Cultivation starts with picking up attributes-Chapter 39: Ch-: Ethereal Talisman Sect

That night, while the camp settled under the glow of spirit lamps, Tian Shen stared at the pill in his palm.

He could feel it—the stability it brought. Not just to the body, but the mind. The thought of entering the Ethereal Talisman Sect didn’t seem quite so suicidal anymore.

Beside him, Feng Yin leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You’re not just surviving anymore," she said.

"No," he whispered. "I’m preparing to win."

...

The Next Morning.

The morning sun filtered through the dense canopy above, casting golden rays onto the freshly swept campgrounds of the Beast Taming Sect’s temporary outpost.

A soft breeze carried the scent of dew-drenched leaves and distant herbs, but even this calm morning bore an undercurrent of quiet dread.

Tian Shen stood near the outermost tent, arms folded, sword sheathed, and his brows creased in a mixture of impatience and contemplation.

The events with Elder Qiu Zheng the day before still lingered in his mind—the furnace explosion, the unexpected profession advancement, and most notably, the absurd recipe for the "Demon Clearance Pill" that had saved them hours of prep.

"I still can’t believe he punished for showing off by the lame excuse of ’disrupting the sacred temperament of pill aura’ nonsense."

Tian Shen muttered, brushing imaginary dust from his robe.

"He was proud of you, you know."

Feng Yin said from behind, skipping lightly toward him while munching on a roasted yam.

"He spent five minutes cursing you and fifteen praising your pill refinement speed to his disciples."

Tian Shen exhaled.

"That makes it worse."

She grinned, hopping beside him with a faint sparkle in her eye.

"Still, now you’re a 3-star alchemist. Not bad, little hubby. My efforts weren’t wasted, huh?"

He gave her a side-eye.

"Your efforts? Heh."

Their banter faded into silence as they both turned their gazes eastward—toward the mountainous region veiled in violet mist. The Ethereal Talisman Sect.

"Everything’s packed?" he asked.

Feng Yin nodded.

"Talisman scrolls, spiritual thread, soul-stabilizing incense, extra robes, and..."

She pulled out a familiar object—her emergency snack pouch.

He blinked. "Oh."

A few feet away, Gu Wei—their ever-aloof logistics aide—stood with a bored expression, arms crossed.

"If the flirting is over," she said flatly, "this is some talismans that may help you in your endeavors."

Tian Shen blinked.

"I wasn’t flirting."

Feng Yin just smiled innocently.

"But I was~"

Gu Wei rolled her eyes so hard Tian Shen was afraid they’d pop out and walk away.

"Anyway," she said, handing Tian Shen a small silver case.

"You’ve got three 2-Star detection talismans, one emergency escape rune—use sparingly, it’ll teleport you back to this camp—and five demon resistance talismans. Feng Yin already has hers."

Tian Shen inspected them briefly, then nodded.

"Thanks."

"I’ll prep a recovery array for your return," Gu Wei added.

"Assuming you don’t die in there."

Feng Yin raised a brow.

"You’re always so positive, Gu Wei."

"I’m realistic."

Tian Shen and Feng Yin shared a look. Then, without another word, they turned toward the eastern path where a talisman-anchored barrier shimmered faintly between two stone pillars.

Feng Yin held out her hand. "Ready?"

He grasped it without hesitation.

"Always."

They passed through the barrier together, their figures swallowed by the mist.

—

Half an Hour Later – Ethereal Talisman Sect Perimeter

The landscape changed the moment they crossed the outer formation.

The air grew colder. The sky dimmer. It was as if the sun itself refused to shine upon this forgotten place. Crumbling pagodas loomed from behind gnarled trees, each structure dripping with talisman threads that pulsed faintly in violet hues.

"Spiritual veins."

Feng Yin murmured, examining a string of etched runes clinging to the earth.

"They’re still active."

Tian Shen bent down near an overgrown path and tapped the dirt with a qi-infused finger.

"Some sort of formation is beneath us. It’s dormant... barely."

Feng Yin summoned a spiritual thread from her pouch and anchored it to her sleeve.

"Don’t get separated. The talisman illusions here are famous for turning teammates into ’friendly enemies’."

"Duly noted."

They walked deeper into the ruin, talismans and cursed relics whispering in their spiritual sense like ghosts trying to recall their names.

Suddenly, a faint light caught Tian Shen’s eye—a soft green glow barely visible behind a cracked statue of a fox-faced deity.

He approached, squinting.

At its base was a cracked scroll wrapped in violet twine.

Tian Shen reached out cautiously, touching the surface with the tip of his qi-imbued nail.

Nothing exploded.

"Must be my lucky day," he muttered.

The moment he unwrapped the twine, a system notification rang in his mind—

『Secret Art Detected: Script of Ten Thousand Talismans』

『Talisman Master Profession Unlocked.』

『New Profession Added: Talisman Master (Rank: None)』

Tian Shen nearly choked on air.

The scroll disintegrated into golden dust in his hand as he absorbed its contents. A new layer of knowledge etched itself into his soul—runes, threads, ink-based symbols that carried weight and will.

Feng Yin looked over.

"What did you pick up?"

"A really nice... old book," he said, quickly stuffing the last glowing remnants into his pouch.

She tilted her head suspiciously.

"Uh-huh. Is that why your eyes lit up like a golden retriever on caffeine?"

"Must be the mist."

She didn’t push further, and he was grateful. The system’s presence was still unknown to her, and he intended to keep it that way—for now.

They continued forward until they reached a plaza lined with fractured jade tiles and fallen talisman poles. In its center stood a towering statue of a woman with a scroll in one hand and a blade in the other.

"Looks like the inner region," Feng Yin whispered.

Tian Shen knelt to inspect a nearby platform, brushing away debris to reveal talisman-engraved sockets.

"A ritual platform," he muttered.

"Think it still works?"

He placed his palm against it. A flicker of heat. A pulse of resistance.

Then—acceptance.

The platform glowed faintly beneath his hand.

"I think I just activated something."

That was when the ground trembled.

The air thickened.

And every talisman around them flared violently with violet light.

"Oh no!"

Feng Yin said, eyes wide.

"You activated a defensive formation!"

"You were the one who asked if it still worked!"

Before either could bolt, a swirling portal erupted in the sky above the platform.

From it descended a massive fox spirit cloaked in demonic qi.

Tian Shen cursed under his breath.

"Of course it’s a damn fox."

The beast roared, talismans snapping in the air like whips.

"Split up!"

Feng Yin shouted.

Tian Shen darted left, weaving through broken pillars, spiritual thread dancing around his fingers. As the fox lunged at him, he activated a reflexive talisman mid-step—

Ignition Talisman.

The sigil flared into existence and slammed into the beast’s flank. The fox howled, momentarily paralyzed by the layered attack.

Feng Yin launched herself from a broken beam, her sword glowing as she struck.

The fox spirit shrieked, dissipating into violet smoke as the formation cracked apart.

Tian Shen panted, sweat dripping.

"Well... that wasn’t terrifying at all."

Feng Yin stared at him.

"What. Was. That?"

He blinked. "What?"

"The Ignition Talisman you used was much more powerful than usual."

"Maybe an illusion."

He said again, casually avoiding eye contact.

She narrowed her eyes.

"You’ve been acting fishy since you touched that statue."

"I’m always fishy."

"True. But now you’re fishy and suspicious."

He laughed it off, but deep down, he felt something stir.

The profession he’d just unlocked, the scroll he’d absorbed, and the bizarre enhancement in his talisman casting—everything was building to something.

A calling.

A hidden legacy buried in this cursed place.

And it had chosen him.

Feng Yin walked over and poked him in the side.

"You’re getting that ’I’m-the-chosen-one’ look again."

"I am not."

"You are."

"I’m literally just standing."

"Standing dramatically."

He groaned.

"Come on," she said, turning toward a spiraling staircase descending into shadow.

"There’s still more of this hellhole to explore. Maybe we’ll find a map, or some more demon Clearance pills."

Or another secret art, Tian Shen thought privately.

He followed her, the weight of new knowledge pressing against his mind.

And as the mists closed in behind them—

The Ethereal Talisman Sect stirred once more.

The staircase spiraled downward like the throat of a beast, winding into shadows that pulsed faintly with demonic Qi. Cracked talismans lined the walls, some half-fused with the stone, others still writhing like they refused to die.

"Don’t touch anything," Feng Yin whispered. "Even the dust down here probably wants to eat your soul."

Tian Shen snorted.

"I only let my soul be eaten on weekends."

"...What?"

"Nothing. Let’s keep moving."

They descended carefully, the path lit by their talisman lanterns—tiny floating orbs that pulsed gently with a silver-blue light. As they reached the base of the stairwell, the stone corridor widened into a large underground hall.

Rows of ancient talisman tables stretched across the room, some overturned, others still holding rusted ink pots and shattered brushes. But at the very center stood a massive stone dais, above which floated a suspended cube of shimmering jade.

A sealed relic.