[Congratulations to the tasker, you have now reached the Early Stage of Talisman Apprentice, officially commencing talisman cultivation.]
[The puppet usage time is related to the strength of the tasker’s soul power. Based on estimation, your current soul power can control the puppet for 4 hours, with the activity range extending to twenty meters.]
The sound of the True System rang in the ear, timely explaining Jia Xitong’s doubts.
Wow!
She knew she was getting stronger!
“What is a Talisman Apprentice?
Is it similar to a Martial Apprentice?”
[The levels of talisman cultivation are similar to martial cultivation.]
“Which is stronger at the same stage, talisman cultivation or martial cultivation?”
[Due to various factors, it’s impossible to compare.]
“Okay.”
Jia Xitong automatically attributed it to herself being a bit stronger.
After all, the talisman she painted had killed a martial master!
While Shang Yanting almost got beaten to death, and couldn’t sell even after learning.
Talisman cultivation wins completely!
Jia Xitong delightedly felt once again that she was destined to become Long Aotian.
##
The benefits of becoming a Talisman Apprentice finally revealed themselves one by one after being hidden for so long.
The most core of course is talisman painting.
In the past, every time Jia Xitong painted a talisman, she felt an inexplicable sense of blockage.
No matter how familiar the talisman design, the success rate of talisman making was only one percent.
Yet this time, while practicing talisman making, she was able to paint a successful Mixu Talisman within a hundred sheets.
This success rate, after countless practices, was further improved to one in eighty.
Out of more than eight hundred talismans in total, she successfully painted 9 Mixu Talismans!
“Dear Host, hello, congrats on successfully collecting Anjianxuan grass paper and Wenyao Fish Blood. Now rewarding you with Mixu Talisman·Upgraded Version*2.”
The cheerful fake system once again showed its generosity to her host.
“You upgraded?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Jia Xitong controlled the Little Raccoon to express her excitement, “The host’s proactive completion of tasks has led to an initial upgrade of talisman functionality. Host’s current trust value is 62, keep working hard!”
Shang Yanting had a slightly strange expression upon hearing this, then closed his eyes, refusing to answer questions about trust.
Immediately, Jia Xitong heard the system voice continuously echoing in her mind.
[Attention, male lead trust decreased by 1, current trust value 61/100]
[Attention, male lead trust decreased by 1, current trust value 60/100]
…
Listening to the continuously dropping trust value, Jia Xitong was dumbfounded.
Just when she thought love would disappear, the trust value began to rise again.
[Congratulations to the tasker for gaining 2 points of trust from the male lead, current trust value 55/100]
[Congratulations to the tasker for gaining 2 points of trust from the male lead, current trust value 57/100]
…
[Congratulations to the tasker for gaining 2 points of trust from the male lead, current trust value 63/100]
Falling and rising, in the end, it increased by 1 point from before.
She glanced at the outwardly calm and focused male lead, speculating how many rich internal dramas he acted out in those short two minutes.
Looking at his icy expression…
oh well, it’s not the first time.
The room was unexpectedly silent for quite a while until Jia Xitong found another topic.
“Dear Host.”
“Hmm.”
“Suppose you have something very precious and rare, would you choose to use it?”
“That depends on what you want to use it for.”
“Hmm… using it might yield a really powerful talisman, or it could destroy it.”
Once she finished, Shang Yanting immediately realized she was talking about the Undetermined Secret Grass and the ink from the Undetermined Silver Fish Fin.
These items in her hands made her itch, her heart also itchy.
But thinking the concept of failure was too high, she was afraid of wastage.
Papers and ink of the Heavenly and Earthly Treasures level!
If not even one talisman could be painted, she’d be heartbroken.
So conflicted.
Ever since painting the Mixu Talisman, Jia Xitong was stuck in a dilemma.
“If it were me, I would choose to try.”
Shang Yanting thought for a moment before expressing his view, “The best engraver has a first time using top-grade jade material, the finest artifact refiner also has moments of wasting peerless good materials. Only when it can add value to you is it truly useful, whether it’s the value of success or the value of failure.”
This statement helped the indecisive Jia Xitong make a choice.
If the male lead’s root recovery fails, it’d be fatal.
Her failure in talisman making is merely losing a few sheets of talisman paper.
Talisman cultivation is cultivation too!
Opportunities and risks coexist.
One word, do it!
##
Reviewing the journey of talisman making, she could paint a total of four types of talismans.
Solidification Talisman
Healing Talisman
Exploding Talisman
Mixu Talisman
Surely not succeeding brainlessly.
Choosing one type of talisman to stubbornly master increases the success rate much more.
The Undetermined Secret Grass and the Undetermined Silver Fish both carry healing properties.
Based on their characteristics, Jia Xitong chose the Healing Talisman.
Having been painted over ten thousand times by Jia Xitong, the method for painting a Healing Talisman had long transferred into muscle memory.
The brush soaked with ink made from the Undetermined Silver Fish moved much slower than usual.
The first sheet was wasted due to nervousness.
The third sheet gradually reached a better state, but when painting a talisman with Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, the sense of blockage became more pronounced.
This sheet too ended up wasted.
…
Originally she planned to try just ten sheets.
However this thing, once grasped, was like playing a game – addictive!
Every failure fueled her desire to win, clearing the first stage made her want to try the second, until she reached out again, the bottom touch bringing her back to reason.
Only three talismans left!
Should she paint?
If not, the last seventeen sheets were wasted.
If she does, she might waste twenty sheets.
Jia Xitong finally chose the latter.
On the third last sheet, she hypnotized herself not to feel pain, while proceeding cautiously.
With the previous dozen failures, she sliced through all obstacles, reaching the end.
The inexplicable sense of blockage that led to painting failures reappeared.
So blocked, just have to push through!
Jia Xitong intended to squeeze every drop of spiritual power from her soul body!
Shang Yanting also felt the riotous spiritual power in his Sea of Consciousness, mistakenly thinking there was a mishap in his cultivation.
Quickly, he sat down on the spot to clear the chaotic True Qi.
The sense of cultivation came back.
The meager spiritual power in Jia Xitong’s soul body began circulating systematically, additionally True Qi was being absorbed from externally.
The talisman design beneath the brush only had the last dot remaining, the spiritual power supplier Shang Yanting furrowed his brow, perspiration streaming.
As the instigator of this whole event, Jia Xitong also struggled!
The soul body urgently drew spiritual power from around, the talisman beneath her brush seemed like an endless abyss, until the final stroke.
Splat——
The brush handle shattered the moment the last stroke finished, the next second, the talisman under her hand emitted a dazzling light, even the wooden carving beside it brightened.
The Healing Talisman painted with Heavenly and Earthly Treasures, was completed!
At the same time, the male lead who encouraged her to take the plunge suffered recoil, spitting a mouthful of old blood as the spiritual power ceased rioting, his body seemingly drained of True Qi.