"It's simply inconceivable! Master Zhang, would you be willing to send this disciple to my tutelage?!"

"It is unimaginable that this person has just learned Talismans; had I not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it."

"A genius! A once-in-a-millennium talent!"

"A future Rune Dao Grandmaster!"

The people from the Talisman Cultivators' Association spared no praise, incessantly commending him.

Those with discerning eyes could see Zhen Yi's extraordinary potential, and that given the chance, he was bound to soar to great heights.

Jia Ren didn't get lost in the words of praise; several covert glances made him feel like there was a thorn in his back.

Someone harbors ill will towards me!

Only mediocrity does not provoke envy; Zhen Yi's Talisman Crafting talent was indeed admirable.

Being a genius did not feel good. In the Cultivation World, deception is rife. One moment people are happily conversing with you, and the next, they are ready to stab you in the back.

If it were not for learning the Evil Warding Talisman, he would not have drawn so much attention to himself.

Learn the Evil Warding Charm Art tonight, change my disguise, and make a run for it.

The complexion of the Talisman Master surnamed Mo turned ashen. Not only had he failed to achieve the desired result, but he had also provoked a future Rune Dao Grandmaster. This was someone who could not be allowed to grow and flourish.

Meng Changlin's eyes shone as he stared at Jia Ren, as if he had discovered a rare gem. Unable to help himself, he clapped and laughed, "Who would have thought such a genius truly existed in this world!"

A flash of disappointment crossed his eyes; it was a pity this person was not of the Meng Family.

Then let him become a dog of the Meng Family.

"Would you be willing to join the Meng Family, with the daughters of Heaven's pride at your disposal to choose from?"

Being a little more talented than others makes one the target of jealousy.

When your talent is so high that it is unreachable, their thoughts turn to either recruiting you or... destroying you.

One cannot let a Path of Charms genius slip away. The best way to keep him is to bind him to the Meng Family, ensuring his talents and future descendants serve its interests.

In the future, it is highly likely that the Meng Family would produce descendants with top-notch Path of Charms talents.

The Chairman of the Talisman Cultivators' Association personally inviting him to join the family?

Families are much more insular than Sects, and female Cultivators are often seen as tools for continuing the bloodline.

Women within the clan would not marry Loose Cultivators but usually marry into families of the same stature, as a form of political marriage.

Meng Changlin wanted Jia Ren to join the family and bestow a clan woman upon him. This showed how much he valued Jia Ren, intending to firmly tie him to the Meng Family.

"I will give this matter careful consideration. Please give me a few days," Jia Ren replied.

Join the family? And have beautiful women at my disposal?

Become an in-law to the Meng Family?

Sorry, but Jia Ren has no interest whatsoever.

He did not wish to step into a den of wolves that devoured people without spitting out their bones.

It is much freer to be a Loose Cultivator; there are no secrets to worry about being exposed.

"Do not miss this opportunity!"

"Elder Mo, one should not be short-sighted. I hope you do not commit any foolish and unwise acts."

Meng Changlin proved his concern for Zhen Yi with his actions, hoping nothing would happen to him.

With the Chairman's admonition, the Talisman Makers with ulterior motives did not dare to cause trouble.

"We won't stay any longer; we're leaving now," Talisman Master Zhang said, without the excitement of when they first arrived, feeling as though his own treasure was being taken away from him.

However, he knew that he could not teach for much longer.

Zhen Yi's future was promising. He was a dragon about to soar, not meant to be confined in the quagmire of Loose Cultivators.

The two men left in a hurry, returning to the large courtyard and activating the Formation.

"Joining the Meng Family is a decent choice, but even better would be the Five Elements Sect!"

"With your Path of Charms talent, joining the Five Elements Sect is not difficult, and in the future, you might even qualify to contest for the position of Elder of the Talisman Hall."

The Talisman Cultivators' Association is backed by the Elder of the Five Elements Sect's Talisman Hall. The future of the Five Elements Sect is much broader than that of the Meng Family.

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for your guidance. I will consider my path carefully for the future," Jia Ren gratefully responded.

"May I ask if you could still teach me the Evil Warding Talisman tonight?"

Jia Ren had not forgotten his original intention; before leaving, he must learn the Evil Warding Charm Art.

"You're still in the mood to learn the Evil Warding Talisman?"

"With a pure intention and focus on the Path of Charms, your future achievements will be limitless."

Zhen Yi's attitude greatly comforted Talisman Master Zhang, who did not hesitate to guide him and began to teach the Evil Warding Talisman one-on-one.

The Evil Warding Talisman is a First-Order Mid-Grade Talisman. Its complexity far surpasses that of the Heart-Questioning Charm, having as many as seventy-two Spiritual Power nodes. Drawing all seventy-two nodes in one breath and ensuring the Spiritual Power flowed unobstructed was more than twice as difficult.

Jia Ren strove to remember every detail. After today, there would be no one to guide him so attentively; he did not want to waste this hard-earned opportunity.

His initial attempt at crafting an Evil Warding Talisman failed.

His second attempt also failed.

Jia Ren kept summarizing his experiences and grasping the essence until, after failing five times, he successfully crafted his first Evil Warding Talisman.

"What follows is the process of becoming proficient. With your talent, it won't take long for you to be comparable to veteran Talisman Makers."

"Thank you, Master Zhang, for your teaching. I will forever remember this kindness in my heart!" Jia Ren expressed, bowing in the traditional disciple's salute to Talisman Master Zhang. Although he knew Talisman Master Zhang had his own motives for taking him as a disciple, the earnest teaching and kindness would never be forgotten.

Without this man, who knows how long it would have taken to learn the Evil Warding Charm Art.

"This is a duty I ought to fulfill. Think over my words when you go back; the Meng Family is not a place of good. The Five Elements Sect is more suitable for you."

Forget about the Five Elements Sect...

Jia Ren had no desire to enter a tiger's den, let alone a wolf's lair.

"Little brother, when you rise to great heights in the future, do not forget about your senior sister!"

Zhang Peng Peng waved at Jia Ren, seemingly hearing her father's words about wanting her junior brother to go to the Five Elements Sect.

"I will not forget about senior sister!" Jia Ren assured.

The pretty green silhouette stood inside the house, staring as Jia Ren blended into the hazy night.

It's time to leave!

Zhen Yi's alter ego can be discarded, time for a new identity!

While the reputation of a Path of Charms prodigy is good and brings many benefits, it also entails greater danger.

A wise man does not stand under a collapsing wall; it's supreme to take the benefits and run.

Jia Ren returned to his residence on Heavenly Arts Lane and first checked that the prepared contingencies had not been disrupted. The Solid as Golden Soup Formation was still active, and there were no signs of intrusion by enemies.

The Spirit Insects were put into the Spirit Beast Bag, and the Array Plate of the Solid as Golden Soup Formation was stored in the Storage Bag, leaving only worthless items behind.

After altering his aura with the Thousand Fantasies Face, he used Magic Artifacts to create signs of a battle throughout the area, crafting the illusion of a struggle.

Activating his Mixed Primordial Vajra Body, the Inner City Token bearing Zhen Yi's aura cracked and scattered into pieces on the ground.

Leaving directly would lead to complications.

The Talisman Cultivators' Association is not to be underestimated, and Jia Ren had no desire for people to be searching for him at all times.

The most logical approach was to appear as if he'd been 'kidnapped'.

Who did it? You guess.

Invisible assumptions are the most lethal.

After finishing everything, Jia Ren left his residence through the stone tunnel beneath the house.

Restore the tunnel within a hundred zhang to its normal state, erasing all traces.

Over thirty basketball-sized black Spirit Insects moved rapidly. They ingested and expelled soil, continuously repairing the underground passage and concealing any evidence of their presence.

They were Earth Corner Worm Kings, the result of Jia Ren using the Insect King Refining Technique to combine over a thousand Corner Worms.

He had a total of thirty-two Earth Corner Worm Kings, each an official-grade Spirit Insect with considerable combat power. Together, they could pose a threat to a mid-stage Qi Refinement Cultivator.

The Earth Corner Worm Kings were ideal for forming Spirit Insect Armor. The Insect Armor Technique, when used with them, offered defensive capabilities surpassing a Middle-Grade Defense Artifact.

He continued along the tunnel towards the West District.

Half a teacup later, Jia Ren stopped at a tunnel entrance. Climbing the arranged stone steps, he emerged into a dusty stone house.

This was an escape route prepared three months earlier, with permanent residence information also set up in the Inner City.

Loose Cultivator Xu Sheng, residing in Smoky Willow Lane.

He settled his aura. The Spiritual Power Fluctuation of his Eighth Layer of Qi Refining fell back to the Qi Refinement Seventh Level. He then stored all Taoist Robes and Magic Artifacts associated with Zhen Yi in their respective Storage Bags.

He carefully confirmed there were no hidden dangers before finally setting up the Solid as Golden Soup Formation.

From now on, I am Xu Sheng.

Jia Ren reinforced his memory to avoid mixing up his new identity with the previous one and causing any slips.

Once everything was in place, he took out the ancestral stone table that had accompanied him from the Outer City to the Inner City through many relocations. He spread Blank Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink on it and skillfully began to draw Evil Warding Talismans.

Improving the Evil Warding Talisman to the Extraordinary Saint Level was his current goal, and he could not afford to relax.

Crafting it was very difficult. The amount of Essence, Energy, and Spirit consumed in Talisman Crafting far exceeded that of other Talismans. Both the number he could create and the success rate were affected, leading to slow progress.

Only through relentless practice could he rapidly improve his Proficiency Level.

Before he knew it, the night had passed.

Jia Ren comfortably cooked rice, simmered meat, and surrounded a basin-sized bowl as he ate venison and Spirit Rice, living contentedly.

Zhou Qian received an order from Chairman Meng, inviting Zhen Yi to visit the Talisman Cultivators' Association again.

But... the person was gone.

In the stone house, battle marks were everywhere, and the Path of Charms prodigy Zhen Yi had vanished without a trace.

Was this death?

Or had he been kidnapped?

The genius whom the Chairman of the Talisman Cultivators' Association had his eyes on must not encounter any trouble!

He hurriedly sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to notify the Talisman Cultivators' Association, hoping no mistake had occurred.

Meng Changlin had given Zhen Yi time to consider, but he still felt uneasy.

He was afraid that a Path of Charms genius would slip through the Meng Family's fingers or, worse, join the Five Elements Sect.

The Talisman Cultivators' Association might be backed by the Elder of the Five Elements Sect's Talisman Hall. However, the scenario where Zhen Yi joined the Five Elements Sect versus the Meng Family was completely different.

In the former case, Meng Changlin could not dominate or control Zhen Yi. The Five Elements Sect was not the Meng Family. If Zhen Yi soared to great heights there, the Meng Family would hardly benefit.

Should Zhen Yi become an Elder in the Talisman Hall, he might even take a slice of Meng Changlin's pie.

If he brought Zhen Yi to the Meng Family, the situation would be different.

Zhen Yi would be exclusive to the Meng Family, utilizing his formidable talent in the Path of Charms to bring endless wealth to both the family and himself.

One must not be forceful with a Path of Charms genius. If they lack a sense of belonging and initiative, they will underperform.

Meng Changlin displayed the attitude of respectfully deferring to the wise, intending to use sincerity to persuade.

He hadn't neglected to prepare an alternative. He used his connections to make arrangements at the Inner City entrances, cutting off Zhen Yi's chances of leaving.

If Zhen Yi was obedient and joined the Meng Family, everyone could negotiate amicably.

If Zhen Yi dares to leave the Inner City, then don't blame me for forcibly taking him.

Meng Changlin pondered how to persuade Zhen Yi. He planned to promise a bright future and even invite the Meng Family's most beautiful women to entice him.

The bad news that reached him drastically changed his expression.

Who dares to snatch the Meng Family's genius?! I want him dead!

Talisman Master Mo pulled his hand back from the soft neckline of the Maid, letting her massage the aged skin of his palm.

The hands of a Talisman Maker were exceedingly precious and required meticulous maintenance.

That bastard Zhen Yi, I curse him to a terrible death!

Talisman Master Mo observed the Talisman Paper scattered on the ground, remnants of his fury from the previous night.

Thinking of Zhen Yi becoming a great figure above him filled his heart with a nameless rage.

"Elder Mo, please come with us." Seven or eight Cultivators emitting powerful Spiritual Power Fluctuations brashly invaded the courtyard. They forcibly took the baffled Talisman Master Mo away.

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