Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method

Looking at the talismans beneath the counter, Zhou Yi asked the clerk inside, "Excuse me, do you buy talismans here?"

The clerk had clearly heard this question more than once and promptly gave an answer.

"If they're blue talismans, you can exchange them here. If they're yellow talismans, you'll need to go to the second floor."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi was overjoyed. As long as he found a cultivation method for a talisman master's breakthrough at the Provincial Governor's Office, he could begin preparing to make blue talismans. With the panel's assistance, drawing talismans should not be difficult for him.

At the thought of it, Zhou Yi wished he could rush to the Provincial Governor's Office at once. But Uncle Du had told him that tomorrow would be his official first day, so Zhou Yi could only shake his head.

After thanking the clerk, Zhou Yi lost interest in continuing to browse. After all, he could not afford a single thing. Once he left Treasure Pavilion, Zhou Yi headed straight home.

He quietly waited at home for the next day to arrive.

The next day, after putting on his Provincial Governor's Office uniform, Zhou Yi hurried there. Upon reaching the eastern courtyard, he found Uncle Du in his study.

"Uncle Du, can I go to the Scripture Repository?"

Du Wei looked somewhat puzzled. "What are you going to the Scripture Repository for?"

"I want to learn a Spiritual Skill. When I fought last night, using Strength Channeling Realm techniques always felt awkward."

Du Wei was a little astonished. He had not expected Zhou Yi to have slain that Head-Devouring Ghost using only Strength Channeling Realm martial techniques. After glancing at Zhou Yi, Du Wei said, "You already have five hundred anomaly points. Why not save them to exchange for a cultivation method first? After all, that concerns your breakthrough into the Vitality Realm."

Zhou Yi shook his head.

Seeing Zhou Yi persist so stubbornly, Du Wei gave him his identity badge and told him the location and rules of the Scripture Repository.

After receiving the identity badge, Zhou Yi thanked Uncle Du, then hurried to the Scripture Repository at a rapid pace.

Upon arriving at the Scripture Repository, Zhou Yi walked straight in.

Layer upon layer of shelves stood inside the Scripture Repository. Box after box rested on those shelves, and each box bore an introduction to the book contained within.

According to what Uncle Du had told him, these boxes were made from an exceptionally hard kind of stone. If anyone forcibly opened one, it would not only make a tremendous noise but also destroy the secret manual inside.

Zhou Yi went to the section containing books related to talisman masters and read through them one by one. Before long, he found the Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method nearby. Zhou Yi glanced at the anomaly point price marked on the box.

It actually required three hundred points. The price was affordable, but after exchanging for it, Zhou Yi would be unable to exchange for a Spiritual Skill. Gritting his teeth, Zhou Yi still decided to exchange for it. As for Spiritual Skills, once he learned how to make blue talismans, he could buy them at Treasure Pavilion. Zhou Yi memorized the box number.

Next, Zhou Yi examined the methods for crafting various talismans. The crafting method for a blue talisman generally cost between thirty and fifty anomaly points. Naturally, some exceeded that price; such blue talismans were usually tremendously powerful and difficult to craft.

Based on his remaining anomaly points, Zhou Yi exchanged for three kinds of blue talismans: the Corpse Suppressing Talisman, Spirit Suppressing Talisman, and Exorcism Talisman, which he had seen at Treasure Pavilion and which sold rather well. These cost Zhou Yi a full one hundred and fifty anomaly points.

Next, Zhou Yi intended to use what remained to exchange for talisman-drawing tools and Talisman Paper.

At this point, Zhou Yi had spent all his anomaly points.

After memorizing the box numbers, Zhou Yi went outside the Scripture Repository and found the exchange counter. Once he gave the box numbers and named the tools he wanted to exchange for, someone quickly brought the items over. Since the items from the Scripture Repository could not be passed on, the person at the exchange counter took out a piece of talisman paper called an Oath Talisman, and Zhou Yi dripped blood onto it.

Uncle Du had told him about this as well. Once someone leaked a cultivation method from the Scripture Repository, the Oath Talisman would take effect. The person who leaked it would suffer severe injuries, and all official institutions would be authorized to apprehend them.

Zhou Yi did not care. The cultivation method was for his own cultivation anyway.

After taking his things, Zhou Yi eagerly returned home. Sitting on the chair before his desk, Zhou Yi opened the Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method.

After reading for a while, Zhou Yi opened the panel's miscellaneous section.

Breath Concealment Technique (Mastery)

Basic Compendium of Talismans

Basic Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method (Mastery)

Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method + (Uninitiated)

The Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method had appeared on it. Zhou Yi looked at his Yin Energy: a total of five hundred and ninety-nine points. Without further hesitation, Zhou Yi focused his mind on the plus sign beside the Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method.

A cool breath surged from Zhou Yi's head. In only an instant, he opened his eyes. A lightning-like gleam flashed through them before they returned to normal. His perception had strengthened again.

Then Zhou Yi looked at the panel. There were four hundred and ninety-nine points of Yin Energy left. It seemed advancing to Grand Talisman Master had cost only one hundred points of Yin Energy. Seeing that the plus sign behind the Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method was still there—

Zhou Yi focused his mind and pressed it again, three times in a row. His mind instantly became clear and empty; even with his eyes closed, he could see the world outside.

When he came back to his senses, Zhou Yi discovered that his spiritual power could actually extend beyond his body. Though it was very weak, Zhou Yi was still delighted beyond measure. He tried using his spiritual power to lift the book before him.

At first, the book merely twitched. But as Zhou Yi grew more familiar with it, the book was actually lifted by his spiritual power. Though it trembled and wobbled, Zhou Yi's heart filled with joy at seeing the book rise before his eyes without him touching it.

Clack~

The book fell to the floor. He had been too happy just now, causing an error in his control of his spiritual power.

After calming himself, Zhou Yi looked at the panel again. The Yin Energy on the panel had already fallen to one hundred and ninety-nine points, while his spiritual power had directly risen to fifty points. At the same time, he had cultivated the Advanced Essence Refining and Spirit Manifestation Method to mastery. He just did not know whether this Yin Energy would still be enough to continue learning talismans.

Then Zhou Yi took out the book recording talisman-crafting methods from beside him. He first read the secret manual that recorded how to draw the Corpse Suppressing Talisman. After reading it once, the Corpse Suppressing Talisman appeared on the panel. Like the cultivation method, it was marked Uninitiated, with a plus sign beside it.

It seemed his remaining Yin Energy could still be used to improve it. Zhou Yi focused his mind on the plus sign behind the Corpse Suppressing Talisman.

In the blink of an eye, the Corpse Suppressing Talisman changed to Initiated, while five points of Yin Energy were consumed. It seemed learning talismans did not consume much Yin Energy.

Zhou Yi directly raised the Corpse Suppressing Talisman to mastery. Seeing his Yin Energy drop by forty-five points at once, Zhou Yi understood. Raising the proficiency of a blue talisman to mastery only required fifty points of Yin Energy. Looking at the one hundred and forty-nine points of Yin Energy remaining on the panel, Zhou Yi decided to directly max out the proficiency of the other two talismans as well.

After a round of operations, Zhou Yi had raised all three talismans to mastery, and the Yin Energy on the panel had fallen to forty-nine points.

Zhou Yi looked at the panel with satisfaction. Everything related to talismans had been raised to mastery.

With all preparations complete, Zhou Yi took out the talisman-drawing tools he had exchanged for at the Scripture Repository, along with ten sheets of blue Talisman Paper. Taking a deep breath, Zhou Yi calmed himself down.

He then arranged the talisman-drawing tools one by one atop the desk. There were not many things: a wolf-hair brush, a chunk of bright-red cinnabar, an inkstone, and a paperweight.

At this point, all the tools had been arranged.

He placed the cinnabar into the inkstone and ground it into powder. After adding water, the inkstone was filled with crimson. He dipped the brush into it, laid out the talisman paper, and held it down with the paperweight. Zhou Yi began to write.

With mastery-level proficiency, Zhou Yi was not worried that he would fail at drawing talismans too many times. It was merely a matter of time. As the brush moved across the talisman paper, one rune after another gradually formed beneath its tip. Finally, with a single stroke, he linked all the runes together. Only then was a talisman complete.

Zhou Yi stopped writing. A red gleam flashed over the runes on the talisman, and Zhou Yi felt as if his mind had briefly gone blank.

Zhou Yi quickly opened the panel.

Name: Zhou Yi

Race: Human (10%)

Vitality: 39

Spirit: 50 (49)

Cultivation Methods: Tongming Record (Mastery), Primordial Pile (Mastery)

Techniques: Body Tempering Saber Art, Movement Technique, Miscellaneous

Divine Ability: Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill (First Layer)

Yin Energy: 49

Exotic Qi: Qi (25)

Sure enough, Zhou Yi looked at the number in parentheses. His spirit was now at forty-nine points. It seemed drawing each talisman consumed one point of spirit. He just did not know whether it could recover.

Zhou Yi did not continue drawing. Instead, he waited to see how his spirit changed.

After waiting for about half an hour, Zhou Yi's spirit finally returned to fifty points. Seeing that it could recover through rest, Zhou Yi continued drawing talismans.

In the end, Zhou Yi obtained a full nine talismans. As for the failed one, Zhou Yi had grown impatient midway through drawing it, causing the talisman to fail. Even so, such a high success rate left Zhou Yi ecstatic, and he immediately wanted to take these talismans to Treasure Pavilion to exchange them.

But when he glanced at the sky, it had already begun to darken. He had not expected drawing these few talismans to take so long. Zhou Yi had no choice but to suppress the urge in his heart and prepare to go to Treasure Pavilion tomorrow.

Zhou Yi put the talismans away, placed them in a box, and set it on his desk.