Chapter 11: Qi Refining Fourth Layer

The earlier sensation of his soul disappearing had been so terrifying that it continued to haunt him.

'With my current strength, I can only draw three strokes. But this Qi Gathering Talisman requires at least thirty strokes to complete. Time waits for no one.'

Suppressing his lingering fear, he continued drawing in his sea of consciousness. Perhaps due to the refinement of his spiritual awareness, this time he managed to draw a bit more than before. Though it seemed insignificant, over time, the effect would be impressive.

Once again, his spiritual consciousness dried up and returned. Having experienced this sensation a second time, Lu An was no longer as fearful.

'Let's go again!'

What he didn't know was that the two beside him, Ying Chang and the other man, were already astonished and speechless.

"What's going on with Brother Lu? Has he gone mad?"

"I don't know either. The Fang family's records don't mention anything about a person's aura disappearing repeatedly."

"Is he practicing some method to conceal his aura?"

"That's impossible. Secret techniques that can hide one's aura exist, but look at Brother Lu—it's like his soul is being extracted. This can't be one of those techniques."

The two discussed and speculated for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what Lu An was doing. His unusual state left them hesitant to interrupt him, unsure of what action to take.

However, something even more surprising happened next.

After another recovery of his aura, a vortex of spiritual energy appeared in the center of Lu An's body. The surrounding energy swirled like spring water, spinning and drilling into him. His aura surged, and his clothes billowed as if caught in a storm. This continued for half an hour before finally settling down.

"Fourth layer of Qi Refining!"

Ying Chang and his companion exchanged dumbfounded glances.

"Could it be that Brother Lu is practicing some rare breakthrough technique? Who exactly is he?"

Such auxiliary breakthrough techniques were incredibly rare—even members of large families seldom possessed them. Unknowingly, Lu An had become even more mysterious in their eyes. Silently, both resolved to befriend him and, at the very least, avoid offending him.

"Congratulations to Brother Lu on breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining."

"Congratulations, congratulations."

Feeling the surge of power coursing through his body, Lu An was filled with excitement. Not only had his spiritual power increased several times over, but his spiritual consciousness had also grown much stronger. The speed at which he completed talismans would undoubtedly be faster now.

He thanked the two, then sat down cross-legged to consolidate his newfound power.

After a while, Lu An slowly opened his eyes. The surging spiritual energy around him had calmed, leaving no trace of the storm that had just passed. Yet his brows were slightly furrowed, as if burdened by concerns.

He had too many tasks at hand—practicing the Qi Gathering Talisman, drawing the top-grade Clear Heart Talisman for Gu Chuanfei, and, once Lei Er brought the Talisman True Method, practicing other talismans as well. The time for cultivation was becoming increasingly insufficient, and it seemed he was putting the cart before the horse.

Lu An pondered how to balance all of this.

'If only I could multitask.'

He froze for a moment, then seriously began to study the possibility. As a cultivator in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, with his spiritual consciousness refined by the Four Treasures of the Study, multitasking might not be impossible. Moreover, cultivation in the sea of consciousness and the physical meridian techniques were entirely separate systems—they didn't interfere with each other.

As long as he mastered the balance, he could practice both simultaneously.

Without further delay, he calmed his mind. Free of distractions, he separated a strand of spiritual consciousness to operate the Long Spring Skill. Once the technique stabilized, he attempted to use the remaining spiritual consciousness to draw talismans in his sea of consciousness.

At first, his unfamiliarity caused the technique's operation to falter as soon as he lifted the brush in his mind, nearly resulting in injury. Fortunately, he stopped in time to avoid a major mistake.

Thus, two days passed in the blink of an eye. With continuous practice, the two strands of his spiritual consciousness gradually adapted to handling dual tasks. He could now cultivate his technique and draw talismans simultaneously, significantly increasing both his cultivation speed and talisman completion.

During this period, Lu An's life was very fulfilling. Aside from daily cultivation and talisman drawing, he bought many materials for crafting Concealment Talismans. With the auction in the south of the city approaching, he only had 300 spirit stones left after exchanging 500 with Ying Chang and his wife from the 800 Uncle Zhao had given him. Although considered wealthy among loose cultivators, he needed more preparation to make an impact at the auction.

Originally, he had planned to keep the Concealment Talismans for personal use, but now it seemed he couldn't afford to.

With multitasking, his talisman practice time increased dramatically, and he hadn't stopped for several days. More importantly, his spiritual consciousness had grown stronger, allowing him to produce more talismans. Under these circumstances, his talisman completion rate rose sharply.

The Clear Heart Talismans and Concealment Talismans had all reached high quality, faster than he'd expected. The Concealment Talismans, in particular, were nearing top quality.

He continued practicing the Qi Gathering Talismans he obtained from Fang Ling. Initially, he could only draw three strokes, but now he had reached the seventh.

Since Lei Er's departure, Lu An's stall had gained some fame. Recently, more customers had been passing by, but this only deepened his frown.

'There are more customers asking about prices, which interrupts my cultivation. If this keeps up, it will slow my progress. I need to find an assistant.'

However, that was a problem for the future. At present, his financial situation didn't allow for it.

One day, Lu An brought the finished Concealment and Clear Heart Talismans to his stall. Though the Concealment Talismans had reached mid-quality, he had only crafted a few for personal use, while most of the ones for sale were low-quality.

Perhaps due to the approaching auction, there were many more customers in the market than usual.

"This market actually sells talismans? I didn't know. Let's go take a look."

"What's so special about that? The talismans made here can't compare to those from our Divine Talisman Pavilion."

"That may be true, but the prices at your Divine Talisman Pavilion are hardly cheap."

After saying this, the speaker headed toward Lu An's stall first.

Though uninterested, the man from the Divine Talisman Pavilion followed, accompanied by a small crowd. The leader wore a blue robe with a white "Li" character embroidered on his chest, making him stand out in the market.

Lu An noticed the new arrivals but paid them little attention. Most inquiries at his stall were about prices, and the mid-quality Clear Heart Talismans often deterred potential buyers. But today's visitors were clearly more knowledgeable.

"Mid-quality Clear Heart Talismans are quite rare. Your talisman-making skills are impressive," said the young man in the blue robe, his interest piqued as he inspected the talismans on display.

Behind him, members of the Divine Talisman Pavilion looked on in shock. The leader, in particular, was incredulous.

As a first-tier talisman master who had long passed the Talisman Hall's assessment, he had always held himself in high regard. Yet even he couldn't draw mid-quality talismans. Could this young man's skills surpass his?

'Impossible. He's so young; he must be selling someone else's work. If I can find the person behind him and consult with them, I might break through the bottleneck I've faced for years.'

With this thought, he felt a surge of excitement.

Just as he was about to ask more questions, a voice from the crowd interrupted.

"Lu An, what are you doing here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Lu An slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

"Wenliang, long time no see."

The speaker was Zhao Wenliang, Uncle Zhao's son. He had been working as a talisman apprentice at the Divine Talisman Pavilion for over a week. With the auction in the south of the city taking place tomorrow, their instructor had brought them out early to broaden their horizons and prepare for the event.

"You know each other?"