Chapter 10: Registration (Part 1)

Aunt Chen stubbornly tried to push the little girl at Guo Shier. Chen Bing’s expression was grim, but he couldn’t say much, as Aunt Chen was a senior ancestor of his, and it wasn’t his place to give opinions.
Guo Shier frowned and said, “This… this isn’t convenient, is it?”
After all, the tattoo talismans for a Martial Talismanist had to be applied by him personally, requiring the person to be naked. Since it was a little girl, it was awkward to handle.
Aunt Chen thought to herself, “This kid is young but thinks of so much.” She said, “What’s not convenient? In the future, she’ll be your wife, and everything will be fine!”
Due to the influence of his first life, Guo Shier had little interest in women. Especially in his second life, he married but couldn’t have children, which made him realize that soul reincarnation came at a cost—namely, the inability to have offspring and a lifetime of loneliness. Therefore, he couldn’t harm this girl and quickly said, “Aunt Chen, I can’t take her!”
“What? How dare you refuse!”
Guo Shier wasn’t a child and wouldn’t be scared by Aunt Chen. He smiled and said, “Aunt Chen, I won’t take her… What can you do to me?”
These words left Aunt Chen speechless. Indeed, what could she do? The boy’s master was the great talismanist Luo Jie—someone she couldn’t afford to anger. After a while, she forced herself to show a smile she thought was kind and said, “Shier, my Xiao Hong is a very good girl. She can cook delicious meals, take care of people, and most importantly, she has potential to become a Martial Talismanist. It would be great to train her… Please take her!”
Chen Hong’s face turned red and white alternately as she felt extremely embarrassed.
“Grandma, let’s go home!”
The little girl’s voice was soft and gentle, filled with distress, looking so fragile that it was hard to believe she had potential to become a Martial Talismanist.
Aunt Chen’s audacity was truly extraordinary. She said, “I can’t do anything to you… I’m clear-cut about favors and grudges. If you don’t take her, you’ll completely offend… me…”
Guo Shier said, “Are you threatening me?” At just eight years old, he straightened up slightly, and an invisible aura spread around him. His spiritual pressure was released unintentionally, instantly changing Aunt Chen’s expression.
Aunt Chen regretted it a bit. She stepped back and said, “Since you refuse, then forget it. I’m leaving!”
Guo Shier said coldly, “Wait!”
Aunt Chen’s expression turned ugly as she asked, “What now?”

Guo Shier said, “After making threats, you just want to leave? Hmph, it’s not that easy! Either invite you to go see the master with me, or see the sect leader—either way, I want things settled. As an elder, how can you bully a junior apprentice like this? Since I joined, I’ve never heard of anyone being forced to join the followers. Which rule of the North Talisman Sect does this violate?”
Aunt Chen was speechless. She had indeed underestimated Guo Shier, thinking he was just a child who would be scared by her harsh words and give in. Unexpectedly, he was bold for his age, clear-minded, and every word he spoke made sense. Now she found herself in a difficult situation.
Chen Bing opened his mouth but closed it again, not knowing what to say.
Guo Shier simply crossed his arms and stared at Aunt Chen without saying another word.
Aunt Chen felt bitter. After a long while, she said, “Why are you so stubborn, little kid! I was just joking—take it seriously!” With no way out, she tried to salvage her reputation; otherwise, it would be too embarrassing, and the consequences could be severe. If Luo Jie got involved, she wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Guo Shier found it amusing. A few words had scared Aunt Chen. This old woman was unreasonable, typical of those who bully children. He said, “Oh, so Grandma Chen was just joking. Alas, I’m still young and can’t handle such jokes. I’m too timid!”
Poor Aunt Chen, already over a hundred years old, was being mocked by an eight-year-old child. She said, “Alright, alright, Grandma just likes to joke with kids…” She resorted to playing the age card.
Aunt Chen left dejectedly with the little girl, but Guo Shier said, “She can stay, but I have one condition.”
Aunt Chen raised her head in surprise. She didn’t expect Guo Shier to agree again. She asked, “What’s the condition?”
Actually, Guo Shier had already realized there was no need to offend Aunt Chen. Moreover, Chen Chunzhai had done him a favor, and Chen Bing was his own Talisman Warrior. Offending Aunt Chen would harm everyone. He asked, “Is her name Chen Hong?”
Aunt Chen nodded. “Yes.”
Guo Shier said, “Her body-refining talisman needs to be blessed by Grandma Chen. I can’t refine it for her. If you agree, she can stay for a one-year trial period. If it works… I’ll take her in.”
Aunt Chen wondered, “Was that why you refused to take Xiao Hong earlier?”
Guo Shier’s face turned red. He forced himself to say, “That’s just one reason. Another important reason is that girls lack ferocity and a domineering spirit, making it hard for them to succeed in the wild.”

Aunt Chen exclaimed in amazement, “You’re just a child—how do you know so much?”
Guo Shier thought to himself, “I’ve lived three lifetimes as a human. If you’re my enemy and underestimate me like this, you won’t even know how you die.” He replied, “I read books!”
Aunt Chen said, “Xiaohong, from now on, you’ll follow Shier. Your cousin is here too, so with him to take care of you, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Guo Shier realized that Aunt Chen wasn’t actually bad—she was just a bit domineering and unreasonable. Fortunately, being older, she knew when to stop and wouldn’t act recklessly.
After Aunt Chen left, Chen Bing finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Sigh, Shier, I really admire you. You dared to speak to my great-aunt like that! Ugh, I was so scared I broke out in a cold sweat.” He glanced at his timid cousin and asked helplessly, “Cousin, were you forced to come?”
Chen Hong’s eyes reddened as she said, “Cousin…”
Chen Bing immediately panicked, “Ah… ah! Don’t cry… please don’t cry!”
Guo Shier knew things had gone wrong. You couldn’t comfort a girl when she was crying—it only made her cry harder. He turned around and left, saying, “Baozi, go arrange accommodation for Chen Hong. I’m going to read books!” As soon as he entered the room, he heard a loud cry from outside—the little girl had finally started crying. He sighed inwardly, “Sigh, trouble’s ahead!”
All four Talisman Warriors were now together, though the last one didn’t satisfy him entirely. He went to the underground laboratory and continued his training.
…
Winter turned to spring.
Guo Shier was nine years old now, and he had mastered the sixth set of basic movements. Over the course of a winter, he learned how to control talismans. At present, his talisman energy allowed him to activate six attack talismans or create three disposable ones, after which he needed to train to replenish his energy.
Throughout the entire winter, aside from visiting his master’s house and the talisman market, Guo Shier didn’t go anywhere else—he stayed at home to train. His soul power was strong, but strangely, he couldn’t use it freely. Every time he generated talisman energy, it was refined first before being integrated into his soul, which affected his ability to control and create talismans—a mystery he couldn’t figure out.
But he couldn’t ask his master about this. Soul reincarnation was his greatest secret; he wouldn’t reveal it to anyone, so he had to find the answer on his own.
Therefore, aside from training, he spent his free time reading books. He devoured whatever books he could find—nearly a hundred books in one winter, many of which he read several times. Although he hadn’t found an answer, his knowledge was growing rapidly.

Gradually, Guo Shieru formed a guess—that perhaps advancing to a Spellcaster would allow him to escape this situation. It seemed his soul wasn’t strong enough yet, so he needed to absorb spell power and make it part of his soul. Using the materials given by his master, he was already able to create some simple, disposable spells. He also did a good job refining materials, but he always felt something was missing. At his master’s house, Luo Jie, hearing his doubts, couldn’t help but laugh and say, “What you lack is practice, lack of combat experience. Only in the wild can a Spellcaster’s imagination be stimulated, allowing them to grow rapidly. You’re still too young. In four years, you should be able to advance to a Spellcaster.” Guo Shieru asked, “Can Spellcasters also train their bodies? If I want to do that, how old do I need to be?” “Using dark spells for physical training can start at any time. It’s best to create your own dark spells—training yourself is the best way. That way, you can control which parts need strengthening and which can be neglected for now. Creating dark spells isn’t difficult; it’s just that a few rare herbs are hard to find. But I have them here. You can take them with you when you go back.” Guo Shieru once again marveled at how lucky it was to have such a good master. Without even speaking, his master had solved his problem. He knew Luo Jie doted on him. At first, Luo Jie only appreciated Guo Shieru’s potential, but after spending a winter with him, he had grown to adore this intelligent and eager-to-learn disciple. Luoluo had taken on a mission during winter and left the Northern Spell Gate with his team; he hadn’t returned yet. It was unclear whether he didn’t want to come back or hadn’t completed his mission. Guo Shieru didn’t worry about it. He now had another Spellblade Master with him, sent by Luo Jie to protect him. After saying goodbye to his master, Guo Shieru returned home to the underground laboratory. It had completely changed. Based on his memories from his past life, he rearranged the experimental area according to the spell-making process, making it more scientific and convenient. Guo Shieru had long wanted to create dark spells, but he lacked the materials. This time, Luo Jie gave him several key ingredients, allowing him to finally gather everything needed. Creating dark spells wasn’t complicated, as they were mostly disposable spells, unlike regular spells, which included both disposable and precious ones. The runes for dark spells were also simple; with enough practice, one could master them. Guo Shieru had practiced the runes before, but without a spell body, he couldn’t succeed in creation.

The material for dark talismans is made by refining fish fat, a type of fish that is specifically bred, and it is not very expensive. This time, Luo Jie gave him two jin of fish fat; just half a liang is enough to refine the material for one dark talisman.