Li Xin quietly examined the Ice Shadow Talisman Crafting Method. Until now, the talisman had looked like nothing more than a tangled, complex pattern. But now, the structure hidden within it stood out with striking clarity. Three core strokes—Water Binding, Diffusion, Resonance. The principles each contained were unmistakably clear, and the harmony formed by the three strokes was the very essence of the Ice Shadow Talisman.

  “I can draw it now.”

  Li Xin murmured softly as he shifted his gaze to the Five-Element Converging Array Plate placed on the desk.

  The Ice Shadow Talisman was a talisman that manipulated ice. Naturally, its beginning lay in the energy of ‘water.’ Without hesitation, he reached out and adjusted the array plate, causing its surface to slowly dye itself in an azure glow. Cold energy filled the room, and Li Xin sat upright on his cushion, steadying his posture.

  He lifted the brush, dipped it into ink, and quietly regulated his breathing. Then he fixed his gaze on a single point atop the talisman paper. Not a trace of wavering existed in his eyes.

  The first stroke. Its core lay in the principle of Kan–Gen.

  Water flows, and mountains block that flow. Stagnant water ultimately freezes.

  Li Xin focused the cold energy he had internalized from the Water Binding Talisman onto the tip of his brush.

  The instant the ink touched the talisman paper, it froze solid. An ordinary talisman would have been ruined on the spot, but Li Xin showed no sign of panic. Instead, he accepted that energy, firmly pressing down as he drew the stroke. Like flowing water freezing into a single grain.

  The moment the brush lifted from the talisman paper, the first stroke was complete.

  “Huu…”

  Li Xin exhaled briefly, stabilized his energy, and immediately moved on to the second stroke. The principle of the second stroke was Xun–Qian.

  When wind meets the sky, its energy spreads endlessly…

  This time, the energy he had internalized from the Diffusion Talisman gathered at the tip of his brush.

  The moment he placed the brush at the point where it intersected the first stroke—

  The ink scattered across the talisman paper like a gust of wind. At a glance, it looked like a failed brushstroke, but Li Xin knew better.

  Even disorder is part of the principle.

  As the two strokes crossed, it felt as if a faint snow squall rose within the air itself. The scattered lines soon converged into a single flow, settling at the talisman’s center, and the second stroke naturally took shape.

  Li Xin’s gaze deepened. Before he could even fully steady his mind, the hand gripping the brush was already preparing for the next step. The final third stroke. Its principle was Zhen–Kan.

  Thunder shatters stillness with violent vibration, and water embraces that vibration to create waves.

  Li Xin infused yet another kind of energy into the brush. The power he had internalized from the Resonance Talisman concentrated at his fingertips, and a fine tremor spread through the entire brush.

  That vibration traveled down the brush tip and transferred directly onto the talisman paper. Each line he drew made it seem as though the paper and surrounding space were vibrating together.

  The instant the third stroke was completed, a powerful wave spread from the entire talisman, that vibration wrapping around Li Xin’s whole body through the brush. Now, three strokes lay upon the completed Ice Shadow Talisman. Yet they were not mere lines. Different attributes of energy coexisted without clashing, harmonizing into a single, complete structure—a true talisman.

  Li Xin carefully lifted the finished talisman.

  …This is completely different from the talismans I’ve drawn before.

  A subtle tremor passed through his eyes as he gazed at it. What he held now was not a simple imitation, but a genuine talisman drawn with full understanding and conviction. Its level of completion was incomparable to those from the days when he merely copied shapes.

  And above all—at this very moment, Li Xin was feeling the ‘true fun’ of cultivating talisman arts. Not merely copying forms, but exploring the principles of each stroke, embodying those principles, and finally completing a talisman. That entire process brought him a satisfaction greater than any experience before.

  [You have completed a Three-Stroke Ice Shadow Talisman.]

  [Completion Evaluation: Upper-Upper ]

  [You have gained major enlightenment regarding the principles of Ice Shadow.]

  “…Upper-Upper grade?”

  Li Xin stared in disbelief as he checked the notification again. Even the Strength Talisman he had drawn hundreds of times had only ever reached ‘Upper-Lower’ at best. And yet, this time—

  Upper-Upper… in a single attempt?

  Li Xin looked down at the talisman in his hand, unable to believe it.

  So understanding the principle within each stroke really is this important.

  When drawing the Strength Talisman, he had only focused on stroke shapes and forcibly crammed energy into them. But this time was different. He had thoroughly delved into the principles contained within the three strokes, fully internalizing even the hidden flows and operational logic of energy. That effort manifested as a clear result: an Upper-Upper grade talisman.

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  Then from now on…

  A sharp light flashed through Li Xin’s eyes.

  If I can internalize the principles within each stroke, it means I can drastically raise the completion of any talisman!

  His heart began to pound. It felt as if a blocked path had suddenly opened wide. Compared to drawing hundreds or thousands of talismans, a far clearer ‘road’ now lay before him.

  And he was certain. This method would become his own path—one that other talisman masters could not easily follow. Not memorizing and imitating talismans, but internalizing and manifesting them. That was the ‘Path of Talismans’ he should pursue.

  Li Xin stepped into the center of the courtyard. In his hand was the Ice Shadow Talisman he had personally drawn. Having succeeded in drawing it, the next step was to verify its power firsthand.

  He spread the Ice Shadow Talisman in midair and slowly infused it with energy. Azure light rippled across the talisman, and cold energy spread outward in all directions.

  Fine moisture in the air condensed, and a pale mist slowly rose around Li Xin’s body. Under the dim light, his form distorted into a hazy shadow.

  So that’s why it’s called Ice Shadow.

  Li Xin nodded as he looked at his body concealed within the mist.

  After a moment, Li Xin picked up a large rock from the ground. He hurled it forcefully straight into the air. Pulled by gravity, the rock itself became a mass weapon, plunging rapidly toward the ground. At the moment doubt arose over whether this thin mist could truly protect him—

  As the rock approached, the mist naturally transformed into ice, knocking the rock far away. As if this were nothing at all.

  “Oh…”

  Li Xin let out a gasp of admiration at the sight. The Ice Shadow Talisman still had plenty of power remaining, but unfortunately, he lacked a suitable means to attack himself, so he couldn’t test its maximum strength.

  The duration is about five minutes.

  As the mist enveloping his body dissipated, Li Xin quietly exhaled.

  Now, let’s compare the talisman’s effect to the abilities I’ve directly internalized.

  He extended his right hand forward. The energy gathered at his fingertips shimmered faintly, and a thin mist appeared. It was far lighter than before, but traces of Ice Shadow were unmistakably present. There was a difference in power, but the underlying principle itself was largely the same.

  Li Xin tossed a smaller stone into the air to test it. He confirmed that the technique he manifested directly was only about one-tenth the strength of the Ice Shadow Talisman he had just used.

  Then that means drawing about ten talismans of the same grade should be enough.

  Li Xin nodded and set his next goal.

  ***

  Time passed quickly.

  “Huu~”

  As he exhaled while looking at the completed Ice Shadow Talisman, a thin breath of frost escaped his lips.

  [You have completed a Three-Stroke Ice Shadow Talisman.]

  [Completion Evaluation: Upper-Upper ]

  [You have gained major enlightenment regarding the principles of Ice Shadow.]

  [The Three-Stroke Ice Shadow Talisman has fully merged with your body.]

  [Current Applied Rating: Upper-Upper]

  As expected, after drawing about ten Ice Shadow Talismans, Li Xin was able to fully internalize its abilities. He could now wield the principles of the Ice Shadow Talisman as if they were a part of himself.

  Of course, since he was manifesting it directly with his body rather than using a talisman, the energy consumption was quite significant. His total reserves of energy weren’t particularly large, so he couldn’t afford to overuse it recklessly.

  [You have fully internalized the Three-Stroke Ice Shadow Talisman.]

  [Conditions fulfilled.]

  [You have comprehended the spell ‘Shadow Binding’ from the talisman.]

  “…Shadow Binding?”

  Li Xin murmured the unfamiliar term as he traced through the information injected into his mind.

  [Shadow Binding Art]

  A spell that targets the opponent’s shadow, instantly freezing the ground beneath their feet. It specializes in momentarily stripping away mobility and sealing movement. Though it gave the illusion of freezing a shadow, Shadow Binding Art in truth froze the ground beneath the target’s feet, completely sealing their movement.

  Li Xin fixed his gaze on a log placed at one corner of the courtyard.

  Alright. Let’s test it.

  He focused his energy and launched it toward the ground where the log’s shadow fell. Fine cold energy spread out, and the ground around the log was instantly engulfed by chilling frost.

  Li Xin pushed the log. But it didn’t budge in the slightest, like a boulder firmly embedded in the earth. Moisture in the soil, dirt itself, and even humidity in the air had frozen solid, perfectly locking the target in place.

  “Quite a decent spell.”

  Li Xin voiced his admiration. In battle—at the instant an opponent tried to move, or just before they unleashed a powerful technique—if he could freeze the ground beneath them in that brief moment. That wouldn’t merely block movement—it would overturn the entire flow of battle.

  After confirming the rewards from internalizing the Ice Shadow Talisman, Li Xin looked at the completed talismans. True to their Upper-Upper grade evaluation, each was nearly flawless. However, no matter how much effort he put in, he couldn’t raise the Ice Shadow Talisman to the ‘Extreme’ grade.

  After drawing it repeatedly, Li Xin discovered the reason.

  The energy contained in each stroke is too weak. To complete an Extreme-grade talisman, I’d need to either raise my realm or internalize the Water Binding, Diffusion, and Resonance strokes all up to three strokes.

  Though he had grasped and internalized the principles of each stroke to some extent, their depth remained at the one-stroke level. The Ice Shadow Talisman was composed of three strokes. To elevate it to the Extreme grade, the ‘quality’ of energy within each stroke would have to be raised by another level.

  But… there’s no time.

  Completing an Extreme-grade Ice Shadow Talisman could take dozens of days. Yet less than ten days remained before his promise with Xu Yul.

  In that time, I could probably only master a single stroke at best…

  Just as regret surfaced, Li Xin’s gaze brushed against his chest.

  Right. I still have this.

  Li Xin carefully took out a worn sheet of paper. It was an unfinished talisman he had obtained by chance at the market—the Flame Blaze Talisman. The paper bore the marks of time, yet the strokes inscribed upon it still contained sharp, powerful energy.

  Li Xin placed the Ice Shadow Talisman he had just completed beside the unfinished Flame Blaze Talisman and compared them.

  Only then did he clearly feel it. Though the strokes of the Ice Shadow Talisman were highly refined, the two completed strokes of the Flame Blaze Talisman were unmistakably a level above.

  Amazing. This was definitely drawn by a talisman master at a much higher realm than me.

  Moreover, the third stroke had merely been cut off mid-drawing. The point where the energy flow had begun was clearly formed. They said a good start was half the work. With the interactions between the first two strokes already resolved, only one thing remained. Finish drawing the incomplete stroke and complete the talisman.

  Li Xin saw possibility within it. If he could perfectly complete the latter half of that third stroke, he might be able to finish this Flame Blaze Talisman as an Extreme-grade talisman.

  Of course, things could deviate from expectations for any number of reasons. Even so, this was far more efficient and promising than forcing the Ice Shadow Talisman to Extreme grade.

  “What kind of reward would an Extreme-grade talisman give?”

  A flicker of anticipation bloomed within Li Xin’s chest.