The instructor, Shen Mi, ranked third among the new generation disciples of the Divine Talisman Pavilion. Due to his inflexible nature, high self-esteem, and sole focus on talisman matters, he had been somewhat marginalized, which was why he had been assigned to teach these new apprentices.
Seeing that Zhao Wenliang knew Lu An, Shen Mi asked, "Do you know him?"
Zhao Wenliang respectfully greeted him and said, "Senior Brother Shen, this is Lu An. We grew up together and are like family."
Shen Mi was puzzled. He knew Zhao Wenliang's background well; he was just an ordinary loose cultivator. Since Lu An was Zhao Wenliang's childhood friend, his background should be similar. How could he possess such talisman skills?
Shen Mi became more convinced that Lu An's talismans were made by someone else. He stepped forward and picked up a mid-quality Clear Heart Talisman for closer inspection. The talisman emitted a faint white glow, with impressive spiritual energy contained within. It was indeed well-made.
"The white glow confirms it's a mid-quality talisman. Who made this? Could you introduce me to them?" He put down the talisman and looked up at Lu An.
"It was made by me," Lu An replied casually.
Shen Mi frowned in disbelief and transmitted a message to Zhao Wenliang, "Does your childhood friend really understand talismans?"
Zhao Wenliang, also puzzled, wondered when Lu An had started learning about talismans. But naturally, he stood by Lu An and lied, "Of course, he understands. He's studied talismans since he was young and is quite accomplished."
This answer astonished Shen Mi. Could this young man really have made a mid-quality talisman? This was important to Shen Mi; his talisman skills had been stuck at a bottleneck for years, and he couldn't produce mid-quality talismans. The elders at the Divine Talisman Pavilion had criticized him for not understanding the deeper aspects and were unwilling to teach him.
Seeing an opportunity to learn, he was determined to press further when the young man in the blue robe exclaimed in surprise, "Concealment Talismans! Are they for sale?"
"They are indeed for sale," Lu An responded.
The blue-robed young man's face showed a hint of delight as he glanced at the price sign. "Ten spirit stones each."
For a low-quality talisman, this was surprisingly expensive, even more than the Clear Heart Talismans. However, the blue-robed young man didn't seem to mind. Compared to the effectiveness of the Concealment Talismans, ten spirit stones were a small price to pay. Whether for ambushes or escapes, this talisman was extremely useful.
"How many do you have?"
"Twenty-three."
"I'll take them all!"
Lu An looked up and carefully observed the blue-robed man. To casually spend over two hundred spirit stones without hesitation showed that this man had extraordinary status. Noticing the "Li" character embroidered on his chest, Lu An thought, Could he be from the Li family?
The Li family was one of the three great families of Guyang County, alongside the Lin and Wang families, and was even on the verge of becoming the top family. The three families weren't in competition but supported each other, thus establishing a solid foothold in Guyang County. There were three Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Li family, and the family head was in the late stage of Foundation Establishment.
The market where Lu An was located was an asset of the Li family. Others present were also shocked by the man's extravagant spending. Zhao Wenliang's mouth dropped open as he looked at Lu An in disbelief. Just a few days ago, his friend couldn't even afford basic necessities, and now he casually earned over two hundred spirit stones?
Before Zhao Wenliang could fully process this, the blue-robed young man pointed to the mid-quality Clear Heart Talismans and said, "I'll take five of these as well."
Lu An was surprised and pointed out, "My mid-quality Clear Heart Talismans are a bit more expensive than the market price."
The blue-robed young man seemed unconcerned, as if he already knew. "It's fine. I enjoy befriending talented individuals, and your skill in talismans is worth this."
After exchanging names, Lu An confirmed that the man was indeed from the Li family. His name was Li Ziyou, the second young master of the Li family. He enjoyed making friends with people from all walks of life.
While the two conversed, Shen Mi interjected, "I know a bit about Concealment Talismans. This talisman is complex, but your drawing has some simplified parts. The effect might not be satisfactory."
Lu An frowned slightly. The simplified parts were insights he had gained after advancing the Concealment Talisman to a high quality. In the art of talismans, more complexity isn't always better. Sometimes, a few simple strokes could make the spiritual energy flow more smoothly, enhancing both the activation speed and duration. Of course, Lu An had no intention of explaining this to Shen Mi.
Li Ziyou turned to Shen Mi and asked, puzzled, "Is what Senior Brother Shen said true?"
"Of course. I can draw low-quality Concealment Talismans myself. Please see, Brother Li." Shen Mi then took out a Concealment Talisman from his sleeve. Li Ziyou took it, carefully compared it, and indeed found several differences. His expression grew somewhat unpleasant. However, he wasn't one to jump to conclusions. He turned to Lu An and asked, "Lu Daoist, your talisman…"
Lu An shook his head and replied, "My talismans are fine. This Daoist friend has simply misjudged."
Shen Mi's expression darkened. Misjudged? Was this novice suggesting his talisman skills were lacking? Even among his peers in the Divine Talisman Pavilion, only the top two senior disciples surpassed him. The Divine Talisman Pavilion was a sacred place for talisman mastery, far superior to Lu An's unorthodox methods. Enraged, he said coldly, "You don't know your place. Do you know who I am? I am a disciple of the Divine Talisman Pavilion!"
Lu An glanced at him without responding. His indifferent demeanor only further enraged Shen Mi.
"Fine. Since you insult my talisman skills, you must have some skill of your own. Are you willing to compete with me?"
Lu An wasn't interested. He would rather spend his time practicing talisman drawing in his sea of consciousness. Li Ziyou, however, was intrigued. Although he wanted to befriend Lu An, he was curious to see his true skill. This seemed like a good opportunity to test it.
But how would they judge the contest? Would it be based on who could draw faster? Li Ziyou asked, and Shen Mi patiently explained, "Our Divine Talisman Pavilion has a secret technique that reveals the talisman patterns within a talisman. The more patterns there are, the higher the quality. We can use this as the standard for winning or losing. How does that sound?"
He turned to Lu An, waiting for a response.
Patterns? Lu An had never heard of such a thing. Compared to Shen Mi, he was indeed a novice in certain aspects. However, he was very interested in this talisman pattern technique. After thinking for a moment, he slowly said, "A plain contest is too boring. Let's add a stake. I'll participate if you agree."
Shen Mi sneered, "What do you want to bet on?"
"Let's bet on your Divine Talisman Pavilion's talisman pattern technique."
It was clear that Lu An had already thought of a stake when he spoke.
"Impossible. Although this technique isn't a profound method, it cannot be passed on without permission. Choose another stake."
Lu An shook his head indifferently. "In that case, forget the contest. Please leave, Daoist friend."
Shen Mi's expression changed, and he retorted, "Aren't you afraid?"
To his surprise, Lu An remained unperturbed and simply closed his eyes, ignoring the provocation.
Zhao Wenliang was secretly amazed. The last time he had seen Lu An, he used a token to scare off Lei Er. Now, he faced a disciple of the Divine Talisman Pavilion without batting an eye, as if he had transformed into someone completely different.
Shen Mi, meanwhile, didn't know how to proceed. Lu An seemed unaffected by his taunts, yet he was unwilling to back down. Just as he was about to give up, an old voice suddenly spoke up.
"Proceed with the contest. I permit you to use this technique as the stake."