Throughout the journey, Su Fan listened to Ron talk about her experiences with the Mayfair family while using his spiritual power to repair his body.
Ron coming to help was truly unexpected for Su Fan.
During the fierce battle with Paimon, her sudden lightning strike out of nowhere had been quite effective.
Taking the initiative to help without being asked, and actually making a difference—that was pretty good.
“We’re almost there.”
After leaving the community, the road conditions improved significantly, allowing Ron to drive with more confidence.
They were getting closer and closer to the antique shop.
Parking the car nearby, Ron got out to open the door and then walked toward the back seat.
Moments later, Su Fan’s vision was once again blocked.
“Just put me down on the rocking chair to lie down.”
“Hmm? What did you say?”
“I said just put me down on the rocking chair to lie down.”
“Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.”
It seemed the obstruction didn’t just block vision, but sound as well.
Su Fan resigned himself.
After carefully placing Su Fan onto the rocking chair, Ron suddenly seemed at a loss.
“I… um…”
“Find a place to sit. I can’t exactly brew tea like this. Sorry for the poor hospitality.”
“No, I was wondering… are you hungry? Could I borrow your kitchen?”
Ron’s hands fidgeted anxiously in front of her, fingers twisting together.
“I appreciate the thought, but it’s fine. If you’re hungry, there are several pretty good restaurants nearby.”
Su Fan, who enjoyed cooking for himself, wasn’t keen on others using his kitchen, nor did he like people messing with the things inside it.
But his refusal of Ron’s offer wasn’t because of that.
Mainly, the seasonings and cooking utensils for Chinese and Western cuisine were different, and besides, there wasn’t much food in the fridge anyway.
“Alright then…”
Ron’s tone carried a hint of disappointment.
But it seemed she quickly thought of something else.
“If possible, I’d actually like you to remove that…”
“Remove what?”
“You know, that kind of… barrier… protecting your body…”
Ron’s tone was hesitant as she searched for the right words.
“That power is blocking my abilities. Actually, I could help treat you using the methods you taught me before.”
What Ron referred to was, of course, the telekinesis used to close blood vessels and muscles for healing.
“Your abilities can’t heal this. It’s different from what you think.”
Su Fan’s tone was flat.
The backlash from a divine ability was different from ordinary injuries.
It was troublesome.
The divine ability “Marrying Dreams” could be described as a double-edged sword.
On one hand, the power to freely switch between dreams and reality was extremely potent, capable of producing unexpected effects in confrontations with enemies.
On the other hand, its backlash was a major headache for Su Fan.
Though, part of the reason was also that Su Fan’s current cultivation level was still relatively low.
Back in the car, Su Fan had already roughly calculated it.
If he were at the Upper Clarity Stage now, using “Marrying Dreams” probably wouldn’t have been such a struggle today.
It seemed he truly needed to step up his cultivation efforts.
“Staying here won’t help much, so I won’t disturb your recovery anymore.”
Ron stood up and walked toward the door.
“If anything comes up, feel free to call me anytime. I’ll be nearby.”
“Okay.”
Hearing Su Fan’s response, Ron finally left the antique shop.
Gently closing the shop door, a smile appeared on her lips, and her steps felt noticeably lighter.
Before this, amidst the unfamiliar people and environment of the Mayfair household, she hadn’t known any of the inside secrets surrounding the events, leaving her feeling confused and uncertain.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t know how to read a room.
Back in New Orleans, Su had been the one contracted to handle things.
Although he always helped her when she asked, he had consistently kept his distance, even showing a bit of disdain at times.
But today was different. Su’s tone when speaking with her was noticeably gentler.
She figured it was because she had traveled all the way from New Orleans to help, and had genuinely made a difference, causing Su to see her in a somewhat better light.
Thinking about this, Ron’s mood brightened even more.
She hummed a little tune under her breath.
Finding a hotel at random, she didn’t even ask the price, simply swiped her card and checked in.
Meanwhile, back at the shop after Ron left, Su Fan closed his eyes.
A cascade of system notifications appeared in his mind.
[You used swordsmanship to slay two Hellhounds. Swordsmanship proficiency +140!]
[You used Summoning to command thunder and lightning. Summoning proficiency +140!]
[You used Marrying Dreams to negate Paimon’s large-scale magic. Marrying Dreams proficiency +120!]
[You used Demon-Slaying to severely wound the demon god Paimon. Demon-Slaying proficiency +130!]
[You used a Five Thunder Talisman combined with lightning and Demon-Slaying to shatter Paimon’s three resurrection attempts! Talisman Compendium: 100%!]
Su Fan was very satisfied reading these notifications one by one.
Well, he had to admit, that demon god certainly lived up to his title.
The proficiency points he gained from that fight were incomparably higher than what he’d get from ordinary, low-level evil spirits.
However, what excited Su Fan most was the progress in his talisman arts.
[Talisman Compendium: 100% → Heavenly Talisman!]
[Heavenly Talisman: No need for paper, brush, ink, desk, or incense. Draw talismans in the void with skillful hands, achieving perfect results effortlessly!]
[Effects: Talisman power greatly increased, talisman drawing speed greatly increased, spiritual power consumption for drawing talismans in the void reduced.]
From now on, Su Fan could draw powerful talismans anytime, anywhere, for various purposes.
Compared to before, his methods for dealing with enemies were now far more flexible and versatile, and his ability to adapt to all kinds of emergencies was greatly enhanced!
“Finally,” Su Fan couldn’t help but sigh.
From mastering the basics of the Talisman Compendium to achieving the Heavenly Talisman—it had taken several months.
Initially, he thought that with his own comprehension, he could max out the progress bar in a little over a month.
But in reality, significant breakthroughs required key opportunities.
If it hadn’t been for this clash with Paimon, who knew how much longer it would have taken?
Su Fan got so excited that he couldn’t help but slap the armrest of the rocking chair.
But that single action triggered another wave of splitting headaches, causing him to grimace in pain.
After taking a deep breath, Su Fan focused on reviewing his other gains.
[You clashed with a high-ranking member of the 72 Demonic Gods, unleashing all your killing moves to annihilate his perfect vessel.]
[You severely wounded his spiritual form, forcing him into a frantic retreat and an extended period of hibernation.]
[Reward: Divine Ability — Transformation by Exhalation.]
[Transformation by Exhalation: Exhale a breath to cause an object to change.]
The description was simple, even somewhat sparse, but it set Su Fan’s heart racing.
He had previously been trying to learn this divine ability on his own by observing the tarot visions of that female ghost astrologer.
In Journey to the West, the Great Sage Sun Wukong would pluck a hair and with a gentle exhalation, transform it into various objects.
That very ability was Transformation by Exhalation.
Steadying his emotions, Su Fan continued reading and quickly noticed something different about the proficiency section.
[Transformation by Exhalation: 5%]
He hadn’t even used Transformation by Exhalation in combat or daily life yet, but he already had proficiency points.
It seemed the system had factored in the insights from his previous self-directed practice before he officially acquired the ability.
Excellent.
