Chapter 096: The Unbreakable Window Paper

What delighted Li Wenjun was that among these talismans, a few were clearly different from the others. The other talismans had only a single stone or a flame, but these had several. Two of them had three flames arranged in a triangle, one at the top and two at the bottom. Another had three stones in the same arrangement, and one had three ice spikes.

Li Wenjun flipped through the "Introduction to Talismans" and found the classification method for talismans. Those with a single flame or stone were first-grade talismans, while those with three flames or stones were second-grade talismans. When a second-grade talisman was activated, it would trigger more than one fireball, falling rock, or ice spike.

Li Wenjun was overjoyed. With these twenty-odd talismans, he felt like he had several trump cards in his hand. Especially since the talisman bag contained related classics, tools, and materials such as cinnabar and talisman paper, he could try to practice making talismans in the future, ensuring a steady supply.

Li Wenjun had a deep understanding of the benefits of talismans. Liu Zhiyun could压制 him for a long time mainly because he had a large number of talismans at his disposal.

Li Wenjun decided to spend more time on talismans in the future, as this was the simplest and most effective way to enhance his combat power.

After checking all the spoils, Li Wenjun went outside the cave and confirmed the size of the storage pouch by filling it with stones. Compared to his storage bag, the storage pouch was several times larger, capable of holding a single bed with some space to spare.

Li Wenjun was very satisfied with such a storage pouch. With such a large space and a small size, he could keep it in his pocket without worrying about others seeing it.

After putting everything away, Li Wenjun took a辟谷丹 (Pigudan), hesitated for a moment, and then placed it in his mouth. Liu Zhiyun could not have anticipated his death and was unlikely to have tampered with the Pigudan in advance, which was why he felt confident enough to try it.

The Pigudan dissolved upon entering his mouth, turning into a warm stream that instantly flowed through his meridians and acupoints. After a short while, Li Wenjun felt a sense of fullness and no longer felt hungry.

Li Wenjun nodded in satisfaction. With the Pigudan, he could save the time spent on cooking and eating, saving at least half an hour each day.

Half an hour might not seem like much, but over time, it would accumulate into a considerable amount of time, allowing him to accomplish many things.

Li Wenjun checked the number of Pigudans, which was about half a bottle, totaling more than sixty. Even if he took one a day, it would last him two months. Besides the Pigudans, Liu Zhiyun had left behind some聚气散 (Jiqisan), fewer in number but still over thirty, all accumulated over the years, which now benefited Li Wenjun.

With no need to worry about supplies and such a large number of Jiqisan, and the spirit medicines given by Zhang Jianjie still unused, Li Wenjun decided to focus on cultivation in the cave for a while, not leaving Wufeng Mountain until he had used up the Pigudans, herbs, and Jiqisan.

Time passed quickly, and Li Wenjun, like a well-bred lady, stayed within the gates of Wufeng Mountain, dedicating himself to cultivation.

With the help of the medicines left by Liu Zhiyun, Li Wenjun's cultivation realm grew rapidly every day, visible to the naked eye. The finished Jiqisan and the bath he prepared were on different levels. Each time he took Jiqisan, Li Wenjun felt a warm spiritual energy flowing through his meridians, with no impurities raging in his body.

The feeling was very comfortable, and each cultivation session left Li Wenjun feeling so good that he wanted to shout out loud.

Every day, besides cultivating the "Changchun Gong," Li Wenjun did not forget to practice spells and sword techniques. Additionally, every other day, he would spend an hour learning the art of talismans.

He did not realize the difficulty until he started learning. Li Wenjun originally thought drawing a talisman would be simple, but when he actually began to learn, he found that he had underestimated the complexity of the art of talismans.

Talismans come in many types, with paper talismans made from specially treated yellow paper being the most common and frequently used by cultivators.

When drawing, a cultivator needs to use a talisman brush dipped in pre-prepared talisman ink, channeling their spiritual power through the brush and mixing it with the ink. They then draw on the talisman paper, reinforcing the talisman base and constructing a space.

If the drawing is successful, the cultivator can infuse the spell into the space constructed on the talisman base. If the infusion is successful, a complete talisman is considered made.

Any mistake in any step can lead to the failure of the talisman. The consequences of failure can range from material loss, wasted spiritual power, and damaged tools to severe cases of backlash, even for experienced talisman masters like Liu Zhiyun, who had practiced for over twenty years.

After understanding the difficulty of making talismans, Li Wenjun adjusted his cultivation direction. He focused on cultivating the "Changchun Gong" and improving his cultivation realm, postponing the making of talismans. He spent a lot of time reading and understanding the books left by Liu Zhiyun related to talismans.

Life in Wufeng Mountain was monotonous yet fulfilling for Li Wenjun. Before he knew it, more than a month had passed.

Li Wenjun increasingly felt his cultivation realm approaching the peak of the second level of the Qi Condensation stage, gradually approaching the third level. He wanted to quickly break through to the third level, so he spent more and more time on cultivation each day.

However, no matter how hard he tried, his cultivation realm remained at the second level of the Qi Condensation stage, always a little short of the third level.

The gap was as thin as a layer of window paper, but Li Wenjun could not break through it.

One day, Li Wenjun failed again in his attempt to break through to the third level of the Qi Condensation stage. After finishing his cultivation, he went outside the cave, climbed to a nearby hill, and stood with his hands behind his back, looking into the distance.

The sky was clear, with not a cloud in sight, and a few birds flew past him, leaving trails of beauty.

Li Wenjun recalled that in the early days of his cultivation, he used only one dose of herbal soup per day, which later increased to twice and then three times a day. If he had not increased the frequency, his cultivation would not have progressed as quickly. Could his repeated failures to break through to the third level of the Qi Condensation stage be related to the insufficient spiritual energy provided by the Jiqisan?

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(End of the chapter)