Chapter 40

A first-tier superior-grade Binding Talisman fluttered lightly down in front of Su Jiu.

Holding the cinnabar, Xiang Li said, "This cinnabar is mixed with Demon Beast blood. Judging by your reaction just now, you probably already smelled it. The brush is made from Flame Fox tail fur."

"A talisman's quality depends on two things: the Talisman Master's talent and the materials used to draw it."

"For the wealthy, materials can make up for a lack of talent when it comes to low-level talismans. But for talismans of the third tier and above, talent and the necessary materials are both virtually indispensable."

"In fact, talent is much more important than materials. After all, materials are easy to find, but talented people are hard to come by."

Xiang Li handed Su Jiu a book.

"I don't have an ice spiritual root, so there isn't much I can teach you. You'll have to work out Ice Element Talismans yourself. How much you can grasp is up to you."

Su Jiu took the book and noticed a neat row of tabs along its edge, with Ice Element Talismans placed last.

She followed the tab straight to the page on Ice Element Talismans.

The book recorded the drawing methods for various Ice Element Talismans in detail.

But with talismans, understanding what you read was one thing; being able to draw them correctly was another.

The first page recorded three very simple first-tier talismans: the Ice Spike Talisman, Ice Binding Talisman, and Ice Wall Talisman.

Su Jiu raised an eyebrow. Attack, control, defense-they covered everything.

She wanted to give it a try. Xiang Li seemed to read her mind and offered her the Cinnabar Talisman Paper and brush. "Want to try?"

Remembering that Xiang Li's brush was made from Flame Fox tail fur, Su Jiu did not take it.

"I'm only practicing. Do you have ordinary cinnabar and a brush?"

As though it had only just occurred to him, Xiang Li slapped his forehead, then fetched a new brush and some cinnabar, both the most ordinary kinds sold on the market.

Su Jiu took the brush and followed the instructions in the book. She concentrated, cleared her mind of stray thoughts, lightly dipped the tip in cinnabar, and gathered the spiritual energy within her body at the brush tip. The instant it lit up, she began drawing on the talisman paper without hesitation.

But halfway through, her spiritual energy seemed to meet an invisible obstruction, preventing her brush from moving any farther. The talisman paper was ruined in an instant.

Su Jiu froze for a moment, and so did Xiang Li.

Su Jiu froze because she had no idea what was blocking the advance of her spiritual energy.

Xiang Li froze because a little girl drawing a talisman for the very first time had actually managed to complete half of it, even if she had ultimately failed. At that moment, he was certain that Su Jiu had a talent for drawing talismans.

"Uncle Xiang, did you feel it? That force blocking my spiritual energy?"

Xiang Li shook his head with a wry smile. "Other people don't actually know what you experience while drawing a talisman. Only you can feel it most clearly. That's why we say drawing talismans requires talent. Who knows how many Talisman Masters have only succeeded through trial and error, bit by bit, pushing past their limits."

"Everyone encounters a different Stagnation Point when drawing talismans. For example, my first Stagnation Point was that the wood element spiritual energy in my body didn't flow smoothly enough. It took me a full twenty years of cultivation to make it circulate freely."

"The flow of spiritual energy in talisman drawing is different from what people ordinarily understand, too. Here, smooth circulation means maintaining an even flow of spiritual energy into the brush tip throughout the drawing process."

"If you want to complete your Ice Element Talismans, you'll have to find your Stagnation Point yourself. Once you've found it, you'll be a true Talisman Master."

Before Su Jiu left, Xiang Li gave her plenty of talisman paper and cinnabar, as well as two brushes. Yet even after spending an entire day drawing at the General Store, she still could not figure out what her Stagnation Point was.

Su Jiu was so absorbed in thought that she barely remembered when she had returned to her dormitory.

After returning, Su Jiu took out the talisman paper and continued drawing. She worked late into the night without making any progress. So frustrated by drawing talismans that she had no heart for cultivation, she picked up her flying sword, left her room, and began practicing.

Whenever Chu Mojin had nothing to do these days, he often lay on the roof above Su Jiu's room. After all, she would become his disciple someday. He might as well keep an eye on her in his spare time, lest she stray down the wrong path before entering his tutelage. That would be quite a loss for him.

The little girl had looked rather dazed when she returned that day, and he had no idea what she had been doing. Only after seeing her repeatedly draw strange patterns on blank talisman paper in her room did he realize that she had gone somewhere to learn talisman drawing. Her attempts did not seem successful, however; almost every sheet was discarded halfway through.

Chu Mojin formed a Hand Seal, and one of the ruined talisman sheets on Su Jiu's desk landed in his hand.

Chu Mojin lay on the roof with his legs crossed, his signature wine gourd in one hand and Su Jiu's ruined talisman paper in the other.

"Trying to draw an Ice Spike Talisman? Looks like she's hit a Stagnation Point."

Before long, he saw the little girl put down her brush and come out with her sword.

She was still practicing the Water-Wisdom Sword Art, but Su Jiu had made it increasingly fierce. Now, with her mood sour, it carried an added layer of killing intent.

Looking at Su Jiu's expression, Chu Mojin could not help shivering. For some reason, it seemed familiar. Suddenly, an icy face flashed through his mind.

He nearly spat out a mouthful of wine.

She seemed... she seemed a little like his younger cousin when he was unhappy. That cousin of his also liked practicing swordplay whenever he was in a bad mood.

Looking at it that way, was he the only odd breed among those with ice spiritual roots?

Still, the girl's Water-Wisdom Sword Art could hardly be called Water-Wisdom anymore. It looked more like another sword art adapted from it, though her alterations were not yet complete. It was like a half-finished work.

Su Jiu's mood was truly awful. She kept feeling as though she was just a hair's breadth away, but what exactly was that force preventing her spiritual energy from advancing?

She had tried forcing her way through it, but drawing by force only made her spiritual energy sluggish. Her brush moved more and more slowly until the uneven distribution of spiritual energy caused her to fail.

Su Jiu stopped thinking about talismans and devoted herself to sword practice. She no longer even followed the prescribed movements of the Water-Wisdom Sword Art, instead moving however allowed her spiritual energy to flow smoothly.

In the end, Su Jiu altered the sword art beyond recognition, but it was undoubtedly more powerful and better suited to her.

Chu Mojin kept watching from above, the corners of his mouth lifting. "She really did manage to change it. That old man Ning Hai would probably cry if he knew. She actually turned a fine water element sword art into an ice element sword art."

Still, luck had played a part in Su Jiu's success. Ice and water ultimately shared the same source, and their sword arts could be considered interconnected. But bringing out their greatest power still depended on how one went about it.

She had the temperament and the talent, and with a little luck added to the mix, she naturally succeeded in creating a sword art suited to her. If the Water-Wisdom Sword Art had been an earth element sword art, no amount of alteration could have turned it into an ice element one.

As Su Jiu practiced the newly adapted sword art, it became increasingly natural to her. Gradually, she forgot her failures at talisman drawing and immersed herself completely in the sword moves.

Crack. A piece was sliced off one corner of the eaves.

Chu Mojin jumped, then felt a surge of delighted surprise. "She's getting into her stride. She actually condensed Sword Qi. Not bad."

Then Chu Mojin thought smugly, If those shameless old codgers at the Jade Sword Sect knew my disciple had cultivated Sword Qi at the sixth Qi Refining layer, wouldn't their eyes turn red with envy?

Seeing the corner of the eaves fall beneath her strike, Su Jiu also realized that she had cultivated Sword Qi. At the same time, she felt a little regretful. She probably would not be able to practice swordplay in the courtyard anymore.