Han Li, overjoyed, carefully tucked away the wooden box containing the “Golden Bamboo Pen” as he made his way back to his building.
He had traded three bottles of “Yellow Dragon Pills” and four bottles of “Golden Marrow Pills” with the young girl in exchange for this treasure and a bag of Seven-Star Grass seeds. Afterward, he casually bought some cinnabar at other stalls before hurrying back, eager to begin his talisman-making endeavor.
After breaking through the restrictive spell and entering the small building, Han Li noticed the young monk was still deep in meditation. Not wanting to disturb him, Han Li quietly went up to the second floor and returned to his room.
He laid out the talisman paper and cinnabar neatly on the table, then took out the Golden Bamboo Pen and immersed himself in crafting the “Tranquil Spirit Talisman.”
Following the method described in the Tranquil Spirit Technique, he slowly channeled his spiritual power through his right hand into the pen, dipped the tip into some cinnabar, and began drawing the talisman symbols on a sheet of talisman paper.
A quarter of an hour later, Han Li straightened up with a pleased expression, stretching his sore back. He gazed delightedly at the shimmering silver talisman on the table.
From its appearance, this talisman looked exactly like the one Master Mo had used. Although the spiritual energy it contained was somewhat faint, it was still far superior to the shoddy imitations Han Li had made during his practice sessions. After all, those practice talismans had only resembled the real thing in shape and contained no spiritual power whatsoever.
Han Li excitedly examined the newly crafted talisman. Satisfied, he prepared to test the Tranquil Spirit Technique. But before he could even begin chanting the incantation, the spiritual energy within the talisman suddenly became chaotic, showing signs of erupting violently.
Startled, Han Li instinctively threw the talisman away.
With a soft *pfft*, the Tranquil Spirit Talisman spontaneously combusted in mid-air, turning into a ball of flames and burning to ashes.
Han Li stared blankly at the empty space before him, speechless. After a long moment, he sighed. It seemed this talisman had still failed.
Though somewhat discouraged, Han Li hadn’t lost confidence. He felt that the previous talisman had been very close to success, and he believed that with a bit more effort and a few more attempts, he would surely succeed.
Thus, over the next half-day, Han Li crafted one Tranquil Spirit Talisman after another, only to fail repeatedly.
Some of the talismans spontaneously combusted, others suddenly exploded, and some simply lost all their spiritual energy the moment they were completed, turning into useless scraps of paper.
When Han Li watched the last talisman he had just finished shatter into pieces with a *snap*, even his usually calm demeanor broke. He looked up at the ceiling and suddenly burst out, “Damn heavens, are you mocking me? Out of a dozen talisman papers, at least one should have succeeded! This is only a low-tier Tranquil Spirit Talisman! Did I pick the wrong day or something?”
After venting, Han Li felt the frustration in his heart ease considerably, and his mood improved slightly.
He then tilted his head in thought, glancing at the nearly depleted cinnabar box and the Golden Bamboo Pen on the table. He doubted the problem lay with these tools, as his spiritual power flowed smoothly into the pen, and the cinnabar retained vibrant spiritual energy when applied to the talisman paper—neither seemed counterfeit.
Unable to pinpoint the reason, Han Li pondered for a moment before deciding to ask the young monk for advice. It was then that Han Li realized how crucial it was to have a mentor or senior on the path of cultivation, and he began to seriously consider finding a master.
After listening to Han Li’s complaints about his failed talisman-making, the young monk stared at him with an unusually peculiar expression, as if a beautiful little white flower had suddenly bloomed on Han Li’s face.
Unnerved by the monk’s gaze, Han Li wondered if he had said something wrong to warrant such a reaction.
“Patron Han, I’m afraid you know very little about talisman-making,” the young monk finally spoke.
“Master Ku Sang is right. This is my first time making talismans,” Han Li admitted honestly.
“Among us cultivators, very few actually make their own talismans. Most people simply trade for or buy the talismans they need at various markets. Even those from major families do the same.”
“Why?” Han Li asked, surprised.
“It’s simple,” the monk replied with a smile. “There are very few experienced professional talisman-makers, and the cost of training a qualified talisman-maker is exorbitant. Only the major cultivation sects have the resources to nurture them.”
“Patron Han, you feel frustrated after failing more than a dozen times, don’t you?” the monk asked.
“Yes! The cost of materials alone is enough to buy several ready-made Tranquil Spirit Talismans!” Han Li said with frustration.
“But did you know,” the monk continued, “it’s completely normal for beginners to fail hundreds of times when first learning talisman-making? For those with poorer aptitude, failing several hundred times isn’t even unusual! Only after attempting a thousand times or more does the success rate gradually improve—and that’s only for one type of talisman. If they switch to a different talisman, the failure rate remains astonishingly high, though not quite as bad as when they first started. So, without tens of thousands of practice attempts, it’s impossible to train a qualified talisman-maker. Just think, Patron Han, how many people can afford such material losses? Even the major cultivation sects can only train talisman-makers to produce low-level talismans. If they tried to practice intermediate-level talismans, even the great sects would go bankrupt from the cost. After all, the higher the level of the talisman, the more expensive the materials.”
Han Li was stunned by the monk’s explanation.
“Then why are there stalls selling cinnabar and talisman paper?” Han Li asked, still puzzled.
“Hehe! Those materials are sold to those practicing Talisman Techniques,” the young monk explained with a laugh.
“Talisman Techniques?” Han Li was confused.
“These are techniques like the Tranquil Spirit Technique you’re learning—spells that require pre-drawn talismans to activate. Unlike regular talismans, which store spells for convenient use, Talisman Techniques require not only spiritual power to activate but also specific incantations. However, the incantations are generally simple and easy to learn.”
“Since Talisman Techniques often require the same type of talisman, practitioners find it more economical to make their own. Though the cost is still significant, it’s manageable since they only need to master one type. So, if you plan to use the Tranquil Spirit Technique frequently, it’s better to make your own talismans in the long run. But if you won’t use it often, it’s wiser to just buy a few Tranquil Spirit Talismans for backup,” the monk advised thoughtfully.
“Thank you for your guidance, Master Ku Sang!” Han Li said sincerely, bowing deeply.
“You’re too kind, Patron Han!” the monk hurriedly returned the bow.
“This young monk is quite approachable. If I have more questions in the future, I should definitely seek his advice,” Han Li thought to himself as he returned to his room.
“Specializing in talisman-making is impossible for now. I’ll just buy a few Tranquil Spirit Talismans when I have the chance. Right now, my Eternal Spring Art has already reached the peak of the eighth layer. With the subsequent layers’ techniques, it’s time to break through the bottleneck and advance to the ninth layer. I also need to practice the new spells I’ve acquired. Mastering them sooner will strengthen my abilities.”
By the time Han Li pushed open his door, he had already planned his next steps.
In the days that followed, Han Li spent his days indoors consuming large quantities of pills, meditating, and cultivating his Eternal Spring Art. At night, he ventured to secluded spots in the valley to practice his newly acquired spells:
“Quicksand Technique,” “Freezing Technique,” “Levitation Technique,” “Entanglement Technique,” “Message Technique,” “Concealment Technique,” “Spark Technique,” and the most challenging of all, “Earth Spike Technique.”
After more than ten days of rigorous cultivation, Han Li finally broke through to the ninth layer of the Eternal Spring Art just before the end of the Tai Nan Gathering, leaving Wu Jiu Zhi and the others utterly astonished. Daoist Qing Wen even praised Han Li as a rare genius among rogue cultivators!
But Han Li knew the truth—without those dozen or so bottles of pills, he would never have broken through so easily. However, his supply of pills was running low, and he realized it was time to prepare another batch.
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