I drew a talisman to save the sun from its bleeding state.

Chapter 2 This talisman has powerful properties

Zhou Zheng bought eggs and went home. He ordered takeout, boiled the eggs, and the takeout arrived in less than fifteen minutes.

After showing off my takeout, I tidied up the table, opened the "Complete Collection of Talismans," propped my phone up next to me, and searched using keywords, managing to read it through, albeit haltingly.

After understanding the basics, Zhou Zheng planned to start practicing.

Since talismans can protect people's health, perhaps there are talismans that can slow down the sun's sudden demise. If this path doesn't work, we can consider other paths later. There must be a way to slow down the sun's sudden demise and prevent the extinction of human civilization.

Zhou Zheng took out his notebook and pen and began to draw a picture of a cat and a tiger, trying to follow the instructions.

A peace charm, a common type of small amulet, can be made in ten seconds when you're skilled, and a minute when you're slower. It's very suitable for beginners to use for introductory training.

Simply drawing a talisman is generally not very effective; it requires a complete process: preliminary preparation, spiritual purification, drawing the talisman, and sealing and stamping it. The whole process is quite complicated, but it can significantly enhance the effectiveness of the talisman.

Zhou Zheng didn't know if it would be effective, but he could try it out and see the results.

Soon, the amulet was drawn.

The notebook background has black lines. The image of the amulet is quite interesting; viewed directly, it looks like a large bell protecting a small figure inside.

【Peace Charm (Small Charm, Unranked): A small charm that slightly increases health and defense】

[Effect: Health +0.1, Defense +0.1]

[Introduction: This is the first peace talisman drawn by novice talisman master Zhou Zheng]

[Skill already learned: Drawing talismans]

[Character Drawing: Level 1]

[Introduction: This is a beginner level skill; one can draw some small talismans.]

Please select features.

[Unconventional: You can use any tools and medium to draw the talisman, but the specific effect depends on your skill.]

[Superior Grade Talisman: Those with stronger spiritual power can upgrade the talisman's grade by one level]

[Steady as a rock: Your talisman production is quite fast and consistent—but you still need to draw it carefully for it to be effective]

Zhou Zheng stared blankly at the message in front of him: "So my ability isn't just about seeing health bars. That's strange, why didn't it trigger in the past month?"

Zhou Zheng recalled his life over the past month: waking up, chatting with online friends, logging off, watching the sun, eating, and sleeping.

This cycle repeats itself, with each day consisting of nothing but arguing with people.

"It's normal that it didn't trigger."

These three characteristics each have their own merits, but for a poor layman like myself, blindly going all in on the first one is the right thing to do, mindlessly training anytime, anywhere.

Looking at the amulet in front of him, Zhou Zheng smiled slightly: "Since there is such supernatural power, perhaps there is a way to solve the problem of the sun losing 50,000 years of lifespan every month."

The goal is ambitious, but Zhou Zheng doesn't mind putting in a serious effort in order to die peacefully of old age.

Since I'm just idling around all day anyway, I might as well draw some talismans and see if I can save the world.

He spent a whole day drawing. By the time Zhou Zheng came to his senses, he was so hungry that his health bar was starting to drop. When he looked up, it was already dark outside.

With trembling hands, Zhou Zheng ordered takeout, picked up the water glass on the table, and took a big gulp to quench his hunger. Only then did the world around him begin to calm down a little.

"It feels so good when you get clear feedback about your progress."

Three notebooks were filled with drawings from my school days, and several ballpoint pens were used up. Scissors lay quietly beside my right hand. Some of the talisman paper had already been cut up, bound into booklets, and placed in a folder.

Zhou Zheng counted the talismans he had drawn that afternoon: "Peace Talisman, Imperial Edict Talisman, House Protection Talisman, Wealth Attraction Talisman, Evil Repelling Talisman, Healing Talisman, Medicine King Talisman, Five Thunder Talisman, Exorcism Talisman..."

Basically, I tried all the common talismans throughout the day.

There are many different types and five levels of difficulty: The first type is the daily small talisman, which takes only a few tens of seconds to make one. The difficulty of making the talisman is not high, as long as your hand doesn't shake.

The second type is the mortal talisman, which requires consecrated paper and brush, and the incantation must be recited in one go. Throughout the process, one must maintain steady breathing, concentrate one's mind, and not be distracted, talk, or make any mistakes, otherwise it will be ruined.

The third type is Taoist talismans, such as exorcism and suppression talismans, and Five Thunder talismans, which are of medium to high difficulty. The talismanic characters are numerous, requiring more than a single stroke, and also necessitating hand seals, incantations, and the application of vital energy. Strict requirements exist regarding the timing and the presence of righteous energy.

Zhou Zheng stopped at the third difficulty level. No matter how he tried to draw the fourth difficulty level, he couldn't. He checked the requirements and found that the difficulty was terrifyingly high. Without a master to guide him, most Taoists would have no chance of reaching the fourth difficulty level, let alone the fifth difficulty level.

Zhou Zheng only managed to complete the third difficulty level, the Five Thunder Talisman, by using a trick.

Connecting a hand-cranked generator to a pen refill and drawing on a notebook while generating electricity did slightly increase the success rate. However, because the runes drawn were too numerous and densely packed, a stable output was not yet possible.

[Character Drawing: Level 2]

【Characteristics: Unconventional】

[Introduction: Relying on your unique characteristics, comprehension, and righteous spirit, you can briefly ignore limitations and draw Five Thunder Talismans beyond difficulty. Ordinary people cannot possess a hand as stable as yours; this is a talent.]

My talisman drawing skill has been upgraded to level 2, and the introduction has become more detailed, moving beyond just beginner's guide. With my existing skills, I can now draw talismans of the third difficulty level.

"A talent that ordinary people can hardly utilize?"

Zhou Zheng didn't quite understand, or rather, he hadn't experienced the positive feedback from steady hands before, so he didn't care about it.

Zhou Zheng massaged his palms: "It seems I'll have to consult Xuan Yizi tomorrow. I need to mention things like imperial edicts, incantations, talismans, spiritual power, and cultivation techniques."

After a short while, I waited for the takeout to arrive, ate it, washed up, and went straight to bed.

Drawing talismans is quite mentally taxing, so I slept exceptionally well that night.

At the market, early in the morning, Xuan Yizi had just sat down when he saw Zhou Zheng walking over with a complete collection of talismans and a folder.

Xuan Yizi immediately stood up: "Fellow Daoist Zhou, what's the matter?"

Zhou Zheng spread out the drawn talisman paper directly: "I can draw a rankless one easily, and a first-rank one can be done carefully, but a second-rank one requires incantations, techniques, spiritual power, and materials. I lack all of these, so I came to ask you how I can obtain these things."

Unranked: A slightly useful talisman.

First Grade: Formal entry into the profession, starting to use useful talismans.

Grade 2: Talisman paper with slight spiritual power and relatively obvious effects.

The most numerous are those without rank, the most are those of rank one, and the fewest are those of rank two.

Zhou Zheng categorized the items and packed them into folders according to type and grade, then handed them over to Xuan Yizi for easy reference.

Xuan Yizi took the talisman with both hands and carefully examined it. He was stunned as he looked at it, not knowing whether Fellow Daoist Zhou was pretending to be young or just trying to amuse him. But looking at the talisman, he didn't think it was a joke.

Xuan Yizi raised his head, trying hard to keep a straight face: "You used a notebook and a black ballpoint pen to draw symbols? Not even a red ballpoint pen?"

The most difficult part of drawing talismans is not the drawing itself, but rather the mind, the energy, the command, and the taboos. Only a small part of the difficulty lies in the drawing itself.

Moreover, drawing talismans requires: talisman paper, cinnabar, a brush, and a seal.

If one has magical power, one can also use luck to strengthen the talisman.

And Zhou Daoyou didn't do any of these visible preparations.

However, once it was formed, it turned out to be an effective talisman.

Zhou Zhengqian glared: "If I'm so poor I'm starving, what am I supposed to use to draw if I don't use a notebook or a ballpoint pen? Will using a red ballpoint pen increase my success rate?"