthened by a trace.

It was infinitesimal.

Had he not recultivated and possessed a soul beyond ordinary people, it would have been difficult to notice.

"Could it be that the Ancient Wood Evergreen Art can increase in power amid the turning of the years?"

"The longer one lives, the stronger one's mana becomes?"

An absurd thought arose in Lan Chang'an's mind.

This conjecture would likely require a long time to verify.

After all, that faint sensation of enhanced mana was so slight it could be ignored. It might simply have been a normal fluctuation.

"Brother Lu."

Outside the courtyard, Li Ergou led over two Spirit Steed Horses.

Nearly three years had passed since he came to the Mu Family.

Li Ergou's face had filled out, his complexion gleaming with health, and he had grown more than half a foot taller.

His build had become brawny. Dressed in a dark-blue dharma robe, his eyes shone brightly, making others dare not underestimate him.

Lan Chang'an, on the other hand, looked unchanged, his temperament calm and detached.

"Not bad. You borrowed Spirit Steed Horses?"

Lan Chang'an leaped onto a horse and set out with Li Ergou.

These Spirit Steed Horses were not First-Order spirit beasts, but products of the Lineage's crossbreeding. They counted as half-spirit beasts.

They were heading to Hengshui Prefecture to attend the three-year appointment from back then, while also visiting relatives in the mortal world.

Before setting out, the two had reported to the Mu Family.

The Mu Family did not restrain them and granted them half a year.

At first, Lan Chang'an had been somewhat surprised that things had gone so smoothly.

But upon further thought, Li Ergou had married and had children in the Mu Family. He already had two children and lived in happy contentment.

The Mu Family was certainly at ease about Ergou.

As for Lan Chang'an, since he had not married or had children, the Mu Family's investment in him was extremely small aside from providing a cultivation Dao Field and a little low-grade Spiritual Rice each month.

Besides, the Mu Family knew his roots in the mortal world.

Even if he truly ran away, it would be difficult for Lan Chang'an to find a Dao Field where he could cultivate for free.

"Brother Lu, do you really not plan to marry and have children? That Mid-Grade Spiritual Root of yours would go to waste!"

After leaving Jade Moon Mountain Villa, Li Ergou could not help saying.

By now, Lan Chang'an's cultivation had fallen a full step behind his.

Li Ergou had an ample supply of pills and Spiritual Rice. Although the cultivation technique he practiced was ordinary in power, it allowed for relatively quick advancement.

In three years, he had cultivated to the Qi Refining Second-Layer Peak, pulling a year's gap ahead of Lan Chang'an.

"If Brother doesn't fancy mortal women, how about my wife introduces you to a girl from her own clan with a Spiritual Root?"

Li Ergou's gaze flickered as he tested the waters.

"You've started thinking of yourself as one of the Mu Family so quickly?"

Lan Chang'an laughed soundlessly, seeing through his little scheme.

He could not help sighing at how greatly Li Ergou had changed in just three short years.

"There's no need to mention this again."

He waved his hand and sighed. "The Cultivation World is ever-changing, and Qi Refining cultivators are like cannon fodder. Only after Foundation Establishment can one gain the first footing to stand firm. Otherwise, one may not even survive from morning to night—how would I dare marry and have children?"