Chapter 44: Breakthrough, Top Grade Talisman

Li Chang’an sat cross-legged at his desk, his focus absolute.

He held a Talisman Brush.

Slowly, he painted one intricate pattern after another onto the Talisman Paper.

The entire room was silent, so quiet he could hear his own breathing.

Suddenly.

Li Chang’an’s brow furrowed, and he stopped painting.

"It’s a failure."

A wisp of green smoke drifted up from the Talisman Paper, and the patterns painted on it slowly lost their Spiritual Energy.

The Spiritual Power dissipated.

It had become a worthless piece of paper!

This attempt was a complete failure; he had only finished less than twenty percent of the Talisman.

’This time, my Magical Power was still difficult to sustain. Although the Profound Water Turtle can lend me power through the Borrowing Technique, its own Magical Power isn’t deep enough.’

Li Chang’an stared at the Talisman Paper, silently reflecting on his failure.

In the end, it was still a problem of Magical Power.

Before, to cope with insufficient Magical Power, he would prepare a few recovery Elixir Pills in his mouth ahead of time.

However, even the tiny movement of swallowing the pills would distract him, and the slightest carelessness could lead to an error in the painting process.

But now, he had the Profound Water Turtle.

Perhaps he wouldn’t have to do that anymore.

’I can have the Profound Water Turtle swallow the Elixir Pills to restore its Magical Power, and then it can lend that power to me.’

Li Chang’an mused.

The plan seemed feasible.

He had the Profound Water Turtle cancel its Borrowing Technique Talent and swallow some Magical Power recovery Elixir Pills.

The man and the turtle rested for about an hour.

Both recovered to their peak condition.

Afterward, Li Chang’an placed more Elixir Pills and Water Element Treasures in front of the Profound Water Turtle.

He instructed it, "Do your best to keep your Magical Power at its peak. If it drops even a little, swallow an Elixir Pill or a Treasure to recover."

The Profound Water Turtle was very intelligent. It nodded repeatedly, showing that it understood.

"Alright, let’s try again!"

Li Chang’an took a deep breath.

Gripping his Talisman Brush, he tried again.

The ink-soaked brush tip traveled slowly across the Talisman Paper, leaving behind a series of profound patterns.

Gradually, Li Chang’an’s face began to pale, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

An indescribable exhaustion slowly welled up inside him, but he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

Suddenly, the hand holding the brush faltered.

PFFT...

A wisp of green smoke rose from the Talisman Paper.

Another failure.

Li Chang’an frowned, looking at the Talisman beneath his brush.

This attempt was more complete than the last.

He had finished about half of it.

’This time, my Magical Power was barely enough to sustain the process, and my Spiritual Power was sufficient. Although I’m tired, I haven’t reached my limit.’

Li Chang’an thought to himself, recalling the process of painting the Talisman.

’The reason I failed is probably a lack of proficiency.’

He already knew the contents of the Jade Scroll regarding the legacy of Tier One Top Grade Talismans by heart.

But after all, he had only tried twice.

It was normal to fail.

Many geniuses only appear brilliant on the surface; who knows how many times they’ve failed behind the scenes?

’Can’t be rushed. I have to take it slow.’

Li Chang’an felt calm.

’The "Profound Sword Talisman" I tried to paint these last two times is an offensive Talisman. Maybe I should try an escape-type one, the "Wind Shadow Talisman".’

The Wind Shadow Talisman was the High Tier replacement for the Low Grade "Wind Speed Talisman" and the Middle Grade "Wind Escape Talisman."

Since Li Chang’an often painted talismans for escaping, he was particularly proficient with these two types.

He could practically paint them with his eyes closed.

’My proficiency with this type of escape Talisman far exceeds that of any other.’

Li Chang’an thought for a moment and came up with a plan.

He didn’t rush. He continued to adjust his condition, resting with the Profound Water Turtle for about four hours.

Afterward.

He entered the Borrowed State, held his Talisman Brush, and began to paint slowly.

This time, the process went exceptionally smoothly.

His movements were as fluid as flowing water, handled with perfect ease.

The patterns on the Talisman Paper grew increasingly complete.

Before long.

A look of joy spread across Li Chang’an’s face. He set down his Talisman Brush and looked at the completed Talisman on his desk.

"My Talisman Art has finally broken through!"

This Wind Shadow Talisman was absolutely perfect.

It didn’t have the slightest flaw.

This meant his Talisman Art had officially advanced, and he was now a Tier One Top Grade talisman master!

"This Borrowing Technique is truly incredible. It wasn’t a waste to spend so many Spirit Stones raising the Profound Water Turtle!"

Li Chang’an beamed, his mood excellent.

After all.

The skill to create Tier One Top Grade Talismans was the absolute best in Qinghe Marketplace.

There wasn’t a single Tier Two Talisman Master in the entire Qinghe Marketplace.

After all.

If someone had Tier Two skills, why would they stay in the Marketplace?

It was much easier to earn Spirit Stones in Yellow Crane Immortal City.

Besides, painting a Tier Two Talisman required an even greater amount of Magical Power, something most cultivators in the Late Stage of Qi Refining could hardly sustain.

’A Tier One Top Grade talisman master... even the Zheng Family would have to treat someone like that with respect.’

A wave of emotion suddenly washed over Li Chang’an.

Without even realizing it.

He had come this far.

His current achievements were something his former self would never have dared to imagine.

’The path ahead is still long. I can’t get arrogant.’

Li Chang’an silently admonished himself.

A Top Grade Talisman Master.

It was just a small step on his Immortal Path.

’First, I need to consolidate my skill with Top Grade Talismans and see what my success rate is.’

Li Chang’an rested for a moment, then tried again.

His next two attempts at Talisman Painting both ended in failure.

His expression remained unchanged.

He had expected as much.

...

For the next few days.

Li Chang’an practiced nonstop.

He failed many times, using up a great deal of Talisman Paper and Spiritual Ink.

Overall, his success rate for painting Tier One Top Grade Talismans was about thirty percent.

It wasn’t very high.

But as his proficiency grew, the success rate was steadily increasing.

’With a bit more practice, my success rate should stabilize at over fifty percent.’

Li Chang’an was very confident; he could feel his skills improving.

Through his constant practice.

He discovered.

Not only were his skills improving, but he and the turtle were also becoming more synchronized.

"This is a good thing."

Li Chang’an smiled.

The greater the rapport between a Spirit Beast and its master, the better.

Better rapport led to a closer bond.

He had once heard.

Some Spirit Beasts had terrible relationships with their masters. They were often beaten and cursed, causing them to harbor deep resentment. Eventually, they would even risk the backlash from their Spirit Contract to kill or injure their masters.

’The Profound Water Turtle and Dahuang would never do something like that.’

Li Chang’an considered himself to be quite good to his two Spirit Beasts, certainly not to the point where they would develop resentment.

...

「A few more days passed.」

Li Chang’an temporarily stopped his Talisman Painting.

Just as he had predicted.

His success rate for painting Tier One Top Grade Talismans had stabilized at over fifty percent.

’This success rate is good enough for now. In the future, I’ll still need to slowly polish my Talisman Art.’

Li Chang’an put away his Talisman Painting tools.

’Now, to see if I can make a breakthrough in my Puppetry Skill.’

With a single thought.

A large pile of materials for crafting puppet components appeared before him.

’Humanoid puppets are quite difficult to make. For now, I’ll start with something simpler.’

Just as before.

Li Chang’an planned to start with the basics.

He decided to craft a turtle puppet that excelled at defense.

’The structure of a turtle puppet isn’t complex. The main issue is its mobility.’

Li Chang’an began to ponder.

Combining the knowledge from the Top Grade Puppet legacy, he gradually formed a detailed design in his mind.

After meditating for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, he selected his materials and began to work.

The difficulty of crafting a Top Grade Puppet far surpassed that of a Middle Grade Puppet.

Li Chang’an failed several times just trying to craft the most basic components.