Upon hearing Lin Yi's words, Xiao He's face showed a trace of demure shyness. She walked to the bed, slowly undressing, and her snow-white skin gradually became exposed, revealing a beautiful landscape within her seemingly petite figure, "Please, Immortal Master, be gentle."
"Cough, you, you've misunderstood. The cultivation I'm talking about isn't what you think. Please, put your clothes back on," Lin Yi coughed out, hastily gesturing with his hands.
With a puzzled face, Xiao He put her clothes back on and then asked, "Immortal Master, isn't cultivation about dual cultivation?"
"I am practicing a special Buddhist technique where I must maintain my focus amidst seduction to enhance my cultivation levels. I need you to try your best to seduce me. Start with a dance," Lin Yi stated with feigned calmness and then took out a set of talisman drawing tools and placed them on the table.
Xiao He was taken aback for a moment. While it wasn't rare for guests at the Xun Fang Pavilion to have special requests, most were various odd and exotic practices. Lin Yi's sort of seduction was a first for her, "Immortal Master, might the allure of a dance be somewhat insufficient?"
Lin Yi shook his head with a smile, "Miss Xiao He, it seems you lack experience. Just do as I say."
Seduction needed to be gradually escalated, much like in those movies from a certain island country, which all start with foreplay such as hugging and kissing, slowly deepening to evoke inner desires. If they jumped straight into the main event, it would lose all intrigue. A movie with a plot is far more tempting than a plot-less jackhammer.
"Then according to your words, I shall begin," Xiao He agreed, and slowly made her way to the table to start dancing.
Lin Yi simply watched quietly and did not pay attention to the title effects or start drawing talismans. The prelude now, with its low level of seduction, was naturally not sufficient to activate the lowest effect of "Color is Void."
As time passed, her lovely and sweet face, as well as her graceful dance, gradually captivated his mind.
Seeing that Lin Yi's expression remained placid, Xiao He couldn't help feeling a bit anxious. She had been at the Xun Fang Pavilion for three years, and it was rare for clients to pick her out. If she couldn't seduce this Immortal Master, she would be of no use and probably wouldn't be chosen next time.
While dancing, she slowly shed her outer garments until she was only clad in a sheer veil, then grasped two silken ribbons hanging from the beam and began to dance in the air.
Sometimes she stood upside down in mid-air, at other times she did the splits, revealing glimpses of her hidden scenery behind the thin veil, tugging at heartstrings. Her cute face contrasted starkly with the tempting view.
Lin Yi's breathing grew more rapid. He glanced at his title panel, which now showed the lowest effects activated, increasing his Cultivation Speed and chance of Enlightenment by 5%.
Yet this was not enough to start drawing talismans, as each sheet of talisman paper and ink was costly, purchased with precious Spirit Stones.
Seeing the change in Lin Yi, Xiao He's adorable face brightened with a happy smile. In the air, she slowly removed her veil, fully revealing the scenery and making seductive gestures.
"Ah, such a scandalous display," Lin Yi shook his head, but his gaze did not shift in the slightest; the title's effects had now reached 10%.
He picked up a brush made from Monster Beast hair, prepared to first practice with ordinary ink and paper to see if he could gain any insights while practicing, given the high value of a single sheet of talisman paper.
Memories of the original owner's experience in drawing talismans emerged in his mind, and he expertly drew more than a dozen talisman templates on the paper with no moment of Enlightenment occurring.
He couldn't help but shake his head, realizing that real practice was essential, as practicing on ordinary paper was fundamentally different from drawing an actual talisman.
So, Lin Yi dipped the brush in the special Rune Ink and began drawing talismans. Although the paper was valuable, a 10% chance of Enlightenment was worth a try.
He first drew a Protective Talisman, which was the best-selling talisman template in the Cultivation World. In any world, life is the most important, and even high-level cultivators who considered themselves invincible would carry Protective Dharma Treasures, not to mention lower-level cultivators—nearly everyone had one.
In fact, he didn't know whether drawing talismans under temptation was the right choice.
After all, drawing talismans required complete concentration, without any mistakes during the process, not breaking the pen stroke, and not even a single unnecessary drop of ink was allowed; it had to be done in one flowing action.
However, without the effect of enlightenment, relying solely on his own talisman drawing, he didn't believe his talent for drawing talismans could be as good as that of other cultivators; moreover, the original owner had practiced for several months and still failed in the end.
When Old Huang learned of his plans to study talisman drawing, he had advised him to give up and better to just farm.
At this moment, watching Lin Yi start to seriously draw talismans and his gaze drifting away from her, Xiao He felt a bit uneasy. She slowly descended from the air, came to Lin Yi's side, and tightly embraced his neck, breathing warmly, "Immortal Master, why not look at your servant?"
Unbidden, the cute face of Xiao He surfaced in Lin Yi's mind, and his body reacted involuntarily, causing his talisman drawing to pause for a moment. The protective talisman template that had only a few strokes on it spontaneously combusted and turned into ashes.
"Imm, Immortal Master, your servant was wrong." Seeing the talisman template catch on fire, Xiao He quickly knelt down and said. Although she wasn't a cultivator, she knew that a finished talisman was worth several times her price.
Lin Yi reached out a hand to help her up, his arm long and slender, smooth and delicate, "It's not your fault, it's that my resolution wasn't strong enough."
He glanced at the title panel, the Cultivation Speed bonus from "Color is Void" had reached 15%, but the chance for enlightenment was still 10%.
He then smiled at Xiao He, "Your task is to tempt, don't worry about anything else, otherwise choosing you would have been pointless."
"Yes, Immortal Master." Xiao He finally relaxed, wrapping her arms once again around Lin Yi's neck.
Lin Yi slowly exhaled, realizing the title "Color is Void" was not as easy to attain as he had imagined. Rejecting the advances of a potential partner was easy, but resisting a woman's close temptation was incredibly hard. To be a man better than beasts was not so simple.
He continued drawing the protective talisman templates, and Xiao He used all sorts of methods to tempt him, even eventually hanging herself onto his body.
The talisman templates Lin Yi drew kept self-igniting without flame, but as the temptation intensified, the title's effect saw no improvement. Could this be the limit of Xiao He's temptation?
He did not care about the failed talismans; even without temptation, success in drawing talismans was not guaranteed.
Otherwise, the original owner of the talisman drawing tools wouldn't have sold them, having never successfully completed a single talisman.
What he needed was the enlightenment effect from "Color is Void"; no matter how many failures, as long as there was enlightenment, it would be a success.
It was on his tenth attempt at making a talisman that his mind suddenly gained some insights into the art of talisman drawing, solving some perplexities as if he had a moment of clarity.
Lin Yi immediately became excited; the tenth talisman, naturally, self-ignited without flame.
"Immortal Master, this talisman has failed, why has your smile become broader?" Xiao He, who was beside him attempting to tempt him, couldn't help but ask upon seeing the sudden smile on Lin Yi's face.
"Because every failure brings me one step closer to success. Thank you, Xiao He, for aiding my Cultivation." He turned to Xiao He with a smile of gratitude. That 10% chance of enlightenment really was quite regular.
Of course, this enlightenment didn't allow him to successfully draw a talisman directly, but it did bring him closer to that success.
"Immortal Master, no need to thank your servant, it's your exceptional resolve," Xiao He quickly waved her hand and said.