Sudden Enlightenment Through Talisman Study

"The difference between Yellow Talisman Paper and Green Talisman Paper lies only in how much magic power they can contain. Yellow Talisman Paper can withstand less magic power, while Green Talisman Paper can withstand more. Therefore, the more magic power a talisman paper contains, the higher the success rate of talisman-making."

Luo Hong muttered to himself as he held a brush and wrote his words onto paper.

Thinking through problems this way was Luo Hong's habit. He felt it made his thoughts clearer.

"What determines magic power capacity is the material of the talisman paper. The main difference between Spirit Grain roots and Spirit Talisman Grass lies in the Spiritual Qi they contain. Spirit Grain roots contain less Spiritual Qi, while Spirit Talisman Grass contains more. Therefore, the amount of Spiritual Qi in a material determines its capacity for magic power.

"Since this concerns the amount of Spiritual Qi, it is most likely related to Internal Spirit Pressure."

Luo Hong rose and stepped outside the Spirit Gathering Array. He slowly poured magic power into a sheet of Yellow Talisman Paper pinched between his fingertips. When the magic power broke through the Yellow Talisman Paper's limit, it tore in several places and swiftly burst into flame.

"Oh~ So magic power breaking free of the talisman paper's restraint is the direct cause of its burning."

Glancing at his current "physical examination data," Luo Hong estimated that he had consumed 3.5 units of magic power.

Returning to the Spirit Gathering Array, Luo Hong repeated the previous action. This Time, the Yellow Talisman Paper clearly held out much longer.

In the end, when the talisman paper spontaneously ignited, Luo Hong had poured in a total of 15 units of magic power.

From outside to inside, External Spiritual Pressure had increased tenfold, yet magic power capacity had only risen by a little over four times. It seemed talisman paper, too, had limitations similar to Meridian Strength; one could not infinitely increase its magic power capacity simply by endlessly raising External Spiritual Pressure.

Because he could not observe the talisman paper's Internal Spirit Pressure, Luo Hong could not construct a complete mathematical model. Still, this experiment had already shown that increasing External Spiritual Pressure could significantly raise a talisman paper's magic power capacity.

"Then, As Long As I figure out why increased magic power capacity raises the success rate of talisman-making, I can put the results of this experiment to use."

Luo Hong recalled the talisman-making principles described in the book:

Principle one: when making a talisman, it must be completed in one continuous stroke. From the First Step to the final stroke, the Talisman Brush must not leave the talisman paper, or failure would be immediate.

Principle two: when creating a specific talisman, one must visualize the process of personally casting its corresponding Spell, making the flow of magic power at the brush tip approximate the state of casting the spell.

As for the specific talisman-making process described in the book:

First Step, setting the brush down. At the instant the brush touched the paper, magic power was poured from the Talisman Brush into the talisman paper, with most of it restrained near the brush tip.

Second step, tracing. The brush tip was dragged along, carrying the magic power as it traced out the Rune Pattern.

Third step, lifting the brush. When lifting the brush, the remaining magic power was drawn back.

"Restraining magic power near the brush tip will inevitably create high localized pressure. Talisman Ink must serve as a buffer within it, or the talisman paper Could Not Possibly withstand it.

"But with the support of high External Spiritual Pressure, could I perhaps dispense with Talisman Ink as a buffer?

"Of course, that does not mean talisman-making no longer needs Talisman Ink.

"The material of Talisman Ink not only determines its buffering effect, but also determines how well magic power flows through it. Moreover, Talisman Ink also serves to trace Rune Patterns.

"However, its magic power conductivity only comes into play when a talisman is activated. If I ignore the material and consider only leaving marks, and if this is merely practice rather than something meant for use, then couldn't I..."

Inspiration flashed endlessly through Luo Hong's mind. His unfocused gaze gradually settled on the ink in the inkstone.

"There is no problem in theory."

Suppressing his urge to try it at once, Luo Hong began pondering the issue that gave talisman makers the greatest headaches.

What the hell did it mean to make the flow of magic power at the brush tip approximate the state of casting a spell?!

This was the most mystical problem in talisman-making. The visualization methods popular among talisman makers nowadays, put bluntly, were all based on feeling. The process of failure was the process of finding that feeling.

Even more terrifyingly, that feeling might differ from person to person!

After all, when renowned talisman masters taught their disciples, there was nothing particularly special about it. This showed that the feeling a master discovered could not simply be copied by a disciple.

The process by which Cultivators cast spells was to send their own magic power through specific meridian circuits, transforming it into Spiritual Qi of a particular form.

"Water Bullet Technique!"

A fist-sized ball of water appeared at Luo Hong's fingertips as he recalled the sensation of casting the spell just now.

Magic power surged out from his Dantian, passed through a large meridian in his arm, then through two small meridians in his fingers. In the end, that magic power became a water ball.

The Water Bullet Technique was a simple spell that used only three meridians. These three meridians ran straight and were not complicated. Simulating them did not require Rune Patterns so complex they made one's eyes swim.

"From the processes of cultivation and spellcasting, it is obvious that meridians function like an assembly line in a factory.

"Spiritual Qi flowing through the meridians used by cultivation techniques is processed into magic power. Magic power flowing through the meridians used by spells is processed into spells.

"In Other Words, Cultivators believe that by examining themselves inwardly with divine sense, they have grasped the full picture of the meridians. Yet in truth, they have only seen the conveyor belts on the assembly line.

"The meridians conceal an entirely different world within!"

As this thought suddenly dawned on Luo Hong, he immediately felt a wave of utter clarity wash through body and mind. Then, immense heavenly might descended directly upon the Crown of the head!

Luo Hong's divine sense was swept up by the heavenly might without the slightest power to resist. In an instant, it entered the large arm meridian associated with the Water Bullet Technique, and his magic power involuntarily began circulating within it.

At this moment, the speed at which magic power flowed through the meridian had slowed by hundreds or thousands of times. Luo Hong saw natural runes formed from flesh and blood light up with silver radiance within the meridian walls.

Like workers on an assembly line, they worked in exquisite coordination to reshape the mass of magic power.

Luo Hong's state at this moment was also strange. Faced with such an abnormal situation, he did not feel the slightest panic. There was neither joy nor sorrow in his heart, as though he had entered the legendary realm of severing all emotions.

Luo Hong watched the Silver runes as if intoxicated, and he did not know how much time had passed before his divine sense was violently flung back into his Niwan Palace. Every emotion and stray thought returned as well.

Looking at the water ball on his fingertips, Luo Hong found it so perfectly natural that it seemed to have been formed by Heaven itself.

"Could this be the sudden enlightenment described in ancient books? Truly profound! Just now, it felt as though my consciousness had connected to an incomparably vast system. Could that have been the Heavenly Dao of the mortal realm?!"

"However, Mr. Lu Xun once said: there is no perfect system in this world. If the Heavenly Dao is similar to a system, wouldn't there be loopholes to exploit?"

The instant this thought arose, Luo Hong's scalp went numb, and waves of deep, muffled thunder rolled through the sky.

"Fuck! Big shot, I was wrong!"

The great terror between life and death nearly scared Luo Hong into pissing himself. He hurriedly emptied his mind of every thought he should not have had.

Only long after the thunder subsided did Luo Hong's state of mind finally settle. After hesitating for a moment, he shouted loudly:

"I will defy Heaven!"

The sky remained just as blue, and the wind just as gentle.

After this test, Luo Hong basically understood what had happened just now.

"I had only just ended my sudden enlightenment, and my faint connection with the Heavenly Dao had not yet been severed when I gave rise to a Demonic Thought. It was like the big boss had just given me a bonus, and I immediately shouted that I wanted to rebel. The outcome would certainly be getting fired on the spot."

"Ah, I'm so stupid! How could I rebel against the boss right to his face!"

"For something like this, of course I have to wait until the boss leaves before doing it! Don't blame me for being inhuman; blame the boss's bonus for being too irresistible!"