Chapter 119: Third-Tier Talisman Master

Lu An did not expect her to ask him this question. He could only offer an explanation on behalf of his master:

"Master also deeply regrets his decision from back then."

An Su seemed to doubt this and laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Regret for not coming back? Even if he lost all his cultivation, does he think I would care?"

Lu An fell silent.

He did not know what had happened between Master and Master's Wife back then and could not defend his master. Perhaps only his master himself could resolve this inner conflict.

The room fell into silence, and after a long while, An Su sighed deeply.

"Since you are his disciple, it is reasonable for you to address me as Master's Wife."

"What happened between us will not be blamed on you; rest assured."

Lu An nodded. Before coming to the capital, Master had said that Master's Wife was a person who distinguished between恩 and grudges, and now it seemed to be true.

"Did you manage to solve the questions I set earlier?"

Those questions were changed by her at the last minute, while the questions for other county cities remained the same. This meant she had set the questions specifically for Lu An, with the intention of testing him.

Lu An respectfully responded and explained his answers in detail, including some talismans he did not recognize.

An Su looked at him in surprise.

The purpose of the question was to show Lu An the direction of the third realm of Talisman Dao. She hadn't had high expectations for how many he could solve. Now that Lu An had perfectly dismantled all the talismans, it greatly exceeded her expectations.

"It seems that your disciple is already on the path of the third realm of Talisman Dao and has quite profound attainments."

She thought to herself.

After pondering for a moment, she gestured for Lu An to sit in front of her, her expression softening a bit.

"Not bad, you didn't embarrass your master. Your Talisman Dao attainments are even a bit better than your senior sister's."

Fu Qingqing's breath caught slightly upon hearing this, but she remained silent. Her expression clearly showed dissatisfaction.

An Su ignored this and continued:

"Can you draw a third-tier talisman?"

Lu An hesitated for a moment but did not hide the truth and nodded slowly.

"I only have one third-tier talisman True Method, called the Invisibility Talisman, and I can now draw it as a top-grade talisman."

Before An Su could speak, Fu Qingqing raised her eyebrows and said:

"Boasting without any preparation, is it? Although Master's Wife acknowledged your identity, you shouldn't go too far."

"A third-tier talisman corresponds to Core Formation stage cultivators."

"Although some talisman masters with high attainments can draw them in the late Foundation Establishment stage, you are only at the early Foundation Establishment stage. How can your spiritual sense manage that?"

Lu An was not angry and calmly replied:

"Senior Sister, due to the nature of my cultivation method, my spiritual sense is much higher than that of others at the same stage. Therefore, drawing one talisman at a time is not a problem."

With his current level of spiritual sense, drawing an Invisibility Talisman would deplete all of his spiritual energy in one go. A typical third-tier Talisman Master could draw over ten talismans of the same grade in one go, and if their spiritual sense was stronger than others, this number would increase.

For Lu An to draw a third-tier talisman at the early Foundation Establishment stage was already quite impressive.

Fu Qingqing opened her mouth, seeming still unconvinced, but An Su waved her hand and said:

"Being able to draw one is enough to be considered a third-tier Talisman Master. Why don't you draw one here? If you succeed, I'll directly grant you the title of third-tier Talisman Master."

"This would also benefit your participation in the Water Sky Dharma Assembly. Besides, I also want to see how the disciple taught by him performs."

"What do you think?"

Lu An was a bit surprised by this and, after hesitating for a moment, asked slowly:

"Master's Wife, can such an assessment be started at will?"

An Su smiled slightly, and a hint of pride flashed across her face.

"As the head of the Talisman Hall, I, of course, have the final say on such minor matters."

Lu An nodded. It seemed that his Master's Wife could be quite assertive at times, contrary to her seemingly gentle demeanor.

He approached the desk, laid out all the necessary materials for the Invisibility Talisman, and then tried to calm his thoughts.

After a while, he slowly picked up the brush.

"Master's Wife, I'm starting now."

He began drawing with deliberate, unhurried strokes. Each movement was fluid and effortless, clearly showing that he had practiced extensively.

An Su watched silently, though a trace of surprise was evident in her eyes.

As Lu An drew the talisman, it appeared as if he had no set method. If any other Talisman Hall elders were present, they would likely think he was merely scribbling aimlessly.

But she noticed the intricacy of his technique—each stroke had a purpose, either channeling the vitality of the heavens or mitigating conflicts between the energies.

Although his strokes seemed random, he was indeed sketching out the Invisibility Talisman accurately.

"Yue Ge, I was curious about why you would take on another disciple before, but now I finally understand."

She muttered to herself, momentarily lost in thought.

It wasn't until a slight breeze swept through the room and the sound of the talisman became audible that she snapped back to reality.

Seeing the finished product, a smile appeared on her face.

"Surprisingly, it's a top-grade one. Very good."

Lu An was quite pleased as well. This was his first time creating a top-grade Invisibility Talisman. However, his expression remained calm as he took the floating talisman from the air and handed it to An Su.

"Please examine it, Master's Wife."

An Su nodded in approval. Her calm and composed demeanor, coupled with her apparent fondness for Lu An, indicated her high regard for him.

After inspecting the talisman, she nodded in satisfaction.

"Indeed, it's the Invisibility Talisman, and it's undoubtedly top-grade."

"From today on, you will be officially recognized as a third-tier Talisman Master by my Talisman Hall."

With that, she tossed a badge to Lu An.

He caught it and saw that the badge bore a large "3" on it.

He accepted the badge, performed a respectful bow to An Su, and said earnestly:

"Thank you very much, Master's Wife."

His gratitude was sincere. Before coming here, he had not expected his Master's Wife to be lenient, let alone offer help.

After all, Master had deeply hurt Master's Wife, and it was not easy for her to be accommodating towards his newly accepted disciple.

Therefore, his thanks were heartfelt.

Fu Qingqing, seeing that Lu An had indeed drawn a third-tier talisman, was somewhat incredulous. She also took the talisman to examine it.

After confirming its accuracy, she felt a bit embarrassed.

"Junior Brother, I didn't expect your skills in talismans to be so advanced. I feel quite inadequate."

"I had been somewhat offensive earlier. I hope you won't take it to heart."

Lu An naturally did not mind such trivial matters. He smiled and waved his hand, indicating that it was no problem.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and, with a trace of curiosity in his eyes, asked:

"Master's Wife, I heard that I have an older senior brother. How come I haven't seen him around?"

An Su, adjusting her hair, replied calmly:

"He went to find your master. It has been some time now, so he should have arrived by now."

Lu An realized that since he had just left Yongning County, his senior brother must have left the capital around the same time, which is why they missed each other.

"Is he alone?"

"Yes, your senior brother is already at the mid-Core Formation stage, capable of handling things on his own. You needn't worry about his safety."

"On the other hand, since you keep addressing me as Master's Wife, I can't let you call me that for nothing."

"As for a welcome gift, I haven't prepared anything. However, I do have some expertise in talismans, not inferior to your master's."

"If you have any questions about Talisman Dao, I can help clarify them for you."