I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

In the dilapidated, low-ceilinged hut, the oil lamp shone dimly. Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on the cold ground, with two things laid out in front of him: a stack of neatly cut bark talismans peeled from the bark tree and simply crumpled, and a small bottle of thick, crimson rooster blood.

He didn't act immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and repeatedly visualized the rune trajectory of the "Exorcising Talisman" from the "Detailed Explanation of Basic Exorcism Talismans." Every stroke, every transition, every flow of spiritual energy was practiced, deconstructed, and reassembled in his mind. His powerful divine attribute (2.8 points) granted him a memory and mental focus far exceeding that of ordinary people, allowing him to accurately capture the subtle "Daoist rhythm" contained within the runes—not a textual description, but a spiritual rhythm that imitated the fluctuations of the laws of heaven and earth.

He must integrate this feeling into his mental state in order to "write" the runes with his thoughts as a guide and his mental energy as ink, so that they possess spirituality rather than being rigid patterns.

"Calm your mind, concentrate..." Lu Zhao silently recited the key points from the beginning of the booklet and began to circulate the [Refining Spirit Technique]. In his sea of ​​consciousness, his spiritual power flowed slowly like clear spring water, cleansing away distracting thoughts. He felt himself entering a state of clarity and focus, his perception of the surrounding environment becoming exceptionally acute. He could even "hear" the flickering of lights and "see" the movement of dust particles in the air.

"Hoo..." Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and calm. He picked up a simple talisman brush made from a finely shaved sage root and dipped it in rooster blood. The blood ink gathered at the tip of the brush without dripping, faintly carrying a warm aura.

The tip of the pen landed in the center of the bark talisman paper.

"Buzz—"

An indescribable sense of stagnation instantly surged from the tip of the brush. It was as if the brushstrokes weren't depicting rough tree bark, but rather a viscous swamp or heavy rocks. This was the first hurdle in drawing talismans—the repulsion between the spiritual ink and its substrate. The lower the quality of the talisman paper, the greater the repulsion, and the higher the demands on the artist's mental control.

Lu Zhao's wrist was steady, and he did not rush to exert force. He held his breath and carefully poured a wisp of pure spiritual energy into the tip of the talisman brush, mixing it with the rooster blood, trying to harmonize the "yang" energy within and slowly blend it with the "wood" attribute of the tree bark itself.

His spiritual energy extended little by little, like tentacles probing the path, traversing the runes. Sweat quickly soaked his back, but he seemed oblivious, his entire mind immersed in that single point of crimson. The tip of the brush moved slowly but firmly, outlining the first stroke, the second stroke... His spiritual energy flowed accordingly, constructing profound energy circuits within the runes.

"laugh--"

On the fifth stroke, the spiritual energy injected became slightly unstable, causing an extremely minor deviation in its fusion with the spiritual ink. The rune's trajectory instantly became disordered, the yang energy contained within the spiritual ink went out of control, and the entire talisman suddenly burst into flames, turning into a wisp of green smoke.

[Failed to create the "Exorcising Talisman," materials destroyed.]

[Mental control has slightly improved, and understanding of runes has deepened.]

Lu Zhao remained unfazed, clearing away the ashes, replacing the paper with a new piece of bark talisman paper, and began to write again. Failure was entirely within his expectations. True talisman drawing was more than ten times more difficult than simply sketching on bark with ordinary beast blood and charcoal powder! But he was not discouraged in the slightest. Each failure, with the experience points provided by the panel, deepened his understanding of the "pulse" of the runes and gave him a clearer grasp of the subtle control over his mental power.

Time slipped away silently in his focused concentration. The lamplight flickered on the wall, casting Lu Zhao's shadow, long and short, in his intense concentration. One bark talisman after another turned to ash in the wisps of smoke from the failed attempts, filling the air with a faint smell of burning and the sweet, metallic scent of rooster blood. His mental energy was rapidly depleting, only to be replenished again and again by his use of the [Refining Spirit Technique]. In this extreme cycle of consumption and recovery, his proficiency in the [Refining Spirit Technique] was slowly but steadily increasing.

Finally, on the thirteenth attempt, when his mental energy was about to run out again, Lu Zhao finished the last stroke of the rune.

The moment the final stroke was made, the crimson line at the tip of the brush seemed to come alive, perfectly merging with the spiritual energy flowing within the rune. A faint yet stable, warm and gentle light suddenly emanated from the rune, then subsided like a breath, imprinting itself onto the bark talisman paper. The entire talisman seemed to be imbued with life, lying there quietly, radiating a faint, reassuring warmth.

[Successfully created an exorcising talisman!]

[Spell Drawing (Basic) Lv1 (15/100) upgraded to Lv1 (35/100)]

[Obtained: Exorcism Talisman (Common) x1]

[Effect: One-time consumable. Activated by injecting a small amount of spiritual energy, it unleashes a power to ward off evil, damaging spirits, zombies, and low-level evil spirits.]

It's done! And it's "normal" quality, not the previous "inferior" product!

A surge of immense joy welled up within him, but it was quickly followed by extreme mental exhaustion, as if he had been fighting continuously for a day and a night. Lu Zhao didn't rest immediately; instead, he suppressed his dizziness, carefully picked up the successful talisman, and placed it aside. Then, without hesitation, he picked up his talisman brush and began drawing the next one.

He wanted to seize the moment while the feeling was still there and press on with it!

Failure, success, more failure, and then success again...

When the rooster's blood was exhausted and the last bit of bark talisman was used up, it was already late at night. The oil lamp had long been extinguished, and only the faint moonlight shining through the window illuminated Lu Zhao's pale face and his bloodshot yet unusually bright eyes.

On the muddy ground in front of him, three talismans with restrained spiritual light were neatly arranged—two "evil-dispelling talismans" and one "calming talisman," another basic talisman he had attempted to draw.

[Tranquility Charm (Normal) x1: Can slightly soothe the mind, dispel minor illusions, and aid in entering a meditative state.]

This was a practice piece he made during a break from drawing "exorcising talismans" to restore his mental energy and calm his mind, and it was successful. Although the effect was not strong, it might be useful in a critical moment.

【Spell Drawing (Basic) Lv1 (35/100) → Lv1 (62/100)】

A night of arduous work, exhausting his mind and spirit, yielded only three talismans. Yet, Lu Zhao felt a profound sense of satisfaction. These were not merely three talismans; they were proof of his mastery of power, one of the guarantees for his survival in this bizarre world.

He carefully put the three talismans close to his body before letting exhaustion wash over him, and he fell into a deep sleep against the corner of the wall. He didn't use the [Turtle Breathing Technique], but instead allowed his mind and body to relax completely.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Zhao woke up on time. A deep sleep overnight, combined with the passive recovery effect of the [Turtle Breathing Technique], had restored most of his mental and physical strength. He quickly ate a few bites of dry rations, checked the three talismans, the damaged [Soul Bone Shield] (which might be able to block some physical attacks), as well as his wood-chopping knife, water pouch, some dried meat, firewood, and other items, then put them into his pocket. Then, he found the taciturn old spy named "Old He" sent by Master Zhao and Li Gang.

"Master, Uncle He, I will set off for Li Family Village today," Lu Zhao said calmly.

Master Zhao's lips moved, but in the end he only patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Be careful in everything, and don't be reckless. We'll be here waiting for your return."

Old He handed over a small package: "Brother Lu, there's some dry food inside, and a small packet of realgar powder. There are a lot of snakes and insects in the mountains; you might need it. I've been to Li Family Village a few times; I know the way. But that cemetery behind the mountain... it's really eerie, you..."

"Thank you, Uncle He. I know what I'm doing." Lu Zhao took the package and tied it around his waist.

Old He said no more, just nodded and turned to lead the way.

The two left Qingmu Town and headed south. Old He was fast and familiar with the route, avoiding several ravines where wild beasts might roam. Lu Zhao silently followed behind, his [Refining Spirit Technique] operating at low energy consumption, his senses like an invisible radar, scanning the surrounding environment.

The mountain path was rugged, and the forest grew deeper. The closer they got to Lijia Village, the cooler the air seemed to become. Two hours later, after crossing a mountain ridge, a lifeless village nestled in a mountain valley appeared on the horizon.

Looking into the distance, sparse smoke rose from chimneys, and few people were to be seen; a depressing atmosphere enveloped the entire village. Not far behind the village, a sparsely wooded, overgrown hillside lay, with a few crooked tombstones and graves faintly visible.

That place is the cemetery behind Lijia Village, the place Old He mentioned where there was green fire and strange noises.

We've arrived at our destination.