Talisman Formed

Before leaving, Ye Jingyun gave Chen Lin another bottle of pills.

These were the Spirit Recovery Pills she had mentioned.

The efficacy of these pills was several times that of the Qi Replenishing Pills, making them quite valuable.

However, when Chen Lin poured the pills from the bottle, his expression became uncertain.

Exactly ten pills.

Was it a coincidence, or had she discovered something?

He stared at the ten pills for a long time before solemnly putting them back into the bottle.

Then, he picked up the Jade Slip containing the Spiritual Connection secret technique and began to study it carefully.

Although this secret technique was not common, it wasn't particularly rare either. It was an advanced version of the Object Manipulation Technique, allowing for more flexible control over target items.

Of course, it also offered some additional abilities compared to the Object Manipulation Technique. For example, items 'refined' through this secret technique could have his spiritual imprint placed on them, preventing others from interfering with or seizing them during manipulation.

This point made it far superior to the Object Manipulation Technique.

Naturally, if an item fell into someone else's hands, they could still remove the imprint and refine it again.

With the foundation of the Object Manipulation Technique, understanding the secret technique went smoothly. He managed to grasp it almost completely without using an Enlightenment Pill, and then he began to attempt refining the Cold Nether Flame in the jade box.

The process was very smooth. In less than fifteen minutes, he had established a connection with this Exotic Fire and controlled it to hover in the air.

The ease of this process was mainly because the flame had no other Cultivator's spiritual imprint on it. It seemed Ye Jingyun had removed her own imprint before giving it to him.

Besides controlling it to hover, Chen Lin also discovered that through this secret technique, he could change the flame's shape. By increasing or decreasing his spiritual power, he could also make the flame larger or smaller.

This sparked his playful side.

He turned the flame into a straight line, then into a person shape, then shrunk it to the size of a needle, and then expanded it into a sheet.

He could also control the flame's power, making it roll back and forth on paper without burning it, or instantly melting a large hole in an iron basin.

What a treasure!

Chen Lin liked it more and more the more he used it.

Unfortunately, no matter how good something was, it wasn't his. After playing with it for a while and feeling that he could use it proficiently, he put it back into the jade box.

Next, he began to study the Art of Talisman Making from another Jade Slip.

The method for making this talisman was very complex, and it was clear that parts of the content in the Jade Slip had been deleted. It only contained the crafting portion, with no information on the talisman's name, purpose, or rank.

Clearly, Ye Jingyun did not want him to know.

Chen Lin also had no intention of investigating.

Regardless of the relationship between this woman and Yu Yuehai, or why she was secretly refining such a talisman, it had nothing to do with him.

Since they both wanted to treat him as a tool, he would be a tool.

The less he knew, the greater his chances of survival.

He calmed himself down and entered a state of focused study.

After a long while, Chen Lin put down the Jade Slip and began to refine an Enlightenment Pill.

This talisman was too profound. Relying on his own comprehension, it would take an unknown amount of time to fully grasp it. He needed to use an Enlightenment Pill.

Such advanced knowledge would be difficult to obtain again in the future. He should master the crafting method first.

As for its purpose, he would naturally know once Ye Jingyun used it.

Yes, after much deliberation, he still decided to refine the talisman. He wanted to see what she was up to by secretly refining it behind Yu Yuehai's back.

The ingredients for the Enlightenment Pill were cheap, and he had bought quite a lot before. After a flurry of activity, the pill was refined.

After taking the pill, his state immediately improved.

While it wasn't divine assistance, he could now make connections and from a struggling student, he instantly became a top scholar.

After the pill's effects wore off, he had basically mastered the method of refining the talisman. He took out a piece of talisman paper and prepared to begin crafting.

His talent for crafting meant he didn't need to understand the principles thoroughly or go through various preparations. He could just start.

He opened the Talisman Ink bottle, picked up the Talisman Brush, and dipped it fully in ink.

Then, following the crafting method, he used his spiritual power to control the Cold Nether Flame and envelop the tip of the brush.

Finally, he took out a Spirit Recovery Pill and placed it in his mouth before starting to make the talisman.

This was the first time he was using such a strange method to refine a talisman, and he had to multitask. It felt very awkward.

Controlling the Talisman Brush with his spiritual power while simultaneously controlling the Cold Nether Flame with his spiritual power clearly exceeded Chen Lin's capabilities. He only managed to draw two strokes before a burst of black light erupted with a poof.

He was startled and quickly retreated.

As the light dissipated, he was dumbfounded.

Not only had the talisman paper turned to ash, but the table beneath it had also been blasted into a large hole, still emitting black smoke.

He quickly went to move the Talisman Ink bottle and the jade box aside, then scooped up a ladle of water to extinguish the embers, thus preventing a fire.

Then, he was overcome with a sense of lingering fear.

The consequences of failing to refine this high-level talisman were truly exaggerated. If he had been a step slower, half his hand would likely have been burned to a crisp.

He glanced at the Talisman Brush in his hand and, seeing that it wasn't damaged, let out a sigh of relief as the Cold Nether Flame also hovered quietly.

At this moment, he suddenly remembered that just as the energy exploded, the golden ring on the Talisman Brush seemed to emit a golden halo, blocking the blast wave heading towards him. This was what saved his hand from injury.

Chen Lin felt he hadn't misseen and couldn't help but look at this Talisman Brush with even greater admiration.

Besides the golden ring, the brush handle, crafted from Cold Ice Profound Jade, was also completely undamaged due to its material.

It was clear that this Talisman Brush hadn't been chosen randomly but was a tool specifically prepared for crafting this talisman.

The more he understood, the more curious Chen Lin became about the talisman's function.

With so many precious materials used to aid in its refinement, the cost had already reached an astonishing figure. Whatever was produced must be extraordinary.

Shaking his head, he suppressed his curiosity and began to tidy up.

He found a piece of wood to cover the hole in the table. Instead of starting again immediately, he practiced the drawing process on ordinary Talisman Paper with regular Talisman Ink, without using any Magical Power.

Next, he practiced controlling the Cold Nether Flame for a while longer.

After practicing for over an hour, and feeling that his technique was up to par, he began refining again.

This time, it indeed went much better. The first few strokes were completed in one go. It was only when the first small talisman array was about to close that it failed and was destroyed.

Even though it failed, it didn't cause such a large commotion as before. The power was only enough to burn the talisman paper and leave a scorched mark on the wooden board.

However, this time he saw clearly: the golden ring on the Talisman Brush indeed produced a halo when the energy exploded, blocking the blast wave below, thus preventing his hand from being burned.

"Good stuff!"

He praised it and continued making the talisman.

Not wanting to hide his skills, his refining speed was naturally quick.

Although normally it would take a long time to completely draw all the Talisman Runes for this talisman, he only drew the beginning each time, which didn't take long at all. Ten refinements were completed in less than an hour.

By this time, a talisman as black as ink was already in his hand, with a faint, blurry pattern on it, emitting powerful yet subtle and strange fluctuations.