Chapter 7: Refining the Talisman (Part 2)

  Wang Bo looked at Shi Sheng with a somewhat astonished expression. A beginner can't even control one finger well, and although using two fingers can increase speed, it's not something anyone can do while being distracted.

  "Whack the mole, whack the mole! Let's see which mole pops up first!" Shi Sheng gazed at the nine talismans, his energy already infused in the tips of his index fingers, a glint flashing in his eyes. He was actually likening this sacred matter to a game of whack-a-mole.

  Whoosh!

  In the middle, a rune suddenly lit up with a silver glow. Shi Sheng's left index finger pointed at it without hesitation and then withdrew, as he infused his spiritual energy into it once more. Almost simultaneously, another rune in the upper right corner lit up, and Shi Sheng's right index finger quickly pressed onto it, absorbing the power that had been stored within the rune and sealing it inside. He then withdrew his finger, and his spiritual energy flowed back into reserve.

  The rune in the middle of the left side lit up, and Shi Sheng seemed to be having a great time. In his heart, he thought: "This earth mouse is too low-level and too slow, it's simply looking for abuse in front of me!" As he spoke, Shi Sheng's hand didn't idle either, and with a flick of his left finger, he pointed upwards.

  In this way, under the astonished gaze of Wang Bo and Lin Wan'er, Shi Sheng completed the task with ease, finally perfectly sealing the power of the nine talismans, successfully refining the first talisman.

  Lin Wan'er couldn't tell whether it was successful or not, but Wang Bo was dumbfounded, silent for a long time, his mouth opening and closing, unable to say a word. Shi Sheng, on the other hand, smiled happily, never expecting that the game of Whac-A-Mole they often played on Earth would be useful here.

  "Little one, you wouldn't have already joined a sect, taken elixirs and be able to refine talismans, would you? Are you here to toy with me? Otherwise, how could a beginner have such quick reflexes?" Wang Bo finally came back to his senses, asking in surprise.

  Shi Sheng An Dao, a voice of helplessness. A beginner? Are you kidding me? I've been playing Whac-A-Mole on my tablet or phone for at least four or five years, and I'm always the champion when I play online. How can I possibly be a beginner?

  But when I first started playing, I couldn't keep up with the rhythm either, and it was almost as chaotic as my first time practicing the Fu Lu Shou. It wasn't until I played through various difficulties and speeds that Shi Sheng finally mastered this skill.

  Of course, Shi Sheng couldn't say those words, so she could only come up with another lie.

  "Cough, Wang Bo, how could I possibly come to disturb you? I don't even know what's going on myself. This time at Ghost Gate Pass, after making a round trip, I feel that my body and mind have undergone some changes. My reactions are much faster than before, and even my cultivation speed is faster than before!" Shi Sheng said with a serious expression.

  After a long silence, Wang Bo furrowed his brow: "Alright, you all go back first, come here again tomorrow!"

  "Alright, see you tomorrow! Let's go first, Wang Bo!" Shi Sheng called out and pulled Lin Wan'er away from the room, leaving Wang Bo alone to ponder for a long time, with sparkling eyes that didn't stop shining.

  "It's strange, this kid has never taken Dan medicine before, how did he manage to achieve mental detachment? And yet, on the second try, he was able to successfully refine the talisman, it's simply unheard of. Ordinary people without practice wouldn't have such a fast reaction speed." Wang Bo said with some doubt.

  "This child is indeed worth cultivating, but I cannot give him the Open Mind Dan to avoid unnecessary trouble. However, looking at his state, it seems that he can cultivate without the help of elixirs, truly a rare occurrence!" After finishing speaking, Wang Bo's eyes flashed with insight as he fell into deep thought.

  ……

  "Asheng, I've known Wang Bo for so long, but I've never seen him so shocked and surprised like today. In the past, he seemed to take everything in stride, but you're really something else today!" Lin Wan'er exclaimed excitedly after they returned home and finished lunch together.

  "Haha, just so-so!" Shi Sheng's face remained still, but in his heart he was laughing uncontrollably. It seemed that an opportunity to make money had arrived.

  "Asheng, you've managed to deceive me so thoroughly! You actually secretly cultivated your mental powers, and after all these years, you didn't even tell me. Hmph, it seems like you consider me an outsider!" Lin Wan'er seemed genuinely unhappy, knowing that the former Shisheng would never have kept secrets from her.

  Seeing this, Shi Sheng felt helpless in his heart and couldn't tell the truth. He sighed and said: "Wan Er Jie, actually, I don't know if I'm considered successful or not. I dare not say it out loud, I just fear losing face."

  And I've always wanted to give you a surprise, but later on, I was forced by Bai Ming to have no way out, so I had to say it out early. It's all because of that Bai Ming, letting Wan'er sister's surprise disappear!" Shi Sheng said with an evil tone.

  "Really?" Lin Wan'er was slightly delighted, but immediately pouted: "Who believes your glib tongue? Humph! I won't bother with you." She rolled her eyes and ran back to her own room alone.

  "Haha, ancient women are really easy to deceive!" Shi Sheng smiled and thought for a moment before taking out the copper ring again, closing the doors and windows, and starting to cultivate.

  Shi Sheng pulled the ring down from the line and placed it on his palm, then gazed at it with both eyes, using his consciousness and willpower to control the ring's ascent.

  After repeated failures, Shi Sheng finally grasped the trick, and the ring flew out of his palm. He couldn't help but get excited, and then controlled the ring to fly slowly in the room, until it quickly spun around and fell to the ground with a "pa" sound, just short of an hour's time, his spiritual energy was exhausted.

  Shi Sheng didn't give up, and instead began to meditate and practice qigong. He discovered that his internal energy was becoming more abundant, and it was subtly combining with his consciousness. Once the two combined, they formed a powerful force called "intentional energy". This energy could be released instantly, and as soon as he had an idea or intention, the ring would immediately respond according to his will.

  After sitting in meditation for an hour, Shi Sheng stared at the circular ring on the ground in the distance. Before long, the copper ring slowly rose from the ground and flew around in the room.

  In this way, Shi Sheng's mental power was exhausted time and again, and he recovered through meditation, finally reaching the point where his consciousness and mental power combined, allowing him to release it instantly. At this moment, he possessed the power of thought, and according to the old masters on Earth, he had become a person with special abilities!

  He glanced at the ring on the ground, Shi Sheng's mind moved, and it flew into his hand with a whoosh. Shi Sheng couldn't help but raise the corner of his mouth, trying to control a wooden stick over three feet long on the ground, but the stick only trembled slightly before falling still.

  "Ah, it seems that items that are too heavy still won't work. My mental strength isn't strong enough yet and I need to cultivate and accumulate it regularly! I wonder where I can get my hands on some Mind Opening Pills!" Shi Sheng pondered for a moment before continuing to practice with the small ring.

  By dusk, Lin Wan'er brought up the dishes and after a satisfying meal, they chatted for a while. Finally, Lin Wan'er returned to her room to rest, while Shi Sheng continued his cultivation.

  But this time, instead of using a hoop, he cut the wooden stick on the ground into two segments. Shi Sheng barely managed to control half of the stick and made it float in the air, hovering around the house before becoming more and more skilled.

  But as the wooden stick was too heavy, soon Shi Sheng felt his Nen exhausted, and he hastily sat down to meditate and recover his Nen. This time after recovering his Nen, it wasn't until deep into the night, but Shi Sheng clearly felt that the Nen mobilized to control objects had increased by a large margin, and he couldn't help but smile slightly.

  "What's that noise?" Stone Sheng's senses were extremely sharp, and he discovered that outside the courtyard, there seemed to be footsteps. After a moment of silence, Stone Sheng picked up one of Lin Wan'er's embroidery needles and quietly left the room.

  ……

  It was deep in the night, with a few dark clouds covering the moonlight, making the ground hazy and dimly lit. The strong wind blew by, making a low humming sound.

  Outside the Lin family courtyard, there were two figures lurking around, seemingly doing something suspicious. Judging from their stature, they appeared to be two young boys who had climbed over the already low wall of the Lin family's courtyard, each holding several stones in their hands.

  "Huo Zi, Bai Ming said that as long as we smash the stone lion in front of that kid's room, it'll be enough!" a slightly chubby young man said.

  Another thin boy touched the stone in his hand and smiled: "Hehe, I know, fatty, you're strong, you go first, as long as someone comes out we'll run away, if no one sees us then nothing will happen!"

  On one side of the thatched cottage, Shi Sheng hid in a dark place and narrowed his eyes when he saw two young men, who were indeed the two little boys who whispered to each other at Wu's house during the day with Bai Ming.

  "At that time, I didn't know what they were discussing, it turned out to be doing such things, killing people and setting fires. These kids didn't have the guts, but in the middle of the night, they came out to make trouble, they still dared to do it." Shi Sheng smiled slightly.

  Although the outside light was dim, it had little effect on Shi Sheng now. He casually picked up a stone from the ground and with a flick of his mind, it disappeared into his palm with a whoosh.

  Xiao Pangzi nodded: "Okay, I'll start first, then you can open fire... Ah, why did you hit me?"

  Chubby was about to throw the stone in his hand, but suddenly felt a stone hit his leg. He glared at the young man called Hu Zi, who also had an angry face.

  "Fatty, you hit me twice before and I didn't dare say a word. How can you still have the nerve to be the first one to tattle?" Tiger was visibly unhappy.

  "Who hit you? You felt wrong, and you came to take revenge on me? Do you believe I can slap you to death with one palm?" The two seemed to have forgotten their original purpose and suddenly quarreled at the courtyard wall. However, neither of them noticed that a stone the size of half a fist was floating behind them, but it soon fell to the ground.

  At almost the same time, an embroidery needle flew quietly to the side of the two men and immediately stabbed into Fatso's face, causing him to cry out in pain and fall to the ground with a thud. Tiger was not yet happy when he suddenly felt a needle hit his forehead, and fresh blood flowed out immediately.

  "There's a ghost, run!" someone shouted, and the two of them took off in a sprint. As they ran, they were occasionally pricked by embroidery needles, and they stumbled and fell several times.

  Not far from the Lin family, under a large pagoda tree, Bai Ming waited with some impatience: "Two useless people, gone for so long and still not done?" But it was too dark, and he couldn't see what was happening in the distance. Before long, he saw two figures running over, and his heart felt a surge of joy.

  "Trash, you've finally come back after so long!" As he spoke, Bai Ming walked forward, but suddenly discovered that the two people were covered in mud and couldn't be recognized. Their faces were deathly pale, covered in blood, and twisted in agony, as if they were in extreme pain. Bai Ming's face turned white with fear, and he let out a terrified cry of "Ghost!" before turning around and running away without a trace. (End of chapter)

  (PS. Mind the tiny needle that doesn't collect or vote, wow!!)