Astonishing Defense

"Here's the deal: the two of us will stand guard for you. Once you've made it, give each of us one. Of course, if you fail, then forget it," Jiang Yujie said.

I looked at Yun Yao. She too was watching me with an expectant expression.

After thinking it over, I said, "All right. Then I'll have to trouble you two."

"No trouble, no trouble," Jiang Yujie and Yun Yao said in unison.

Once I returned to my room, I meditated for a while to calm my mind, then began making the Vajra Talisman.

After working at it for half the day, I finally finished processing all the materials I had bought earlier.

Then I mixed the materials with cinnabar. Once everything was ready, I began making the Vajra Talisman.

I took out a stack of yellow paper and placed it on the table. Dipping the brush into the prepared cinnabar, I began to draw. The brush danced like dragons and serpents, and before long, I had finished one talisman.

I picked up the talisman, wanting to test its effects, and stuck it onto myself.

Suddenly, a crackling burst of sparks rang out. A scorching sensation spread from where the talisman touched me, and I hurriedly slapped the Talisman Paper off.

Looking down, I saw that my clothes had been burned through with a hole. My skin stung fiercely, while the talisman fell to the floor and burned into ashes.

Did it fail? I thought.

I took out the Maoshan Talisman Compendium again and carefully reviewed the method for making the Vajra Talisman.

There was nothing wrong with the drawing method, and nothing wrong with the materials. The problem had to be the ratio between the materials and the cinnabar.

I tried several more times in succession, and on the fourth attempt, I finally succeeded.

I stuck the talisman onto myself and saw a thin layer of yellow light envelop my body.

The feeling was strange, as though I were wearing a suit of soft armor, yet it also felt incredibly hard.

I opened the door and went outside. They saw the talisman on my chest and the thin layer of yellow light surrounding my body.

"Did it work?" Yun Yao and Jiang Yujie crowded before me and asked eagerly.

I nodded at them. "It should have worked."

"My, my! It looks soft enough, but I wonder how good its defense is," Jiang Yujie said.

"Use thirty percent of your strength first. Throw a punch at me and see how effective it is," I said to Jiang Yujie, standing where I was.

Jiang Yujie nodded at those words. Without another word, he circulated his spiritual power and punched toward my chest...

My body did not move at all, so I told him to try again with sixty percent of his strength.

Jiang Yujie nodded and threw another punch. This time, my body swayed slightly. I felt the changes within my body, but I was still completely fine.

Seeing that I was unharmed, Jiang Yujie and Yun Yao were both slightly astonished.

Gritting my teeth, I said, "Ninety percent. Hit me directly with ninety percent strength and let's see."

Hearing that, both of them were at a loss.

Then Yun Yao said, "Maybe we should forget it. It wouldn't be good if you got hurt."

Jiang Yujie also said, "Right. Testing is one thing, but it wouldn't be good if someone got hurt and ruined the harmony."

I thought about it, but still insisted on giving it a try.

For no other reason than that I wanted to see where the Vajra Talisman's limit lay.

Besides, I had just spoken with Nangong Yiyi and asked her to protect me if I couldn't withstand it. She told me to go ahead without worry.

On top of that, I had the Lightning Attribute. My body had been continuously strengthened by lightning power for all this time.

Therefore, my body's defense was much higher than that of cultivators at the same level. That was also one of the reasons I was so confident.

"Then let's try it. I'll stand beside Yutong and watch. If anything goes wrong, I'll step in and block it."

After Yun Yao finished speaking, I told her, "If my body gets sent flying backward, give me a hand. In any other situation, don't interfere."

Yun Yao nodded to show that she understood.

Seeing Yun Yao and me both say so, Jiang Yujie nodded as well. He stood in place and gathered his spiritual power, then threw a punch toward me.

When his fist was still some distance away, I heard waves of air-tearing whistles. I could not help gaining a clearer sense of this kid's strength.

Suddenly, a tremendous force struck me, sending my body staggering backward seven or eight steps with a "thud, thud, thud."

With every step I took, the tiles beneath my feet cracked with sharp "crack, crack" sounds.

Once I steadied myself and looked down, I saw footprints where I had stepped, surrounded by spiderweb-like cracks.

I looked at the talisman on my chest and found that it was still there. Then I saw that the yellow glow around my body had dimmed drastically. Without close inspection, it was almost invisible.

"It didn't break." Though only a thin layer remained, I was still greatly surprised.

I asked Nangong Yiyi whether she had helped block the attack, and she said no.

I looked at Yun Yao again and found her still standing where she was, staring at me with an expression of utter disbelief.

Seeing how powerful the Vajra Talisman's defense was, joy immediately surged through me. From now on, I had another means of preserving my life.

"Damn, it still didn't break!" Jiang Yujie walked over and said in astonishment.

"It really is pretty strong," I replied.

Then Jiang Yujie came before me and removed the talisman from my chest.

He examined it from every angle, but after looking for a long time, he still could not make head or tail of it.

I looked at Yun Yao apologetically. "Sorry, I messed up your floor like this."

Only then did Yun Yao come back to her senses. She shook her head and said it was fine; she would have servants replace it with new flooring later.

Jiang Yujie waved the talisman he had just removed from me and said:

"This one's almost scrapped already. Can I have it?" I nodded and said he could.

He happily tucked it into his clothes, then gave Yun Yao a smug look.

Yun Yao answered with an eye roll full of disdain.

Thinking of how much prepared material I still had left, I wanted to return and continue making talismans.

I told the two of them what I had in mind, and they both agreed.

They even said they would continue standing guard outside for me. I nodded and returned to my room to keep making talismans.

I picked up the brush and made several talismans in succession. After checking them and finding no problems, I continued drawing one after another.

For some reason, I entered a state of "self-forgetfulness."

Every time I finished one, I took it away and tossed it behind me. I kept going until I had used up all the yellow paper on the table.

Still feeling unsatisfied, I took more yellow paper from my bag and continued drawing.

I did not stop until I had used up every last sheet of yellow paper.

When I turned around, I could not help being startled. The floor behind me, the bed, the table...

Everywhere was covered with completed Vajra Talismans, easily numbering several hundred.

I remembered my martial uncle once telling me that during the making of Maoshan talismans, if one entered a state of self-forgetfulness,

then that batch of talismans would be even more powerful than those made under normal circumstances.

Of course, this state was not something one could enter simply by wishing for it. Everything depended on fate and opportunity.

Many Maoshan disciples went their entire lives without ever encountering such a situation.