The Beginning of Talisman Crafting

There were three thousand Great Daos, and every path could lead to immortality.

The same was true of these side professions in the Cultivation World. In essence, none stood above the others, yet their difficulty of entry in the early stages differed as vastly as heaven and earth.

Alchemy and artifact refinement—one plundered the essence accumulated by spiritual herbs over centuries and millennia, while the other used treasures of heaven and earth or the scales and claws of demon beasts. The materials consumed by both were exorbitantly costly. Without a sect or clan as backing, one should not even dream of pursuing either profession.

Beast taming and spiritual plant cultivation appeared worlds apart, but their core was actually the same.

Whether raising spirit beasts or planting spiritual herbs, as long as one followed the rules, there was basically no risk of failure. The only problem was that profits came far too slowly, while the time cost paid by cultivators was too great. In truth, these were better suited for cultivation factions with territory to manage.

Formations and talisman crafting, meanwhile—the former was profound and difficult to understand. Though the various materials it required were not expensive per unit, the quantities consumed were enormous.

Fortunately, even if setting up a formation failed, only a small portion of those materials would be ruined. Otherwise, playing with formations would consume even more Spirit Stones than alchemy or artifact refinement.

In truth, Luo Hong was deeply interested in the Path of Formations. Of the six major side professions, formations most directly revealed the fundamental principles of heaven and earth, and also placed the lowest demands on the cultivator's cultivation.

Even a cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage might still comprehend a grand formation capable of making an Old Monster of the Nascent Soul Realm gasp in amazement.

The reason Luo Hong had settled for talisman crafting instead was simply because his pockets were empty.

Mr. Lu Xun had once said: fill your belly first, then pursue art.

After entering the market, Luo Hong headed straight for Heavenly Crafts Tower. It was a large shop specializing in the products of various cultivation side professions, and likewise a place where cultivators purchased all kinds of raw materials for those professions.

Qi Refining Level Seven was still far too low in the Cultivation World, and Luo Hong possessed no powerful treasures. So although this market was controlled by Yellow Maple Valley, he still set himself a six-word policy: get in fast, get out fast, get back fast.

Like most large shops, Heavenly Crafts Tower had two floors. The lower floor sold ordinary goods, while the upper floor held expensive premium items and perhaps even treasures.

This separated cultivators with vastly different cultivation levels, allowing both sides to browse and purchase goods more comfortably.

Luo Hong had no intention of going to the second floor. He merely swept his eyes over the dazzling array of goods on the first floor before going directly to a clerk and naming what he wanted.

"Customer, are you sure you want two thousand sheets of Yellow Talisman Paper but only one jar of Ink Cloud Frog demon blood? One jar of demon blood can only make around twenty talismans!"

Cultivators always bought talisman-crafting materials in complete sets. Yet this young disciple from Yellow Maple Valley had come in and bought a whole Storage Bag full of the cheapest Yellow Talisman Paper, while asking for only a tiny amount of talisman ink for high-quality Water Element Talismans.

Whether in quantity or quality, the talisman paper and talisman ink differed enormously. The clerk of Heavenly Crafts Tower was thoroughly baffled by Luo Hong's purchase.

"That's right. Bring me a high-quality Talisman Brush as well."

Luo Hong took out more than forty Spirit Stones and stacked them into a small pile on the counter.

The Heavenly Crafts Tower clerk immediately stopped talking and swiftly gathered all the goods Luo Hong had requested.

After checking that everything was correct, Luo Hong did not linger for a moment. Once he left the market's no-fly zone, he hurriedly flew toward Fanghua Garden aboard his Green Leaf Magic Tool.

What Luo Hong did not know was that, in the dense forest several hundred meters behind him, a Man in Yellow had been following him ever since he left the market.

Watching Luo Hong fly farther and farther away on his magic tool, the Man in Yellow revealed an extremely unwilling expression. It was not that he had not considered continuing the pursuit, but after weighing the matter again and again, he ultimately did not act.

Having lost his prey, the Man in Yellow did not leave. He sat down to meditate on the spot. About an incense stick later, a Big Man with a face full of flesh hurried over, panting heavily.

"Where's the fat sheep? Where's the fat sheep?"

"Hmph, you came so damn slowly. Even if there was a fat sheep, it would have entered the pen long ago!"

The Man in Yellow was already in a foul mood, so his tone came out a bit too sharp.

"The moment I received your Communication Talisman, I rushed here at full speed! Why didn't you notify me earlier, you old bastard? Were you trying to swallow it all yourself?!"

The Big Man did not indulge the Man in Yellow's temper. Pointing at his nose, he launched into a round of shouting.

"Who the hell knew whether that kid's father or mother had died? He ran faster than a rabbit! He really did throw down the Spirit Stones and bolt!"

The more the Man in Yellow thought about it, the more frustrated he became. It was precisely because he felt Luo Hong was so experienced that he had not dared risk intercepting him alone.

"Could someone have noticed the business we've been doing? Otherwise, why would that kid be so wary?"

Though the Big Man looked rough, he was actually meticulous. Not only did he refrain from trading insults with the Man in Yellow, he even began considering the serious matter.

Hearing this, the Man in Yellow's heart tightened. After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. We've been ambushing lone cultivators here for years. Though we've been extremely careful every time, as days accumulate into months and months into years, we're bound to leave some traces."

The Big Man said, "The Southern Small Gathering will be held again in three years. That'll be a big score. I say we go scout the place out in advance."

"Agreed. Better to strike while the iron is hot than choose another day. Let's go."

Both were decisive men, and after only a few words, they had made their decision.

Talisman crafting was the least costly of the six major side professions. Each attempt required only one sheet of talisman paper, a few drops of talisman ink, and a fraction of magic power. Even the combined cost of ten attempts was often less than one Spirit Stone.

Compared to alchemy, where firing up the furnace once cost at least a dozen or more Spirit Stones, the difference was as vast as heaven and earth.

It was precisely this cheapness that gave the vast majority of straitened cultivators the idea of earning Spirit Stones through talisman crafting. Quite a few put it into action, yet most ended up suffering ruinous losses.

This was because mastering the crafting of a single talisman was extremely difficult. It was said that without ten thousand or more attempts at trial and error, one could not even ensure an acceptable success rate with the lowest-grade, low-tier beginner talismans.

Inside the Spirit Gathering Array, Luo Hong finished his preparations for talisman crafting. The Yellow Talisman Paper spread flat before him was refined from the roots and stalks of Spirit Grain, which was why one Spirit Stone could buy a hundred sheets.

Price represented quality. Good talisman paper could raise the success rate of talisman crafting, so beginners generally used Green Talisman Paper, which cost one Spirit Stone per dozen sheets.

Yellow Talisman Paper was used to save costs only after a cultivator had mastered a certain talisman-crafting technique and begun producing talismans in large quantities.

"A talisman is a weapon that uses talisman paper as a vessel to store a cultivator's magic power, then, through the patterns on the paper when activated, transforms that magic power into a spell."

"Why must one learn the Water Bullet Technique before crafting a Water Bullet Talisman?"

"And why can good talisman paper raise the success rate of talisman crafting?"

"What is the fundamental reason talisman paper spontaneously combusts and is destroyed after talisman crafting fails?"

All talisman masters in the Cultivation World viewed these questions through empiricism. It was not that they lacked ability—they had simply ignored what had passed.

Was there really anything to discuss about something as simple as 1 + 1 = 2?

If you can't use the Water Bullet Technique, then you can't make Water Bullet Talismans! Didn't your master teach you that?

Good talisman paper raises the success rate. Otherwise, why would it be so expensive?!

Your talisman crafting failed, and you still expect the talisman paper to remain intact? What the hell are you smoking?!

I originally wrote this book just for my own amusement. I never expected living brothers to support it—my eyes are full of tears! I have no way to repay you, so from now on I can only update twice daily. Also, I want to ask whether Han Li cultivates spiritual power or magic power. I can't remember, and I don't have extra time to investigate carefully. This is, after all, a fanfiction, and I should still follow the original work whenever possible.

I hope some well-endowed fellow reader can tell me. Thanks.