Han Daohe

"At my current rate of cultivation, I should be able to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining in half a year," Han Changming muttered to himself.

He rose to his feet and walked toward the upper floor.

His room was adjacent to some spirit bamboo; as he opened the window, a gentle breeze blew in, leaving him feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

Han Changming took out a blue book with the words "Cloud Talisman Scripture" written on the cover.

He flipped through the pages and began to study it carefully.

His grandfather, Han Daohe, possessed three spirit roots and had average aptitude, yet he had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

Han Daohe had married relatively late and had two sons and one daughter. His eldest son had died at the hands of a demonic beast, and his younger son, Han Shan, had no spirit roots and was sent to live on a small island. Clan rules dictated that clansmen without spirit roots could not remain by their relatives' sides—the distinction between immortals and mortals was absolute, and no clansman was permitted to defy this.

Han Shan had five sons and two daughters. Han Changming was Han Shan's youngest son. When he was five years old, Han Changming was found to have spirit roots and was sent back to HLD to study immortal arts.

When Han Daohe first saw Han Changming, he was so overcome with emotion that he couldn't speak for a long time, holding Han Changming and weeping.

Han Changming's aunt had married into another family and rarely returned, so Han Changming and Han Daohe had relied on each other for survival since he was young.

Wealth, companions, methods, and land are the four essential elements of immortal cultivation. Han Daohe understood the importance of wealth deeply. During Han Changming's first-year birthday divination, he had grabbed a talisman brush. After Han Changming was found to have spirit roots, Han Daohe lived frugally, hiring a clan talisman master to guide him and providing him with large quantities of blank talisman paper to learn the art of talismans.

Han Changming could now craft three types of low-grade first-tier talismans, and his success rate for two of them had reached thirty percent.

According to the standards of the cultivation world, being able to craft three types of first-tier talismans with a thirty percent success rate qualified one as a first-tier talisman master.

As long as he practiced diligently, it wouldn't be long before he became a low-grade first-tier talisman master. Only by mastering a skill could he travel further on the path of immortality.

He could craft Fireball Talismans, Water Shield Talismans, and Earth Arrow Talismans. Fireball Talismans and Earth Arrow Talismans sold for one spirit stone each, while the Water Shield Talisman was a defensive talisman and thus more expensive, costing two spirit stones each. A dozen sheets of low-grade first-tier blank talisman paper cost one spirit stone; as long as he could successfully craft one Fireball Talisman out of twelve sheets, he wouldn't lose money.

Crafting talismans consumed a certain amount of mana and divine sense. The consumption of divine sense was minimal, but the consumption of mana was significant. With his fourth-level Qi Refining cultivation, one hour of crafting required two hours of meditation to recover his mana. This was only for low-grade first-tier talismans; the higher the grade of the talisman, the more mana it consumed and the longer it took to craft.

After Han Changming reached the third level of Qi Refining, he officially began practicing talisman crafting. He spent two hours every day studying the art. Over the years, his skills had nearly reached the level of a low-grade first-tier talisman master. Truth be told, he owed his current progress entirely to Han Daohe's vigorous cultivation.

If he were a rogue cultivator without support, even maintaining his own cultivation would be a difficult task. Fortunately, he was born into a cultivation family and had the care of his grandfather and other relatives, allowing him to study the art of talismans without hindering his own cultivation.

The Cloud Talisman Scripture was a manual compiled by the clan. It provided a simple introduction to the origins and development of talisman arts, as well as the methods for crafting several first-tier talismans, making it convenient for beginners to learn.

His success rate for Fireball Talismans and Earth Arrow Talismans had both reached thirty percent, but his success rate for the Water Shield Talisman was quite low, less than ten percent. Han Changming needed to practice more diligently.

After a short while, Han Changming put down the Cloud Talisman Scripture, took out his crafting tools, and prepared to craft a Water Shield Talisman.

Crafting talismans required three tools: a talisman brush, cinnabar, and blank talisman paper.

The talisman brush in Han Changming's hand was a low-grade first-tier magical tool that had cost thirty spirit stones; Han Daohe had specifically bought it for him to craft talismans.

He first sat cross-legged on the wooden bed to meditate and regulate his breathing. After adjusting his body and mind to their optimal state, he walked over to the wooden table. He held the talisman brush in his right hand, dipped it into some cinnabar, and set the brush to the paper.

A Water Shield Talisman consisted of eighteen runes, vaguely forming the pattern of a water droplet.

Before long, a blue rune appeared on the talisman paper, followed immediately by a second.

Han Changming's expression was grave, his eyes fixed intently on the paper beneath his brush.

As time passed, one blue rune after another appeared on the paper.

A short while later, there were already seventeen blue runes on the paper. Only one final rune remained to complete the Water Shield Talisman.

Han Changming took a deep breath, his expression growing even more solemn. He flicked his wrist, and the talisman brush landed on the paper once more.

Not long after, the eighteenth rune appeared on the paper.

Just as a smile began to form on Han Changming's face, the spiritual energy of the talisman paper suddenly became chaotic. He hurriedly threw the paper out the window.

The talisman paper erupted in a blinding blue light, transformed into a ball of fire, and vanished without a trace.

"Failed again. Sigh." Han Changming frowned and let out a soft sigh.

He had already failed over three hundred times, and his successful attempts numbered fewer than ten.

Han Changming put down the talisman brush and recalled the crafting process, pondering which step had gone wrong.

After a while, Han Changming took out a sheet of blank talisman paper and continued to craft the Water Shield Talisman.

An hour later, Han Changming put down the brush and looked at the pale blue talisman on the wooden table, a smile appearing on his pale face.

He had attempted it over twenty times in a row and succeeded once; his success rate was still less than ten percent. A single Water Shield Talisman could sell for two spirit stones, which was just enough to break even.

Han Changming put away the talisman and his crafting tools. The blank talisman paper he had on hand was exhausted, and there wasn't much cinnabar left either. There were no markets within a thousand miles, and he was responsible for guarding Red Shrimp Island; he couldn't wander off without a special reason. He would have to wait until he could acquire more blank paper and cinnabar before he could continue crafting.

He sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, meditating to recover his mana.

A day passed by in the blink of an eye.

Early the next morning, as Han Changming was eating breakfast, a low horn sound resonated from his person.

He pulled a palm-sized blue conch from his robes, cast a spell on it, and a somewhat aged voice suddenly rang out: "Changming, are you up? Grandfather has come to see you."

The blue conch was a mid-grade first-tier Communication Conch, capable of contacting others within a ten-mile radius.

"Grandfather is here!" Han Changming's face lit up with joy. He hurriedly set down his bowl and chopsticks, deactivated the restrictions, and rushed out.

Floating above the courtyard was a massive green gourd, with a kind-faced old man in green robes sitting atop it.

The old man in green robes was Han Changming's grandfather, Han Daohe. He could have remained within the clan to spend his twilight years, but to ensure Han Changming could travel further on the path of immortality, Han Daohe spent his years constantly on the move. Whenever he returned, he would always bring delicious food and fun things for Han Changming.

Han Daohe performed a hand seal, and the green gourd slowly descended into the courtyard.

"Grandfather, why are you back so soon? Didn't you say you wouldn't be back for three months?" Han Changming asked, his face full of excitement.

"There were other tasks; the clan head asked me to return. It's been half a year—why are you still at the fourth level of Qi Refining? Have you been slacking off in your cultivation?" Han Daohe's expression was stern.

A doting mother often spoils her children; while it was true that Han Daohe loved Han Changming, he was very strict with his requirements for him.

"Please don't be angry, Grandfather. Your grandson hasn't been slacking. In half a year, I should be able to advance to the fifth level of Qi Refining," Han Changming said, full of confidence.