Hearing Lin Yi's words, a shy blush appeared on Miss Xiao He's face. She walked to the side of the bed and gently shed her clothing, revealing her fair skin. Her petite figure hid a captivating beauty, "Please be gentle, Immortal Master."
"Cough, you, you misunderstood, the cultivation I'm talking about, isn't what you're thinking. Put your clothes back on first." Lin Yi hastily waved his hands after coughing.
Miss Xiao He, looking puzzled after dressing herself, asked: "Immortal Master, isn't cultivation about dual cultivation?"
"I practice a special Buddhist technique. Tempted by beauty, as long as I maintain my focus, I can increase my cultivation level. I want you to do everything you can to tempt me. Start with a dance." Lin Yi replied, feigning indifference. He then took out a set of talisman-creation tools and placed them on the table.
Miss Xiao He was a bit taken aback. At Xun Fang Pavilion, there were no shortage of customers who made special requests, but most of them demanded all sorts of odd play. Lin Yi's request for temptation was a first, "Immortal Master, will the temptation of dancing be sufficient?"
With a cool smile, Lin Yi shook his head, "Miss Xiao He, it seems your experience is lacking. Just do as I say."
Temptation needs to gradually increase, like in 'certain island country' movies. It all starts with hugging, kissing, and progresses gradually, stirring up the inner desires. If one goes straight to the point, it would be meaningless. Movies with a plot are far more enticing than those without.
"As per the Immortal Master's command, this humble one shall begin." Miss Xiao He agreed, and began to dance gracefully by the table.
Lin Yi watched her silently, paying no attention to the effects of his Title, nor did he start drawing talismans. There wasn't much temptation in the beginning, so it wouldn't activate the minimum effect of [Color is Void].
As time passed, her sweet, cute face and graceful dance slowly drew in his spirit.
Witnessing Lin Yi's calm demeanor, Miss Xiao He couldn't help but feel anxious. She'd been at Xun Fang Pavilion for three years now, and there were very few customers who chose her. If she couldn't tempt this Immortal Master, she'd be useless, likely not to be selected next time.
In the midst of the dance, she slowly shed her outer garment, leaving her clad in just a layer of gauze. She picked up two silk ribbons from the rafters and began dancing mid-air.
At times she would do a handstand, at times she would do the splits in the air. The hidden treasure beneath her translucent veil teased at Lin Yi. A cute face juxtaposed with a temptress's silhouette made a stark contrast.
Lin Yi's breath gradually quickens. He glanced at his Title panel and noticed that the minimum effect had been activated. Both Cultivation Speed and Enlightenment Probability have reached 5%.
This, however, was not enough for him to start drawing talismans, as each piece of talisman paper and Rune Ink was exchanged with valuable Spirit Stone.
Seeing Lin Yi's reaction, a satisfied smile bloom on Miss Xiao He's lovely face. She slowly shed the thin veil in mid-air, fully revealing her mesmerizing beauty and continued her seductive moves.
"Sigh, how disgraceful." Lin Yi shook his head but his gaze was transfixed. The Title Effect had now reached 10%.
Picking up the brush made from Monster Beast's fur, he decided to practice writing with normal ink and paper to see if this state of practice would still grant understanding. After all, each piece of talisman paper was too valuable.
The prior owner's talisman-drawing experience came flooding back to him. He flawlessly painted a dozen talisman templates on the paper, but no signs of enlightenment emerged.
He shook his head in disappointment, finally acknowledging that practicing on regular paper and actually making talismans were fundamentally different.
Thus, Lin Yi dipped his brush into the special ink and started drawing talismans. Although the talisman papers were pricy, a 10% chance of enlightenment was worth a try.
He began with the Amulet, which was the best-selling talisman in the entire Cultivation World. In any world, life was the most precious thing. Even the mighty high-ranking cultivators carried a few Protective Dharma Treasures, let alone the lower-ranking ones, who nearly all carried at least one Amulet.
In truth, he had no idea whether drawing talismans under the influence of temptation was the right choice or not.
After all, the process of drawing talismans requires total concentration, with no room for any error, broken strokes, or even one extra drop of ink—it must be done seamlessly in one go.
However, without the benefit of Enlightenment, just relying on his own skills in talisman drawing, he didn't believe that his talent was any better than other cultivators. Moreover, his predecessor had practiced for several months and ended up in failure.
When Old Huang found out he planned to learn talisman drawing, he even tried to discourage him, suggesting it would be better for him to become a farmer instead.
At this moment, as Lin Yi started to draw talismans in earnest, diverting his attention away from herself, Miss Xiao He felt a sense of unease rising in her heart again. She slowly descended from mid-air, went over to Lin Yi's side, hugged his neck tightly, breathing warmly onto him, "Immortal master, why won't you pay attention to me?"
In Lin Yi's mind, Xiao He's adorable face emerged involuntarily, leading to certain physical reactions. His talisman-drawing also hesitated, and the protective amulet he had just started to draw burst into flame spontaneously and turned into ashes.
"Immo...Immortal Master, I was wrong." Noticing the flames consuming the talisman template, Xiao He quickly knelt down and acknowledged her fault. She may not be a cultivator, but she knew well that a completed talisman was worth multiple times her own price.
Lin Yi reached out to help her stand up, his long arm silky and smooth, "It's not your fault. I just wasn't focused enough."
He glanced at his title panel. The Cultivation Speed bonus provided by the title "Color is Void" had now reached 15%, although the rate of Enlightenment was still 10%.
So, smiling, he said to Xiao He, "Your job is to be tempting. The rest doesn't concern you. Otherwise, there would be no point in having you."
"Yes, Immortal Master," Xiao He finally relaxed, and again hooked her arm around Lin Yi's neck.
Lin Yi let out a slow breath. The title "Color is Void" wasn't as easy to embody as he had imagined. It might be fairly straightforward to reject a proposed marriage partner, but resisting the close contact of a woman was incredibly difficult. Turning out to be not so easy to be inhumanely detached.
He continued to draw talisman templates, while Miss Xiao He did everything she could to be enticing, wrapping herself around him entirely.
The talisman templates that Lin Yi was drawing were spontaneously combusting one after the other. However, despite the increasing intensity of the temptation, the operation of the title had no noticeable improvement. Had Xiao He reached the limit of her seducing ability?
As for the failed talisman templates, he didn't mind. Even without the distraction of temptation, he might not succeed in drawing talismans.
Otherwise, the original owner of this set of talisman-making tools wouldn't have sold them, having not been able to produce a single successful talisman while still halfway through.
What he needed was the Enlightenment effect that "Color is Void" could provide. With it, even a great many failures could lead to a single success.
Just when he was making the tenth talisman template, some comprehension about talisman-drawing suddenly emerged in his mind – it was as though some perplexities that he had failed to comprehend so long were instantly enlightened.
Lin Yi immediately became excited, although this tenth talisman template was also spontaneously combusted of course.
"Immortal Master, if this talisman is a failure, why does it seem like you're happier?" Xiao He, who was trying to distract Lin Yi, couldn't help but ask when she saw the sudden smile on his face.
"Because every failure brings success one step closer, Xiao He, thank you for helping me cultivate." He smiled back at Xiao He to show his appreciation—he was following the 10% Enlightenment rate in such a regular pattern.
However, this flash of Enlightenment wouldn't enable him to succeed in drawing talismans immediately, but it did bring him closer to success.
"Immortal Master, don't thank me. It's your extraordinary self-control," Xiao He quickly waved her hand and responded.