Chương 83: Chapter 83: The Tale of the Talisman
A Nascent Soul cultivator was an extraordinary existence; in the entire Yongning County, only the county governor had reached this realm.
To think that this Old Beggar, who looked unimpressive, was also one?
With the Old Beggar's methods, it was clear that a Core Formation cultivator could not achieve such feats.
Moreover, he felt no trace of cultivation from the Old Beggar, which seemed to be the work of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Gu Chuanfei, as if witnessing something incredible, immediately bowed deeply.
"Apologies for my rudeness, esteemed senior. Please forgive me."
Before a Nascent Soul cultivator, he dared not be arrogant.
Otherwise, if this person were to casually erase him, it would be too unjust.
He maintained his bowing posture, not daring to look up.
The Old Beggar ignored him and instead asked Lu An, "So, my disciple, have you considered my previous suggestion? There's nothing worthwhile in this small Gugu County."
Lu An didn't hesitate and shook his head directly. "Master, let's forget about it. I definitely won't leave."
The Old Beggar frowned at him for a while before suddenly showing a hint of a smile.
"Good, you do have some personal persistence, unlike me back then, when I…"
His words trailed off, and his face was soon filled with regret.
Once he came to his senses, he instructed Lu An, "Remember, never abandon the people around you, regardless of the situation. It's beneficial not only for the heart but also for the path."
He said no more and turned to Gu Chuanfei.
"Get up. I've lived this long and won't stoop to the level of arguing with the younger generation."
Gu Chuanfei, sweating profusely, quickly thanked him twice, not daring to harbor any thoughts about being called a junior.
Lu An found it amusing that someone of his age was still called a junior by the Old Beggar, but he maintained a neutral expression and asked, "Master, do you think you can deal with the Fang family's late-Core Formation cultivator?"
The Old Beggar pondered for a moment and then shook his head.
"It's not that I can't, but the cost is too high."
"If I want to kill him, it could be done in an instant, but I would need to unlock the chains sealing my power. Doing so would disrupt the balance again, and I might not survive for long."
Lu An understood. He had seen the chains on the Old Beggar before.
Those chains were set by the Old Beggar to maintain his own balance, and removing them would have catastrophic consequences.
But Gu Chuanfei was more concerned about the Old Beggar's power. Hearing that he could kill a late-Core Formation cultivator in an instant, he was deeply shaken.
He was secretly relieved that he had maintained a respectful attitude, thus avoiding a disaster.
The Old Beggar thought for a while and then spoke again.
"There is a way to deal with him, though."
"I have a talisman here, called the Heavenly Gang Dragon Talisman, which I drew at the peak of my cultivation."
"This talisman, when activated, can manifest a dragon's shadow and deliver a fatal blow to the enemy. Its power is comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator."
Lu An and the others were all astonished. Nascent Soul level?
If used against the Fang family's head, it could kill him instantly or at least severely injure him.
Wouldn't that solve the problem?
Before they could be happy, the Old Beggar continued.
"However, activating this talisman takes some time and has only one strike. If it misses, it will be of no further use."
He took a breath and turned to Lu An.
"Moreover, I only have one of these talismans. It was originally intended for your protection, so if you use it against the Fang family's head, your own safety…"
His sentence remained unfinished, but the implication was clear.
If Lu An used this talisman against the late-Core Formation cultivator, his own safety would no longer be guaranteed.
Lu An considered this for a moment and did not make a decision immediately. Instead, he asked, "Master, you say this is a divine talisman. Why have I never heard of it before?"
"Moreover, talismans are activated using a cultivator's own true qi. Logically, a lower-tier cultivator could not activate a higher-tier talisman."
"Even if they could activate it with difficulty, the power would be significantly less than when used normally. Could it really achieve the power of a Nascent Soul strike?"
The Old Beggar smiled slightly and disdainfully said:
"Young man, a divine talisman is something only a Fourth-Rank talisman master can barely create. It's fundamentally different from ordinary talismans."
"The key feature is that it has no cultivation restrictions and can be used by anyone."
"Moreover, if the person who draws the talisman uses it themselves, its power increases by an additional 20%. How could your ordinary talismans compare?"
Lu An was shocked. He had no idea there was such a vast world within the realm of talismans. This was something he had never heard of before.
Gu Chuanfei wasn't very knowledgeable about talismans, but hearing that their power wouldn't diminish made him very happy. However, since this talisman was intended for Lu An's protection, Lu An might not use it against the enemies.
Soon, Lu An's actions dispelled his concerns.
"Master, since that's the case, I've decided to leave this talisman with Uncle Gu, to guard against the Fang family patriarch's attack."
"Are you sure?"
Lu An nodded and continued, "I will be leaving with you soon, and won't need this talisman. But the San Cai Dao Sect is different. The Fang family, having lost Core Formation cultivators, will definitely come back with a vengeance."
"At that time, the San Cai Dao Sect might not be able to resist. So, I hope Master will agree."
The Old Beggar thought for a moment and said, "Since you've decided, I have no objections. I just hope you won't regret it in the future."
"Absolutely no regrets."
The Old Beggar then took out a deep blue talisman and handed it to Gu Chuanfei. He also explained how to activate it in detail, causing Gu Chuanfei to thank him repeatedly.
Gu Chuanfei put the Heavenly Gang Dragon Talisman into his storage bag and gratefully said to Lu An, "Lu An, thank you very much."
Lu An waved his hand and said, "Uncle Gu, the Fang family is my enemy. If it weren't for you, I might have already been dead. There's no need to say so much."
Gu Chuanfei nodded vigorously and took his leave.
With such a divine talisman, he naturally needed to prepare thoroughly to ensure that the Fang family would not return. If successful, they might even gain a few of the Fang family's secret realm quotas.
After he left, Lu An called Bai Sheng and instructed him to close the shop for a few days and take everyone temporarily to the San Cai Dao Sect. He also specifically reminded him to bring along Uncle Zhao's family.
Once Bai Sheng agreed, Lu An turned his attention back to the talisman.
"Master, did you create this divine talisman yourself?"
The Old Beggar seemed to find this question amusing and burst into laughter.
"You brat, your master doesn't have such skill. It was just that I happened to come across the True Method of a divine talisman and then drew it."
Lu An understood. So, divine talismans also had a True Method.
Before he could ask further, the Old Beggar continued, "Creating talismans from scratch isn't much of a skill. I could easily make lower-tier talismans; it's just that I haven't had the time to study them."
"But if you could create such divine talismans, or even the legendary Forbidden Spell talismans, that would be real skill."
Lu An's curiosity was piqued, and he quickly asked, "What are Forbidden Spell talismans?"
The Old Beggar shook his head, his eyes showing a hint of longing. "I haven't come into contact with such skills. It's likely that only Fifth-Rank talisman masters or even higher levels have a chance to master them."
Lu An was amazed. A Fifth-Rank talisman master would require a cultivation level of Soul Formation?
Although he had reached Second-Rank talisman master during the Qi Refining stage, and the supervising elder who guided him had reached Third-Rank during the Foundation Establishment stage, it didn't mean that such a cross-tier feat was possible afterward.
The higher the cultivation level, the greater the gap.
To create a Fourth-Rank Nascent Soul talisman in the late Core Formation stage or a Soul Formation talisman in the Nascent Soul stage was practically impossible.
Hearing the Old Beggar's words, Lu An's admiration for talismans grew even more, and his eyes shone with determination.
If he entered the Extreme Secret Realm and reached the "Three Extremes Realm," his spiritual power would certainly increase significantly. With the assistance of the Four Treasures of the Study in his sea of consciousness, it was possible he might one day glimpse the Forbidden Spell talismans.
He looked at the Old Beggar with blazing eyes and said, "Master, let's set out!"
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