Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"Drawing the Arrow-Evasion Talisman differs from the Evil-Repelling Talisman in one crucial aspect. When you encounter a turn in the talisman lines, the brush stroke must have a clear ’collecting’ gesture, while the Spiritual Power should ’spring’, and when you encounter a dot, it’s the exact opposite. The Evil-Repelling Talisman has a total of eighteen turns and twenty-one dots, all follow this principle. Once you grasp this point, drawing the Arrow-Evasion Talisman won’t be difficult."

Zhang Yan took out a sheet of white paper and began to draw a talisman on it while explaining.

Chen Li was completely confused.

He had encountered these professional terms in books before, but those two tattered volumes certainly didn’t provide specific explanations for these terms.

In this world, a great deal of knowledge has barriers to entry; one needs a mentor to lead the way. There aren’t books like ’From Beginner to Expert’ for novices to study from.

Not only is this world’s knowledge inaccessible to beginners, but it is also often kept secret.

For these incomprehensible terms, Chen Li’s approach had always been to try and decipher through trial and error. Fortunately, relying on the original owner’s fragmented memories and his body’s instincts, aside from getting stuck on the Evil-Repelling Talisman, everything else had been smooth sailing.

Once past the initial learning stage, his proficiency and success rate would naturally increase under the assistance of the game panel’s simulation function.

However, this time, he was facing a new talisman that the original owner had never drawn, and clearly, he wasn’t succeeding.

"What do ’collecting’ and ’springing’ mean?" Chen Li seized the opportunity to humbly ask for advice.

"You don’t know this? These are the basics of talisman drawing. How did your master teach you?" Zhang Yan was astonished.

Chen Li gave an embarrassed smile.

"Do you know other brush strokes like point, release, touch, slide, roam, and flick?" Zhang Yan fell silent for a moment, then asked again.

Chen Li felt an irresistible urge to scratch his head fiercely: "I don’t know!"

"How about the twelve ways of channeling Spiritual Power?"

Chen Li shook his head and gave a rueful smile with a cupped fist salute: "I hope my fellow Daoist can enlighten me."

"You don’t know anything. How... how have you been drawing talismans?" Zhang Yan was incredulous.

"It has all been self-taught from reading books, and luckily, I have a bit of talent." Chen Li said, thick-skinned.

What else could he say?

Zhang Yan took a deep breath, trying hard to control his explosive temper. After all, not only had the visitor paid tuition, but he was also going to buy a bunch of talisman skins; he couldn’t afford to drive him away in anger.

He gave up his position: "You draw a talisman. I want to see your level."

"What talisman should I draw?" Chen Li asked.

"Just draw an Evil-Repelling Talisman. Draw it on talisman skin," he answered.

"Aren’t these supposed to be drawn at noon?" Chen Li said.

"You can also draw at night, though the success rate is very low," Zhang Yan replied. "Just draw casually. I mainly want to check your brushwork."

"The brush is a bit unfamiliar..." Chen Li picked up the brush. Since it was just casual drawing, he didn’t perform the usual rituals. He took a deep breath, quickly calmed his mind, and in the next moment, he began to draw upon touching the paper.

He had reached a proficient level with the Evil-Repelling Talisman so that he could draw it with his eyes closed.

It was over in an instant.

The pen stopped, and the talisman was complete.

As he watched the faint light of the Evil-Repelling Talisman gradually fade away.

Zhang Yan’s mouth hung open, his face a picture of stupefaction.

Is this truly what you achieved by self-teaching?

This brushwork, this speed, this incredible luck, were almost as good as his own.

"I made you laugh!" Chen Li put down the brush: "I hope my fellow Daoist can offer some advice."

"Your method of drawing talismans... is quite unconventional, probably because you figured it out on your own," he said.

Zhang Yan couldn’t help but give Chen Li a glance, wondering if he came here to make trouble.

Seeing that Chen Li was earnestly listening and genuinely clueless, Zhang Yan continued in frustration:

"Actually, the brushwork I’ve mentioned, you’ve used most of them in drawing talismans, but you just don’t know what they’re called. For instance, your first stroke utilizes ’point’ and ’slide’..."

...

Late at night.

When Chen Li left Zhang Yan’s place, he felt that the money was well spent and very enlightening.

Although he hadn’t learned the Arrow-Evasion Talisman all night, he had filled in some of the gaps in his foundational knowledge of talisman drawing.

While this was of little use for talismans he already knew how to draw, it would be of immense benefit when learning new talismans in the future.

The nights in the shantytown areas were dangerous, and few dared to venture out after dark.

But for Chen Li, these fears no longer existed.

He walked briskly along the shadows, avoiding contact with anyone at the sound of footsteps ahead.

Safely and without incident, he returned home.

...

For the next two days, Chen Li practiced during the day and reported to Zhang Yan’s house at night.

Zhang Yan’s temper grew shorter each day, far from the patience he’d shown on the first day.

The third night.

"You still can’t get it right. Don’t be so stiff."

"Drawing an Arrow-Evasion Talisman requires softness: the brush strokes, the output of Spiritual Power, everything should convey a sense of smoothness. What you’ve drawn is basically a pile of shit."

"Uncle, it’s time for tea!" Luckily, at that moment, Zhang Shuniang brought some tea.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Zhang!" Chen Li immediately breathed a sigh of relief and smiled helplessly at her.

Zhang Shuniang snickered.

"Spiritual Tea again, does Spiritual Tea cost nothing?" Zhang Yan muttered quietly, "To earn those fifty low-grade Spirit Stones from you, I feel like I’m losing a year off my life. Let’s not forget, tonight is the last night."

"Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore," Chen Li said, taking a sip of tea.

He felt he had almost grasped the essence of the Arrow-Evasion Talisman, and what remained was repeated practice.

Once he succeeded occasionally, the path ahead would be smooth for him.

Zhang Yan thought about it and grew worried again, "About the talisman papers..."

"From now on, you’ll handle the sales," Chen Li said reluctantly, cutting him off.

He’d asked the same question several times already.

Every time after scolding, he would feel regret and couldn’t help but ask again.

Really... stingy, bad-tempered, and greedy!

Seeing Chen Li’s easygoing response, Zhang Yan also felt a bit embarrassed, "Hey, I apologize for my temper. Sometimes I just can’t hold it in. Fellow Daoist, please don’t take it to heart."

"Don’t worry, I’m not so petty," Chen Li said with a laugh, unbothered.

For someone who’d been toughened up by society, this was nothing.

Not to mention other things, just learning to drive had gotten him showered with abuse, and after it all, he still had to smile and give gifts!

... 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The day after returning from Zhang Yan’s house.

Chen Li woke up early in the morning and began his closed-door attempt to master the Arrow-Evasion Talisman.

Whenever he got hungry, Zhou Hong brought him food, and he indulged in luxurious Qi Replenishing Pills when his Spiritual Power was exhausted.

From morning to night, he had wasted ten talismans and consumed six Qi Replenishing Pills. When he was working on the eleventh, the talisman flickered a few times, looking as if it would combust at any moment, but eventually, under Chen Li’s expectant gaze, the spiritual light gradually receded.

"I did it!"

He exhaled deeply, a look of joy on his face, and opened the game panel.

Indeed, a new skill appeared next to ’Evil-Repelling Talisman.’

"Arrow-Evasion Talisman, Beginner: 1/100"

"It hasn’t been easy, but I finally succeeded!" Chen Li mused.

He picked up the talisman and quickly activated it.

A faint glow of mana flickered.

The next moment, he sensed an invisible defensive force field centered around his body.

"Is this the Arrow-Avoiding Force Field?" Chen Li thought to himself.

He got up and walked toward the wall.

Three meters, two meters...

He felt a subtle repelling sensation.

Then the sensation of repulsion grew increasingly strong, accompanied by a strange ’slipperiness.’

When he got as close as one meter,

the repulsing force had reached the equivalent of about a hundred pounds.