Every time he drew a Talisman Pattern, it took everything he had. To master all eighteen hundred or so Talisman Patterns in a first-tier fire-element talisman, he would need to spend an astronomical number of spirit stones—and countless days and nights.
And that was only mastering the beginner fire-element Talisman Patterns. Even after mastering them, he would still be nowhere near being able to draw a fire-element talisman.
He would also have to pore over that incomplete Talisman Art, work furiously to deconstruct and rebuild it, and experiment until he had uncovered the true art. It was certain to be another enormously costly undertaking.
"The way of talisman-making is this difficult!"
Xu Yi was utterly dispirited. He silently practiced the Still Water Art several times, but couldn't drive the distracting thoughts from his mind. In the end, he had to rely on the method Huang Xuanji had taught him—visualizing the blood moon—along with the Still Water Art to steady his mind and relax into a state of emptiness.
An hour later, Xu Yi opened his eyes. His spirits had recovered considerably, and his mood had improved somewhat.
That was because he could clearly feel that the little Yin Soul in his spiritual platform had changed again. The change was indescribable, yet unmistakable.
The way of talisman-making really could effectively temper the Yin Soul. After expending so much effort and wealth, this was the only thing that brought Xu Yi a little comfort.
But after that slight comfort came a deep unwillingness to accept things as they were. Without talismans to rely on as killing weapons, for him to rise swiftly in the Northern Sacred Court, with its rigid hierarchy and layers of barriers, was no different from a fool's dream.
Just then, his heart jolted. "No, no, something's very wrong.