Chapter 112: Leaps and Bounds, Power Soaring—New Talismans! New Talismans!

Ding-dong!

At this very moment, the academy’s bell rang, signaling the end of classes.

Although there was still an hour of daylight left, Chen Yushu had no heart to linger here. He joined the stream of students exiting the academy and headed straight for his home. He was impatient to experience the effects of practicing in the state of Constant Serenity. His previous attempt at the White Tiger Visualization was merely a preliminary trial, and being within the academy grounds, the experience had not been profound.

Once inside his courtyard, Chen Yushu began by lighting the stove to cook food and decoct his medicinal soups.

"With the improvement of my martial arts cultivation, my absorption rate for medicinal potency has significantly increased. Not to mention that after entering Constant Serenity, my efficiency in utilizing this potency will surely rise as well. Therefore..."

Muttering to himself, Chen Yushu retrieved three portions of Qi-Blood Soup, two portions of Yuan-Nurturing Soup, and doubled the usual amount of Red Cloud Lingzhi. After a period of preparation and simmering, the medicinal soups were ready. He downed the Qi-Blood Soup first, followed by the Yuan-Nurturing Soup.

Immediately, Chen Yushu entered the state of Constant Serenity. His mental energy invaded his body, monitoring the subtle shifts in his Qi and strength. Only then did he begin his stance training. Simultaneously, the internal force within him automatically circulated the Medicine King Strength-Locking Art. Since he had already mastered the ability to run two techniques concurrently, this was effortless.

The moment he assumed the first posture, he identified a flaw. With a slight pause, he made an adjustment. It wasn't just his movements; he altered his breathing rhythm as well. Furthermore, under his control, the internal force within him underwent subtle refinement and optimization. Then came the second posture, the third...

Soon, the entire Medicine King Stance was completed. Chen Yushu felt the difference immediately. His internal force surged violently, its efficiency more than doubled compared to before.

[Medicine King Stance +18]
[Medicine King Strength-Locking Art +22]

As Chen Yushu’s gaze fell upon the attribute panel, he understood. This was the effect of practicing in the state of Constant Serenity. It was indeed far superior to before, as evidenced by the increased experience values, not to mention the tangible impact on his physical cultivation.

Then came the second repetition, the third...

[Medicine King Stance +21]
[Medicine King Strength-Locking Art +25]
[Medicine King Stance +19]
[Medicine King Strength-Locking Art +22]
...

The moment he felt his internal force permeate his bones and surge into his marrow, his heart trembled. A flood of insights regarding the Medicine King Strength-Locking Art surged into his mind. It was as if he had practiced the technique thousands of times in a mere instant, leading to a profound understanding and a cascade of new ideas. Involuntarily, he adjusted and optimized the technique once more.

"The Medicine King Strength-Locking Art has reached Great Achievement. It was much faster than I expected."

Chen Yushu was overjoyed. His gaze confirmed that the "Great Achievement" status now appeared on the panel. With the Medicine King Stance at Great Achievement, his external forging efficiency skyrocketed. He could clearly feel his skin and flesh—which had previously hit a plateau—strengthening once more under the influence of this new, refined force. The growth continued until it had improved by more than thirty percent.

"In other words, if the Small Achievement stage provided a boost of one, the Great Achievement stage provides an additional thirty percent on top of that. While thirty percent may not seem like much, it is undeniably stronger. Compared to other martial artists, if they haven't reached Great Achievement in this technique, their physical strength will inevitably be over thirty percent weaker than mine..."

Chen Yushu grasped the implication. If an apprentice in the same pharmacy were at the same external forging level—the Marrow-Forging stage—his mastery of the Medicine King Strength-Locking Art would naturally give him an edge in both physical defense and raw power. This was a tangible gap.

"And this is only Great Achievement. If I reach Perfection in the future, the gap will be even wider."

Chen Yushu truly felt the power of the attribute panel. It allowed him to rapidly advance his techniques. For an ordinary person, reaching Small Achievement was a Herculean task, let alone Great Achievement or Perfection. This disparity would only grow with time.

At this point, feeling his medicinal energy waning, he quickly drank the portion of soup spiked with double the Red Cloud Lingzhi. As the heat rose within him, he resumed his training. Throughout this, Chen Yushu remained in a state of deep meditation.

Constant Serenity! Constant Serenity! It meant remaining in a state of deep focus. During this time, nothing he did would disrupt his meditation—whether it was martial arts training, cultivation, or even combat. No amount of strenuous activity would force him out of this state.

Half an hour later, the medicinal energy was exhausted, and Chen Yushu ceased his stance training. He moved on to the Eight Steps of the Cicada, the Eighteen Linked Blades, the Gale Blade Technique, and the Light-Heavy Blade Technique. In the state of Constant Serenity, he felt his progress speed increase significantly in every discipline.

For instance, with the Eight Steps of the Cicada, he previously needed a slight pause to catch his breath between steps. Now, after his optimizations, he could execute them in a continuous cycle, moving faster and for longer durations. The same applied to the Eighteen Linked Blades; he integrated subtle elements of the Gale Blade's force-circulation, making every strike faster. Combined with the six-blades-in-one power of his Great Achievement Eighteen Linked Blades, his lethality had significantly increased.

"However, the greatest progress is in the Light-Heavy Blade Technique. The interplay of light and heavy forces in the blade style truly gives me a sense of 'blade following the body, light and heavy at will.'"

Chen Yushu practiced until very late. Had it not been for the exhaustion of his internal energy, he would have continued.

[Eight Steps of the Cicada: Great Achievement (521/800)]
[Eighteen Linked Blades: Great Achievement (578/800)]
[Gale Blade Technique: Great Achievement (15/800)]
[Light-Heavy Blade Technique: Small Achievement (29/400)]

Looking at the panel, Chen Yushu couldn't pinpoint his exact martial level, but he felt the tangible increase in his strength. This morning, he had been helpless against his master, even when his master was only using external-forging-level power. Now, with the Gale Blade Technique at Great Achievement and the Light-Heavy Blade Technique at Small Achievement, he knew he was far stronger.

If he were to fight now, he was confident he could take down his former self within ten moves. He might even be a match for his master at the external forging level. His master’s only advantage had been the Light-Heavy Blade Technique, but now that he had mastered it to the Small Achievement stage, his weaknesses had been covered.

...

In the study, Chen Yushu was drawing talismans. These were not the ones he already knew, but a new one: the Lightness Talisman. It was recorded in the second volume of the *Morning Sun Talisman Arts*. Once applied, it would make him as light as a swallow, allowing for swifter running and jumping.

The talisman structure was simple, consisting of only seventeen characters. Previously, in his state of Great Serenity, it would have taken him an hour or two to comprehend and draw it. Now, in the state of Constant Serenity, it took less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. After two or three failed attempts, he completed it in one fluid motion.

*Hum!*

As spiritual energy fluctuated, he clearly felt the power contained within.

"The Lightness Talisman has been mastered."

Chen Yushu picked it up and, with a thought, activated it to experience the effect. He stepped into the courtyard and leaped; he covered two or three zhang in a single bound, and his vertical jump exceeded one zhang. Even with his martial arts progress, this far exceeded the limits of an ordinary person. He then unleashed the Eight Steps of the Cicada. With each step, he moved like a streak of light, darting across the courtyard.

The only regret was that the sensation of lightness faded after about ten seconds.

"However, the effect is undeniably powerful. It boosts my normal speed by fifty percent, and when combined with the Eight Steps of the Cicada, it doubles my speed on top of that. In other words, a hundred-meter dash that used to take eight seconds now takes only four or five."

Chen Yushu was pleasantly surprised. He valued the Lightness Talisman highly. Although the duration was short, its utility in quick travel or escape was invaluable.

He returned to the study and continued drawing.

[Lightness Talisman +7]
[Lightness Talisman +9]
[Lightness Talisman +12]
...

After drawing nine talismans, he felt his heart tremble as new insights regarding the talisman flooded his mind. This was the result of the Lightness Talisman reaching the Proficient level.

"In the state of Constant Serenity, the experience gained from drawing each talisman increases dramatically. This means I only need to draw a few to level them up."

Satisfied, he turned his attention to the second new talisman: the Spirit-Attracting Talisman. This talisman was intended for his cultivation. Once used, it would draw spiritual particles from the surrounding area to converge upon him, effectively increasing his cultivation efficiency. It was a rare and precious tool for someone like him, who was desperate to improve his incense-related cultivation.

"The Spirit-Attracting Talisman has twenty-three characters. More complex than the Lightness Talisman, but not overly difficult."

Two sticks of incense later, Chen Yushu, holding his talisman brush, drew the talisman in one stroke against the pressure of the world.

*Hum!*

"The Spirit-Attracting Talisman is also complete."

He was not surprised. With his current mental strength and the state of Constant Serenity, what might have been difficult before was now achievable. This was the power of an improved meditation level. According to Liu Qiao'er, those who reached the Great Serenity level were considered geniuses. Whatever they did, they were successful; once their cultivation reached the threshold, they could smoothly ascend to the Dao-Entry level.

Dao-Entry. Not a single person in Jianghuan Town had reached it.

His current meditation level was Constant Serenity, far superior to Great Serenity. To some extent, his potential went far beyond Dao-Entry. Learning to draw talismans was, naturally, much easier.

After finishing the Spirit-Attracting Talisman, he drew ten more, raising it to the Proficient level. He then set his sights on the third new talisman: the Golden Armor Talisman. A defensive talisman that would clothe him in golden armor to deflect attacks. The effect was undeniable, though the structure was more complex, consisting of thirty-one characters. It took him half an hour to master the basics.

At this point, the true difficulty wasn't the talisman itself, but the materials: the talisman paper, the ink, and even the brush. Chen Yushu was using ordinary pleated paper and low-grade ghost-blood ink. While they could carry low-level talismans, they struggled with more complex ones. At least five of his attempts had failed because the materials couldn't withstand the baptism of heaven and earth energy, causing the talismans to crumble.

Fortunately, on the sixth try, he succeeded. A talisman, thicker and more substantial than the others, appeared in his hand.

"This is the Golden Armor Talisman. Once activated, it forms golden armor to defend against enemies."

He carefully tucked it away. "As for the Water Arrow and Soldier Armor talismans, I must wait until I can procure better paper and ink."

Chen Yushu felt a slight pang of regret, as the Water Arrow Talisman had thirty-three characters and the Soldier Armor forty-eight. Given the limitations of his current supplies, they would never survive the ritual baptism.

He spent the rest of the night drawing other talismans: House-Protecting, Evil-Expelling, Ghost-Slaying, and Lightning-Calling talismans. The improvement in his meditation level made his drawing speed soar, and a thick stack soon accumulated beside him.

In the early morning, Chen Yushu did not go straight to practice. Instead, he took out a Spirit-Attracting Talisman and activated it.

*Hum!*

Instantly, he felt a special force radiate outward.

*Whoosh!*

Under the special attraction, threads of energy, laden with countless spiritual particles, were pulled from the surrounding atmosphere. Within moments, the concentration of particles around him had tripled or quadrupled.

"This is the effect of the Spirit-Attracting Talisman. It draws in energy, and the denser the energy, the more spiritual particles it contains."

He began his White Tiger Visualization. The particles were rapidly absorbed and converted.

[White Tiger Visualization +1]
[White Tiger Visualization +1]
...

Half an hour later, as the particles thinned, he activated another Spirit-Attracting Talisman. Throughout the night, he used four.

The next morning, he checked his status.

[White Tiger Visualization: Small Achievement (125/400)]
[Immortal Technique Cultivation: Two Sticks of Incense (9/100)]

"Just one night of practice and my incense cultivation increased by five points. The effect of the Spirit-Attracting Talisman is truly remarkable. With the automatic circulation of the White Tiger Visualization, I can gain at least one more point per day. That’s six points daily! In half a month, I could reach the Three Sticks of Incense level."

Chen Yushu was delighted. The deeper his cultivation, the more powerful his arts. With the upcoming corpse-raising mission alongside the corpse-raiser Zhao Yufeng and the sword-bearer Qi Jichuan, he knew the situation would be perilous. He had seen their strength, and their caution suggested they were facing something truly formidable.

"The 'Old Beast'... their master. Regardless of their past, he must have been highly skilled. Even in death, his preparations would not be simple."

He knew that many Yin-walkers made preparations before death—either to prevent their own corpses from turning into monsters or to extend their lives, often resulting in mindless, ferocious beasts. He suspected this mission involved exactly such a creature.

"The corpse-raising is still a few days away, but the exchange meeting is just around the corner."

He recalled the meeting mentioned by Shi Hao. It would be a perfect opportunity to trade for useful items and broaden his horizons. He decided to prepare by offering his talismans.

The next day, Shi Hao knocked on his door.

"Brother Chen, how many talismans have you prepared?"

Shi Hao had wanted to "restock" before, but Chen Yushu had been depleted after the evil zombie incident.

"I have some ready. How many do you need?"

"Fifty House-Protecting, fifty Evil-Expelling, and ten Ghost-Slaying talismans. Though I suspect I could sell twenty of the Ghost-Slaying ones," Shi Hao said, eyes bright.

"No problem."

Chen Yushu handed over the requested amount, plus an additional ten Ghost-Slaying talismans.

Shi Hao placed a heavy parcel on the table. "Here is the payment—five hundred taels. I still owe a bit, but I'll make it up next time."

The sound of the silver hitting the table was crisp and clear.