Talisman Making

Just as Song Qingming felt he had found a path to fortune, he soon discovered that he had been thinking too simply. Aside from the first two times, when his formations sold smoothly, he only managed to sell one set at the next several gatherings. After that, no one showed any interest.

It was not that there was anything wrong with the formations he made. It was simply that each gathering at Caolu Mountain had only fifty or sixty people, most of them regular customers who often came here.

For ordinary cultivators, one set of formations was generally enough. Like artifacts, they could be used for a long time without being damaged. Besides, not everyone needed them.

With several sets of formations still in hand, he had no choice but to ask the family to take them to Qinghe Market and dispose of them. When the shrewd Fourth Elder saw such a pile of formations, he was deeply suspicious that Song Qingming had not refined them himself. Song Qingming had to come up with several excuses before he managed to brush the matter aside.

Low-grade formations already had slim profits. Making too many at once could easily make people suspicious of their source, and Caolu Mountain's market was too small, while Qinghe Market was too far away.

This could not go on. If he wanted to earn Spirit Stones, he had to change his approach.

If he wanted to stop worrying about sales for the time being, he could only make items that were common in marketplaces and consumed in large quantities.

After thinking it over and over, the only things that suited his needs were pills and talismans. Compared with Alchemy, the Way of Talismans was clearly more suitable for him at present.

Talismans were also common consumables. They could be used in battles, Demon Hunting, and cultivation. Low-grade talismans were basically single-use consumables, and market demand was enormous. No matter which marketplace it was, having a few more low-tier Talisman Masters would hardly affect the market.

Alchemists placed greater emphasis on talent and also required massive investment before results could be seen. Every family would only choose those with talent in this field to cultivate.

In comparison, Talisman Masters had far lower requirements. In the early stages of Talisman Making, talent was not especially important. As long as one was willing to spend the time, getting started was not difficult.

Talisman Making was also one of the Hundred Cultivation Arts most commonly chosen by cultivators. Ordinary cultivators would generally learn this skill upon reaching the Late Qi Refining Stage. The Song Family's inheritance in the Way of Talismans was fairly good as well; the clan alone had two high-grade Talisman Masters.

Without further delay, Song Qingming took out the Talisman Making materials he had prepared long ago: a family-inherited manual on Talisman Making, a silver Low-grade Talisman Brush, a jar of cinnabar made from Demonic Beast Blood, and several dozen blank Talisman Papers.

He had exchanged for all of these at the Treasury Pavilion a few days ago. The family's management of its inheritance in the Way of Talismans was not particularly strict. Regardless of one's talent for Talisman Making, one could easily obtain it by spending five Merit Points in the Treasury Pavilion.

When Song Qingming exchanged for the talisman inheritance, the Fourth Elder had merely cautioned him a few times not to become obsessed with cultivation arts and neglect his cultivation.

After arranging the Talisman Papers and cinnabar separately on the table, Song Qingming picked up the silver Talisman Brush and began working on his first Calming Heart Talisman.

Most First-grade Low-tier Spirit Talismans were support-type talismans, and the Calming Heart Talisman was among the most ordinary. After being used, it could calm one's heart and settle one's spirit for a short time, allowing one to swiftly focus the divine sense within the body while cultivating cultivation techniques.

It had some effect whether one was breaking through in cultivation, refining pills, or refining artifacts. Most cultivators would keep several on hand, and this talisman was also the most common low-grade Spirit Talisman on the market.

Following the talisman-making method recorded in the manual, Song Qingming dipped the brush tip into the red cinnabar, circulated the spiritual power in his body, and slowly poured it into the brush handle in his hand. On a blank Talisman Paper, he began drawing the talisman inscription.

Back when Song Qingming had studied the Way of Formations in the family, it had taken a year of careful personal instruction from the clan elders before he could get started. If he had been a Rogue Cultivator with no one to teach him, he might not have reached the entry level even after three years.

Although Talisman Making was one of the simpler cultivation arts, for a beginner to completely draw a qualified Spirit Talisman was not something that could be perfected overnight.

After an entire day, Song Qingming had drawn eight Spirit Talismans in succession, but none met the required standard. Excluding those that failed halfway through, he had only completed two. Unfortunately, though these two talismans gleamed with silver light on the surface, the spiritual power contained within them was extremely thin.

Song Qingming held the Spirit Talismans in his hand and examined them carefully for a while. Then he formed a hand seal and recited an incantation. The Spirit Talisman in his hand immediately blazed with silver light, and a cool breath of Spiritual Energy swiftly spread from his palm. Yet before long, the spiritual power within the talisman suddenly became chaotic and erupted. Flames abruptly flashed across the talisman, turning it into a ball of fire that burned itself to nothing in an instant.

Looking at the sole clump of ashes left in his hand, Song Qingming revealed a helpless bitter smile. I really am still far from it.

From then on, aside from his daily patrols of Lingyuan Mountain, Song Qingming spent all his time learning Talisman Making. Not only did he often seek guidance from Song Changxin, he also made a special trip to Mujiao Town to consult his Aunt Song Changling, the high-grade Talisman Master with the greatest talent for Talisman Making in the clan.

With the Incomplete Map accelerating the recovery of his spiritual power, the Talisman Making materials that should have lasted a month were completely used up in less than ten days.

After diligently tilling away, Song Qingming finally reaped a harvest. The four Calming Heart Talismans in his hand were the most perfect among the more than one hundred he had made over the past ten-odd days. After carefully testing another one, sensing the spiritual power contained within the talisman and its effect after use, he revealed a satisfied smile.

Song Qingming rose with delight on his face and stretched his somewhat sore body. Looking at the three remaining Spirit Talismans glittering with silver light in his hand, he could not help feeling pained. Materials worth more than ten Spirit Stones had yielded only three Calming Heart Talismans. Though he had expected it, the early investment in Spirit Stones still made his heart ache.

After more than ten days of learning Talisman Making, over one hundred sets of Talisman materials had produced only four successful talismans. According to marketplace prices, at least twenty Spirit Talismans had to be made from one hundred sets of materials just to break even. An ordinary Talisman Master generally needed two years on average to reach that level, with an initial investment of at least one hundred Spirit Stones.

In other words, an ordinary Talisman Master would need at least three or four years before they could earn Spirit Stones through this skill. And that was for the easiest art to learn, Talisman Making. There was even less need to mention things like Alchemy, which demanded still greater investment. Without ten or twenty years of heavy investment, there would be no return in sight at all.

Having obtained three Calming Heart Talismans, Song Qingming was not in a hurry to make more of the same kind. Instead, he opened the family's Talisman Making manual and began making another kind of Spirit Talisman, the Fireball Talisman. According to the teachings of the clan elders, trying more varieties of talismans would make it easier to master the spiritual power used while wielding the brush.

It was not until two months later that Song Qingming finally touched the threshold of a Low-tier Talisman Master, raising his success rate in Talisman Making to nearly twenty percent.

On Caolu Mountain, Song Qingming, dressed in a green robe, arrived at the gathering place early. He chose a spot somewhat closer to the center, skillfully set up a wooden sign, and laid out a pile of spiritual items on his stall. Then he picked up a Talisman Handbook he had bought nearby last time and began reading it closely.

It had to be said that Caolu Mountain had some reputation in the northeastern region of Qinghe County. Over the past few months, Song Qingming had seen quite a few cultivators from the major families in the surrounding area. Even the Song Family, more than a hundred li away, had several elders who came here to purchase spiritual items.

By now, he was thoroughly familiar with the process here. Arriving early allowed him to secure a better stall location, but although the best spots in the middle were still vacant, he did not dare occupy them casually.

Having come here seven or eight times, no one had needed to tell him for him to notice that the few spots in the middle were always reserved for several Late Qi Refining Stage Cultivators who frequented the place. Naturally, Song Qingming did not dare greedily take these vacant spots and inexplicably offend people of higher cultivation.

Half an hour later, several dozen more cultivators gradually arrived at the mountaintop. There seemed to be more people attending this gathering than usual. Song Qingming was pleased that he had come early and claimed a good spot; in less than half an hour, he had already sold more than ten talismans of various kinds.

After more than two months of study, he had now learned to make five or six kinds of Spirit Talismans and could be considered a true Talisman Master.

The Way of Talismans was relatively easy to enter, but to become a qualified Low-tier Talisman Master, one had to be able to make at least eight kinds of Spirit Talismans and maintain a twenty percent success rate.

"Fellow Daoist, are you looking to purchase some pills?"

"As long as they are pills that can improve cultivation, they can be exchanged at equal value for the spiritual items on my stall."

After speaking, Song Qingming put down the Manual in his hand and looked up at the newcomer. To his surprise, this person was one of his old customers, and he quickly smiled.

This man's name was Qin Zhen. He was a Rogue Cultivator who hunted demons in Yunwu Mountain year-round. He had also gathered several people under him and often organized groups to venture deep into Yunwu Mountain.

During the months Song Qingming had been setting up his stall on Caolu Mountain, whenever Qin Zhen came, he would purchase many talismans, especially the Calming Heart Talismans from Song Qingming's stall.