Paper-Making Techniques

[Cultivator Character Panel]
[Name: Yue Shuo]

[Age: 12/100 years]
[Realm: Qi Refining Level One]

[Spiritual Root: Metal 1, Wood 1, Water 2, Fire 1, Earth 1]
[Comprehension: 120]

[Cultivation: 0/1000]
[Breakthrough Chance: 75%]

[Qi and Blood: 520/520] [Mana: 500/500]
[Divine Sense: 25/75] [Pill Toxicity: 0/25]

[Talent: Reborn as Human (Purple)]
[Bloodline: Unknown Thin Bloodline (2)]

[Cultivation Methods: Tai Chi Fist (Perfected), Wood Essence Art (Proficient), Evergreen Method (Beginner), Thousand Waves Formula (Beginner), Sharp Metal Art (Beginner), Blazing Sun Art (Beginner)]
[First-Tier Tai Chi Fist: 524/2000 (Perfected)]

[Wood Essence Art (First-Tier): 190/200 (Proficient)]
[Spells: Qi-Replenishing Technique (Minor Success), Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique (Minor Success), Golden Light Slash (Beginner), Evergreen Technique (Beginner); Secret Arts: Thousand Waves Slash (Beginner), Flame Palm (Beginner)]

[Qi-Replenishing Technique (First-Tier): 95/500 (Minor Success)]
[Lesser Cloud-Rain Technique (First-Tier): 87/500 (Minor Success)]

[Skill: Talisman Crafting (26/100)]
[Water Condensation Talisman (Foundational): 16/20 (Proficient)]

Yue Shuo looked through everything from beginning to end, only giving the changes in the cultivation method and spell sections a cursory glance.

He committed the changes in the most important figures to memory.

His realm had changed from "Mortal" to "Qi Refining Level One"!

His cultivation had gone from full to zero, while its upper limit had become one thousand. For now, there was still no displayed cultivation speed.

The breakthrough chance had not become the fifty percent he had expected.

It was actually still seventy-five percent.

That was unexpected, but of course, it was a good thing!

As for his qi and blood increasing by four hundred points, and his mana likewise increasing by four hundred points, they seemed to have risen in multiples of five.

The extra twenty points had come from Tai Chi Fist.

They had not increased fivefold at the same time.

He only pondered the principle behind it briefly before setting it aside. His gaze turned to the thing he cared about most—Divine Sense!

[Divine Sense: 25/75]

Its upper limit had risen fivefold from the former fifteen points, filling Yue Shuo with delight.

Just as expected!

His deduction had been correct!

Cultivation was the key!

Only when his cultivation rose would everything else rise as well!

As for the talents, bloodline, cultivation methods, spells, and the like afterward, they were all roughly the same as he remembered.

There were only slight differences in their arrangement.

"Keep cultivating?"

Yue Shuo found it difficult to calm down.

He got up and wandered through the spirit field. The sight of the ten mature ten-year Gathering Spirit Grass plants made him even happier.

Without hesitation, he took out his usual wooden box and harvested them.

After harvesting the Gathering Spirit Grass,

his excitement at breaking through gradually subsided.

Yue Shuo turned his Divine Sense inward and began considering his daily cultivation arrangements from here on.

Cultivating to raise his cultivation was undoubtedly the priority.

Of course,

he also needed to spend some time on other necessary improvements.

Taking the Gathering Spirit Grass to the Qin Clan's shop to sell now seemed a little too conspicuous.

He had only been on the island for less than two months.

Hmm... could he use it to refine pills?

And Gathering Spirit Grass seemed to have another use... besides pill refinement, it also appeared to be the main material for making First-Grade Blank Talisman Paper?

As for exactly how it was made, he was not too sure.

Still, he seemed to have learned a little about how ancient paper and straw paper were made in his previous life.

After all, everyone had gone through a certain phase.

Where they had "accidentally" memorized formulas for glass, gunpowder, and soap, along with ancient iron-smelting and paper-making techniques.

Though those memories had faded,

he could still recall some of the basic steps.

First-Grade Blank Talisman Paper was simply paper containing a certain capacity for holding spiritual energy, of exceptionally fine quality.

"The stalks and leaves of Gathering Spirit Grass are both tough and full of fibers... paper-making..."

Yue Shuo returned to the spirit field, squatted down, and reached out to touch the surface of a Gathering Spirit Grass leaf.

He recalled the paper-making steps he had seen in his previous life.

"Break the materials into fragments, then steam, boil, or pound and wash them into pulp. Remove the impurities, pour the pulp into a flat wooden mold? Press out the water? Let it dry in the shade? Air-dry it?"

The process did not seem particularly complicated.

Of course, in an era with low productivity, it was quite complicated.

But he had spells.

"Would that be enough?"

Yue Shuo was a little doubtful. Could it really be this simple?

He had Golden Light Slash and Thousand Waves Slash for large-scale cutting and shredding, and removing impurities would not be difficult for him either.

He could make the pulp mold himself or have Gu Jiu make it.

For pressing out the water, he had Water Condensation Talismans.

He had tested them before.

If he used a Water Condensation Talisman in empty space, it would draw in surrounding water molecules and form a small cluster of clean water.

But if he cast it at a specific location,

it would focus on drawing out the water molecules there... in short, it could control water, extract water, and condense water.

He only needed to guide it slightly when casting it.

And for shade-drying and air-drying the paper,

Flame Palm should be somewhat useful.

"Why not... give it a try?"

What Yue Shuo wanted most, of course, was to use Gathering Spirit Grass for pill refinement, but the problem was that he did not know alchemy yet!

Tian Wan was working toward that right now.

Later, perhaps he could obtain related knowledge from Tian Wan.

Besides, pill refinement required a tool like a pill furnace.

Where would he get a pill furnace?

Should he openly go to the Qin Clan's shop, say that he wanted to try learning alchemy, and then buy a low-grade First-Tier pill furnace?

Throw nearly a hundred Spirit Stones into the water without even a splash?

That would reveal far too much wealth!

"Alchemy will need to be planned out slowly."

"First, talisman crafting. I need to prepare Qi-Concealing Talismans first. Before, I only had ten sheets of blank talisman paper, so I didn't dare practice recklessly..."

He had over a thousand sheets of foundational talisman paper—Yellow Talisman Paper.

Naturally, he dared to use them freely.

Before, even if he succeeded only once in ten attempts, he had not felt the least bit distressed.

Later, he had pushed Water Condensation Talismans to the proficient level.

He had also gained some insights into making Water Condensation Talismans, changed his talisman ink, and could now achieve one success in five attempts, then one in four, and then one in three.

Occasionally, he even managed one in two.

He had already grown very practiced at drawing Water Condensation Talismans.

He planned to raise it to minor success before practicing other foundational runes.

As for First-Grade Runes,

he had tried them on Yellow Talisman Paper as well.

They failed one hundred percent of the time!

That was a limitation of the materials.

"Perhaps when I max out those one hundred points of talisman-crafting proficiency, something will change. If I go all out, it should only take a day or two?"

After thinking it over, Yue Shuo still decided to prioritize cultivation.

Talisman crafting and spells would be secondary!

Next, he cultivated twice in earnest, and it was already evening.

He checked the time.

Each cultivation session still took around an hour, unchanged, while the cultivation gain efficiency remained "+2.2."

[Cultivation: 4.4/1000 (+2.2)]

[Divine Sense: 16/75]

The recovery speed of his Divine Sense seemed to have improved.

At that moment, Gu Jiu returned.

He waited outside the wooden cabin from afar, and it was obvious from his expression that something was going on.

Yue Shuo spotted him at a glance. After thinking for a moment, he left the spirit field and called him over.

"What happened?"

After saluting, Gu Jiu answered quickly:

"Young Master! I found out what you asked me to investigate!"

"Also, Young Master Tian asked me to pass on a message: recently, do not leave Creek Valley Spirit Field. This is the planting area, and outsiders may not enter without an invitation!"

Yue Shuo: ??

Right, before his breakthrough, what excuse had he used to send Gu Jiu away?