Chapter 57: Taking a Talisman Making Class with the Young Miss!_1

Translator: 549690339

It wasn’t long before the Fourth Elder arrived in the courtyard.

Her hair was coiled elegantly atop her head, with streaks of silver among the black, and she was dressed in a blueish-brown dress, making her look every bit the dignified and graceful lady of high status.

“Grandmother.”

“Great-aunt.”

Lu Changsheng and Lu Miaoge immediately made a formal bow with hands clasped to the Fourth Elder.

“There’s no need for so much ceremony, please sit.”

The Fourth Elder showed a warm and kind face as she waved her hand.

Then turning to the two, she spoke, “Changsheng, Miaoge, show me the talismans you’ve been practicing most recently.”

Upon hearing this, both brought out their talisman-making tools and began drawing talismans.

Lu Changsheng was still working on the Fire Cloud Talisman he had first revealed.

After all, when he had first revealed himself to be a First Grade Middle Grade talisman master, his success rate had only been about 10% to 20%, so naturally he still needed to practice.

The Fourth Elder glanced at the talismans being drawn. Seeing Lu Changsheng’s steady wrist and confident strokes as he sketched the Fire Cloud Talisman, she couldn’t hide a look of surprise.

Following, under the watchful eyes of the Fourth Elder, Lu Changsheng successfully completed the drawing of the Fire Cloud Talisman.

“Changsheng, you must have a success rate of around 60% to 70% when drawing the Fire Cloud Talisman now, right?”

After watching Lu Changsheng’s progress with the Fire Cloud Talisman, the Fourth Elder exclaimed with a face lit up by a trace of pleasant surprise.

Lu Miaoge, who was at the side drawing her talisman, trembled slightly in her fair wrist upon hearing this, resulting in the failure of the talisman she was working on, then she turned her bright eyes towards Lu Changsheng.

Her delicate face expressed clear astonishment.

She was well aware that it was just two months ago that Lu Changsheng had achieved the status of a First Grade Middle Grade Talisman Master.

In just two months, he had improved his success rate with the First Grade Middle Grade Fire Cloud Talisman to 60% to 70%.

Such talent in talisman making was truly terrifying!

She couldn’t help recalling three years ago when Lu Changsheng became a talisman-making apprentice, and she had accompanied Uncle Fu to assess him.

She had recognized then that Lu Changsheng’s talent for talisman making was higher than her own.

But she had never expected, Lu Changsheng’s talisman-making talent was even greater than she had thought, so much greater!

Without anyone’s guidance, in just over three years, he had become a Middle Grade Talisman Master!

Now, under the mentorship of the Fourth Elder, the Fire Cloud Talisman, which originally only had a success rate of 20%, had improved in just one month to a staggering 60% to 70% success rate!

This progress was simply terrifying!

Even though she was usually as calm and poised as water and was already trying to draw Superior Grade Talismans to challenge for the Superior Grade Talisman Master title, in that moment, in front of Lu Changsheng, she couldn’t help feeling a sense of despondency and frustration.

She pursed her lips, put aside her feelings of loss and defeat, and took out a new piece of talisman paper to start drawing again.

“It’s all thanks to your guidance last time, grandmother. I’ve been practicing hard at home to achieve this success rate.”

Lu Changsheng answered with a nod.

He was unaware that his behavior had caused Lu Miaoge to feel frustrated.

This display of talent with the Fire Cloud Talisman was something he had planned in advance and was part of his strategy.

He wanted to make use of the pretext of the Fourth Elder’s guidance to accelerate the unveiling of his own talents in talisman making.

“Excellent, excellent, that’s very good. Grandmother can see that you’re fairly proficient with the Fire Cloud Talisman,”

“It’s just during the transitions, the drawing of the talisman lines is not quite smooth enough with spiritual power.”

“However, with more practice and familiarity in your daily routine, that should improve.”

The Fourth Elder said, praising Lu Changsheng after hearing his words.

She continued to address Lu Changsheng, “Then today, grandmother will teach you how to draw the Windwalking Talisman.”

The Windwalking Talisman, like the Fire Cloud Talisman, is a First Grade Middle Grade Talisman.

In terms of difficulty, it’s slightly more challenging than the Fire Cloud Talisman.

“Thank you, grandmother.”

Lu Changsheng spoke respectfully.

He had no preference over which talisman to learn or practice, and simply followed the Fourth Elder’s arrangements.

One reason was that he did not care much; another was that it was part of the terms of the Spiritual Contract with the Lu Family.

He had to follow the Lu Family’s arrangements and practice the respective talismans.

“The Windwalking Talisman is different from the Fire Cloud Talisman; it emphasizes softness, not just in the brushwork but also in the output of spiritual power, carrying a sense of roundness,”

“A critical point with the Windwalking Talisman is that every time you reach a turning point, the brushwork should be light and smooth, and the spiritual power must be continuously ‘bounced’ out in a gentle stream…”

The Fourth Elder explained the essentials of the Windwalking Talisman to Lu Changsheng.

She then drew a Windwalking Talisman on the spot, allowing Lu Changsheng to sense the fluctuations of spiritual power on it and to imitate the lines drawn upon it.

“Yes, grandmother.”

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng nodded and picked up a stack of blank papers from the table to familiarize himself with the talisman lines.

When starting to draw a new talisman, it is common to practice drawing talisman lines on blank paper first, before trying to create it on real talisman paper.

Starting directly with talisman paper would generally be wasteful, as failure was almost certain at that stage.

Of course, for someone exceptional like Lu Changsheng, it was a different case.

But in front of the Fourth Elder, he naturally still presented himself as earnestly learning.

Then, the Fourth Elder turned her attention towards Lu Miaoge, who was in the process of talisman making, only to see that Lu Miaoge’s talisman had failed again.

Knowing that Lu Miaoge was still unfamiliar with the talisman she was drawing, the speaker outlined the key points.

“Miaoge, the Golden Light Barrier Talisman values firmness as the main aspect, with softness as a supplement. The strokes must be soft, yet firm, and the output of spiritual power must also be strong and powerful.”

“When you make the first stroke, your touch and spiritual power should be like cotton wrapped around iron. At the first turn of the talisman line, you need to add a bit more ‘gathering’ feel, while your spiritual power should ‘release’… After the ninth turn, the power must flow continuously without end…”

Making talismans, with higher grades of talismans, becomes more difficult and complex.

The process of beginning, continuing, turning, and concluding, every stroke and line, follows very strict standards.

Just the technique of making the initial stroke includes a great deal of specifics, such as being robust and powerful, firm yet soft, soft yet firm, a combination of strength and gentleness… and so on, extremely complex.

Like the Golden Light Barrier Talisman that Lu Miaoge was drawing, it is a Superior Grade First Grade talisman, very complex, and a notch above Middle Grade talismans.

“Yes, Fourth Grandmother.”

Hearing this, Lu Miaoge nodded, her delicate features showing a concentrated expression as she continued to lean over and draw the talisman.

But halfway through, the talisman paper emitted blue smoke, signifying failure.

“Miaoge, when you were tracing the talisman lines, your stroke was too forceful, which clashed with the spiritual power, leading to failure.”

“Come, feel my spiritual power, the force.”

The Fourth Elder pointed out the mistake.

She immediately took hold of Lu Miaoge’s hand and slowly drew out the Golden Light Barrier Talisman.

Lu Changsheng also glanced over in their direction.

He could see that the Fourth Elder was indeed skilled in talisman making.

At the very least, she was very familiar with the Golden Light Barrier Talisman.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible to guide someone like this in drawing a talisman.

“Miaoge, using that sensation, try again.”

After the Fourth Elder led Lu Miaoge through the completion of the Golden Light Barrier Talisman, she spoke.

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Lu Miaoge nodded gently and then tried drawing it again.

But she failed again halfway through the process.

Seeing this scene, the Fourth Elder didn’t say anything.

She simply encouraged, “It’s okay; just practice more, familiarize yourself with it a few times, and you’ll be fine.”

For a Talisman Master, this was quite normal.

If it was possible to succeed after just a few attempts, then becoming a Talisman Master wouldn’t be that difficult.

After a while, seeing that Lu Changsheng was also nearly familiar with drawing the Windwalking Talisman, the Fourth Elder said to him, “Come, Changsheng, draw a Windwalking Talisman for me to see.”

“Yes, Grandmother.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Changsheng also began to demonstrate drawing the Windwalking Talisman.

But he failed as well, around one-fifth of the way through.

He was talented, but he was not freakishly so.

If he succeeded after only one or two attempts, it would have been too astonishing and potentially problematic.

“Your hand is very stable, and your strokes are steady, but just now, your spiritual power was a bit rushed.”

“At this step, your hand needs a touch of ‘looseness,’ and your spiritual power should gently ‘envelop’ the stroke…”

“Come, feel my spiritual power, the force.”

After watching Lu Changsheng finish drawing, the Fourth Elder remarked.

She immediately approached and took hold of Lu Changsheng’s hand, guiding him stroke by stroke as they slowly completed the Windwalking Talisman together.

Although there were concerns about physical contact between men and women, for the Fourth Elder, Lu Changsheng was just a junior, and her granddaughter’s future husband, and so such concerns were not considered important.

Through this process, Lu Changsheng could clearly feel the force and flow of spiritual power coming from the Fourth Elder’s palm.

“At this step, your hand should be ‘loose,’ with your spiritual power ‘enveloping’ the stroke, imparting a sense of ‘bounce,’ a light ‘flick’ of the wrist, finishing the rest in one go.”

“Try again.”

In a kindly tone, the Fourth Elder instructed Lu Changsheng, then let go of his hand.

“Alright, Grandmother.”

Lu Changsheng nodded, but did not start drawing immediately.

Instead, he took out a gourd from his storage bag and took a sip of liquid before continuing.

Inside was White Jade Hundred Flowers Wine, which had the effect of restoring spiritual power and calming the mind. It was helpful for his talisman making.

He naturally didn’t need the wine to calm his mind, but it was necessary to help restore his spiritual power.

The Fourth Elder made no comment on this.

She knew that Lu Changsheng was only at the Third Level of Qi cultivation and couldn’t draw too many First Grade Middle Grade talismans without relying on spiritual wine for power restoration.

Then, under the Fourth Elder’s watchful eye, Lu Changsheng managed to draw about a quarter of the talisman before failing.

“Your spiritual power didn’t fully envelop the stroke, to be focused on a point, try a few more times.”

After watching, the Fourth Elder gave her feedback.

And so it went, under the Fourth Elder’s tutelage; a morning passed.

That morning, neither Lu Changsheng nor Lu Miaoge succeeded in creating any new talismans.

But they had at least gained an introductory understanding of these types of talismans and grasped their essentials. Next, they just needed to go back and practice more, to become more familiar.