Bang!!!
Bang!!!
Bang!!!
After more than ten consecutive failures, Xu Changshou's face darkened. He felt he had no talent for this.
Whether he could learn to draw talismans in six months was anyone's guess.
Xu Changshou simply stopped drawing and quietly began studying the Great Dao Talisman Scripture.
Besides serving as a cultivation method, the Great Dao Talisman Scripture contained considerable knowledge about talisman drawing and methods of circulating spiritual energy while drawing them.
Only after reading the Great Dao Talisman Scripture did Xu Changshou realize that Yang Bailao's method was not orthodox. It could be described as a talisman-drawing method devised by someone who did not understand the Dao of talismans.
True talisman-drawing methods had to work in tandem with a cultivation method.
Drawing talismans on yellow hemp paper with a Spirit Brush was merely an introductory approach.
Although yellow hemp paper was much tougher than ordinary paper, it could only support some ordinary first-grade talismans.
In fact, certain first-grade talismans with greater offensive power and more explosive attributes could not be drawn on yellow hemp paper at all.
Yellow hemp paper was the medium that carried a talisman. If the talisman was too powerful or its attributes too explosive, the paper simply was not tough enough to withstand it.
Take the Thunderstorm Talisman, for example. It contained the power of lightning, and how violently explosive was that power? A flimsy sheet of yellow hemp paper naturally could not bear it.
If yellow hemp paper could not bear it, a higher-grade material had to be found to serve as the medium.
Spirit wood, spirit beast hide, or special stone, jade, and metal could all serve as talisman media. The medium did not have to be paper.
The tougher the medium, the more spiritual energy it could withstand, and the greater its offensive power would naturally be.
In the true Ancient Talisman-Drawing Art, the medium was not limited to any particular type of object. All things could serve as media-even magic artifacts.
There were two major reasons why the Dao of talismans had declined in the present age.
First, talismans came in many different forms and varieties. A talisman maker generally needed a spiritual root with at least four attributes, or even more. The more attributes they had, the broader their options in talisman drawing.
The problem, however, was that the more attributes a person's spiritual root possessed, the harder it was for their cultivation to advance.
No matter how gifted they were at drawing talismans, their achievements would ultimately be limited if their cultivation could not improve.
Second, cultivators of later generations took it for granted that talismans had to be drawn on yellow hemp paper, severely restricting the development and transmission of the Dao of talismans.
Not only was yellow hemp paper inadequate, but the Spirit Brush in Xu Changshou's hand was as well. That type of Spirit Brush itself could not withstand the explosive lightning attribute.
Drawing Thunderstorm Talismans or talismans of the second grade and above required a better Spirit Brush.
Over the following days, Xu Changshou settled down to study the Great Dao Talisman Scripture.
Ten days later, he gained some insight.
Xu Changshou took out his Spirit Brush and yellow hemp paper, preparing for his second attempt at drawing talismans.
This time, things went much better. He completed a third of a Windwalking Talisman before it burst apart.
Although he had not succeeded, he had already made considerable progress compared with his first attempt.
He tried another dozen times, stopping only when he had exhausted the spiritual energy in his body.
After draining his spiritual energy, Xu Changshou recovered it while studying the Great Dao Talisman Scripture and reviewing the reasons behind his failures.
With this approach, he progressed very quickly.
Twenty days later, his Windwalking Talismans only burst apart after he had drawn two-thirds of them. His progress was obvious.
Xu Changshou had no spirit stones to buy Qi-Replenishing Pills, so he could only exhaust his spiritual energy once each day. Afterward, he meditated to recover while continuing to study the Great Dao Talisman Scripture.
A month later.
"It worked."
He had drawn a Windwalking Talisman. The completed talisman possessed a liveliness absent from ordinary yellow hemp paper, and its yellow surface gave off a pale blue-green sheen.
"Let's test it!"
Xu Changshou stuck the Windwalking Talisman onto his thigh. Wind seemed to spring beneath his feet, and once he began running, his body felt much lighter.
The Windwalking Talisman was truly marvelous. Even a mortal could use it to travel a thousand li in a day.
He continued drawing talismans.
Next, Xu Changshou drew a Fireball Talisman.
This time, he completed it in one uninterrupted stroke without failing.
Again.
Xu Changshou picked up his Spirit Brush and drew a Sword Qi talisman.
After finishing the Sword Qi talisman, Xu Changshou's vision went black, and he nearly toppled to the ground. Waves of weakness swept through his body.
Examining himself internally, Xu Changshou discovered to his dismay that not a drop of spiritual energy remained in his body.
His cultivation was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Drawing three first-grade spirit talismans in one session was already his limit.
This doesn't look good.
Xu Changshou could not help frowning.
Given his current condition, drawing five talismans a day was already his limit.
In other words, he could barely fulfill the sect's quota.
If he wanted to draw any extra talismans, his body simply could not bear it.
In that case, having the Bloodline Jade Talisman, the Great Dao Talisman Scripture, and hundreds of types of talismans would do him no good.
Beyond completing his quota, he had no energy left to draw spirit talismans for extra income.
At this rate, he would probably end up just like Yang Bailao, having his blood sucked dry by the sect for his entire life, with no hope of ever reaching Foundation Establishment.
At that thought, Xu Changshou could not help feeling a little despair.
It seemed his fate had not changed much after all.
"Forget it. I'll absorb spiritual energy first."
Xu Changshou cleared his mind of distracting thoughts and quietly circulated his cultivation method, preparing to restore his spiritual energy first.
This time, he had depleted himself too severely. The spiritual energy in his dantian had run dry.
Suddenly.
Xu Changshou felt his palm grow hot. The ancient "talisman" character emitted a red glow and actually began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy like a Spirit-Gathering Formation.
And Xu Changshou could draw that gathered spiritual energy straight into his palm through the "talisman" character, replenishing the emptiness within his body.
"What is this? How incredible!"
An hour later, Xu Changshou's spiritual energy had returned to normal. This absorption speed was actually faster than a Qi-Replenishing Pill.
Just what is this "talisman" character? It can actually absorb spiritual energy from the outside on its own.
Wait, could I use it to absorb spiritual energy while drawing talismans?
At that thought, Xu Changshou's eyes lit up.
If I can activate this "talisman" character's energy-absorbing ability while drawing talismans, wouldn't I be able to draw them using an external source of power?
Drawing talismans without using my own spiritual energy-if that really works, I'll be unstoppable.
Let's try!
Xu Changshou took out his Spirit Brush, itching to begin.
As he drew a talisman, Xu Changshou deliberately directed spiritual energy into the spot where the "talisman" character lay.
Then something astonishing happened. The "talisman" character really could absorb spiritual energy on its own and use that energy to draw the talisman.
The only drawback was that Xu Changshou still had to supply some spiritual energy himself. The energy provided by the "talisman" character was not enough to complete the talisman, so he needed to make up the difference.
Even so, his efficiency improved dramatically.
Xu Changshou drew three talismans in succession, consuming only a third of his spiritual energy.
Rather than continue drawing, Xu Changshou absorbed spiritual energy. Once his dantian was full again, he resumed drawing talismans.
That day, Xu Changshou drew twenty talismans, a full four times the sect's quota.
However, even with the "talisman" character's help, drawing twenty talismans was still exhausting.
The next day, Xu Changshou drew ten talismans. He was not tired at all and remained full of energy.
On the third day, Xu Changshou drew fifteen talismans.
After experimenting, he reached a conclusion: fifteen talismans a day suited him best at present. Beyond the sect's quota, he could draw ten extra talismans.
"Hahaha, wonderful!"
Xu Changshou was ecstatic. At last, he no longer had to worry about the sect's quota.
With that, the greatest stumbling block on his path of cultivation had vanished.
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