“First of all… I want to learn the three-stroke Strength Talisman.”

  At Li Xin’s answer, Xu Hui lifted the corners of her lips. It was a look as if she had expected it, yet tinged with quiet satisfaction.

  “Same Line, Repeated Stroke.”

  Xu Hui’s low voice resonated through the space.

  “If a talisman practitioner cannot even properly draw the same stroke three times, how could they possibly draw a three-stroke talisman where each stroke carries a different role?”

  As he listened, Li Xin quietly fidgeted with the talisman tucked against his chest. He had briefly considered the Flame Blaze Talisman, but he knew that would be pushing it. The Flame Blaze Talisman was not merely a talisman that produced fire.

  The first stroke drew in qi. The second ignited the nature of fire. The third compressed and detonated that spark in a complex structure. Each stroke carried an entirely different type of qi and meaning.

  For a talisman practitioner encountering three-stroke talismans for the first time, balancing that delicate harmony would be difficult. By contrast, the Strength Talisman was simple. An additional-stroke talisman that overlapped the same stroke three times in the same position. Instead of complex principles, it focused on handling primal “power.”

  Li Xin’s objective was clear. To use the Strength Talisman as a foundation to improve his talisman crafting skill, while simultaneously internalizing the talisman to strengthen his muscles and temper his body.

  Since his ability only manifested once a talisman was fully completed, choosing the method with the highest success rate was the rational decision. Unaware of this background, Xu Hui seemed satisfied with Li Xin’s choice and nodded.

  “A talisman practitioner’s sense is something only they themselves can fully understand. Everyone is born with different physical conditions, so all I can give you is direction. Walking that path is up to you.”

  Her words meant that he would have to fail, fall, and find the answer himself. The path of talismans was no different from a solitary ascetic practice. Only after tearing apart hundreds of sheets of talisman paper could a practitioner finally leave behind a single proper stroke.

  “We’ll support you generously with materials, so there’s no need to worry.”

  What the Xu family wanted from Li Xin was only one thing. As long as his mental strength and stamina allowed it, to draw talismans for one more day, fail, and try again. For Li Xin, there could be no more perfect environment.

  That evening, after returning home, Li Xin quietly steadied his breathing. On the desk lay yellow talisman paper and finely ground ink, neatly arranged. Before them, Li Xin was carefully studying the talisman method for the three-stroke Strength Talisman.

  Draw the same stroke, in the same place, exactly three times.

  The words were simple. However—

  In this process, not even the slightest deviation is allowed.

  If it strayed even a little, the qi would scatter. And if the qi scattered, the yellow talisman paper would burn, and the ink would be wasted. Even for a talisman that used a simple additional-stroke method, the difficulty was by no means low.

  Calm the heart.

  Li Xin steadied his mind and lifted the brush.

  The first stroke. The tip of the brush cut smoothly down the talisman paper. A clear and clean stroke took form.

  The second stroke. The brush tip passed over the same spot once more. A slight resistance could be felt, but it was bearable. And the third stroke….

  Li Xin’s wrist trembled slightly. In that instant, the pressure transmitted through the brush tip changed completely. The two strokes engraved on the paper surged with momentum, fiercely rejecting the influx of the third stream of qi. This was not simple friction between paper and brush. It was a collision of qi.

  The first stroke engraved qi. The second overlaid that qi. The third was an act of pressing down upon the previous qi head-on. This was not simple addition. As qi overlapped, resistance increased exponentially.

  His fingertips went numb. A heavy pain spread all the way up to his elbow. He had only drawn one more stroke, yet fatigue washed over him as if he had trained his entire body.

  With my current physical strength… the third stroke is impossible.

  Li Xin immediately put the brush down. It wasn’t a problem of talisman crafting skill. From the start, this was a talisman that could not even be attempted without sufficient physical strength.

  Of course, there was a solution. The body-refining technique that absorbed the poison of demonic beast blood to temper the body—the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art. Reaching even the first star of this technique would nearly double one’s physical abilities. With that level of strength, enduring the resistance encountered while drawing a three-stroke Strength Talisman would be possible.

  I’ll have to try the Strength Talisman again after cultivating the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art.

  While cultivating the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art, he couldn’t completely stop talisman crafting. To avoid wasting time, he needed to continue drawing talismans consistently. Then which talisman should he draw? Li Xin didn’t need to think to find the answer.

  The next day, Li Xin reviewed the two-stroke Lightness Talisman method he had received from Xu Hui and lifted his brush once more.

  [You have completed a two-stroke Lightness Talisman.]

  [Your footwork has slightly increased in speed.]

  As expected, drawing the Lightness Talisman went smoothly. Since his realm had already reached the third layer, the number of two-stroke talismans he could draw in a day had increased to twenty. If he drew twenty each day, it would take only five days to completely internalize the two-stroke Lightness Talisman.

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Hoo—”

  After finishing his talisman crafting, Li Xin put down his brush and raised his head. Looking out the window, the sun was already high in the sky. It was time to visit Xu Hui for the cultivation of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art.

  The Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art was a technique that could only begin cultivation after absorbing demonic beast blood. To overcome that perilous first threshold, he needed Xu Hui’s help.

  “Are you ready?”

  A short question. Yet it carried countless meanings within it.

  “Follow me.”

  When Li Xin nodded, Xu Hui led him to a shaded area behind the wall. There stood a massive jar, towering well above a person’s height. When the lid was opened, a dark red, viscous liquid sloshed inside, spreading a thick, fishy stench.

  “This is the blood of a first-stage demonic beast, the Hundred-Refined Fish.”

  Xu Hui added her explanation.

  “The Hundred-Refined Fish is a water-type demonic beast that inhabits deep lakes. I prepared this specifically, taking your constitution into account.”

  Li Xin swallowed. The intense aura emanating from the jar made his heart pound.

  “Now, get inside.”

  At Xu Hui’s words, Li Xin removed his upper garment and stood at the edge of the jar.

  As his toes sank into the dark red liquid, a shiver ran up his spine. Cold and heat. Sensations from opposite extremes surged in at once.

  “Do not forget.”

  Xu Hui’s voice rang out heavily.

  “Your body must have no weak points. From the tips of your hair to the soles of your feet, it must be tempered completely.”

  “Yes.”

  Without hesitation, Li Xin immersed his body into the jar.

  The dark red blood completely engulfed him. As the sloshing liquid rose up to his neck, he took a deep breath. Recalling Xu Hui’s words, Li Xin slowly lowered his body. The moment the cold blood touched the crown of his head, bone-chilling cold spread deep into his marrow. Once Li Xin was completely submerged, Xu Hui silently closed the lid of the jar.

  With the heavy sound, his vision was swallowed by complete darkness.

  “Now operate the technique. Absorb the qi of the demon blood directly.”

  Xu Hui’s voice seeped through the jar. Hearing that, Li Xin recited the incantation of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art in his mind.

  And at that moment—the poison hidden within the Hundred-Refined Fish’s blood began to pierce through his skin.

  “Grrrgh!”

  Though he tried to endure it, a scream burst out involuntarily. Pain as if his skin were being burned alive. A sensation like thousands of needles stabbing into his entire body. The sticky blood tightened around him as if alive, and Li Xin writhed helplessly.

  The searing pain soon spread into his muscles. It felt as though each muscle fiber was being torn apart and reattached. Unable even to breathe properly, only choking sounds escaped his throat.

  Convulsions. Twisting. The pain did not stop there. Soon, even his bones began to scream. Pain like each joint being smashed by a hammer. His reason was shaken to its roots, and his consciousness began to burn away into darkness.

  But—Li Xin did not let go of his mind.

  “…I have to endure.”

  The composure internalized from the Warm Heart Talisman. The mental fortitude forged through the Calm Heart Mantra. All of it held Li Xin’s consciousness together.

  Li Xin once more recited the incantation. At that, the poison sank even deeper, seeping toward his internal organs. A sensation of his organs writhing, twisting, and tearing apart. This was not mere physical pain, but agony as if his very existence were being shattered and reconstructed.

  How much time passed like that? In a moment where he could no longer tell whether it had been hours or days—A heavy sound rang beside his ears.

  The lid of the jar opened, and dazzling light poured in. As his vision brightened, Xu Hui carefully pulled up Li Xin’s limp body.

  “…”

  She was about to examine his condition when her eyes suddenly widened. The dark red blood of the Hundred-Refined Fish that had filled the jar was now clear and transparent, like spring water.

  A moment later, vitality returned to Li Xin’s once-dim eyes. His body was smeared with blood and sweat, but his gaze alone shone sharply.

  “How far did you cultivate?”

  Xu Hui asked quietly. Catching his breath, Li Xin answered with difficulty.

  “…Following the incantation, I succeeded in completing one full circulation.”

  Xu Hui’s pupils trembled. And she stared at Li Xin in silence for a long while.

  One full circulation in a single attempt…?

  This time, Li Xin’s cultivation session had lasted barely five minutes. Because of the extreme pain, cultivation of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art was usually carried out over multiple sessions. Yet Li Xin had completed the entire process in a single attempt.

  Is he more talented in body refinement than in talisman crafting?

  She couldn’t understand it, but she didn’t probe deeply.

  “Impressive. With this, you’ve achieved the first star of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art.”

  At Xu Hui’s praise, it was Li Xin who looked bewildered.

  …I didn’t expect it to succeed this easily.

  He had thought it would take several days just to complete the first star.

  “Then should I challenge the second star now?”

  When Li Xin asked, Xu Hui shook her head immediately.

  “The Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art is a technique that tempers the body by absorbing the poison of demon blood. Your body has undergone tremendous consumption as the price for enduring that power. From now on, recovery takes priority.”

  Li Xin nodded. Though his body had grown stronger, he could feel fatigue accumulating deep within.

  “Now you must use seated cultivation to make the absorbed qi truly your own. You need to let that power take root throughout your body.”

  Xu Hui’s voice grew even more serious.

  “The time ahead is extremely important for you. Depending on how you cultivate, you’ll either fully grasp this power—or let it slip through your fingers like sand.”

  Body-refining techniques lived or died by consistency. Hearing Xu Hui’s advice, Li Xin quietly bowed his head.

  ***

  After finishing his cultivation of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art, Li Xin headed straight to the stream. It was to wash away the sticky demonic beast blood and the fishy stench clinging to his body.

  Normally, the foul smell would linger for days, but thanks to having fully internalized the Concealing Fragrance Talisman, it took far less time than expected to cleanse himself thoroughly.

  After cleaning his body, Li Xin turned his steps toward the back mountain. Though fatigue still lingered, he wanted to personally feel the new power boiling within him.

  This should be enough.

  Li Xin stood before a massive boulder. So large that even two adult men pushing together wouldn’t budge it. Without hesitation, he gathered all the qi in his body into his fist and unleashed the Shattering Mountain Fist.

  With a thunderous roar, the boulder exploded from within, shattering into pieces. Fragments flew in all directions, and Li Xin couldn’t help but marvel as he looked down at his fist.

  With this level of power, it’s got quite the killing potential.

  With his heightened realm combined with the strength of the Demon Blood Tempering Steel Art, the fist technique displayed power far beyond his expectations. If he were to fully internalize the three-stroke Strength Talisman, the power of the Shattering Mountain Fist would increase explosively once more.

  I will succeed.

  Looking at the scattered fragments of rock, Li Xin felt certain that he could now draw the Strength Talisman.