Mid-grade talisman master!

Several days later.

After sampling the pair of exotic beauties Hong Yi had sent him, Lu Changsheng had to marvel at the difference professional training made.

Not only was the experience superb, but he had also learned plenty of new tricks and techniques.

The Maiden Essence-Nurturing Art truly worked well, too. It was deeply soothing, and he could distinctly feel it gently nourishing his body.

However, the two women were only ordinary mortals, and the cultivation method they practiced was merely a martial arts technique.

Its nourishing effects were limited and could not help him cultivate the Hundred-Forging Treasure Body Art.

Otherwise, Lu Changsheng felt he might have headed down a crooked path.

"Lu Changsheng, oh, Lu Changsheng, you've been indulging yourself these past few days. You can't keep going like this."

After enjoying several more days of nightly revelry, Lu Changsheng sat beside his bed, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

He was beginning to understand why ancient emperors had become so obsessed with women.

His existing wives and concubines were all respectable women from decent families.

They were nothing like the two women Hong Yi had sent, who had been taught from childhood how to please others and knew so many tricks that could melt his bones and drain his marrow.

Still, he was Lu Changsheng, the man who had taken "first place" at the "Heart-Questioning Platform" during an immortal sect's entrance assessment.

His heart sought only the Dao, and his resolve was as hard as iron. How could he possibly lose himself in such beauty?

"Hong Yi, oh, Hong Yi, you actually used this to test me? What transmigrator couldn't withstand a test like this?!"

Lu Changsheng gave a light snort, got out of bed, and dressed.

Feeling that the timing was about right, he drew a first-tier middle-grade talisman, a Fire Cloud Talisman, in his study, deliberately making its lines look somewhat sloppy.

Then he went to tell Uncle Lu that he could now draw first-tier middle-grade talismans.

Uncle Lu had just returned from inspecting the Spirit Fields. When he heard why Lu Changsheng had come, astonishment filled his face.

He looked at Lu Changsheng in disbelief. "You're saying you can draw middle-grade talismans now?"

Seeing Uncle Lu's expression, Lu Changsheng recalled telling Uncle Fu two years ago that he could draw first-rank talismans.

Uncle Fu's expression then had been much the same as Uncle Lu's now.

He took out the talisman he had prepared and nodded. "Yes, Uncle Lu. This is the first-tier middle-grade talisman I drew-a Fire Cloud Talisman!"

Uncle Lu took the talisman and examined it.

He confirmed that it was indeed a first-tier middle-grade talisman, a Fire Cloud Talisman.

He could not help swallowing. "If I remember correctly, it hasn't even been two years since you moved to Green Bamboo Valley, has it?"

"It'll be two years in sixteen days."

Lu Changsheng answered after a moment's thought.

"Tsk!"

Uncle Lu clicked his tongue, genuinely at a loss for words.

As Green Bamboo Valley's steward, he naturally understood what it meant to advance from a ranked talisman master to a mid-grade talisman master in two years.

There was only one word for someone like that-genius!

A true genius at talisman making!

After pondering for a moment, Uncle Lu said, "Lu Changsheng, would you be able to draw another Fire Cloud Talisman for me now?"

Of course, he trusted that Lu Changsheng would never lie about something like this.

But it was so astonishing that he could not resist seeing it for himself and verifying it.

"No problem."

"But my success rate with Fire Cloud Talismans is still low."

Lu Changsheng nodded as he spoke.

He went over to a nearby table, took a set of talisman-making tools from his Storage Bag, spread out the talisman paper, and prepared to begin.

Uncle Lu stood quietly to one side, watching Lu Changsheng take up the Golden-Hair Talisman Brush and begin drawing the Fire Cloud Talisman.

He could tell that Lu Changsheng's hand was steady-exceptionally steady-and that the spiritual energy flowing through his talisman brush was steady as well.

However, he still seemed insufficiently practiced at tracing the talisman's lines. Whenever he reached a turn, he stumbled a little, and his spiritual energy wavered.

Just then, with more than half the lines drawn, the talisman paper suddenly let out a soft puff and began emitting bluish smoke.

It had failed.

Uncle Lu did not speak or interrupt Lu Changsheng.

He watched as Lu Changsheng took out another sheet of talisman paper and began drawing again.

After acting out four failures in this manner, Lu Changsheng finally completed a Fire Cloud Talisman under Uncle Lu's gaze, with a few faltering strokes along the way.

Seeing the completed talisman, Uncle Lu let out a long breath.

He still found it somewhat hard to believe.

"Uncle Lu."

Lu Changsheng also exhaled at length and looked at Uncle Lu with a weary expression.

Although he had been putting on an act, drawing so many talismans still consumed a considerable amount of spiritual energy and mental stamina.

With his current cultivation at the peak of the Chain Qi Third Layer, he could draw no more than five or six middle-grade talismans like these in a day.

Any more would be difficult to endure.

"Changsheng, thank you for your effort."

Seeing Lu Changsheng's condition, Uncle Lu finally remembered that his cultivation was only at the Chain Qi Third Layer.

Drawing four talismans in one sitting must have consumed considerable spiritual energy and mental stamina.

He immediately took a jade-green bamboo flask from his Storage Bag and handed it to Lu Changsheng. "This is Jade Bamboo Wine I brewed myself. Have a taste. It nourishes the body and relieves fatigue."

"Thank you, Uncle Lu."

Lu Changsheng accepted the bamboo flask and removed its lid. Inside was a clear, emerald-green liquid that gave off a rich, mellow aroma.

"Spirit wine? Uncle Lu, are you a wine brewer?"

Lu Changsheng recognized at a glance that this Jade Bamboo Wine was a type of spirit wine.

Among the hundred immortal cultivation crafts was a craft called wine brewing, which produced spirit wine for immortal cultivators to drink.

Spirit wine had effects somewhat similar to medicinal pills, though it offered far fewer varieties of effects.

Compared with medicinal pills, however, spirit wine had the advantage of tasting good and could be used to entertain guests and enliven a gathering.

Its effects were also gentler than those of medicinal pills. It was essentially nontoxic and left no lingering adverse effects, unlike medicinal pills, which contained pill toxins and could even cause resistance if consumed excessively.

"Heh heh, I hardly qualify as a wine brewer. I simply enjoy a drink, so I learned how to brew this particular spirit wine."

Uncle Lu smiled and waved a hand as he spoke.

Lu Changsheng nodded and took a small sip of the bamboo wine, savoring its taste.

He found that the Jade Bamboo Wine tasted excellent. It had no harsh bite at all, only a delicate, mellow flavor, and he could not help taking another couple of sips.

As the bamboo wine entered his stomach, a warm current quickly arose in his lower abdomen, and some of his fatigue seemed to melt away.

"My wine tastes pretty good, doesn't it?"

Uncle Lu looked at Lu Changsheng with a broad smile.

"More than good. This is the first time I've tasted wine this fine."

Lu Changsheng spoke honestly.

He seldom drank and was not particularly fond of alcohol.

But he liked this wine from his very first sip.

Not only did it taste good,

its effects were excellent as well, and he could clearly feel it nourishing his body.

"Heh heh, this wine may taste good, but it packs quite a kick afterward. A third of the flask is enough. Any more, and you'll end up drunk here."

"Go back and get some proper rest. I'll report this matter to the lineage head."

Uncle Lu spoke with a smile.

"Uncle Lu, do you have much of this spirit wine left? Could you sell me some?"

Lu Changsheng asked.

He could feel that this spirit wine nourished his body.

Drinking it regularly would offer some help with the Hundred-Forging Treasure Body Art he was currently cultivating.

And since it relieved fatigue, he could drink some when he grew tired from making talismans, or have a little at night to add to the mood.

"I don't have much of this Jade Bamboo Wine myself. I only brew it for my own drinking."

Uncle Lu shook his head. "But this Jade Bamboo Wine is brewed primarily from the jade spirit bamboo our Lu Lineage grows. The Fifth Elder brews a batch every year to sell."

"If you want to buy some, you can go to the Fifth Elder. He has other varieties of spirit wine as well."

Uncle Lu explained.

"The Fifth Elder, hmm."

"Thank you, Uncle Lu."

Lu Changsheng nodded upon hearing this.

He planned to visit the Fifth Elder later and see whether he could purchase some spirit wine.

Then Lu Changsheng took his leave.

Uncle Lu also headed out to report the matter to Lu Yuanding.