Three Yang Talisman

"Close your eyes, I am about to cast the spell."

Zhou Ye held a magic talisman in his hand, pinching a spell seal as he prepared to cast.

Seeing Zhou Ye's solemn demeanor, Gao Xian felt extremely curious. Zhou Ye was clearly a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator and an expert in magic talismans; why was he making such a fuss over using one?

He couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zhou, is this the Lesser Yang Talisman?"

"In your dreams. You think you can use a Lesser Yang Talisman for ten low-grade spirit stones?"

Zhou Ye looked quite disdainful. "One Yang, Three Yang, Six Yang, Nine Yang, and Nine Yang turning into Lesser Yang. This is a Three Yang Talisman. If you want a Lesser Yang Talisman, you'd better bring ten mid-grade spirit stones."

"Ah?"

Gao Xian was very surprised. "A Three Yang Talisman is that expensive?"

"If you want to buy a Three Yang Talisman, it's five low-grade spirit stones. Having me cast it personally is what costs this much."

Zhou Ye said with some impatience, "Casting a Three Yang Talisman requires the use of Yang energy to ignite it, which consumes a great deal of mental energy. If it weren't for Xu Mingyuan's sake, you dreaming of having me take action for those ten low-grade spirit stones would be just that—a dream!"

Gao Xian was left speechless and embarrassed. The old man was taking his money while acting like a temperamental tyrant, but since he needed the old man to do the work, he dared not say anything.

"Close your eyes."

Zhou Ye wiped his withered palm across Gao Xian's face, and while Gao Xian's eyes were shut, he pressed the Three Yang Talisman directly onto the center of Gao Xian's brow.

The Three Yang Talisman instantly transformed into a ball of flame, and the room suddenly brightened.

Even with his eyes closed, Gao Xian could clearly feel the blaze of light. Following that, his brow grew hot.

It felt like a red-hot branding iron pressed against his skin; the scorching, stinging pain penetrated deep into the center of his brow, and the sudden agony made Gao Xian cry out.

Fortunately, the sharp pain passed quickly. When Gao Xian opened his eyes, he saw the Three Yang Talisman had turned into flakes of ash, scattering everywhere.

Gao Xian hurriedly touched the center of his brow. The skin felt smooth, and he sensed nothing unusual, so he let out a sigh of relief.

"Look at how timid you are. I have sixty years of cultivation in magic talismans; do you think I could make a mistake?"

Zhou Ye sat in his chair with an air of self-importance, his tone sounding like an old man lecturing a junior, fully embodying the persona of a senior expert.

He did indeed look very old, his face covered in wrinkles, his skin a sickly pale, and his eyes rimmed with dark circles, looking exceptionally exhausted.

Gao Xian could only offer a forced smile. "Many thanks, Mr. Zhou."

He asked again, feeling a bit uneasy, "Mr. Zhou, has all the evil energy been removed?"

"Just about. Although the Three Yang Talisman is effective, there will always be a little residual evil energy left. Just be careful, and you'll be fine."

Zhou Ye waved his hand. "I'm tired. You should go; I won't see you out."

"Thank you for your hard work, sir."

Gao Xian didn't want to leave, though; the evil energy wasn't completely gone, and he was worried.

He scooted over to a chair beside Zhou Ye and sat down. "Mr. Zhou, how can I completely eradicate the evil energy?"

"Evil energy moves from the outside in, linking with your essence, energy, and spirit. Magic talismans, after all, cannot penetrate deep into the soul. You should find some Pure Yang type spells to practice. Once your Yang energy is sufficient, you will naturally be able to dissolve the residual evil energy."

Zhou Ye had a fiery temper, but seeing Gao Xian's humble and respectful demeanor, he offered a few pointers.

"Can't I just use the Three Yang Talisman again?"

"The power of a magic talisman is violent; using it too much will hurt you."

Zhou Ye looked unimpressed. "You're only in your twenties, your Yang energy is at its peak, and a little residual evil energy is nothing. Others wander around Soaring Snake Mountain all year round without fearing evil spirits, so what are you afraid of?"

Zhou Ye spoke lightly, but Gao Xian dared not take it lightly.

In his past life, he had always lived very cautiously. He kept goji berries in his thermos year-round, had annual physical exams, and would think twice before drinking a glass of iced cola for fear of raising his blood sugar.

Now that he had evil energy clinging to him, the old man said it was fine, but that was because the evil energy wasn't in the old man's body. His life was his own, and he dared not be careless.

"Sir, I... I am afraid."

Gao Xian did not hide his cowardice; he felt that being honest was more sincere.

He said cautiously, "I don't know where to go to learn Pure Yang spells, and I wonder if you would teach your Three Yang Talisman technique?"

"You want to learn talisman-making too!"

Zhou Ye laughed out loud. "Of the hundred arts of cultivation, alchemy, artifact refining, talismans, and formations are the leaders. These four skills are also the most complex. Being proficient in alchemy is enough to build a fortune. Distracting yourself with talisman-making is not a smart choice."

"My main goal is to remove the evil energy."

Gao Xian explained, "I have no other intentions. Please don't misunderstand, sir."

He emphasized, "I can pay tuition."

Zhou Ye had originally intended to refuse outright; the kid had struggled to cough up ten spirit stones, so how much money could he possibly have?

On second thought, Gao Xian was an alchemist, after all, and could make plenty of money. This big, fat sheep had delivered itself to his door; it would be a disservice to himself not to fleece him.

Zhou Ye pondered for a moment and said, "The Lesser Yang Talisman is extremely complex; it takes at least ten or twenty years to master. Since you only want to remove evil energy, there is no need to learn the Lesser Yang Talisman."

"I have a quick-study True Yang Method here. As long as you practice it diligently, it will be enough to dissolve all the evil energy."

"That would be wonderful. Please teach me, sir."

Gao Xian stood up and bowed respectfully, his posture one of sincere request for guidance.

Zhou Ye smiled. "You don't need to be so polite; just paying the fee will suffice."

"Oh? I wonder how many spirit stones it will cost?" Gao Xian sighed inwardly. Cultivators were all so greedy; trying to build rapport or pull strings was completely useless.

"Fifty low-grade spirit stones."

"Ah?"

Upon hearing the price, Gao Xian's heart sank to the bottom. This old man was even more unscrupulous than Boss Zhu.

He probed cautiously, "Senior, could you make it a bit cheaper? I really don't have that many spirit stones."

"The Dharma is not lightly imparted."

Zhou Ye looked displeased. "My unique secret technique only costs fifty low-grade spirit stones. Is that expensive?"

"It costs fifty spirit stones just to craft a single Six Yang Talisman!"

"If it weren't for the sake of your teacher, why would I ever impart my secret technique to you!"

Gao Xian felt the old man was blowing smoke. Fifty spirit stones for a single talisman was several times more expensive than the White Plum Needles in his possession; that was simply absurd.

However, he couldn't call the old man's bluff.

Having been beaten down by society for many years, Gao Xian understood one truth: if you can't convince someone, even if you gain the upper hand for a moment, you only escalate the conflict and solve nothing.

Seeing Gao Xian's troubled expression, Zhou Ye said quite kindly, "For the sake of your master, I can let you pay in installments. Pay ten spirit stones first, then five every month, and you'll have it paid off in a year."

Gao Xian almost laughed. Everyone was so skilled at collecting interest—truly impressive!

He already owed a mountain of debt to Boss Zhu; if he took on more debt with Old Man Zhou, he wouldn't be able to go on living.

Gao Xian even suspected that Old Man Zhou was intentionally trying to scare him, creating demand where none existed.

But he didn't dare gamble, as this concerned his own life.

Gao Xian scrutinized Old Man Zhou and noticed the dark circles under his eyes—a look of kidney deficiency and qi depletion that looked remarkably similar to Old Wang.

A thought struck him, and he had an idea.

"Senior, I notice your yang energy seems a bit insufficient."

Zhou Ye was visibly annoyed. "Nonsense. This old man uses yang energy and essence blood to craft talismans, leaving me depleted in both qi and blood. What is so strange about having insufficient yang energy?"

"Senior, please don't be angry. This junior has some medicine that is specifically for strengthening the spirit and boosting yang. The efficacy is extraordinary; you might as well give it a try."

Gao Xian fished a small box of Deer Antler Powder from his pack and handed it to Zhou Ye with both hands in a respectful gesture.

Zhou Ye opened the box, picked up a blue pill, and sniffed it. His old face darkened as he said, "You think I can't tell just because you dyed it blue? Isn't this just Deer Antler Powder?!"

"Senior, this junior would never dare to deceive you. You'll know once you try it."

Gao Xian's face was full of sincerity; he had immense confidence in his Grandmaster-level Deer Antler Powder.

Regardless of Zhou Ye being in the late stage of Qi Refining, with his current state of kidney deficiency and qi depletion, the Deer Antler Powder would definitely be effective.

Seeing Gao Xian so confident, Zhou Ye felt a bit curious.

If it were someone he didn't know, he wouldn't dare to randomly consume pills gifted by another. However, he had seen Gao Xian several times at Xu Mingyuan's place and felt he knew the boy's background well.

Even so, Zhou Ye still activated his Appraisal Technique.

Spiritual light flickered in Zhou Ye's eyes, faintly peering through the outer layer of the pill to see the materials inside, and he could also detect the subtle medicinal scents within.

Judging by various characteristics, he was absolutely certain the blue pill was indeed Deer Antler Powder, and that it was free of toxins.

The Appraisal Technique primarily strengthened the six senses, allowing for an in-depth analysis of items like pills and magical artifacts.

As for what results could be parsed, that depended on the user's own ability.

Zhou Ye was confident; a minor cultivator like Gao Xian didn't have the capability to deceive his Appraisal Technique.

He swallowed a Deer Antler Powder pill. "Fine, I'll try your Deer Antler Powder. Let's see if you can really make something special out of this."

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a wave of heat diffuse from within his body. First, his kidneys grew warm, and then his entire body began to heat up.

This heat was yang-natured but not drying, as if his internal organs were being soaked in a hot spring. His spirit lifted, and he felt a long-lost sensation of overflowing vitality.

Zhou Ye immediately realized the uniqueness of the Deer Antler Powder in his hand. He asked Gao Xian with great astonishment, "Did you refine this yourself?"

Gao Xian felt smug inside. Deer Antler Powder was the savior of middle-aged and elderly men; once Zhou Ye tried the little blue pill, he would never be able to leave it behind!

On the surface, however, he lowered his eyes, appearing respectful and humble. "This junior's skills are crude; I ask for your guidance, Senior."