As the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting long shadows across his workspace, Xiang Yu decided to stop his pill refining efforts and turned his attention to the two talismans and blank paper he had prepared. He picked up a brush, then—just as he had done with the pill—redirected all his qi sense, focusing its full power on analyzing the talismans.
What he discovered surprised him. These weren't merely calligraphy marks as he had initially assumed. The visible characters were merely the surface layer—beneath them ran intricate patterns of pure qi, woven together with remarkable precision. If he had to compare it to something from his former world, the design resembled a computer motherboard—complex pathways of energy connecting in systematic patterns beneath the visible surface. Since both talismans were identical, they contained the same elaborate network of qi channels under the visible writing.
Xiang Yu set the brush aside. The calligraphy, he realized, merely served to identify the talisman's purpose. The true functional component was the intricate qi pattern embedded at the center of the paper. Instead of ink, he focused a small amount of qi at his fingertip, directing it toward the blank paper as he attempted to recreate the pattern.
The moment his qi made contact with the paper, it tore into pieces.
Xiang Yu stared at the shredded remains and sighed deeply. Evidently, he needed far greater concentration to draw such delicate patterns without destroying the medium. He selected another sheet and tried again.
Failure.
Another attempt. Another failure.
Yet another piece of paper. Yet another failure.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Xiang Yu exhaled slowly to calm his mounting frustration. He took another blank sheet, holding it gently in his hand. Closing his eyes, he intensified his concentration to unprecedented levels. For a brief, promising moment, it seemed he might succeed—until the paper suddenly tore apart like the others.
Undeterred, he selected his next piece of paper. As he held it, he closed his eyes and concentrated with even greater intensity. The challenge was clear: he needed to make his qi impossibly gentle. He wondered if cultivators used some kind of specialized tool—something similar to the lithography machines from his previous world—to create these talismans. It seemed almost impossible that raw qi could be controlled with such precision.
Perhaps his concentration simply wasn't sufficient. Refusing to surrender, Xiang Yu deepened his focus even further. In his mind, he meticulously visualized the talisman pattern—every twist, every turn, every minute connection. He pictured it with such extraordinary detail that he slipped into a trance-like state where nothing existed except the swirling, interconnected patterns of the talisman design.
When he finally emerged from this meditative state, Xiang Yu opened his eyes slowly, carefully—and witnessed something remarkable.
The paper in his hand was glowing softly, suffused with qi energy as the pattern he had visualized was etching itself into the material—not by his conscious direction, but as if guided by the pure intensity of his concentration and the perfect blueprint he had created in his mind.
...
He watched with amazement as the pattern materialized before his eyes. When the initial shock faded, Xiang Yu suddenly realized what was happening and regained his focus. To think it was that simple all along! When using qi normally, it originated primarily from the dantian—a source typically violent and unstable in nature. But during his intense concentration, he had inadvertently drawn upon the qi from his spiritual sea—a gentler, more refined energy that flowed like a calm breeze rather than the usual turbulent force.
This revelation explained why cultivating the mind was so crucial for combating mental demons. The serene qi in the spiritual sea could help pacify the turbulent energy coursing through a cultivator's body. When he had burned the pattern's image into his mind, mastering every intricate detail, he had subconsciously replicated it onto the paper using this refined spiritual sea energy.
"So this is why," he whispered to himself, genuine wonder in his voice. What had seemed impossible now made perfect sense—these delicate patterns could be drawn on such fragile material because cultivators weren't using destructive dantian qi but rather the controlled, gentle energy of the spiritual sea.
Did this mean that only those at the Golden Core stage could craft talismans? After all, only cultivators at that realm could access their spiritual sea. Had he not unlocked his spiritual sea prematurely, would talisman crafting have remained forever beyond his reach? Xiang Yu couldn't help but feel fortunate—the spiritual sea that he didn't know how to use before was slowly starting to show its value.
He slowly opened his eyes completely, observing with satisfaction that the pattern had been perfectly replicated on the paper. He had created a talisman entirely on his own! Moreover, after studying the pattern so intensely and successfully replicating it, he now understood its purpose.
"It seems to be an explosion talisman, but only ninth grade," he thought to himself. Like other professions in the cultivation world, talisman making was also structured from ninth grade (lowest) to first grade (highest). He wondered if this achievement qualified him as a ninth-grade talisman maker.
Eager to confirm, he prepared to summon his system interface to check if the profession had officially manifested. But before he could complete the mental command, a loud, resonant bell sound penetrated his concentration.
The sound reverberated through the entire sect. From his predecessor's memories, he instantly recognized the sound as the sect's emergency bell.
For that bell to ring with such urgency could only mean one thing: the Azure Cloud Sect was under attack.
Xiang Yu's mind raced, was the sect under attack? Had Elder Mei and his accomplices finally decided to make their move?
As these thoughts whirled through his mind, Xiang Yu suddenly felt a tingling sensation spreading across his entire body. He instantly recognized this feeling, it was the feeling of his battle awareness activating, automatically shifting him into combat-ready status.
But why would this happen? Even if the sect was under attack, there was no immediate threat to him personally unless...
"Oh no," he gasped as realization struck him. He had been focusing all his spiritual sense on the talismans and pill, completely withdrawing the qi sense that normally blanketed the entire pavilion. He had left himself utterly defenseless, unable to detect anyone approaching.
"Dammit! I let my guard down" he thought as he quickly spun around—only to be met with an enormous fist hurtling toward his face at frightening speed. The massive knuckles filled his vision, already too close to evade completely.
In that split-second between recognition and impact, Xiang Yu's enhanced battle instinct screamed warnings through every fiber of his being. He had made the cardinal mistake that he had sworn never to make in this dangerous world—he had become distracted, forgotten his surroundings, and now someone had managed to approach him undetected.
...
Xiang Yu watched the incoming fist with widening eyes.
[Enemy]
He really had let his guard down this time. But his battle instinct didn't let him stay in the trance for long as he instantly recovered, entering combat-ready status. He moved his hand, placing the talisman he'd just finished making on the opponent's fist before retreating back a few steps.
[Talisman]
In the next second, an explosion erupted, the shockwave pushing Xiang Yu—who was already several steps away—even further back.
"So powerful?" he gasped, surprised by the effect.
He hadn't expected a ninth-grade talisman to be so potent. No wonder a Foundation Establishment cultivator kept it as a trump card. It made sense since even the lowest grade talisman could only be made by a Golden Core cultivator.
He was really grateful that he had killed Wang Wei and the other assassin before they could employ this trump card, otherwise, he would've been the one to die. The only problem was that his newly built house had also been caught in the blast.
When the explosion dust finally settled, he could finally see the opponent clearly.
[Enemy] * 3
To his surprise, there were actually three of them, and they didn't seem to be harmed at all, except for the one in the front who appeared to have taken on the full blast. He was a huge man with a muscular stature. His right hand had been blown right off, but he still remained calm. Xiang Yu used his qi sense and was shocked—the two others were actually middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, while the huge man was an early-stage Core Formation cultivator.
Xiang Yu now understood why the others were unharmed—the man had blocked the explosion for them. Xiang Yu felt truly nervous. Not to mention the Core Formation cultivator, he didn't even know if he could win against the middle-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Had the heavens really decided to kill him today?
Though anxiety churned inside him, he maintained an outwardly calm facade. He needed to come up with a plan.
The huge man held his remaining arm, using qi to stabilize the blood flow.
"I thought that it was a killing formation or a hidden expert," the man spoke, his voice steady despite his injury. "Who would've thought that it was just a kid playing around with talismans."
As he spoke, he used voice transmission to communicate with the others. "~Don't let your guard down. I used almost half my strength to take on that attack." He thought to himself that he had been caught off guard since the disciple didn't seem to have any cultivation. To think that the boy would use a talisman at such close proximity—he could only take it head-on.
"Demonic cultivators, you think I don't know your scheme?" Xiang Yu shouted, causing the man to be startled. Could it be that their plan had already been exposed? How could he know that they were demonic cultivators?
"Today, this elder will teach you a lesson," Xiang Yu declared confidently. In the next second, talismans appeared in his hands—there were almost a dozen of them. When the big man saw this, he panicked. How could this youth have so many talismans? Xiang Yu then threw all of them towards the intruders.
"Not good! Run!" the Core Formation cultivator shouted, and the three scattered in different directions. The big man perched atop a tree, a few meters away from where he was before. "Hmm, why isn't the explosion happening?" he wondered. He then looked toward where the talismans had been thrown, only to see pieces of paper scattered on the ground. And Xiang Yu—he was gone.
"That brat!" the man shouted. They had been tricked—there weren't any talismans at all. The man dropped from his hiding location, and the others, having also realized the deception, came down as well.
"Quickly, go capture him," the man commanded. "He's just a mortal. There is no way he could've gotten far." In his mind, he thought that he had assumed the disciple seemed to know about their plan, but as it appeared now, the boy was probably just spouting nonsense. Still, they needed to catch him just in case.
The Foundation Establishment subordinates bowed and scattered in different directions. The injured man then got into a meditative posture. He thought to himself that he should recover his energy first. Those two should have no trouble capturing a mortal. Even though Xiang Yu might have a few more talismans, as long as they stayed vigilant, they should be able to avoid being harmed.
...
In the forest, Xiang Yu ran, employing his movement technique to move even faster. He had used his remaining two talismans, holding them together with blank papers to give the illusion of having many talismans. He had learned this trick from a street magician he had seen doing card tricks once.
He thought to himself that at his current state, there was no way he could contend against the Core Formation realm cultivator, even an injured one. Escape was his only option.
[Tree] * 12
Since his system could conceal his cultivation, as long as he hid well, he would be able to avoid detection. Unless the Core Formation cultivator had a qi sense as strong as his that could cover the entire pavilion, there was no way that he could find him.
[Cave]
As he was running, he noticed a cave entrance partially hidden by foliage. He thought to himself that this cave was concealed well enough to serve as a hiding place.
He quickly gathered a handful of fallen leaves and branches, slipping inside the small opening and carefully arranging the foliage to make it appear as though it was just a normal bush. Once inside, he pressed himself against the cool stone wall and forced his breathing to slow, calming himself down.
[Stone]
When his heartbeat finally steadied, he could properly assess his situation. He could also finally address the random texts that kept appearing before him, he thought he was losing his mind for a moment.
With his mind clear, Xiang Yu summoned his system interface and was instantly surprised by what he saw:
[Professions: Cook: 4th Grade (20/600), Talisman Maker: 9th Grade (10/100), Appraiser: 9th Grade (2/100)]
...