Chapter 4: The Talisman Hall

Passing the assessment would increase the speed at which he earned spiritual stones, thus providing more cultivation resources.

On the path of cultivation, what matters are methods, companions, resources, and environment.

Among these, resources are indispensable.

Lu An shook his head and stopped thinking about it. He would wait until tomorrow to go to the talisman hall and register.

As for tonight, he wouldn't waste it. Consistency in cultivation is essential.

Back at home, Lu An sat cross-legged and began practicing his technique.

The technique he practiced was called the Changchun Gong, purchased for ten spiritual stones in the market.

This technique is widely circulated and not special; anyone with wood attribute spiritual roots can practice it.

The technique is divided into nine layers, corresponding to the nine stages of Qi Condensation. Lu An was currently at the third layer, not far from the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.

As he practiced, the surrounding spiritual energy slowly swirled and entered Lu An's body.

His divine sense seemed to also benefit, recovering faster than usual.

Lu An was pleased but not surprised. He had discovered that talisman-making accelerated the recovery of divine sense, and once depleted, the speed of cultivation increased slightly.

Although the increase wasn't significant, it was better than nothing.

After an hour, Lu An opened his eyes.

Despite having three spiritual roots, relying solely on absorbing natural spiritual energy made progress slower than desired.

If he were wealthy, he could use spiritual stones to speed up his cultivation significantly.

But clearly, Lu An couldn't afford that.

"It's said that there's a type of Gathering Qi Talisman in second-grade talismans that speeds up a cultivator's absorption of natural energy. It would be great if I could draw one."

Second-grade talismans are usually used by Foundation Establishment cultivators and are extremely demanding on divine sense to draw.

With his third-layer Qi Condensation strength, he might not even complete one drawing before his divine sense was drained and he perished.

It seems he would have to proceed step by step. This way, he could solidify his foundation and go further.

Lu An had already made up his mind and closed his eyes again.

The night passed without incident.

The next day, Lu An arrived at the talisman hall early, according to the directions from the elder at Juyuan Zhai.

It was a three-story building. From the outside, it looked like there was also a courtyard, but it was hard to see clearly.

Perhaps due to the early hour, there weren't many people coming and going.

After confirming he hadn't gone to the wrong place, Lu An walked towards the entrance.

Halfway there, a middle-aged guard in a yellow Daoist robe stopped him.

The guard wore a golden badge on his chest with a large "One" character.

Lu An thought for a moment. Was this the steward's credential the elder mentioned?

"This is a restricted area. No idle people allowed."

The guard's tone was unfriendly. The hall was going to conduct a talisman master qualification assessment today, and people without a badge like Lu An were not allowed in.

"Friend, I'm here to register for the talisman master assessment."

Lu An remained calm and spoke slowly.

The guard showed a strange expression.

"Talisman master assessment? Registration ended yesterday. Are you trying to mock me?"

"What?"

Lu An's voice suddenly rose.

"According to last year's schedule, isn't there still a month until the deadline?"

"Hmph, you mentioned last year. This year, a big shot from Ancient County came for the assessment, and there's no time to wait, so it was moved up."

Lu An was struck as if by lightning.

After a long moment, he came to his senses.

"To change such an important matter so casually without even a notice. Do they really not regard us loose cultivators as people?"

He cursed inwardly, and his face looked grim.

Without the steward's credential, his talisman-making income would be significantly reduced.

Just as he was about to accumulate spiritual stones, this kind of issue arose, truly a case of heaven not favoring him.

But he didn't give up and tried to negotiate for a chance.

The talisman master assessment only happens once a year, and if missed, one would have to wait until next year.

"Can I participate in the assessment mid-term? It's alright if I'm unprepared."

Before each assessment, the talisman hall usually announces the content in advance for candidates to prepare. After all, there are many types of talismans, and no one can master them all, even for first-grade.

However, Lu An had no choice but to give it a try.

If he could participate and the assessment content involved the two types of talismans he knew, he might have a chance to advance.

But the guard was unmoved and coldly said:

"Participate mid-term? That's impossible. Friend, please don't make things difficult for me."

Lu An knew he was right. It seemed this matter would have to be considered further.

At that moment, a group of people approached from afar.

The two elder men in front were chatting and laughing, with a young man of arrogant demeanor following them.

"Elder Zhang, if you hadn't moved the assessment forward, my grandson and I would have had to wait here for over a month and might have missed the family banquet. We must thank you properly this time."

"Brother Su, don't mention it. Your matter is my matter. However, I wonder about my transfer to Yongning County City..."

Elder Su laughed heartily and patted Zhang's shoulder, saying with great assurance:

"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it when I return."

Upon hearing this, Elder Zhang looked overjoyed and bent slightly as he led the way.

When they arrived at the entrance of the Talisman Hall, they saw Lu An talking with the guard.

Elder Zhang's face darkened. His subordinates were becoming increasingly ineffective. Did they not know there were distinguished guests coming today?

He stepped forward and asked coldly, "What's going on?"

The guard, seeing the elder, broke into a cold sweat.

"Elder Zhang, this person wants to participate in the assessment, but the registration period has ended…"

Elder Zhang glanced at Lu An, noting his plain attire and the fact that he was only at the third layer of Qi Condensation, and then looked away.

"Since the registration period has ended, there's no point in discussing it. Hurry up and send him away. If this happens again, I'll hold you responsible."

With that, he did not spare Lu An another glance and instead greeted Elder Su with a smile, leading him inside.

The young man in the crowd who passed by Lu An gave him a playful smile but did not acknowledge him.

Lu An narrowed his eyes. Elder Zhang's chest also bore a golden badge, but the number on it was "Two."

"Second-grade talisman master."

At this level, he was likely a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or even higher.

With such an elder personally making the decision, it seemed impossible for him to join mid-term.

He did not linger but thanked the guard and turned back toward Juyuan Zhai.

"Juyuan Zhai holds considerable influence. I wonder if that old man has a way to let me participate in the assessment."

"But since I'm not close to him, even though he gave me the steward token, it might be difficult to get his help."

Lu An was worried but resolved to give it a try regardless.

At Juyuan Zhai, Gu Yuer was idly playing with her braid.

Her grandfather had insisted on sending her here for training, preparing her to take over the family business in the future.

But with her temperament, how could she endure such loneliness?

She would rather go out and kill some demon beasts—it would be much more exciting.

Just as she was feeling bored, a familiar figure appeared outside the door.