Chapter 24: The Emperor of Talismans

Lu An glanced at him and asked:

"Is there a problem?"

Bai Sheng quickly shook his head. He had failed the examination for the Concealment Talisman previously. As a result, he had learned quite a bit about it. Seeing that Lu An was going to draw this talisman, he was eager to observe his skill.

Lu An did not immediately start drawing but instead raised his hands and formed an unfamiliar hand seal. He then pointed at the talisman brush, which immediately began to emit a faint golden light.

Only then did he begin to draw on the paper. This time, he did not use the Middle Yuan start but began from the usual starting point.

The others did not think much of it, but Shen Mi was slightly surprised. Everyone had their own habits, and changing the starting point like Lu An did was quite rare.

What was more surprising to Shen Mi was that the hand seal Lu An used was the very one he had lost to in the match. This technique was used at the end of the talisman drawing process to check the quality of the talisman. What was Lu An's intention in using it now?

Although Shen Mi was puzzled, he did not want to disturb Lu An.

The others, less knowledgeable about talismanry, did not notice the subtleties. They saw Lu An's brush move swiftly and efficiently, creating the first stroke, which looked quite complex. Even with a reference, it would be challenging to draw. Yet Lu An completed it in one fluid motion without any unnecessary movements.

Suddenly, golden light appeared on the talisman paper, followed by eight lines of talisman patterns reflecting into the air.

The reactions of the three onlookers varied.

Bai Sheng and the plump man did not understand the significance of the golden light or the talisman patterns, so they merely looked confused. Why was he making golden light instead of just drawing properly?

Li Ziyou recognized the technique and was mentally calculating. The first stroke had already shown eight lines of patterns. Since the Concealment Talisman had nine strokes, if the total number of lines exceeded seventy-five, it could reach the supreme quality. Would Lu An achieve that?

Shen Mi had the strongest reaction. He was astonished. The technique was from the Divine Talisman Pavilion, and he knew it well. However, this technique was usually used upon completion of the talisman. He had never heard of it being used to show the number of lines in a single stroke.

Could it be that Lu An had come up with this method himself?

He was shocked and realized he needed to learn more about this. If he could master such a technique, he would be able to understand the flaws in each stroke in real time, allowing for corrections.

Normally, the technique shows the total number of lines after the talisman is complete. This means that even if the talisman's quality was low or failed, one would not know the specific problems. But Lu An's method provided a direct way to find mistakes, which was groundbreaking.

"This is a major discovery. I must report this to the Divine Talisman Pavilion."

He understood that if the Pavilion obtained this method, it would bring significant changes.

"But what about Lu An…?"

"Never mind. I'll ask Lu An if he agrees before making any decisions."

Lu An's status in Shen Mi's mind had risen considerably, even more than when he defeated the Second Elder.

Regardless, he needed to consult Lu An first before considering other matters.

Lu An, unaware of their thoughts, focused on his work and made the second stroke.

The golden light flashed again, revealing ten lines of patterns. He was satisfied and continued with the brush.

Third stroke: nine lines of patterns.

Fourth stroke: eight lines of patterns.

…

Eighth stroke: five lines of patterns.

He frowned slightly. This eighth stroke had always been difficult for him, and despite practicing for several days, he hadn't made much progress.

Currently, with sixty-six lines of patterns in total, he needed the last stroke to exceed ten lines to achieve the supreme quality.

Given his current skill, maintaining eight or nine lines was manageable, but achieving ten was uncertain.

Lu An paused and adjusted his thoughts.

The others also held their breath, waiting for Lu An to finish the last stroke. The atmosphere in the room was somewhat tense, and even the workers outside who were renovating were instructed by Li Ziyou to stop their work.

Lu An was unaware of the situation outside. At this moment, his mind was entirely absorbed in the talisman. He seemed to enter a state of ethereal clarity, with a heart as calm as still water.

Suddenly, he lifted the talisman brush and without hesitation, pointed it at the talisman paper. The brush tip traced a graceful line, flowing smoothly without any extraneous movements.

A hum echoed through the room, and the talisman floated into the air on its own, rising slowly.

"A perfect talisman, with the spiritual sound lingering!"

"Success, Brother Lu has succeeded!"

The number of talisman lines visible in the air was eleven, surpassing the expected count.

Li Ziyou and Shen Mi cheered, and even the laborers who were working were drawn over by the commotion.

Bai Sheng's mouth hung open in disbelief. A talisman, a perfect one? The Restrained Breath Talisman? Was this really the complex talisman he could not even complete himself?

He was momentarily silent, realizing just how vast the difference between people could be.

The plump man, who did not understand talismans, was not overly surprised but recalled Lu An's identity. "So this person is related to the Second Young Master. I should pay more attention to him in the market; it might help strengthen my connection with the Second Young Master."

"Ahh—"

Lu An sighed with relief, taking the floating talisman down and presenting it to everyone. "Finally, it wasn't all in vain. This perfect talisman is complete."

Before anyone could respond, Bai Sheng snatched it away, examining it with shock. Shen Mi also reacted quickly and came forward to grab it.

"Let me see first."

Lu An looked at the two fighting over the talisman and frowned slightly. "It's just a talisman. There's no need for this. You can both look at it together."

He separated them and laid the talisman flat on the desk. The two finally stopped, staring intently at the talisman.

Although the spiritual sound of the talisman had faded, it did not diminish its extraordinary quality. The spiritual energy within the talisman was extremely dense, almost overflowing, and a hint of purple could be seen around its edges.

"Truly a perfect talisman. It rises on its own, with spiritual sound lingering, and it even has some purple patterns."

Shen Mi's eyes sparkled with excitement. Lu An, however, was puzzled. "What are these purple patterns?"

Shen Mi continued to look at the talisman while explaining, "Purple, also known as Imperial Purple, indicates the talisman's imperial aura. It shows that this Restrained Breath Talisman is close to reaching its peak at the first tier."

"But there aren't many purple patterns on your talisman. According to records, a completely perfect talisman should display purple all around."

Lu An thought for a moment. His understanding of the eighth stroke was evidently still lacking, as it only showed five talisman lines. With targeted practice in the future, there might be more purple patterns around the edges.

If he could push the completion rate to 100%, it might become the perfect talisman Shen Mi described.

He knew the direction for his future practice and was quite pleased. Shen Mi, seeing Lu An in a good mood, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Mr. Lu, is the method you used to display the number of lines for each stroke something you developed yourself?"

Lu An nodded and explained, "I only modified a secret technique from your Divine Talisman Pavilion. If you want it, I can give it to you; it's not particularly valuable."

Shen Mi was overjoyed and quickly reported the modified technique to the Divine Talisman Pavilion. Lu An shook his head slowly and ignored it.

At this moment, something unexpected happened. Bai Sheng suddenly knelt in front of him with a thud.

"Mr. Lu, I wish to become your disciple. I hope you will accept."