51: Chapter 51: The Effects of the Talisman 51: Chapter 51: The Effects of the Talisman One sheet, two sheets, three sheets…
Soon, there were seven or eight pieces of talisman paper wasted on the ground.
When Bai Ziyue tried to pick up another sheet of talisman paper to start drawing, a wave of dizziness surged up, making him feel unsteady.
“*Indeed, my Spiritual Power was insufficient.*”
He knew from the start that the magic of talismans greatly drained one’s mental resources, despite their accessibility to ordinary people.
With Bai Ziyue’s Spirit Attribute at 1.8, after seven or eight sheets, he was already struggling to continue.
This was even with all the talismans failing and the talisman pen being full of spiritual usage, which helped save his spirit to some degree.
After resting for a full hour and feeling his spirit thoroughly restored, Bai Ziyue stood by the table once more.
Despite the seven or eight failures, he wasn’t entirely without gain.
Continual failure was essentially a constant process of finding mistakes.
Through previous experience, he could now successfully draw the Cleaning Talisman to eighty percent completion.
He felt confident that he would soon draw the talisman perfectly.
Calming his mind, Bai Ziyue dipped the talisman pen in vermillion ink once again, and steadily settled it on the prepared Hundred-pleated Paper.
Start writing, paint, outline…
Under full concentration, Bai Ziyue’s hand was steady and powerful, moving smoothly as if under a flood.
Despite feeling a heavy pressure, he didn’t stall and completed most of the talisman’s writing.
Soon, the talisman reached the point where it failed the last time.
Previously, Bai Ziyue failed at the end part because he maintained the same level of pressure, not realizing that more strength was needed later in the talisman drawing, causing a momentary stall.
The stall led directly to the failure of drawing the talisman.
This time, Bai Ziyue, well prepared, infused much more spirit into the talisman pen.
The highly spiritual talisman pen, with the help of the increased Spiritual Power, completed the final part of the writing very smoothly.
Almost in one fell swoop, the talisman finished its last stroke.
Impatiently, Bai Ziyue focused his gaze on the talisman.
Just in time to see a weak glow flashing across the talisman.
The talisman still seemed like any other talisman, but when Bai Ziyue picked it up, he felt a heaviness, at least ten times that of a single sheet of paper.
Additionally, upon examining the talisman again, he could clearly sense a special spirit infused into it.
Comparing it with a previously failed talisman, he immediately noticed the difference.
The failed talisman looked decent at first, but the stiffness was laid bare when compared side by side.
“Finally succeeded with one.” *Bai Ziyue felt a surge of excitement.*
He didn’t linger; seizing the moment, he began drawing talismans again.
One sheet, two sheets, three sheets…
When Bai Ziyue finished the third sheet, he finally stopped.
“With my Spiritual Power, at most I can draw three to four sheets at a time.
If I force myself to continue, my Spiritual Power will be exhausted, and then I’ll regret it.” *Feeling his Spiritual Power nearing depletion, he wisely chose to halt.*”
*Previously, when running out of Spiritual Power, his mind felt unbearably dizzy, and he didn’t want to attempt it again.*
Yet, what thrilled him was that after succeeding the first time, he succeeded again the second and third times consecutively.
The stacking of three Cleaning Talismans brought him a sense of satisfaction with their weight.
“Magic of the talisman art, supposedly a form of magic too.
Now that I have three Cleaning Talismans, it’s perfect to take out one and test its effect.” Bai Ziyue felt an eager anticipation.
*Despite knowing his talismans had succeeded, his heart wasn’t entirely at ease without witnessing their real effectiveness.*
*Moreover, he was just as eager to see the effect of the Cleaning Talisman.*
Bai Ziyue dared not use it on himself for the first time.
So he glanced around the room and quickly noticed a stack of bedding on the bed.
Though the bedding was old, it was clean, except for a spot that appeared slightly yellowed, likely due to inadequate washing.
At the sight, he hurried to the bedside, reached out, tore open the Cleaning Talisman directly, and tossed it onto the bedding.
Almost instantly, a grayish glow flared up, enveloping the entire bedding.
After several seconds, the glow faded, and the Cleaning Talisman entirely turned to ashes, as if it had never existed.
But when he looked at the bedding, he was stunned.
The original yellowing spot was fully cleaned, and the whole bedding seemed brand new.
If not for finding an existing tear in the corner of the bedding, he would have thought it was brand new.
“Is this the power of a talisman?
Truly magical, boundless in its effects.” Bai Ziyue gazed at the two remaining talismans in his hand, feeling exhilarated.
“This is just the simplest Cleaning Talisman; the Hundred Talisman Atlas records as many as twenty or thirty kinds of talismans.
He regretted only having acquired the first volume of the Hundred Talisman Atlas, which evidently had at least a second and third volume.
If he could gather them all, the other talismans would surely be even more wondrous, with immense power.
He was eager to start drawing more talismans to see their effects.
However, after drawing two talismans, his Spiritual Power was quite exhausted, so he decisively abandoned this thought.
Just as Bai Ziyue began drawing talismans, in an old-looking courtyard, two Daoists, one plump and one slim, stood facing each other.
They were Daoist Wutong’s two disciples—Zhang Yuchang, the first disciple, and Wu Hao, the second disciple.
“Junior brother, I heard the female ghost you were raising was killed?” Zhang Yuchang said with a smile.
“Dead is dead, but don’t forget the Child Yang Qi that Master instructed you to collect.”
“It’s crucial for Master’s Magical Artifact refining.”
“Hmph, I know,” Wu Hao said stiffly, his complexion darkened.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuchang narrowed his eyes, knowing the Yin Yang Jade Pendant and the female ghost driver were necessary for Child Yang Qi collection.
He understood and said coldly, “Junior brother, you wouldn’t have lost the Yin Yang Jade Pendant, would you?
Master lent it to you specifically for collecting Child Yang Qi.”
“Once lost, you know Master’s methods.”
Thinking of Master’s methods, Wu Hao shivered for a while before saying, “I understand.
However, I already know who took the Yin Yang Jade Pendant.
Believe me, I can retrieve it soon.” *But, he hoped the senior brother wouldn’t report to Master prematurely.*
Saying this, Wu Hao’s eyes flickered, quickly showing a trace of pleading.
“Master has returned to the mountain; you have at most two months.
Take care,” Zhang Yuchang said, shaking his head.
“Thank you for understanding, Senior brother.
Two months will be enough,” Wu Hao said, his spirit lifted.