[Dual Brushes]: One mind, two tasks, both hands working in unison. Holding a brush in each hand, drawing talisman patterns simultaneously, form and intent advancing together, achieving double the result with half the effort.

  As soon as the description of the new talent appeared, Lu Chi felt a surge of warmth deep within his sea of consciousness, as if countless fine threads were gently twisting, combing, and expanding it.

  The sensation wasn't painful, yet it felt incredibly strange.

  In just a few breaths, his mind, which had originally been like a soft ball of cotton, was stretched, refined, and became more transparent, resilient, and agile.

  He subconsciously raised both hands, fingers twitching slightly.

  The innate lack of coordination he once had—where his left hand could only clumsily grasp objects, while only his right hand could steadily hold a brush—was now completely gone.

  With a single thought, his left hand casually swung through the air, perfectly synchronizing with his right hand to trace an arc. The trajectories aligned precisely, the speeds matched perfectly, and the flow of spiritual power was utterly smooth.

  This... was the power of divine soul directly overflowing, transforming the innate constraints of the physical body?

  He tried tapping lightly on the desk with both hands simultaneously—the left hand slightly slower, the right slightly faster—yet they synchronized instantly, the tapping sounds nearly merging into one.

  Before, his left hand couldn't coordinate with his right at all; even lifting it alone felt somewhat sluggish. Now, it responded as effortlessly as his right, as if it had always been this way.

  The boost from this new talent had directly reshaped his innate divine soul!

  For an ordinary cultivator to achieve ambidexterity, they would need to reach at least the Foundation Establishment stage, with their divine sense externally released and their physical body remolded, before barely managing it.

  Yet he was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refinement and had already acquired such an ability in advance. But what caught his attention most was the line in the talent description...

  "Holding a brush in each hand, drawing talisman patterns simultaneously!"

  Lu Chi immediately stood up and retrieved two talisman brushes from his storage pouch.

  One was the old brush he had used during his three years as a talisman?mender at the Luo Family Talisman Shop. Made of ebony with wolf?hair bristles, though worn smooth from use, it was deeply familiar and conveyed a steady brush?intent.

  The other was the dark bamboo brush he had bought some days ago from the old cultivator's stall in the side alley. Crafted from young spirit?beast bristles, it was sharp and responsive, perfectly suited for drawing new talismans.

  He took a brush in each hand, inhaled deeply to calm his mind, then laid out two sheets of talisman paper on the desk, one on each side, and meticulously ground the spirit ink until perfectly even.

  Lu Chi closed his eyes briefly, and as he focused, the [Dual Brushes]? talent quietly activated. His consciousness split into two streams like rippling water, yet he felt no sense of tearing—instead, his mind grew even clearer.

  When he opened his eyes, the old brush was in his left hand, the new one in his right, and both descended upon the paper simultaneously.

  The two brushes advanced side?by?side across the talisman paper, their patterns unfolding like twins.

  Typically, drawing a talisman required slow, deliberate strokes, fearing even the slightest deviation. Now, with both brushes working at once, he experienced a profound sensation of "fighting with both hands simultaneously."

  As the brush tips crossed, the talisman?intent didn't become disordered; instead, it grew more condensed and harmonious.

  Time passed until both talisman surfaces simultaneously tightened, light patterns emerged, and spiritual intent withdrew inward—two first?rank, lower?grade talismans were complete!

  "These Golden Light and Prayer?Wind Talismans were both still at the Novice level on the panel. Before, even drawing one with a single hand while focusing my mind and gathering intent was difficult, but now..."

  "With my divine soul power suddenly increased and innate constraints completely removed, my own talisman?crafting ability has far surpassed the past. I can even use both brushes at once to draw two talismans simultaneously! Yet the spiritual energy consumption is only ten to twenty percent more than using a single brush."

  A flash of irrepressible joy passed through Lu Chi's eyes.

  In the path of a Talisman Master, while getting started isn't particularly difficult, to truly advance far, the strength of one's innate divine soul is key.

  He now clearly possessed the innate qualities of a talented talisman master—powerful innate mental strength, focus sharp as a needle—a level others could hardly reach even after a lifetime of arduous cultivation.

  He had never slacked in accumulating professional experience, and today, he finally saw the reward.

  "Whatever achievements I, Lu Chi, have attained today, I owe entirely to my own diligent efforts!"

  He carefully sealed both talismans and stored them in his storage pouch. Just then, a light chirp came from outside the door—the messenger spirit?sparrow had returned.

  Lu Chi raised a hand in summons. The spirit?sparrow fluttered in and landed on the desk, the reply tied to its leg slightly warm to the touch.

  He untied the letter and unfolded it. Zhou Jinyan's handwriting was as messy as ever, yet each character was clear.

  The letter explained that Zhou Jinyan had asked several old acquaintances to inquire in the market district's taverns and spirit?farmer circles. The Mistvale Sect's eighth?layer Qi Refinement elder did indeed exist.

  His surname was Mu, given name Changfeng. In his early years, he had been the Great Elder of the Mistvale Sect, a solitary figure who rarely appeared in public.

  However, someone had seen him near the Hidden Moon Pavilion just a few days ago. His aura was steady, confirming he was indeed an eighth?layer Qi Refinement cultivator.

  After reading the letter, Lu Chi slowly folded the paper, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and pondered for a moment. Then he opened them, his decision now firm: he would join the Mistvale Sect.

  The requirement of thirteen talismans per month, with the support of the [Dual Brushes]? talent, was a trivial matter.

  Having all materials provided would allow him to save significant expenses and focus solely on cultivation and talisman?crafting. Most crucially, there was still the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill formula.

  Of course, he would not go completely unprepared.

  "After joining the sect, I must first consolidate my position, then quietly observe Elder Mu, Cao Zhen, and the true situation within the Dusk?Mist Sect.

  "If anything seems off, I’ll withdraw immediately."

  Once his mind was set, Lu Chi stood up, took out paper and brush, and swiftly wrote a short reply to Qin Suniang:

  "In three days, when the Moon?Veil Pavilion opens, I will arrive on time…"

  After finishing the letter, he summoned the messenger spirit?sparrow again, tied the letter to its leg, channeled his spiritual energy, and the bird’s shadowy wings flapped as it sped straight toward the Moon?Veil Pavilion.

  With that done, Lu Chi sat back down at his desk, spread out two new sheets of talisman paper, and picked up a brush in each hand.

  Since he had made up his mind, he would use these three days to quickly advance several basic talismans—such as the Golden Light Talisman and the Ice Arrow Talisman—to a proficient level.

  …

  …

  Three days later, at the break of dawn.

  Lu Chi changed into a clean set of cyan?gray robes, fastened his storage pouch securely at his waist, pushed open the door, and headed straight for East Street in the sect’s market district.

  The signboard outside the Moon?Veil Pavilion was not yet lit, its doors firmly shut, only a side door left slightly ajar.

  As Lu Chi approached, that side door creaked open, and a young disciple of the Dusk?Mist Sect came out to greet him, bowing deeply:

  “Talisman Master Lu, the sect master has been waiting for some time. Please follow me.”

  Lu Chi followed the disciple inside. Passing through the front hall, he saw several rows of shelves already displaying talismans, among them quite a few first?rank, mid?grade talismans, which made him pause for a moment.

  …The shelves already had talismans on them. It seemed that Qin Suniang, even before inviting him, had already recruited another talisman master—one who was at least first?rank, mid?grade.

  The disciple did not take him directly to the main hall but instead led him to a side room.

  Inside, hot water and a towel were already prepared. Hanging on a rack beside the bed was a neatly folded dark green talisman robe.

  “The sect master has instructed that Talisman Master Lu first change into this robe. The Moon?Veil Pavilion officially opens today, but the hour has not yet come—right now, it is only an internal handover. Once Talisman Master Lu is properly attired, you may go see the sect master.”

  “Have to wear a uniform and dress formally too…” Lu Chi nodded without declining. He removed his old cyan robe and unfolded the dark green talisman robe.

  The robe was woven from dark silkworm silk, its color deep as night. The cuffs, collar, and hem were embroidered with intricate moon?concealing patterns in silver thread, faint spiritual light shimmering across them.

  Lu Chi gently channeled his spiritual energy, and the robe instantly fit his form perfectly—neither too large nor too small, as if tailored specifically for him.

  “It’s actually a low?grade magical artifact… dust?proof, ink?resistant, and protective, all three in one. What an extravagant spendthrift… so rich!”

  He walked to the bronze mirror and examined himself. Amid his self?mockery, a hint of satisfaction also surfaced.

  This set of leather armor wasn’t bad either—perhaps not as legendary as the fabled, incomparably handsome True Lord Du Ze, but it wasn’t far off.

  “Talisman Master Lu, please follow me to the main hall. Master Qin is already waiting in the seat of honor.”

  Inside, the lamplight burned softly. Qin Suniang was already seated in the host’s position, but she was not alone.

  To her left sat an elderly man with snow?white hair, his aura profound and imposing, like a deep pool. His wide sleeves were embroidered with the crescent?moon emblem of the Dusk?Mist Sect.

  His eyes were slightly closed, as if in deep contemplation, but the moment Lu Chi entered, they snapped open. He looked Lu Chi up and down, a flicker of scrutiny in his gaze.

  To her right sat a young man in his twenties, also wearing a dark green talisman robe, faint spiritual light swirling around him.

  The youth had a fair complexion and handsome features, a trace of pride in his brows. He held a jade brush in his hand, the tip still bearing faint traces of ink—clearly another talisman master of the Dusk?Mist Sect.

  Seeing Lu Chi enter, Qin Suniang rose with a smile to greet him:

  “It’s excellent that Talisman Master Lu has arrived. This is our sect’s elder, Elder Mu Changfeng. And this is the talisman master recently recruited from the Black Moon Market, surnamed Liu, given name ‘Qing.’

  “Young Master Liu accepted my invitation to join the sect just a few days ago and is a first?rank, mid?grade talisman master.”

  Elder Mu Changfeng slightly raised his eyelids, his withered fingers tapping lightly on his knee twice, then closed his eyes again as if Lu Chi’s arrival had nothing to do with him.

  Liu Qing was different. He immediately stood up, a smile he thought was charming spreading across his face. His gaze swept up and down Lu Chi, his voice drawn out with a sticky sweetness:

  “Sister, why did you call for another talisman master? Didn’t you say the talismans I draw are good enough? Having one more person… doesn’t that make it seem like I’m not capable enough?”

  His tone was half?teasing, half?probing, the rising inflection at the end carrying a nauseatingly cloying note.

  Qin Suniang gave a light laugh, her voice gentle: “Young Master Liu, don’t overthink it. Master Lu is also a first?rank, mid?grade talisman master. It is precisely because I see his potential that I invited him to join.

  “Both of you are fellow talisman practitioners. In the days to come, interact more and learn from each other—it will only benefit the Moon?Veil Pavilion.”

  Liu Qing’s smile didn’t fade, his voice softening further, laced with a strangely sunny concern: “Oh, so he’s also a mid?grade talisman master… What a coincidence.

  “But sister, I made inquiries about all the talisman masters in the Azure Sparrow Mountain Market before coming here, and it seems… I’ve never heard of this person. Sister, you weren’t… deceived by someone, were you?”