Chapter 6: Hiding One's Talents Isn't the Same as Revealing Stupidity

Chapter 6: Hiding One's Talents Isn't the Same as Revealing Stupidity

"Pfft—"

With a sharp, muffled sound, the talisman paper in Chen Ji's hand spontaneously combusted, turning into ashes once again.

Amidst the curling smoke, Chen Ji stepped out, expressionless, and began reorganizing his talisman table, brushing off the dust and debris from his body.

"Failed again."

After more than a dozen attempts, this was the closest he had come to success. However, he had faltered at the last moment, leading to yet another failure.

"It was just a tiny bit off."

Talisman-making was an extremely precise art, where even the slightest deviation could lead to a huge difference in the outcome. This time, he had completed about 95% of the process.

The talisman's "head" and "body" were already drawn, but he had failed to execute the final strokes of the "tail," causing the entire talisman to self-destruct due to a loss of control over his spiritual energy.

However, it wasn't a big deal. After all, "failure also increases proficiency."

[Gathering Qi Talisman: 57/100 (Not Yet Mastered)] → [Gathering Qi Talisman: 62/100 (Not Yet Mastered)]

This time, he had gained 5 points of proficiency. As Chen Ji's understanding of the "Gathering Qi Talisman" deepened, each failure brought greater gains in proficiency.

"This is the true meaning of hard work!"

Let's try again!

...

...

"Whoosh—"

The surrounding spiritual energy seemed to be stimulated, condensing into swirling vortexes, like a small tornado centered around Chen Ji.

Chen Ji, however, remained unfazed. His brush strokes became increasingly swift and sharp, flowing like a dragon and snake, both elegant and fierce.

With the final stroke, the talisman paper, which had been a pale yellow, suddenly glowed with a faint light.

The Gathering Qi Talisman was complete!

At the same time, the "Wordless Book" panel updated under the skills section:

[Gathering Qi Talisman: Beginner (1/200)]

Taking advantage of the sunlight streaming in, Chen Ji carefully held the Gathering Qi Talisman in his hands, examining it closely.

The talisman looked simple and unadorned, almost unremarkable. However, Chen Ji couldn't hide the excitement on his face.

"The Gathering Qi Talisman!"

This was the seed of wealth. With the "Gathering Qi Talisman," his cultivation resources were now somewhat secured.

"In this entire market, aside from a few merchant houses in the inner city, there are only three or four stalls in the outer city that sell the 'Gathering Qi Talisman.' And in the northwest corner, I'm the only one."

In the path of cultivation, "heritage" was of utmost importance.

Among the myriad of cultivation-related heritages, the "Hundred Arts of Cultivation" were far rarer than conventional "techniques" and "spells."

Among the Hundred Arts, the four most revered were Alchemy, Artifact Crafting, Talisman-Making, and Formation Setting.

Of these, Formation Setting had the scarcest heritage, while Talisman-Making had the lowest barrier to entry, making it the most suitable for beginners.

This wasn't a circular argument—it was simply the truth.

Now that Chen Ji had mastered the basics of the "Gathering Qi Talisman," he had at least secured a foundation for himself.

As a rogue cultivator, the original owner of this body had many gaps and deficiencies in his fundamentals. Chen Ji could now use the "Gathering Qi Talisman" to gradually fill these gaps by converting it into resources.

Previously, the "Vajra Talisman" had only ensured Chen Ji's "survival." Now, the "Gathering Qi Talisman" would ensure his "livelihood."

"No, it's too soon. If I start selling it at the stall now, it will definitely attract attention. It's only been three days since I bought the materials. Anyone paying attention would notice."

"I'll wait at least half a month before selling."

Having made this decision, Chen Ji channeled his spiritual energy and activated the "Gathering Qi Talisman."

"Let's hole up for half a month!"

The primary function of the "Gathering Qi Talisman" was to "gather spiritual energy," increasing the concentration of spiritual energy around the user and speeding up their cultivation rate.

Since he had decided not to sell it for now, he might as well use it to improve himself.

"When you're weak, converting resources into strength as quickly as possible is the way to go."

After all, his ultimate goal was to pursue immortality, not to become the "richest man in the cultivation world." Once he understood this, there was no reason to hold back.

"Amazing!"

As the "Gathering Qi Talisman" activated, the spiritual energy in the cave dwelling seemed to go wild, rushing toward Chen Ji like a swarm of bees.

Even a single "low-grade Gathering Qi Talisman" had such a noticeable effect. Although he hadn't tested it thoroughly, Chen Ji estimated that his cultivation speed had increased by at least 10% under the talisman's influence!

And this was just a "low-grade" talisman. How much more would a "high-grade" or "supreme-grade" talisman improve his speed?

What if he combined the talisman with spirit pills? How much faster could he cultivate?

"Don't waste time."

Filled with joy, Chen Ji focused his mind and began cultivating under the effects of the "Gathering Qi Talisman."

...

...

Fifteen days later,

After half a month of diligent cultivation under the influence of the "Gathering Qi Talisman," Chen Ji had made significant progress.

The proficiency of his "Longevity Spring Art" had increased by over 200 points, and he could clearly feel that his spiritual energy had become more robust, indicating an improvement in his cultivation.

"At this rate, the 'Longevity Spring Art' will reach the Intermediate level soon. Within five years, I should be able to break through to the fourth layer of Qi Refining."

"No, wait. Once the 'Longevity Spring Art' reaches the Intermediate level, my cultivation speed will increase again. And as my resources grow, my cultivation speed will multiply exponentially."

It had been half a month since Chen Ji successfully created his first "Gathering Qi Talisman." During this time, he hadn't immediately started selling the talismans at his stall.

Instead, he had stayed at home, alternating between "cultivating" and "making talismans." In addition to the "Gathering Qi Talisman," he had also produced several basic talismans.

He had even gone to "Fatty Xu" to buy more spirit paper, using the excuse that the previous two stacks hadn't been enough and that he hadn't yet mastered the talisman.

This was largely thanks to the windfall from the Song Family.

Aside from the resources consumed during this month's cultivation, Chen Ji still had 15 low-grade Gathering Qi Talismans left, which could be sold for a total of 30 spirit stones.

At first glance, this seemed like a significant reduction compared to the 80 spirit stones he had initially invested.

However, this wasn't the case. Now that he had mastered the "Gathering Qi Talisman," it was a process of generating more spirit stones from his initial investment, rather than a one-time gain.

"It's about time."

Chen Ji, now unshaven and with ink stains on his Daoist robe, looked at his reflection in a makeshift "water mirror" spell.

"I look the part."

The disheveled talisman-making fanatic was the persona Chen Ji had crafted for himself.

Compared to an unknown rogue cultivator suddenly showing talent in talisman-making, a "talisman fanatic" who had locked himself in his cave dwelling for half a month, spent all his savings, and finally barely mastered the "Gathering Qi Talisman" was a much more believable story.

In fact, Chen Ji had deliberately left his cave dwelling a few times this month, "accidentally" revealing his current state to others.

"Hiding one's talents isn't the same as revealing stupidity."

Although the "Gathering Qi Talisman" wasn't anything extraordinary, there would be more in the future. Chen Ji needed to showcase his "talent" in talisman-making to exchange for resources.

Therefore, it was necessary to downplay some of his other abilities to avoid standing out too much.

Chen Ji also planned to learn either Artifact Crafting or Alchemy once he reached the late stages of Qi Refining. At that point, the importance of maintaining a "persona" would only increase.

Moreover, if he appeared too prodigious, someone might discover the secret of the "Wordless Book." What if he was captured and forced to make talismans day and night?

After all, he was just a small cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining. It was better to play it safe.

"Squeak~ squeak~"

"Go play somewhere else. I'm not dirty—this is called being edgy. Stupid monkey, you don't understand anything."

Seeing Chen Ji's disheveled appearance, Ah Jin, the golden monkey, scurried over, chattering incessantly.

It was strange. Chen Ji had no idea what Ah Jin did all day. The cave dwelling was tiny, and Chen Ji was either cultivating or making talismans. Even Ah Jin's meals were self-serve, so why was the monkey always missing?

"Could this stupid monkey have the ability to bypass restrictions and sneak out on its own?"

Shaking his head to dismiss the absurd thought, Chen Ji packed his bag and headed out to set up his stall.

"When I have more money, I'll definitely buy a storage ring. What kind of cultivator carries a cloth bag around all day? It's not like I'm going to a market fair..."

...

...

"Oh? The 'Great Talisman Master' is finally out to set up his stall. Did you run out of 'Fasting Powder'?"

Seeing the disheveled Chen Ji finally emerge, Old Lin, with his half-missing front tooth, pointed and teased:

"I told you before, 'Alchemy and Artifact Crafting will bankrupt you in one lifetime; Talisman-Making and Formation Setting will ruin you for three.' Although the Hundred Arts of Cultivation are valuable, most rogue cultivators end up bankrupt because of them."

"You didn't listen to an old man's advice, and now you're paying the price, huh? Just stick to making 'Vajra Talismans.' You won't starve. Why did you have to go and try making 'Gathering Qi Talismans'? You've lost big, haven't you?"

Chen Ji ignored Old Lin's teasing and calmly spread out his stall cloth, taking out the talismans from his bag and arranging them one by one.

"I'm talking to you. Are you even listening? You'd be better off coming with me to..."

As Chen Ji slowly took out the seemingly simple and unadorned "Gathering Qi Talisman," Old Lin suddenly choked, his mouth hanging open in disbelief as he stared at Chen Ji.

"You... you... you actually succeeded?!"