Chapter 10

Hua Ruo'an slowly approached, a surprised smile on his face, "Little brother, are you going to draw a lightning talisman?"

Behind him were a few guests, all young female cultivators who sized up Zhou Shu, clearly very curious.

At this moment, Zhou Shu also realized that the lightning talisman must have something special about it, probably being very difficult to draw. But since the words were already out, he could only tough it out and continue.

"Manager Hua, I am preparing to draw a lightning talisman."

Hua Ruo'an's expression was somewhat strange, "Using ink made from lightning fruit, little brother, are you sure you want to use it?"

Zhou Shu asked in confusion, "Is there something wrong with the lightning fruit? Is it very expensive?"

He had read a lot of information about beasts, but he had not studied various herbs and spiritual items, so he did not know what the lightning fruit was, but he mentioned it because the talisman required it.

"Lightning fruit is not expensive, but the lightning force it contains is very unstable. The ink made from it is also extremely volatile. If you make a slight mistake while drawing the talisman, not only will the talisman fail, but the talismanist might also be injured by it."

The one speaking was a female cultivator in her early twenties, with a fair complexion and a sword-like brow, exuding a heroic aura. Her cultivation was at the Qi Condensation stage, around the sixth or seventh level.

Zhou Shu bowed, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for your guidance."

The female cultivator shook her head, looking at him with confusion, not responding.

"Companion Yan is right. The ink made from lightning fruit is used by only a few talismanists because the difficulty of using it is quite high, requiring very precise control of spiritual energy."

Hua Ruo'an and the female cultivator clearly knew each other. After adding a few words, he looked at Zhou Shu, "As far as I know, there are only five types of first-stage talismans that require lightning fruit ink. Which one are you going to draw, little brother?"

Talismans, like elixirs and other items, are divided into nine stages based on their power and use. Each stage is further divided into upper, middle, and lower grades.

Before Zhou Shu could speak, the female cultivator Yan Yue suddenly asked, "Is it the Thunderstorm Talisman?"

Since it was said out loud, Zhou Shu could only nod, "Senior Sister is right. I do intend to draw the Thunderstorm Talisman."

"Ah!"

The female cultivator and the few people next to her let out a soft exclamation, a mix of surprise and more confusion.

All of them were women, and they didn't care that others were around, starting to chatter excitedly.

"He said he's going to draw the Thunderstorm Talisman! Senior Sister Yan, we were just looking for a Thunderstorm Talisman, what a coincidence."

"The Thunderstorm Talisman isn't easy to draw, and we need a middle-grade one. His cultivation is only at the first level of Qi Condensation, so he's probably just talking, hmpf."

"You can't say that. If there's a chance, we should try. The task we need to complete is difficult without a middle-grade Thunderstorm Talisman."

They were from the Lotus Sound Sect, located near the Clear Source Mountains. All of them were Qi Condensation disciples who had taken on a sect mission and came to the market to prepare. Their mission required a Thunderstorm Talisman, preferably a middle-grade one. They had searched for a while at the Three Wishes Hall but only found lower-grade ones. They were getting anxious when they heard Zhou Shu speaking and came over to try their luck.

Zhou Shu understood and smiled bitterly, "I am a beginner, just trying my hand. I'm afraid I will disappoint you, Senior Sisters."

The faces of the female cultivators immediately showed disappointment, and they started discussing again.

"I told you, he's a beginner. He can't even draw a Light Breeze Talisman, let alone a Thunderstorm Talisman."

"Right, we were just getting our hopes up, thinking this task would be settled."

"Senior Sister... don't say that. Maybe he can do it. Master said one shouldn't judge a person by their appearance, and a cultivator shouldn't be judged by their cultivation level..." The speaker was a little girl, a few years younger than Zhou Shu, with a childish face.

"Yangmei, you just started. What do you know?"

"A cultivator like him, all talk and no action. Little Junior Sister, don't be fooled by him."

Yangmei looked at her senior sisters, wanting to say something but unable to get a word in, her face turning red with frustration.

"Stop, don't argue anymore."

Yan Yue interrupted her junior sisters, smiling and bowing to Zhou Shu, "Little brother, there's no need to be so modest. Knowing how to draw a Thunderstorm Talisman is already quite impressive. Everyone starts as a beginner. I believe you will eventually draw a middle-grade talisman."

"I hope so, thank you, Senior Sister." Zhou Shu returned the bow.

Yan Yue smiled, "Then I won't disturb you. If you really draw it, feel free to inform Manager Hua. I will buy it at a high price, ensuring you are satisfied."

They bid farewell and left, with Yangmei specifically turning back to look at Zhou Shu, clenching her small fist, as if encouraging him.

Zhou Shu smiled and nodded at her lightly.

Watching them leave, Zhou Shu was lost in thought.

Yan Yue looked very wealthy, wearing magical robes and jewelry, all of which seemed to be entry-level magical treasures. She also seemed to have a good character. If he really drew the Thunderstorm Talisman, he could consider selling it to her.

Hua Ruo'an looked at Zhou Shu, "Little brother, if you're just practicing, don't use the Thunderstorm Talisman. Light Breeze Talisman or Divine Travel Talisman would be more suitable."

Zhou Shu knew he meant well but couldn't accept it. He could only smile bitterly. Among the first-stage talismans, he only knew how to draw the Thunderstorm Talisman. If he wanted to draw other talismans, he would have to buy specialized talismans and jade slips to learn, which were not cheap. He didn't have that many spirit stones.

He shook his head, "Sorry, Manager, I only need the lightning ink."

"Alright, little brother, if you have such determination, I won't say more."

A hint of regret flashed in Hua Ruo'an's eyes. He knew that a first-level Qi Condensation cultivator starting to learn talisman drawing with such a difficult talisman, especially using lightning fruit, was bound to fail. He had wasted his effort.

Hua Ruo'an turned and left without saying goodbye, thinking it was unnecessary to waste more time on Zhou Shu.

The clerk still looked at Zhou Shu and asked softly, "Sir, are you sure you want the ink made from lightning fruit?"

He still had a tiny bit of hope. Even if Zhou Shu only drew a Divine Travel Talisman, he would still become a talismanist, and the clerk would benefit a lot.

"Thank you, yes."

Zhou Shu's answer shattered his hope.

The clerk waved his hand and carefully took a bottle of ink from the jade shelf, "One bottle of lightning ink made from lightning fruit, ten lower-grade spirit stones, please."

Zhou Shu nodded and took it, examining it carefully.

The ink in the jade bottle was about a dozen drops, blue and deep, with faint lightning flickering inside, as if it could explode at any moment.

"Sir, please be careful. Don't use spiritual energy casually with this. It can easily explode when it touches spiritual energy." The clerk kindly reminded him, then turned and left with the spirit stones.

"Thank you."

Zhou Shu nodded, putting the ink and talisman paper into his storage bag, and then walked out of the Three Wishes Hall.

The manager and a few clerks watched him, shaking their heads. The clerk who had brought Zhou Shu in lowered his head, lost in thought.

Zhou Shu naturally didn't care what they were thinking. He was thinking about the talisman brush.

Now, with only one of the thirteen spirit stones left, how was he going to draw this talisman?

The road ahead was uncertain.

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