Thorough Preparations

Aside from giving him numerous talisman scrolls, Uncle Chen left fifty Spirit Stones for Shen Mo before departing, telling him to go to the market to purchase whatever he needed.

Shen Mo, having once again received Uncle Chen's generous financial support, felt a quiet sense of gratitude in his heart.

"I have all the other raw materials for crafting the Separating Fire Talisman, but I still need to go to the market to buy the Separating Fire Crystals."

He tucked away the talisman scrolls and soon arrived at the Dao-Gaining Alley market.

Upon entering the market, he did not linger at the surrounding stalls but headed straight for the Heavenly Talisman Hall.

The Heavenly Talisman Hall was a storefront established by the River-Facing Sect's talisman hall, and it boasted the most complete inventory.

"Separating Fire Crystals, two for one low-grade Spirit Stone," the green-robed disciple tending the shop said indifferently, waving a hand.

"This price is truly not low," Shen Mo could not help but sigh upon hearing the cost.

No wonder the selling price of first-grade talismans was so exorbitant.

The value of the special crystals used to forge a first-grade talisman alone far exceeded that of all other raw materials.

"I'll take one hundred."

He handed over all fifty low-grade Spirit Stones that Uncle Chen had given him.

"Here you go, your Separating Fire Crystals. Please keep them safe."

After verifying the count, the green-robed disciple quickly packed up the one hundred Separating Fire Crystals and handed them to Shen Mo.

With the crystals in hand, Shen Mo hurried out of the market and returned to his residence, preparing to begin talisman crafting.

[You attempted to craft a Separating Fire Talisman and failed. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +2, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +5]

As expected, his first attempt was unsuccessful.

But Shen Mo was already accustomed to this.

Failure is the mother of success; if he tried enough times, he would eventually give birth to a result.

He was well-prepared this time, and with the abundance of Separating Fire Crystals in his possession, he had enough to attempt crafting a hundred times.

[You attempted to craft a Separating Fire Talisman and failed. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +2, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +5]

[You attempted to craft a Separating Fire Talisman and failed. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +2, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +5]

For an entire day, Shen Mo failed to forge a single finished Separating Fire Talisman.

The time required to forge a first-grade talisman and the energy it consumed far exceeded that of some unranked, trash-tier talismans.

In this one day, he had only managed to attempt the forging process nine times.

"I can't hold on any longer; I need to rest for a while."

Continuous crafting had left Shen Mo's mind scattered and his energy severely overdrawn.

In this state, the probability of producing a finished talisman would be even lower, so he did not force himself to continue.

"No matter what one does, one must balance exertion and rest."

After several months of exposure to Alchemy Dao and Talisman Dao, he was no longer as reckless as he had been in the beginning.

Back then, once he became engrossed, he would forge and refine for days and nights on end without sleep or rest.

One must remember that too much of a good thing can be counterproductive.

Sometimes, being too diligent can lead to the opposite of the desired result.

"Gurgle!"

Lying on his bed, Shen Mo swallowed a Vermilion Fruit, not bothering to sit up for formal meditation.

Instead, he chose a comfortable position and lay on the bamboo bed just like that.

He circulated the Heaven Origin Technique within his body, absorbing the essence of the Vermilion Fruit to restore his energy.

[You consumed a Vermilion Fruit. Pure medicinal power ripples through your body. The Heaven Origin Technique absorbs and digests the full potency of the Vermilion Fruit, causing your cultivation to increase.]

[While circulating the Heaven Origin Technique, you gradually perceive its profound mysteries. Your understanding of the Heaven Origin Technique has deepened. Heaven Origin Technique experience +30.]

[During your cultivation, you accidentally triggered a stroke of fortune and obtained one Destiny Point.]

[After a night of light rest and cultivation, your spirit is full and you feel refreshed.]

The next day, he woke up and checked his information panel.

Lines of information caught his eye, and he scanned through them quickly.

After rising and washing up, Shen Mo soon began a new round of crafting Separating Fire Talismans.

[You attempted to craft a Separating Fire Talisman and failed. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +2, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +5]

His first five attempts today still ended in failure.

By the sixth attempt, his proficiency level in crafting Separating Fire Talismans had shifted from "unskilled" to "proficient."

Consequently, his movements this time were exceptionally smooth, appearing as fluid as flowing water.

"Pshhh."

Holding his talisman-brush, he wore a solemn expression as he traced the patterns of the Separating Fire onto the yellow paper.

"Beast Blood!"

Once the base outline of the talisman was drawn, he dipped his brush into the Beast Blood and underwent the process of spirit-awakening.

"Hum!"

As the Beast Blood dripped onto the yellow talisman paper, a fluorescent glow slowly emerged.

The spirit-awakening went smoothly, but Shen Mo did not let his guard down.

Unlike substandard talismans that didn't even rank, forging a First-Grade talisman did not end with spirit-awakening.

If he wanted the Separating Fire Talisman to take shape successfully, he still needed to fuse the Separating Fire Crystal into the talisman.

This step was the key that determined success or failure.

In the past, Shen Mo had failed at this very step many times, leading to the ruin of his talismans.

"Rustle."

The fiery red crystal was slowly fused by Shen Mo onto the yellow paper talisman.

[You have successfully attempted to refine a Separating Fire Talisman. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +20, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +50]

This time, finally—

"It's done, it's finally done!"

He held the finished Separating Fire Talisman in his hand, his mood quite stirred.

"As expected of a First-Grade offensive talisman, the flame fluctuations contained within are truly powerful."

Feeling the formidable power fluctuations within this exquisite talisman, he secretly estimated that if its power were fully unleashed, it should be no less than a full-force strike from someone at the perfection of the Body Tempering Realm.

"A full-force strike from the perfection of the Body Tempering Realm, coupled with the fire attribute that already counters that Two-Headed Python, I believe the damage dealt to it will be even greater."

"A single talisman can cause the Two-Headed Python no small amount of trouble; if five or ten talismans were to be unleashed at once, that Two-Headed Python would certainly have no power to fight back."

Thinking this, he carefully put away the finished Separating Fire Talisman and began to refine the next one.

As the day came to an end, Shen Mo summarized his progress.

Today, he had attempted to refine talismans ten times and succeeded twice.

"Continue tomorrow."

Feeling that his mental energy was nearly exhausted, he packed his things away, washed up, and began to rest.

Just like yesterday, he lay on his bed.

He swallowed a Vermilion Fruit, not intentionally practicing, but letting the Heaven Origin Technique within his body circulate on its own to absorb the medicinal power.

Time flew by, and such a disciplined routine lasted for twelve days in the blink of an eye.

On this day, the one hundred Separating Fire Crystals that Shen Mo had purchased from the market were completely exhausted.

"Twelve days. I originally planned for half a month, so I'm three days ahead of schedule."

Shen Mo calculated the time and thought to himself.

In fact, as his proficiency in crafting the Separating Fire Talisman progressed from the 'skilled' level to 'mastery,' his refining speed had taken a leap forward.

If he had dedicated all his time to talisman-making, he could have attempted to refine the Separating Fire Talisman twelve times.

However, Shen Mo did not do so; he only set a goal of nine attempts per day.

He spent the remaining time on his cultivation.

Over these twelve days, every time he exhausted his energy, he would swallow a Vermilion Fruit to assist his practice.

With the continuous absorption and accumulation of medicinal power, Shen Mo's physique, blood energy, and internal organs had all undergone a round of strengthening.