Zhou Changwang spread a talisman paper flat across the table.
This talisman paper had long since been cut to the proper size, half a foot long and three inches wide.
Zhou Changwang held the talisman brush in one hand. Only after slightly stirring the spiritual power within his body and sensing that it could flow smoothly through the brush did he move it to the talisman blood ink at the side and dip it in.
Only when the brush tip had absorbed enough and become full did he hold it suspended above the talisman paper.
"Begin!"
Spiritual power surged as Zhou Changwang set brush to paper. Spiritual power continuously flowed through the talisman brush and into the talisman ink, then followed the brush tip as it traced patterns upon the talisman paper.
This actually placed extremely high demands on a talisman crafter's control over spiritual power.
After all, it had to be conducted through the talisman brush, laid down upon the talisman paper, while maintaining an even flow of spiritual power and ensuring the spell structure remained complete without mishap... Even though the Fireball Talisman was a spell Zhou Changwang knew very well and had long since cultivated to the Mastery level.
But the instant he drew the first rune structure.
Hiss!
The talisman paper was abruptly pierced through by his brush.
"The spiritual power input was too great.
"And the rune structure I wrote was not regular enough. I did not account for the size of the talisman paper. Even if I kept drawing, it would inevitably fail..."
Seeing this, Zhou Changwang took a deep breath and silently summed up the lesson.
He had long known that Talisman Crafting was no simple matter. It required constant attempts and trial and error.
And practicing on plain paper would not do, either.
Because rune structures could only truly take shape when constructed with spiritual power. Practicing on plain paper could produce the form, but not the spirit; the difference between the two was as vast as heaven and earth.
No matter how alike the drawing looked, the two were not the same thing.
"Continue!"
After failing, Zhou Changwang was not discouraged. His mindset was excellent, and he had long known he could not possibly succeed in one try.
Not even geniuses such as a sect's Dao Child could do so.
Success in one stroke could only be attributed to luck.
Talent?
It did not exist.
The second time, Zhou Changwang failed before even finishing the first rune structure.
The third time, he completed one and a half.
The fourth time, he failed the instant he set down his brush. His spiritual power control was insufficient, and talisman ink dripped down.
Zhou Changwang tried again and again, and failed again and again.
Even with his calm mindset, ample patience, and mental preparation, he gradually became restless.
In the end, he simply set down his brush and stopped.
He knew that today, he was no longer suited to continue drawing talismans.
"No wonder it is said that some talisman crafters burn incense and pray before they begin crafting talismans, even preparing all sorts of rituals.
"Anyone would find this string of unending failures unbearable.
"They can only rely on mysticism for support."
Zhou Changwang sighed. It took him quite some time before he finally calmed the restless energy within himself.
As for this so-called "mysticism," he actually knew it was merely certain spiritual-energy-assisted methods. For example, the incense people burned might be Calming Spirit Incense, Spirit-Recovering Incense, or even Awakening Spirit Incense, which could enhance mental activity. The one they prayed to might be some True Lord of Talismans. There might indeed be aid from the unseen, and the rituals they employed might also be some ritual technique or ritual art...
It could not exactly be called baseless.
"I drew seventeen talismans in total, and not one succeeded.
"It seems the initial investment in the path of talisman crafting is no small matter."
Zhou Changwang did a rough calculation and felt a pang of heartache.
He had spent nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones just purchasing talisman brushes and talisman ink. As for talisman paper, though the paper on him had been obtained from the Storage Bag and amounted to two stacks, a little over a hundred sheets.
In the outside world, however, one stack of ordinary talisman paper cost one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
In other words, if a Rogue Cultivator wanted to become a talisman crafter, without considering the value of the talisman inheritance itself, he would need at least ten Low-Grade Spirit Stones in capital.
And a stack of low-grade talismans, ten of them, could be bought for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone...
"No wonder they say the life of cultivation is fraught with hardship.
"Surviving here truly is not so easy."
Zhou Changwang shook his head.
After sensing that his spiritual power had recovered a little more, he took out the three black seeds.
One Growth Technique after another was continuously cast upon the three seeds.
Every now and then, he would use the Withered Wood Renewal Technique.
It had to be said that the Withered Wood Renewal Technique was an exceptionally practical spell.
Not only could it be used for healing, but it also had outstanding effects when used to cultivate spiritual plants.
By now, he had already experienced the convenience of this spell in his Spirit Field. One of the clearest signs was that the Spirit Grain Rice in his field had gradually caught up to the Spirit Rice in Old Xu's field and had completely ripened.
Tomorrow would be the day he harvested his Spirit Field.
He had no choice but to harvest it.
The price of Spirit Rice had been falling all along.
A few days ago, one Low-Grade Spirit Stone could still buy thirteen jin. That evening, he received word that the price of Spirit Rice had dropped to fourteen jin per Low-Grade Spirit Stone.
If he did not sell it soon, it would probably fall to fifteen jin...
That would be a tremendous loss.
A Withered Wood Renewal Technique descended, scattering specks of rosy light across the three seeds. For an instant, it seemed as though endless spiritual radiance flickered within them.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes...
After the time it took to burn one stick of incense.
The spiritual light dispersed, yet the three seeds remained exactly as before, without the slightest change.
"Could these three really be dead seeds?"
Zhou Changwang could not help but grow suspicious.
After so many Growth Techniques, even withered wood should have sprouted by now, should it not?
Fortunately, he had only regarded them as tools for practicing his spells from the very beginning, so he had not held much hope.
Once he calmed himself, he continued casting spells.
One Growth Technique after another continuously fell upon the three seeds.
Ever since his cultivation had broken through to the Third Level of Qi Refining, not only had his cultivation become more abundant, but the refinement of his spiritual power had also improved greatly.
Thus, with his spiritual power at full capacity, the number of Growth Techniques he could cast had increased significantly as well.
Suddenly.
As another Growth Technique fell.
He felt a vast amount of cultivation experience related to the Growth Technique emerge in his mind at that instant.
It was as though, in that moment, he had undergone hundreds or thousands of practices with the Growth Technique.
"The Growth Technique reached Major Mastery?"
Almost instantly, Zhou Changwang realized what had happened and hurriedly looked at the Attribute Panel.
Sure enough, under the spells section, he saw the words: Growth Technique (Major Mastery 1/800).
"It really reached Major Mastery."
Zhou Changwang was delighted.
This was the first spell he had mastered to Major Mastery.
He could scarcely wait to test it and see how this spell differed now.
Then, with a thought.
In almost an instant, specks of spiritual light gathered before him.
Instant cast!
Zhou Changwang was stunned.
Then he quickly came to his senses.
Perhaps this was the characteristic of the Growth Technique at Major Mastery.
He could cast it instantly.
Then he directly scattered the spiritual light over the black seeds.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
Then he saw a tender sprout stubbornly grow from one of the previously motionless black seeds, breaking through its shell.
The seed had sprouted?
Before you continue