Talisman Crafting, Perverted Amplification

Su Yun pushed open the stone door of the cultivation room and closed it behind him, shutting out all noise from the outside world.

Now, he would begin the second step of his grand money-making plan: talisman crafting.

Su Yun's gaze fell upon the mountain of materials piled on the table.

Yellowed talisman paper, bright red spirit ink, beast essence blood, and a top-tier wolf-hair talisman brush.

Two full large storage bags, all swept up during his shopping spree at the market.

He had dumped twenty thousand low-grade spirit stones into the cost.

He had to earn this money back tenfold.

Su Yun raised his hand and took out a thin, old, ancient book.

The cover was faded, bearing three characters: Compendium of Talismans.

This was a basic manual he had picked up on a whim while buying materials at the shop.

It was specifically dedicated to recording introductory first-tier talismans.

It was easy to understand and clearly organized.

Su Yun flipped through the pages, his eyes scanning rapidly; the black ink on white paper was filled with the rules of talisman crafting.

The first step of talisman crafting: focus.

Clear the mind of distractions, steady the breathing, and concentrate spiritual power at the tip of the brush.

The second step: spirit channeling.

Channel one's own faint spiritual power into the talisman brush and mix it into the spirit ink.

The third step: tracing the pattern.

Complete the stroke in one go; the lines must be continuous, steady, and unbroken.

The fourth step: spirit sealing.

Finish the talisman script to lock in the spiritual energy, and the talisman is formed.

Four simple steps.

Easy to understand.

For an ordinary cultivator to master this, it would take at least half a year of practice.

Insufficient mental strength, poor control, trembling hands, and chaotic spiritual energy.

These were the mistakes novices were most prone to making.

But Su Yun had none of these problems.

With the blessing of his Heavenly Spirit Root, his mental strength far exceeded that of cultivators at the same level.

Added to that was his Thousandfold Amplification passive.

His perception, control, and the refinement of his spiritual energy all crushed the average person.

Su Yun digested the text word by word, silently.

With no one to disturb him, it was so quiet that only the sound of turning pages could be heard.

In just one hour.

He had thoroughly mastered the entire Compendium of Talismans.

Every talisman pattern, the angle of the brush strokes, the circulation of spiritual power, and the taboos that lead to failure were all etched into his mind.

Su Yun closed the ancient book and set it aside.

Time to start.

He picked up the wolf-hair talisman brush.

The brush handle was warm and smooth, the bristles soft and capable of holding ink without scattering.

His fingertips moved slightly, and a wisp of pale golden spiritual power quietly poured into the brush handle.

The tip of the brush was dipped into the bright red spirit ink.

The spirit ink was thick and carried a faint scent of blood; it was refined from beast essence blood mixed with cinnabar.

Su Yun held his wrist aloft, his elbow suspended in the air.

No hesitation, no pause.

The brush tip descended.

The first stroke was straight and sharp.

Talisman crafting emphasizes completing the work in one breath.

Ordinary cultivators draw talismans in fits and starts, pausing repeatedly, which makes it extremely easy to break the pattern.

Su Yun's brush moved like flowing water, the golden spiritual power following the tip and seeping into the patterns on the talisman paper.

A faint red glow slowly illuminated the red ink marks on the yellow paper.

The patterns intertwined, coiled, and converged.

The Blazing Fire Talisman pattern was simple, violent, and straightforward.

The final stroke was completed.

A fingertip tapped lightly on the tail of the talisman, channeling spiritual power.

Seal the spirit.

A subtle tremor echoed.

The yellow paper grew slightly warm, and a flash of crimson spiritual light flickered and vanished.

Less than half a quarter of an hour had passed.

The first talisman was successfully refined.

Su Yun picked up the talisman.

It felt warm to the touch, the patterns were clear, and the ink was dense and refined.

The quality was perfect, without a single trace of smudged ink or broken lines.

Even the best first-tier talisman master in the market could not draw a piece of this caliber.

"Done." Su Yun whispered to himself.

There was not the slightest difficulty.

It was as simple as eating or drinking water.

He looked at the Blazing Fire Talisman in his hand, his eyes shining.

He wondered just how terrifying the power would be after the amplification.

He was in no rush to test it.

He continued to draw.

Wind Travel Talisman, Shield Talisman, Sharp Metal Talisman, Explosion Talisman, Hemostasis Talisman, Mind-Calming Talisman.

Six types of commonly used first-tier talismans.

All of them were hard currency in the cultivation world.

Fighting, escaping, defending, healing, calming the mind, breaking armor.

The demand for each was enormous.

If a rogue cultivator went out without seven or eight talismans on them, they would be too embarrassed to venture into the mountains and forests.

They were essential items for home, travel, killing, and looting.

Su Yun's brush moved with lightning speed.

Once proficient, the fastest he could draw a single talisman was just one minute.

One, two, three...

A quarter of an hour later.

Seven different types of first-tier talismans were neatly arranged on the wooden table.

Every single one was of perfect, top-tier quality.

There was not a single wasted talisman.

Su Yun gathered the talismans and stood up to head out.

The back mountain.

It was desolate and uninhabited, covered in scattered rocks.

This place was specifically for sect disciples to test spells and practice attacks.

Simple soundproofing and protective formations were set up around the area, so there was no need to worry about the destructive power spreading elsewhere.

The wind blew through the weeds, and the rocks stood jagged and rugged.

Su Yun stood on the open ground.

His gaze fell upon the first Blazing Fire Talisman, and he felt a fair amount of anticipation.

Su Yun pinched the talisman and tapped it with a bit of spiritual power from his fingertip.

"Explode."

A crimson firelight soared into the sky in an instant.

The talisman burned and burst open.

A crimson fireball half the height of a person suddenly manifested in mid-air.

The flames were bright red and translucent, the high temperature distorting the air, and a heatwave rushed toward him, scorching his skin.

The fireball slammed violently into the boulder ahead.

BOOM!

A deafening roar echoed.

The solid rock shattered instantly, sending stone shards flying and filling the air with a cloud of dust.

Su Yun stood stunned, his mouth slightly agape, his face etched with disbelief.

"What the hell?"

The temperature of the flames, the force of the explosion, the sheer destructive power.

It far exceeded the limits of a first-tier talisman.

A standard first-tier Blazing Fire Talisman would, at most, scorch the surface.

This single talisman of his had pulverized the rock, its power rivaling that of a second-tier Blazing Fire Talisman!

A second-tier talisman!

That was an offensive tool equivalent to the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

Su Yun swallowed hard, his heart rate spiking.

He took out a Sharp Metal Talisman.

He crushed it and channeled his energy.

A cold light flashed.

A three-inch golden blade of sharpness tore through the air, moving so fast it left an afterimage.

Pfft.

The solid rock was pierced clean through, leaving a smooth, small hole.

The piercing power was terrifying.

Next.

Shield Talisman.

With a flash of spiritual light, a golden barrier unfolded.

He threw a punch at the shield himself.

The recoil made his arm go numb.

The shield didn't budge, its durability absurd.

The defense had also reached the second-tier level.

One, two, three...

He tested all the remaining talismans.

The results were identical.

Every single first-tier talisman triggered the Thousandfold Amplification.

In appearance, markings, and grade, they all looked like first-tier items.

But their actual power, explosive force, and defensive capabilities had been forcibly elevated by one tier.

Su Yun stood where he was, his mind racing with excitement.

"Holy crap!"

"I'm rich!"

His grin stretched from ear to ear as a wave of ecstasy washed over him.

On the market, an ordinary first-tier talisman cost fifteen spirit stones.

A second-tier talisman cost at least two hundred low-grade spirit stones apiece.

The price difference was over tenfold!

Others spent materials, time, and mental energy painstakingly refining genuine second-tier talismans.

But he?

He drew the simplest first-tier talismans.

The cost was only two or three spirit stones each.

Yet he could force out second-tier power.

It looked like a first-tier item on the outside, but it was second-tier on the inside.

If he took them to the market to sell, he could price them at the lowest second-tier rate.

He would net nearly two hundred low-grade spirit stones in profit per talisman.

It was a windfall!

It was even more absurd than alchemy!

At least alchemy required consuming large amounts of rare herbs, controlling the heat, and exhausting one's focus.

Talisman crafting?

Paper, brushes, and ink—the costs were incredibly low.

Furthermore, he had a zero-failure rate when drawing talismans, and his speed was lightning-fast.

Turning out a hundred a day was a breeze.

Su Yun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the excitement in his heart as a golden light surged within his eyes.

"Awesome."

"Truly awesome."

"This is even more profitable than selling medicinal pills."

Medicinal pills couldn't be mass-produced, as they would easily disrupt the market.

Talismans, however, had no such fear.

With their rapid consumption and high demand, they could be mindlessly mass-produced.