Junior Sun Lin, Instructing Him Along the Way!

Sun Bo'an arrived very quickly.

Before an incense stick had burned, the clan chief appeared before Shi Jian, his clothes neat and his breathing steady, showing no sign of haste.

Since Foundation Establishment, Bo'an has become much more composed, which can be seen from all aspects.

"Ancestor, you were looking for me?"

Shi Jian didn't look up, his tone casual. "I'm going on a long trip, for about a few months. Take good care of the clan."

Upon hearing this, Sun Bo'an's heart tightened, but he didn't press for details about where they were going. His ancestor's whereabouts were not something he should inquire about.

"You can make your own decisions about clan matters; you don't need to wait for me to return."

Shi Jian paused, then added, "Keep a close eye on the infiltration efforts in Fenghe Commandery, but don't provoke them."

"If they get too big for their britches, then we'll teach them a lesson they won't forget."

"Bo'an understands."

"Also, transfer someone to my place."

"Please give your orders, Ancestor."

Sun Lin.

Sun Bo'an was taken aback.

Sun Lin, an unremarkable second-generation disciple, is twenty-seven years old, with a cultivation level of Fifth Layer of Qi Refining and Four Spirit Roots.

His talent for cultivation is not outstanding.

However, this person has an advantage that others cannot match: he is the clan's talisman master, and is also proficient in some array principles and the four elements of feng shui.

The art of drawing talismans requires a calm mind and steady hands, and Sun Lin's temperament is just right. He is never impulsive, does what he is told, and never asks any unnecessary questions.

He is knowledgeable in many miscellaneous fields and is an extremely reliable young man.

"Tell him to pack up and wait for me at the North Gate before dawn."

"Travel light, just bring enough talismans and spirit ink, and don't make too much of a commotion."

Sun Bo'an considered the situation in his mind and roughly guessed that his ancestor did not want to make too much of a fuss about this trip, so he immediately agreed.

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."

"Go."

Sun Bo'an turned and took two steps, then stopped, turned back and bowed deeply:

"Ancestor, take care on your journey."

Shi Jian snorted but didn't reply.

After everyone left, he looked down at his bear paws, wiggled them a couple of times, and his joints cracked...

I haven't left the house in years; my bones are practically rusted.

It was 3:45 AM, and dawn had not yet broken.

Outside the Hongtian City, Sun Lin stood quietly by the roadside, carrying a worn-out satchel and with two bulging talisman pouches hanging from his waist.

He was not tall and had an ordinary face; he was the kind of person you wouldn't recognize if you threw him into a crowd.

His hands were the only exception; they were exceptionally well-maintained, with long, clean knuckles and evenly distributed calluses on his fingertips—the result of years of drawing talismans.

When he received the clan leader's order, he was drawing a batch of Concealment Talisman in the North Peak cave abode.

The clan chief only said three words: "Follow the ancestor."

Sun Lin didn't ask where he was going or how long he would be gone. He put down his pen, put away the talisman paper, packed his bags, and left.

He stood outside the North Gate, breathing steadily, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if waiting for an ordinary errand.

A night breeze blew by, rustling the grass.

Then he felt it.

An overwhelming pressure silently approached from the darkness.

It wasn't a fluctuation of spiritual energy, nor was it murderous intent; rather, it was something more primal, a kind of oppressive force from the top of the food chain that instilled instinctive fear.

Sun Lin's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He didn't move or turn his head.

Two breaths later, a giant black bear emerged from the night.

He landed on all fours without making a sound, not even a footstep. Despite his large size, he walked with an incredibly light gait!

Shi Jian stopped in front of Sun Lin and looked at him for a moment.

The young man's reaction surprised him somewhat.

He didn't kneel, didn't tremble, and didn't even take a step back; he just stood straight, only with sweat on his forehead...

"Sun Lin pays respects to the Ancestor."

His voice was steady, and his breath control was quite good.

Shi Jian gave a satisfied hum. He wasn't particularly bold, but he could handle things.

That's enough.

"Keep up, don't fall behind."

Before he finished speaking, Shi Jian had already started walking and disappeared into the mountains outside the city.

The Lord Rat darted past Sun Lin's feet, its gray figure disappearing into the grass ahead in the blink of an eye, like a shadow.

Sun Lin adjusted his breathing slightly, gathered his spiritual energy, and followed.

The Clear Wind Mountain Range are located at the border of White Cloud Commandery and Qingzhou Commandery, about 800 li from Hongtian City. With Shi Jian's speed, he can reach them in two days.

If one were to fly away on a demonic cloud, it would only take half a day, but that would be too conspicuous.

Shi Jian wasn't in a hurry to get going.

They traveled along desolate trails, avoiding towns and markets, resting and recuperating during the day and continuing their journey through the night.

As night fades and dawn breaks.

Shi Jian stopped in a valley, and Sun Lin followed closely behind, without uttering a single complaint even though he was exhausted to the point of feeling like his lungs were about to explode.

He found a flat rock to sit on, took out his water pouch from his bag and drank a couple of mouthfuls. After calming down slightly, he took out talisman paper and spirit ink and began drawing talismans, appearing extremely diligent...

Shi Jian was drinking water by the stream when he glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

What to draw?

"Aura-Concealing Talisman."

Sun Lin didn't even look up, his brushstrokes flowing with spiritual ink like water. "The ancestor's Yao Qi is too strong; ordinary methods can't conceal it. But by layering three Aura-Concealing Talisman and adding an Aura Confusion Method, it should at least deceive the senses of most Qi Refining cultivators."

He paused, then added, "If Foundation Establishment cultivator deliberately investigates, they can't hide it for long, but it can buy time for evacuation."

Shi Jian remained silent.

He noticed that there was a specific order in which Sun Lin drew the talismans.

First draw the concealment talisman, then the warning talisman, and finally the stealth talisman. The three talismans are used together to form a simple but practical concealment system.

No one taught him to do it; he figured it out himself.

"Did Wanqing you how to use the talisman?"

"My great-aunt Wanqing taught me for a period of time, and then I taught myself the Fundamentals of the Talisman Dao, plus a few miscellaneous books I found in the market, so my learning is rather eclectic, I hope you'll forgive me, Ancestor."

Sun Lin put down his brush and spread the finished talisman on the stone surface to dry.

Four Spirit Roots, Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, twenty-seven years old.

In any Lineage, this would be a marginalized disciple.

If one lacks sufficient talent in cultivation, one will inevitably not go far; reaching the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining will likely be the ceiling...

But he didn't become useless.

He turned to learning the art of talismans and mastered it quite well. Even knowing the future was uncertain, he continued to try and persevere.

Shi Jian made a mental note of Sun Lin, thinking that he might be a useful talent in the future.

"The eye of your Aura-Concealing Talisman is positioned a little off-center."

Sun Lin paused, looked down at the talisman he had just drawn, and frowned.

"When Lingmo reached the third turning point, your Dao of Strength shifted slightly to the right."

Shi Jian spoke casually, as if discussing a trivial matter. "The slight shift in the talisman's eye reduces its concealment effect by at least 20%."

Sun Lin remained silent for three breaths, then picked up another talisman paper, began to write, and deliberately adjusted the third stroke at the turning point...

"It's not something you intentionally adjusted; it's just that your pen-holding posture is wrong."

Shi Jian yawned. "The point of force exertion with the middle finger is too far forward, causing uneven Dao of Strength during the turn. Moving it back a couple of points will naturally make it smoother."

Although he was not an expert in this field, he had compiled many of the Sun Clan's traditions, so it wouldn't be a problem for him to teach them a little.

Sun Lin did as instructed.

This time, the talisman shone a little brighter than before the moment it took shape.

Sun Lin stared at the talisman in his palm for a long time, then looked up at the enormous creature lying by the stream, his eyes revealing something else.

He had lived for twenty-seven years, and this was the first time he had been taught how to draw talismans by a bear.

For the first time, I felt a sense of being taken seriously.

"Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor."

"Hmph, it's nothing."

Shi Jian closed his eyes and gently swept his tail across the ground.

In his heart, however, he was thinking: This kid is quite good. It doesn't matter if his cultivation talent is a little lacking. Talisman masters don't rely on Spirit Root for a living; they rely on their temperament and comprehension.

Another useful piece.

Give them a couple of sweet treats first, and offer them some encouragement, and they'll be completely devoted to you from then on...