Proficiency

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

As the first rays of dawn touched the sky.

Inside the room, Shen Mo had been drawing talismans all night, without sleep or rest.

"Twenty-three talismans, and not a single success."

He stretched his back, shaking his head with a sigh.

Last night, he had not rested for a single moment, attempting the process twenty-three times, only to end in failure every time.

If it were anyone else, having made no progress throughout the night, they would likely have given up.

But Shen Mo felt not a shred of discouragement.

On the contrary, he remained in a state of considerable excitement.

Although every talisman he drew had failed, he had gained a wealth of experience and proficiency!

After a night of hard work, his Talisman Dao experience had risen from the original 2/500 to 46/500.

And his proficiency with the Lightness Talisman had climbed all the way to 71/100.

Even though not a single talisman had succeeded, the growth in experience was tangible and visible, constantly motivating him to continue practicing.

"One more time!"

After rubbing his sore palms for a moment, Shen Mo leaned over the desk again, brush in hand, and began a new round of drawing.

"Hum!"

This time, as the beast blood dripped onto the Lightness Talisman and the talisman began to awaken, a golden light flared!

A message that filled Shen Mo with surprise soon appeared.

[Congratulations, you have drawn a talisman: Lightness Talisman, success.]
[Talisman Dao experience +10]
[Lightness Talisman proficiency +30]
[Your Lightness Talisman proficiency has increased, rising from (Unskilled) to (Proficient); your success rate for drawing Lightness Talismans has increased.]

"Success!" Shen Mo was slightly stunned, then immediately overjoyed.

After a night of toil, he finally had a decent finished product!

At this very moment, the sense of achievement in Shen Mo's heart was overflowing.

He felt as though he could go another three days and three nights without sleep, focusing entirely on talisman crafting.

However, after glancing up at the sky, he suppressed the impulse in his heart.

It was dawn, and he had to go on duty soon.

If he were late, his already meager monthly stipend would be docked even further!

"Time to go!"

He took out a bundle and packed away all the materials needed for drawing talismans—the brush, yellow paper, beast blood, and sandalwood ink—strapped it to his back, and set off.

"Let's test the effect of the Lightness Talisman!"

Stepping out of his residence, Shen Mo felt a sudden urge and stuck the Lightness Talisman onto his leg.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

With the Lightness Talisman covering his thigh, Shen Mo felt his entire body grow light, as if he were riding the wind; he walked with incredible speed.

"As expected of a talisman, the effect is truly remarkable! Haha!"

Trying out the talisman's effect for the first time left Shen Mo both amazed and satisfied.

Ignoring the surprised gazes of the many sect disciples passing through the plaza, he strode forward like a flying man, quickly heading toward the mountain gate.

"You're here."

Cao Ren was already on duty at the mountain gate. Seeing Shen Mo's flickering, agile movements, he locked his gaze onto the Lightness Talisman on his thigh and asked in surprise, "You succeeded in drawing a talisman last night?"

"Yeah, I spent the whole night at it, ruined over twenty talismans, but finally succeeded once."

Shen Mo replied truthfully.

"You spent... the whole night?"

Cao Ren wasn't surprised that he had succeeded in drawing a Lightness Talisman in one night; after all, it wasn't a high-level talisman, and it wasn't difficult to pick up.

His focus was instead on the fact that Shen Mo hadn't slept all night to draw them.

"Your enthusiasm is a bit strange," Cao Ren mused, his imagination running wild. "You aren't thinking of leaving the sect, heading into the mundane world, and using this Lightness Talisman to play god and swindle people, are you?"

Although the Lightness Talisman was one of the most low-level talismans in the cultivation world.

For mortals, it was enough to leave them completely bewildered.

If one were calculating and meticulous, even just this single skill of talisman crafting would be enough to amass a fortune in the mortal realm.

"Where is your mind wandering?" Shen Mo laughed. "Come to think of it, this path of talisman crafting—it's fine if you don't touch it, but once you do, it truly is addictive; you just can't stop."

"I've brought all the talisman-making supplies. Since there's nothing to do while guarding the mountain gate, keep a lookout for me these next few days. I'll be guarding while also snatching some spare time to practice."

Such a leisurely job; it would be a pity not to slack off.

Shen Mo had long since made plans for long-term slacking.

On this day, while guarding the mountain gate, Shen Mo hid in the pavilion, focused solely on drawing talismans to increase his proficiency.

As for everything else, it was basically left to Cao Ren.

Cao Ren didn't have any complaints about this; after all, it wasn't much of a workload.

From the sun rising in the east, with the morning light just arriving, to the sun setting behind the western hills, as the twilight faded.

Shen Mo snatched some spare time to draw the Lightness Talisman over thirty times.

Accompanying the rise in proficiency and the advancement of his Talisman Dao experience, Shen Mo gradually became skilled through practice, and his efficiency increased greatly.

When the mountain gate guard duty ended and it was nearly time for the shift change, Shen Mo clutched the three successfully drawn Lightness Talismans, feeling quite proud: "Thirty attempts, the success rate is improving quickly; it's already reached ten to one."

He thought to himself, looking at his Talisman Dao experience and Lightness Talisman proficiency, both of which had increased by 64 and 88 points respectively.

"However, I'm still in the practice stage."

"If you really calculate the accounts, a ten-to-one success rate is a losing business."

Shen Mo carefully calculated it in his heart.

The common market price for Lightness Talismans was ten talismans for one low-grade spirit stone.

The cost of the talisman paper, sandalwood ink, and beast blood used for spirit-activation required to make a Lightness Talisman was roughly equivalent to thirty percent of the selling price.

In other words, the reason Shen Mo didn't feel the pinch was because the materials were left behind by his parents; he didn't have to buy them himself, so he didn't feel the heartache.

If one were to truly calculate based on costs, to break even, the success rate for drawing ten Lightness Talismans needed to be around thirty percent.

This didn't even include the time and energy the cultivator spent drawing the talismans.

If one wanted to rely on drawing talismans to make money and subsidize cultivation expenses, the success rate would need to reach fifty percent to be worth the effort.

"Still a long road ahead."

After some calculations, Shen Mo's initial excitement dissipated a little.

When all was said and done, he was currently still doing a losing business.

However, there was no rush.

He had plenty of time!

During this period, he would focus on refining the Lightness Talisman, striving to improve the success rate and bring his Lightness Talisman proficiency to the realm of perfection!

Thus, for the entire month that followed, Shen Mo, aside from his cultivation, poured all his energy into the work of refining talismans.

Day and night, he guarded the mountain gate by day, slacking off to draw talismans, and practiced tirelessly through the night.

After such a long period of practice, Shen Mo's level in the Talisman Dao had also seen leaps and bounds in growth.

If there were no accidents, he had originally intended to study for a while longer, aiming to boost his proficiency in one go.

It wasn't until one day, when a young girl with flowing long hair and a slender figure came to visit, that his talisman-making process was interrupted.

Seeking support!