Chapter Thirty-Nine: Teaching the Child and Drawing Talismans

“Did you kill it?”

At noon, Zhou Qiankun arrived as usual to deliver lunch, and upon seeing the armored boar lying there, his brows furrowed slightly.

“Brother Qiankun, your son Changwang is truly remarkable,” Old Xu said, greeting Zhou Qiankun with enthusiasm as he tried to smooth things over with Zhou Changwang. He did feel guilty about the night watch, but from Zhou Changwang’s recent changes, he could plainly see the growth and transformation in the young man. His future would certainly not be confined to tending spiritual fields.

So, even if his pride had been wounded, Old Xu remained as cordial as ever. This was, in fact, his steadfast principle over the years: never offend anyone, especially promising young people like Zhou Changwang.

Seeing Zhou Changwang nod, Zhou Qiankun’s brows furrowed even deeper. “Changwang, let me tell you a story.”

“What story?” Zhou Changwang was taken aback. He had anticipated his father’s reaction, but hadn’t expected a story. In his previous life, hadn’t he heard and read enough stories?

“When I was young, just beginning to make my way in the world, among the younger generation there were three top champions renowned throughout the martial world. They were known as the Emperor, the Two Kings, and the Three Fairies—unparalleled talents, recognized as rivals to the older generation’s strongest. Later came the Five Gentlemen, Seven Heroes, and Thirteen Prodigies.

At that time, I couldn’t even dream of being counted among the Prodigies.

Coincidentally, the world was in chaos, and the country faced threats from neighboring states. The Emperor summoned the martial world: every sect and clan had to send someone to answer the call.

Naturally, the prodigies of the younger generation were included. Martial artists have always disdained joining the court, often scorning it as the realm of imperial hounds. Thus, the prodigies defied orders, refusing to comply.

The court was furious, immediately dispatching experts to arrest them. In only half a year, the Emperor fell, the Two Kings were crippled and imprisoned, the Three Fairies escaped disaster only by marrying the son of a marquis, three of the Five Gentlemen died, one fled, and the last transformed into a martial protector of the court. All Seven Heroes perished. Of the Thirteen Prodigies, half were subdued…”

At this point, Zhou Qiankun sighed softly.

No matter how strong a martial artist is, before the tide of fate, they are as fragile as ants.

“Three years later, a great war broke out among three kingdoms. Not one of those legendary figures survived; all died on the battlefield. Had I not avoided conflict, never placing myself in danger, and if forced to take risks, always making thorough preparations… only then did I survive that battlefield of blood and flesh, returning to a martial world left in ruin…”

“Changwang, though the world of cultivation is not quite the same as the martial world I knew, the principles are universal.

But the world’s truths are always connected.

The skilled swimmer drowns, the skilled warrior dies in battle. There will always be someone stronger than you.

Over the years, I’ve seen too many cultivators fall to the hands of monsters: disciples of great sects, so-called geniuses from cultivation families, even seasoned rogue cultivators who’ve hunted countless monsters… But the dangers of the wild cannot be summed up in a few words.

And above all, the most dangerous thing in the wild is always people.

I don’t want you to get reckless, hunting monsters just because you’ve mastered a few techniques.

This time, you got lucky and killed the armored boar. What about next time?”

Zhou Qiankun spoke, his face rarely so stern.

“I understand. This time, I acted out of anger, and I was fairly confident…” Zhou Changwang nodded, knowing his father’s words held deep truth. He began to reflect.

He realized he had indeed been impulsive, swayed by emotion. Everyone gets angry, but once the feelings pass, he knew there were better ways to handle things. At the time, he only thought of his spell’s power, the talismans he carried, and the flying sword he possessed… With sharp weapons in hand, murderous intent arises.

Naturally, he chose to head straight up the mountain.

“You’re grown now, and I’ll soon be leaving. I won’t be able to watch over you anymore.

Take this as my final warning to you: above all, preserve your life.”

Seeing Zhou Changwang admit his mistake, Zhou Qiankun felt gratified.

What he feared most was saying something and his son not listening; listening but not understanding; understanding but not acting; acting but acting wrongly; wrong but not admitting; admitting but not changing; changing but not accepting…

Old Xu stood awkwardly to the side, feeling embarrassed. He’d just been praising Zhou Changwang and now found his flattery landing at the wrong moment, right in the middle of fatherly admonition. Now he could neither leave nor stay.

Soon, Zhou Qiankun carried off the armored boar.

Just as Zhou Changwang had said, his father always hunted monsters with a rogue cultivator team—naturally, he had ways to sell the beast.

With Zhou Qiankun handling it, Zhou Changwang felt at ease.

…

In the world of cultivation, mastering any skill is never a simple matter.

After several days of study and contemplation, Zhou Changwang finally began his first attempt.

He would try drawing talismans!

Learning by book is always shallow. He’d long understood the importance of talismans.

During his battle with the armored boar, although the talismans weren’t the decisive factor, he had to admit that, without their interference, he wouldn’t have managed to slay it so easily and precisely.

Talismans play a tremendous role in combat.

If one has enough, they can even determine the outcome of a battle.

Just imagine: two opponents of equal realm, one preparing to cast a spell, the other suddenly pulling out a stack of talismans and scattering them—endless wind blades, ice spikes, fireballs, and lightning bolts whistling forth…

Even low-grade talismans may be weak, but enough ants can bite an elephant to death; so many talismans hurled together could crush a person.

“That’s why talismans must be learned and drawn,” Zhou Changwang took a deep breath, then retrieved a stack of talisman papers, a brush, and a small dish of spirit blood ink from his storage pouch.

Among these, the talisman paper was what remained after he unlocked his storage pouch earlier; the brush and spirit blood ink were bargains he picked up at the rogue cultivator market.

The brush was second-hand, probably used by a talisman apprentice; its tip was frayed, but it was cheap. After a round of haggling, he bought it for seven low-grade spirit stones.

As for the spirit blood ink, it was homemade by a rogue cultivator vendor. Zhou Changwang compared it to the basics in the talisman primer and judged it suitable for drawing talismans, so he bought some.

It was expensive, though—two low-grade spirit stones for a pound.

Aside from what was in the small dish, he stored the rest in his pouch.

Now came the official talisman drawing phase.

For his first attempt, Zhou Changwang chose the easiest entry: a fireball talisman.

…

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