Led by Yang Bailao, the two arrived at the entrance to an elegant courtyard.
Yang Bailao respectfully cupped his hands at the gate. "Uncle-Master Li, I've brought Junior Brother Xu Changshou."
"Enter."
The quiet voice sounded beside his ear. Xu Changshou felt as though the speaker were right next to him.
This was his first time meeting a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he felt inexplicably nervous yet eager.
"As you command... Junior Brother Xu, let's go in."
Yang Bailao pushed the gate open and led Xu Changshou into the courtyard.
The elegant courtyard was filled with all kinds of flowers and plants, their fragrance refreshing the heart and soul.
Beyond the small courtyard stood three imposing halls that radiated an oppressive presence.
Inside the hall, a Daoist sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his eyes slightly narrowed.
He sat there quietly, like a towering mountain that inspired awe.
An immense pressure seemed to emanate from his body, making Xu Changshou afraid to look directly at him.
So this is a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator. What a powerful presence.
Xu Changshou marveled inwardly. A mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator truly was extraordinary.
"Disciple Yang Bailao pays his respects to Uncle-Master Li."
"Disciple Xu Changshou pays his respects to Uncle-Master Li."
Seeing Yang Bailao bow, Xu Changshou hurriedly followed suit.
"Let us test your spiritual root first."
Li Dao Path swept his broad sleeve, and a white jade disc flew out of his cuff. It flew before Xu Changshou and hovered silently in mid-
air.
The artifact Li Dao Path had produced to test his spiritual root was clearly far more exquisite than Liu Chuansheng's.
Unsure what to do, Xu Changshou looked to Yang Bailao for help. Yang Bailao said softly, "Don't be nervous, Junior Brother. Just hold the artifact and channel spiritual energy into your palm."
"Understood!"
Xu Changshou reached out with his left hand, took the white jade disc, and channeled spiritual energy into his left palm.
At this point, Xu Changshou took a precaution. There was a hidden character for "talisman" in his right palm, which would appear as soon as he channeled spiritual energy into it.
Xu Changshou did not want anyone discovering his secret, so he used his left hand.
Hum...
The white jade disc trembled gently, and a golden light appeared within it, followed by four more lights: dark green, light green, red, and yellow.
Then five more colors appeared: cyan, purple, white, black, and crystal-clear.
Xu Changshou felt deeply uneasy. Liu Chuansheng had registered him as having a five-element mixed spiritual root, but the test now showed a ten-element mixed spiritual root.
If this angered Li Dao Path, he would be in serious trouble.
"Heavens, a ten-element mixed spiritual root!"
Yang Bailao stared, dumbstruck.
"A ten-element mixed spiritual root. Not bad. You have the makings of a fine talisman drawer."
Li Dao Path nodded slightly. "Hand over your identity token."
"Yes."
Li Dao Path took Xu Changshou's yellow token and replaced it with a red one.
Xu Changshou examined it. It was identical to Zhang Zhengyuan's, confirming that Zhang Zhengyuan was also a Servant Disciple.
He simply did not know which peak Zhang Zhengyuan belonged to.
Xu Changshou projected his spiritual energy outward to inspect the identity token. Sure enough, he found a string of information: Xu Changshou, male, fifteen years old, native of Laiyang in the Song Kingdom, ten-element mixed spiritual root, Servant Disciple of Green Ink Peak in the Green Immortal Sect, seventh level of Qi Refining.
Now that he had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining and could project his spiritual energy outward, everything really was more convenient.
Then Li Dao Path waved his hand and tossed him a jade-green Spirit Brush. "The shaft of this Spirit Brush was refined from a branch of little-leaf nan bamboo and is hard and sturdy. The tip was refined from Blood Wolf hair. It will suffice for your current needs."
"Starting today, you will learn talisman drawing under Yang Bailao. Your apprenticeship will last six months, after which you will begin your talisman-drawing assignments."
"Yes. This disciple will remember."
"Go. When you need talisman paper, collect it from the paper room."
"Junior Brother Xu, let's go!"
Yang Bailao led Xu Changshou out of Li Dao Path's courtyard. Once outside the gate, Xu Changshou felt a chill across his back. It was soaked through.
His first meeting with a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator had been far too nerve-racking.
Afterward, Yang Bailao took Xu Changshou to the residential area and pointed at the desolate courtyards. "Choose any of these courtyards as your cultivation quarters. Once you've chosen, someone from Eight Trigrams Peak will come and set up the formations anew."
"Go on. I'll come find you tomorrow."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yang."
After Yang Bailao left, Xu Changshou looked around and chose a fairly secluded courtyard, far from Li Dao Path's cultivation quarters.
He entered the courtyard and found it overgrown with weeds.
Xu Changshou took out his Fine Steel Sword and cut down the weeds, then opened the door and cleaned the house inside and out.
At noon, Xu Changshou went to the Spirit Dining Hall for a meal and encountered several disciples from Green Ink Peak.
Without exception, they all looked haggard, exhausted, and pale, their eyes vacant and numb.
Their expressions filled Xu Changshou with fear. Green Ink Peak was certainly no kindly place.
Otherwise, so many people would not avoid Green Ink Peak like the plague. Judging by their condition, these disciples must have suffered inhuman treatment.
The more Xu Changshou thought about it, the more oppressed he felt.
After dinner, Xu Changshou did not cultivate. Instead, he slept his fill, not waking until broad daylight.
At his cultivation level, he could already replace sleep entirely with meditation.
But going without sleep for long periods left him constantly wound tight, and eventually it would become uncomfortable.
He still needed to sleep occasionally.
While having breakfast, he encountered Yang Bailao in the Spirit Dining Hall.
Yang Bailao looked as listless as ever. He glanced at Xu Changshou and said weakly, "Junior Brother Xu, starting today, I'll teach you to draw talismans."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Yang."
After they finished eating, Yang Bailao took Xu Changshou to his own cultivation quarters.
Every small courtyard on Green Ink Peak had a separate talisman room, a place specifically for drawing talismans.
Yang Bailao's talisman room was a complete mess, with crumpled balls of discarded yellow paper strewn carelessly across the floor.
The Talisman Room rather resembled Yang Bailao's own unkempt appearance.
Entering the talisman room, Yang Bailao casually picked up a sheet of yellow paper and explained, "Junior Brother Xu, this paper is made from premium yellow hemp wood and is called yellow hemp paper. It's tough, comparable to cowhide, and is used exclusively by talisman masters. Nothing is more suitable as a medium for spiritual talismans."
"We have plenty of yellow hemp paper on Green Ink Peak. You can collect as much as you like from the paper room. There's no limit."
"Enough small talk. I'll start teaching you to draw talismans now. Watch first. Once you've watched enough, I'll teach you the actual method."
Yang Bailao took out his Spirit Brush and yellow paper, then produced a box of cinnabar. "Junior Brother Xu, drawing talismans doesn't require cinnabar, but I'll use it to make the strokes stand out so you can clearly see their order."
"Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother Yang."
"Watch closely! The first talisman is called a Fireball Talisman."
Yang Bailao began drawing, starting with the simplest Fireball Talisman and forming it stroke by stroke.
As Yang Bailao drew, spiritual energy flowed continuously from the tip of his Spirit Brush.
By the time he finished one Fireball Talisman, Yang Bailao's face had gone somewhat pale, and a large portion of his spiritual energy had been depleted.
Xu Changshou frowned. No wonder Ye Shanhua said talisman drawing was work that drained your energy.
No wonder nobody wanted to come to Green Ink Peak.
No wonder every Servant Disciple on Green Ink Peak looked haggard.
With their blood sucked dry like this all day, it would be a miracle if they weren't haggard.
I'm done for. What kind of hellhole have I come to?
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