Chapter 8: Body Tempering (Part 2)

Guo Shier suddenly saw that bright talisman reappear in Chen Chunzhai’s hands. He asked, “Is this a precious talisman?” A precious talisman was one that could be used multiple times, but it needed to be maintained by a talisman master and infused with talisman energy. Most precious talismans had a limit on the number of uses; if used beyond that limit, they would become useless.
Chen Chunzhai nodded. “Ordinary one-time talismans don’t yield good results. Precious talismans are different. Hehe, using a precious talisman won’t cause any problems.”
Having read some books, Guo Shier said, “Hmm, I see. Since precious talismans have been used to temper many people’s bodies, any issues would have been discovered long ago. As for one-time talismans, who knows?”
Chen Chunzhai said, “Alright, Xiao Bing, come here. Xiao Baozi, rest over there. Starting from tomorrow, you’ll go to the Body Tempering Hall to train. I’ve hired a Talisman Warrior as your temporary instructor to help you get used to the power of talismans first.”
Huo Bao wiped the cold sweat from his face, put on his robes, and said, “Grandpa Chen, thank you for your hard work. Xiao Baozi pays his respects to you.”
Chen Bing took off his robes and stood on the body tempering platform. He was only ten years old and clearly thinner than Huo Bao. Guo Shier was a bit worried that he might not be able to handle it, but this kid turned out to be even tougher than Huo Bao, enduring everything silently. Even when Chen Chunzhai asked him to cry out to vent his pain, he remained silent.
“That’s enough for today. Body tempering is a gradual process—there’s no need to rush. Hehe, some families’ talisman masters, in their haste to see results, ignore the well-being of the Talisman Warriors and keep using more bright talismans, resulting in those warriors never being able to advance to Talisman Warriors. We don’t need to be so eager for quick success.”
“Once you two get used to the talismans of this bright talisman, you can start the second round of body tempering. Usually, for the second round, you can use the bright talisman twice, leaving two talismans in the body.”
Guo Shier asked, “How many times… do they need to use it before they can become Talisman Warriors?”
Chen Chunzhai smiled. “To become a Talisman Warrior… hehe, at least six hundred bright talismans are needed, and that’s only for a beginner-level Talisman Warrior. Just digesting and absorbing those six hundred uses of bright talismans takes six years. Even becoming a Talisman Warrior isn’t that easy.”
“Shier, I’ve taken care of the basic body tempering talismans for Xiao Baozi and Xiao Bing. For future children with potential to become Talisman Warriors, it will be up to you to handle it. You can’t use precious talismans—try using one-time talismans instead. It’s a process you must go through. Hehe, if I have time, I’ll come to check on you too.”

Guo Shier repeatedly expressed his gratitude. Having the support of an elder was far better than relying on his own efforts to explore. Huo Bao and Chen Bing went straight to the Physical Training Hall to enhance the effects of the body-training talismans, while Chen Chunzhai and Guo Shier returned home respectively. Upon arriving home, Guo Shier eagerly resumed his cultivation, desperate to increase his talisman power. Chen Chunzhai had greatly stimulated him, and now that Huo Bao and Chen Bing had also embarked on their careers as talisman warriors, he absolutely could not fall behind. Repeating the Thirty-Six Forms over and over, he gained a little more talisman power with each attempt. Gradually, he began to feel a swelling pain in his soul. It was a strange sensation—not true pain, but rather a feeling of swelling that made it impossible to continue cultivating. He slowly sat down and began reciting the scriptures. This time, the experience of reciting was vastly different from before; every word felt like sweet water flowing into a parched mouth, bringing a profound sense of relief that permeated both his body and soul. The painful swelling in his soul disappeared completely. Guo Shier realized that cultivating without restraint might harm his soul, but with those miraculous scriptures, he no longer had to worry about the dangers of excessive cultivation. After pondering for a moment, he couldn’t help but smile. He had found a way to strengthen his soul, as well as the ultimate method to enhance talisman power: combining the cultivation of talisman power with the soul scriptures. He realized that talisman power was essentially the power of the soul. Previously, through the soul scriptures, he could purify and refine his soul, but its quantity could not increase—only through reincarnation could a small amount of soul be added. Now, talisman power could increase the quantity of the soul, while the scriptures could refine it, making it purer. The two complemented each other. Guo Shier was thrilled. He never expected such significant gains, which meant he could accelerate his cultivation process compared to others. What took others a month might only take him a day. The stronger his power became, the more secure his life would be. “I’m so lucky in this life,” Guo Shier thought. His fate in his first life had been the most boring—entirely spent reciting scriptures without experiencing any joy, though he hadn’t found it painful back then. His luck in his second life wasn’t much better either; he was born into a poor family. Without his own efforts, his life would have been even worse than in his first life.

It seemed as if after suffering, sweetness came. Although his life before soul awakening was not great, things turned lucky after his soul awakened, and he continued to have good fortune until he started as an apprentice at the Northern Talisman Gate. During that time, he lived happily. The secret he discovered today was extremely important to him; perhaps his next reincarnation would be completely different because of it.

Guo Shieru understood well the principle that excess is as bad as deficiency. Even with the Soul Scriptures, he didn’t intend to practice frantically. He was satisfied if he could progress faster than others. Moreover, talisman masters not only had to cultivate their talisman power but also faced numerous learning tasks, including refining materials, studying runes, and creating talismans—time was extremely tight, and not a moment could be wasted.

After resting for half a day, Guo Shieru began practicing the second set of movements.

The second set, consisting of thirty-six moves, was slightly more complex than the first. It took Guo Shieru three days to master it. Drawing on his experience from the first set, he quickly entered the realm of the second set. He found that this set granted him a bit more talisman power.

During this time, Huo Bao and Chen Bing also worked hard. They went to the physical training hall every day for extreme workouts. There were many martial skills they needed to master, and the most important goal was to unleash the power of the Ming Talismans through training to achieve physical enhancement.

Both of them were determined and managed to fully absorb the power of the first Ming Talisman in just five days. As a result, Chen Chunzhai gave them a second set of Ming Talismans—two tattoos each, one on the back and one on the forehead. It would take ten days to fully absorb the power of these talismans.

Ten days passed quickly, and Guo Shieru returned to his master Luo Jie’s home.

Seeing Guo Shieru, Luo Jie couldn’t help but smile. This boy was truly amazing—having developed his own talisman power in such a short time. He had never seen such speed before.

With his expertise as a grand talisman master, he could clearly detect Guo Shieru’s progress, but there was one thing he couldn’t see: that Guo Shieru had a reincarnated soul.

Luo Jie said, “Shieru, you can now practice controlling basic talismans. Well, I’ll give you some low-level, disposable talismans for you to try. I’ve already given you the relevant books. After reading them, you can start experimenting.”

Guo Shieru was overjoyed. “I can control talismans now?”

Luo Jie said calmly, “Of course. With the power of talismans, you can learn to control them. The techniques for controlling talismans are the cultivation methods recorded in the power of your talismans—all of them are the most basic spells. Once you’ve mastered them all and can use them skillfully, you can learn some special spells. Well, it’s a bit early to talk about that now.”

Guo Shier began asking questions, and Luo Jie answered each one. This teaching method between master and disciple was quite unique, but Guo Shier really liked it, and Luo Jie had no objections—it saved time and effort. These questions were all ones Guo Shier had pondered over repeatedly without finding answers, so he asked them. Once he got the answers, he could remember and understand them deeply.

There weren’t many questions to answer this time, as Guo Shier had only mastered the second set of movements. Anyway, there was plenty of time, so he wasn’t in a hurry to push himself further.

Luo Jie was very satisfied with Guo Shier—mastering two sets of movements in ten days, and the questions he asked were all crucial. Once understood, there wouldn’t be any major issues in cultivating these two basic sets of movements.

Soon, the lesson ended. Guo Shier organized his notes and stood up, grateful.

At that moment, a Talisman Warrior came in to report, “Great Sorcerer Wu Qirong has arrived.”

Luo Jie said happily, “Is Old Wu back?”

A hearty laugh came from outside, “Haha, Old Luo! Long time no see… How have you been? I heard you took on a pretty good disciple?”

Guo Shier looked curiously outside, thinking, “A Great Sorcerer? Isn’t that a master at the same level as my master? Sigh, I should visit my master’s house more often. I can meet many powerful experts. Even if I can’t become friends with them, at least I can get to know them!” His thoughts were completely different from those of a child. From his past life, he already understood the benefits of having connections, so he retracted his intention to leave.

It was another white-haired old man, who looked quite ethereal. In such cold weather, he was dressed only in a simple white linen robe, extremely plain in appearance, with no trinkets of a sorcerer or caster. He walked in neatly.

Guo Shier noticed his large hands—snow-white and clean, with thick palms and long, strong fingers, resembling those of a young man. Behind him were a few ordinary-looking people dressed as servants, carrying two wooden boxes. When his gaze swept over Guo Shier, the latter felt as if he had been pricked by a needle.

Luo Jie said with a smile, “You must have had a good harvest on your trip this time, huh? It took you over a year to return?”

Wu Qirong smiled and said, “Yes, I just got back… and came right away to see an old friend. Is this the disciple you took in? The kid seems quite energetic.” Without Luo Jie giving any orders, Guo Shier quickly stepped forward and said, “I greet Grandpa Wu.” Wu Qirong replied, “No need for formalities. What’s the kid’s name?” Guo Shier said, “Grandpa Wu, my name is Guo Shier.” There was nothing he could do; since he was still a child, he had to act young. Luo Jie said, “Old Wu, guess how long this kid has been practicing?” He couldn’t resist showing off too. Wu Qirong examined him from head to toe for a while before saying, “Judging from his current level, I’d say he’s been practicing for almost a year. Hehe, if you want me to guess, it means the kid is practicing quite fast—half a year? Three months? Hmm, three months seems a bit exaggerated. Old Luo, could it be he’s only practiced for half a year?” Luo Jie said happily, “From when he became my disciple until now… it’s been twenty days! The first ten days were just for learning; he didn’t practice at all. This time he came… hehe, which means Guo Shier has only practiced for ten days! Hehe, don’t you believe it?” Wu Qirong exclaimed, “That’s impossible!” Luo Jie said, “Old Wu, you don’t know. After this kid arrived at Beifu Gate and completed the tests, he almost caused a disaster. Hehe, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to get such an outstanding disciple.” Wu Qirong became greatly interested and asked, “What kind of disaster? Tell me!” Luo Jie replied calmly, “Let’s sit down first. Standing at the door… hehe, that’s disrespectful to Old Wu. Please, come in.” Guo Shier was completely confused, thinking, “A disaster? What kind of disaster?”