Volume One, Chapter Seven: The Talismans

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The Artifact Pavilion

“Ah!”

“Ah!!”

“Ah!!!”

Suddenly, shouts erupted from within the Artifact Pavilion.

Then, a young girl was thrown out.

The girl who was thrown out was none other than Gu Mingxi, who scratched her head sheepishly.

While forging artifacts, the thunder spirit energy conducted through the refining embryo, shocking many of her clan brothers and sisters.

Their hair stood on end from the electric shock.

As a result, the Fourth Elder forbade her from entering the artifact workshop.

After yesterday’s setback, Gu Mingxi didn’t take it to heart too much.

She immediately turned towards the Talisman Academy to study talismans.

When Gu Mingxi arrived, the tutor for talisman engraving had not yet come.

The teaching method in the Talisman Pavilion differed from that of the Pill Pavilion and Artifact Pavilion. After three months of training for new disciples, the Talisman Pavilion would assign a talisman master to teach beginners the basics of talisman engraving for a whole month.

After this introductory phase, disciples could apprentice under other talisman masters or continue their own practice.

After all, a master can only guide you to the door; cultivation depends on the individual.

After finding a seat, Gu Mingxi waited until the tutor arrived.

The tutor’s teaching was straightforward.

First, they explained the materials required for drawing talismans: talisman brushes, cinnabar, beast blood, and so forth.

The higher the grade of the talisman, the better the materials needed.

Talismans of third grade and below could be drawn with cinnabar alone, while those above third grade required beast blood.

The better the beast blood, the higher the grade of the talisman naturally.

For example, a ninth-grade talisman master must use blood from a ninth-level demon beast or a divine beast.

The talisman brush was also key to drawing talismans.

There were many types of talisman brushes, categorized into supreme, superior, middle, and lower grades.

Materials such as the fur of purple-winged rats, crimson flame tigers, and howling moon wolves were ideal for making talisman brushes.

Most brushes on the market were made from these materials.

The Gu family provided beginners with lower-grade brushes made from purple-winged rat fur.

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The talisman paper, however, was not graded; all used special yellow paper.

At this point, the tutor added, “Among talisman arts, there is a type of genius who can draw talismans mid-air during combat. Such a talent is truly enviable!”

After the tutor’s words, a murmur of discussion arose.

“Drawing talismans in mid-air—I wish I could do that...”

“Me too...”

“...”

Gu Mingxi heard this and couldn’t help but wonder if she could achieve the same.

Years later,

Gu Mingxi’s mastery of mid-air talisman drawing in battles made her foes gnash their teeth in frustration, powerless against her.

Now, Gu Mingxi enjoyed the world’s acclaim, though at this moment, she was just a novice starting her talisman studies.

After introducing the brushes and paper, the tutor began explaining how to draw talismans.

To successfully draw a talisman, one must complete the strokes in one continuous movement without pause; any break would ruin the talisman.

The tutor drew a cleansing talisman, which, upon completion, emitted a golden glow—this was a mid-grade cleansing talisman.

Then, the talisman was suspended in mid-air for the disciples to observe.

Being able to replicate and succeed signified innate talent.

Those who could not were advised to switch to other skills early.

Before drawing, Gu Mingxi recalled the tutor’s stroke order.

She didn’t rush to draw on the talisman paper but first practiced the strokes on a blank sheet nearby, ensuring she could complete the pattern smoothly before transferring it.

Indeed, aside from talisman paper and brushes, the pavilion also provided white paper for beginners.

However, the tutor had never mentioned the white paper during lessons, which Gu Mingxi took to be a subtle test.

She noticed other disciples also practiced first on the white sheets, avoiding direct drawing on talisman paper—a wise move.

Gu Mingxi shook her head quietly, thinking that the disciples of noble clans were no naive innocents, unlike the brainless characters from past dramas.

Though some might be simple-minded due to familial teachings, none were truly foolish.

Cunning minds numbered at least eight hundred out of eight hundred and one.

Looking at the complete talisman strokes on her white paper, Gu Mingxi nodded inwardly.

It seemed she wasn’t entirely without talent in the four arts of cultivation; while formations remained a mystery, she had some aptitude for talismans.

However, her joy was premature; drawing on white paper and talisman paper were not the same.

Sure enough, when she eagerly began drawing on the talisman paper, she faltered mid-stroke, her spirit energy faltering.

The talisman paper instantly turned to ashes.

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Failure!

Gu Mingxi looked at the ashes before her and reflected on the problem during her drawing.

The failure was due to the disruption of her spirit energy.

She recalled the tutor’s demonstration of energy flow and immediately understood the mistake.

Having identified the issue, Gu Mingxi began her second attempt at drawing a talisman.

“Whoosh!”

Looking at the completed talisman, Gu Mingxi exhaled deeply and smiled joyfully.

“Not bad—only one failure before success, and it’s a superior talisman!”

Suddenly, a voice echoed in her ear; turning, she saw the tutor.

The tutor continued, “You have now entered the path of talisman arts. Go to the library and replicate the Complete Talisman Compendium. Study the new talismans!”

Is that all?

Gu Mingxi felt a twinge of regret but obediently nodded and left.

Little did she know, the tutor envied her talent immensely.

Back when the tutor first learned talisman arts, they failed countless times before succeeding.

Yet Gu Mingxi succeeded after a single failure—her talent was even greater than that of the Fourth Elder.

Though the Fourth Elder also succeeded after one failure, his first successful talisman was only mid-grade, unlike Gu Mingxi’s first, which was superior.

The tutor looked at Gu Mingxi’s superior talisman with outward satisfaction but inward despair.

After years of practice, the tutor had few superior talismans to show; the gap between people was truly vast.

Afterward, Gu Mingxi went straight to the library to replicate the Complete Talisman Compendium.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to share her joy with her father, but Gu Moyuan had led the clan members out yesterday, reportedly due to unusual activity in the Ten Thousand Beast Forest.

Gu Mingxi recalled the original story and found no mention of this event.

According to the original narrative, the heroine Mo Yuqing was still training in the sect and had yet to reach foundation establishment.

Only after foundation establishment would Mo Yuqing venture out to gain experience.

There was no record of any major incidents on the continent before her foundation establishment, so Gu Mingxi believed her father’s mission was not overly dangerous.

In the cultivation world, risk and opportunity coexist, and with such a vast realm filled with many geniuses, not all revolve around Mo Yuqing; everyone has their own value.

It was only after this that Gu Mingxi truly integrated into this world, no longer maintaining the detached spectator’s mindset she once had.