txolops Is drawing talismans in Chapter 40 difficult?
Is drawing talismans in Chapter 40 difficult?
One body is about to enter the academy, yet the two bodies mutually confirm the information.
On the side of Cuiyun Mountain, where the mountain god is an incarnation, in Peach Valley.
He returned to the rebuilt mountain god temple, carrying several overfed little demons in his arms.
The little ones were all round and chubby, their eyes half-closed and drowsy.
Zhong Xuan gently placed them on the haystack in the corner of the wall, letting them huddle together to rest. He then carefully covered them with a thin cloth before turning around and leaving the temple, returning to the quiet campfire in the courtyard.
The campfire crackled and popped, casting a warm glow all around.
The young Taoist priest, Qingyang, was sitting by the campfire when he saw Zhong Xuan approaching. He quickly stood up to greet him.
Zhong Xuan waved his hand and sat down beside him: "Tell me about your progress in cultivating talismanic arts... is it true?"
He combined the statements from the people at Qingyang Temple.
The young Taoist priest nodded: "Not everyone can master the art of talismans. Although the two young Taoist priests who did not bring us are not as good as us in combat, they are indeed more talented than us in the art of talismans."
Zhong Xuan asked curiously, "Then you don't understand talismans?"
The young Taoist priest shook his head: "I am several decades older than those two younger ones, and I also know how to draw two kinds of talismans, but the success rate is not high. After learning them, I became too lazy to draw more, firstly because it was a waste of talisman materials and money, and secondly because I felt they were not very useful."
"That's right."
Feng Lisheng suddenly came over and flicked his tail: "I've seen quite a few people who practice talismans, from south to north."
He raised three fingers of his right hand.
"In the realm of talismans, Buddhism classifies practitioners into three levels of capacity: superior, middle, and inferior."
"Those of inferior caliber may cultivate diligently for decades and occasionally produce a talisman. However, if one is proficient in a particular path, one may progress more quickly and profoundly."
It paused for a moment: "Those with average aptitude can often draw talismans successfully after several years of quiet cultivation; if they can immerse themselves in it for a hundred years, they can also be called masters of talisman art."
"Only those with superior aptitude can become quite confident in successfully drawing talismans after only a few months of exposure to them, and after another ten or even several decades, they can become masters of talismanic arts."
As Feng Lisheng spoke, he also sighed somewhat.
The tiger demon beside him, still awake, leaned in curiously and asked, "Only third-class? I've heard there are some so-called geniuses, prodigies, and so-called Daoist and Buddhist disciples, people described as monsters?"
Upon hearing this, the young Taoist priest Qingyang also showed curiosity and immediately pricked up his ears.
Even the skinny clerk who was resting inside the temple was drawn by these words and quietly came out to listen.
Feng Lisheng immediately revealed an arrogant look and raised his chin: "To be honest, in some fields, I would also consider myself a genius."
"If we extrapolate from my own speed of learning magic, such a top genius would probably only need a few days to a month to successfully draw a talisman for the first time, and the power of the talisman he draws would be not much less than that of the original true talisman."
Its tone became even more boastful: "If one has a genius as prodigious as a demon, one can even modify and adapt the talisman according to one's own characteristics. In just a few months or years, one can become a master of talisman techniques, or even a talisman master."
The tiger demon immediately shook his head: "I don't believe it! I've tried drawing talismans myself, and those scribbles are so illegible I can't even understand them, let alone draw them! How could someone possibly draw them in just a few days?"
Feng Lisheng smiled faintly, wanting to show off in front of everyone.
He pulled out the knife he had used to cut meat from his waist, and then moved a stone that had been used to roast meat, placing his little finger on the stone.
"It's just four key points: focusing your mind and concentrating your energy. Watch closely."
Before the words were even finished, the knife flashed and the little finger fell to the ground.
But not a single drop of blood flowed out!
Everyone was startled and their eyes widened.
Immediately afterwards, Feng Lisheng shouted softly, "The head hasn't been reattached, but the fingers have!"
The severed little finger rose into the air and was caught firmly in the palm of the hand.
It fits perfectly, as if it had never been cut!
The young Taoist priest and the skinny clerk turned pale with fright and trembled slightly.
Feng Lisheng stood up proudly, posing as a master with his hands behind his back, and said, "I happen to have some extraordinary talent in the art of supernatural powers and magic! The Earthly Fiend Head-Regeneration Technique is indeed infinitely mysterious. Tonight I have gained some rough understanding of it, so regenerating a finger is naturally no problem."
The tiger demon's eyes were full of envy, and he quickly picked up the axe beside him and handed it to Feng Lisheng.
"Impressive! Try beheading me again!!"
The tiger demon blinked.
Feng Lisheng immediately lost his composure, and the arrogant look on his face vanished instantly.
It quickly took a few steps back, waving its hands and shaking its head repeatedly: "No, no! I can be confident about cutting off a finger, but beheading is absolutely out of the question!"
The tiger demon blinked: "Why not? Are you weaker than that blue sheep spirit?"
Feng Lisheng rolled his eyes: "It's not about strength or weakness! First, reattaching a head requires more skillful techniques and profound magical power; second, if one can't overcome the psychological hurdle and develops a mental block, then cutting off the head might truly mean death, and it could never be reattached!"
Upon seeing and hearing this, everyone smiled.
The shock and awe I felt dissipated somewhat.
They felt a lot more "fair".
It turns out that even this clever monkey isn't truly an invincible genius; he also has things he's afraid of!
The tiger demon, still curious, blinked and asked, "What about the Mountain God? The Mountain God is incredibly powerful; surely he could be reattached by cutting off his head?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Zhong Xuan, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Zhong Xuan smiled slightly and nodded gently: "You've reminded me—the matter of beheading is indeed a difficult mental hurdle to overcome, but I can try cutting off my little finger."
As he spoke, he turned to look in the direction of the temple and called out softly:
"Old Stone Toad, come out for a moment."
As soon as he finished speaking, the old stone toad slowly crawled out of the temple.
Zhong Xuan looked at it: "I trouble you to be prepared to use the petrification technique at any time, so that if I fail to continue the finger, you can protect the wound in time."
The old stone toad nodded, its body radiating a faint stone-colored halo.
The mountain god incarnate took a deep breath and picked up the knife that Feng Lisheng had placed aside.
He calmly looked at his little finger and slowly raised the knife.
……
……
Meanwhile, in the backyard of Qingyang Temple, a group of people gathered around a stone table.
Zhong Xuan took out a Taoist book from his bosom and laid the page containing the Wind-Summoning Talisman flat on the stone table.
He pointed to the page: "Let's use this wind-summoning talisman as a test. We agree that each of us will draw it ten times, regardless of success or failure."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the tall Taoist boy stepped forward, grabbed the brush and ink, and eagerly spread out the yellow paper.
He wrote very quickly, but the more he drew, the more chaotic it became.
After drawing ten talismans, not only was it impossible to infuse them with energy and spirit, but even the basic structure of the wind-summoning talisman was not accurately drawn.
Xiao Qingyue couldn't help but laugh out loud, teasingly saying, "Hahaha, what are you drawing? You even drew the talisman crooked! You claim to know talisman magic, but after practicing for years, you've probably only learned the basics!"
The tall Taoist boy's face flushed red, his lips trembled slightly, and he was about to retort...
The short Taoist boy next to him snatched the pen from his hand.
The short boy said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, you're too impatient. Let me do it!"
As he spoke, he took a deep breath, slowly picked up his pen, and carefully sketched each stroke.
He was naturally calm and composed, and although there were flaws in the first seven attempts, he improved with each one.
On the eighth attempt, with a slight movement of the wrist, the brushstrokes flowed smoothly and the entire piece was completed in one go!
Although the completed symbol deviates slightly from the original, it is still largely complete.
The short Taoist boy, beaming with pride, held the talisman high: "It's done! I've finished it!"
Qingyue quickly leaned closer to take a closer look, then turned to look at Abbess Jingyuan.
She asked softly, "Master, is his painting considered a success this time?"
Master Jingyuan did not answer immediately, her gaze remaining fixed on Zhong Xuan.
The boy kept his eyes fixed on the path the two young Taoists were writing, his gaze following the movement of the pen tips without wavering for a moment.
Abbess Jingyuan withdrew her gaze and looked at Zhong Xuan: "Benefactor, what do you think of this talisman?"
Zhong Xuan nodded slightly and said slowly, "If we follow the three steps of drawing a talisman as you two previously mentioned, then this time, he has achieved the goal of drawing the hook in one stroke."
Master Jingyuan nodded with a smile: "That's exactly right."
Upon hearing this, the short Taoist boy became even more smug and immediately began to circulate his magical power, carefully injecting it into the base of the talisman.
No matter how hard he tried, the talisman remained unresponsive, showing no spiritual light or aura. It simply lay quietly on the stone table, no different from ordinary yellow paper.
His smugness froze instantly, and his expression turned awkward.
Master Jingyuan explained softly, "This is a dead talisman. You only completed the drawing of the talisman's shape, but failed to infuse it with life force. The magic power cannot flow within the talisman, so it naturally cannot take effect."
Xiao Qingyue couldn't resist the urge and stepped forward to pick up the pen.
"I'll give it a try too!"
She imitated the short Taoist boy, standing on tiptoe and slowly lifting her brush to sketch.
Surprisingly, she only drew it four times before successfully sketching the shape of the Wind Summoning Talisman. Although it wasn't perfect, it was neat and smooth.
Qingyue cheered with delight, "I did it! I did it!"
The two young Taoist disciples looked on incredulously and retorted in unison, "Impossible! How could you have successfully hooked the shape on the fourth try?"
The young nun raised her chin, her tone tinged with arrogance: "So what if I got lucky? Go ahead and draw it again, see if you can be luckier than me!"
The two young Taoist disciples were unconvinced and urged her to draw it again.
This time, however, Xiao Qingyue was not as lucky as before.
On her fifth attempt to draw the talisman, she lost her composure and broke several nodes.
After five more attempts, sweat began to bead on his forehead, but he was still unable to successfully outline the shape.
The tall Taoist boy breathed a sigh of relief and sneered, "Hahaha, I told you you were just lucky! I thought you were some kind of genius, but you're nothing special! To make this hook shape accurate every time, you'd need to practice for at least a few months."
Xiao Qingyue puffed out her cheeks in anger, refusing to admit defeat: "How can you be so accurate every time? You've just practiced for a long time, what's there to be proud of!"
The short Taoist boy snorted: "Only the skilled can do it! We've practiced for so long, and our hook form is already perfected. Unlike you, who dares to be arrogant after just one lucky break."
The two young Taoist boys bullied the little nun, making her burst into tears and remain defiant.
Just as the group was arguing, Zhang Chengming's spirit inside the wooden fish suddenly spoke.
His tone was undisguisedly sarcastic, even directed at the entire audience.
Zhang Chengming's tone, tinged with sarcasm, was full of mockery: "You're all a bunch of amateur idiots! Drawing talismans isn't painting. Otherwise, human painters could easily draw talismans with a simple brush, why would you need to go through all this trouble?"
The crowd immediately stopped arguing and pointed their anger at each other.
The tall Taoist boy looked at the wooden fish with dissatisfaction and retorted, "But isn't the hook shape supposed to be drawn with absolute precision according to the original talisman?"
Zhang Chengming scoffed, his tone disdainful: "Incredibly accurate? That only makes one a mediocre person!"
"The key to the hook shape is never to imitate it exactly, but to grasp the essence of the talisman—this little girl actually has some talent. She failed nine out of ten times in the first round, but as a beginner, the fact that she could succeed once in a while shows that her talent and foundation are ten or a hundred times better than your two mediocre talents who rely on years of accumulation and only know how to memorize by rote!"
Xiao Qingyue beamed, raising her chin at the wooden fish: "Did you hear that? The real person has excellent taste!"
The two young Taoist disciples were ashen-faced, but powerless to refute, they could only stand aside with their heads down.
The tall Taoist boy hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Then tell me, what is a true genius?"
Zhang Chengming's tone became increasingly arrogant: "If there is a tiger living in your heart, whether you are writing calligraphy, painting, or practicing boxing and sword dancing, you will present the posture of a tiger. From your eyes to your claws, you will have the power of a tiger."
"What makes a true talisman true?"
"It's because mediocre people only see the form, while geniuses can see the spirit at a glance! Form can be imitated, but spirit is hard to learn; this is the difference between geniuses and mediocre people."
These words were like a wake-up call!
Everyone present lowered their heads in thought, and gradually a look of realization appeared on their faces.
Abbess Jingyuan sighed softly, looking at the wooden fish: "Master, your profound study of talismanic arts is truly admirable. But with such talent, how could you have fallen so deeply into demonic possession?"
Little Qingyue tugged at her master's sleeve, still beaming with childlike pride: "Master, look, even if this Master Zhang is a big bad guy, his judgment is still better than these two idiots!"
The two young Taoist disciples trembled with anger, turning to look at the nun with eyes full of resentment.
The nun smiled and comforted them for a few moments, then turned to Zhong Xuan.
Master Jingyuan said gently, "I once learned a few simple talismans. Today, I will make a fool of myself and try to draw this Wind-Summoning Talisman, which can be considered as answering your questions."
After saying that, she picked up her pen and ink, practiced a few strokes on a scrap of paper to get used to the feel of it.
Master Jingyuan then said, "I'll try the Bright Light Talisman first; it's been a long time since I've drawn one."
As soon as she finished speaking, she began to write.
The Bright Light Talisman was her most proficient basic talisman, mostly used for nighttime illumination.
Both of the first two photos have flaws.
On the third card, she slightly moved her wrist, and magic power slowly flowed in.
The talisman flashed with light, and a soft light source flew out from it.
The talisman transformed into a bright moon, hovering in mid-air and illuminating the entire backyard as if it were daytime.
Xiao Qingyue clapped her hands excitedly, "It's done! Master is so amazing!"
The two young Taoist disciples had no choice but to nod, their faces full of admiration.
The power of this Bright Light Talisman is far greater than any of the ones they have drawn.
Master Jingyuan put away the Bright Light Talisman and looked more intently at the Wind-Summoning Talisman in the Taoist book, then slowly picked up her pen again.
The first three times, she failed to fully concentrate and her hook-shaped movements failed one after another.
On the fourth attempt, she finally calmed herself and successfully sketched the shape of the talisman.
However, when one begins to infuse energy, the magical power dissipates as soon as it begins.
In her next six attempts, she successfully shaped the hook four times.
And on the ninth attempt, the inflation was finally completed successfully.
A faint breeze emerged from the talisman, gently stirring the candlelight in the hall, causing it to flicker.
Xiao Qingyue was overjoyed and quickly went over to her.
"It's done! Master, you've completed the Wind-Summoning Talisman!"
She immediately turned around, looking at the two young Taoist disciples with a defiant and smug expression.
They were completely stunned, exchanged a glance, and said bitterly, "We admit defeat. The nun is indeed very skilled."
Master Jingyuan looked at the talisman in her hand and gently shook her head.
She wanted to explain that she hadn't actually succeeded.
The process of drawing a talisman involves three steps. After outlining the shape, you need to infuse it with energy, using your magical power combined with your vital energy to connect the talismans and generate vitality.
The final step, preserving the spirit, requires infusing one's own true intention and highlighting spirituality.
Only when all three are combined can a talisman truly be effective.
However, she lacked a deep understanding of the Wind Summoning Talisman and was unable to infuse it with her true essence.
A sharp, piercing laugh came from inside the wooden fish.
The man didn't say another word, clearly having already seen through everything.
Master Jingyuan turned to look at Zhong Xuan and saw that he was calm, as if he had already seen through everything.
The words she was about to say, she ultimately swallowed back.
Will this exceptionally talented young man be able to truly see through the essence of this talisman drawing?
Xiao Qingyue tugged at Zhong Xuan's sleeve: "Benefactor, it's your turn to try! Master has already finished the painting, you're sure to be even better than him!"
All eyes immediately focused on the refined young man.
He smiled slightly, picked up his brush and ink, and began to paint.
Without the slightest hesitation or pause, each stroke flows smoothly and naturally.
On his very first attempt, he completed both the "hook shape" and the "air injection".
The talisman shimmered with spiritual light, and a gentle breeze wafted around it.
Everyone was completely stunned, their eyes wide, and they even became careful with their breathing.
What they struggled to accomplish after months or even years of practice—
It was done on the very first try!
Even Master Jingyuan had tried it several times, so did he secretly practice before?
Everyone thought the same thing and were reluctant to believe that this was the first time they had drawn a talisman.
Just when everyone thought he would continue trying and complete the third step of preserving his spirit, he completely shocked everyone present.
Zhong Xuan gently put down his brush and ink and shook his head.
Xiao Qingyue looked puzzled: "Why did you stop? You've already successfully drawn the hook shape and infused it with energy. With a little more effort, you'll be able to draw a real wind-summoning talisman!"
The two young disciples couldn't help but ask, "Yes, you were so close to succeeding, why did you give up halfway?"