Second-Tier Power, Blazing Sun Fire Serpent Talisman!

Rustle, rustle-

A gentle breeze rippled through the rice field, waves of stalks brushing against Li Ye as he stood among them. The blood scent and the fragrance of rice filled the field, nearly drowning him in their mingled smells.

For an ordinary person unaccustomed to it, that contradictory smell could have been strong enough to make them faint. To him, it was merely part of daily life.

He took a deep breath, his expression at ease and content.

[You tended the first-tier Spirit Plant, Blood Li Rice, with exquisite skill, allowing it to grow strong. Experience +0.1...]

[...]

With the final panel notification appearing, all four mu of Blood Li Rice had once again given him their corresponding rewards.

With the situation changing and turmoil imminent, any opportunity to improve himself might become something he could rely on to protect himself in the days ahead. Each was exceedingly precious.

This way, I can improve both talismans and Gu Technique once...

Li Ye murmured inwardly, feeling helpless.

He had no shortage of high-quality Wood Essence Pills. A few days before the new year, he had already forced his cultivation through to Qi Refining Sixth Level by swallowing pills!

His original plan had been to put all the experience from this harvest, and even those after it, into the Dao of Alchemy, raising it as high as possible to prepare for his breakthrough to Late-Stage Qi Refinement and even for the Foundation Establishment Pill he would need to break through to Foundation Establishment.

But in the present circumstances, even if he advanced further in the Dao of Alchemy, it would not be enough to help him break through in the short term.

Improving his combat strength as quickly as possible was clearly more practical.

With that in mind, and no one else around the spirit fields, he simply opened his panel.

[Name: Li Ye]

[Spirit Root: Low-Grade Earth-Wood Spirit Root]

[Remaining lifespan: 72 years (lifespan reduced by 3 years from overdrawing vital essence)]

[Skills: planting, first-tier upper grade (627/3000); alchemy, first-tier middle grade (195/5000); artifact refining, not initiated (12/2000); talismans, first-tier middle grade (342/3000); Gu Technique, not initiated (263/1800)]

[Plant Spiritual Essence: Jade Sprout Spiritual Essence *146, Blood Li Spiritual Essence *72, Blazing Sun Spirit Essence *7]

[Spiritual Essence trait: Vitality, level 1]

[Experience: 5732]

The facts proved that, as long as Li Ye was willing to expend the resources, he could rely on his own efforts and the panel's assistance to steadily improve his Dao of Alchemy.

It was just that the results came a little too slowly to keep up with his actual needs.

With a thought, he put experience into the two skills, [Talismans] and [Gu Technique]. A tide of inspiration suddenly surged from the depths of Li Ye's soul, engulfing his consciousness and becoming part of his accumulated skill.

"Now I should be able to use Blazing Sun Spirit Essence on higher-level talismans..."

Li Ye sorted through his improved skills, a hint of excitement in his voice.

If he succeeded, the power of the talismans he drew using Blazing Sun Spirit Essence this time should be a good deal stronger than that Blazing Sun Fireball Talisman he had risked making before!

As for his other methods, Gu insects could supplement them.

As his wealth grew from selling pills, he had naturally begun studying that incomplete Gu Technique inheritance. Though he had gained little, he had accumulated quite a few relevant materials.

Now he could use them to refine some new Gu and try to finish refining the incomplete Gu insects Xiong Yinxiu had left behind!

[Talismans, first-tier upper grade (0/4000)]

[Gu Technique, first-tier lower grade (0/2500)]

Seeing the experience required after the two skills on the panel had improved, Li Ye felt a little regretful.

"I've only got a little over a thousand experience left. That's not enough to raise Gu Technique another level. Otherwise, I could definitely be better prepared..."

"Forget it. Bite off more than you can chew, and you can't swallow it. This will have to do for now!"

Just as he had told Elder Ji, even though people could now enter and leave the sect freely again, Li Ye had no intention of going out.

Apart from his daily visits to the spirit fields on the back mountain, he spent most of his time in the underground quiet room.

He had already begun the preliminary feeding and nurturing of each Gu insect that needed to be refined anew or brought to completion.

Once the insects, stimulated by the Secret Method, devoured one another and absorbed the various materials, meeting the conditions, he would be able to refine them.

Aside from his daily cultivation, he devoted all his remaining free time to drawing talismans.

In just two days, he had replenished all the different kinds of talismans he kept on hand. He had also tried making top-grade first-tier talismans, such as protective talismans and Fire Serpent Talismans, which could only be made after reaching the first-tier upper-grade level.

He had already placed several precious protective talismans beneath his robes, ready to activate on their own when an external attack struck.

After drawing so many talismans, he was in peak form and could begin a new round of attempts to use Blazing Sun Spirit Essence.

"Although my original approach was a little risky, there was nothing wrong with it..."

"Blazing Sun Spirit Essence is pure essence Qi, blazing and full of yang. In essence, it almost reaches the second tier!"

"Although its plant nature makes it somewhat too gentle for attacks, it's just right for me..."

"Since all Plant Spiritual Essence is under my complete control, I can mix it with my Law Power and draw talismans almost without hindrance, greatly increasing the power of talismans whose attributes match it!"

"Hmm... The only thing is, the talisman paper has to be a grade higher too."

As he went over the approach he had used to draw the Blazing Sun Fireball Talisman, Li Ye felt a pang at the expense.

During his first attempt, he had used ordinary talisman paper. Halfway through, it had been unable to contain the power of the Blazing Sun Spirit Essence and had collapsed and burned to ashes.

Unlike Li Ye's previous failed talismans, which had merely lost their Law Power and ruined the materials without causing any trouble,

the power that escaped from the paper that time had exploded outright, nearly blowing the entire talisman-making room down!

If Li Ye had not made some progress in body refinement, that blast might have seriously injured him!

That was perhaps the drawback of using Blazing Sun Spirit Essence to draw talismans.

Still, it had also made him realize how powerful it was.

Afterward, he had gritted his teeth and paid a hefty sum for some talisman paper specially prepared from Demon Beast hide. He had then succeeded in making two in succession.

He had used one to test its power.

With a single strike, an orange-red fireball shot through with gold blasted a large crater into the mountain rock. The stone inside melted, and blazing Spiritual Qi continued to burn fiercely.

Its power was probably even greater than that of a top-grade first-tier talisman!

Li Ye reckoned that if a Late-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator without a defensive Law Artifact of at least middle grade took that hit, they would most likely be at death's door on the spot!

Even a Fireball Talisman could be improved that much. How terrifying would a Fire Serpent Talisman be?

With that thought, Li Ye calmed himself, drew out a wisp of Blazing Sun Spirit Essence and took it into his body. Wrapping it in Law Power, he sent it into his talisman brush and began drawing on the beast-hide talisman paper laid out before him.

He proceeded with utmost care, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

Even as the Blazing Sun Spirit Essence steadily scorched his Law Power and invaded his meridians, his expression did not change, and he remained wholly focused.

Even the power unleashed by a failed Fireball Talisman was that terrifying. If a Fire Serpent Talisman's Law Power nodes failed and erupted, it might really blast him half to death!

But perhaps the experience he had accumulated before had paid off. Even when the first wisp of Blazing Sun Spirit Essence ran out halfway through and he had to add a second, Li Ye made no mistakes.

He actually completed the talisman without a hitch!

He put down the brush and took a few gentle steps back. Looking at the talisman on the table, which gave off a faint, scorching presence, he felt his surprise and delight steadily grow.

This presence of power, faintly suppressing me...

There's absolutely no mistake!

This Fire Serpent Talisman has actually reached the second tier!

Li Ye picked up the talisman and admired it, his voice full of wonder.

"Blazing Sun Fire Serpent Talisman... After farming for more than a year, I've finally grown myself a trump card to save my life!"

Who knew which fool would come blundering into it!