Preparing Thoroughly

Apart from giving him numerous talisman scrolls, Uncle Chen had also left Shen Mo fifty Spirit Stones before departing, telling him to buy whatever he needed at the market.

Once again, Shen Mo was deeply moved by Uncle Chen's generosity.

"I have all the other materials needed to make Separating Fire Talismans. The only thing I still need to buy at the market is Separating Fire Crystals."

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

After entering the market, he didn't stop at any of the nearby stalls, heading straight for the Heavenly Talisman Hall.

The Heavenly Talisman Hall was a shop run by the River-Facing Sect's Talisman Hall, and it had the most complete selection.

"Separating Fire Crystals: two to a low-grade Spirit Stone." The blue-robed disciple minding the shop raised a hand and said coolly.

"That price really isn't cheap." Hearing it, Shen Mo couldn't help but remark.

No wonder first-grade talismans sold for such high prices.

The special crystals alone required to forge first-grade talismans were worth far more than the other materials.

"I'll take a hundred."

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

"Here, your Separating Fire Crystals. Please take care of them."

After confirming the payment, the blue-robed disciple quickly packed up a 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, ready to begin making talismans.

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

As expected, he didn't succeed on his first attempt.

But Shen Mo was already used to it.

Failure was the mother of success. If he tried a few more times, sooner or later it would give birth.

This time, he was well prepared. He had plenty of Separating Fire Crystals, enough for a hundred attempts.

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

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

After an entire day, Shen Mo still hadn't managed to forge a single finished Separating Fire Talisman.

Forging this first-grade talisman took far longer and consumed much more energy than making some worthless, unranked talismans.

He'd only managed nine attempts in all that time.

"I can't keep going. I'll take a break."

The nonstop work had left Shen Mo's mind scattered, and his energy was severely depleted.

In that state, his chances of making a finished talisman would be even lower, so he didn't force himself to keep at it.

"No matter what you do, you need to balance effort with rest."

After several months of studying the Alchemy Dao and Talisman Dao, he was no longer as green as he'd been at the start.

Back then, once he got absorbed in something, he would forge and refine for days on end without sleep.

He had to remember that too much was as bad as too little.

Sometimes, being too diligent could backfire.

"Gurgle!"

Lying on the bed, Shen Mo swallowed a Vermilion Fruit without deliberately sitting in meditation to cultivate.

Instead, he picked a comfortable position and simply lay there on the bamboo bed.

He circulated the Heaven Origin Technique inside his body, absorbing the essence of the Vermilion Fruit and restoring his energy.

[You consumed a Vermilion Fruit. Its pure medicinal power surged through your body, and the Heaven Origin Technique absorbed and digested it all, increasing your cultivation.]

[As you circulated the Heaven Origin Technique, you gradually sensed its subtleties and gained a deeper understanding of it. Heaven Origin Technique experience +30.]

[You accidentally triggered a fortuitous opportunity while cultivating and gained one Destiny Point.]

[After a night of light rest and cultivation, your mind is refreshed and your spirits are high.]

The next day, he woke and took a look at his information panel.

One line after another of information appeared before his eyes. He quickly skimmed through it.

After getting up and washing, Shen Mo soon began another round of making Separating Fire Talismans.

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

His first five attempts that day still ended in failure.

By the sixth attempt, his Separating Fire Talisman proficiency had advanced from its original level of unfamiliarity to proficiency.

So this time, his movements were exceptionally smooth, flowing like water.

"Pfft."

Holding the talisman brush, he wore a solemn expression as he traced one Separating Fire pattern after another onto the yellow paper.

"Beast Blood!"

Once the talisman's outline was complete, he dipped the brush into Beast Blood and performed the spirit-awakening step.

"Hum!"

As the Beast Blood dripped onto the yellow talisman paper, a faint glow slowly appeared.

The spirit awakening had gone smoothly, but Shen Mo didn't let his guard down.

Unlike inferior, unranked talismans, spirit awakening wasn't the final step in forging a first-grade talisman.

For a Separating Fire Talisman to take shape, he still had to meld a Separating Fire Crystal into it.

That was the crucial step that determined success or failure.

Shen Mo had botched this step several times before, ruining the talismans.

"Rustle."

Shen Mo slowly melded the fiery red crystal into the yellow talisman paper.

[You successfully made a Separating Fire Talisman. Your Talisman Dao cultivation +20, Separating Fire Talisman proficiency +50]

This time, finally—

"Success! I finally did it!"

He held the finished Separating Fire Talisman between his fingers, his heart pounding with excitement.

"As expected of a first-grade offensive talisman. The fire energy within it is incredibly powerful."

Feeling the formidable power contained in the exquisite talisman, he quietly estimated that if it were fully activated, its might should be no weaker than a full-force strike from someone at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.

"A full-force strike from someone at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm, combined with the fire attribute that already counters the Two-Headed Python—I'm sure it'll deal even more damage to it."

"One talisman alone can give the Two-Headed Python plenty of trouble. If I launch five or ten at once, it definitely won't be able to fight back."

As he thought this, he carefully put away the finished Separating Fire Talisman and continued making another.

At the end of the day, Shen Mo took stock.

He had made ten talismans that day, and two had succeeded.

"I'll continue tomorrow."

When he felt his energy was nearly spent, he put everything away, washed up, and went to rest.

Just like the day before, he lay down on the bed.

He swallowed a Vermilion Fruit without deliberately cultivating, letting the Heaven Origin Technique circulate on its own and absorb its medicinal power.

Time passed, and twelve days slipped by in this steady routine.

That day, Shen Mo used up all one hundred Separating Fire Crystals he'd bought from the market.

"Twelve days. I'd originally planned for half a month, but I finished three days early."

Shen Mo calculated the days and thought to himself.

In fact, after his Separating Fire Talisman-making proficiency advanced again from proficient to masterful, the speed of his forging had leaped forward.

If he devoted all his time to making talismans, he could make twelve Separating Fire Talismans a day.

But Shen Mo didn't do that. He set himself a limit of only nine attempts a day.

He spent the rest of his time cultivating.

For those twelve days, after exhausting his energy each day, he would swallow a Vermilion Fruit to support his cultivation.

As he continuously absorbed and accumulated the medicinal power, Shen Mo's physique, vital energy, and internal organs all underwent a round of strengthening.