The shifting clouds resemble white dogs, the sun and moon do not linger; in the blink of an eye, half a month had passed.

Amidst the vast heavens and earth, a broad leaf drifted, as if floating upon a lake, yet also soaring through the sky.

Gu An lay upon it, his eyes tightly shut.

If any cultivator were to see this, they would likely be greatly astonished. The surface of the lake held absolutely no trace of his aura, only a vast, endless expanse of water.

This was a sign that the Cicada Slumber Chapter had reached the Novice stage.

Over this half-month, Gu An had successfully brought both chapters of the Cicada-Breath Spirit-Concealing Art to the Novice stage.

The Cicada Molting Chapter could already conceal a single layer of his cultivation. On the surface, he was now merely an unremarkable Qi Condensation fourth-layer cultivator.

If an enemy cultivator judged his strength based on this, a pleasant surprise would be waiting for them!

A sudden gust of wind rippled the lake waters, startling Gu An awake from his deep contemplation on the green leaf.

"Hmm, sensing the spiritual frequency of water spiritual power is truly difficult!" Gu An thought silently.

Although the Cicada Slumber Chapter had reached the Novice stage, it still took a long time to sense the spiritual frequency each time. The casting speed was far too slow, making it likely unusable in actual combat.

According to Xiao Wenyuan, this was already quite fast. He merely needed to cultivate slowly, continually sensing the spiritual frequency and deepening his cultivation. Naturally, the Cicada Molting Chapter would then become more profound.

But Gu An was still unsatisfied. Every day, he carved out an hour to cultivate on White Mirror Lake.

Today's hour was up. His practice of the Cicada-Breath Spirit-Concealing Art would stop here! He still had many things to do.

Casually tossing down a few handfuls of Spirit Bran, paying no heed to the Black Spirit Fish and Blood Moon Eel scrambling for the food, Gu An leaped up from the green leaf. He glided effortlessly across the water's surface, rushing back toward the small courtyard.

A moment later, Gu An sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in his quiet room. He took out the Water Cloud Talisman Scripture and pressed it against his brow.

Profound lines of text and images surfaced in Gu An's mind, causing him to involuntarily sink his consciousness into them.

The Water Cloud Talisman Scripture was a First-Grade High-Tier Talisman Crafting inheritance. It included five First-Grade Lower-Tier talismans, three First-Grade Middle-Tier talismans, and two First-Grade High-Tier talismans.

Among them, the First-Grade Lower-Tier talismans were the Mind-Calming Talisman, Water-Gathering Talisman, Fireball Talisman, Stone-Skin Talisman, and Golden Needle Talisman.

The First-Grade Middle-Tier talismans were the Spirit-Soothing Talisman, Water Shield Talisman, and Rock Armor Talisman.

The First-Grade High-Tier talismans were the Chain Fireball Talisman and Divine Wind Talisman.

Gu An had begun learning Talisman Crafting two days ago. He chose to practice drawing the Water-Gathering Talisman, which had the lowest difficulty, and found that his talent was quite good-his progress was very fast.

Putting down the jade slip, he repeatedly savored the drawing method of the Water-Gathering Talisman in his mind.

After pondering for a long time, feeling confident in his grasp of the process, he calmed his breath and focused his mind, casting aside distracting thoughts. He took out the Snow-Bristle Brush, spread out the Talisman Paper, dipped the brush in Spiritual Ink, and prepared to craft talismans.

The Talisman Paper was First-Grade Lower-Tier Green Spirit Paper that Gu An had bought at the Yun Kingdom small gathering. It was made from the stalks of Green Spirit Rice; two Spirit Stones could buy a dozen sheets.

The Spiritual Ink was also utterly ordinary-First-Grade Lower-Tier Pig's Blood Spiritual Ink, made from Dan Mountain pig's blood. Five Spirit Stones bought a large jar, making it the cheapest roadside good available.

Talismans were condensations of the spiritual power of heaven and earth. Each talisman was composed of runic patterns; the more runic patterns there were, and the more complex they were, the greater the power of the drawn talisman and the higher its grade.

The Water-Gathering Talisman was the simplest type among First-Grade Lower-Tier talismans, composed of only three runic patterns. Gu An had started practicing with it, but over the past two days, he still hadn't managed to successfully draw one.

Its effect was also very simple: it condensed water from the surrounding area. Uh, it was drinkable.

Only minor cultivators lacking a Water Spirit Root would buy a few to keep as spares when traveling far or entering the Cloudmist Mountains to hunt Demon Beasts.

Yes, it was that useless. The reason the Water Cloud Talisman Scripture included it was precisely because it was simple to draw and highly suitable for beginners to learn.

Gu An calmed his breath and steadied his mind, recalling the runic structure and meridian flow of the Water-Gathering Talisman. Slowly, he began to draw.

The moment his brush touched the paper, Gu An felt a sense of resistance. Drawing a talisman meant sealing the power of heaven and earth onto a single piece of paper; naturally, it would be met with the obstruction of the spiritual power of heaven and earth.

It was said that when a mighty figure drew a high-grade talisman, the winds and clouds in all directions would shift upon its completion, and lightning from the nine heavens would strike down to prevent its birth into the world.

Gu An exerted a steady force with his wrist, channeling spiritual power to the tip of the brush. It slowly flowed through the Spiritual Ink and into the Talisman Paper. The first runic pattern took shape.

Without any pause, Gu An began drawing the second runic pattern. The weight and speed, the length of the strokes, the pouring of spiritual power-all had to be carefully controlled. A single mistake could ruin the entire talisman.

However, just as Gu An was drawing the final runic pattern, his focused hand trembled slightly. The flow of spiritual power became chaotic, causing the runic pattern to deviate from its intended path.

Gu An inwardly cried out in dismay, but it was already too late to salvage. He grabbed the Talisman Paper and tossed it out the window.

With a bang, the Talisman Paper exploded, spontaneously igniting without fire. This was the half-sealed spiritual power of heaven and earth going into a violent frenzy and bursting apart.

Drawing talismans was truly a dangerous job!

"Keep going. I was so close!"

Failure was the mother of success. Gu An naturally wouldn't be discouraged by a single failure, especially since he had already failed more than a dozen times over the past two days.

And this was under the condition that he actually possessed considerable talent. There was a reason those cultivators didn't learn Talisman Crafting. Was it because they didn't want to? No, it was because they lacked the talent and the investment was simply too huge. As the saying went: Alchemy ruins three generations, learning talismans impoverishes a lifetime!

Gu An took a deep breath, spread out another sheet of Talisman Paper, and continued drawing.

By the time it grew dark, while drawing a Water-Gathering Talisman, Gu An suddenly felt a subtle stir in his Divine Sense. A flash of clarity passed through him. His brush moved with wondrous inspiration, as if flowers were blooming beneath it.

The sense of resistance was still there, but it had weakened considerably.

As he finished drawing the final runic pattern, a brand-new spiritual talisman was completed. The freshly drawn Water-Gathering Talisman emitted a faint blue glow, its three runic patterns faintly shimmering brightly.

This time, there were no mistakes, no spontaneous combustion. Gu An's very first talisman in his life was thus completed, even if it was merely a Water-Gathering Talisman.

"It's done."

Gu An let out an excited shout. Although it was only the simplest Water-Gathering Talisman, it still signified that he had officially become a First-Grade Lower-Tier Talisman Master.

Three days! No guidance! Relying solely on a talisman inheritance jade slip, Gu An had stepped into the ranks of First-Grade Lower-Tier Talisman Masters.

This talent for Talisman Crafting could be considered top-notch. Even in the Qingyuan Sect, he could effortlessly secure a position in the Talisman Hall.

Of course, Gu An certainly wouldn't be so shortsighted. Raising spirit beasts was his true path.

Daring not to rest, Gu An seized the moment while he still had the feeling and quickly began drawing the next talisman.

Success!

Failure!

Failure!

...

Working late into the night, Gu An drew ten Water-Gathering Talismans, succeeding with two.

This success rate was acceptable for a beginner, but it was far from profitable.

A dozen sheets of Talisman Paper cost two Spirit Stones. Factoring in the consumption of Spiritual Ink, the cost of drawing one talisman was roughly one-fifth of a Spirit Stone. One Spirit Stone could buy three Water-Gathering Talismans. This meant that a success rate of three-fifths was needed just to roughly break even.

This was partly due to the useless effect of the Water-Gathering Talisman and its low selling price, but it also showed that Gu An still had much room for improvement.

If you're bad, practice more!

Gu An sat in meditation for a while to recover. When his spiritual power was about seventy to eighty percent restored, he got up and started drawing again.

...

By the time the east began to lighten and the roosters crowed to announce the dawn,

Gu An finally fell into a deep sleep. On the table, seven or eight Water-Gathering Talismans flickered faintly with spiritual light-the fruits of a single night's labor.