Chapter 32: The Realm of Talisman Dao

In the headquarters of the Exorcism Bureau, on the Star Observation Platform.

At the same time, Bureau Chief Luo Chuan was gazing at the figure of Gu Xu in the copper mirror, he assessed with a nonchalant tone, "He really knows how to keep his cool."

As a top powerhouse of the Great Qi Dynasty, Luo Chuan could easily discern that the purity and refinement of Gu Xu's True Qi were due to his continuous practice of suppressing his realm and refining it over and over again.

To him, while Gu Xu possessed a talent far exceeding that of ordinary people, his ability to resist the temptation of breaking through and solidifying his foundation is indeed commendable.

Most of the young people nowadays are over-ambitious and eager for quick success.

Few can be like Gu Xu, taking one step at a time, steady and sturdy.

Beside him, Shangguan Jin, like a chicken pecking at rice, nodded repeatedly, saying, "Chief Luo is right."

At the same time, she habitually speculated in her heart: Was Chief Luo saying this to use the young man named Gu Xu as an example to instruct me? Hmm... Maybe my cultivation speed is indeed too fast. Should I slow down a bit?

...

In the Illusory Realm within the Teapot, Peach Blossom Town.

A bustling restaurant, now deserted.

The waitstaff and customers had all turned into black ash on the ground.

Only Gu Xu and Ma Qin were left in the whole room.

This sudden silence made Ma Qin feel somewhat at a loss.

"Gu Xu, what... what do you think we should do next?" He asked, looking at Gu Xu beside him.

"Of course, keep slaying demons," Gu Xu strolled casually around the empty restaurant, replying casually, "We've only dealt with the evil spirits in this room. There are still hundreds of rooms around, and countless more evil spirits need our attention."

As he spoke, Gu Xu lowered his head, scanning the various kitchen utensils scattered on the ground.

"Brother Ma, didn't you say that you are a saber practitioner?" Gu Xu asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes," Ma Qin nodded and answered, "Without a saber, I can only exert fifty percent of my usual strength."

This was a lie.

In reality, Ma Qin could still exert seventy percent of his battle strength even without a saber.

But he was a face-saving person.

As a proud second realm cultivator, he was hit by a rotten egg thrown by a demon, and now looked utterly miserable—this was just too humiliating!

But, if he slightly exaggerated the importance of his weapon—

Then it's not my lack of skill, but the lack of a weapon limiting me!

Hearing this, Gu Xu simply smiled, not questioning further.

He squatted down, began to sift through the heap of kitchen utensils on the ground, and said to Ma Qin, "Then, Brother Ma, what kind of saber do you usually use? A kitchen knife? A fruit knife? A boning knife? Or should I head to the kitchen to find a butcher's knife for you?"

Ma Qin was silent for a couple of seconds, and responded somewhat speechlessly, "…I usually use a Yan Wing Saber."

The Yan Wing Saber is a unique foot soldier's weapon—thick back, wide tip, heavy body; small holes in the back, with copper rings in them; when swinging, the rings hit the back, making a sound like the honking of geese.

Ma Qin felt that comparing his precious Yan Wing Saber with common kitchen knives and fruit knives was a sheer insult.

"But, Brother Ma, there are no Yan Wing Sabers here! How about making do with something else?" Gu Xu spread his hands, displaying an innocent expression, "As a weak and helpless first realm cultivator, my vital energy is almost depleted. I'll have to rely on you to deal with the demons later!"

Ma Qin snorted coldly.

Although it would be natural for any first realm cultivator to be exhausted and lose their fighting capability after slaying a roomful of demons,

Ma Qin had a gut feeling that Gu Xu had many more tricks up his sleeve. Perhaps soon, he would be in for another big surprise.

"…Fine, I'll make do with this damned kitchen knife!" Ma Qin reluctantly bent over and picked up a kitchen knife previously used by the demons.

"Wait, Brother Ma!" Just at that moment, Gu Xu suddenly called out to him, "Can you describe what your Yan Wing Saber looks like?"

A bit confused, Ma Qin didn't know why Gu Xu suddenly brought this up.

But still, he raised his chin proudly and described his beloved saber in great detail.

Gu Xu listened attentively, committing his words to memory.

He then picked up a broken plate and used a chopstick dipped in sauce spilled on the ground to start drawing a talisman on it!

Ma Qin couldn't comprehend the complex symbols he was drawing.

But, he couldn't help but notice the effortless grace of Gu Xu's brushwork and his nonchalant, yet confident demeanor.

It didn't look like he was inscribing a talisman.

It seemed more like he was casually creating a freehand landscape painting.

"All done." A moment later, Gu Xu handed the broken plate to Ma Qin.

Ma Qin received the plate.

Initially, his expression was one of skepticism, but it rapidly turned into astonishment.

Because the instant his hand touched the plate, it transformed into a three-foot-long blade, gleaming with a metallic sheen under the sun's rays—

It was astonishingly identical to his treasured Yan Wing Saber!

He held onto the saber's hilt, swinging it lightly. The sound of copper rings hitting the blade's back emitted a clear and familiar ring.

The sole difference was the weight of this short blade—it was as light as a porcelain plate.

This left Ma Qin feeling slightly uneasy.

But, it was certainly better than having no weapon at all.

After all, he had ten years of training in saber techniques. As long as he had a blade in hand, he felt a greater sense of assurance.

By now, Ma Qin had realized that Gu Xu's earlier mentions of a "kitchen knife", "pig slaughtering knife", etc., were simply playful jests.

But he couldn't muster any anger.

Because the talismanic proficiency of the boy before him had reached a level that he had to look up to.

Ma Qin had once read that there were three realms in the cultivation of talisman dao—Qi (Tool), Shu (Technique), and Dao (Way).

"Those of inferior form is called 'Qi'."

Beginners using talismans must use cinnabar as ink and strictly follow steps such as lighting incense, invoking deities, purifying the mind, praying, and meticulously inscribing specific glyphs on yellow paper.

The slightest mistake, and the talisman would fail to activate.

This is the realm of 'Qi'—the Tool.

But once one had a fundamental understanding of the essence of talisman dao, they could break free from the restrictions of yellow paper and cinnabar and not be bound by formality.

At this point, a talisman could be an expressive painting on a screen, an impromptu poem on a wall, or a line of free-flowing calligraphy on rice paper.

This is the realm of 'Shu'—the Technique.

And if one could become a talisman grandmaster like the Imperial Tutor of Great Qi, they could even entirely discard the need for a pen and ink—everything in the universe could be transformed into a talisman.

This is the "formless" realm of 'Dao'.

Gu Xu, who had been practicing talisman dao for less than three months, had already touched upon the threshold of 'Shu'.

Such talent was truly extraordinary.

It was a level of skill that over ninety percent of talisman masters in Great Qi could not reach in their entire lives.