Infinite Mana Cultivation - Chapter 9: The art of a good deal

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

—— Dickens《A Tale of Two Cities》

I made myself a ghost back to life from death, with hatred in my bones and conspiracy brewed for years, sinking into the marsh, into the abyss. All I want is to bury the rotten roots, growing thistles and thorns which can kill like upas, to stab into the hypocritical civilization.

In the bottom of the muck……I found my lucida.

- Description from Novelupdates

In the vast world of cultivation, a talisman is formed by merging the essence of heaven and earth with the spirit and soul of the practitioner. Imbuing the formless with power and imprinting it onto paper, talismans hold immense potential. Yet, this art comes with a price—most who pursue the talismanic path exhaust their spiritual consciousness, falling before they reach their full potential.Lu An’s fate was no different—until his soul, shattered by fate, found itself reborn in a new realm of cultivation. Within his sea of consciousness, he discovers the Four Treasures of the Study, mystical tools that allow him to create talismans without depleting his spiritual energy. With this newfound gift, Lu An begins his ascent.[You have drawn a Breath-Concealing Talisman. Completion Rate: 62%. Grade: Inferior, first grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Wealth-Bringing Talisman. Completion Rate: 73%. Grade: Middle, fifth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.][You have drawn a Three-Yuan Gathering Qi Talisman. Completion Rate: 85%. Grade: Superior, ninth grade. Spiritual consciousness refunded.]The world of talisman-making opens before him—mastery over the five elements, control of winds and thunder, the study of formations, the nurturing of spiritual creatures, and even the command of ancient treasures. With every talisman, Lu An’s understanding of the Dao deepens, his soul, body, and laws intertwining as one. His talismans grow in power—some divine, some forbidden—each step toward immortality.Using the very forces of nature as his tools, Lu An crafts talismans that can reshape reality. With mountains and seas as his ink and brush, and heaven and earth as his canvas, he will rise to the pinnacle of the immortal realm. Even the immortals and Buddhas will bow before him, for they know him as the Talisman Ancestor.But few recall the man behind the legend, the one named Lu An, whose journey to the top, though formidable, has only just begun.

In her past life, Meng Yu couldn't understand why her mother would give the university admission she worked so hard to earn to her younger sister and even sell her off to a remote village as a common wife, just to raise travel funds for her sister.Reborn, Jiang Meng Yu has just escaped from human traffickers, only to be caught by a 'buyer husband'. The fiancé her mother had originally set up for her, whose identity was usurped by her sister, comes to her rescue. She says, 'You saved me, I have nothing to give you as repayment but myself.' Yet when her mother comes, she coolly claps her hands and walks away with her.Captain Gu traps Meng Yu against the wall: 'Flirt with me and then want to run? No way!'Meng Yu resists: 'That was just a temporary measure for revenge.'Captain Gu leans in: 'We've planned everything, let's go with it. I'll help you take your revenge, and you just need to repay the favor.'A slightly silly Meng Yu asks: 'What favor is that?'Captain Gu smirks: 'The life-saving favor that should be repaid with oneself.'Meng Yu: 'Is this fox really the officer I knew in my past life?'

When Yao Ling saved a handsome man, she never thought that there would be a day she would propose a marriage to him.