Wondrous Brush

[Wolf Hair Brush: Made from the fine hairs on a Wind Wolf's tail.]

[Equipping grants the attribute: Wondrous Brush (White)]

[Wondrous Brush (White): Increases the success rate of Tier 1 talismans by 30%.]

[Solidification Condition: Successfully craft 300 Tier 1 talismans.]

[Equip?]

"Senior Brother Zhu, how can this be? Senior Brother Zhu has already given me his Talisman Making Insights, how can I accept this?"

Zhou Er quickly waved his hands. Although he wanted it, he knew he shouldn't be so greedy.

No one likes a greedy person.

"Junior Brother Zhou, are you disliking my gift? You don't like it?"

Zhu Shunyang said, feigning anger.

"No! No! It's just that this Wolf Hair Brush is too precious, I can't accept it."

Zhou Er said quickly.

"Junior Brother! Our talisman brushes are not like an Alchemist's cauldron. How much can they cost? Besides, you gave me a gift, so I naturally have to reciprocate. It's called returning a favor!"

Zhu Shunyang said.

"This is different. Senior Brother, you've already given me your Talisman Making Insights, how can I accept your Talisman Brush as well?"

Zhou Er explained.

"I'm not giving you those Talisman Making Insights, I still need to refer to them often myself!"

Zhu Shunyang said.

"It is already a great honor for me that Senior Brother is willing to lend them to me."

Zhou Er said.

"Are you taking it or not?"

Zhu Shunyang placed the Wolf Hair Brush in front of Zhou Er, his expression feigning seriousness.

Zhou Er was very helpless and finally accepted the Wolf Hair Brush.

"I will definitely remember Senior Brother's kindness to me."

After accepting the Wolf Hair Brush, Zhou Er said quickly.

"It's just a matter of reciprocity. If Junior Brother Zhou says that, you're being too formal."

Zhu Shunyang said.

"Senior Brother, it's just that I'm not eloquent. The friendship between us brothers will last forever!"

Zhou Er said.

This trip, Zhou Er not only gained Talisman Making Insights and Talismans, but also a friend.

After Zhu Shunyang watched Zhou Er leave, he returned to his study and glanced at the gift Zhou Er had given him.

A Purple Spirit Pill of good quality, worth a dozen or twenty Spirit Stones.

This pill was naturally incomparable to either of the two things he had given Zhou Er.

The Talisman Making Insights were the result of his more than ten years of hard work, not something that could be compared with tens of Spirit Stones.

As for the Wolf Hair Brush, although he said it wasn't expensive, it had cost him over a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones when he bought it.

Zhu Shunyang hadn't even used half of the Wolf Hair Brush's lifespan, so it was worth at least sixty or seventy Spirit Stones.

The reason he was so generous wasn't because he was wealthy, but because he saw Zhou Er's potential.

Putting aside Zhou Er's background, just reaching the Qi Refining Second Layer in three months meant he would at least be a Foundation Establishment seed in the future.

Therefore, he was willing to spend some resources to befriend such a promising individual.

When you're out and about, having more friends is never a bad thing.

After returning home with the two items, Zhou Er immediately began to copy the Talisman Making Insights.

For copying, he could go to the Scripture Pavilion to get some paper and brushes.

The Scripture Pavilion could lend ordinary paper and ink to Outer Sect disciples for free, without needing Spirit Stones.

For the next few days, in addition to his daily cultivation, Zhou Er focused on copying Zhu Shunyang's Talisman Making Insights.

It took him three days to finish the transcription.

During the copying process, Zhou Er also gained a systematic understanding of talisman making.

Talismans, in essence, were about storing spells onto Talisman Paper using runes as a medium, for later use.

The key was storage.

In other words, talismans didn't generate spells out of thin air; they merely stored the talisman maker's spells into the Talisman Paper in the form of runes.

What a talisman ultimately released was just the spell cast by the Talisman Master, and there was even some loss involved.

The upper limit of talismans is the upper limit of a Talisman Master.

This means that if a Talisman Master wants to create a talisman for a certain spell, they must have mastered that spell.

It can be said that Talisman Masters are all spell masters.

No wonder Zhu Shunyang always emphasized the importance of his own cultivation.

If one's own level is not enough, how can one make a good talisman?

Fortunately, Zhou Er's mastery of the Fireball Technique is close to perfection, which is definitely enough to meet the standard for creating Fireball Technique talismans.

After copying the insights, Zhou Er found Zhu Shunyang again and returned the insights to him.

"Senior Brother, in these three days, I have gained a lot just by copying it once," Zhou Er said, his eyes filled with admiration.

"Not at all, Junior Brother is too kind," Zhu Shunyang took back the Talisman Making Insights.

"Alright, Junior Brother will not disturb Senior Brother's work. I bid farewell."

After getting back the Talisman Making Insights, Zhou Er no longer bothered Zhu Shunyang and returned to his own courtyard.

The Talisman Making Insights he had copied could also be equipped in an equipment slot, but his equipment slots were full now, and he didn't know what to replace.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer (39.23%)]

[Equipment Slots (3/3): Five Animals Health Technique, Spirit Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Spirit Gathering (White), Five Animals Health Technique (Perfection), Longevity, Taotie (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Strength Increase (White).]

The Five Animals Health Technique could not be removed, and the Taotie from the Bigu Pill was also very important.

"I can only equip the Spirit Gathering Pill when cultivating, and take it off when not cultivating, replacing it with the Talisman Making Insights," Zhou Er thought.

After equipping the Talisman Making Insights, a large amount of rune knowledge immediately flooded Zhou Er's mind, which was the effect brought by the Rune Mastery attribute.

For Talisman Masters, mastering spells is the most basic requirement, while learning rune knowledge is the most time-consuming.

They need to transform intricate mana flows into special runes, corresponding one by one, without any errors.

This learning process would be very long.

The Rune Mastery attribute saved Zhou Er this learning process; he could start making talismans immediately.

However, before making them, Zhou Er needed to do something else: purchase Talisman Paper and special Spirit Ink.

Ordinary paper, pens, and ink couldn't withstand the ravages of spiritual energy, nor could they unleash the effects of spells.

This presented a problem: Zhou Er was out of Spirit Stones.

A penny can stop a hero.

Without Spirit Stones, even with a thousand theories, Zhou Er couldn't put them into practice.

At this moment, Zhou Er thought of Lin Shiyu.

"Lin Shiyu lives frugally and is still working hard for her dream of becoming an Alchemist. She must have saved quite a few Spirit Stones."

Zhou Er felt a bit wicked, thinking about taking advantage of Lin Shiyu.

Besides Lin Shiyu, he truly had no better candidate right now.

Senior Brother Zhu had already helped him enough; asking for more would be impolite.

But Lin Shiyu didn't have that much of a relationship with him, so she might not lend him the money.

"I'll try first! If it doesn't work, I'll find someone else to borrow from."

Zhou Er thought.

So, Zhou Er waited for Lin Shiyu again, around the time she was finishing work.

"Junior Sister! I've finished copying the Talisman Making Insights."

Zhou Er said. After receiving Zhu Shunyang's Talisman Making Insights, he had already shared the joy of this matter with Lin Shiyu.

Lin Shiyu also knew that Zhou Er had been busy copying the insights these past few days.

"That's great."

Lin Shiyu said with a smile, happy for Zhou Er.

"Junior Sister, it's precisely because of this that I want to borrow some Spirit Stones from you to buy Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink."

Zhou Er said, steeling himself. Borrowing Spirit Stones from someone really required a lot of courage.

And it had to be handled carefully; if handled poorly, they might not even be friends anymore.

Upon hearing that Zhou Er wanted to borrow Spirit Stones, Lin Shiyu's smile indeed paused, but she still said:

"Senior Brother, how much do you want to borrow?"

"Ten! Just ten Spirit Stones, and I'll return them to you as soon as possible."

Zhou Er said. He planned to buy another second-hand Talisman Brush and some Spirit Paper and Spirit Ink. Ten was the bare minimum, barely enough.

"Senior Brother, wait a moment."

Lin Shiyu said. She then went back into her room to get her Spirit Stones. Zhou Er waited outside this time.

A short while later, Lin Shiyu took out a small embroidered bag and said:

"Senior Brother, there are twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones in here. I know talisman crafting consumes a lot, so feel free to try! Don't rush to return it."

Zhou Er held the bag, deeply moved. He resolved to earn money as quickly as possible to repay Lin Shiyu's kindness.

"Junior Sister, don't worry, I'll return double what I owe you once I earn Spirit Stones!"

Zhou Er said earnestly.

"Senior Brother, I believe you."

Lin Shiyu said with a smile.

Even though she knew Zhou Er was a disciple without any background, just like her, seeing Zhou Er's serious expression gave Lin Shiyu the feeling that he would definitely succeed.

The angel investment Zhou Er received led him to the place where talismans were sold in Xiayun Sect the next day: the Fu family's shop.

The Fu family was a renowned aristocratic family in Xiayun Sect. Several Golden Core Elders had come from their clan, and they controlled the business of most of the raw materials for talismans in Xiayun Sect.

If a Xiayun Sect disciple wanted to craft talismans, they had to purchase supplies from the Fu family.

Following Zhu Shunyang's instructions, Zhou Er arrived at the Fu Family Talisman Shop.

"Esteemed Senior Brother, what would you like to buy?"

As soon as Zhou Er entered, a Servant Disciple stepped forward and asked.

"I want to buy some Talisman Paper and Spirit Ink."

Zhou Er said.

"Esteemed Senior Brother, which Talisman Master recommended you? Without a recommendation from a Talisman Master, we cannot sell these to you,"

the Servant Disciple said cautiously.

Alchemy, artifact crafting, talisman crafting, and formations were all monopolized by the sect's powerful figures. Without paying respects or being introduced, one couldn't even buy the raw materials.

"Zhu Shunyang from Wutong District, Senior Brother Zhu."

Zhou Er said.

"So it was Senior Brother Zhu's recommendation. Please come with me, Senior Brother."

The circle of Talisman Masters in Xiayun Sect wasn't that large. As soon as Zhou Er mentioned it, the Servant Disciple knew who he was talking about. They could confirm it later when Zhu Shunyang arrived.

Zhou Er followed the Servant Disciple to a room resembling a warehouse inside the shop. He saw the various Talisman Making raw materials displayed there.

"May I ask your name, Senior Brother?" the Servant Disciple asked before making the sale.

"I am Zhou Er," Zhou Er replied.

"So it's Senior Brother Zhou, it's an honor. You can call me Xiao You. Feel free to find me next time you come to buy Talisman Paper or Spirit Ink," Xiao You said, cupping his hands.

"Certainly. What is the price of this Talisman Paper?" Zhou Er asked.

"Senior Brother, these ordinary Talisman Papers are twenty-five sheets per stack and only cost one Spirit Stone. We've already cut them. Over there are the uncut ones. A whole sheet is also one Spirit Stone, but you'll need to cut it yourself when you get back," Xiao You said, pointing to the neatly stacked Talisman Paper in a large box, and then to a large, rolled-up sheet of Talisman Paper on the other side.

"Besides these, we also have more expensive beast skins, ten Spirit Stones per sheet," Xiao You added, looking at the rolled-up beast skins on another side.

Hearing the expensive price of the beast skins, Zhou Er dismissed the idea. Beast skins were used to make Tier 2 Talismans. Using them as a medium for a Talisman like the Fireball Technique would be too extravagant.

Zhou Er could only choose between the pre-cut ordinary Talisman Paper and the uncut Talisman Paper.

According to Senior Brother Zhu's Talisman Making Insights, pre-cut Talisman Paper was more stable. Uncut Talisman Paper, although requiring self-cutting, offered the chance to cut out a few extra sheets. Moreover, uncut Talisman Paper could be cut after drawing the Talisman, providing more space for execution.

Since it was Zhou Er's first time making a Talisman, he decided to play it safe. "Xiao You, give me a whole sheet!"

"Coming right up!" Xiao You pulled out a large, rolled-up sheet of ordinary Talisman Paper.

"How much for the Spirit Ink?"

Zhou Er asked about the price of Spirit Ink again.

"This Spirit Ink is made from Black Dog Blood and Green Bamboo Charcoal. Two taels of Spirit Ink per Spirit Stone. This bottle weighs eight taels, so it's four Spirit Stones."

Xiao You said.

"Then give me a bottle."

Zhou Er had Spirit Stones in hand now, so he bought a bit more.

Xiao You got another bottle of Spirit Ink for Zhou Er and asked, "Senior Brother Zhou, do you need anything else?"

"Can you get me a Talisman Brush for around ten Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Er asked.

The Talisman Brush Zhu Shunyang gave him had to be placed in his Equipment Slot to gain Attributes. He needed a new Talisman Brush for making Talismans.

"Of course, I'll find one for you right away, Senior Brother."

Xiao You walked to a chest and took out an ordinary Talisman Brush, about three inches long.

"This Talisman Brush is made from the downy fur of a White-tailed Rat's belly and a Paulownia Wood core. It's worth twelve Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Although the tools for a Talisman Master were a bit more cumbersome, their overall price was cheaper than that of an Alchemist.

Of course, the profit from Talismans was also relatively lower.

"Can you make it cheaper?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Senior Brother! You know, I'm working for Elder Fu. The Fu Family Talisman Shop has always had fair prices and never negotiates."

Xiao You winked at Zhou Er and said helplessly.

"Is that so?"

Zhou Er understood. The Fu family monopolized the Talisman industry of Xiayun Sect, so naturally, they wouldn't give Outer Sect disciples the right to haggle.

If you don't buy it, someone else will.

Although Zhou Er detested this rule, he had to bow his head under the eaves. Zhou Er could only take out his Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, and Talisman Brush cost Zhou Er a total of seventeen Spirit Stones, leaving him with three.

"Senior Brother, although I can't give you a discount, I can give you a Talisman-making template and a cutting knife to trim Talisman Paper. If you trim and make Talismans according to this format, and the Talismans are compliant, the Fu Family Talisman Shop will buy them back at a price of one Spirit Stone for five Talismans."

Xiao You found these two tools for Zhou Er and said.

"That's great!"

Zhou Er nodded and accepted them.

Zhu Shunyang had written in his Talisman Making Insights that there were only two ways to sell talismans within the sect.

One was to sell them to the Fu family for recycling, which was the price Xiao You mentioned, and the profit was very low.

The second was to set up a stall and sell them at the Market when it was open. However, the price had to follow the Fu family's rules, which was three first-tier talismans per Spirit Stone, and large quantities could not be sold.

If anyone violated the rules, they would be boycotted by the entire talisman master circle of Xiayun Sect, making it difficult to even obtain the raw materials for making talismans.

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