I have a panel that reduces proficiency.

Chapter 38 Purification Talisman

Ever since the ley line explosion and the blockade of the four towns, Han Laoliu's life has become worse day by day.

Although the blockade was the strictest in Qiyuan Town, Taoyuan Town only closed its gates and prohibited entry and exit. However, once the trade chain was broken, it was like cutting off the fuel supply at the bottom of a cauldron. No matter how big your business was, you couldn't hold on.

He used to sell about half of the talismans he made to Qingshi Town and about half to Songyuan Town.

Now that the four towns are all closed off, the talisman cultivators of Taoyuan Town can't get out, and the cultivators of Qingshi Town and Songyuan Town can't get in. All the stacks of talismans he has drawn are stuck in his hands, and he can't sell a single one.

What's even more annoying is that talismans are consumables, and cultivators have a limited daily quota for them. If you don't use them today, you can't make up for it twice the amount tomorrow.

However, his food, clothing and daily necessities will not decrease as a result—he needs to buy spirit rice and take pills, especially now that the blockade has caused the pills from Qing Shi Town and Song Yuan Town to be sold at three times the original price.

Although I made money selling winter talismans some time ago, and the rent was waived by Sanpan Temple, I basically got a place to live for free.

But when you calculate it, it turns out you're losing money.

Now that he's been sent by Sanpanguan to Qiyuan Town to do some work, it's an even bigger loss.

On the surface, it sounds nice: there are spirit stone subsidies and a first-grade high-quality spirit vein to replenish the energy.

But to be honest, the meridians consumed by drawing talismans are not profitable at all.

Therefore, Han Laoliu was in a bad mood, and the worse his mood was, the more he needed to vent.

He dared not express the slightest dissatisfaction with the Three Plates Temple; to do so would be courting death.

They dare not be dissatisfied with customers in Qingshi Town and Songyuan Town, for that would be cutting off their own source of income.

Similarly, they dared not be dissatisfied with their fellow cultivators in Taoyuan Town. As they were all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, they would inevitably run into each other again, and damaging their relationship would make it difficult to do business in the future.

After much thought, the only people he could vent his anger on were this group of early-stage Qi Refining cultivators living in Qiyuan Town.

Coincidentally, a young man from Qiyuan Town offended him these days.

Therefore, he cursed every day to vent his anger.

Han Laoliu walked up to Zhou De'an, cupped his hands, and said, "Steward Zhou, I have a favor to ask. May I choose these assistants for making talismans myself?"

Zhou De'an glanced at him and said, "As long as you can complete the mission, you can do whatever you want. However—"

His voice turned colder. "If you fail to complete the mission, you know the consequences."

Han Laoliu repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Understood, understood. Manager Zhou, rest assured, I will not fail in my mission."

Zhou De'an said no more and turned to leave.

The livelihoods of the independent practitioners are all recorded in the registers of the Three Plates Temple. It is clear at a glance who draws talismans, who gathers herbs, and who farms.

The young Taoist pointed at the booklet, and Fang Shi naturally stepped forward and stood with the other rogue cultivators who knew how to draw talismans.

Han Laoliu walked slowly over with his hands behind his back. He stopped in front of Fang Shi and said, "Young friend, we meet again."

Fang Shi cupped his hands and said, "Senior, I dare not call myself a junior friend. I am merely a junior at the second level of Qi Refining. It is an honor for you to call me 'youngster'."

Han Laoliu's gaze lingered on Fang Shi's face for a moment, as if he were sizing something up.

After a moment, he spoke again, saying, "Since the disaster, I've been cooped up in Taoyuan Town for these past few days, and I've come to understand something."

"I recognize every rogue cultivator who draws talismans in Peach Garden Town now. So, those talismans for warding off the cold really were drawn by you, weren't they?"

There was nothing to hide. If it weren't for Han Laoliu's constant harassment that day, Fang Shi would have told the whole truth when questioned.

His expression remained unchanged as he said, "Yes, senior. Those talismans for warding off the cold were indeed drawn by this junior."

Han Laoliu hummed in agreement, then suddenly sighed and said, "You are truly a prodigy. You have mastered the techniques to such an advanced level. It seems that you will break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining soon."

Upon hearing this, several talisman cultivators at the early stage of Qi Refining immediately showed strange expressions.

"Entering the inner sanctum? Fellow Daoist Fang? Not only is Fellow Daoist Fang skilled in array formations and talisman drawing, but he also possesses such remarkable comprehension of cultivation techniques?"

"If my child can achieve such a high social standing in this lifetime, I can die in peace..."

"Fellow Daoist Fang is only eighteen years old this year, isn't he? What a pity, what a pity... If it weren't for his parents' early efforts..."

Even those mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators paid attention to Fang Shi, especially Zhao Xuan, who glanced at Han Laoliu, clearly saying, "Why don't you explain yourself to me?"

Han Laoliu said, "So, young friend, come and help me draw the talisman. I will pass on all the experience I have accumulated over the past few decades to you, so that you can avoid some detours in the future."

Fang Shi was slightly taken aback and glanced at Han Laoliu.

Han Laoliu's smile was unusually kind, even somewhat benevolent, like a gentle elder mentoring a junior.

He turned his head slightly, his peripheral vision inadvertently falling on Qi Xueyi in the crowd behind him.

She clasped her hands in front of her, gazing at him quietly with a faint smile on her lips.

Fang Shi withdrew his gaze. As a rogue cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining, it would be ungrateful to refuse the "appreciation" of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator in front of everyone.

"Yes, senior."

Han Laoliu laughed heartily, patted Fang Shi on the shoulder, and said, "Good! Good! I like young people like you, who can take things in stride. Since you've agreed, come with me. I, Han Laoliu, have been drawing talismans in Taoyuan Town for half my life. I can't speak for my other skills, but I can still guide you a bit on the intricacies of mid-grade talismans. As long as you're willing to learn diligently, you'll be able to earn Spirit Shards and break through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining much faster in the future."

Fang Shi said, "Thank you for your kind words, senior."

……

True to his word, Han Laoliu led Fang Shi to a stone house filled with mid-grade first-level spiritual energy.

Inside the room was a talisman table, complete with cinnabar, yellow paper, and talisman brushes.

Han Laoliu took out a talisman from the talisman table and said, "Purification Talisman. This is what the Three Plates Temple is going to draw this time. Its effect is to purify the turbid air."

Fang Shi looked down at the talisman.

The pattern is not complicated, even simpler than a protective talisman.

Han Laoliu continued, "Although this talisman is simple, the quantity needed is enormous. In the entire Qiyuan Town, there are thousands of houses, and each house needs at least one talisman in each of the four corners. Add to that the streets, alleyways, and entrances to the spiritual veins, and you can imagine how many we need. Even if we, the mid-stage Qi Refining talisman cultivators, were to draw them one by one, it would take us a month to finish them all. So, the Sanpan Temple decided on a method—first, you early-stage Qi Refining talisman cultivators would draw the basic outlines to build the skeleton of the talisman, and then we would fill in the details."

As he spoke, he pulled out a sheet of yellow paper from a stack of yellow paper, laid it in front of Fang Shi, then picked up a talisman brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and ran it across the paper.

The strokes of the brush reduced the pattern by nearly half compared to the complete design of the talisman, leaving only the main lines while omitting all the finer details, turns, loops, and knots.

"Did you see it clearly? This is a simplified version. The Three Plates Observation requires that early-stage Qi Refining cultivators only need to follow this drawing to build the framework. The rest, such as finishing touches, finishing touches, and spirit infusion, are all done by mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators."

Han Laoliu handed the pen to Fang Shi and said, "Give it a try."

Fang Shi took the pen, smoothed the tip of the pen on the edge of the dish, took a deep breath, and began to write.

He had been drawing talismans for many years and had a solid foundation. Although this was a new talisman he had never drawn before, the pattern was simple and he quickly drew one.

Han Laoliu took it, examined it for a moment, nodded, and said, "Not bad, the frame is well-built, even better than I expected."

Fang Shi said, "Senior, you flatter me. I merely copied the pattern and did not deserve such praise."

Han Laoliu said, "Not everyone can draw a gourd well by copying its shape. The strength, turns, and beginnings and endings of each stroke you make all follow a set pattern, which is not something that can be done casually. Since you can draw such simple strokes so steadily, then you will be in charge of finishing the details, adding the finishing touches, and imbuing the gourd with spirit from now on."

Fang Shi was taken aback and said, "Senior, isn't this inappropriate..."

Han Laoliu said, "What's wrong with that? This is good training for you. If it weren't for your advanced skills and exceptional comprehension, I wouldn't have bothered with this. Drawing more complete talismans will greatly benefit your future creation of other mid-grade first-tier talismans. You can't just draw low-grade talismans your whole life, can you?"

Fang Shi hesitated for a moment, then said, "But what about the Three Plates Temple..."

Han Laoliu's expression turned serious as he interrupted him, saying, "Of course we must complete the task assigned by the Three Plates Temple properly. I'm teaching you how to finish, add the finishing touches, and infuse the spirit so that you can better assist me in drawing the talismans faster and better, young friend. Even if the Three Plates Temple finds out, it doesn't matter. Besides, I'm cultivating you. If you don't appreciate it, then forget it."

Fang Shi glanced at Qi Xueyi beside him and said, "Senior, your good intentions are appreciated. Please give me your guidance."

Han Laoliu nodded in satisfaction, took another clean sheet of yellow paper from the talisman table, spread it out, picked up a brush, and said, "Watch carefully. The key to finishing is to 'close' without 'breaking' the connection. After the simple sketch is finished, the main body of the pattern is already there, but the ends are all open, like doors that haven't been closed. What you need to do is close these doors, so that the spiritual energy forms a complete loop within the talisman, without leaving a beginning and an end."

As he spoke, the tip of his pen landed at the very end of the simple line, and with a gentle twist, drew a tiny circle, closing the originally open lines into a closed knot.

The ring, no bigger than a grain of rice, was perfectly aligned with the patterns on either side, forming a seamless whole.

"This is called a 'tail lock ring.' Every end must be locked, and the lock must be tight. If it's loose, the spiritual energy will leak out from here, and the whole talisman will be ruined."

Han Laoliu then changed to another end and repeated the process, chaining it to seven or eight places in one go. His technique was clean, efficient, and seamless.

"Then comes the finishing touch..."

[Purification Talisman Proficiency +1]

[Purification Talisman Proficiency +1]

……

Fang Shi emerged from the stone house as dusk was approaching.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the earth a dark red. Outside, a few rogue cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining stood in twos and threes, all of whom had been assigned to assist in talisman making today.

When they saw Fang Shi come out, one of them said.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, today was truly relaxing. We only drew a few simple strokes, without even needing to infuse spirit energy, and my meridians aren't tired at all. I just calculated that I'll actually be able to cultivate at the spiritual vein for a full half hour tonight. This is even more comfortable than when we were repairing the house."

Another person said, "Cultivation? I'm not going. My kid has just reached the first level of Qi Refining, which is the time to lay a foundation. I'll give him the spot for the spiritual vein. I'd like to take this opportunity to see how to draw the Spirit Purification Talisman, and think about it so that I can draw a few myself and sell them to the rogue cultivators heading to the Great Wilderness after the seal is lifted."

"Keep dreaming! The finishing touches, the finishing touches, and the infusion of spirit into the purifying talisman—each of these requires masterful magical power. Even if you practice drawing simple strokes to perfection, without infusion, it's just a piece of waste paper. If you're going to learn, you have to be like Fellow Daoist Fang. By the way, Fellow Daoist Fang, have you learned the complete method for drawing the purifying talisman today?"

Fang Shi said, "I would like to learn. But the task at Sanpan Temple is more important. Senior Han said that we can't entrust this kind of thing to others. If something goes wrong, it will delay the purification progress of the entire Qiyuan Town."

Everyone nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true. Senior Han is indeed mature and prudent, and knows what's important."

After chatting for a few more minutes, it got completely dark.

One by one, the bright lights illuminated the entire tent area as if it were daytime.

The independent cultivators gradually dispersed, some returning to their tents to call their children, while others headed towards the spiritual vein.

Fang Shi naturally headed towards the direction of the spiritual vein.

On the way, Qi Xueyi gently tugged at Fang Shi's sleeve and said, "Husband, that Han Laoliu is clearly deceiving you. He made you draw simple talismans and then had you finish them off and imbue them with spirit, saving himself the effort by going back to the spiritual vein to meditate and cultivate. But what about you? You spent the entire afternoon drawing talismans. Aren't your meridians tired? How are you going to cultivate in the spiritual vein tonight?"

Fang Shi said, "Learning another skill is always a good thing. Once the blockade is lifted, I'll be able to draw purification talismans. I think the Great Wilderness is full of turbid energy, which is exactly where purification talismans are needed."

Qi Xueyi nodded gently and said, "Then I will do as my husband says."

……

Inside the stone house of the spiritual vein, Fang Shi sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his dantian.

Qi Xueyi sat beside him, and after he completed one cycle of Qi circulation, she gave him some pointers: "Husband, when you passed through the Qi Sea just now, your spiritual energy went astray by half an inch. It's alright. In the next cycle, just deviate one inch to the left, and it will naturally be correct."

[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]

[Minor Concealment Technique Proficiency -1]

【…】

Fang vowed to do as he was told.

[Small Water Cloud Technique Proficiency +1]

【Small Water Cloud Technique (Proficient): 115/200】

[Refining Level 2 +1]

[Second Level of Spirit Refinement: 82/200]

……

The night was deep, and the pale light of the talisman was blocked outside by the curtain, leaving the tent dimly lit.

Qi Xueyi was curled up in his arms as usual, fast asleep.

Fang Shi suddenly opened his eyes, removed his right hand from her body, and slowly reached under the pillow along the dry grass.

There he hid the talisman paper, cinnabar dish, and talisman brush that he had prepared during the day.

He lay down, spread the talisman paper on the ground with his back, moistened his fingertips with saliva, and began to grope for the cinnabar dish to grind ink. After the cinnabar was moistened, he dipped his brush into it.

He then began to draw talismans.

After discarding eight cards—

[Purification Talisman Proficiency +1]

【Purification Talisman (Beginner): 21/100】

Fang Shi picked up the purification talisman, took a deep breath, stuck the talisman to his chest, closed his eyes, and activated his magic power.

As soon as the talisman moved, a cool aura emanated from it.

It passes through the Tanzhong point, then the Chengjiang point, then the Baihui point, and finally rushes straight to the top of the head.

Then, he opened his eyes.

Her arms were empty.