Talent

A day later, Li Nanzhu went to Feng Yi’s place again.

Yesterday, having nothing else to do, she had spent the entire day reading in the Library Pavilion, picking up several books on the fundamentals of talismans.

She had learned quite a few basics, such as how the material of the talisman paper and the quality of the ink determined the final grade of the product.

However, she couldn't practice without materials. Fortunately, Feng Yi had plenty for her to use.

It was just...

"Master, this paper and ink seem a bit too high-grade... Using these as a beginner feels like a waste."

"Don't you know the saying, 'to do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools'? Using higher-grade materials increases the success rate of drawing talismans. Your master isn't short on these things; it doesn't matter even if they are wasted."

...Fine, you're the master, you call the shots.

Li Nanzhu hadn't expected the materials to influence the success rate; this was something the books hadn't mentioned.

She had originally worried that because Feng Yi’s level was so high, she might not understand his teachings. To her surprise, Feng Yi first asked how much she knew of the basics and then expanded upon them, carefully explaining many areas she found confusing.

Just the explanation of the fundamentals lasted an entire day, directly pre-empting every possible question she might have had.

Identity as a villain aside, Feng Yi was truly an excellent teacher.

Only after confirming she fully understood the most basic theories did Feng Yi begin a physical demonstration of how to draw them.

Although it ostensibly only required pouring spiritual energy into the tip of the brush and following a pattern, the patterns on talismans were essentially a test of one's mental strength.

If one's mental strength was too low, studying the talisman lines would cause dizziness, or the lines seen by the eyes would deviate from reality. This deviation was often why a talisman failed to be drawn.

Another aspect was pure talent.

If one could not comprehend the lines on the talisman, they could not be drawn. If one's mental strength was strong enough, they could memorize the patterns, but this was limited to low-tier talismans. Furthermore, anyone with that level of mental strength would be at least a Soul Transformation cultivator, and they wouldn't bother with low-tier talismans in the first place.

This was why talisman masters were even rarer than alchemists or artifact refiners.

"Failure number one hundred and sixty-eight."

Li Nanzhu temporarily set down the Wanxiang Brush.

According to Feng Yi, since her life-bound weapon was a brush, she had a natural advantage in this field. Using the Wanxiang Brush should yield a higher success rate.

But that probability didn't seem to be very high.

More than three hours had passed since she started practicing. While failing to succeed in three hours was perfectly normal for a novice, Li Nanzhu knew clearly that she didn't seem to have much talent for this. Even though Feng Yi had explained everything in detail, demonstrated it several times, and even recorded the process with a Memory Stone for her to watch repeatedly, she could still only barely comprehend the patterns. She didn't truly understand them.

Given a teacher like Feng Yi, the fact that she still didn't understand meant she truly lacked talent in this area.

Three consecutive hours of using her mental strength had left Li Nanzhu dizzy, forcing her to take a break.

Li Nanzhu was not someone who gave up easily. She hadn't been that way in the modern world, and she certainly wouldn't be after transmigrating. If she couldn't understand, it meant there was something she hadn't grasped correctly yet. Otherwise, she should have been completely unable to make any sense of it at all.

Though her eyes were closed as she rested, her mind was still racing.

"Where exactly... is the problem..." Li Nanzhu murmured as she slumped over the table.

A cup of tea was gently placed beside her.

"Master?"

Li Nanzhu hurriedly sat up, but Feng Yi patted her shoulder, signaling for her to stay seated.

"Learning talismans isn't something to be rushed. It’s only been three hours, not three years. There's no need to put so much pressure on yourself."

He pushed the teacup closer.

"Drink some tea and rest. Consuming mental energy for this long is something even I would find taxing."

Li Nanzhu took the cup and took a slow sip. As soon as the tea entered her mouth, she felt a sudden surge of alertness, and her dizziness vanished.

"This tea..."

"Spirit-tempering tea. It can alleviate the strain on your mental energy while tempering your divine sense. If you're too tired, you can have some."

Li Nanzhu took a few more silent sips.

"Thank you, Master. I was a bit too impatient."

Once her head cleared, Li Nanzhu realized that overusing her mental energy had indeed affected her ability to think. She decided to set aside the materials for now.

"Master, I think I'll head back for today. Continuing to practice like this won't lead to a breakthrough. I'll go back and give it some proper thought."

"Mhm. Take these tea leaves with you."

...

Smelling the tea bag in her hand, Li Nanzhu felt she needed to find a different approach to drawing talismans. If it relied on understanding the runes, then in a sense, it was a way of communicating with heaven and earth. Of course, it was also possible that her cultivation was currently too low, which was why she kept failing.

Being unable to cultivate for this month was a major restriction.

Duan Xianxing was in seclusion, and he had told her not to call him unless it was for a fight. Recently, she had been bothering her First Senior Brother constantly, so she tried her best not to disturb him either. As for her Second Senior Brother, he hadn't returned since being sent flying for the second time.

After thinking it over, Li Nanzhu decided her only option was to stay in the Library Pavilion. She brewed herself a pot of spirit-tempering tea, and as she sat inside the pavilion, her heart found an odd sense of peace.

In her past life as a journalist, she often had to stay in libraries to expand her knowledge. Being in the Library Pavilion felt like returning to the past, as if she hadn't transmigrated into a book and the threat from Cang Dongqing didn't exist.

Without realizing it, Li Nanzhu fell asleep.

When she woke up, there wasn't a trace of light left outside. Had she slept until nightfall?

"Is Little Junior Sister awake?"

A gentle voice came from nearby. Li Nanzhu only then realized she had a light blanket over her. It must have been her First Senior Brother who covered her while she was asleep.

"First Senior Brother, why are you at the Library Pavilion?"

She folded the blanket and returned it to Mu Wenyan. The surroundings were illuminated by several large night-luminescent pearls.

"Master told me you hit a snag with your talismans. He was afraid you’d get too obsessed and develop a heart demon, so he asked me to come check on you."

Li Nanzhu rubbed her head. After her nap, her dizziness was completely gone, likely due more to the spirit-tempering tea.

"You and Master needn't worry about that. I can work through it. Besides, I believe I can succeed. Didn't you say before, First Senior Brother? Even if I can't learn it, I'm still your little junior sister."

"I personally believe you'll be fine, but Master insisted I check. It's because our Sixth Junior Brother once got stuck in a dead end regarding arrays, and Master was afraid you'd end up like him."

"But you told me the Sixth Senior Brother is an array cultivator and is very powerful in that field. Did he once have troubles like mine?"

Just after asking, Li Nanzhu received a light tap on the head.

"As I thought, you are troubled. You're so young, don't worry so much. Master will handle everything; just relax."

Li Nanzhu didn't argue and instead changed the subject.

"First Senior Brother, why don't you tell me what happened with the Sixth Senior Brother back then?"

"Well..."

Mu Wenyan smiled, leaving her in suspense. "You should ask him that yourself. Alright, hurry back and rest. Don't keep staying up all night."

Seeing that her secret of staying up late every night had been exposed, Li Nanzhu put the books back in their places. Her mind, however, was full of plans to try a new approach for her research tomorrow.