"Oh."
Jia Xitong, worried about affecting Shang Yanting's actions, stayed silent.
She listened to the system broadcasting the fluctuating trust value and eventually got used to it.
The outside view was constantly shifting among various dense forests, and she glanced at her inventory.
The Exploding Talismans were used up, and if she succeeded a few more times, it might prove whether unlocking the "Talismanic Record" was related to the success rate of talisman making. Now with daylight and the male protagonist not encountering danger, she simply took out her paper and pen to finish painting the last few.
In the upper left corner, the wooden carved face quietly watched her benevolently...
Unknowingly, the 100th Exploding Talisman was completed.
Jia Xitong looked expectantly at the "Talismanic Record," as she wanted, its brown surface began to emit a faint glow.
However, the light on the book started to rise uncontrollably, forming a ribbon of light that arched in midair and projected onto the wooden carving on the other side.
The light on the "Talismanic Record" dimmed, while the wooden carving brightened as if it were a super-powered light bulb.
All the light was absorbed by it!
Jia Xitong watched this scene in bewilderment, as a ten-meter phantom appeared above the wooden carving, gradually taking shape!
Sitting cross-legged, with a stern and dignified expression, it looked down directly at its devotees—
Every day, working tirelessly, either painting talismans or on the way to painting talismans.
Worshiping with three bows and nine kowtows daily, without incense offerings, yet with utmost sincerity.
Martial cultivation was widespread across the continent, and it had been a long time since there was such a devout and fervent follower. The grindmaster moved this nearly forgotten divine being!
Jia Xitong was stunned, as she saw the phantom's left hand held empty, and the right hand gently pointed at her.
Bang——!
A sharp ringing filled her ears, and the piercing noise stabbed at her brain like needles.
The "Talismanic Record" started to flip pages wildly on its own, turning from the first page to the last at an extremely fast speed.
Suddenly, the phantom collapsed and transformed into beams of light several meters high, wrapping around Jia Xitong and the "Talismanic Record." The light flowed around her body, seemingly slow yet incredibly fast.
Within the glow, the stinging in her brain gradually weakened, akin to a fetus soaking comfortably in the womb.
And before her, with every pass of light, the "Talismanic Record" became a bit newer.
Ancient runes on its cover gradually appeared, with damaged parts restored anew.
A drop of essence blood squeezed out from Jia Xitong's forehead, slowly merging into the "Talismanic Record," instantly establishing a subtle connection between them.
A voice sighed from a distant place, "May you rekindle the glory of my talismans."
##
Who knows how much time passed.
Jia Xitong suddenly opened her eyes, as if she had just woken from a dream.
Talismans were scattered everywhere, and the "Talismanic Record" was in her arms.
The smooth cover revealed its original brown color, with the carved talisman now distinctly clear, even showing the recessed symbol in the center.
After absorbing her essence blood, the "Talismanic Record" inexplicably connected with her, creating a link she couldn't quite articulate.
The outside had changed, but what about the inside?
Jia Xitong flipped to the inner pages.
The first page still held that phrase.
From the second page onward, the contents of the Solidification Talisman, Healing Talisman, and Exploding Talisman had undergone slight changes.
Examining the related content closely:
Solidification Talisman—[Used on steel blades, making weapons indestructible for two quarters of an hour] became [Used on refined steel weapons, enhancing original abilities of artifacts, time: two quarters of an hour]
Healing Talisman—[Can heal ordinary external and internal injuries] became [Can heal ordinary internal and external injuries, restore and regenerate qi.]
Exploding Talisman—[Causes explosion within a radius of five meters] became [Causes explosion within a radius of ten meters]
Upgrade!
All three talismans had improved more or less on their original basis; would the talismans unlocked later also upgrade?
Jia Xitong instinctively flipped to the next page.
[Beginner Level—Chapter Four: Mixu Talisman]
[Usage method - Can store 7 cubic meters of dead objects.]
[Requires Anjianxuan grass paper, Wenyao Fish blood]
Sure enough!
The Mixu Talisman she previously gave to the male protagonist could only store 5 cubic meters, now it had increased by 2 cubic meters.
She excitedly turned to the next section—blank.
Jia Xitong was slightly stunned and quickly consoled herself.
After all, upgrades were like pies falling from the sky; one shouldn't be too greedy.
She remembered the sigh she last heard, glanced at the palm-sized wooden carved god statue, and said, "Thank you, Immortal Lord, I will practice diligently and strive to spread the glory of talismans!"
Having said this, Jia Xitong's ambitions soared—indeed, she was destined to become Long Aotian's woman!
The dream was not yet finished when the reality quickly pulled her back by the rapid notifications from the True System in her ear.
[Please note the male protagonist's trust decreased by 10, current trust value 55/100]
[The male protagonist's trust decreased by 20, current trust value 35/100]
[The male protagonist's trust decreased by 20, current trust value 15/100]
[The male protagonist's trust decreased by 10, current trust value 5/100]
The trust value of 65 plummeted to 5 in the blink of an eye?
What happened?
She hurriedly called out to Shang Yanting but got no response. Looking outside, the steep, barren cliffside was rapidly rising.
It wasn't the cliffside rising; it was Shang Yanting falling!!
Thud——
A loud splash, the water surface erupted with larger splashes than a bomb detonation in a fish pool.
The clear pond water quickly turned red with blood, and in his Sea of Consciousness, Jia Xitong could see the panicked fish and chaotic aquatic plants in the water.
Falling into the water, Shang Yanting's mouth bubbled, sinking like a weight.
[The male protagonist's trust decreased by 10, current trust value 0/100]
A belated system notification arrived, and within a few short minutes, the trust value plummeted from 65 to zero. But now wasn't the time to think about trust value, Shang Yanting was about to die!
Without a physical form, she could only be anxious.
"System, save him quickly!"
[Dear tasker, the system cannot directly interfere in any storyline. To save the male protagonist, you need to do it yourself.]
"If I had hands, would I need to call you?"
With the last word, Jia Xitong's voice uncontrollably rose, her expression shifting from tense anger to disbelief, her eyes tightly fixed on Shang Yanting's body.
He… floated up.
By himself, he slowly floated forward and upward from the lakebed, the surrounding currents guiding him unscientifically yet inexorably to the shore.
He sank, yet floated back up?
He was blowing bubbles, yet didn't drown?
As expected of the male protagonist, breaking the game here!
Seeing Shang Yanting at this moment, Jia Xitong noted his body covered in wounds, with only the faint rise and fall of his chest proving he was still alive.
During her unexpected encounter, she didn't know what he went through; the only certainty was that while she thought she had altered the male protagonist's fate, destiny's wheels had invisibly and forcefully realigned everything back on track.