Chapter 5: Exchange (Part 2)

Qi Nan Shan was surprised. “What? Iron-Clad Wild Bulls? Those are amazing! I’ve seen Iron-Clad Wild Bulls before—they’re formidable beasts with extremely high defense, though their attack power is weak. They only know one move: charging. If dozens of them charge together, haha, nothing can stop them. A single Wild Bull can only provide some protection, similar to a talisman shield.”
Luo Jie said, “That’s different. For us spellcasters, having a powerful Wild Bull in front of us is invaluable—it allows us to cast spells freely. This Chen Zhizhong is quite remarkable; he exploited the weaknesses of the number twelve. Haha, but since he’s also a spellcaster, it’s not surprising.”
Guo Shier said, “Yes.” He didn’t realize at first that it was a Wild Bull spirit talisman because it was immediately absorbed by his Life Talisman Ball. Only then did he realize it was a good talisman. The Life Talisman Ball is very picky—it ignores ordinary talismans and only absorbs those above the spirit level. Since Guo Shier still had another spirit talisman, he was able to put his talisman bag inside the Life Talisman Ball.
Back in his courtyard, Guo Shier took out a crystal bottle and said, “Miss An, this is the blood of mutated talisman worms. Haha, my master said that exchanging one or two ounces of talisman worm blood was a bit unfair to your master, so he gave two ounces instead. Also, my master asked me to convey his regards to yours.”
An Bilan was very curious. The boy before her was about the same age as her sister, yet he spoke clearly and logically, without any childish behavior. She took the crystal bottle and examined it up close. An Biyun couldn’t help but say, “Sis, it’s so beautiful… There are shiny green dots inside too.”
“Thank you, Guo Shier. How old are you?”
Knowing she was curious, Guo Shier replied indifferently, “After this winter, I’ll be ten.”
An Biyun covered her mouth in surprise. “Sis, he’s only two years older than me!”
An Bilan inwardly sighed—this child was truly terrifying. She nodded and said, “Yes, Xiaoyun needs to work harder.” An Biyun pouted and said, “Working hard doesn’t help. Big brothers are born that way…”
Guo Shier said, “Alright, please go back and convey my regards to your master. Uncle Eagle Demon, please see them off.” It was freezing outside, and he didn’t want to stay long. With that, he turned and went back inside.
An Bilan put away the crystal bottle. She was merely curious about Guo Shier and had no other thoughts. Eagle Demon escorted the two sisters out.

Guo Shier returned to his room and immediately picked up a book to study. He was very committed to this; whenever he had free time, he would keep reading and learning. His soul grew stronger once again on the altar, and his memory became extremely sharp, almost to the point of being able to remember everything he saw. After reading a book carefully twice, he could memorize it entirely, which was of great help to him.

This growth of his soul also brought Guo Shier an unexpected benefit: he began to recall things he had forgotten in his past lives, especially the scriptures he had read in his first life. Those scriptures, which he had long forgotten, could now be remembered clearly.

He discovered some useful scriptures that he had not noticed before. Back then, he had been a very honest and devout lama who read all kinds of scriptures without delving deeply into their meanings. Now that the scriptures came to mind, he immediately recognized some of their mysteries.

Among them was the six-character mantra: Om, Ma, Ni, Pa, Mi, Hum. In his first life, he had merely recited this mantra casually and knew its meaning, but now he had different thoughts. It seemed that this mantra was related to spells, though he couldn’t yet determine exactly how.

After pondering for a while, he concluded that this mantra could strengthen the soul. As for its specific effects, he would need to verify them over time.

He also thought of Huo Bao and the others’ training. He felt that they were stuck in a system focused solely on strength, lacking in skills, which was very different from the martial arts he had practiced in his past life.

In his room, Guo Shier practiced Tai Chi. This set of martial arts was something he had learned specifically in his old age to keep fit, not for fighting, so it was just ordinary Tai Chi. As he moved slowly through the movements, he noticed obvious changes in his body. After completing a set of moves, he was drenched in sweat, his energy noticeably increased, and more importantly, he no longer felt cold.

He then reviewed the grappling and fighting techniques he had mastered in his past life, which he had learned in the army.

A few days later, Guo Shier went to Huo Bao and the others’ training ground. It was a flat area covered with small blue stone slabs, about a hundred square meters in size. Ying Mo and Luo Zhan were also there; they were now the instructors, responsible for training the four children.

Ying Mo held a magic staff, while Luo Zhan carried a long, thin bamboo whip. The two stood at the edge of the training ground, watching the four children train.

Huo Bao against Chen Bing, Hong Shi against Chen Hong — it was all sparring. The four of them exchanged punches and kicks in fierce combat. Eagle Demon would occasionally give instructions, while Luo Zhan remained much quieter. He rarely spoke, but he would strike people with his bamboo whip.
Snap!
Luo Zhan shouted, “Use your thighs to block! Remember, your thighs and arms are your main blocking tools, as the power of the talismans is strongest there.”
“Be faster! Are you trying to die slowly?”
Eagle Demon’s shouts were loud. He pointed his talisman staff at Huo Bao’s lower back and said, “Pay attention to protecting this area!”
The four children were drenched in sweat. They had taken off all their leather robes, wearing only thin leather jackets, including Chen Hong. It was clear they were working very hard.
Guo Shier stood quietly outside the arena. When Eagle Demon turned and saw him, he couldn’t help but laugh and say, “Shier, what are you doing here? Do you also want to give it a try?” he joked.
To his surprise, Guo Shier nodded and said, “Yes, Uncle Eagle Demon. I also want to try.”
Luo Zhan said, “Stop and rest for a while. Remember, put on your thick leather robes so you don’t catch a cold.”
Huo Bao rushed over excitedly and asked, “Shier, do you want to become a Talisman Warrior?”
Chen Hong said, “Baozi, you’re talking nonsense again!”
Huo Bao shrunk back and said, “I’m not! It was Shier who said he wanted to try.”
Guo Shier asked in surprise, “Huh? Baozi, are you afraid of Xiaohong?”
Eagle Demon laughed and said, “Of course he is. Baozi can’t beat Xiaohong.”
Guo Shier was shocked and said, “Huh? How is that possible?”
Huo Bao muttered, “It’s completely possible. The talismans you used to strengthen her body are stronger than ours. It’s normal for him to lose…”
Chen Hong snapped angrily, “Baozi!”
Frightened, Huo Bao darted behind Guo Shier and complained, “Shier, you don’t know! Xiaohong is like… like a mutated Earth Dragon, and a female at that… How can I fight against an Earth Dragon… Sigh!”
Chen Hong growled angrily, ready to explode. Guo Shier laughed and said, “I can’t help you with that. If you can’t even beat a little girl, it’s quite embarrassing.”
Huo Bao retorted, “You don’t know how strong she is! She fights like a madman… Ah, right. You’re in the talisman profession; you have no idea the hardships of our Talisman Warrior profession.”
Guo Shier had already wanted to give it a try. In his past life, although he wasn’t a master, he was quite skilled in grappling. Plus, his physical condition now was better than at his best in his past life, so he was confident he could fight Huo Bao.
“Really? Then let’s give it a try. How about sparring?”

Huo Bao had already started to develop. He was over 170 centimeters tall, nearly a head taller than Guo Shier, and thanks to regular exercise and the stimulation from his body-enhancing talismans, his physical condition was excellent. He didn’t care at all about Guo Shier’s challenge. However, considering Guo Shier’s age, he asked hesitantly, “Do we really have to fight?”
Guo Shier provoked him, “What? Are you scared?”
As they spoke, Luo Jie and Qi Nanshan walked over. They happened to hear Guo Shier’s challenge. Qi Nanshan couldn’t help but wonder, “Shier, are you planning to fight Baozi?”
Guo Shier smiled shyly, “I just want to give it a try and see how strong a Talisman Warrior really is.”
Luo Jie was both annoyed and amused. He said, “Shier, your profession is that of a talisman caster, not a Talisman Warrior. You’re basically asking for a beating.”
Guo Shier laughed, “Not necessarily. How can I know unless I try?”
Qi Nanshan was quite interested. He said, “Baozi, let’s see what Shier’s capable of. Heh, he actually dares to challenge a Talisman Warrior… By the way, Baozi, don’t hurt Shier.”
Huo Bao frowned and said, “Elder, where’s such a rule? That would mean I can only take hits and not fight back.”
Chen Hong burst into laughter. “Serves him right!”
Guo Shier said, “Baozi, don’t worry so much. Let’s give it a try.” He stepped onto the arena, assumed a strange posture—with one hand forward and the other behind, his body slightly crouched—and said, “Come on, Baozi!”
Qi Nanshan said, “Baozi, let’s see how strong Shier is.”
Huo Bao approached Guo Shier and said, “Let’s agree first—if I lose… you can’t use that sword talisman to attack me. That thing is way too powerful. I can’t beat it.”
Guo Shier, who was in a fighting stance, almost collapsed upon hearing this. He said, “When did I say I’d use a talisman to fight? Hurry up! You’re being so slow!”
Huo Bao was extremely anxious. He wasn’t really afraid of fighting; he was afraid of accidentally hurting Guo Shier, which would be a huge mistake. Although Guo Shier was young, he was the one providing for everyone. If he got hurt, there would be no one to fix him.
Chen Bing calmly said, “Guess… who will win?”
Hong Shi replied without hesitation, “It must be Baozi who wins! Among the four of us, he has the best combat skills. Unless Chen Hong goes crazy, no one can match him.”
Chen Hong rolled her eyes and said, “Shi Tou, you’re talking bad about me again!”
Chen Bing thoughtfully said, “It’s not certain that Baozi will win! Shier… hehe, it’s quite amazing.”
Ying Mo also came over to join in the chatter. He said, “I think Baozi will win!”

Luo Zhan said indifferently, “Keep watching, and you’ll know… What are you guessing about?”
Huo Bao found it amusing. Looking at Guo Shier’s stance, he said, “Shier, I’m really going to fight now!”
Guo Shier felt confident and said, “Come on!”
Huo Bao let out a fierce shout and rushed forward abruptly, charging straight at Guo Shier with an overwhelming momentum. Guo Shier’s heart skipped a beat as he realized he had underestimated his opponent.