Qingshan Valley Talisman Union, Archive Pavilion.

  This is it.

  While wandering between the shelves and flipping through countless documents, Li Xin finally found a record related to the third stroke of the Flame Blaze Talisman.

  “Fire and thunder trigrams?”

  The principle of the third stroke was none other than the Li–Zhen Trigram. And the talisman created from this stroke was called the Radiance Talisman. True to its name, it was a talisman that emitted intense light—used not only to illuminate darkness, but also to disrupt an enemy’s vision or break certain barriers.

  The Radiance Talisman was a talisman based on fire energy. For Li Xin, fire-energy resonance was his weakest area.

  If it’s a weakness… then it’s also an opportunity.

  Li Xin chose to think positively. Training that focused only on one’s strengths would eventually collide with the wall known as ‘realm.’ He knew well that only by overcoming weaknesses could a new path truly open.

  That night, Li Xin returned home and unfolded the array plate. As he sat down and focused his mind, he could faintly feel fire energy coursing through his body.

  This should be enough to draw a one-stroke talisman.

  He pushed the strand of fire energy gathered by the array plate into his hand and the tip of his brush. At first, the energy scattered and the lines were unstable, but little by little, as his fingertips grew accustomed to the sensation, the talisman’s form began to stabilize.

  Once he found his rhythm, Li Xin focused solely on talisman crafting, and it didn’t take long before he succeeded in fully internalizing the one-stroke Radiance Talisman. In that instant, a new sensation engraved itself into his body, as if seeping in. The flow of energy changed, and an operational method he had never felt before surfaced in his mind.

  At the same time, a single technique awakened.

  [Blazing Flash]

  A single flash that compresses fire energy into one point and detonates it instantly, cleaving the enemy in two with a brilliant blade-light.

  It needs a sword?

  What was engraved this time was, unexpectedly, a ‘sword technique.’ Judging from the description alone, it sounded like it would unleash tremendous power.

  Let’s test it once.

  Li Xin immediately bought a cheap sword from the market and headed to the back mountain. The sword felt unfamiliar in his hands, but an inexplicable excitement bloomed in his chest.

  He took his stance and focused energy at the tip of the blade. A red flash flared from the sword tip, accompanied by a short explosive sound.

  The power…

  But the result was disastrous. Far from cleaving an enemy as described, it couldn’t even properly cut through a single piece of wood.

  Li Xin lowered the sword and took a light breath.

  Well, it’s my first time with a sword.

  Up until now, he had only ever held a brush. He had no understanding of swordsmanship, nor any experience in wielding it. No matter how fine the blade, if the hand wielding it was clumsy, it was useless. Moreover, although he had internalized the Radiance Talisman, that result had relied on the power of the array plate.

  His ability to naturally draw out and control fire energy from his own body was still lacking. Blazing Flash was a technique that compressed fire energy and made it explode. With weak foundational energy, it was only natural for its power to fall short.

  Still… it looks cool.

  The red flash and explosive sound. In terms of visual impact alone, it was easily the most impressive technique he had learned so far. Blazing Flash was a technique that perfectly embodied the flash and thunderous boom born when fire and thunder met.

  Fire and thunder…

  At that moment, a sudden thought crossed his mind.

  Is it really a coincidence that I got a fire-element sword technique from a fire-element talisman?

  Once that thought surfaced, Li Xin recalled the techniques he had internalized so far. From the first Strength Talisman he internalized, he learned Shattering Mountain Fist. A fist art with power like smashing mountains. That talisman was based on the Gen–Zhen Trigram, and among them, the Gen trigram represented ‘mountain.’

  Next was the Lightness Talisman. After internalizing it, he obtained Azure Smoke Step. A movement technique as light as wind. And the Lightness Talisman originated from the Xun–Xun Trigram. Here, the Xun trigram symbolized ‘wind.’

  Then came Water Binding, from which he gained Ice Binding Step, and Diffusion, from which he gained Shattering Shock Fist.

  The more he connected the dots, the stronger Li Xin’s conviction became. The techniques derived from talismans were never random. Every one of them precisely aligned with the nature of the ‘trigrams’ inscribed within the talisman.

  More precisely, the nature of techniques changes according to the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams.

  That realization was no simple discovery.

  Now, just by looking at a talisman’s structure, he could predict what category of technique it would produce. For example, if he wanted water-aspect techniques, he only needed to master talismans based on the Kan trigram. In other words, he could actively design his growth direction based on attributes.

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  There must be even more secrets hidden within the Eight Trigrams that I haven’t discovered yet.

  In that instant, Li Xin’s eyes shone sharply. Based on everything he had experienced so far, he began deducing the answer.

  Xu Hui had shown Li Xin two auxiliary cultivation methods: Clear Flow Art and Wood Vitality Art. But why had she told him to choose only one of them? The reason was simple. Before using Five-Element cultivation methods, one had to convert neutral, balanced energy into the attribute required by the method. This was why cultivators didn’t learn many methods at once, instead focusing on a single one. Like forcing two streams into the same channel, causing the flow to tangle. Each method demanded a different nature of energy, and those differences clashed, interfering with one another.

  Li Xin was no exception to this rule. While using Azure Smoke Step, he couldn’t use Ice Binding Step, and while using Shattering Mountain Fist, he couldn’t use Shattering Shock Fist. It was the same even if the techniques used different body parts. Structurally, it was impossible for two streams to flow through the same channel. But—

  One stream. If the techniques originate from the same trigram… wouldn’t it be possible to use them together?

  The thought arose naturally, and testing it required little effort. First, Azure Smoke Step. His toes stepped on the wind as he leapt up. Then immediately after—

  Shattering Shock Fist.

  At that moment, Li Xin’s eyes flashed.

  …Just as I thought!

  Azure Smoke Step and Shattering Shock Fist. Though they appeared completely different, both originated from the ‘Xun’ trigram of the Pre-Heaven Eight Trigrams.

  Techniques derived from the same trigram don’t cause energy clashes!

  However, when used simultaneously, their power dropped slightly. The streams flowed in the same direction, but they hadn’t fully merged.

  If I could bind these flows into one…

  If he traced the flow back to its source and merged the channels from the beginning. He could activate multiple techniques consecutively—or even simultaneously—without energy conflict. Not mere chaining, but fusion that produced synergy.

  Just as the Five Elements formed cycles of generation and restriction, the Eight Trigrams might also hide similar connections.

  Li Xin’s eyes sparkled. A desire to uncover unknown principles and complete his own system. That desire made his heart pound. If he mastered more talismans and internalized the flows of more trigrams, one day, he might be able to merge all those flows into a single great current. And that completed current would contain power greater than anything else.

  ***

  Time passed swiftly.

  Two days before his promise with Xu Yul. Li Xin finally succeeded in fully internalizing the three-stroke Radiance Talisman. Though fire-energy resonance was his weakness, he had already finished preparing to compensate for it.

  The Five-Element Converging Array Plate steadily replenished fire energy, and Warm Spirit Incense refined his mind, pushing his concentration to its limit.

  The three-stroke Radiance Talisman was merely an Additional Stroke talisman, and could no longer be an obstacle. That was also thanks to the growth of Li Xin’s talisman crafting skill.

  With the three-stroke Radiance Talisman internalized, there was no longer any reason to delay.

  Li Xin carefully took out a single talisman from his robes. The unfinished Flame Blaze Talisman, still missing its final stroke.

  “Now that I know more, I can see more.”

  Li Xin muttered softly as he looked at the Flame Blaze Talisman. The third stroke of the Flame Blaze Talisman didn’t merely contain fire energy. The key was capturing the explosive power created by fire and thunder—that is, the Li–Zhen Trigram.

  Li Xin was certain. If he could properly draw this final stroke, the Flame Blaze Talisman would reach the ‘Extreme’ level. But confidence alone was still not enough.

  You can never be too prepared.

  Li Xin put on his outer robe. It was his first outing in a while. His first destination was the Qi Meridian Pavilion. Having used the Five-Element Converging Array Plate continuously, he wanted to check whether any changes had occurred in his constitution. If even his sensitivity improved slightly, it would greatly help in drawing the final stroke.

  However—

  The changes aren’t as big as I hoped.

  The test results fell short of expectations. His Five-Element resonance values had risen slightly, but his base constitution remained the same. The array plate helped with learning specific talismans, but it couldn’t fundamentally alter his innate energy sensitivity.

  Li Xin silently folded the report and placed it in his pocket. There was disappointment, but that was simply the reality he faced. And since he now saw reality clearly, he could prepare more meticulously.

  His next stop was Qingliu Alchemy Hall. Inside the pharmacy thick with the scent of pills, Li Xin spoke bluntly.

  “I need a pill that can instantly draw out fire energy.”

  At his words, Han Yuna, who managed the hall, raised her head. Then she firmly shook it.

  “It doesn’t suit your constitution. If you’re careless, your body might not endure it.”

  Li Xin’s constitution was naturally aligned with water and wood energy.

  A powerful fire-aspect pill could instead act as poison.

  “It’s fine. I have a safe method.”

  It was a lie. But seeing the unwavering light in Li Xin’s eyes, Han Yuna eventually fell silent.

  “I’ll give you just one pill. Absolutely not two!”

  Inside the small vial was a single pill glowing red like a flame. The price was a staggering 1,500 jeon for just one pill. Between the constitution test and the pill purchase, Li Xin spent all the money he had earned from selling Concealing Fragrance Talismans.

  Of course, he could have asked the Xu family to cover the cost. But Li Xin didn’t want anyone to know that he was attempting an Extreme-grade talisman. Like the saying that one should always hide thirty percent of their strength, he needed a trump card for critical moments.

  “Thank you. Please come again!”

  Taking the pill, Li Xin returned home at once. He placed the pill on his palm and quietly drew in a breath.

  If I don’t challenge it… I gain nothing.

  Then, without hesitation, he swallowed it. The instant the pill slid down his throat—heat exploded through his entire body as if it would burn him alive. Savage, piercing fire energy that felt like it was tearing at his skin and shaking his blood vessels.

  Li Xin clenched his teeth. Fire energy was, by nature, like a ferocious beast. If one relaxed even slightly, it would seize the opening and tear inward.

  Li Xin lifted his brush, forcibly drawing in the raging fire energy. The brush in his hand glowed red-hot, blazing like a heated iron skewer.

  Scorching pain seared his palm, but Li Xin closed his eyes and focused.

  Blazing Flash.

  A technique that cleaved the enemy with the explosive force of fire and thunder. He had to pour that momentum entirely into this final stroke. A single chance that allowed neither hesitation nor error.

  Li Xin loaded the brush tip with all of his energy and will. The moment the brush moved, a blazing flash tore through the air. At the same time, the talisman flared with intense crimson light.

  The entire room was dyed red, and at its center, the Flame Blaze Talisman pulsed as if it were a living creature.

  Rippling heat. Three delicate, intersecting strokes. They no longer existed separately. At this moment, everything merged into a single structure.

  [You have completed a Three-Stroke Flame Blaze Talisman.]

  [Completion Evaluation: Extreme]

  [You have obtained perfect enlightenment regarding the principles of Flame Blaze.]

  [You awaken the Heart of Flame Blaze.]

  [Fire-aspect energy affinity increases dramatically.]

  [The Three-Stroke Flame Blaze Talisman has fully merged with your body.]

  [Current Applied Rating: Extreme]