Making Talismans, Freakish Amplification Cloud Abode.
Su Yun pushed open the stone door to the cultivation chamber, then shut it behind him, cutting off all the noise outside.
Now it was time to begin the second step of his grand money-making plan—making talismans.
Su Yun's gaze fell on the mountain of materials piled on the table.
Yellowed talisman paper, bright-red spirit ink, demonic beast blood, and a top-grade wolf-hair talisman brush.
Two full storage bags' worth, all bought in a shopping spree at the market.
He'd sunk twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones into the cost.
He had to earn that money back several times over.
Su Yun raised a hand and took out a thin, worn ancient book.
Its cover had faded, and three characters were written on it: Compendium of Talismans.
He'd picked it up on a whim while buying materials at a supply shop.
It specialized in introductory first-tier talismans.
The explanations were clear and easy to understand.
Su Yun opened the book and quickly scanned the pages, which were filled with the rules of talisman-making in plain black ink.
The first step in making a talisman was spirit concentration.
Clear the mind of distractions, steady the breathing, and focus one's spiritual power at the tip of the brush.
The second step was drawing in spiritual energy.
Guide a trickle of one's own spiritual power into the brush and mix it with the spirit ink.
The third step was tracing the pattern.
Each stroke had to flow into the next, without shaking or breaking.
The fourth step was sealing the spirit.
Finish the talisman pattern and lock in the spiritual energy to form the talisman.
Four simple steps.
Clear and easy to understand.
An ordinary cultivator needed at least half a year of practice to master them.
Insufficient spiritual power, poor control, trembling hands, and unruly spiritual energy—
Those were the mistakes beginners made most often.
But Su Yun had none of those problems.
The Heavenly Spirit Root boosted his spiritual power far beyond that of cultivators at the same level.
And on top of that, he had the passive Thousandfold Amplification.
His comprehension, control, and finesse with spiritual energy all crushed those of ordinary people.
Su Yun silently absorbed every word.
With no one to disturb him, the room was so quiet he could hear only the pages turning.
In just one hour,
he had thoroughly mastered the entire Compendium of Talismans.
Every pattern, brush angle, flow of spiritual power, and taboo that could cause failure was etched into his mind.
Su Yun closed the book and casually set it aside.
Time to get to work.
He picked up the wolf-hair talisman brush.
Its handle was smooth and warm, and its soft bristles held the ink without letting it spread.
A slight movement of his fingertips sent a wisp of pale golden spiritual power into the brush.
The tip dipped into the bright-red spirit ink.
The ink was thick and carried a faint bloody scent. It had been made by mixing demonic beast blood with cinnabar.
Su Yun raised his wrist, his elbow suspended in midair.
No pause. No hesitation.
The brush tip touched down.
The first stroke was straight and sharp.
Making a talisman required one continuous flow.
When ordinary cultivators drew talismans, they worked in fits and starts, pausing repeatedly and easily breaking the pattern.
Su Yun's brush moved like flowing water and drifting clouds. Golden spiritual power followed the tip, seeping into the pattern on the talisman paper.
The red ink marks on the yellow paper slowly began to glow.
The lines intertwined, wound together, and converged.
The Blazing Fire Talisman's pattern was simple, fierce, and direct.
He finished with the final stroke.
A gentle pulse of spiritual power from his fingertip touched the end of the pattern.
The spirit was sealed.
A faint vibration rang out.
The yellow paper grew slightly warm, and a flash of crimson light vanished in an instant.
In less than fifteen minutes,
the first talisman was complete.
Su Yun picked it up.
It felt warm in his hand. Its pattern was clear, and its ink was dense and rich.
The quality was flawless, without a single stray blot or broken line.
Even the best first-tier talisman maker in the market couldn't produce one this fine.
"It worked." Su Yun murmured to himself.
It hadn't been difficult at all.
It was as easy as eating or drinking.
He looked at the Blazing Fire Talisman in his hand, his eyes alight.
He wondered just how terrifying its power would be after the amplification.
There was no need to test it yet.
He kept drawing.
Wind Travel Talismans, Shield Talismans, Sharp Metal Talismans, Explosion Talismans, Hemostasis Talismans, and Mind-Calming Talismans.
Six types of commonly used first-tier talismans.
They were all hard currency in the cultivation world.
For fighting, escape, defense, healing, calming the mind, and piercing armor.
Every kind was in huge demand.
Rogue Cultivators wouldn't dare venture into the mountains without seven or eight talismans on them.
They were essential for travel, staying home, killing, and looting.
Su Yun's brush flew.
Once he got the hang of it, he could make a talisman in as little as a minute.
One, two, three...
Fifteen minutes later,
seven different kinds of first-tier talismans sat neatly arranged on the wooden table.
Every one of them was a perfect top-grade specimen.
Not a single one was ruined.
Su Yun put the talismans away and headed out.
The back mountain.
It was deserted, with scattered rocks covering the ground.
This place was reserved for the sect's disciples to test their arts and put their attacks to the trial.
Simple soundproofing and protective formations surrounded the area, so there was no need to worry about the damage spreading elsewhere.
The wind stirred the weeds, and jagged rocks jutted from the ground.
Su Yun stood on a wide, level patch of earth.
His eyes settled on the first Blazing Fire Talisman, and he couldn't help feeling a little anticipation.
Su Yun pinched the talisman between his fingers and sent a pulse of spiritual power into it.
"Explode."
Crimson flames shot into the sky.
The talisman burst into flames and blew apart.
A crimson fireball as tall as a person abruptly appeared in midair.
The flames glowed a bright red. Heat warped the air, and a wave of scorching warmth struck his face, searing his skin.
The fireball slammed into a boulder ahead.
Boom!
A tremendous roar shook the air.
The hard rock exploded at once. Shattered pieces flew everywhere, and stone dust filled the air.
Su Yun froze, his mouth slightly agape, his face full of disbelief.
"Holy crap?"
The heat of the flames, the force of the explosion, the sheer destructive power—
They were far beyond the limits of a first-tier talisman.
A first-tier Blazing Fire Talisman could barely scorch the surface of a rock.
His had blown the boulder apart, with power that rivaled a second-tier Blazing Fire Talisman!
A second-tier talisman!
That was an attack on par with a Foundation Establishment cultivator!
Su Yun swallowed, and his heart suddenly began to race.
He took out a Sharp Metal Talisman.
He crushed it and activated it.
A flash of cold light burst forth.
A three-inch golden blade of light shot through the air, moving so fast it left a trail behind it.
With a soft thup,
it pierced a smooth little hole straight through the hard rock.
Its penetrating power was terrifying.
Next.
The Shield Talisman.
A flash of light spread into a golden barrier.
He deliberately punched it.
The recoil numbed his arm.
The shield didn't budge. Its resilience was absurd.
Its defensive power was also at the second-tier level.
One, two, three...
He tested every remaining talisman.
The results were exactly the same.
Every first-tier talisman had triggered the Thousandfold Amplification.
On the outside, their patterns and quality all looked first-tier.
But their actual power, explosive force, and defensive strength had all been forcibly raised by an entire tier.
Su Yun stood where he was, his mind buzzing with excitement.
"Holy shit!"
"I'm rich!"
The corners of his mouth nearly reached his ears as elation surged through him.
On the market, ordinary first-tier talismans cost fifteen spirit stones.
Second-tier talismans cost at least two hundred low-grade spirit stones each.
More than ten times the price!
Other people spent materials, time, and spiritual energy painstakingly making genuine second-tier talismans.
But he—
He only had to draw the simplest first-tier talismans.
The cost was two or three spirit stones apiece.
Yet they exploded with second-tier power.
First-tier on the outside, second-tier within.
He could take them to the market and sell them at the lowest second-tier price.
He'd make nearly two hundred low-grade spirit stones on each one.
A windfall!
Even more outrageous than alchemy!
At least alchemy consumed large quantities of rare medicinal ingredients, required careful control of the flame, and wore down the mind.
Crafting talismans?
Paper, pens, and ink—costs were negligible.
And he never failed when drawing a talisman, working at lightning speed.
Making over a hundred a day would be a piece of cake.
Su Yun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his excitement as golden light surged in his eyes.
"Awesome."
"Seriously awesome."
"This is way more profitable than selling pills."
Pills couldn't be sold in bulk; it was too easy to disrupt the market.
Talismans were different.
They were quickly used up, and people went through plenty of them, so he could mass-produce them without a second thought.