6: Chapter 6 Talismans

It turned out it wasn't his problem; Overseer Hu Yuanfu had tampered with the seeds!

This led to a low germination rate and withered growth for the spiritual rice, so naturally, the harvest wouldn't improve.

However, now was not the time to look for trouble with Overseer Hu Yuanfu; instead, he needed to secretly accumulate strength and work hard to Cultivate.

Once he had enough strength, he would kill Overseer Hu Yuanfu.

Qin Changsheng did not plant the seeds Overseer Hu Yuanfu had given him; instead, he headed to the market.

Furthermore, the price of spiritual rice seeds was not high. Although Qin Changsheng wasn't very wealthy, he could still afford them.

At this time, the market was bustling, with the sounds of hawking and bargaining interweaving in the streets and alleys. Most of the passersby were utility workers, nearby Spirit Farmers, and vendors.

"I heard a Yao Beast appeared at Qingyun Lake again?"

"Yeah, it killed over forty utility workers!"

"With so many people dead, doesn't the Sect care?"

"The Sect sent over a dozen Outer Sect Disciples to investigate, but they didn't see anything!"

Not long after Qin Changsheng entered the market, he heard waves of discussion.

Hearing these discussions, Qin Changsheng immediately recalled a scene from the market mountains two months ago.

Three Utility Disciples had invited him to go fishing at Qingyun Lake, offering a generous reward of ten grains of Spirit Sand.

At the time, he only felt that something was suspicious and decisively refused. Thinking about it now, it wasn't fishing at all; it was clearly a plot to murder him for his possessions!

Furthermore, it was impossible for a fish demon to have killed those Spirit Farmers.

It must be that these people killed the Spirit Farmers and then blamed it on a fish demon.

When those Outer Sect Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples went to investigate, they naturally wouldn't find anything.

Qin Changsheng navigated the streets with familiarity and walked straight to a stall.

This stall was a place that sold spiritual rice and spiritual rice seeds.

Its prices were a bit cheaper than those in the shops.

"Give me two catties of spiritual rice seeds, I want plump grains with a high germination rate." After saying this, Qin Changsheng took out his last two grains of Spirit Sand.

The stall owner looked him up and down, then replied with a smile, "Wait a moment, young friend, I'll get this year's new seeds for you."

Saying this, he took out a sealed ceramic jar from beneath the stall and poured out two catties of round, translucent white spiritual rice seeds, handing them to Qin Changsheng.

"These are all freshly arrived new seeds. They have plenty of Spiritual Qi and stable germination, much better than those from the General Affairs Hall."

Qin Changsheng took them, handed over the Spirit Sand, and instructed, "Please wrap them in a sturdy cloth for me; I need to take them back for planting."

The stall owner deftly wrapped the seeds and handed them back to Qin Changsheng.

...

In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.

Qin Changsheng's spiritual field had long since been tilled.

Those seeds had also all been planted.

Lately, many Spirit Farmers had been working desperately hard.

Because not long ago, Manager Liu Cheng suddenly announced that this year's spiritual rice yield must reach two hundred and twenty catties.

If the target wasn't met, there would be no reward.

Qin Changsheng wasn't overly worried; after all, he possessed the Golden Trait: Cultivation.

As long as Qin Changsheng farmed diligently, he could reap five times the yield.

Lately, Qin Changsheng had also been experimenting with the Cultivation trait.

He discovered that only the spiritual rice he planted himself would yield five times the harvest when reaped.

As for those planted by others, there was no effect at all.

On this day, just as Qin Changsheng finished watering the spiritual field, Chen Erniu came running over in a hurry.

"Changsheng! Stop working and come to the square with me!" Chen Erniu shouted loudly.

Qin Changsheng looked at the approaching Chen Erniu and asked in confusion, "The square? What are we going there for?"

In his memory, Utility Disciples rarely went to the Sect Square; it was mostly a place for Outer Sect and Inner Sect Disciples to gather, occasionally used for Sect ceremonies or Elder lectures.

"Good news! Wonderful news!" Chen Erniu arrived and said breathlessly, "I just heard from the General Affairs Hall that an Elder of the Sect is going to teach the method of creating Talismanic Incantations today!"

"In the past, it was only taught to Disciples at the Outer Sect level and above. I don't know what happened this time, but even we Utility Disciples can go and listen!"

"This is the art of Talismanic Incantations; if we learn it, it can assist our Cultivation and help us protect ourselves in danger. We can't miss this!"

Qin Changsheng's heart stirred. Although he was at Servant Peak, he knew the wonderful uses of Talismanic Incantations in the Cultivation world. Low-grade talismans could channel Spiritual Qi for defense against enemies, while high-grade ones were incredibly powerful.

It was just that these kinds of techniques were always controlled by the Sect, and Utility Disciples never even had the chance to touch them. To be able to listen to a lecture today by exception was an unexpected surprise.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Qin Changsheng no longer hesitated and followed Chen Erniu quickly toward the Sect Square.

Although he focused on farming and Cultivation, learning an extra skill would give him another layer of self-protection, especially with Overseer Hu Yuanfu's scheming; the art of Talismanic Incantations might prove very useful.

The two of them walked quickly through the mountain paths and Sect buildings. Along the way, they saw many Utility Disciples rushing toward the square, everyone's face filled with excitement and anticipation as they discussed the upcoming lecture on talismanic arts in low voices.

Clearly, the news had spread among the utility workers, and no one wanted to miss this rare opportunity.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the Sect Square.

The square was wide and flat, with faint Spirit Gathering patterns carved into the bluestone ground. A large crowd had already gathered, and the open space on the west side of the square was filled with simple prayer mats.

The Outer Sect Disciples sat in the front, while the Utility Disciples all stood on the periphery.

Chen Erniu led Qin Changsheng to an empty spot on the periphery.

Qin Changsheng instinctively scanned the scene, his gaze quickly sweeping through the crowd.

Soon, Qin Changsheng spotted Lin Yao, Zhang Han, and the others at the very front on the prayer mats.

The few of them were chatting and laughing, discussing the Art of Talisman Making in low voices.

"Senior Sister Lin, you've been studying the Fireball Talisman for so long, you must have learned it by now, right?" Zhang Han asked cautiously.

"I haven't mastered the basics yet, but after a few more months of practice, I'll be able to draw Fireball Talismans!" Lin Yao said very proudly.

"Senior Sister Lin is truly amazing!"

"In the future, Senior Sister Lin will surely be a Talisman Master!"

"Senior Sister Lin, you must look after us in the future!"

"Senior Sister Lin, after you succeed in drawing talismans, you'll definitely earn many Spirit Stones!"

Listening to everyone's praise, Lin Yao's face was full of smiles.

Just then, a clear sword cry pierced the sky, and everyone instinctively looked up to see a brilliant sword light streaking across the horizon.

The sword light was gentle and steady, yet it carried extremely strong Spiritual Qi fluctuations, arriving over the square in an instant.

The sword light dissipated, and an elderly figure slowly descended, standing firmly in the center of the high platform.

It was an old man dressed in Daoist robes, with white hair and beard, a lean face, and bright, piercing eyes. He was surrounded by a faint Spiritual Qi, and though he looked ordinary, he carried a natural air of majesty and weight that caused all the Disciples to instinctively hold their breath and not dare to speak recklessly.

"It's Qingxuan!" someone in the crowd whispered in awe.

Although Qin Changsheng did not recognize this Elder, he could sense from the Spiritual Qi fluctuations around him that his Cultivation far exceeded that of the Sect's deacons; he was at least a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator.