9: Chapter 9 All-out Cultivation

Drawing Talismans is a skill that consumes an immense amount of Divine Sense and spiritual power. Every time Chen Changqing drew ten Talismans, he had to rest for a few days. If it were any other Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivator drawing Talismans, drawing just two or three might completely deplete their Divine Sense.

However, drawing Talismans also brought many benefits; besides improving the success rate of crafting Talismans, it also had the miraculous effect of refining one's spiritual power.

Chen Changqing planned to hand over thirty Talismans to the Family to offset a portion of the Materials consumed.

After all, although these Materials were provided by the Family, that did not mean the Family offered them entirely for free; every bit of Material wasted while learning a craft would be recorded on your tab.

Of course, if you possessed immense potential, the Family would spare no effort to Cultivate you; but if you lacked potential, the Family would revoke a portion of the resources allocated for your development.

Because the Family had to consider all clan members: if learning a craft required no cost, everyone would flock to the most profitable crafts. Yet, the vast majority were destined never to become Talisman Masters or Alchemists, meaning they could not create profit for the Family.

Therefore, an unsustainable approach that drained the lake to catch the fish would be nothing short of self-destruction.

Of course, Chen Changqing could not hand them all in either, because drawing over a hundred Talismans in a single month was already shocking enough; if people knew his success rate had reached seventy percent, it would be hard to explain.

"Grandfather, these are the Talismans I drew this month." Chen Changqing arrived at the Cultivation Technique Pavilion and, under Chen Xuanqi's curious gaze, took out thirty whole Talismans.

"This is?" Chen Xuanqi looked at the thick stack of Talismans, estimating there were dozens of them, his eyes full of shock.

"You drew all of these... in one month?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Mhm. Out of one hundred sets of Talisman Materials, thirty Talismans were successfully crafted," Chen Changqing said calmly.

Hearing this, Chen Xuanqi swallowed instinctively. He suddenly felt that he was truly getting old to even imagine such nonsense. As the most talented Talisman Master in the clan, he understood very well how absurd Chen Changqing's words sounded.

If nothing else, back when he first learned the Talisman Dao, using one hundred sets of Talisman Materials took him a full three months, and his final success rate was only forty percent. The total number of Talismans made across those three months was only twenty-some, yet that level had already surpassed everyone else in the clan.

Chen Xuanqi could only verify again and again, finally coming to a conclusion.

"Out of one hundred, thirty succeeded... Little Changqing, could you be one of those Cultivators born with a naturally powerful Divine Soul?!"

He looked up to observe his grandson before him carefully. The more he looked, the more plausible it seemed, because Cultivators born with powerful Divine Souls not only enjoyed a natural advantage in learning various crafts, but were also generally precocious.

And Chen Changqing's situation fit perfectly.

"Grandfather, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing! Our Family has truly found a treasure! You not only have Three Spiritual Roots, but are also born with a powerful Divine Soul. A favored child of heaven like you might really be able to lead our Family to become a Foundation Establishment Family." Chen Xuanqi stroked his beard, his eyes filled with joy and gratification. The more outstanding his grandson was, the prouder he felt.

"Come, I'll take you to see the Clan Chief." Chen Xuanqi said. The moment he thought of his Fifth Brother's jaw dropping upon hearing Chen Changqing's situation, he filled with anticipation. Without stopping to say more, he pulled Chen Changqing along toward the Ancestral Hall.

...

"Fifth Brother? Fifth Brother, are you in?" Just as they reached the entrance of the Ancestral Hall, Chen Xuanqi couldn't wait to call out to the Clan Chief.

"Hmm? What is it? Xuanqi, did something happen?" Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin was inside the Ancestral Hall reading a yellowed book. Seeing Chen Xuanqi and Chen Changqing, he looked puzzled.

"It's nothing bad, it's a great thing!" Chen Xuanqi explained everything to Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin in meticulous detail.

The more Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin listened, the more he wondered if he was growing senile. After several breaths of mulling over Chen Xuanqi's words, a bright glint flashed in his eyes.

"Is that truly so?" He examined Chen Changqing carefully and said softly, "Changqing, use your Divine Soul to suppress your aura and let me see."

"Yes, Fifth Granduncle." Chen Changqing complied, channeling his Divine Sense with all his strength to suppress his aura, trying his best not to let it leak.

Feeling Chen Changqing's aura, astonishment and joy filled Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin's eyes.

"Not bad, your Divine Soul is very powerful, already reaching the strength of the Ninth Layer of Qi Refining!" As he uttered those words, Chen Xuanqi's jaw beside him nearly dropped to the floor.

Ninth Layer of Qi Refining?! What kind of monster is this? Chen Xuanqi stared in amazement.

Upon hearing this, surprise flashed in Chen Changqing's eyes as well. He had not expected the Clan Chief to be able to measure the strength of his Divine Soul, and it was barely different from his own estimate—he had originally estimated his Divine Soul strength to be around the eighth or Ninth Layer of Qi Refining.

"Fifth Brother, Chen Changqing's talent in the Talisman Dao far exceeds mine, this..." It took a while for Chen Xuanqi to recover. But just as he spoke, he was interrupted by the Clan Chief.

"Xuanqi, from today onward, the Family's Talisman Dao will be completely open to Changqing. As long as he needs it, the Family will do everything in its power to provide for him."

"With Changqing's Divine Soul talent and Talisman Dao talent, we might truly be able to Cultivate a Quasi-Second Rank Talisman Master. If he encounters sufficient Opportunities in the future to achieve Foundation Establishment, our Family might even see our very first Second Rank Talisman Master." Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin grew increasingly excited as he spoke.

Standing to the side, Chen Xuanqi also felt an endless yearning in his heart. A Second Rank Talisman Master was an existence that every First Rank Talisman Master yearned for but could never reach.

In contrast, Chen Changqing remained completely calm. He spoke slowly, "Fifth Granduncle praises me too much. Becoming a Talisman Master is already due to Changqing's Luck. Furthermore, Changqing is still young, and a Quasi-Second Rank Talisman Master is still far off; Changqing would not dare to presume."

Hearing this, the two looked at Chen Changqing. Especially Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin, a stroke of admiration flashed in his heart: "With such high talent and such good Heart-Nature, if it were anyone else, they would probably have lost their head with pride long ago. I didn't expect Changqing to remain so composed."

"Changqing, from now on, the Family will spare no effort to Cultivate your Talisman drawing in the Talisman Dao. However, you must also keep in mind that Cultivation is paramount. A Cultivator's goal is longevity; everything else is merely secondary," Clan Leader Chen Xuanlin said earnestly.

Chen Changqing bowed slightly. "Changqing will keep the Clan Chief's teachings firmly in mind."

"Mm. Xuanqi, Changqing's instruction in the Talisman Dao will be entrusted to you."

"Understood, Fifth Brother. Even if this old man has to lay down his life, I will definitely pass on all my knowledge of the Talisman Dao to Little Changqing without reservation," Chen Xuanqi promised.

With that, under the Clan Chief's gaze, the two left the Ancestral Hall together.

On the way, Chen Xuanqi turned to look at Chen Changqing beside him, stroking his beard with his right hand as he said solemnly, "Little Changqing, starting tomorrow, come to me once every month for lessons. Grandfather will surely impart all my knowledge of the Talisman Dao to you. I hope you can inherit my legacy, so that when the time comes, I can die with no regrets."

"Grandfather, I will definitely do my best and not let down the Family's expectations of me," Chen Changqing said earnestly. Although he had only Transmigrated into this world a little over a decade ago, his heart was now entirely with the Chen Family. The Chen Family and he stood and fell together—sharing both glory and ruin.