Chapter 1: Setting Off (Part 1)

“In a month, you’ll be able to set off. I’ve prepared some basic disposable talismans for you. On this trip, you need to learn and master the use of disposable talismans, and start collecting materials in the wild. Most of the materials you use now are either bought or obtained from me, but that’s not a sustainable solution. In the future, you must learn to find materials in the wild and craft talismans there—this is a skill every talisman master must possess.”
Guo Shier nodded. “Yes, master.” He now understood that a great master had high expectations for his disciples, so only by doing their best could they satisfy them. This world was truly crazy—there were masters sending nine-year-old disciples to battlefields. Though they didn’t have to fight, sending a nine-year-old child near a battlefield was still terrifying.
Luo Jie seemed to sense his thoughts and said, “Don’t worry about safety. With Luo Zhan’s protection and the three other talisman warriors, I believe no one can threaten you.”
“You just need to go to Ye Guan City. There’s no need to enter the Wildman Pass. Stay within the vicinity of Ye Guan City and don’t go too far.” After thinking for a moment, he added, “It would be best to visit the Wildman Pass and observe from a safe distance. It will be very beneficial for you. Of course, if you really don’t want to go, the master won’t force you.”
Luo Jie gave a few more instructions before taking out two talisman storage bags. “Shier, you’ve always wanted a talisman storage bag. Here’s one for you, and the other for Xiao Baozi. These bags can hold only a limited amount of items—each bag can roughly store enough supplies for the five of you for three days.”
Guo Shier knew these were for emergency supplies; he still had to carry other provisions himself.
Unlike Guo Shier’s complaints, the other four children were overjoyed. They didn’t yet understand the brutality and pain of war and saw it as an excellent opportunity for an adventure.
After thinking about it, Guo Shier came to terms with it. In this strange world, fighting might just be the norm for its people.
Luo Jie said, “Make your own talisman belt. You should know how to do it by now. Take out the talismans you need—these are the requirements for making a talisman belt. I gave you the materials last time. Have you finished refining and purifying them?”

Guo Shier had already designed several plans for talisman belts, but wasn’t very satisfied with them, so things had been delayed until now. The materials were ready as well; all that was left was the final step of production. Once he came up with a design he was happy with, he could start making it immediately. This time, it seemed he had to proceed no matter what, as there was only a month left before leaving the Inner Gate.

A Talisman Warrior entered, carrying a stack of wooden boxes of varying lengths. After placing them on the table, he turned and left.

Luo Jie said, “Alright, it’s your turn, you four kids. Come here and pick a low-level talisman weapon… Think carefully before choosing. Pick one that suits your area of expertise. Hmm, Xiao Shitou can pick an additional defensive talisman weapon.”

Huo Bao was the leader among the four. He stepped forward and opened the wooden boxes. There were seven boxes in total: talisman spears, talisman knives, talisman axes, talisman hammers, talisman swords, talisman shields, and talisman bows.

Without hesitation, Huo Bao picked up a talisman knife—a forged steel blade engraved with countless talismans. Although such low-level talisman weapons had limited power and couldn’t compare to mid-to-high-level ones, they were still much stronger than ordinary swords and knives.

Chen Hong picked up a talisman sword, while Xiao Shitou took a talisman shield and a talisman axe.

Chen Bing frowned. He also wanted a talisman sword, but his cousin had taken it first, so he had no choice but to pick up a talisman spear. He was also interested in a talisman bow and glanced at Guo Shier, not daring to look at Luo Jie. Only after seeing Guo Shier nod did he pick up the talisman bow.

These talisman weapons were enough to double the strength of the four of them. Against unarmed Talisman Warriors, they could probably hold their own for about ten minutes. Generally speaking, as long as there was a talisman apprentice present, the four of them, combined with the apprentice’s attack talismans, could likely resolve the battle quickly—this was the power of the talisman profession.

From their choices of talisman weapons, it was clear that the four Talisman Warrior apprentices had different training paths. Huo Bao chose a talisman knife because he preferred offensive tactics. He had also considered a talisman axe, but his strength wasn’t as good as Xiao Shitou’s. When he was a hunter, he had used knives. He had originally wanted a talisman bow, but since there was only one set, and he was the one leading the charge, a talisman bow wouldn’t be very useful for him.

Chen Bing had originally wanted a talisman sword, but since his cousin had taken it, he had to choose a talisman spear and a talisman bow. He served as the scout in their five-person team.

Among the four Talisman Warrior apprentices, only Chen Hong’s role wasn’t clear yet. No one knew how to integrate her into the team.

Luo Jie said, “You need to get familiar with the talismans in your hands as soon as possible. Even if low-level talismans don’t activate their magical power, they still possess great lethality. You must strive to master them and unleash their full potential. In the wild or during combat, every bit of your strength is a guarantee for your survival.”

The teachings of the elders came from years of experience in deadly battles. Although Huo Bao and the others were young and naive, they knew they should follow such advice. As for Guo Shier, he already understood these principles. In his past life, he had served in the military and fought in many battles. His rank wasn’t very high, but he had broad experience and knew full well that what the old man said was wise advice.

Guo Shier asked, “Master, this is an obscure talisman I crafted. Do you think it can be used?”

Luo Jie took it and examined it carefully before saying, “Hmm, it’s decent. It can be used.”

Guo Shier felt relieved—as long as it worked. He urgently needed to use obscure talismans to strengthen his body, knowing that they could make him stronger, at least to the level of an adult in this world. Of course, it still couldn’t compare to those of a Talisman Warrior, who were practically human killing machines.

Luo Jie hesitated for a moment before taking out two talismans and saying, “These are two precious talismans, Shier. Don’t use them unless it’s a life-or-death situation. With your current strength, you can only control them once—that is, launch one attack—before your magical energy is nearly depleted. Precious talismans are commonly used by talisman masters, so… take them. Getting some experience with them early on is also useful.”

“One is the Ice Arrow, and the other is the Chaotic Fire Ball. They can be used for both single-target attacks and mass killings.”

After thanking him, Guo Shier accepted them. It was the first time he had touched precious talismans. With his reincarnated soul, he could sense their power and asked, “Master, how many uses do these talismans have?”

Luo Jie replied, “The Ice Arrow talisman has nine uses, while the Chaotic Fire Ball talisman has three. Don’t exceed their maximum usage limits. Make sure to repair them in time so you can use them repeatedly. Precious talismans are difficult to craft, so use them carefully and don’t waste them.”

Guo Shier thanked him happily—these talismans came at just the right time. Precious talismans were powerful weapons, and even talisman masters and spellcasters rarely managed to obtain good ones. If ordinary talismans were compared to shotguns, then precious talismans were like semi-automatic rifles—there was a huge difference in power.

After bidding farewell, Guo Shier was filled with thoughts. He wasn’t a child; he knew he needed to plan everything carefully—get ready to go to Ye Guan City, arrange for the necessities of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation for their small team, and most urgently, improve his own strength so he could at least stand a chance. He didn’t want to rely on others for his safety.

First, he needed to use dark talismans for physical training, then make talisman belts, and finally master two precious talismans. There was also an even more important task: to learn as much as possible about Ye Guan City and the Wildman Pass, including its terrain, geography, local customs, and the wildmen of the extreme north.

Dark talismans for physical training were completely different from ordinary talismans. Ordinary talismans were meant for talisman warriors and could easily cripple those who used them as spellcasters. They were harsh and could rapidly boost physical strength, while dark talismans were gentler and could slowly improve the physical condition of spellcasters and talisman warriors.

Using dark talismans for physical training was simple—just attach the talisman to the area you wanted to strengthen. For example, to boost arm strength, attach it to the arm. Guo Shier only had five dark talismans, so he had to decide where to focus first. His chest and back were essential areas to strengthen, using up two talismans. His abdomen was soft, vulnerable to attacks, and also needed strengthening, using up another talisman. The remaining two could be used to strengthen his arms or thighs.

After some thought, Guo Shier decided to use dark talismans to strengthen his legs. Once his thighs were stronger, he could at least run faster. He felt helpless—his master in this world had sent a nine-year-old child to observe battles. It was clear the people here were crazy.

All five dark talismans were used up in just one day. This was only the first step in physical training, and not even a complete one. A full first round of training would require at least eight talismans, as his hands and head hadn’t been trained yet. By the time he turned ten, he could use eight talismans for training again, with one more chance each year until he became a talisman warrior, at which point he could train once a year.

The task of purchasing supplies for living in the wild was assigned to Huo Bao, with the four of them going to handle it.

Amulet belts are professional equipment for spellcasters, talisman users, and incantation practitioners, and they are extremely important before one advances to master status. As the name suggests, an amulet belt is a belt used to hold amulets. Besides being worn around the waist, many people now also attach compact versions of these belts to their wrists or other parts of the body; they are still called amulet belts, though some refer to them as wrist amulets or arm amulets—these are all variations of amulet belts.
Guo Shier didn’t really care about the appearance of local amulet belts—they were just belts with designated spaces for holding amulets. Apart from differences in width, they were almost identical, with four to six compartments for amulets. To facilitate quick access to amulets, these compartments had to be located at the front, not at the back. The lower part of the belt was usually reserved for spare amulets, typically two, one on each side.