Jiang Rui

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Third Layer (45.8%)]

[Equipment Slot (3/3): Godspeed Talisman, Spirit Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Spirit Gathering (White), Taotie (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: High-speed Reaction, Wondrous Brush (White), Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Five Animals Health Technique (Perfected), Longevity, Strength Increase (White).]

Back at his little courtyard in Wutong District, Zhou Er had finished solidifying the High-speed Reaction attribute. He could remove the Godspeed Talisman now.

After a month of practice, Zhou Er had long since brought the Godly Travel Technique to a high level of mastery. He could now make it into a talisman and preserve its power.

So Zhou Er decided to put making Fireball Talismans on hold and try making Godspeed Talismans.

Zhou Er had already mastered the Godly Travel Technique, and with the bonus from Wondrous Brush, he managed to make three successful Godspeed Talismans out of five on his first attempt—a success rate above sixty percent.

Using a Godspeed Talisman was a little more complicated than using a Fireball Talisman. After activating it, he had to stick one to each leg.

With one on each leg, he could experience the might of the Godly Travel Technique, increasing his speed by more than double.

However, making Godspeed Talismans did nothing to increase Zhou Er's income. It only added to his store of knowledge, which would help him make other talismans more effectively in the future.

Of course, it also allowed him to fulfill the Solidification Condition for the Rune Mastery attribute.

[First-tier Rune Mastery: Proficient in most first-tier runes.]

[Solidification Condition: Master the production of five types of talismans. (2/5)]

Zhou Er had now mastered two kinds of talismans. Once he learned three more, he could solidify the Rune Mastery attribute. Then he wouldn't have to keep switching out equipment like he did now, and he could free up an Equipment Slot for a more useful attribute.

After learning how to make Godspeed Talismans, Zhou Er planned to study other spells in his spare time.

He had already learned an attack spell, as well as the Godspeed Talisman for travel.

Next, he could learn some defensive talismans.

Water Shield and Earth Shield were both excellent defensive spells, and either could be made into a talisman.

The Earth Shield Technique offered much stronger defense than the Water Shield Technique, while the Water Shield Technique consumed less magic power.

After a brief hesitation, Zhou Er decided to learn the Water Shield Technique first, then add the Water Healing Technique. That way, he could solidify the Self-Healing attribute granted by equipping a Water Healing Talisman.

Zhou Er didn't get into fights with people now, so he was unlikely to get hurt.

But whether in his past life or this one, the world had never been peaceful. Conflict was everywhere.

People from all sides often came to blows for their own interests.

The reason Zhou Er hadn't run into trouble was that he was currently at Xiayun Sect's stronghold, protected by its Elders and Old Ancestors.

But the territories on the outskirts of Xiayun Sect were often rife with conflict, and the various forces were stirring beneath the surface.

Zhou Er was simply too weak for now. The sect protected him well, and he had no access to any of this.

But no sect lasted forever.

One day, sooner or later, Xiayun Sect would begin to decline. When that day came, the various forces would go to any lengths to carve it up.

Even Xiayun Sect's allies in the Righteous Path wouldn't pass up a chance to annex it.

Of course, Zhou Er was a nobody. He wasn't qualified to take part in the grand affairs between sects.

All Zhou Er could do was accumulate strength during these peaceful years, so that when Xiayun Sect fell, he wouldn't be caught up in its collapse like an egg beneath a toppled nest.

Time passed, and Zhou Er found another water-spirit-rooted cultivator, Senior Brother Jiang Rui, and asked him to teach him the Water Shield Technique and Water Healing Technique.

This Senior Brother seemed as if he were made of water, all soft and delicate.

At first, Zhou Er didn't think much of it. That is, not until their second meeting, when Senior Brother Jiang was weeping bitterly, tears falling like pear blossoms in the rain.

"Junior Brother Zhou, if only I'd been born a woman. Then he wouldn't have left me."

Senior Brother Jiang spoke in a gentle, fragile voice. Combined with his feminine features, he inspired a feeling of tender pity.

However, Zhou Er had no same-sex inclinations. He was so busy these days that he didn't even have time for romance.

Still, Senior Brother Jiang hadn't taught him the Water Healing Technique yet, so Zhou Er could only grit his teeth and offer some comfort.

"Senior Sister Jiang... Actually, you're a girl. You were just born in a man's body. It's not your fault. I heard the Hehuan Sect has a secret art that can turn yin into yang and yang into yin."

Zhou Er called him Senior Sister, hoping to comfort Jiang Rui as much as possible.

"I know about that too, but the Hehuan Sect is a Devil Dao Sect. How could we Righteous Path cultivators dare get involved with them?"

Jiang Rui had long been considering it, but because he came from an orthodox sect, he didn't dare approach the Devil Dao, afraid he'd be hunted by his own sect.

"Senior Sister Jiang, the law itself isn't good or evil; it's people who are righteous or wicked. Even if it's a Devil Dao art, if it can ease Senior Brother Jiang's distress, it may not be such a bad thing."

Zhou Er continued.

"You're right. Enough talk, Junior Brother. I'll teach you the Water Healing Technique!"

Jiang Rui stopped wasting time.

After Zhou Er finished learning, he heard Jiang Rui grumble again.

"Why did he treat me like this? We promised to travel the Great Dao together."

"Senior Sister Jiang, why torment yourself? There are plenty of fish in the sea. Why pine for just one flower?"

Since they knew each other, Zhou Er offered some comfort.

"Junior Brother Zhou, you're right. I'm going to become a woman and make him regret it!"

Jiang Rui seemed to have made up his mind.

Zhou Er didn't know whether that was good or bad. In any case, he had nearly learned everything. All he needed to do now was practice diligently.

Two months passed. Zhou Er successfully mastered the Water Shield Technique and Water Healing Technique, and could cast them at will.

Inside the dojo, Zhou Er chanted an incantation and formed hand seals. Water Attribute Spirit Energy gathered around him, coalescing into a sphere that protected him.

Looking at the Water Shield protecting him from every side, Zhou Er's lips curved slightly upward.

[Water Healing Talisman: Activate to cast the Water Healing Technique and heal external injuries.]

[Self-Healing (White): Heal yourself, increasing your self-healing speed by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Master two Water Attribute Spells. (2/2)]

[Attribute Self-Healing (White) has been solidified.]

Zhou Er had mastered not only the Water Shield Technique, but also the Water Healing Technique, fulfilling the Solidification Condition for the Self-Healing attribute.

After practicing his spells, Zhou Er dispelled the Water Shield. With no magic power left to sustain it, the protective water fell helplessly to the ground, leaving wet marks everywhere.

But there was no need to worry. Before long, the dojo's formation would use its self-repair runes to clean up the mess.

Before he'd even reached home, Zhou Er saw two black-clad disciples with Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation waiting outside his courtyard.

"The Law Enforcement Team? Are they here to arrest me?"

Zhou Er recognized them as members of the Law Enforcement Team, but he was puzzled. He went back and forth between home and work every day, focused on cultivation. There was no way he'd broken any rules!

With a clear conscience, Zhou Er walked fearlessly back to his little house.

"Junior Brother Zhou! We're with the Law Enforcement Team."

The two black-clad members first showed him their identity tokens, then said,

"Don't worry, Junior Brother Zhou. We're only here to ask you a few questions."

"Go ahead, Senior Brothers."

Zhou Er replied.

"It's like this. Jiang Rui went missing over a month ago, and he had contact with you before he disappeared, so we came to ask you about it."

One of the team members explained.

Jiang Rui didn't really defect from the sect, did he?!

Zhou Er knew he was in trouble, but he couldn't let it show. He said,

"I did have contact with Senior Brother Jiang, but I only paid him to teach me the Water Shield Technique and Water Healing Technique. Other than that, we had no connection."

Zhou Er explained, leaving out the part where he'd said too much.

"I see. Did Jiang Rui say anything to you?"

The Law Enforcement Team member looked into Zhou Er's eyes as he asked.

"Other than discussing spells, we didn't talk about anything else."

Zhou Er shook his head.

"All right. Sorry to have bothered you, Junior Brother Zhou. May your path to immortality flourish."

The team member jotted down the information and spoke.

"May you reach Foundation Establishment soon, Senior Brother."

Zhou Er offered his own congratulations.

After the two members of the Law Enforcement Team left Wutong District, one of them said,

"Junior Brother Zhou lied just now. This might have something to do with him."

"What does it matter? Junior Brother Zhou is with the Talisman Master Alliance, is on good terms with the Fu family, and is said to have ties to Master Jide. Don't go looking for trouble. If he says it had nothing to do with him, then it had nothing to do with him. Besides, Junior Brother Zhou wasn't close to Jiang Rui. I advise you not to overthink it."

The other member of the Law Enforcement Team replied.

Although the Law Enforcement Team answered only to the Sect Master, and no other Elder could order them around,

they'd have their heads chopped off ten times over if they dragged a Golden Core True Person into a petty matter involving an Outer Sect Disciple.

"Yes! I spoke out of turn."

The member who had spoken closed the record he'd just made, adding not another word.

Afterward, Zhou Er asked around about what had happened to Jiang Rui. It turned out Jiang Rui had defected from the sect, and the matter was under investigation.

Jiang Rui's affair made Zhou Er nervous for a few days. After all, he'd comforted Jiang Rui at the time and even given him advice.

He'd thought Jiang Rui was just heartbroken and would get over it in a couple of days.

He hadn't expected Jiang Rui to actually defect a couple of days later and chase after his dream.

Zhou Er didn't know how much his words had contributed to Jiang Rui's defection. Perhaps it had been quite a bit. For the first time, he realized the harm that could come from saying the wrong thing.

Fortunately, the incident didn't involve anyone else. Jiang Rui had defected to the Hehuan Sect, and Xiayun Sect had put him on its wanted list.

After that, Zhou Er realized he shouldn't casually get involved in this sort of mess with people.

If he ran into something like this again, he decided he'd just offer an awkward smile instead of saying too much.

Once the dust had settled, few people cared about an Outer Sect Disciple who had defected from Xiayun Sect, and no one brought it up again. Zhou Er was finally able to relax.

He put the matter out of his mind as well.

He had now mastered the production of four kinds of first-grade talismans, making him a seasoned Talisman Master.

He had also gained a little renown in Xiayun Sect's Talisman Master circles, where he was considered a very promising newcomer.

"Senior Brother Zhou, Senior Brother Fu said the end of the year is coming up, and he'd like to get together with you."

When one of Fu Qiu's subordinates delivered talisman-making materials to Zhou Er, he also brought an invitation.

"Got it."

Zhou Er accepted the invitation.

Xiayun Sect's Talisman Masters held a gathering once a year. He couldn't very well turn it down, so he'd have to make time to go.

Seeing Zhou Er accept the invitation, the Servant Disciple breathed a sigh of relief and took his leave.

Setting the invitation aside, Zhou Er checked his status panel.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Fourth Layer (31.8%)]

[Equipment Slot (3/3): Purple Spirit Pill, Spirit Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Condensing Essence (White), Spirit Gathering (White), Taotie (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: Self-Healing (White), High-speed Reaction, Wondrous Brush (White), Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Five Animals Health Technique (Perfected), Longevity, Strength Increase (White).]

Before he knew it, Zhou Er had been at Xiayun Sect for nearly a year, and his cultivation had reached Qi Refining Fourth Layer. He was every bit as good as those prodigies.

All of it was thanks to his own hard work—grinding away at his attributes.

Life at Xiayun Sect had been peaceful and smooth for him. Apart from that false alarm over Jiang Rui's affair, which had worried him for a few days, he hadn't run into much trouble.

As his cultivation improved, Zhou Er could feel that the frail constitution he'd been born with had eased, and he'd regained some of his lifespan.

His life expectancy was far greater than the ten years granted by the Longevity attribute. That was all thanks to cultivation.

So Zhou Er simply couldn't afford to stop cultivating.

For now, besides his daily cultivation and making talismans, he was practicing the Immobilization Technique.

This spell could immobilize people or other creatures, such as demons and zombies, for a while. It was an excellent spell.

Once he mastered it, Zhou Er would be able to solidify another Rune Mastery attribute.

To practice the spell, Zhou Er had specially bought a low-level Spirit Beast, a White-tailed Rat, to train with.

In fact, Zhou Er had bought the White-tailed Rat earlier, while he was practicing the Water Healing Technique. At the time, it had been on the verge of death, its tail severed halfway by another rat. Zhou Er had bought it for just three Spirit Stones.

Then Zhou Er had used it to practice the Water Healing Technique, barely managing to save its life.

Once he'd learned the Water Healing Technique, Zhou Er couldn't be bothered to look after it. He tossed it into the courtyard and let it roam around nearby.

The White-tailed Rat was very clever. It could catch insects by itself, so Zhou Er didn't need to feed it. It had grown plump and healthy all on its own.

Of course, Zhou Er didn't ignore it entirely. Every now and then, he let it lick up the excess Spirit Ink.

Zhou Er named it Xiao Cang because its severed tail made it look like a hamster.

Whenever Zhou Er called for it, Xiao Cang came running.

"Xiao Cang!"

Zhou Er called out, and a round, blue-furred rat waddled over from beside the wall.

"Freeze!"

At Zhou Er's command, Xiao Cang immediately stopped what it was doing, standing still without even moving its eyes.

It looked as if it had really been immobilized.

Zhou Er examined it closely, the corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile. He blew at Xiao Cang, and it immediately ducked its head.

Zhou Er knew he hadn't been practicing the Immobilization Technique for long. Besides, he hadn't used any magic power just now, so there was no way he could have immobilized Xiao Cang.

Xiao Cang had played this game with Zhou Er so often that it thought he was playing Red Light, Green Light with it!

After playing with Xiao Cang for a while, Zhou Er sent it away and picked up the invitation delivered by the Fu family's Servant Disciple.

The invitation was written in elegant language, but the message was simple.

It invited him to a gathering at the Fu household in five days. All of Xiayun Sect's well-known Talisman Masters would be there.

After confirming the date, Zhou Er put away the invitation and began making talismans.

He was now at Qi Refining Fourth Layer, and his magic power had increased by thirty percent compared to when he was at the third layer. He could cast the Fireball Technique about seven times, which meant he could make about seven Fireball Talismans.

Zhou Er's success rate had now reached eighty-five percent, and his losses were minimal.

If he focused on making talismans, he could earn forty Low-grade Spirit Stones a month—far more than most people at Qi Refining Fourth Layer could make.