Chapter 304: Heavenly Book Talisman Brush Set

At the start of the new semester, Chen Mobai, having some matters to attend to, made a point of showing up at the Talisman Department. When he arrived at the classroom, he heard some good news: Zhuang Jialan had successfully established her Foundation.

Without Chen Mobai, she and Si Guanyu would have been the undisputed leaders of the Talisman Department. Nevertheless, they still demonstrated their talent. Si Guanyu had actually also comprehended the Critical Method, but his luck was a bit worse. He failed at the critical moment when his spiritual consciousness was emerging. If he hadn't used the Critical Method to pull back just in time, he would likely have suffered severe mental turmoil and a great loss of vital energy. Even so, it would still delay him by half a year before he could establish his Foundation.

After the first class of the new semester, Chen Mobai was sitting in the center of the first row when Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan walked over to greet him, the Daoist Academy's chief disciple.

“Congratulations, Committee Member Zhuang,” Chen Mobai said. “And Class Monitor Si, don't be disheartened. With your talent, you will definitely succeed in establishing your Foundation within the year.”

“I hope so,” Si Guanyu said with a wry smile. “Zhuang and I originally planned to restore a Grade 3 ancient talisman this semester, which now has to be postponed.”

He and Zhuang Jialan had already passed the Immortal Sect's Grade 2 Talisman Master assessment back in their fourth year, so their next goal was naturally the Grade 3 certification. Restoring ancient talismans was one way for them to learn and improve. The Talisman Department preserved many high-grade ancient talismans that were old, damaged, and unable to be activated. These items contained simple yet profound talisman-making knowledge. Each restored ancient talisman represented an enhancement and refinement of their knowledge base. This was because during the restoration process, they needed to use various modern talisman-making knowledge to fill in the missing Daoist patterns and spiritual traces in the incomplete ancient talismans. Through this method, Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan greatly improved their talisman-making skills and also developed the ability to think independently and solve problems.

This was also something Xu Xiu, a teacher in the Talisman Department, had mentioned in class, but only a handful of students in the entire class actually did it, and among those who achieved results, these two were prominent. Chen Mobai was singularly focused on improving his realm and cultivation. Although Xu Xiu had suggested several times that he team up with Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan to restore ancient talismans, Chen Mobai readily agreed, but he never actually participated in this ancient talisman restoration group.

“Well, Class Monitor Si, Committee Member Zhuang,” Chen Mobai began, “I also applied for the Grade 2 Talisman Master assessment this year. Since you two have experience, I came today to ask for your guidance.”

In response, Si Guanyu and Zhuang Jialan exchanged glances, after which Zhuang Jialan nodded and spoke.

“Class Monitor Si will be focusing on Foundation Establishment this year, so he probably won't have much time,” Zhuang Jialan said. “President, if you have any questions about talisman making, you can come directly to me.”

“Would that be too much trouble for you?” Chen Mobai asked politely.

Zhuang Jialan shook her head, explaining that it would be difficult for her to restore the Grade 3 ancient talisman alone. With Si Guanyu focusing on his Foundation Establishment, she didn't have much else to do. She felt honored as a member of the Wuqi Daoist Academy to be able to help Chen Mobai, the academy's chief disciple, improve.

“Thank you,” Chen Mobai said. “By the way, Committee Member Zhuang, after establishing your Foundation, you must have received an artifact shard, right? Is there any particular type of magic tool you're looking for? As the Student Council President, I can't help you with much else, but I happen to be quite skilled in appraising treasure spheres.”

Chen Mobai had originally intended to give her some Grade 2 talisman paper and ink, but he felt it was a bit tacky. Thinking that Zhuang Jialan had just established her Foundation and surely hadn't opened a treasure sphere yet, he offered to help her find a suitable magic tool in the Ten Thousand Treasures Cave.

“That would be wonderful!” Zhuang Jialan exclaimed. “I've heard about your reputation as the Daoist Academy's top spiritual eye from the senior students who have established their Foundation.”

“Just an empty reputation,” Chen Mobai said modestly. He then invited Zhuang Jialan and Si Guanyu to have a meal at the cafeteria.

It must be said, those who specialized in studying talismans were indeed superior in professional knowledge compared to Chen Mobai, who was less focused. Zhuang Jialan guided Chen Mobai for seven days, and he finally mastered the Water Mirror Talisman, which he had struggled to draw.

“Your two talisman brushes,” Zhuang Jialan explained, “the rabbit hair one is softer and absorbs a lot of ink, suitable for round, thick strokes; the wolf hair one is harder and more forceful, suitable for lines. For drawing the outer outline of the Water Mirror Talisman, you can use the wolf hair brush. The mirror surface is best rendered with a rabbit hair brush, using the stiff, direct lines of the wolf hair brush to encompass the mirror's shadows and highlights. This golden paper is excellent and particularly suitable for this Water Mirror Talisman. The talisman ink is also good. While it's not the most ideal water-patterned ink, it's still the best-selling standard Grade 2 talisman ink sold by the Immortal Sect.”

Generally speaking, although there are many types of talisman paper, only a few are suitable for the five elemental attributes, so Chen Mobai's Flying Talisman Factory can essentially produce all of them. However, talisman inks are different; their varieties are countless and strange. Chen Mobai wasn't a meticulous person, so he simply took some of the highest quality and most versatile Grade 2 talisman inks directly from the factory.

“However, you have too few talisman brushes,” Zhuang Jialan advised as her final point. “Besides your two main brushes, it would be best to acquire a set of decent auxiliary brushes; Grade 1 would suffice. This would greatly help with the examination.”

“I've used these two talisman brushes for several years,” Chen Mobai said, looking at the rabbit hair and wolf hair Grade 2 brushes by his hand. “They feel pretty good, and I haven't had any problems drawing any talisman lines with them.” After establishing his Foundation, he had used only these two brushes for drawing all types of talismans, spiritual patterns, and even for coloring, always achieving a high success rate. When Tianhe occasionally taught Zhuo Ming how to make talismans, he also let her use these two brushes. After each use, Zhuo Ming would meticulously clean the brushes with mountain spring water, cherishing them immensely.

“You can't become an excellent talisman master without wearing out hundreds of brush tips,” Zhuang Jialan stated. She quoted a famous saying by the Immortal Sect's most renowned talisman master: “There are no shortcuts to success; it is simply continuous diligent study and hard practice.”

Since Chen Mobai began learning talisman making, he had only worn out one brush, which was far from enough.

“You've taught me a valuable lesson, Committee Member Zhuang,” Chen Mobai said. “What kind of talisman brushes do you think I should buy?”

Zhuang Jialan opened the brush bag hanging from her slender waist and took out her most frequently used talisman brushes, one by one. There were needle-tip pens for fine lines, graphite pencils for sketching, colored pencils for simple coloring, and colored brushes filled with seven different inks. Of course, there were also small wolf-hair, goat-hair, rabbit-hair, purple-hair, and rat-whisker brushes, among others. Chen Mobai's eyes widened as he watched Zhuang Jialan pull out eighteen talisman brushes for different purposes from her palm-sized brush bag. He deeply felt that his attitude towards talisman making was flawed.

“In my dorm,” Zhuang Jialan explained, “I have another fifty or sixty brushes of different thicknesses and colors. The ones I have here are just the commonly used ones.”

After Zhuang Jialan finished introducing her talisman brush tools one by one, Chen Mobai took note and then asked where he could buy such a complete set of tools.

“The best ones are naturally from the Heavenly Scroll Academy in Weiyu Cave Heaven,” Zhuang Jialan said. “However, their items are too expensive. A complete set of seventy-two Grade 1 talisman brushes, covering all line types and colors, costs 1.08 million merit points. I only bought the seven most commonly used ones.” As Zhuang Jialan spoke, she pointed to the seven colored brushes. Due to her limited merit points, apart from these, most of her other auxiliary brushes were only cheap low-grade Grade 1 talisman brushes, or unbranded but reputable mid-to-high grade Grade 1 ones.

“I understand. I'll place an order right away,” Chen Mobai said, nodding with a serious expression. He finally understood why his progress in talisman making had been so slow; the inadequate tools were the key.

“Mom, does the company account still have over a million merit points in profit?” Chen Mobai immediately called Tang Pancui after seeing Zhuang Jialan off. Currently, the finances of Flying Talisman Factory were managed by her, the boss's wife.

“Yes, why do you ask?” Tang Pancui replied.

“Please buy me a set of auxiliary talisman brushes from the Heavenly Scroll Academy in the company's name,” Chen Mobai explained. “I consulted an expert today and realized that the tools I'm using are too rudimentary, which is affecting my efficiency in learning talisman making.”

“No problem,” Tang Pancui responded. “This money should have been spent on you anyway. Buying it in the company's name is fine; you're using it regardless. This way, you won't have to pay tax, and we can also use the invoice for tax deductions.”

If it were anyone else asking to spend even a small amount of merit points from the Flying Talisman Factory's account, Tang Pancui wouldn't have been so quick to agree. Only for Chen Mobai, who was studying for the Grade 2 Talisman Master assessment and would use up a year's worth of the factory's profits, Tang Pancui was not only not stingy but also asked if it was enough. Even after purchasing a set of auxiliary brushes from the Heavenly Scroll Academy, there were still over 500,000 merit points in the company account, and she asked if he wanted to buy any other tools.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mobai asked Zhuang Jialan again if there were any other shortcomings in his tools. Zhuang Jialan replied that other aspects could be compensated for with skill and hard practice, but when it came to talisman brushes, one couldn't economize. The more brushes one wore out, the higher their skill would become.

“If you're short on merit points,” she advised, “just like me, buy the seven essential colors first. That should be enough for basic talisman drawing.”

“Mm-hmm, I understand. Thank you, Committee Member Zhuang,” Chen Mobai replied.

After Chen Mobai received the confirmation, he immediately instructed the company's finance department to place the order and process the payment. Under Tang Pancui's personal supervision, the order was successfully placed at the Heavenly Scroll Academy's flagship store that very day. Since the transfer of a million merit points required a bank transaction, she personally took the finance staff to complete the transfer before closing hours.

Three days later, when Zhuang Jialan came to the student council office again to tutor Chen Mobai, she saw a brand-new, complete "Heavenly Scroll Talisman Brush Set" laid out on the table. Her rosy lips parted wide in shock, and her face was filled with astonishment.

“This… this… this…” she stammered. With an excited expression, she reached out and touched each brush one by one. After confirming they were genuine, her fair cheeks flushed crimson, and she was speechless.

“Committee Member Zhuang,” Chen Mobai asked, “I'm not very familiar with using these auxiliary talisman brushes. Could you teach me?”

“Of course,” Zhuang Jialan replied, her emotions gradually calming. “However, I've only seen them online. To truly become proficient, I'd need to use them myself before I can teach you.” She caressed, with evident fondness, the two brushes from the Heavenly Scroll Talisman Brush Set that she had planned to save money for. Her sharp eyes, behind elegant glasses, looked at Chen Mobai, who was sitting in the office chair, with a strange gaze. Was he so rich even after establishing his Foundation, or was it because he was the Student Council President?

She asked as soon as the thought occurred to her. Zhuang Jialan and Chen Mobai had been classmates for seven years, and she knew his character very well; he was a classmate with excellent conduct and character.

“Committee Member Zhuang, you've misunderstood,” Chen Mobai began. “Last year, I gained some renown in Little Chitian, didn't I? A talisman factory in my hometown then invited me to be their spokesperson, and with local policy support…” Chen Mobai recounted, in full detail, how his household registration was moved back and how he came to own the Flying Talisman Factory. After listening, Zhuang Jialan's face was filled with envy. She didn't have Chen Mobai's level of fame. Even if her household registration were moved back, she estimated she would at most receive a plot of land and related policy support. Obtaining an entire talisman factory was something she couldn't even dream of.

“What's the name of your factory's online store?” Zhuang Jialan asked. “Will it be cheaper if I order from there?”

“Absolutely,” Chen Mobai replied, patting his chest. “Just tell customer service my name, and I'll make sure to put in a good word for you.” He then promised that he would cover all her talisman paper and ink for life.

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jialan's fair cheeks flushed crimson again. She reached up and adjusted her round-framed glasses. Her slender, arched eyebrows and narrow eyes glanced at him, paired with shallow dimples from a faint smile, creating a captivating charm Chen Mobai had never encountered before.

“I'll pass,” she said. “I'm just simply teaching you talisman making. It doesn't warrant such a valuable reward.”

At this point, Chen Mobai suddenly remembered that he was looking for a new student council secretary after Hua Zijing's graduation. Would this person in front of him be suitable? “Committee Member Zhuang, are you interested in joining the student council?” Chen Mobai asked, not wanting to immediately suggest she manage his trivial matters.

“Are there any benefits?” she asked, indicating her interest.

Chen Mobai immediately repeated the persuasive pitch that Zuoqiu Shi had given him earlier. Zhuang Jialan listened attentively, and her eyes lit up slightly when she heard about free access to the Myriad Treasures Map.

“If you join the student council, you'll be one of my trusted aides,” Chen Mobai explained. “You'll be guaranteed a minimum of 5 academic credits per year. After half of the academic credits obtained from the Myriad Treasures Map are submitted to the academy, the remaining half will be equally divided among all student council members. Last year, everyone received 2 credits. I can't guarantee anything else, but as long as I'm the President, you're guaranteed an additional 7 academic credits every year.”

Chen Mobai's words somewhat swayed Zhuang Jialan, as she was very well aware of the benefits of academic credits. While 7 academic credits were trivial for Chen Mobai, for her, it was almost equivalent to half a year's worth of diligent study. Her success in Foundation Establishment and her current achievements in talisman making were precisely because she had used academic credits to exchange for many resources at the academy.

“It shouldn't be too busy, right?” Zhuang Jialan asked. “My main goal is still to improve in talisman making.”

“Don't worry,” Chen Mobai assured her. “I'm personally recruiting you, so you'll be my trusted aide. Who below would dare assign you tasks? You just need to symbolically come and help me with some simple paperwork.” Chen Mobai wasn't entirely sure if Zhuang Jialan could handle Hua Zijing's workload, so he didn't elaborate. His thought was to assign her some simple tasks first after she joined the student council. If she could handle them well, he would continue to train her. If her abilities were average, it would be considered payment for her tutoring, and he would let her remain a low-profile member of the student council.

“Let's continue drawing talismans for now,” Zhuang Jialan said. “And I'll think carefully about joining the student council when I get back.” Although Zhuang Jialan was tempted, she didn't lose her head.

Chen Mobai nodded, and humbly took out a failed Void Talisman he had drawn last night to ask for guidance.