Chapter 9: Small Success in the Way of Talismans
After the Qingjiao ritual was over, everyone went back home. The servants and maids that the mother and daughter brought with them went to the north building. Li Daoxuan put the ritual implements in the storeroom and then went to the Taoist's residence.

The old Taoist took off his robes and saw Li Daoxuan coming in, so he asked him to sit down for a while.

"Master." Li Daoxuan bowed respectfully.

"Please sit down. I have something to say to you." The old Taoist said with a smile.

Li Daoxuan followed the old Taoist's words and sat on the couch, somewhat curious about what the old Taoist would say to him. After all, he didn't seem to have done anything excessive these days, and he didn't doze off during the morning class.

While reflecting on whether he had caused any trouble, the old Taoist's words also reached his ears.

"After April next year, you will be twelve years old. Although you are still a child, I know your abilities. Even your senior brothers who have practiced for more than ten years are not as good as you in the way of talismans or the way of alchemy. Even looking at the thirty-six small caves and seventy-two blessed places of Xuanmen, I have never seen a disciple like you." The old Taoist was deeply moved and loved and worried about Li Daoxuan.

I am happy about this disciple's intelligence and talent, as he was able to open the Niwan Palace at such a young age. I am worried that his wisdom may damage his roots, and that he may be too evil and be hated by others.

After all, people's hearts are unpredictable, and there are many Taoist sects. Among them, there are many people who want to take the position of leader of the Taoist sect and the position of Heavenly Master. After all, everyone wants to pass on the tradition and do not want their own Taoist tradition to be destroyed in their own hands.

If a person is too talented, he may easily become the target of public criticism.

Moreover, Li Daoxuan is only twelve years old now, but he has surpassed many of his senior brothers in the art of talismans and alchemy. As long as he does not die in the wilderness in the future, he will be able to reach the level of Heavenly Master sooner or later. At that time, it will be a great blessing for Xuanmen, as there will be a real Heavenly Master since the Song Dynasty.

But the old Taoist was worried that Li Daoxuan was still young and might easily become arrogant because of his talent. If his heart was unstable and he was led astray by evil people, it would not only be a loss for the Xuanmen, but also a disaster for the world.

After thinking it over, the old Taoist had no other choice but to take it one step at a time. He only hoped that this kid could stay down to earth and walk the right path. If he really went astray, he, as his master, would do his utmost to eliminate the harm for the people.

Li Daoxuan naturally didn't know the old Taoist's tangled thoughts. If he could hear the old Taoist's thoughts, he would naturally sneer at them. As a social animal who had been beaten for many years, his only thought after crossing over was to lie down and fish, and enjoy his life to the fullest.

As for going astray and bringing disaster to the world, he didn't even want to think about it, let alone do it. Being a bad guy is such a hassle, it's better to let others do it.

Listening to the old Taoist's words, Li Daoxuan blurted out without thinking: "Master, are you going to ascend to heaven? Are you in a hurry to ask your disciple to take care of your funeral affairs?"

"..." The old Taoist was speechless and glared at Li Daoxuan. He coughed lightly to adjust his mentality, and then spoke earnestly. "Your academic performance is no worse than that of your senior brothers. When I accept you as my direct disciple next year, I will also give you the talisman. I still hope that you can be humble and practice sincerely in the future."

Li Daoxuan was delighted when he heard this. The old Taoist wanted to grant him the Taoist certificate, which meant that he would become a formal Taoist disciple, not just a Taoist priest in name only. At that time, he would not only have the Taoist jade certificate, but also be able to enter and exit the mountain gate freely.

This was truly an unexpected happy event, which made him extremely happy.

The old Taoist saw Li Daoxuan's eyes were full of smiles, but he felt a little unhappy. It was just a conferment of the talisman, why did this kid act like he had won the first place in the imperial examination? He really had no future at all, and he was still a disciple of Changming Zhenren, which was really embarrassing.

The more he read, the angrier he got. The old Taoist asked Li Daoxuan to copy the "High Jade Emperor Heart Seal Wonderful Sutra" three times. He also increased his schoolwork and then drove him out of the house.

Li Daoxuan was standing outside the house, scratching his head in confusion. He felt that his master was really weird, and his expression changed faster than the weather. He was smiling one moment, and gloomy the next. It was really confusing.

"Could it be that menopause has come again?" Li Daoxuan pondered and returned to his residence with the scroll.

The brothers in the room were reading by candlelight at night, and they were not surprised to see him come back so late. After all, the news that the Taoist wanted to accept Li Daoxuan as his direct disciple had spread all over Maoshan, and everyone knew that he would go to the Taoist to study privately.

"Brother Daoxuan, I have a question that I don't understand. Can I ask you for advice?" A younger brother in the room who was younger than Li Daoxuan ran over and asked him for advice on the method of alchemy.

Li Daoxuan naturally would not hide anything, and frankly pointed out several faults of his junior fellow apprentice. After the matter was settled, he spread out a piece of white paper, picked up a brush and carefully copied the "High Jade Emperor Heart Seal Wonderful Sutra".

When the candlelight was half way through, the three copies of the Heart Seal Sutra were completed. Looking at the three black fishes dancing in his eyes, Li Daoxuan yawned, covered himself with the quilt and fell asleep.

The fellow disciples in the room were also not surprised, but the sound of their chanting became a little quieter.

Li Daoxuan still chose the talisman when he entered his dream. The chaotic space around him disappeared, and a yard appeared in front of Li Daoxuan.

He walked to the gate of the courtyard respectfully and knocked on the door three times. Uncle Jiu's hearty laughter came from inside the door, and he pushed the door open and walked in.

"Uncle Nine." Li Daoxuan bowed respectfully.

"No need to be so polite." Uncle Jiu smiled. He was an easygoing person and didn't care much about the etiquette of the Xuanmen. Although he was a disciple of Maoshan, Uncle Jiu was more like a man of the world.

Li Daoxuan stood up and looked at the courtyard he often visited. This courtyard was not small, with three entrances and three exits.

There are both martial arts training grounds and places to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting.

Sometimes when Li Daoxuan finished his homework, Uncle Jiu would take him to practice playing the piano and chess, which was considered to cultivate his sentiments. Sometimes he would also spar with him and beat Li Daoxuan without any chance of fighting back.

Looking at Uncle Jiu who was painting at the table, Li Daoxuan bowed again and asked, "Will you continue painting talismans today?"

Uncle Jiu smiled and said nothing when he heard this. He pointed at the yellow paper and cinnabar on the table and said to him, "Today we will see how much you have improved. Draw a talisman, and you must do it in one go. This talisman must be imprinted with magic power, so you can use it by pinching your fingers and chanting a spell."

"Yes." Li Daoxuan responded without hesitation.

He looked at the yellow paper on the table and knew that today's test was a test from Uncle Jiu. After all, it was easy to draw a talisman, but it was not so easy to draw a talisman that was effective and usable.

Not only must the magic power be maintained, but one must also infuse one's own spirit, energy and soul into the talisman. Only in this way can the talisman be used and have an effect.

This seems easy, but it is actually extremely difficult to put into practice. It not only tests one's spirit, but also tests one's ability to operate magic power. Even an old Taoist who has practiced for many years cannot say for sure that the talismans he draws are all usable.

It can be said that drawing spiritual talismans and white talismans are the threshold to test whether a Taoist priest has truly embarked on the path of spiritual practice.

Wash your hands and clean your teeth, ask for the Immortal Ji method, and calm your mind to eliminate distracting thoughts. After doing all this, Li Daoxuan came to the table.

Hold the pen in your right hand and dip it in cinnabar, and make the Sun King Seal. Write on the yellow paper, and try to let the disobedient magic power in your body flow through the tip of the pen.

"The sky has its generals, the earth has its gods..." Reciting the spell silently, Li Daoxuan drew the evil-suppressing talisman. Then he pointed the brush upwards and tapped the talisman three times. He put the brush aside and pointed the talisman with his Vajra sword. Only when the coolness flashed through his fingertips did Li Daoxuan retract his fingers.

Looking at the talisman again, although it was spread out on the table, Li Daoxuan could faintly feel the power of the talisman contained in it.

At this time, Uncle Jiu came over, picked up the evil-repelling talisman and looked at it carefully. He couldn't help but smile.

A black object appeared in the courtyard, like smoke or cloud, moving up and down in the courtyard. Uncle Jiu held the evil-suppressing talisman and shouted, "Hurry and obey the order!"

The evil-suppressing talisman flew out like an arrow, hitting the black fog and causing a tremor. The black fog let out a scream, and then dissipated in the courtyard.

"You have officially entered the Dao of Talismans." Uncle Jiu looked at Li Daoxuan and congratulated him with a smile. "From now on, I can no longer call you kid, but I have to call you Taoist friend."

"Uncle Jiu, no matter what kind of person I become, I am still the kid in your words." Li Daoxuan answered sincerely.

Uncle Jiu smiled and patted his shoulder, signaling him to follow: "You have made some progress in the art of talismans, and now we will start learning the rituals."

"it is good!"

Li Daoxuan followed happily.

(End of this chapter)