Yu Ci didn’t care much about the gazes of others, but the stare from Daoist Master Xie was different. His gaze felt like a tangible, sharp sword piercing straight through Yu Ci’s eyes and stabbing into his heart.
For a moment, Yu Ci felt breathless, though a voice of praise reached his ears:
Xie Liang’s tone seemed to rise slightly, but the matter quickly returned to its usual course. To Yu Ci’s question, only a faint reply came:
“You are not an inner disciple. Such grand teachings of the Dao are not to be transmitted to you. Silence!”
Receiving a reprimand, Yu Ci obediently closed his mouth. The mocking glances from the two young men in front of him were thoroughly ignored.
Despite his calm outward demeanor, Yu Ci’s heart was far from tranquil. Xie Liang’s words, though seemingly a scolding, indirectly answered his question: "Teachings of the Dao…" Did this not mean that the pure "principle" was inseparable from the connection to the spirit? Furthermore, his path forward was aligned with the Dao?
This question could only be pondered by himself. With those words, Xie Liang concluded the lecture on precepts and moved on to another topic:
“Do you know how to draw talismans?”
Xie Liang did not need anyone’s cooperation and continued speaking:
“Today, I will teach you how to draw talismans.”
With that, he extended his hand. His slender fingers moved through the air with a few subtle twists, and suddenly, spiritual light emerged, forming the intricate character for (静) “tranquility”—a "Clear Mind Talisman".
Such a simple talisman could be easily drawn by everyone present. However, what happened next left the cultivators in the hall stunned.
Once the first talisman was completed, Xie Liang began anew, still drawing the "Clear Mind Talisman". This time, however, he didn’t draw it on a new surface but retraced the first talisman. To the untrained eye, nothing seemed amiss, but the seasoned experts in talismanic arts could clearly see that Xie Liang’s second drawing precisely followed the spiritual trajectory of the first talisman without deviation.
This technique appeared simple, but no one in the hall could replicate it.
Once a talisman was formed, spiritual energy became embedded within it. At that point, the talisman was no longer a mere symbol painted with refined energy but a spiritual artifact capable of invoking natural forces and the essence of all things. If additional refined energy was infused without perfectly aligning with the existing spiritual paths, the resulting clash of energies would destroy the talisman.
No two talismans were ever identical. Even the simplest "Clear Mind Talisman"—who could guarantee they could fully memorize the spiritual pathways and perfectly retrace them?
And this wasn’t all. Xie Liang seemed to be addicted to repetition. After the second pass, he moved on to a third, a fourth… all the way to the thirty-third pass before finally stopping.
By then, the floating "Clear Mind Talisman" no longer resembled its original form. The strokes of the character had blurred into radiant light, and the concentrated spiritual glow had gathered into a fist-sized halo around the talisman. The talisman now looked like a giant luminous pearl suspended in the hall.
A profound silence filled the Xiande Hall.
Ingenious! Masterful!
Such thoughts dominated the minds of the cultivators present.
Xie Liang finally spoke:
“This is the Qi Infusion technique, a highly effective method in talisman cultivation. Practice it.”
Some cultivators quietly tried it themselves but failed without exception. What appeared to be a playful trick turned out to be an insurmountable challenge for even these talismanic experts. The crowd gazed at Xie Liang, hoping for further explanation.
However, Xie Liang only responded with a single statement:
“This technique has no shortcuts. It depends solely on practice. Hone your skills on your own.”
The hall fell into a collective stupor, while Yu Ci felt a headache coming on. This daoist master was truly exasperating. Why did he talk endlessly about things no one cared about but was so stingy with words about what everyone wanted to know?
Xie Liang remained unmoved by the discontent of the crowd. Proceeding as he pleased, he addressed the room:
“If you have questions about today’s teachings, now is the time to ask. I will answer as I see fit.”
This caused a stir among the disciples. The outer disciples and visiting daoists who resided at the temple knew this procedure well. Without wasting time, they gathered in small groups, discussed among themselves, and quickly reached a consensus.
One outer disciple was pushed forward. After saluting respectfully, he tentatively asked:
“How does one determine if the Qi Infusion technique has reached minor or major completion? Is there a standard measure?”
“For such a minor technique, what is the point of discussing completion stages?”
Xie Liang seemed displeased that the cultivators were still fixated on the earlier topic. His tone turned colder:
“If you succeed, you will succeed every time. If you fail, even after a thousand or ten thousand tries, failure may come again on the next attempt.”
The outer disciple, rebuffed, retreated in embarrassment, exchanging awkward glances with his companions.
Yu Ci, however, was struck by inspiration. According to Xie Liang, there must indeed be a knack to this technique. Otherwise, why would he mention “succeeding every time”?
He was deep in thought when someone stood up gracefully in the front row. After bowing to Xie Liang, the individual spoke clearly. Yu Ci turned his gaze toward the speaker and saw that it was Kuang Yanqi.
"Disciple often hears the elders in my family say that the art of Talisman techniques focuses on preparation and planning rather than immediate adaptability. If the enemy is defined, and there is ample time to prepare, Talisman techniques can be highly effective. However, in a sudden confrontation, where blades clash at close quarters, one is bound to suffer greatly. Disciple is ignorant and seeks guidance from the Immortal on whether this view is correct."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.
Kuang Yanqi’s question was well-timed and skillfully worded. The core challenge in using Talisman techniques lies in balancing their power with efficiency.
Everyone knew that Talisman techniques were profound and extraordinarily powerful. However, compared to other methods, drawing talismans took far too long. The more powerful the Talisman, the more intricate its design. Although there were countless techniques to simplify and expedite the process, they still lagged significantly behind other methods, such as sword Qi, magical artifacts, or divine abilities.
If a Talisman wasn't completed in time, one might lose their head in the meantime—this was a stark reality for the cultivators skilled in Talisman techniques gathered in the hall.
This was undoubtedly a major topic. If Xie Liang chose to answer, it would likely lead to a lengthy discourse, much to the delight of the cultivators present. Yu Ci noticed that many people began looking at Kuang Yanqi with newfound warmth.
Yu Ci smiled as well, his estimation of the young man rising.
Xie Liang cast a glance at Kuang Yanqi and nodded slightly. "It varies from person to person."
If he had dismissed the question with just that remark, no one could predict how the disappointed cultivators might react. Xie Liang seemed to realize the gravity of the situation and, after a brief pause, continued:
"As for adaptability, the key is to speed up the process of drawing Talismans. You have two options: seek it within yourself or utilize external tools. These two approaches often complement each other."
This was the prelude to an elaborate explanation. The cultivators in the hall held their breath, afraid to miss a single word.
But Xie Liang didn't speak further. Instead, he took out an object to show everyone. It was a bead, about the size of a longan, with a deep purple hue. Faint light radiated from within, and intricate patterns shimmered on its surface. Xie Liang held it delicately between his thumb and forefinger for all to see. However, as it was exposed to the air, its radiance expanded, enveloping the first joint of his finger.
The audience's faces were filled with a mix of curiosity and puzzlement. "What is this?"
Xie Liang remained silent, letting go of the bead. It floated in midair, its glow expanding until it was nearly the size of the nearby talisman infused with thirty-three layers of Clear Mind inscriptions. Xie Liang then began drawing a Talisman directly on the bead.
It was a Five Thunder Talisman!
Previously, when Xie Liang was drawing the Clear Mind Incantation, its complexity wasn’t as apparent. But as he transitioned to the Five Thunder Talisman, Yu Ci finally recognized the Immortal’s exceptional skill. The Five Thunder Talisman consisted of "thunder" glyphs connected in a string, accompanied by cloud and star patterns. Xie Liang's brush moved from the stars to the clouds and finally to the thunder glyphs, his pace deliberate yet precise. Each step was so flawless it could serve as a textbook example.
In this process, the stars symbolized vastness, the clouds symbolized heaviness, and the thunder glyphs were the most remarkable. Each flick of light from Xie Liang's fingertip caused a ripple in Yu Ci's True Qi. The energy reverberated from within him, producing a faint thunderous echo in his ears.
Yu Ci took a deep breath, striving to steady his mind and resist the urge to leap from his cushion. Mesmerized, he felt every stroke Xie Liang made resonated with his innermost thoughts.
Previously, Yu Ci had used Five Thunder Talismans proficiently. Against the infamous demon Tu Du, he had wielded a Five Thunder Talisman to harness the power of Heaven's Punishment, shattering the protective barrier of the Sun Soul Banner. With external and internal attacks combined, he had ultimately torn the banner apart and dealt Tu Du a severe blow.
However, as he watched Xie Liang work, he realized his past applications were filled with superficial mimicry and subtle flaws. Each stroke Xie Liang made seemed to provide a perfect solution to those imperfections. By the time the Talisman was complete, Yu Ci's understanding of the Five Thunder Talisman had undergone a complete transformation.
It was only then that Yu Ci thought of a question: What was Xie Liang doing?
Soon, the cultivators in the hall saw the Five Thunder Talisman fuse into the purple bead!
The bead's glow intensified, disrupting the nearby Clear Mind Incantation, its light twisting and stretching as though on the verge of collapse. Only after a full breath did it stabilize.
Xie Liang finally spoke: "This is the first Five Thunder Talisman I created after achieving Core Refinement. Whenever I have time, I infuse it daily with Qi Breathing techniques. To this day, it has been fifty-seven years."
His voice was calm, but each word struck like thunder, leaving the cultivators in the hall speechless.
Yu Ci didn’t know what the others thought, but his first instinct was to slide his cushion back a little further…