Chapter 136: The Way of Talisman Making

Han Li was overjoyed, carrying the wooden box containing the "Golden Bamboo Brush" as he walked back to the building. He had exchanged three bottles of "Yellow Dragon Pills" and four bottles of "Golden Marrow Pills" with the young woman for this treasure and a bag of Seven-Star Grass seeds. After that, he casually bought some cinnabar from other stalls and excitedly hurried back, ready to begin his ambitious talisman-drawing project.

After bypassing the protective spell and entering the small building, Han Li saw the young monk still meditating. Not wanting to disturb him, he proceeded to the second floor and re-entered his room. Han Li arranged the talisman paper and cinnabar on the table, then took out the Golden Bamboo Brush and began the process of creating "Spirit Calming Talismans."

Following the talisman-making method described in the Spirit Calming Art, he slowly channeled his spiritual energy through his right hand, which held the brush, into the brush handle. Then, dipping the brush tip into a small amount of cinnabar, he began drawing the talisman on a piece of paper.

A quarter of an hour later, Han Li straightened up with a pleased expression, stretching his somewhat sore back. He looked at the shimmering talisman on the table, his heart swelling with joy. Visually, this talisman was identical to the one Doctor Mo had used. Although the spiritual energy it contained was somewhat faint, it was still vastly superior to the shoddy practice talismans Han Li had created previously. Those practice pieces had only resembled the real thing in shape, lacking any spiritual energy whatsoever.

Han Li excitedly examined the freshly drawn talisman. Satisfied with his work, he prepared to test the Spirit Calming Art. However, before he could even begin to cast the spell and recite the incantation, the spiritual energy on the paper talisman suddenly became erratic, showing signs of erupting. Startled, Han Li instinctively tossed the talisman away. With a soft *whoosh*, the Spirit Calming Talisman spontaneously combusted in mid-air, transforming into a fireball and burning completely to ashes.

Han Li stared blankly into the air, speechless. After a long moment, he sighed, realizing the talisman had indeed failed. Han Li felt a slight discouragement, but his confidence remained intact. He believed that the previous talisman had been very close to success and that with more effort and a few more attempts, he would surely succeed.

So, for the remainder of the day, Han Li created one Spirit Calming Talisman after another, only to meet with repeated failures. The talismans he produced either spontaneously combusted, experienced small, sudden explosions, or, in some cases, simply lost all their spiritual energy the moment they were completed, becoming nothing more than scrap paper.

When Han Li watched the last newly completed paper talisman explode into smithereens with a *pop*, his usual calm demeanor finally broke. He looked up at the ceiling and suddenly burst out cursing: "Damn it, you're messing with me! Out of a dozen sheets of talisman paper, at least one should have succeeded. This is merely a low-tier Spirit Calming Talisman! Did I perhaps pick the wrong day?"

After blurting out his frustration, Han Li immediately felt a significant reduction in his vexation, and his mood brightened slightly. Afterward, he tilted his head in thought, glancing at the cinnabar box on the table, which now held only a small amount, and the Golden Bamboo Brush. He concluded that these items were not the problem. His spiritual energy had flowed smoothly into the brush handle, and the cinnabar, once applied to the paper, clearly brimmed with spiritual energy, showing no signs of being fake.

Unable to pinpoint the cause immediately, Han Li pondered for a moment before deciding to consult the young monk, hoping he could offer some insight. It was then that Han Li truly realized the immense importance of having a mentor figure to guide him on the path of cultivation, and a strong desire to seek a master began to stir within him.

After hearing Han Li's complaints about his repeated talisman-drawing failures, the young monk stared at him with an unusually peculiar gaze, as if a beautiful little white flower had suddenly blossomed on Han Li's face. Seeing the monk's reaction, Han Li felt a little unnerved, wondering what he had said that was so amiss to provoke such a stare.

"Patron Han, I presume you have very little knowledge about the art of talisman-making?" the young monk finally said.

"Master Ku Sang is right, this is indeed my first time making talismans," Han Li honestly admitted.

"Among us cultivators, very few actually make talismans themselves. If we need any, we usually go to various trading posts to acquire them. Even members of prominent families do the same."

"Why?" Han Li asked, surprised.

"It's simple," the monk said with a smile. "There are too few experienced, specialized talisman crafters, and the cost of training a qualified one is immense. Only the major cultivation sects possess the resources to undertake such training."

"Patron Han, you must feel quite disheartened after failing over a dozen times in a row, correct?" the monk inquired.

"Yes," Han Li said, annoyed, "the material costs alone could buy me several ready-made Spirit Calming Talismans!"

"However, Patron, do you know this? For beginners attempting to learn talisman crafting, it's completely normal to fail hundreds of times consecutively. For those with lesser aptitude, even failing hundreds of times in a row is not uncommon! Only after crafting thousands of talismans does the success rate gradually increase, and this applies only to drawing the same type of talisman. If one switches to a different type of talisman, while not entirely like starting over as a complete novice, the initial failure rate remains astonishingly high, truly astounding. Therefore, a qualified talisman crafter cannot be trained without tens of thousands of practice attempts. But Patron Han, consider this: how many people can bear such material losses? Not to mention cultivation families, even talisman crafters trained by major cultivation sects can only achieve proficiency in basic talisman-making. If they were to practice crafting intermediate-level talismans, even those major sects would likely face bankruptcy, unable to bear the cost. After all, the higher the grade of the talisman, the more extraordinarily expensive the crafting materials become."

The monk's revelation left Han Li utterly dumbfounded.

"Then why are people still selling cinnabar and talisman paper at the stalls?" Han Li wondered, a sudden thought striking him.

"Haha! That cinnabar and talisman paper are sold for those who practice Talisman Arts," the young monk said with a chuckle.

"Talisman Arts?" Han Li questioned, puzzled.

"It's similar to the Spirit Calming Art you're cultivating – a spell that requires a pre-drawn talisman to take effect! Unlike talismans that store spells for convenient use by anyone, the spiritual talismans used in Talisman Arts cannot be activated with mere spiritual energy. They require specific incantations and casting, though these are typically not complex and are easy to master. Because Talisman Arts often necessitate the repeated use of the same type of talisman, practitioners find purchasing them repeatedly to be highly uneconomical. Thus, like you, Patron, they choose to practice drawing the talismans themselves. Since the variety needed is relatively singular, while the cost is not insignificant, it's ultimately manageable. Therefore, if Patron truly intends to cultivate the Spirit Calming Art, in the long term, crafting your own talismans is ideal. However, if you won't use this art frequently, it would be more practical to spend a small sum and simply buy a few Spirit Calming Talismans as spares," the young monk explained in detail, concluding with some advice for Han Li.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Ku Sang!" Han Li bowed deeply and sincerely.

"Patron, you are too courteous!" the monk quickly returned the bow.

"This young monk is quite approachable," Han Li mused to himself on his way back to his room. "If I encounter any more difficulties in the future, it wouldn't hurt to consult him again."

"Devoting myself entirely to talisman crafting right now is out of the question! I'll just have to make time later to buy a few Spirit Calming Talismans as spares. On the other hand, my Evergreen Art has already reached the peak of the eighth level. Now that I possess the cultivation methods for the subsequent levels, it seems it's time to break through this bottleneck and advance to the ninth level. Furthermore, I must practice the several new spells I've acquired; mastering them sooner will also increase my overall strength."

The moment Han Li pushed open his room door, his future arrangements were already clear in his mind.

In the following days, Han Li spent his daylight hours indoors, consuming numerous pills, meditating, and cultivating his Evergreen Art. At night, he would venture to uninhabited areas within the valley to practice the several new spells he had learned. These spells included "Quicksand Art," "Freezing Art," "Levitation Art," "Entanglement Art," "Sound Transmission Art," "Invisibility Art," "Spark Art," and the most challenging of all, "Earth Thorn Art."

After over ten days of arduous cultivation, Han Li finally broke through to the ninth level of the Evergreen Art in the last few days leading up to the end of the Tai Nan Gathering. This left Wu Jiuzhi and others utterly dumbfounded, and Daoist Qingwen repeatedly hailed Han Li as a rare genius among rogue cultivators. However, Han Li knew perfectly well that without those ten-odd bottles of pills, he would not have broken through so easily. On that note, he realized he was running low on pills and would need to concoct more.

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