Ruthless

"Huh? You've been out for so long, why do you look like this when you get back?"

As soon as he stepped out of his room, Chen Lin saw the sallow-faced female cultivator walking in from outside the courtyard.

Her steps were unsteady, her hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and her clothes were disheveled, as if she had just rolled around on the ground.

She also carried a strange scent.

The usually sharp-tongued sallow-faced female cultivator was uncharacteristically silent this time. She didn't even dare to look at Chen Lin, lowering her head and using both hands to lift a sack of rice, hurrying back to her room.

Chen Lin glanced at her retreating figure thoughtfully, shook his head, and ignored her.

This place was more chaotic than a war-torn land. Everyone had their own way of survival; there was no need to question why.

Carrying his pack, he walked out of the courtyard and followed the narrow path that had been cleared. After turning a corner and checking that no one was around, he quickly dug a hole in a large snowdrift formed by the wind and crawled inside.

After a long while, a plump black-faced big man wearing a fur hat emerged from the snow hole.

The black-faced big man first checked his surroundings. Once he confirmed no one was there, he shook the snow off his body with satisfaction and walked out of the alley.

Lianyun Inn.

By the time Chen Lin, now the black-faced big man, arrived at the inn's entrance, it was completely dark.

"Stop right there! This place has been booked for today. If you're looking for lodging, please go somewhere else!"

Just as he was about to enter, he was stopped.

"Oh, I'm a Talisman Master. I heard Third Young Master Lu has posted a bounty for talisman crafting here, so I came to try my luck."

Chen Lin's voice had also changed, becoming somewhat hoarse.

Both the disguise mask on his face and the voice-changing pill were items he had created using his ten-consecutive-success ability. They were experimental products for testing his innate abilities.

"Oh, a Talisman Master! Please come with me!"

Upon hearing he was a Talisman Master, one of the two guards immediately smiled and welcomed Chen Lin inside.

Chen Lin was slightly surprised.

He had expected some trouble and had even thought about what to say if they verified his identity. He hadn't anticipated they wouldn't ask anything.

He wondered if that Lu Li was simply too eager for the Soul Capturing Talisman, or if he felt that no one in Kaiyuan City would dare to harm a disciple of the Lu Family.

It saved him a lot of trouble.

As he followed the attendant into the inn's main hall, he saw more than ten people already present, some sitting and some standing.

In the center of the hall, Lu Li sat on a chair, his expression unreadable.

His junior sister sat behind him.

After Chen Lin was led into the hall, the attendant withdrew. Seeing that no one was speaking, he quietly found a corner and sat down.

Following that, several more people were led in.

Then, no one else came.

After waiting for a while longer, Lu Li raised an eyebrow and stood up from his chair.

"Thank you all for coming, fellow Talisman Masters!"

He first cupped his fists in a salute, then surveyed the room. "I assume everyone here knows why you've been summoned. My time is limited, so I won't waste it. This is the crafting method for the Soul Capturing Talisman. Please observe it first!"

With that, he took out a Jade Slip, the very same one he had obtained from the old shopkeeper at the Duobao Pavilion.

Chen Lin noticed that after Lu Li finished speaking, the eyes of everyone in the room lit up.

Regardless of whether they could win the bounty of Spirit Stones, obtaining the crafting method for a niche talisman was well worth the trip.

He estimated that at least a large portion of these people were here just to get the crafting method for free.

"I'll go first! I want to see what's so special about this Soul Capturing Talisman that it requires Third Young Master Lu to host a talisman crafting convention to make it!"

A red-faced man stepped forward first, sneering as he took the Jade Slip.

The information within the Jade Slip needed to be viewed with spiritual power. He placed the Jade Slip against his brow, and his expression began to change rapidly.

Soon, the man's face turned ashen as he removed the Jade Slip. He seemed to want to say something, but after glancing at Lu Li, he remained silent and handed the Jade Slip to the second person.

The second person took it with a look of confusion. Like the red-faced man, his expression turned green after examining it.

Afterward, the Jade Slip circulated through everyone's hands in the room. Everyone's complexion was not good after viewing it.

Finally, it was Chen Lin's turn.

He placed the Jade Slip against his brow and channeled his spiritual power into it.

Scenes unfolded in his mind.

The sensation was wondrous, something ordinary people could never comprehend.

Soon, he finished reading the crafting method for the Soul Capturing Talisman.

According to the records in the Jade Slip, the cultivation requirement for crafting this Soul Capturing Talisman was not high, nor was the crafting technique complicated.

However, it had one drawback.

That was the extreme instability of the talisman. With normal crafting, there was almost no chance of success.

To improve the stability of talismans, the refiner must use their own soul as a catalyst, integrating it into the talisman.

The more integrated, the higher the success rate.

Even so, the final success rate is still quite low, and the stability after completion is still poor, lasting at most for a day and a night.

In addition to the drawing method for the Soul Capturing Talisman, the Jade Slip also contained a secret technique for severing the soul.

This secret technique was much more crude and simple, and its use caused immense harm to oneself.

Chen Lin returned the Jade Slip to Lu Li, his expression looking rather grim.

Of course, he was faking it.

With the ability to hit ten times in a row, he only needed to follow the normal refining method to successfully craft the Soul Capturing Talisman, without needing to resort to the evil art of using his soul as a catalyst.

At the same time, he lamented inwardly.

The drawbacks of this talisman were too great, and its effects only lasted for a day. Otherwise, it would have been a very good item for him to earn money using his innate abilities.

Also, this talisman was too niche. It wasn't an offensive or defensive type, but was used to store souls.

An item that stores souls, yet only lasts for a day. He had no idea what it could be used for.

He didn't even know who he could sell it to after refining it.

"Alright, everyone understands the method for making the Soul Capturing Talisman. Its refinement isn't complicated, though the success rate of forming the talisman is a bit low. However, I've prepared ample raw materials, and the room is all set. Let's get ready to begin!"

Lu Li took out a large pile of materials from his storage bag and announced loudly.

However, no one moved.

After a long while, the red-faced man was the first to break the silence. "Fellow Daoist Lu, refining your Soul Capturing Talisman causes too much damage to the soul. You didn't explain this clearly before. Forgive me, but I am unable to proceed!"

Immediately, a withered old man chimed in with a sneer, "Indeed. Although Fellow Daoist Lu's offered reward is extremely generous, the soul is the foundation of cultivation. Once damaged, one will be forever estranged from the Great Dao. A mere few Spirit Stones are not enough for this old man to do such a thing!"

"Tch!"

As soon as the old man finished speaking, his junior sister Lan Yuqing, who had been sitting silently, let out a soft chuckle.

She also sneered, "This Fellow Daoist must be sixty or seventy years old, yet at such an age, his cultivation is only at Qi Refining Level 3. To still be stubbornly pursuing the immortal path, truly earns my admiration!"

Her voice was like silver bells, but her words were sharp as knives.

The old man's face flushed red, but he still stubbornly retorted, "Even if my path is dim, soul damage greatly affects my talisman crafting. This old man will not make such a talisman. Farewell!"

With that, he turned and walked towards the door, his face ashen.

"Hmph!"

Lu Li's expression turned cold.

"What do you think this place is? Come and go as you please?"

As he spoke, a black light shot out from his hand, piercing the old man's chest with a thud, and then swiftly flew back.

The entire process took less than a blink of an eye. The old man died on the spot without even a hint of reaction.

"Hiss!"

Everyone gasped, looking at Lu Li with eyes filled with shock, fear, and anger.

But not a single person dared to step forward.

Even the two who had exhibited a pathological tendency for sneering and mockery forced themselves to remain silent.