Can Talismans Really Be Stored Forever?

One night, Lin Xuan finished drawing a Clear Mind Talisman and collapsed into bed, exhausted.

When he woke, sunlight was already streaming through the window.

Lin Xuan sat up and glanced at the table out of habit.

The Clear Mind Talisman he had drawn last night still lay there.

Lin Xuan froze.

A whole night had passed, and the talisman was still there?

He went to the table, picked it up, and examined it closely. The blue-green lines on the pale yellow Talisman Paper were clear, with no sign of fading.

"That's strange." Lin Xuan frowned.

Until now, whenever he drew a talisman, he either failed or used it immediately. He had never wondered how long one could be stored.

If they can last indefinitely...

Lin Xuan's heart raced.

This was a huge discovery.

If talismans could be stored long-term, he could build up a stockpile in advance.

Lin Xuan suddenly remembered Konan's six hundred billion Explosive Tags in Naruto.

He certainly couldn't make that many, but if he saved up tens of thousands of Attack Talismans someday and hurled them at a critical moment, wouldn't the result be explosive?

"First, I need to see how long one lasts."

Having made up his mind, Lin Xuan drew another Clear Mind Talisman that day and left it untouched on the table.

Three days later.

The talisman was still there.

Seven days later.

The talisman was still there.

Half a month later.

The talisman remained completely intact.

Lin Xuan was certain now: talismans lasted far longer than he had expected.

He began drawing extras to save.

Each day after cultivating, he drew a few Clear Mind Talismans and put them away.

At first, he was excited. Before long, though, Lin Xuan noticed a new problem.

The Clear Mind Talismans he drew now were much stronger than the ones he had drawn half a month ago.

That day, Lin Xuan picked up a talisman he had drawn half a month earlier, then one he had just finished.

Placed side by side, the difference was obvious.

The older one had stiff lines and awkward turns. Every stroke on the new one flowed naturally, making the whole design look more balanced.

Lin Xuan activated the two talismans in turn.

The difference in effect was clear.

The old talisman cleared his head for a while. The new one lasted longer and sharpened his perception of Soul Power.

"The quality gap is huge..."

Lin Xuan looked at the old talisman in his hand, torn.

He could store them, but their quality couldn't keep up with his progress.

After some thought, he decided against stockpiling too many.

He would keep only a few in reserve and use the rest of his Soul Power to practice, aiming to improve their quality.

The days passed.

In the blink of an eye, two and a half months had gone by.

That morning, Lin Xuan got up as usual, ready to begin another day of cultivation.

He went to the table and glanced at the first Clear Mind Talisman he had set aside in the corner.

Two and a half months had passed, and it was still in perfect condition.

"Looks like they really can be stored long-term."

Lin Xuan was delighted.

That meant he could build up a reserve of trump cards.

For now, he only had support talismans like the Clear Mind Talisman. But once he absorbed a Soul Ring and learned to make Attack Talismans...

An image formed in Lin Xuan's mind:

An enemy charged at him, and he pulled out a huge stack of talismans and hurled them over.

Fire Talismans, Lightning Talismans, Ice Talismans...

All kinds of Attack Talismans bombarded the enemy in waves.

"Who could withstand that kind of barrage?"

Lin Xuan couldn't help laughing.

But he soon calmed down.

It was too early to think about that.

He had no backing and no strength. The few trump cards he held were nowhere near enough.

If he sold talismans carelessly, someone might take an interest in him.

"I need to keep a low profile."

Lin Xuan reminded himself of that.

At least until he obtained his first Soul Ring and could protect himself, he must not reveal too much.

Just then, someone knocked at the door.

"Xuan! Are you there, Xuan?"

It was Old Jack's voice.

Lin Xuan opened the door. "Grandpa Jack, what is it?"

Old Jack's face crinkled into a grin. "Pack your things. You're coming with me to Notting City tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Lin Xuan blinked.

"That's right! Notting Academy is opening, and the Work-Study Student places for you and Little San have both been approved." Old Jack patted his shoulder. "I'll take you two to enroll tomorrow."

Lin Xuan nodded as it sank in. "All right. Got it."

"Then get ready. You don't need much—just bring two changes of clothes." With that, Old Jack turned to leave. "Oh, and meet us at the village entrance first thing tomorrow!"

Lin Xuan closed the door and began packing.

There wasn't much to pack.

He was an orphan, and he had never owned much.

Two changes of clothes, a few spare Clear Mind Talismans, and a little spending money Old Jack had given him.

"That's everything."

Lin Xuan packed it all into a cloth bag.

He looked around the little house that had sheltered him for six years. Soon, he would be leaving it behind for a while.

"When I come back from the academy, I should be a Soul Master."

Anticipation welled up inside him.

Early the next morning.

Lin Xuan arrived at the village entrance with his cloth bag on his back.

Old Jack was already waiting there, with Tang San beside him.

Tang San also carried a bundle, one that looked even more modest than Lin Xuan's.

"Everyone's here!" Old Jack called. "Climb aboard!"

An ox cart stood at the village entrance, its bed covered with dry straw.

Lin Xuan and Tang San climbed in. Old Jack sat at the front and drove the ox toward Notting City.

The cart swayed along at an unhurried pace.

Seated in the cart, Lin Xuan watched Holy Soul Village slowly recede behind them.

"Xuan, Little San, are you nervous?" Old Jack asked over his shoulder.

"Not really," Lin Xuan replied.

"I'm not nervous either," Tang San said beside him.

Old Jack laughed. "You're both born with Innate Full Soul Power. Of course you're not nervous! If I'd had your talent back then, I'd have woken up laughing!"

Lin Xuan and Tang San exchanged a glance. Neither said anything.

After an hour of rattling along, the ox cart finally entered Notting City.

The guards at the gate barely glanced at them before letting them through. Old Jack drove the cart along several streets and stopped before an academy that occupied a sizable plot of land.

"We're here!"

Lin Xuan jumped down and looked up at the sign over the gate.

Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.

A young gatekeeper was crouched by the wall, basking in the sun.

Old Jack approached him. "Excuse me, we're here to enroll."

The gatekeeper lifted his eyes, gave the three of them a once-over, and rose slowly.

"Enroll? Work-Study Students?"

"Yes, that's right."

Old Jack hurriedly took two Martial Soul certificates from inside his coat. "These are for two children from our village. Both have Innate Full Soul Power."

The gatekeeper took the certificates and flipped through them.

The next instant, he burst out laughing.

"Paper? Blue Silver Grass?" He turned the certificates over and back again. "These two useless Martial Souls have Innate Full Soul Power?"

He looked up at Old Jack and laughed harder. "Old man, if you're going to forge certificates, at least put some effort into it! Pick a decent Martial Soul. What future could paper and grass possibly have?"

Old Jack's face flushed bright red. "They aren't forged! Spirit Hall deacon Su Yuntao issued them himself!"

"A Spirit Hall deacon?" The gatekeeper curled his lip. "Then some village must have paid him off. Someone born with Innate Full Soul Power is one in ten thousand. You expect me to believe these two useless Martial Souls awakened with full Soul Power?"

Tang San clenched his fists. This gatekeeper already has a death wish!