The final outcome of teaching swordsmanship was that Zong Shou, after exhausting all his efforts and even presenting the Tàixī Líng Quán (Fetal Breathing Spirit Fist), finally managed to coax the pouting Chu Xue back into a smile.

Only after Chu Xue departed did Zong Shou resume his brushwork, sketching the 'Yun' () character Talisman.

“This little cat—her fighting instinct is incredibly sharp, and her strength and speed are terrifyingly potent. Explaining it with the innate talents of the Tiger-Cat clan simply doesn't suffice. Could she truly possess the legendary War Martial Body? Hmph! If I had her innate ability, I wouldn't need to spend so much time studying these martial theories and sword principles! It truly inspires envy, jealousy, and rage—”

What is known as a martial artist’s intuition is the innate ability, during combat, to instinctively know the most advantageous course of action.

Chu Xue was currently only operating at the most rudimentary level, yet she already displayed astonishing aptitude. With just some targeted training in the future, her combat capability could advance by leaps and bounds.

As for someone like Zong Shou, he represented the typical approach: relying on his own wisdom and experience to calculate, analyze, and then engage in battle. It is genuinely difficult to judge which of these two methods is superior. However, the effort required for the former will certainly surpass the latter by severalfold.

After a brief bout of sighing, Zong Shou settled his mind. With a single palm strike, he shattered the seal on the black iron canister beside him. Activating the Tūnyuán zhī Fǎ (Devouring Origin Method), he immediately absorbed every trace of soul power essence contained within the sparrow hawk inside.

Within Zong Shou's body, soul power surged instantly. Excess soul energy seeped out from his divine soul, causing his eyes to take on a faint purple tint.

His right hand decisively took up the brush, continually sketching strokes upon the yellow paper.

Without the assistance of the Talisman Stone Stele, the entire process of replication was several degrees more arduous. Zong Shou could only rely on the Talisman Seed residing in his Sea of Consciousness, guiding his brush tip across the lines of spiritual energy pathways and the layers of obstruction between Heaven and Earth.

Pouring forth his utmost strength, he strove to prevent the talismanic lines from deviating even slightly.

“It truly is a Heavenly Talisman. This soul power is being consumed so rapidly! The essence provided by the soul of a Fourth-Tier Divine Beast is still proving insufficient—”

Without hesitation, Zong Shou reached out, summoning the several Beast Soul Stones into his hand. The Tūntiān Yuánhuà Dàfǎ (Heaven-Devouring Primal Transformation Grand Technique) violently inhaled, and the Beast Soul Stones in his grasp were instantly crushed into fine dust.

The Sea of Consciousness, which had been showing signs of depletion, immediately became replenished. Strands of soul power were channeled into the tip of the brush held in his hand, gathering to delineate the runes.

When the final stroke was completed, the entire sheet of yellow talisman immediately shimmered with a faint, seven-hued radiance.

Unlike other Heavenly Talismans upon their completion, which trigger extraordinary phenomena involving Heaven and Earth, only the wolf-hair brush in Zong Shou’s hand suddenly exploded at that instant, disintegrating into countless fragments as well.

Zong Shou let out a long breath, intently examining the Heavenly Talisman in his hand. Though the script appeared clumsy, once the entire talisman was finished, an unusual resonance was contained within it.

Overall, it did not look entirely unbearable.

But what exactly was the use of this 'Yun' Talisman once drawn?

Thinking of this, Zong Shou’s gaze immediately became vacant, displaying a troubled expression.

In his previous life, he had also succeeded in replicating that final 'Yun' character Heavenly Talisman, but it was only a matter of 'replication.'

Being inherently not a Spirit Master, the talismans he drew while at the Immortal Martial Realm possessed virtually no effect. Moreover, he did not grasp the true meaning of this specific Heavenly Talisman.

At that time, in the entire Shénhuáng (Divine Emperor) game, no one utilized a comparable 'Heavenly Talisman.'

Now, the talismanic intent left behind by Grandmaster Ling Yun, he truly understood.

However, the concepts contained within—such as, ‘Misfortune leans on where blessing lies, and blessing lies where misfortune is concealed’ (Huò xī fú zhī suǒ yǐ, fú xī huò zhī suǒ fú), intertwined with ‘Misfortune and fortune have no gates; they are invited solely by man; good and evil retribution follows like a shadow’ (Huò fú wú mén, wéi rén zì zhào; shàn è zhī bào, rú yǐng suí xíng)—concepts akin to karma, were genuinely headache-inducing. He could not figure out the precise function of this ‘Yun’ Talisman.

“It seems I need to find someone to test the effect of this talisman—”

This ‘Yun’ Talisman was the most peculiar among the Twelve Heavenly Talismans within his Sea of Consciousness.

Not only was the seed he obtained the most complete, but the required soul power for drawing the talisman could also be self-selected, ranging from small to large, spanning nine distinct levels.

What Zong Shou could draw naturally required the least amount of soul power, meaning the talisman’s effect would also be the weakest. It would likely last for about half an hour.

But without actually using it, he could never know what its true capability was.

Frowning in thought for a long while, Zong Shou packed away all his talisman-drawing tools.

The remaining Heavenly Talismans were far from being complete. To draw even the simplest Five Elements Heavenly Talisman would require him to reach at least the Innate Realm. At his current level of Spirit Stabilization, he shouldn’t even think about it.

At this moment, what concerned him most was the talisman in his hand.

※※※※

Two hours later, the battered Cloud-Flipping Cart, pulled by the remaining twelve Cloud-Treading Colts, finally reached Little Yuan City.

Just as they approached, the temporarily repaired Wind Talisman Array within the carriage chassis completely collapsed. Fortunately, they were already close to the city gate.

This city, famous in later-era games as the Eastern Mining Hub, was a place Zong Shou had never visited. However, Yin Yang was quite familiar with it.

Upon entering the city, Yin Yang skillfully led them to a street lined with various blacksmith shops and armor outfitting stores.

These establishments sold not only farm tools and military armor but also various excavated metals. Plates of refined steel and red copper were neatly displayed in every shop.

Among them were businesses dealing in Cloud-Flipping Carts. However, very few merchants possessed the capability to construct such colossal constructs; only a handful of the most reputable establishments had such offerings.

Standing at the street corner, Zong Shou’s heart suddenly stirred, bringing the talisman in his sleeve to mind.

His gaze immediately shifted between Yin Yang and Chu Xue, filled with hesitation. In any case, he dared not use himself as the test subject.

Yin Yang shuddered, seemingly sensing something. He glanced back at Zong Shou with caution, then decisively stepped several paces to the side, saying, “Young Master, wait here for a moment. I’ll go inquire if there’s a Spirit Forgemaster who can repair that cart!”

Before his words fully faded, Yin Yang’s figure disappeared into the surging crowds.

Zong Shou felt a secret regret, and could only look at Chu Xue with ardent anticipation.

The latter’s body involuntarily trembled as well, inexplicably feeling a chill without understanding why. She merely asked curiously, “Young Master, why are you staring at me like that?”

Zong Shou coughed dryly, nonchalantly slipping the painstakingly drawn ‘Yun’ Talisman discreetly onto Chu Xue’s back. He spoke with feigned casualness, “Uncle Yin will likely take quite some time. Since we have nothing pressing, let’s go take a look inside—”

What he was thinking, however, was about the several hundred paper talismans he had confiscated from Qi Xiao. If he sold all the ones he couldn’t use, he could exchange them for some much-needed Monster Beast Crystals and Beast Soul Stones.

Chu Xue hadn’t noticed Zong Shou’s action, instead finding his words quite reasonable: “Yes, we should go inside and look! If there’s a branch of the Three Lands Bank, we can withdraw some money. We need funds to purchase the Cloud-Treading Colts and completely repair the Cloud-Flipping Cart. Luckily, when the Sovereign ordered us to fetch the Young Master from the Linhai Academy, he also deposited four thousand Third-Tier Beast Crystals in this bank for us. But Young Master, you’ve been using the Beast Crystals you carry a bit too freely—”

Zong Shou’s spirits immediately lifted. He knew it. How could his 'father,' the Demon King of Dry Heaven Mountain, have made no arrangements for his posterity, leaving his only beloved son to fend for himself in the wilderness? As for Chu Xue’s subsequent complaint, Zong Shou simply chose to ignore it.