Ghost Talismans

Clutching the "peerless secret manual" (self-proclaimed) Detailed Explanation of Basic Talismans, Xu Qian returned to his dorm. He bolted the door and was practically vibrating with excitement, already envisioning himself as a master talisman craftsman, his hands conjuring talismans that danced through the air.

He carefully spread the tattered book on his hard bed, treating it like a fragile treasure. Under the dim light filtering in from the ventilation shaft, he began to read with insatiable hunger... Well, mostly "reviewing" the knowledge already absorbed and organized by the Longevity Dao Fruit.

The information fed back by the Dao Fruit was clear: there were several key elements to drawing talismans: specific shapes (talisman form), correct stroke order (stroke sequence), steady and uniform True Qi guidance (spiritual power), and the medium (talisman paper, talisman ink).

What he needed to do now was translate this theory into practice.

"To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools." The first order of business was materials.

Talisman paper? He definitely couldn't get his hands on proper talisman paper, nor could he afford it. But he had a substitute—when he was helping Zhou Kang organize documents earlier, he had "borrowed" some slightly better quality, neatly cut blank official papers. While not as good as specially made talisman paper, they should be barely usable for practicing basic talismans.

Talisman ink? Forget cinnabar or monster blood. He was using... soot mixed with water, plus a tiny bit of juice squeezed from aconite grass to increase viscosity (he suspected this might increase the failure rate, but he had no other choice for now).

Talisman brush? This was even more pathetic; he had made it himself by tying rat whiskers to a thin twig, barely resembling a brush.

With these "beggar-tier" tools ready, Xu Qian rubbed his hands together, eager to begin. The first talisman he chose to practice was the simplest and seemingly most harmless in the Detailed Explanation—the Cleanliness Talisman.

As the name suggested, this talisman, when activated, produced a faint airflow that dispersed dust in a small area. It was a life-assistance type talisman, with no offensive power, perfect for beginners.

He spread out a sheet of "talisman paper" (official paper), took a deep breath, picked up his shabby "talisman brush," and dipped it into the murky "talisman ink."

His consciousness sank into his dantian, mobilizing his Longevity True Qi, preparing to guide it through the brush tip, evenly and steadily, into the drawn talisman script, following the route described in the Detailed Explanation.

"Here goes!"

He set his brush down, carefully drawing the first stroke according to the talisman form and stroke sequence in his mind.

It was crooked.

The line under the brush tip twisted like a drunken earthworm, and the True Qi injection was erratic, fluctuating between too fast and too slow.

"Pfft..."

With a faint sound, like a fart, the crooked line on the paper emitted a wisp of blue smoke. The entire "talisman paper" instantly blackened in a small patch, signaling its demise.

Xu Qian: "..."

It's okay, I'm a beginner. Failure is the mother of success! He encouraged himself and switched to a new sheet of paper.

The second sheet, the stroke order was wrong. He was only halfway through when the paper spontaneously combusted, nearly singeing his eyebrows.

The third sheet, too much True Qi was injected. The "talisman paper" couldn't handle it and exploded, splattering him with black ash.

The fourth, fifth, sixth sheets...

Xu Qian felt like he wasn't drawing talismans, but performing performance art. The table and floor were soon piled high with all sorts of bizarrely shaped, charred, and damaged "scribbles." Some lines were twisted, some ink blots smudged, some were directly burned through. The room was filled with the smell of burning and the acrid scent of soot, looking no different from a pile of scrap paper in a recycling yard.

What troubled him even more was the mental energy consumption. Drawing talismans required intense concentration, controlling True Qi, and remembering complex stroke sequences. Each failure left him feeling like his mind had been drained, his temples throbbing, more exhausting than fighting someone.

Damn it! This thing is too difficult?! Much harder than practicing swordsmanship! Xu Qian collapsed onto the floor, looking at the "masterpieces" scattered everywhere, beginning to question his life choices. Is this really a 'basic' talisman? Are you sure you're not just deliberately making things difficult for me, Fatty?

He had originally thought that with the Longevity Dao Fruit assisting in deduction, he would learn quickly. He hadn't expected theory to be so different from practice. The Dao Fruit could help him understand the principles and optimize details, but the practical skill and mental control still had to come from his own repeated practice.

It was like knowing the Driving Manual by heart didn't mean you could immediately drift on the road.

"No, I can't give up!" Xu Qian rubbed his throbbing temples, rallying himself again. "Steady development requires patience! A mere Cleanliness Talisman can't stump me, a Longevity Seed?"

He rested for a moment, regaining some mental energy, and picked up the "talisman brush" again.

This time, he didn't rush to put brush to paper. He closed his eyes, repeatedly visualizing the complete talisman form of the Cleanliness Talisman in his mind, simulating the trajectory and rhythm of True Qi circulation, guiding the Longevity Dao Fruit for subtle deductions and corrections.

Only when he felt confident did he suddenly open his eyes and set his brush down!

The brush moved like a dragon and snake... uh, no, it moved like an earthworm, but it was much steadier than before!

The True Qi flowed like a gentle stream, following his intent, steadily injecting into the brush tip. The black lines meandered across the paper. While still not exactly beautiful, at least the talisman form was roughly complete, and the stroke order was correct!