Please be my partner.

Looking at the silent Elder You, Mellen spread his hands and said, "Elder You, I told you I'm a genius, this is my first time touching the Dao of Talismans, but you still don't believe me."

Old Master You said, "The key is that your performance was too fake, so fake... it didn't even seem like acting!"

"Now, I guess I've passed the test?" Mellen said helplessly.

Old Master You hesitated for a moment and asked, "I can understand that you can draw the Anjia talisman quite well, but to make a talisman, it is far from enough to just draw it like a real one. You also need to draw out the power of your inner will. Without long-term training, ordinary people can never do this."

After saying this, Old Man You looked at Mellen, waiting for his explanation.

After thinking for a moment, Mellen took out the pebble he had obtained in Little Sand Village from his pocket and said, "I don't know what Elder You meant by 'wisdom power,' but if you ask me how to imbue the talisman with power, I actually used the residual energy on this pebble."

Old Master You took the pebble, frowned, and said, "This is... a sacrificial offering? How is this possible?!"

Mellen said, "Elder You, this offering was given to me by the village chief of Xiaosha Village. I was able to come to Fengshan City safely thanks to it."

Mellen first offered an explanation, then asked, "Elder Yu, what exactly is this power of will? And what is the power within the pebble?"

After a moment of contemplation, Elder You explained, “The so-called power of will is the power hidden in the hearts of each of us. You can also think of it as the direction of our hearts. The power in the offerings is essentially the same, but its source is all living beings. The thoughts of living beings are chaotic, and even after being gathered and purified, they are still extremely scattered, which can be called incense.”

Old Master You looked intently at Mellen and said, "Theoretically speaking, incense and willpower are essentially the same, but the control required to create talismans using one's own willpower is completely different from that required to create talismans using incense."

"Even the most talented predecessors in my lineage could only achieve this after cultivating to an extremely high level."

"And now you're telling me you were born with this ability?!"

When he said the last sentence, Old You's tone was almost questioning.

Faced with this situation, Mellen casually replied, "What else?"

Old You fell silent. Yes, what else could it be?

After a long while, Old You let out a breath, waved his hand, and said, "I need some peace and quiet. You can go back now and come back tomorrow."

Seeing this, Mellen had nothing more to say, bowed slightly, and then took his leave.

After Mellen left, Old Man You sat blankly in the courtyard for an unknown amount of time before letting out a cryptic laugh and quipping, "It can't be that I'm the reincarnation of the founder... right?"

The next morning, Mellen arrived at Old Man Yu's coffin shop. After a day, the latter had obviously adjusted his state and was no longer as dazed and confused as he had been the day before.

Old Yu glanced at Mellen indifferently and said, "Come with me."

With that, he closed the door of the coffin shop and led Mellen to the courtyard.

Old Master You said, "I still have some doubts about your background, but a bet is a bet, and since I promised you, there's nothing more to say."

"However, I must say this first: I can pass on all the talisman techniques of my lineage to you. Anyway, by my generation, the things left by our ancestors have been lost or damaged. There are not many truly good things left. There is no need to be so stingy. In fact, before you came, I thought this lineage was going to end in my hands."

Mellen, being quite perceptive, said, "Master, please rest assured, I will definitely carry on and promote this tradition."

This time, Old Man You did not refuse, but still waved his hand and said, "Just call me Old Man You, it sounds awkward to use such a formal title."

Old You sighed and said, "I don't expect it to be carried forward or anything like that. I just hope that today's decision... well, I'm really getting old and have become so fussy."

Seemingly adjusting his mindset, Elder You began to teach, saying, "The way of talismans is also the way of heaven and earth, the exploration of the 'Heavenly Book' by our ancestors, also known as 'talismanic characters,' 'ink registers,' or 'cinnabar books.' Different eras have different names for them..."

"Our lineage originates from the Venerable Lingbao, who transmitted to us the 'Lingbao Boundless Salvation Supreme Scripture.' You must remember this well..."

“Talismans are the means by which we humans communicate with heaven and earth and all things, so they cannot be drawn randomly. Hence the saying, ‘If you draw talismans without knowing the secret, you will only invite the laughter of ghosts and gods; if you draw talismans with knowing the secret, you will startle the ghosts and gods.’”

"There are hundreds and thousands of methods for drawing talismans, including visualizing deities, performing rituals, and chanting incantations... Our lineage emphasizes using the power of one's will as the foundation, and following one's wishes with the brush..."

"Legend has it that our lineage possesses four great talismanic arts: summoning gods and exorcising ghosts, subduing demons and suppressing evil spirits. One who possesses even one of these can roam the world freely. Below them are twenty-four talismans and forty-eight seals..."

Mellen blinked, then asked hesitantly, "'Legend'?"

Old Master You coughed awkwardly, his face flushed, and said, "Didn't I just say that our lineage has been lost or damaged, and there's not much left now?"

Mellen: ...

Next, Elder You explained in detail to Mellen the way of talismans, the essence of talismans, the ritual of drawing talismans, and so on.

For example, a talisman is not just about drawing some patterns; it has a complete and rigorous format, with the talisman head, the talisman core, and the talisman foot all corresponding to each other and none of them can be missing.

Three days later, Old Master You looked at Mellen, who could now modify and adjust the Anjia Fu according to different needs, and fell into deep thought.

Ten days later, Old Master You stared blankly at Mellen, who had finished reading the last treasured ancient book and could skillfully draw all the talismans left by their lineage.

In just over ten days, Old You felt as if he were in a dream, and he couldn't even clearly perceive the passage of time. He couldn't tell whether more than ten days or more than ten years had passed.

After thoroughly investigating Old Man You's past, Mellen was able to complete the final piece of the puzzle in his plan.

To be honest, the Ghost Carriage World was not very friendly to him. There were no materials that could help him with martial arts training, and even the food he ate every day was full of yin energy.

In this situation, if Mellen wants to protect himself, martial arts are simply not an option. If he wants to carry out his plan, he needs at least the strength of a Martial Saint. Only by reaching the level of a Martial Saint can he pose a threat to those sinister ghosts outside the city.

However, even if Mellen forcibly opens up a path of martial arts based on his own knowledge, not to mention the time and effort required, even if he succeeds in the end, he will probably be rejected by the whole world, which would be a loss.

Although the art of talismans may seem to have declined now, it ultimately aligns with the power of the ghost sedan world.

Moreover, Mellen had an unexpected gain. Although the talisman inheritance he obtained was incomplete, he vaguely sensed something within it.

When martial arts reach the legendary realm, legendary qualities will emerge, and these qualities will manifest as runes, or talismans.

Perhaps, whether it's talismans or martial arts, although their beginnings and paths are different, their final destinations are the same.

Getting back to the main point, in this day and age, the simplest way to obtain the 'Heavenly Book List' is, of course, to join a local city god and protect the peace of that area. Ultimately, this is a protection of humanity.

If Mellen didn't want to go down this path, he naturally had to find another way.

That is, to slay demons and eliminate evil.

Outside the city, demons and ghosts roam freely. Expelling them is an enhancement of humanity and will be recorded in the 'Heavenly Book Register'. Once this merit is accumulated to a certain extent, it can be included in the register.

Sounds simple?

Actually... it's incredibly difficult!!!

First of all, while slaying demons and monsters may be beneficial to humanity, it is far less so than maintaining the proper functioning of humanity.

A minor official in the city can live a carefree and uneventful year without any disasters or dangers. The humanitarian contributions he makes simply by maintaining the normal operation of the city are probably more than he would spend more than ten years risking his life to fight demons and monsters in the outside world.

Secondly, even if one obtains the inscription by slaying demons and monsters, what happens after that?

It will only get harder and harder to improve further, and joining other factions will be even more impossible at this point. After all, how can a wild god compare to a subordinate trained by one's own people?

With the city gods in various places already saturated, it is nothing short of a pipe dream to think that one can build one's own humanitarian system by relying on the lowest level of entry.

The world itself is like a game of chess. Once the first mover has filled the board, the later mover has no pieces left to place.

If you still want a share of the profits under these circumstances...

Alternatively, eliminate other players' pieces on the board to free up space.

Or, let's just flip the chessboard over and start all over again!

Mellen wasn't thinking that far ahead yet; he just wanted to get 'administrator' privileges, even if it was just the most basic kind.

After spending another two days preparing, once everything was settled, Mellen bid farewell to Elder You and left Fengshan City with a bundle on his back.

As soon as they arrived outside the city, Mellen took out a peace talisman and stuck it on his body.

The home protection charm was originally intended to protect the home, ward off evil spirits, and ensure peace. After being improved by Mellen, its range was reduced to only cover one person, but its effect and duration were greatly enhanced.

The home-settling charm used by Mellen has only one percent of the energy of the pebble offering, but its effect is almost the same, and it can last for up to three days.

This is the difference between having 'skill' and just 'brute force'.

Mellen's destination was Little Sand Village. He would still occasionally encounter some evil spirits along the way, but this time he was prepared and wouldn't just leave.

After walking for a short while, Mellen noticed some flickering will-o'-the-wisps in the dense forest beside the road. He immediately went over and saw a ghostly figure circling around a tree.

Upon noticing Mellen, the ghostly figure immediately rushed towards him, but before it could get close, a faint white light emanated from Mellen's body.

The white light felt incredibly warm to Mellen, but the ghostly figure reacted violently, like cold water meeting hot oil, screaming as it retreated rapidly.

During this process, Mellen observed carefully. Although the ghost seemed to be in great pain, the Anjia Talisman did not actually do much damage to it. Even if the energy in the Anjia Talisman was exhausted, the ghost would at most be seriously injured, but would not be completely destroyed.

Mellen took out another talisman, a ghost-repelling talisman, which had a restraining effect on ghosts. With a thought, he activated it, and the talisman immediately ignited with a ghostly blue light.

Then Mellen threw the talisman in the direction of the ghost. As if attracted, the talisman rushed straight towards the ghost. No matter how the ghost dodged, it was to no avail. In the end, the talisman landed on the ghost and turned into a raging fire, burning it to ashes in just a few seconds.

After eliminating a ghoul, Mellen vaguely felt that something had been added to him, but because the amount was too small, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

For the rest of the journey, Mellen used a fake horse charm, which he stuck to his leg to make him walk as fast as a galloping horse, and returned to Little Sand Village in less than half the time he had last time.

Upon seeing Mellen, the villagers of Xiaosha Village were very welcoming. After Mellen met the village chief, he got straight to the point and said, "Old man, I want to make a deal with Xiaosha Village."

"A transaction?" The village chief said, somewhat puzzled. "The guest already gave a lot of money last time. If there is anything else you like, you can take it as long as the host doesn't object."

"I hope the village chief can sell me some of the offerings," Mellen said.

The village chief's expression had barely changed when Mellen added, "Don't worry, village chief. I roughly understand the purpose of those sacrificial offerings for Little Sand Village. I was already grateful that you lent me one to protect me last time, so of course I won't make things difficult for you. I'm confident that I can make this deal."

The village chief then calmed down and waited for Mellen to continue.

Without keeping him in suspense, Mellen took out a peace charm and asked, "Does the village chief recognize this?"

"This is..." The village chief's eyes widened, and he stammered, "Could this be... a talisman?"

Seeing the village chief's performance, Mellen nodded inwardly, knowing that his objective was now assured.

When Mellen came to Xiaosha Village to exchange sacrificial offerings, he naturally valued the incense offerings contained within them.

Although Mellen is now able to use his own willpower freely, limited by his current strength, he can't draw many talismans with the little willpower he recovers each day.

But now... talismans equal strength!

So, Mellen set his sights on the sacrificial offerings.

The way Xiaosha Village used it was undoubtedly a waste of resources; 99% of the energy stored in the offerings was wasted. If this energy were given to Mellen, it could produce hundreds of times the effect.

For Xiaosha Village, sacrificial offerings were not only essential items for traveling to other villages and cities, but also, to some extent, life-saving items.

After all, there are not prey near Xiaosha Village all year round. When prey is scarce, hunters need to carry offerings and go to more distant places to hunt.

Although the offerings only last for one day, it is enough to greatly expand the hunter's hunting range.

Chapter 673 Trading and Leveling Up

Ultimately, the village chief of Xiaosha Village agreed to the deal with Mellen, as the conditions Mellen offered were indeed quite generous. In addition to the portable home-protecting talisman, there were also exorcism talismans that could harm ghosts, healing talismans that could cure diseases, soul-crossing talismans that could help the souls of the dead find peace, and protective talismans that could prevent evil spirits from invading...

However, the pebbles in the land temple cannot be taken casually; their placement is very particular and is part of the ritual.

These pebbles are arranged in a nine-square grid at the bottom, four in the second layer, and one on the top layer.

The bottom nine are immovable; only the top five can be traded with Mellen.

After the top part is removed, new pebbles need to be placed in it, and it will take a month to refill the incense burner.

However, when necessary, the village chief can also gather the villagers to the land temple to pray, which will greatly speed up the replenishment of incense.

Because the village chief had given Mellen a pebble for self-defense, and the newly placed pebble hadn't been replenished yet, there were only four pebbles left for Mellen to trade with, which was enough for the time being.

After the transaction was completed, Mellen asked the village chief of Xiaosha Village to help him connect with other mountain villages in the surrounding area to make transactions, and the village chief naturally agreed without hesitation.

Drawing talismans is a time-consuming and laborious task. Other talisman masters need to rest for most of the day after drawing each talisman, but for Mellen, it's like an assembly line operation. In less than an hour, his backpack contained hundreds of talismans of all kinds, including basic talismans such as home protection talismans and ghost-repelling talismans, as well as some powerful intermediate and advanced talismans.

After bidding farewell to the village chief, Mellen began his journey of exorcising demons and monsters.

Due to the suppression of human forces, there are actually very few evil spirits in areas near villages and cities. Conversely, the more sparsely populated a place is, the more numerous and stronger the evil spirits are.

For example, Wushan Mountain, which is not far away.

In fact, for the small mountain villages located nearby, Wushan has no name. They have lived here for generations and prefer to call it 'Big Mountain' or 'that mountain'. Wushan is the name that Mellen received from Fengshan City.

Legend has it that deep within Wushan Mountain resides a powerful ghost king who commands countless ghosts. He is incredibly powerful, and the establishment of Fengshan City was even intended to suppress Wushan Mountain with the power of humanity.

Mellen asked Old Man Yu about this claim, but the latter did not give a definite answer. He only told Mellen that there were indeed powerful ghosts in Wushan, but the specifics were unknown.

Of course, Mellen couldn't go straight to challenge the beginner village boss, but that didn't stop him from using Wushan as his first leveling spot.

Heading towards Wushan, it wasn't long before Melon arrived at the place where he first descended into the Ghost Carriage World. Continuing forward, there was a dense forest, where he had seen many will-o'-the-wisps floating in the distance.

Now that he had a large number of talismans in hand, Mellen naturally wanted to go and find out what was going on.

As he approached the dense forest, Mellen could clearly feel the concentration of yin energy increasing, and faint ghostly howls echoed in his ears.

Just as Mellen was about to step into the dense forest, he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if someone had breathed on him from behind, except that the breath was icy cold, definitely below zero degrees Celsius.

Without turning around, Mellen held a talisman between the index and middle fingers of both hands, sparks flying as he prepared to ignite it.

Suddenly, Mellen stopped what he was doing. He turned around and saw a female ghost, dressed in red with disheveled hair and an obscured face, standing quietly more than ten meters away.

After observing him carefully for a moment, Murren asked in confusion, "You... have self-awareness? Do you remember who you are?"

Normally, low-level ghosts do not possess a self; they are broken obsessions, more like a program with pre-written rules. Apart from the instinctive desire for the yang energy in the body of a living person, they have no other emotions.