Chapter 18: Soul Visualization

The talisman he was drawing suddenly dissipated. The brush, ink, paper, and inkstone flew into the air, rising and falling continuously as if they were leaping or yearning for something.

'Could this diagram be connected to the scholarly tools inside my spiritual sea?' he wondered, but after thinking for a while, he found no clues. 'Never mind. I'll just bid for it.'

He called out, "One hundred and ten spirit stones."

The crowd reacted as soon as the bid was made.

"I'm interested in this diagram as well. One hundred and twenty spirit stones."

"A visualization diagram is indeed rare. I'll bid one hundred and fifty spirit stones."

The crowd's enthusiasm was ignited, and the bidding escalated. Elder Mu, seeing the excitement, nodded slightly, satisfied with how things were progressing.

Lu An frowned. Since the scholarly tools in his spiritual sea had reacted to the diagram, he was determined to acquire it. But with the price increasing little by little, he wasn't sure how high it would go.

Decisively, he said, "Two hundred spirit stones."

The crowd was surprised by the sudden jump in price. Someone had raised the bid by fifty spirit stones, signaling strong determination. However, not everyone was deterred.

"Two hundred and ten spirit stones."

Without hesitation, Lu An responded, "Two hundred and fifty."

The other bidder's expression changed, but they eventually backed down.

"Since you're so intent on acquiring it, I'll yield."

After that, the crowd exchanged glances but made no further bids. Even the Ding family, wary of Li Ziyou, refrained from raising the price.

Elder Mu scanned the room and, seeing no further contenders, declared, "Sold! Congratulations to this friend."

Soon, a servant delivered the "Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram to Lu An's private box. After verifying it was correct, Lu An paid for it, feeling a sense of joy.

Although the auction continued, Lu An had no interest in the other items. Eagerly, he unrolled the diagram to study it. It depicted a withered tree with peeling bark and decayed roots, yet a small, fresh sprout grew from it, full of life.

Intrigued, Lu An focused on the sprout. Suddenly, the scholarly tools in his spiritual sea became restless, forming a circle and spinning.

Then, a powerful suction emerged. The diagram trembled twice, and a strand of green energy flew from it, entering his spiritual sea.

Lu An was jolted. His spiritual sea expanded, but an intense ache followed as though something was being forcefully stuffed inside. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He quickly glanced around. Seeing that everyone was still engrossed in the auction and unaware of his distress, he sighed in relief. Activating his Long Spring Technique, he worked to suppress the pain.

After a while, the discomfort subsided. Focusing his attention inward, Lu An observed that the scholarly tools in his spiritual sea remained unchanged, still resting on the writing desk. However, a large scroll now hung directly in front of the desk—"The Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram.

He examined it carefully but found no noticeable difference in his spiritual awareness.

'What's the purpose of this thing?'

Despite studying it for some time, he couldn't decipher its mystery. Shrugging, he rolled up the scroll and stored it in his storage bag.

The scroll, now void of spiritual energy, no longer exhibited any unusual traits. While the auction continued below with a fierce bidding war over some fine refining materials, Lu An had no interest and instead practiced talisman drawing within his spiritual sea.

Having received the Qi Gathering Talisman from Fang Ling, he could now draw nine strokes. Although he hadn't yet completed it, his progress with the second-tier talisman was impressive.

As he focused, free of distractions, he worked on refining the talisman. The process consumed a considerable amount of spiritual awareness. Despite reaching the fourth layer of Qi Refining, by the time he completed the ninth stroke, his spiritual awareness was completely drained.

Just as he feared the terrible sensation of his spiritual sea drying up, the "Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram emitted a faint glow. His previously depleted spiritual sea managed to produce a few more drops of spiritual awareness.

Before he could react, the scholarly tools in his spiritual sea shook, and all the spiritual awareness he had expended was restored. The extra drops of awareness did not vanish but slowly integrated with the rest.

'Hmm?'

Lu An was startled. His spiritual awareness had actually increased!

To verify this, he began drawing the Qi Gathering Talisman again. After a while, he lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Indeed, each time his spiritual sea was drained, the "Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram squeezed out a few more drops of spiritual awareness. Since the scholarly tools restored his depleted awareness, the extra drops were genuine gains.

Although the increase was slight—nearly imperceptible—daily practice could gradually accumulate this effect. Over time, his spiritual awareness could grow significantly.

Lu An didn't know the extent of this growth, but he knew it would be formidable. Acquiring the "Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram for two hundred and fifty spirit stones had been an incredible deal, though the number itself wasn't particularly auspicious.

Of course, this benefit seemed unique to him. If someone else had acquired the diagram, they would likely have visualized it daily without much result. It was possible that, after years of meditation, their bodies would turn to dust before their spiritual awareness improved.

Calming his mind, Lu An maintained a composed exterior, continuing to watch the auction. He had hoped to bid on more talisman-related items, especially true methods for talismans, but by the auction's end, none had appeared.

Perplexed, Lu An asked Li Ziyou, who explained, "True methods for talismans come in two types. One type is widely available on the market and doesn't need to be auctioned. The rarer ones are monopolized by large families and rarely circulate beyond their control."

"For example, the Qi Gathering Talisman and the Soul Lock Talisman from the Fang family in Yongning County, or the Divine Spirit Pavilion's God-summoning Talisman. These families prefer to keep them rather than put them up for auction."

Upon hearing about the Qi Gathering Talisman, Lu An cast a glance at Fang Ling. Though he said nothing, his mind was racing.

The Fang family, famous for their talismans, was the leading talisman clan in Yongning County. Even a loose cultivator like Lu An had heard of their reputation.

He was surprised to learn that the Qi Gathering Talisman was unique to the Fang family and that Fang Ling shared the same surname. Could she be related to the Fang family?

He didn't press the issue. Although they had a good relationship now, it was a personal matter. If she wished to share, she would. Otherwise, Lu An saw no reason to pry.

As the last item was sold, the auction officially ended. While Lu An had only acquired the "Withered Tree Meeting Spring" diagram, he was the only one who understood its true value.

Mr. and Mrs. Ying Chang were overjoyed, having secured two Foundation Establishment Pills. Their trip had been a success.

The three said their farewells to Li Ziyou and were about to leave when several people appeared, blocking their path.