Li Xin took a deep breath, then picked up the brush again. The lesson given by a single failure was more intense than ten rounds of practice. He retraced the moment of failure from just before, where the tip of the brush had trembled, and at which point the flow of energy had broken. He repeated the path countless times in his mind.

  “The most important thing is not disturbing the first stroke.”

  Murmuring to himself, Li Xin once again drew the first stroke, then came the second stroke, he slightly reduced the amount of ink and finely adjusted the angle of the brush.

  Resistance was transmitted to his fingertips again. Unlike the first stroke, the ink did not seep properly into the paper, and it felt as though the flow of energy would twist if he relaxed even a little.

  Here. This is it. The spot where I failed earlier…

  At that moment, Li Xin held his breath. Focusing solely on the sensation in his fingertips, he twisted the brush ever so slightly, so that the ink line would not break, so that the energies would not collide. He straightened his wrist and applied force evenly. This was not merely the act of writing—it was the work of engraving the texture of energy, will, and spirit onto the paper. When the tip of the brush touched the edge of the paper, a strange sense of weight traveled up through his fingertips.

  The sound of the brush tip leaving the paper rang out with unusual clarity, and at that moment, the talisman glimmered faintly.

  [You have completed a 2-stroke Strength Talisman.]

  [Physical strength increases slightly.]

  “So easily?”

  He was startled at himself by how smooth the process had been. Where had the earlier struggle gone? The same paper, the same brush, the same hand, yet the second attempt had been unbelievably natural.

  The sensation of completing this talisman was not mere luck or coincidence. In truth, he had vaguely sensed it before. Since childhood, he seemed to have had a knack for tracing things, carving them, or cutting them out.

  “Perhaps…”

  Perhaps he truly possessed something called ‘talent.’ Suddenly, Li Xin fell into thought.

  Who had been the original owner of this body?

  Among the countless beings born into the world and disappearing from it, he was likely someone no one remembered. But even among such people, were there not buds that never had the chance to bloom? Countless possibilities that withered before flowering, at the tip of stems reaching toward the outside world. Could this body have been one of them? Was that why, knowing it was reckless, he had still tried to draw a 2-stroke talisman?

  Li Xin slowly raised his head, and quietly gazed at the completed talisman. On the paper, still carrying the scent of ink, a powerful energy stirred silently.

  ***

  With the aid of Qingming Spirit Grass, Li Xin managed to complete as many as five 2-stroke Strength Talismans. With each one he drew, his mental energy steadily drained, and by the time he finished the last talisman, his vision was spinning.

  If it weren’t for Qingming Spirit Grass, one per day would’ve been the limit.

  After resting for a full day to recover from overexertion, Li Xin was finally able to get up and make his way to the market.

  He set out at the first sign of dawn, pushing through the chill air as he went. The market streets were lined with miscellaneous goods and street stalls. As expected of the morning hours, people bustled back and forth. This time, he did not set up his stall right away. He first walked around, carefully examining the price tags posted by other vendors. Most 1-stroke Strength Talismans were priced at 3 jeon. The market rate was uniform. But 2-stroke Strength Talismans…

  Twelve jeon per piece…

  He was not a little surprised. Just one additional stroke, yet the price was four times higher. It was not as though 2-stroke talismans used special materials. The brush, paper, and ink were all the same as for 1-stroke talismans, and yet, the price difference was this severe…

  Of course, there was a reason for it. Additional strokes, that is, the method of overlapping lines, tested the talisman master’s skill. As the saying went that the simplest motion was the hardest, the success rate was low as well. With higher difficulty came a higher price.

  As usual, Li Xin set up his spot beside a small stone pillar at the corner of the market. There was less sunlight, which was nice, but foot traffic was sparse as well. Today, only five talismans lay atop the cloth.

  Not long after he set up, a man carrying a bundle approached. A man with a rough face and thick calluses embedded deep into the backs of his hands. He was a regular who had already bought Li Xin’s talismans several times.

  “One Strength Talisman, same as always.”

  Before the man could reach out, Li Xin shook his head.

  “This time, it’s a 2-stroke.”

  “Two strokes?”

  The man’s hand froze. Looking down at the talisman, he noticed the two small but clearly overlapping lines.

  “How much is it?”

  “Twelve jeon.”

  The man withdrew his hand. He soon let out a hollow laugh and spoke.

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  “Hah, I don’t have that kind of money. Don’t you have any 1-stroke Strength Talismans?”

  Li Xin shook his head firmly.

  “No. And there won’t be any from now on.”

  A brief silence passed. The man could not hide his regret. But Li Xin did not waver either.

  There’s nothing more to gain from 1-stroke Strength Talismans. Continuing to draw them would just be wasting my time.

  In the end, the man turned away without another word. After that, several more customers came by.

  Familiar faces, people who trusted Li Xin’s talismans enough to seek him out, but this time, he could not respond to that trust.

  “Don’t you have any 1-stroke ones?”

  “I’m sorry.”

  The sound of footsteps fading away behind him rang out unusually loud. Li Xin looked down at the talismans on his stall. Even after quite some time had passed, not a single one had sold.

  Should I move locations?

  Supply arises where there is demand. It was the most basic principle of the market. This area was full of day laborers—for them, a 2-stroke Strength Talisman was not a particularly appealing item. Just as his concern was deepening—

  “Did you draw these yourself?”

  An unfamiliar voice, an unfamiliar shadow. When Li Xin raised his head, a man stood before him, his attire was neat, his gaze sharp, and his movements precise. It was a face he had never seen before. The man’s eyes went straight to the talismans on the stall. Without a word, he picked one up. Slowly tracing the texture of the paper with his fingertips, he examined the overlapping additional strokes closely.

  “The flow of power doesn’t break. The ink density is consistent too… For a beginner’s work, this is quite usable.”

  Li Xin looked at him without saying anything. He did not seem like a simple customer here to buy a Strength Talisman.

  “My name is Liu Guangjin. I belong to the Baizhang Association, and I handle appraisals.”

  “Baizhang Association?”

  Li Xin’s eyebrow lifted slightly. He had heard that name before. Not only within Qingshan Market, but also outside it, it was a merchant association with a solid reputation. It was a mid-sized association that went beyond simple buying and selling, handling appraisal and distribution of rare materials.

  “I go around from one market to another looking for usable goods. If I find something decent, I pass it on to the Baizhang Association. Even for the same item, the price changes depending on where it’s sold and who’s selling it.”

  Liu Guangjin held the Strength Talisman up to the sunlight.

  “Try putting this up in one of those fancy shops. Add a few lines of explanation and dress it up properly, and it’ll sell for a much higher price than now.”

  Even then, Li Xin showed little reaction. He simply looked quietly at Liu Guangjin’s face.

  He doesn’t seem to be here just to buy a talisman… So why approach me?

  Li Xin searched his memory, the stall he set up every day, the people who passed by, the indifferent gazes. Had Liu Guangjin been among them? He could not be sure, but it felt like he might have entered his field of vision once or twice before.

  If that’s the case, this isn’t a simple coincidence.

  Li Xin quietly reached a conclusion. The man had been watching him for a long time, and the moment a 2-stroke talisman appeared, he had approached immediately.

  “So then,”

  Liu Guangjin lightly shook the Strength Talisman in his hand.

  “If you plan to keep drawing talismans, how about selling them all to me? I’ll buy them at a much better price than now.”

  “Is that some kind of exclusive contract?”

  At those words, Liu Guangjin shook his head and smiled lightly.

  “It’s not anything that grand. There’s no paperwork or signatures involved. I’d just like it if, when possible, you sold the talismans you draw to me.”

  He softened his tone as he added,

  “If you want, it’s fine to sell to others as well. I don’t intend to force you, so rest easy.”

  Li Xin closed his mouth for a moment. A 2-stroke Strength Talisman was not such an amazing item. It was merely one of the many practical talismans commonly seen on the market. Even if resold, it would not yield huge profits. So what was Liu Guangjin’s aim?

  Is he looking at my potential?

  Most cultivators prioritized cultivation and treated livelihood as secondary, but Li Xin was the exact opposite. His appearance of clinging to talismans all day would have looked like diligence in someone else’s eyes, and now, that diligence had caught a merchant’s attention.

  “With materials, anyone can draw talismans. These days, with stroke-based talisman methods, even copying them has become easy. But someone as consistent as you is rare.”

  Even if he were not diligent, it would have been fine. To produce this many talismans without diligence meant he had talent in talisman crafting. From a merchant’s standpoint, there was no risk of loss.

  “There are many usable goods in the world. With enough money, you can obtain as many as you like. But usable people are far rarer than that.”

  In the world of cultivation, connections were more important than anything else. For those who pursued longevity, no one could know who would reach what realm and when. Even a trivial connection now could return later as a profound bond, while a small grudge could come back like divine retribution.

  Li Xin quietly organized his thoughts. From Liu Guangjin’s perspective, he had merely planted a single seed. There was no way to know how many people he had said such things to before. But if it was helpful right now, that was enough.

  “Alright. But I have a condition.”

  “Go on.”

  “I’d like about half the payment in consumables like ink or brushes. It’s troublesome to go buy them every time, and I’d rather spend that time drawing even one more talisman.”

  Hearing that, Liu Guangjin snorted a laugh and rose from his seat.

  “Very well. But remember this—talismans are ultimately a technique. What matters most is cultivation. The higher your realm, the more complex talismans you can draw with less consumption and greater precision.”

  Li Xin quietly looked up at him. Those words were not wrong—they simply did not apply to Li Xin.

  “Well, the choice is yours. Go your own way.”

  Liu Guangjin purchased all five Strength Talismans for seventy jeon, above the market rate. He said he planned to continue buying at around this price in the future.

  Once the transaction ended, the conversation between the two briefly paused. Seizing that gap, Li Xin extended his hand first—a long, slender hand. At the fingertips, hardened with calluses, the faint scent of ink still lingered.

  “I’m Li Xin.”

  Liu Guangjin looked at the hand for a moment, then smiled and extended his own.

  “Li Xin. A good name. I’ll remember it.”

  After a brief handshake, Liu Guangjin lightly brushed off his hands and smiled. Then he told him the time and place for their next transaction and left. Li Xin slowly withdrew his hand, and silently looked down at it. Cultivators possessed many different means, and thus tended to strongly avoid physical contact, but Li Xin extended his hand despite knowing that fact. Just like the other man, he had merely planted a small seed of his own.

  ‘Someone who knows nothing about this world.’

  ‘A na?ve talisman master who has yet to learn the harshness of the cultivation world.’

  That was the impression Li Xin wanted to leave behind. First impressions lasted a long time, they took root deep in the heart like roots, subtly shaping how one would be viewed thereafter, how the other person remembered him. Sometimes, that alone was more important than life itself. The warmth left in that handshake today was the minimum safety measure.