Chapter 6: The Hundred Arts of Cultivation: Talisman Making!
by xennovel“Lanshu, thank you for your hard work.”
Lu Changsheng carried the baby into the room. He sat beside Lu Lanshu, who was lying in bed, and gently held her hand.
Their marriage was one of convenience, without an emotional foundation.
But as they say, feelings grow over time. After being together for so long, and now with a child, they naturally developed some affection.
“Husband,” Lu Lanshu called out weakly, a faint smile on her pale face.
“Don’t move. Rest well,” Lu Changsheng said softly.
Holding the baby and looking at his wife, he felt a sense of happiness at that moment.
He thought it wouldn’t be bad to continue like this.
But then he remembered the Chen Family’s attack on their way to Qingzhu Mountain.
The cruel law of survival of the fittest in this world.
Lu Changsheng knew that happiness also needed strength to protect it.
Without mentioning distant matters, without strength, even his child wouldn’t be his own when he left the Lu Family in the future.
Moreover.
Having the luck to cross over to such a world, seeking immortal cultivation, and having a system by his side, he wasn’t content with living an ordinary life.
Seeing Lu Lanshu’s weak state, Lu Changsheng didn’t chat much. He let her rest and handed the baby to a nearby woman.
It wasn’t that the baby had to be given to the Lu Family right after birth, but he didn’t know how to care for an infant, so he let the woman take care of it.
As for the child’s Spirit Root, it would only manifest at five or six years old, so it couldn’t be tested now.
After leaving the birthing room, Lu Changsheng returned to his own room and silently said,
“System, I want to draw a prize.”
Immediately, a pale red virtual lottery wheel appeared before his eyes.
It was divided into seven areas: Techniques, Skills, Spirit Beasts, Pills, Artifacts, Treasures, and Others.
“It’s quite comprehensive,” Lu Changsheng looked at the items available for drawing, his face showing delight.
The only complaint was that this lottery wheel looked a bit like the big wheel from his previous life’s Penguin family’s pay-to-win games.
It made him feel unreliable and a bit panicked.
Could it really produce good things?
Moreover, in his past life, drawing prizes depended on spending money, but in this life, it depended on having children?
It felt a bit strange to him…
Nevermind, he’d just treat this lottery as the system’s gift for the newborn.
Lu Changsheng didn’t overthink it and silently said,
“Start the draw.”
Immediately, a golden light began spinning on the pale red wheel.
After five seconds, the wheel slowed down. Under Lu Changsheng’s expectant gaze, the golden light stopped on “Skills.”
[Ding! Congratulations, host has obtained Level 2 Talisman Making Skill!]
[Reward has been deposited in the system space, host can check at any time]
A light orb in the shape of a talisman appeared from the big wheel, accompanied by the system’s voice.
Lu Changsheng’s mind stirred, and he saw a talisman-shaped light orb in the system space, with information floating above it.
[Level 2 Talisman Making Skill: After use, directly comprehend Level 2 max Talisman Making Skill and corresponding talisman compendium.]
“Directly obtain Level 2 max Talisman Making Skill!?”
“System, I’m sorry, I admit I was a bit narrow-minded at first and had some prejudice.”
When Lu Changsheng saw the information, his expression was full of joy.
He didn’t expect to get such a good thing on his first draw.
He hadn’t just been focused on making babies and cultivating during his time with the Lu Family.
He had also been enriching himself, learning about many things in the immortal cultivation world.
He knew how precious this Level 2 Talisman Making Skill was and how high its value was.
Like in the mortal world, immortal cultivators also had many professions and skills.
For example, pill refining, tool refining, Talisman Making, array formation, Beast Taming, planting, medicinal cuisine, spirit identification, mineral prospecting… and so on.
In his past life, there was a saying: “With a skill, you’ll never go hungry wherever you go.”
The same applied to immortal cultivators.
And not only would they not go hungry, they would be highly sought after, welcome wherever they went.
Because the skills of immortal cultivators had higher thresholds, not something you could learn just because you wanted to, or succeed in learning easily.
It greatly depended on talent and wealth.
Among all skills, pill refining, tool refining, array formation, and Talisman Making were especially sought after.
A Level 2 Talisman Making Skill corresponded to talismans above Qi Condensation, at the Foundation Establishment stage.
With this skill, he could easily become an honored guest or resident expert in some family forces!
Without much thought, Lu Changsheng mentally activated the Level 2 Talisman Making Skill in his system space.
In an instant, a flood of knowledge and information poured into his mind.
“Introduction to Talismans”
“Basic Talisman Compendium”
“Level 1 Talisman Compendium”
“Level 2 Talisman Compendium”
“The Amazing World of Talisman Making”
“How Talismans Are Made”
“Talisman Making: From Beginner to Expert”
…
After a while, Lu Changsheng’s mind was filled with a wealth of knowledge about talismans.
He also had a feeling as if he had been drawing and making talismans for decades.
He quickly went to the writing desk, picked up a brush, and with fluid, dragon-like strokes, drew a very complex talisman symbol on a piece of paper.
“This feeling is simply amazing!”
“It’s as if I’ve practiced calligraphy for decades or even a century, without any unfamiliarity or awkwardness.”
“As expected, the system’s products are truly top-notch!”
Lu Changsheng looked at the talisman symbol on the white paper, his face full of joy.
He wasn’t just drawing randomly; this was the symbol for a Level 1 low-Tier Fire Ball Talisman.
It’s just that without using a talisman brush, talisman paper, spirit ink, and Qi, it couldn’t become a real talisman.
He couldn’t quite explain the drawing process himself.
It was like eating or drinking, something he had done countless times, forming muscle memory.
“With this Level 2 Talisman Making Skill, even if I leave the Lu Family, I can establish myself!”
“I won’t have to worry about not being able to find a wife or support a wife and children!”
Lu Changsheng took a deep breath, his heart excited and thrilled.
But after a while, he frowned.
“However, I can’t reveal this Level 2 Talisman Making Skill now. I wouldn’t be able to explain it, and it might bring trouble.”
There’s a saying: An innocent man may invite disaster by carrying a precious jade.
If he, a son-in-law rejected by immortal sects and just starting cultivation, suddenly knew how to make talismans, it would surely arouse suspicion and bring trouble.
Moreover, he was currently a son-in-law of the Lu Family, living under their roof.
If he revealed his Talisman Making skill, who knows what the Lu Family’s attitude would be.
He might go from being a ‘breeding’ tool to a talisman-making tool.
“I can’t rush. I need to take it slow. First, I’ll buy a set of talisman-making tools and materials, practice making talismans, then gradually reveal my talent for Talisman Making in the Lu Family. Finally, I’ll naturally reveal my Level 1 and Level 2 Talisman Master skills.”
“This way, it won’t arouse suspicion. I might even be valued by the Lu Family for my talisman-making talent and improve my status.”
Lu Changsheng took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and made up his mind.
Now that he had seen the system’s effect and obtained the Level 2 Talisman Making Skill, he felt more confident about this world and his future.
He knew that as long as he was cautious, had more children, and avoided trouble, even if he couldn’t become an immortal, his future achievements wouldn’t be too bad.
…
Early the next morning, Lu Changsheng went out, taking out the magical Flying Sword that Lu Yuanshan Ding had rewarded him with earlier, and headed towards the Hundred Treasures Pavilion of Qingzhu Mountain Estate.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was like a department store.
It sold almost everything: Artifacts, pills, talismans, Spirit Rice, spirit vegetables, monster meat, daily necessities, and so on.
Lu Changsheng would use the Spirit Stones he received each month to buy monster meat and spirit vegetables at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Although pills were effective, they were too expensive.
For a poor man like him, eating spirit vegetables and monster meat was more cost-effective.
Today, he came to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to buy a set of talisman-making tools and materials.
As for bringing the Flying Sword, it was because he had no money and planned to sell it for cash.
“Shopkeeper, do you sell talisman brushes, talisman paper, and spirit ink for making talismans here?”
Arriving at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, Lu Changsheng asked the shopkeeper who was lying on a recliner.
“What do you want those things for?” asked the shopkeeper, an old man with graying hair who was also a cultivator.
“I want to learn Talisman Making, so I’m planning to buy some materials to practice,” Lu Changsheng said.
“Learn Talisman Making?” The old man laughed as if he had heard a joke.
Looking at Lu Changsheng, he said, “Do you know how difficult it is to learn Talisman Making?”
There weren’t many cultivators in Qingzhu Mountain Estate, only seventy or eighty, and he knew most of them.
Lu Changsheng, being a son-in-law who frantically produced children, five in a year, had quite a reputation in Qingzhu Mountain Estate, making him relatively memorable to the shopkeeper.
“I don’t know, but my talent isn’t good. If I continue cultivating like this, I’ll reach my limit soon. So I might as well try to learn a skill,” Lu Changsheng shook his head and said with a bitter smile.
He had prepared these words the night before.
“Hehe, it’s good that you have this idea, but I advise you not to waste your money,” the shopkeeper said.
“For a beginner to learn Talisman Making, it’s normal to fail over a hundred times at first. If your aptitude is poor, failing several hundred times isn’t surprising!”
“And that’s just for one type of talisman. If you draw another type of talisman, although it might be a bit better than at the beginning, the failure rate is still alarmingly high.”
“For a beginner to become an entry-level Talisman Master, it takes thousands or tens of thousands of practices. You can imagine the cost yourself.”
The shopkeeper, seeing that Lu Changsheng was quite diligent in the Lu Family, making five women pregnant in a year, kindly reminded him.