Chapter 15

In these five years, making talismans in the early morning had become a habit for Chen Xi, regardless of the weather.

Today was no exception.

After washing up, Chen Xi sat in front of the wooden table and began to make talismans.

Unlike before, due to the slight pain in his skin, his wrist holding the brush was noticeably stiff, and his speed was much slower. It would be impossible to complete thirty first-grade talismans within five hours.

However, Chen Xi did not care about these things. His eyes were focused on the talisman paper, and his expression was meticulous.

According to the Zhang family general store's requirements, today he needed to make a first-grade basic talisman—the Earth Shield Talisman.

The Earth Shield Talisman is a defensive earth attribute basic talisman. When used, it can form a shield as solid as a rock in front of the user. The talisman pattern structure is not complicated, similar in difficulty to the Fire Cloud Talisman, but the attributes are completely different.

But this was no challenge for Chen Xi. In these five years, although he was mocked as a waste of talent who could only make basic talismans, if it came to the number of basic talismans he mastered, no one could compare to him.

There was no choice. To earn spirit stones, he had to learn to make various attribute basic talismans. Only by doing so could he exchange for spirit stones from the Zhang family general store.

By now, the number of basic talismans Chen Xi had mastered was no less than a thousand. This number, if spoken aloud, would surely shock everyone, making them disbelieve.

Generally, most talisman masters would choose one of the five elements to specialize in, thus quickly improving their talisman skills.

Chen Xi, however, accepted everything, studying all five elements' basic talismans. Although he had mastered them all, it took him much more time than other talisman masters. Whether it was worth it, only heaven knew.

Scribble, scribble, scribble...

The brush tip, dipped in ink, moved skillfully on the soft, white talisman paper, drawing winding and smooth talisman patterns. Chen Xi's brushwork was still precise and lively, seemingly unaffected by the stiffness in his wrist.

However, when he was halfway through drawing the entire Earth Shield Talisman, a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. It seemed as if there was an error in the talisman pattern on the paper, but upon closer inspection, he found no flaws.

Chen Xi frowned and stopped, deep in thought. In these five years, he had made the Earth Shield Talisman hundreds of times, and his brushwork had reached a level of perfection. Why did he feel so strange today?

Taking a deep breath, Chen Xi carefully examined the talisman paper on the table, the starting position of the brush, the evenness of the ink marks, the trajectory of the talisman patterns... The more he looked, the more uncomfortable he felt, as if a lump was forming in his chest, making his breathing rapid.

Strange?

Why should it feel strange? Everything was perfect!

Could it be that it wasn't his fault, but...

As if struck by lightning, a strong impulse suddenly arose in Chen Xi's heart. Like a man possessed, he picked up the talisman brush and began to write!

On the talisman paper, the talisman pattern route suddenly changed. What should have been intricate and detailed patterns was brushed over by Chen Xi, and instead, he drew intricate and complex patterns at the end.

Snap!

After completing the last stroke, Chen Xi put down the talisman brush and leaned on the wooden table, breathing heavily, his eyes bright and terrifying.

"Indeed, it looks much smoother now, but... is this still an Earth Shield Talisman?"

After a while, Chen Xi picked up the talisman paper, looking at the half-familiar, half-unfamiliar talisman patterns, and frowned.

"Never mind, let's try it first. If it fails, it fails..."

After some thought, Chen Xi still couldn't figure it out. He released a thread of true essence from his fingertips, infusing it into the talisman paper.

Whoosh!

A dense earth-yellow aura suddenly emerged, and in Chen Xi's hand, a turtle-shaped shield as tall as a person appeared.

Success!

Chen Xi breathed a sigh of relief, but a wave of shock suddenly surged in his heart. The talisman pattern structure, after countless years of evolution, had formed a fixed structure. The Earth Shield Talisman was one of them, and its talisman pattern structure had been perfected by countless sages. Even a slight difference in the talisman pattern trajectory could cause the entire talisman to fail.

Now, nearly half of the talisman pattern trajectory of this Earth Shield Talisman had been changed, yet it still worked. How could Chen Xi not be shocked?

He... actually changed the talisman pattern structure of the Earth Shield Talisman?

Realizing this, Chen Xi's knowledge of talismans was almost overturned. He couldn't believe that this Earth Shield Talisman was made by himself.

Then, he was troubled by a question: How did he do it just now?

After much thought, Chen Xi suddenly remembered something. The senior Fuxi had observed the River Chart and understood the principles of divination. Chen Xi not only used his knowledge of talismans to navigate the starry realm but also obtained a true body imprint left by senior Fuxi. Could all this be because of this true body imprint?

Senior Ji Yu had once said that this true body imprint contained a hint of the true essence of the River Chart, and Chen Xi had visualized this true body imprint last night.

Combining this with the enhancement of his senses when he woke up in the morning, Chen Xi almost instantly understood that everything must be related to the visualization of the true body imprint left by the cave master in his mind!

It seems that this visualization method not only strengthens his spirit but also subtly enhances his understanding of talismans.

Chen Xi, having figured everything out, felt enlightened. He picked up the talisman brush and began to make talismans again.

Time passed, and in less than three hours, thirty Earth Shield Talismans, completely different from those on the market, were created, which was two hours shorter than before!

Two hours, enough for Chen Xi to do many things...

What made Chen Xi particularly happy was that the true essence in his dantian did not run out as usual but was still more than half full. This meant he could make another thirty Earth Shield Talismans, earning ten more spirit stones every day!

But first, he should hand these talismans to Uncle Zhang. He hadn't made any talismans yesterday, and he didn't know if Uncle Zhang would blame him...

Chen Xi took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement, and walked out of the house.

Zhang's General Store.

Zhang Dayong, standing behind the counter, saw Chen Xi enter and pretended to be angry: "Good boy, why did you skip work yesterday? Are you getting too big for your britches and don't want to work with me anymore?"

A warm feeling surged in Chen Xi's heart. In these five years, if it weren't for Uncle Zhang's constant care, his family would have lost their source of income long ago.

Five years ago, when he had just learned to make basic talismans, he tried to sell them everywhere, but few people were interested, and no merchants were willing to buy them. In Songyan City, the consumption of basic talismans was very high, and merchants preferred to buy in bulk. At that time, Chen Xi could only make five basic talismans a day, which was not enough to attract the merchants' attention.

Fortunately, he met Zhang Dayong, who offered to buy the talismans he made at the market price. For five years, Zhang Dayong never broke his promise. This made Chen Xi extremely grateful to Zhang Dayong, and he always regarded him as a respected and trustworthy senior.

"Uncle Zhang, here are today's thirty Earth Shield Talismans." Chen Xi took out a stack of talismans and handed them over.

Zhang Dayong laughed and scolded: "I knew you would change the subject."

As he spoke, he took the stack of talismans, glanced at it, and casually placed it on the counter. Then he took out ten spirit stones and threw them to Chen Xi, teasing: "Boy, it's been five years. When do you plan to make second-grade talismans?"

Chen Xi replied: "I'm planning to, but I still need money to buy books."

Zhang Dayong, who was joking, was surprised by Chen Xi's serious answer and laughed heartily: "Then I'll wait for you to make second-grade talismans. I'll buy as many as you make, and the price will be fair."

Seeing the encouragement in Zhang Dayong's smile, Chen Xi felt extremely warm and nodded solemnly: "Yes, I'll learn it as soon as possible."

Holding ten spirit stones and a jade slip book, Chen Xi turned and left.

"The扫把星 (broom star) is finally gone..." A talisman apprentice came to the counter, picked up an Earth Shield Talisman with a playful smile, and was stunned when he saw the talisman pattern structure: "Uncle Zhang, is this an Earth Shield Talisman?"

"Brat, you've been studying for over a month and can't even recognize an Earth Shield Talisman. If you don't work harder, I'll kick you out!" Zhang Dayong frowned and scolded, but when his eyes fell on the talisman paper, he was also stunned.

Having run the general store for nearly thirty years, Zhang Dayong had handled hundreds of basic talismans every day, and his eyes were extremely sharp. He instantly saw that the talisman pattern structure of this Earth Shield Talisman had been completely changed.

Is this boy, Chen Xi, also trying to fool me?

A feeling of discomfort arose in Zhang Dayong's heart. Over the years, some talisman apprentices had tried to trick him by making small changes to the talismans, thinking they could get away with it, but how could they fool him? Zhang Dayong despised such deceit and would kick them out without mercy.

Now, his most trusted little boy might be doing the same, and Zhang Dayong couldn't accept it. His face gradually turned dark.

The abnormality at the counter gradually caught the attention of others in the store, who gathered around.

"Hey, this is the Earth Shield Talisman made by the面瘫 (stiff-faced) Chen. Why does it look so fake?"

"I think so too. The talisman pattern structure is completely wrong. Chen Xi is really over the top!"

"Exactly. Uncle Zhang has taken care of him for so many years, and he doesn't know how to be grateful. Instead, he tries to fool people with this. It's truly despicable."

...

The continuous buzz of discussion was filled with a hint of schadenfreude.

Zhang Dayong's face became increasingly grim, and he was extremely heartbroken. He had already decided that if Chen Xi didn't give him a satisfactory answer tomorrow, he would cut off all ties and stop buying his talismans!

"I'll take a look!"

A voice like a clear valley oriole suddenly rang out, and a girl in a plain dress stepped forward. She had bright eyes, white skin, and a sweet and beautiful appearance. As soon as she appeared, she instantly attracted everyone's attention.

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