Time passed by unnoticed, and half a month had already flown by.
Food was replenished three times.
With day and night practice, the proficiency of the Guide Talisman finally and steadily improved to a proficient level.
Chen Li didn't want to wait any longer and officially began his first attempt at creating an Evil-Repelling Talisman.
During this time, he had thoroughly familiarized himself with the structure of the Evil-Repelling Talisman, confident in the craft, having simulated the drawing countless times, sometimes even dreaming of painting it.
One could say everything was ready, all that was needed was practice.
The writing brush and ink were prepared on the table, and the processed animal skins left by the original owner had long been cut.
Exactly five pieces, laid out on the table with a sense of ritual.
He sat quietly with closed eyes, regulating his breath, waiting for noon to arrive.
Because the success rate of making Evil-Repelling Talismans was highest at noon.
Soon he opened his eyes and stood up long and tall.
He began the pre-drawing rituals, heart-calming and blessing ceremonies in a practiced manner.
He had not engaged in such elaborate rituals for a long time.
Like parking a car, when you first learn, you are scrupulous.
Knowing what to look at when, being aware of angles, when to turn the steering wheel, and by how much.
But with more practice, you park by feel.
But today's talisman was different, he had to give it his all, there was no room for even the slightest error.
Feeling that his state was good, Chen Li picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, and began to draw the talisman.
"Not good!"
Smoke rose from the animal skin, and the scent of burning filled the room.
The first piece was wasted.
...
The second piece was also wasted.
Looking at the remaining three pieces of animal skin, his hand holding the brush trembled, cold sweat rapidly oozing from his forehead, and he hastily stopped.
"Phew!"
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his face hard, then gazed silently at the dark ceiling, lost in thought. These past days, he had spent not only time and energy, but also his full expectations, hope for a better life...
"Where exactly did things go wrong?"
"The drawing simulation from this period, done at least a hundred times, shouldn't have any problems."
"Is the spiritual power transfer not stable enough? Having drawn so many talismans, such a rudimentary error shouldn't occur..."
He pondered painfully, not minding the heat as he picked up the two wasted talismans still emitting smoke from the desktop, gently wiping away the burn marks, and meticulously examining the structure of these two wasted talismans.
The lines were smooth and natural, with faint traces of residual spiritual power flowing, showing no obvious flaws.
The failures of the two talismans were surprisingly consistent, each time only reaching one-fifth of the way before inexplicably losing control of the spiritual power and being unable to continue.
"Was my prior ritual not sincere enough... or was it the wrong time?"
The former was hard to confirm, but the latter... he immediately rose to his feet, pushed open the door, and saw that outside it was indeed the middle of the day with the sun at its fiercest, undeniably the best time to draw an Evil-Repelling Talisman.
It seemed this was not the issue either.
He shut the door.
And returned to his place, sitting down in agony.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept failure, but rather he couldn't accept a failure so perplexing that he didn't even know what the problem was.
"There must be something I'm overlooking."
That's when he noticed the various bottles and jars on the table, and he had a sudden epiphany.
"Wait, it could be the 'ink' that's wrong!"
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and he stood up excitedly, examining the jars one by one. They had no labels or any distinct markings on them, containing liquids and powders alike.
Luckily, there were only two jars of 'blood ink'.
This or that, a very simple choice.
In fact, distinguishing between these two types of blood ink isn't hard.
One has a strong fishy scent, the other a faint one.
One has noticeable fluctuations of spiritual power, the other much weaker.
Chen Li didn't know whether he was lucky or not, but prior to this, he had always used the latter to draw talismans.
To confirm, he got up and flipped through the "Eight Methods of Talisman Creation" again, a book he had read countless times.
He discovered that it wasn't his oversight; the description of which type of blood 'ink' to choose wasn't mentioned at all.
"This... this author is really too much, writing a book on talismans for the Qi Refinement Realm so cryptically, omitting such a core detail."
He was so frustrated that he couldn't contain it any longer, flipped to the end of the book, and looked at the author's name.
"Qing Robe Hermit!"
"I'll remember you."
...
After venting his irritation for a while, seeing that there was still time, Chen Li meditated again to adjust his breath. Since he hadn't used much spiritual power before, it didn't take long for him to get himself into the best state.
Various preliminary preparations, and the necessary preliminary rituals, naturally need not be mentioned.
Feeling the tranquility in his heart, Chen Li took a talisman base, dipped his brush lightly into the brand new 'blood ink,' and, without any hesitation, began to draw.
The brush moved smoothly, like clouds flowing in the sky, without any obstruction. The spiritual power flowed evenly, and everything went incredibly smoothly without any accidents.
He suppressed the discomfort of his spiritual power being nearly drained, finishing the drawing of the talisman in one go, thoroughly and vigorously.
"Done!"
Watching the light on the surface of the talisman gradually dim and eventually fade away, Chen Li's tense spirit relaxed, and he felt washed out.
He leaned back in the recliner, looking at the talisman with a faint smile on his lips, not wanting to move at all.
He found his own reaction odd.
He had been striving day and night without leaving his house for half a month, and now that he had finally succeeded, he should be excited, not as calm as he was now.
But in fact, at this moment, what he felt was perhaps joy, but more so a sense of peace filling his entire being.
He opened the game panel.
[Name: Chen Li]
[Lifespan: 40/98 years]
[Realm: Qi Cultivation Third Layer: 31/100]
[Cultivation Technique: Longevity Skill Proficiency: 81/200]
[Skills:]
Talisman: Cleaning Talisman Master: 1/400; Silencing Talisman Proficiency: 85/200; Wayfinding Talisman Proficiency: 1/200; Evil-Repelling Talisman Beginner: 1/100
Spell: Spiritual Power Bullet Finger Master: 321/400;
Swordsmanship: Basic Swordsmanship Beginner: 15/100
[Divine Skills: None]
"I can finally stand on my own in this world!" He closed the property panel, sighing with satisfaction.
Then, he suddenly felt a bit lost.
As if he had lost his goal.
For a moment, he didn't know what to do next?
Although he was tired and it was hard work, the feeling of giving his all under the immense pressure to survive, of achieving his goal, filled his heart with a profound sense of fulfillment, as if his life had gained meaning.
Thinking about it, he hadn't felt this way in a long time.
"Forget it, eat one bite at a time, walk one step at a time. After making the talisman and selling it for money, I'll make a plan."
As for today, he planned to give himself a break.
Since his transmigration, he had never really rested.
PS: Asking for recommendations and monthly votes!