Mei Qing carefully controlled a small flame of spiritual fire between his palms, slowly carving the shape of a talisman onto the peach wood tablet in front of him.
After Zhang Shisan’s explanation, Mei Qing had repeatedly pondered the techniques and now had a basic understanding of the fundamental methods of crafting artifacts.
Unlike drawing talismans, the incantations and gestures used in crafting artifacts were not particularly difficult. The most challenging part was actually purifying the materials and forming the core of the artifact.
Whether the material was wood, earth, or stone, it couldn’t simply be used raw. Especially lower-quality materials, which often contained many impurities and chaotic spiritual energy, had to be refined with spiritual fire before they could be used.
Forming the core of an artifact involved shaping the material and inscribing it with talismans. Mei Qing found this particularly frustrating, as doing both simultaneously was extremely difficult. When he asked Zhang Shisan for advice, he was promptly smacked on the head and scolded: “You idiot! If shaping it is too hard, just grab a knife and carve it! Even the talismans can be carved directly into it if you’re patient enough, as long as your technique is precise and your spiritual energy flows properly.”
Although Zhang Shisan’s explanation was overly simplistic, the underlying principle was sound. The true measure of an artifact lay in its final result. While artifacts made this way would certainly not be as refined as those created through spiritual fire, for beginners practicing their skills, such precision wasn’t strictly necessary.
Mei Qing’s first project was an artifact called Huan Ying (Shadow Swap), assigned by Zhang Shisan. This artifact allowed the user to instantly teleport between different locations. Even this initial purification step had already ruined over a dozen pieces of wood—either the fire was too strong or too weak. Mei Qing struggled with control, growing increasingly frustrated and even beginning to doubt whether Zhang Shisan was right: maybe he really wasn’t cut out for crafting artifacts.
Finally, after managing to purify one or two pieces successfully, the actual crafting proved even more chaotic. The moment he hesitated, one piece of peach wood burst into a puff of green smoke with a hissing sound, vanishing without a trace.
Was he really going to have to follow Zhang Shisan’s advice and just carve it with a knife? Mei Qing felt gloomy and lost in thought.
“Qing, what’s wrong?” Bi Zhen entered and immediately noticed Mei Qing’s troubled expression, rushing over to ask gently.
Bi Zhen had been quite comfortable staying at the Shi residence. While Mei Qing was constantly drilled by his two masters, barely finding a moment’s rest, Bi Zhen spent her time either practicing her own cultivation or being escorted by the Shi family to explore the surroundings. However, although she loved to play and explore, she lacked patience and quickly grew bored after a short while, so she began spending her days with Mei Qing instead. Later, finding Mei Qing’s attempts at crafting amusing, she went to seek instruction from both Zhang Shisan and Master Ku.
Her sudden interest in crafting caused quite a stir for the two reluctant mentors. A few days later, Bi Zhen hadn’t actually learned much about crafting, but she had managed to collect quite a few artifacts. Now, whenever Zhang Shisan or Master Ku saw this “goddess,” they would instinctively try to avoid her.
Since Bi Zhen couldn’t master crafting, she simply clung to her teachers, asking for each item they made. She never directly asked for anything, but would gently shake her teacher’s arm and stare longingly at the artifact in their hands, her expression a mix of desire and shyness. This usually softened the two men’s hearts, and they would often hand over the item without thinking. Later, they would regret it bitterly.
Mei Qing often felt amazed—while he struggled endlessly to create artifacts, Bi Zhen effortlessly acquired them without even asking. The difference between them was truly immeasurable.
“Hmph! Who told them not to let me stay with you?” Bi Zhen pouted angrily, then realizing what she had said, blushed slightly.
After arriving at the Shi residence, Zhang Shisan had specifically warned the two not to engage in dual cultivation for a while, fearing that their emotional attachment might interfere with their early-stage spiritual progress. This made the two young people feel both shy and frustrated. Unbeknownst to Mei Qing, Bi Zhen’s sudden spree of collecting items was also partly her way of getting back at them.
Seeing Bi Zhen’s blushing face, Mei Qing felt a sudden surge of affection. He dropped what he was holding and turned to embrace her: “Zhen’er, we haven’t… in days…”
“Don’t be silly!” Bi Zhen blushed furiously, struggling in his arms while glancing nervously around: “It’s broad daylight! Someone might see!”
Mei Qing chuckled, giving her a few playful pinches before finally letting her go. As they teased each other, Mei Qing noticed a new black beaded bracelet on her wrist, contrasting beautifully against her fair skin.
“This bracelet looks nice. Did Master Ku help you craft it?” Mei Qing asked.
“Yep! I got some Qing Lang stones from the old Taoist master and asked the monk master to help me craft it while I was learning from him,” Bi Zhen waved the bracelet in front of Mei Qing’s face: “Isn’t it pretty?”
“It is,” Mei Qing nodded, but as he examined the craftsmanship, his expression changed: “So Master Ku is also skilled in crafting techniques? This bracelet must be a defensive artifact. Each bead seems to contain a different illusion. An opponent with weak willpower might easily fall into its trap.”
“The monk master said it’s just something to fool people, but I like how it looks,” Bi Zhen didn’t seem to care much about its function, clearly more fond of its appearance: “He made it so easily—just looked at it for a moment, smiled, and it was done. He said this wasn’t really crafting, but part of his cultivation method.”
“Hmm?” Mei Qing’s interest was piqued. He turned to Bi Zhen: “Zhen’er, can I borrow this bracelet for a while?”
Bi Zhen giggled: “Borrow? If you like it, just take it.” She took it off and handed it to him.
Mei Qing shook his head. Lately, whenever Bi Zhen got something good, she would come running to show him, even offering to give him some of the better items. But Mei Qing had refused every time. If he couldn’t craft anything himself and had to rely on his wife to give him things, what was the point? He might as well go find a block of tofu and knock his head against it.
This time, however, Mei Qing was deeply intrigued by Master Ku’s approach to crafting. He decided to study the bracelet carefully, hoping to understand the technique behind it.
Master Ku’s method of crafting was vastly different from what Zhang Shisan had taught. Simply put, Master Ku had shaped the Qing Lang stones into a series of round beads, then forcibly sealed an illusion into each bead.
Then, he linked all the beads together, creating an entry point for Bi Zhen’s consciousness. This allowed her to activate the illusions with her willpower when needed, confusing the enemy’s senses and vision to protect herself.
There wasn’t a single talisman or carving on the entire bracelet, yet its effectiveness seemed to surpass Zhang Shisan’s teachings by far.
A sudden realization struck Mei Qing. It might not be fair to say that Master Ku’s crafting technique was superior to Zhang Shisan’s. Perhaps the real lesson Master Ku had given him through this bracelet was the realization that there might be a different, more suitable path for him in crafting artifacts.
Earlier, Zhang Shisan had repeatedly emphasized that there were countless techniques in crafting, each with its own subtleties. However, the method he taught was naturally based on the powerful talisman-based traditions of the Celestial Master Sect. As the sect relied on talismans as the foundation of their Daoist arts, their crafting and formation techniques inevitably bore the influence of talisman studies.
Zhang Shisan himself had spent his entire life immersed in talismans, so it was natural that his approach to teaching crafting would stem from that foundation. Although Mei Qing was hailed as a genius in talismans, his strength didn’t come from a solid foundation or deep knowledge, but rather from his ability to creatively apply his knowledge of ancient Daoist scripts and his flexible, unpredictable use of them—often breaking free from conventional constraints. However, in terms of pure talisman theory, even compared to ordinary disciples of the Celestial Master Sect, he might not be significantly more advanced.
Therefore, when Mei Qing tried to craft artifacts following Zhang Shisan’s method, his lack of foundational training became painfully apparent. The talisman genius had suddenly become a complete failure at crafting.
Since this path was proving too difficult, Mei Qing decided to take a detour. He wasn’t the kind of person to stubbornly stick to one method. Zhang Shisan had also said that crafting was ultimately a minor path—there was no need to obsess over every detail, as long as the final result was satisfactory.
Without hesitation, Mei Qing carefully held the bracelet and entered deep meditation.
“This is it?”
“This is it.”
“Qing, you’ve been working on this for so long, and it still looks so ugly?”
The object in Bi Zhen’s hand was the result of Mei Qing’s hard work—a modified version of Huan Ying.
“Artifacts aren’t meant to be admired for their looks. Come on, my dear wife, let me test it on you,” Mei Qing, helpless against Bi Zhen’s superficial judgment, decided to impress her with its actual effect.
In the back garden of the Shi residence…
Bi Zhen stared in shock as Mei Qing, under the relentless pursuit of her Lüe Mie Zan (Annihilation Pin), darted around like a butterfly or a ghost, instantly flashing across dozens of meters. His movements were completely unpredictable, shifting from east to west in an instant, each flash leaving behind two afterimages. Even with her full spiritual focus locked onto Mei Qing, she repeatedly lost track of him in the lightning-fast movements.
Mei Qing wasn’t even fighting back—he simply let Bi Zhen attack freely, yet she couldn’t even graze the edge of his robe. Bi Zhen, who had always prided herself on her vast collection of powerful artifacts and strong defenses, was now completely outmatched. The more she tried to catch him, the more elusive he became.
Mei Qing, naturally, was quite pleased with himself. He hadn’t expected such immediate results from his first attempt. Wanting to show off in front of Bi Zhen, he pushed his movements to their limit, filling the area with his flickering figures. It became nearly impossible to follow him, even with the eyes.
However, Mei Qing failed to notice that the newly crafted “Huan Ying” token, under his full power, was gradually darkening in color. Its surface grew hot, and a faint wisp of smoke began to rise from it.
Just as Mei Qing let out a sharp cry, his body split into four, appearing simultaneously at four points dozens of meters apart. Each figure was clearly visible, even to Bi Zhen’s spiritual senses. In the blink of an eye, they each flashed to four new locations.
But at that exact moment, the “Huan Ying” token, unable to withstand the immense pressure, let out a sharp crack and shattered into pieces.
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