Chapter Fifty-Two: Success?! (The title has changed again—please add to your collection, keep reading, and vote in every way!)

Chen Yushu had been preparing for a long time to draw the talisman. Now, as he truly began, his mind grew unexpectedly calm. In the next moment, he entered a meditative state. His spirit became utterly tranquil, and the affairs of the outside world could no longer disturb him. Before his eyes were only the talisman paper and brush, and in his mind, the final impressions of the art of drawing talismans.

He raised his right hand, grasped the brush, and instinctively linked his spiritual energy to it. This too was part of the talisman drawing process. From the beginning, the making of a talisman brush involved many techniques; once finished, most were spiritual objects, able to ‘house the spirit.’

What did it mean to ‘house the spirit’? It meant the brush could be infused with one’s mental power. With spiritual force, the brush was guided, which, dipped in special ink, would create the talisman on the paper. Only in this way could the symbols resonate with the world, draw upon a mysterious power, form a talisman, and seal that energy within it. Without this crucial step, even if the characters were perfectly drawn, they would be nothing more than meaningless scribbles—useless scraps of paper.

This time, he intended to draw one of the simpler talismans recorded in “The Art of the Rising Sun”—the Household Guardian Talisman.

The Household Guardian Talisman could ward off spirits and evil, dispel malice. It was an essential item for ordinary families. If only his home had possessed such a talisman in the past, all evil would have been repelled, and that little ghost would never have appeared to harm him.

He pressed the brush into the ink mixed with blood, letting it soak thoroughly. Then, at last, he lifted the brush to begin.

Guided by his mind, the brush descended—one stroke…

Chen Yushu’s expression changed slightly.

Heavy!

At that moment, the brush in his hand felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds, making even a single stroke difficult to complete. Only then did he truly understand why there were so many prerequisites for drawing talismans. As soon as he infused his spirit and began, a mysterious force would draw upon the hidden energies of the void, channeling them into the talisman.

Under such circumstances, to complete the drawing, one needed precise control over mental power. If the meditative state could not be maintained, or if one lacked sufficient mastery of the talisman, it was simply impossible to continue.

He forced himself to focus, hurriedly continuing the drawing. Yet, that initial misstep had already shaken his spirit, and as he pressed on, the sensation of overwhelming heaviness vanished. Though he finished the talisman in one go, he understood he had failed.

“Drawing talismans is not as easy as I imagined,” Chen Yushu sighed, tossing the failed talisman aside and quickly picking up another blank sheet.

“Again!” Chen Yushu drew a deep breath and entered meditation once more. He raised the brush and began anew. This time, he was mentally prepared, but when it came to the actual drawing, he still felt discomfort and strain. It was as if a hundred-pound stone had been tied to his hand, and under such crushing weight, he had to write each character neatly and without pause.

He failed again.

Barely a tenth of the first symbol had been finished when his strength faltered and the stroke went crooked. A single mistake led to more; as soon as the brush wavered, the heaviness disappeared, and there was no point in continuing. He tossed the sheet aside and quickly picked up a third.

Then a fourth, a fifth…

Failure after failure.

Chen Yushu tried again and again. He refused to believe he could not even complete the first symbol.

The seventh sheet, the eighth, the ninth…

Soon, a dozen failed talismans littered the floor.

As he reached for another sheet, a wave of dizziness washed over him, making him stagger.

“My mental energy is too depleted,” he realized. He had always known that drawing talismans was taxing; even failures consumed energy. After a dozen attempts, he had reached his limit.

Yet he did not intend to stop. He had discovered that, in a meditative state, without thought or distraction, he could rest even more deeply than in the soundest sleep. After only half an hour, his mind was completely restored.

Once more, he stood by the table.

The previous failures had not been fruitless. Each misstep was a lesson, and with each attempt, he grew more adept at the first symbol of the Household Guardian Talisman.

Now, it was time to prove it.

He began again.

With a single fluid motion, he completed the first symbol.

“Did I do it?”

The ease surprised even him.

But this was only the first of five symbols. Only by finishing all five could the talisman be complete. He calmed himself and resumed drawing.

The next stroke moved like a sword gliding and a dragon dancing. Compared to the first, the second symbol came much more smoothly. Only when he had finished nearly half did he feel resistance—a slight pause of the brush tip.

That moment’s hesitation doomed the talisman.

“This really is so difficult,” he murmured. “But the failure was because I didn’t expect that corner of the symbol to require a lighter touch, so my mental energy should have been reduced there. Keeping the same level of force made it too heavy, and the circle at the end didn’t connect smoothly, which is perfectly understandable.”

With a sigh, he quickly gathered his thoughts and identified the problem. For a beginner, every attempt was an experiment. Enough mistakes would eventually lead to the right path.

Chen Yushu had patience to spare—without hesitation, he took up another sheet and began again.

The first symbol was drawn smoothly.

His unique ability revealed itself once more: once a skill was mastered, it would never be forgotten. Now that he had truly grasped the first symbol, he would not err again.

Because of this, he was confident he could eventually complete the entire talisman.

Twenty attempts, twenty-five, thirty…

Chen Yushu tried again and again, taking another break halfway through. At last, on his thirty-third attempt, stroke by stroke, he completed all five symbols, each bold and lively upon the page.

…

Yes, I’ve changed the book’s title again. I won’t admit my writing is poor or that it’s not drawing enough attention—so I can only work on the title and synopsis. I still hope everyone will continue reading, adding the book to your collections, voting, and supporting the story as always.

Also, thanks for the gifts—today, I unexpectedly received a reward of 1500 starting coins, which left me both surprised and grateful; it’s been a long time since I received one so large. There have also been some smaller rewards, which I won’t list one by one—thank you all!