Chapter 2: Preparing in Advance, More Than Half a Year Ahead

A calm and tranquil mind—Insight +1.

A voice from the depths of the void sounded so melodious to Shen Lian that he could scarcely believe it. In that moment, his restless mind gradually settled. Two hours passed, and the voice faded away into silence; the sense of impending crisis once again resurfaced in his heart.

Today’s stability had come to its end.

He had accumulated a total of three insight points.

“Panel,” he intoned in his heart.

At that thought, a semi-transparent light screen shimmered into existence before him.

[Shen Lian: Qi Refinement, Third Layer]
[Five Element Spiritual Roots: Metal 17, Wood 29, Water 18, Fire 31, Earth 18]
[Insight Points: 3]
[Talisman Crafting: Apprentice (915/1000)]
[Alchemy: Apprentice (12/1000)]
[Tool Refining: Apprentice (15/1000)]
[Puppetry: Apprentice (54/1000)]
[Spiritual Botany: Apprentice (111/1000)]
[Array Formation: Apprentice (1/1000)]
...
[Poison Refining: Apprentice (14/1000)]
...

Staring at the information on the panel, Shen Lian abruptly sat up from his bed.

He immediately allocated the three newly acquired insight points to talisman crafting. After enduring for more than half a year, he was finally close to breaking through.

Due to the unstable circumstances, he could rarely find peace to concentrate each day. Every month, he had to venture out once or twice to take on tasks just to scrape together enough for next month’s rent. On average, he could only gather two or three insight points per day.

Fortunately, the previous owner of this body had left some foundation behind, and hadn’t taken it away in death. From the sheer number of skills on the panel, one could see how hard the original owner had once worked.

The baseline for the hundred arts of cultivation was low—so low even a dog could learn them. Yet, not many dogs ever did.

The original owner had no talent at all!

Talisman crafting was the skill in which he showed the most promise, yet even then, he hadn’t managed to draw a single basic talisman.

The use of experience points was something Shen Lian had figured out bit by bit himself.

After crossing over, he realized that the cultivation world of reality was nothing like what he had imagined. He had believed cultivation meant savoring the morning dew and evening clouds, immortals bestowing enlightenment and the secrets of longevity.

Yet, times had changed. The ancient era was long gone.

Cultivation, too, had to keep pace with the times.

Rent and grain must be paid for, and life calculated to the penny.

Even the fairy maidens had to answer nature’s call.

Placing his hands beneath his head, Shen Lian pondered.

“There are sixteen days left this month, plus thirty next month. Even at just two insight points a day, that’s ninety-two points.”

“That’ll be enough to master talisman crafting and become a first-rank, low-tier talismanist.”

“Once I’m a talismanist, I won’t need to take on risky missions anymore—my safety will be much improved.”

The thought gave rise to a quiet thrill.

Rising from the bed, he retrieved his talisman brush, spiritual ink, and thirteen blank talisman papers from his storage pouch.

He carefully uncorked the ink bottle, sensing the spiritual energy within.

The spiritual ink, kept in his storage pouch, wouldn’t lose its potency soon, but Shen Lian still couldn’t resist the urge to check.

After meticulously inspecting the three talisman-making tools, he put them back in the pouch.

Since his arrival in this world, he had never used them even once.

They were among the few possessions left by the original owner. Not that he wanted to keep them for sentimental reasons—it was mostly out of fear of waste.

Given his current financial state, even a single talisman paper was an extravagance.

Not only had he never used the talisman-making kit, but for the past six months, Shen Lian hadn’t cultivated at all.

He had done only two things:

Spaced out in his rental room to accumulate insight points.

Ventured out to take on tasks to scrape together rent.

Luckily, the Azurewater Sect was rather benevolent.

They provided wandering cultivators who came to help reclaim the land with one year’s worth of food—ordinary rice and sweet potatoes.

The original owner’s death had been well-timed, leaving Shen Lian with ten months of relief left.

He never went hungry.

Thanks to their charity, he had survived these past six months.

If not for the need to pay rent, he wouldn’t have bothered with reclamation tasks at all.

But alas—

If he didn’t take on missions, he’d die.

“Once I’m a talismanist, I’ll be able to eat spiritual rice.”

“Sweet potatoes—not even dogs would eat them.”

“Cough, cough…”

A stabbing pain in his lungs wrenched Shen Lian out of his pleasant reverie about the future.

“Ah… Once I make spirit stones from talisman crafting, the first thing I’ll do is detoxify my lungs.”

Smiling wryly and rubbing his chest, Shen Lian fished a sweet potato from his pouch, brushed the dirt from its skin with his hand, and took a bite.

Not bad—a little sweet.

...

One month and three days later.

Inside his rented room, Shen Lian stared fixedly at the panel.

[Talisman Crafting: Apprentice (999/1000)]
[Insight Points: 1]

“…Cough, cough, cough…”

A fit of coughing seized him, nearly carrying him off altogether.

He was simply too excited.

After months of careful planning, the moment of harvest had finally come.

Once he became a talismanist, rent would be nothing—he could rent two rooms, live in one, and burn the other as an offering to the original owner.

Suppressing his excitement, Shen Lian allocated the final insight point to talisman crafting.

In an instant, he felt something blossom in his mind.

The original owner had dabbled in many crafts. Though he’d never truly mastered any, he had gained a basic understanding of them all.

First-rank, low-tier talismans commonly included Fire Talisman, Featherstep Talisman, Earth Armor Talisman, and the like.

But now, Shen Lian’s mind was suddenly inundated with the knowledge of hundreds of first-rank, low-tier talismans.

Moreover, he felt as if he had immersed himself in their study for decades.

Most of these talismans were rather useless—one could only wonder who had ever invented them.

Some had multiple methods of inscription, like all the different ways to write the word “fennel” in calligraphy.

The mysteries of the various talismans flashed through his mind.

Each one was etched deep into his memory, as if he truly had spent decades immersed in the art.

He carefully absorbed the methods for drawing each talisman, considering which would be most suitable for his current circumstances.

The Great Marsh of Yunmeng was rife with miasma; naturally, the most sought-after talisman was the Miasma Dispelling Talisman.

One such talisman fetched five low-grade spirit stones—a full stone more than other talismans of the same rank.

After reviewing all the options, Shen Lian settled on the Miasma Dispelling Talisman.

Yet after a moment’s thought, he let it go.

The Miasma Dispelling Talisman was among the finest of first-rank, low-tier talismans, with even higher grades above it. Its intricate inscriptions made it two or three times harder to craft than any other talisman of its level.

Drawing such talisman sigils required one’s own spiritual power as support; judging by his current condition, Shen Lian doubted he could manage it.

Better to start with the simple and easy talismans first.

Once he had purged the miasma from his body, he could tackle the Miasma Dispelling Talisman.

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Lian swept the bedding off his bed, revealing a smooth stone slab.

Talisman brush, spiritual ink, talisman paper—all were laid out in a single fluid motion.

He spread the paper, ground the ink, lifted the brush.

As if he had been steeped in the art for decades, his hand moved with practiced ease, drawing spiritual patterns onto the talisman paper.

He was crafting the Fire Talisman.

A first-rank, low-tier Fire Talisman—worth three low-grade spirit stones.

Spiritual power flowed onto the paper, tracing out a complex, arcane pattern.

A crimson glow shimmered from the talisman, pulsing with spiritual energy, then quickly faded.

It was complete!

“Cough, cough, cough…”

Gripping the talisman brush, Shen Lian stared in a daze at the Fire Talisman before him.

He could scarcely believe he had drawn it himself.

He was, in every sense, a true talismanist now.

“Cough—”

A coughing fit snapped him out of his stupor, and he hurriedly set down the brush.

His hand had trembled during the fit, wasting two drops of spiritual ink.

After months of scheming, it had finally come true.

Unable to contain himself, Shen Lian paced anxiously about the small room.

After several circuits, he came to his senses.

“Calm, calm, I mustn’t lose my composure. I’ve only just become a first-rank, low-tier talismanist.”

“Steady now!”

“Inhale… exhale… cough, cough, cough…”

He muttered these words, but there was no way he could truly keep calm.

He’d spent the past six months cooped up in a cramped, rented room, living in constant fear, his spirit battered and worn.

Now, with the skill of talisman crafting, he had a way to earn spirit stones—no more scrambling to take on dangerous reclamation tasks just to pay rent.

In previous months, every time he returned safely, it was only because he’d chosen missions close to the market—regional surveys that took two or three days, earning just three to five spirit stones, barely enough for rent.

Even so, it had left him with poisoned lungs.

Every day he was wracked with coughing fits, as if his lungs would come up with the next spell.

Looking further ahead, he could even start saving up spirit stones to buy a ticket out of Yunmeng Market.

This place was anything but safe.

Now that he had mastered talisman crafting, it was time to seek out a safer, more stable place to live.