The Talisman Master's Awkward Predicament

Wang Long saw Li Xiuchang off at the entrance to the Inner Sect and then left.

The Inner Sect and Outer Sect were separated by a high wall. The moment Li Xiuchang entered the Inner Sect, the most immediate sensation was that it had become much quieter.

There were fewer people in the Inner Sect, not as lively as the Outer Sect. Li Xiuchang walked all the way to Senior Brother Song Yu's residence, not seeing many passersby along the way.

Contrary to what Li Xiuchang had imagined, the houses where Inner Sect disciples lived were actually not as large as those of the Outer Sect disciples.

However, it was quieter, and the Spiritual Qi was denser.

Li Xiuchang knocked on Senior Brother Song Yu's door. A moment later, Senior Brother Song Yu opened the door and welcomed Li Xiuchang inside.

Senior Brother Song Yu's residence didn't even have a courtyard, and the house was only one story. As Li Xiuchang entered, he found the interior could be described as "bare walls."

It seemed that Inner Sect disciples lived a life like ascetics.

The interior of the house was so simple that only Spiritual Qi remained.

"Have you gotten used to the sect these past two days?" Senior Brother Song Yu asked proactively.

Li Xiuchang nodded. "All the senior brothers and sisters have been very welcoming. It feels like home."

"That's good." Song Yu sized up Li Xiuchang for a moment. "I see you already have cultivation base, so you should have condensed Mana. Are you here to choose one of the Hundred Cultivation Arts?"

Li Xiuchang gave a wry smile and said, "That's secondary. The main reason I'm here to see Senior Brother Song is that I've run into a problem with my cultivation."

Senior Brother Song Yu immediately showed concern.

Next, Li Xiuchang explained how he cultivated Mana with the Charcoal Attribute and even demonstrated the effect of the Charcoal Attribute Mana producing fire.

Senior Brother Song Yu waved his hand, dispersing the smoke in the room. He looked at the wisp of black Mana at Li Xiuchang's fingertip and pondered for a moment:

"Many people have practiced the 'Fire Starting Skill,' but I've never heard of anyone cultivating black Mana.

"You don't need to worry too much. This should just be a special attribute Mana. It might even be a good thing for you."

In the cultivation world, all attributes other than the five elements were classified as special attributes.

Common ones included the Yang attribute, Lightning attribute, Wind attribute, and Ice attribute, as well as the Blood attribute and Yin attribute commonly found among demonic cultivators.

Cultivators could cultivate special attribute Mana through special cultivation techniques or special physiques.

However, Song Yu had never heard of Li Xiuchang's Charcoal Attribute Mana.

"Most special attribute Mana have their unique advantages compared to the five-element attribute Mana. Your Charcoal Attribute Mana can both generate fire and smoke, and it also contains a slight toxicity. It has diverse effects and infinite potential, so it should not be weak.

"However, since there is no prior experience to refer to, you will have to explore and develop the methods for using the Charcoal Attribute Mana yourself."

Senior Brother Song Yu explained the pros and cons, giving Li Xiuchang a clearer understanding.

As long as it didn't affect his own cultivation, Li Xiuchang could accept it. As for the application and development of Mana, he could take his time.

Next, the two began discussing the Hundred Cultivation Arts.

"Junior Brother Li, how much do you know about the Hundred Cultivation Arts?" Song Yu asked.

"Everything I know comes from the introduction in the 'Beginner's Guide'," Li Xiuchang replied truthfully.

Song Yu pondered for a moment, then rummaged through his storage bag and handed a book to Li Xiuchang. "This book provides a general introduction to the Hundred Cultivation Arts. Take a look and see if there's anything you're particularly interested in.

"Interest is the best teacher. If you're interested in a skill, you'll have more motivation to learn it in the future."

Li Xiuchang felt bad about taking up too much of Senior Brother Song Yu's time and quickly flipped through the book.

Alchemy, the foremost of the Hundred Cultivation Arts, one of the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts...

Artifact Refining, one of the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, easy to get started, easy to learn but difficult to master...

Talisman Crafting, one of the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, low cost for practice, low barrier to entry, effort is more important than talent, diligent practice will yield results...

Formation Arts, one of the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, relies on inheritance, requires a good teacher to guide, relies on comprehension; those with dull minds should choose carefully...

Divination Arts, one of the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, impossible to enter without talent, practitioners must have a calm disposition, speak cautiously and act prudently, otherwise it will lead to disaster...

The so-called Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts refer to the five most popular or valuable skills among the Hundred Cultivation Arts, namely Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talisman Crafting, Formation Arts, and Divination Arts.

If one had to pick a number one among the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, it would undoubtedly be Alchemy.

Alchemy is universally recognized as the foremost of the Hundred Cultivation Arts.

While Artifact Refining, Talisman Crafting, Formation Arts, and Divination Arts are also important, they are not indispensable. Only Elixirs are something every cultivator will inevitably need.

Divination Arts is recognized as the most niche among the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts, a "niche within the popular." Everyone knows about it when it's mentioned, but few have actually seen it in practice.

Because the barrier to entry is too high, most cultivators cannot learn it even if they want to.

When learning a skill, it's natural to prioritize popular ones. Li Xiuchang also prioritized the Five Ultimate Cultivation Arts.

With Senior Brother Gui's previous example, Li Xiuchang ruled out Divination Arts from the start.

Formation Arts relies heavily on comprehension, and Li Xiuchang didn't know his own level of comprehension. Moreover, both Formation Arts and Talisman Crafting would be difficult to leverage his "length cheat" advantage.

Therefore, Li Xiuchang leaned more towards Alchemy and Artifact Refining.

For Alchemy, he could directly increase the length of those spiritual herbs and grasses. For Artifact Refining, he could use the method of turning gold leaves into gold bricks to increase the refining materials.

Li Xiuchang's only concern was that with such popular skills, the competition would inevitably be fierce.

He wondered how many alchemists and artifact refiners there were in the entire Outer Sect and if the field was already saturated.

He didn't want to get into a fight with his fellow disciples right from the start.

Li Xiuchang's worries were soon confirmed by Senior Brother Song Yu.

"The popular arts are indeed fiercely competitive, especially the path of talismans. Because the entry barrier is low and it requires almost no talent, there's an abundance of first-tier Talisman Masters. The price of first-tier talismans keeps dropping. If your success rate in making talismans isn't high enough, selling them at market price is completely unprofitable.

"Many first-tier Talisman Masters can't make money by crafting talismans, so they have to think of other ways to earn Spirit Stones. For example, joining the Reception Area to help the sect receive new disciples. I heard some people even earn Spirit Stones by piloting Flying Boats to ferry new disciples."

Li Xiuchang fell silent upon hearing this. He hadn't expected the competition among Talisman Masters to be this intense.

Senior Brother Song Yu chuckled, "Actually, if you can master the art, you don't need to worry about these things. Even for Talisman Masters, once you reach the second tier, there won't be as much competition. The journey from the first tier to the second tier filters out over ninety percent of Talisman Masters."

"What about the situation for Alchemists and Artifact Refiners?" Li Xiuchang asked.

Senior Brother Song Yu replied, "The number of Alchemists is comparable to Talisman Masters. Fortunately, the demand for pills is huge, and the barrier to becoming an Alchemist is much higher than becoming a Talisman Master. It's difficult for rogue cultivators to get started, so Alchemists are in a much better position than Talisman Masters.

"Artifact Refining is easy to learn but difficult to master. Artifact Refiners are abundant in the first tier and scarce in the second tier. First-tier Artifact Refiners are ignored, while second-tier and above Artifact Refiners are highly sought after.

"However, disciples of our Immortal Dust Sect, backed by the sect and possessing the largest market north of Xianyin, attract countless rogue cultivators every day. No matter how many pills or magic artifacts there are, they can all be absorbed. It's just a matter of earning more or less.

"Of course, talismans are an exception. The rogue cultivators are also full of Talisman Masters!"