A second life, An Eternal journey to Immortality

Jiang Cheng returned to his small home, the morning's meditation leaving him refreshed and invigorated.

His stomach growled in protest, and he quickly set a pot of rice on the stove. The warm scent of steaming grains filled the air as he sat at his modest table, savoring the simple meal.

Once finished, he washed up, cleaned his workspace, and turned his attention to the tools of talisman-making:

a bottle of talisman ink, twenty talisman paper, and a delicate talisman pen. These had been purchased yesterday by Jiang Cheng, plus the original owner failed attempts and theoretical notes.

Today, Jiang Cheng resolved to turn theory into practice.

Sitting at his desk, Jiang Cheng opened the ink bottle, the rich, slightly metallic scent wafting out. He spread out a sheet of talisman paper, its surface smooth and unblemished, and carefully picked up the talisman pen.

Closing his eyes, he silently recalled the steps from the introductory chapter of the Art of Talismans. In his mind, the image of the Minor Shield Talisman took form—a protective charm meant to absorb a single strike. The strokes were intricate, demanding precision and a steady flow of spiritual energy.

After a long moment of mental preparation, Jiang Cheng steadied his breathing and began.

As the talisman pen touched the paper, a series of mysterious patterns flowed forth, each line carrying a faint glow of spiritual power. His movements were steady and fluid, a single unbroken stroke from start to finish.

When the last mark was drawn, the talisman paper emitted a brief flash of light, and Jiang Cheng felt a tug within him as the talisman absorbed a portion of his spiritual power.

He placed the pen down and stared at the talisman. The glowing patterns gradually stabilized, forming a completed low-grade Minor Shield Talisman.

"It worked..." Jiang Cheng muttered, disbelief and excitement flickering in his eyes.

The original owner of this body had failed countless times, yet Jiang Cheng had succeeded on his first try. Was it luck? Or perhaps a combination of the original owner's theoretical foundation and his own methodical approach?

Regardless, the success filled Jiang Cheng with newfound confidence.

Encouraged, Jiang Cheng decided to attempt a second talisman. He picked up his pen, dipped it in ink, and began again.

This time, however, as he approached the final strokes, the spiritual power at the tip of his pen wavered. The talisman paper fizzled, and the glow abruptly vanished.

"Failed..." Jiang Cheng sighed, shaking his head.

Not discouraged, he analyzed the mistake. "The spiritual power at the tip of the pen wasn't steady enough. I need to refine my control."

After a brief rest, Jiang Cheng tried again, only to fail once more. This time, it was a moment of hesitation in his brushwork that caused the talisman to lose its integrity.

"I thought I was a talent for making talismans, but I didn't expect that the first time was just a blind cat catching a dead mouse. The second and third times are the true manifestation of my ability."

Jiang Cheng admitted, chuckling wryly. But instead of feeling disheartened, he poured himself a cup of tea, letting the warm liquid calm his nerves.

After failing to draw the talisman twice, Jiang Cheng needs to calm down and avoid getting too excited.

He is naturally cautious and rarely gets carried away.

But we have to be on guard.

Sitting at the desk, Jiang Cheng drank cup after cup of tea as the sun gradually set outside the window.

He sat silently for a long time, his eyes closed as he visualized the process in his mind.

The output of spiritual power.

The depiction of the pen strokes.

The brushwork is done in one go.

And most importantly, a stable state of mind.

Making talismans is never easy and requires a lot of time for error correction and practice.

This time, when Jiang Cheng picked up his pen, he was ready.

The talisman paper lay before him, pristine and unmarked. He dipped the pen in ink, adjusted his breathing, and began to draw. Each stroke was deliberate yet smooth, a seamless flow of spiritual power guiding the pen.

Minutes passed in silence, the only sound the faint scratching of the pen against paper.

Finally, as the last stroke fell, the talisman paper lit up once more. A rush of energy flowed from Jiang Cheng into the talisman, and he felt it stabilize.

He set the pen down and leaned back, a faint smile tugging at his lips. In his hands was another low-grade Minor Shield Talisman, as flawless as the first.

Jiang Cheng examined the talisman, the intricate patterns glowing faintly under the dim light. His earlier failures now seemed like necessary steps toward mastery.

"Making talismans is harder than I thought," he admitted, "but it's also incredibly rewarding."

Continue drawing.

Jiang Cheng's eyes were focused, and his pen moved quickly, and lines of talisman patterns appeared on the talisman paper.

And with the final stroke of the pen.

The talisman paper in front of him suddenly flashed with light.

Immediately, Jiang Cheng felt that some of the spiritual power in his body was absorbed by the talisman paper in front of him.

When the talisman paper no longer absorbed spiritual energy, the talisman paper in front of Jiang Cheng successfully turned into a low-grade minor shield talisman worth five spiritual stones.

Feeling the spiritual power in his body decreasing, a flash of joy appeared on Jiang Cheng's face.

The fifth talisman making.

It worked again!

"three successes, two failures, sixty percent chance? No, that can't be calculated that way. We've only drawn five times. Only when the number is increased can we truly calculate the probability."

Looking at the low-grade minor shield talisman in front of him, jiang Cheng shook his head and put aside the complacent mentality in his heart.

Low-grade minor shield talisman, market price is five spirit stones.

But the materials for making it, talisman ink and talisman paper, the cost of the two together is two spirit stones.

If the loss of the talisman pen is taken into account, the cost will be even higher.

However, the talisman pen can be used for a long time and generally speaking, it will not break down quickly.

Therefore, although the talisman pen is expensive, the cost is actually relatively low.

In the following period of time.

Jiang Cheng used up all the remaining six materials for making talismans.

But in the end, out of twenty sets of materials for making talismans, only eight were successful.

Jiang Cheng glanced at the stack of wasted talisman papers and let out a small groan. "If failure were an art, I'd be a grandmaster by now." He shook his head, pouring himself another cup of tea.

Got eight low-grade minor shield talismans.

Such a result made Jiang Cheng secretly happy.

It seems that because I

have the advantage of my soul, I am more suitable for making talismans than ordinary cultivators.

The first attempt at making the talisman, the success rate reached over 40%.

With such a chance, if I spend more time to continue to comprehend the introductory chapter of the Art of Talismans, supplemented by slow practice, I'm afraid I will be able to increase my success rate in making talismans to more than 50% soon.

Placing the talismans carefully into a wooden box, he sat back and poured himself another cup of tea. His thoughts drifted to the future, to more advanced talismans, and to the possibilities they held.

"One day," he murmured, staring at the glowing talismans, "I won't just be a talisman maker. I'll be the talisman master."

And with that, Jiang Cheng blew out the lantern and retired for the night, the faint glow of his completed talismans a quiet reminder of what determination—and a touch of luck—could achieve.

__________________