Chapter 516 - 486: Tide Pattern Talisman

Chapter 516: Chapter 486: Tide Pattern Talisman

The stone door of the Seclusion Chamber was pushed open, letting in a gust of sea breeze heavy with a damp, briny scent.

Li Yuan walked out, stretching his shoulders and neck. After reaching the entry level of Tier Three Artifact Refining, he had spent a few more days honing his craft, forging a series of Tier Two Magical Artifacts. His success rate was now considerably higher.

Standing on a reef at the island’s edge, he gazed out at the distant, gray, misty sea.

’I’ve been in the Alliance’s waters for quite some time, and I’ve finished most of what I came here for. There are two things left on my list. First, while I’m still here, I should restock on Artifact Refining materials. It’s still too early to forge my Lifebound Spiritual Artifact, but High Tier Spiritual Materials are hard to come by, so I should buy them now if I find any. Second, I need a Tier Three Pupil Technique to make the Spiritual Eye Bead’s effect permanent. I’ll see if I can find one here in the Alliance.’

’After I’m done with those two things, I’ll head back to Liangzhou.’

Li Yuan concealed his aura and became an Escape Light, streaking toward the Alliance’s main island.

The main island’s docks were as bustling as ever. The number of Spirit Boats moored there had increased significantly since before the deep-sea extermination mission. A few new temporary stalls had popped up on the island, and Loose Cultivators gathered by the roadside in small groups, trading goods. The din of their haggling was audible from a distance.

Li Yuan headed straight for the Exchange Hall.

His Contribution Points from the deep-sea extermination mission, combined with his previous balance, left him with just over two hundred. It wasn’t much, but it was more than enough to exchange for a batch of supplementary materials for Artifact Refining.

On the Spirit Jade walls of the Exchange Hall, the list for the Artifact Refining category had been updated. Several new types of metal ores native to the sea region had been added since his last visit. Their grades weren’t high, but their properties were stable, making them suitable for practice.

Li Yuan chose a batch of Red Copper Essence, Spirit Silver ingots, and a few good-quality Sea Nourishing Stones. Sea Nourishing Stone was a Water Element Spiritual Material that could replace Fire Jade Marrow as a Fusion Agent when using the Sea Forging Skill. The effect was slightly worse, but it was much cheaper.

After finishing with the list of Artifact Refining materials, Li Yuan turned his attention to the sections for Magic and Cultivation Techniques.

He looked through them, line by line.

Offensive Magic, defensive Magic, support Magic, Escape Techniques, Arrays... there were plenty of options, but they were all Water Element or sonic-type. No Pupil Techniques.

Li Yuan checked the miscellaneous category as well, but it wasn’t there either.

’Cultivators in the sea region have little demand for Pupil Techniques anyway. Vision is extremely limited in the deep sea, so most detection relies on Divine Sense rather than eyesight. There’s almost no market for Pupil Techniques here.’

’Since the Exchange Hall doesn’t have it, I’ll have to try my luck in the market district, or wait until I’m back on the mainland.’

Li Yuan put the materials he’d exchanged for into his storage space and walked out of the Exchange Hall.

As he walked along the stone-paved road toward the docks, he felt several familiar waves of Spiritual Power emanating from a teahouse up ahead.

’Golden Core Level.’

On the second-floor terrace of the teahouse, four Golden Core Cultivators were sitting around a stone table, talking in low voices. Li Yuan glanced over and recognized two of them: Fang Hai, who had been in his group during the deep-sea extermination mission, and another Early-stage Golden Core Cultivator from the Alliance. The other two, a man and a woman, were unfamiliar. Their auras were restrained, and both were at the Mid-stage Golden Core.

Fang Hai saw Li Yuan first and waved. "Li Dao You, come on up and have a seat."

Li Yuan walked up to the terrace and sat in an empty seat. An attendant brought a cup of Spirit Tea, and Li Yuan accepted it.

Fang Hai was animatedly chatting with the two unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivators. Seeing Li Yuan take a seat, he casually made an introduction. "This is Li Dao You. He single-handedly killed a Tier Three armored crab demon during the extermination mission a few days ago."

The unfamiliar male cultivator glanced at Li Yuan and gave a slight nod. The Female Cultivator, on the other hand, gave him a longer look before averting her gaze.

Neither of them was a member of the Alliance; they were Golden Core Cultivators from a Sect in the outer seas, here on business.

Li Yuan held his teacup and listened quietly for a while.

The conversation drifted from the spoils of the extermination mission to the changing political landscape of the sea region, and from there to the movements of the various factions.

The Mid-stage Golden Core male cultivator set down his teacup and suddenly lowered his voice.

"Have you heard? There’s been some strange activity over at Yao Guang Island recently."

Fang Hai was taken aback. "What kind of activity?"

"An unusual fluctuation in the Secret Realm’s Spiritual Qi." The man glanced around to make sure no outsiders were listening before continuing, "The news hasn’t spread yet. They say the Spiritual Qi concentration around the perimeter of Yao Guang Island’s Secret Realm has been fluctuating abnormally, and it’s much higher than usual."

Fang Hai frowned. "Isn’t the Secret Realm on Yao Guang Island managed by Dragon Abyss Pavilion? What do they have to say?"

"Dragon Abyss Pavilion hasn’t made any public statement," the man said, shaking his head. "But I heard they’ve already sent people to investigate."

The Female Cultivator chimed in from the side, "The Secret Realm on Yao Guang Island has a significant history. Dragon Abyss Pavilion was once a Nascent Soul power, ranking among the top three in the sea region during its heyday."

"And what happened then?" Fang Hai asked.

"There were no successors," the Female Cultivator said flatly. "After their Nascent Soul Ancestor passed away, no new Nascent Soul cultivator emerged. In the end, they had no choice but to open the Secret Realm to the public, turning it into a public resource. The various powers contribute money and effort to help maintain the Secret Realm’s operation, and in exchange, Dragon Abyss Pavilion sells or distributes entry slots at regular intervals."

Li Yuan held his teacup, silently committing this information to memory.

’Yao Guang Island.’

’Back in the undersea secret chamber, that cultivator with the surname Zhou mentioned Yao Guang Island in the jade slip. He said there was an ascension passage on the island, located at the center of the sea region, which constantly channeled Spiritual Qi from the Upper Realm.’

’After so many years, the passage must have long since vanished.’

’But for an ascension passage to form on Yao Guang Island, a Divinity Transformation cultivator must have broken through to ascend from there.’

’I just don’t know how Dragon Abyss Pavilion fits into the picture.’

After the topic shifted a few more times, the conversation began to wind down. The two unfamiliar Golden Core Cultivators took their leave first, and Fang Hai also had to go back to handle some Alliance business.

Li Yuan stopped Fang Hai. "Are there any Artifact Refiners on the island?"

Fang Hai thought for a moment. "There is one. Old Fan. He’s an Early-stage Golden Core and can craft Tier Three Low Grade Magical Artifacts. He has a shop on the north side of the island. You’re looking for him?"

"I want to ask about Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts."

Fang Hai nodded. "Old Fan is definitely experienced in that area. He forged his own Lifebound Spiritual Artifact himself. You should go talk to him."

Li Yuan thanked him, got up, and headed for the north side of the island.

Old Fan’s shop wasn’t large. A counter sat at the front, connected to a forge in the back. A wooden plaque bearing the carving of a hammer and a sword hung by the door, serving as a sign.

Li Yuan pushed the door open and went inside.

Behind the counter sat a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. He had a sturdy build, and his hands were rough, with numerous burn scars on his knuckles that had been deliberately left untreated.

Old Fan looked up, sized up Li Yuan’s aura, and then stood up and clasped his hands. "Dao You, are you here to buy a Magical Artifact or place a custom order?"

"Neither." Li Yuan sat down at the counter. "I plan to refine my own Lifebound Spiritual Artifact. I already have the embryo, and I’d like to ask for some advice on forging it."

Old Fan’s interest was piqued. He pulled out two cups of Spirit Tea from under the counter and handed one to Li Yuan.

"Ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones."

Li Yuan handed over the Spirit Stones. Old Fan pondered for a moment before asking, "Dao You, what do you specialize in? Melee or ranged? Single attribute or multiple attributes?"

"Preferably multi-attribute, with a focus on support and versatility."

Old Fan nodded. "Multi-attribute Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts are difficult to forge, but their strength lies in their adaptability. As for materials, I suggest starting with a foundation of mid-grade Spiritual Materials. You don’t need to go for the best right away."

"Why?"

"Lifebound Spiritual Artifacts are different from ordinary Magical Artifacts. Once an ordinary Magical Artifact is forged, its grade is fixed. The only way to improve it is to re-forge it completely. But a Lifebound Spiritual Artifact is linked to a Golden Core Cultivator’s Cultivation. There are two ways to upgrade it."

Old Fan held up two fingers.

"The first method is called ’nurturing.’ This involves using the cultivator’s own Spiritual Power to nourish the artifact day after day, allowing it to grow along with their Cultivation. The advantage of this method is that the bond between the artifact and the cultivator becomes extremely high, making it feel like an extension of one’s own arm. The disadvantage is that it’s slow. Very slow. To raise a Tier Three Low Grade Lifebound Spiritual Artifact to Tier Three Middle Grade through nurturing would take at least ten to twenty years."

"The second method is ’material replacement.’ This involves gradually replacing the original Low Tier materials with High Tier ones, all while keeping the artifact’s core structure intact. Each time you replace a batch of materials, the artifact’s grade increases."

"The advantage of this method is its speed. As long as you have the materials, an upgrade can be completed in a few months, or even a few days. The downside is that you have to re-attune to it after every replacement, and it requires a much higher level of Artifact Refining Technique."

Old Fan took a sip of tea and continued, "Generally speaking, cultivators who progress slowly but have ample lifespans are suited for the first method. Those who advance quickly and experience frequent breakthroughs are better suited for the second."

Li Yuan already had his answer.

’My cultivation speed is far beyond that of my peers. At this rate, the nurturing method won’t keep up with my breakthroughs. The artifact’s growth would lag far behind my own Cultivation.’

’The material replacement method is much more suitable for me.’

"What about the materials, then?"

Old Fan pulled out a beast hide scroll from under the counter and spread it on the table. On it were diagrams of several common Lifebound Spiritual Artifact structures, with corresponding lists of materials noted beside them.

"Given your situation, Dao You, I recommend using Sea Nourishing Refined Iron for the main frame, Spirit Silver for the Spiritual Power conduction layer, and a mid-grade elemental Spirit Stone for the Array Hub," Old Fan said, pointing to one of the diagrams.

"This configuration is inexpensive; you can gather everything for less than three hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones. The resulting Lifebound Spiritual Artifact won’t be a very high grade, probably somewhere between Tier Three Low Grade and Middle Grade. But its advantage is a stable structure, which means you’re less likely to run into problems when replacing materials later on."

"Once your Artifact Refining Technique improves, Dao You, and you’ve saved up enough High Tier Spiritual Materials, you can replace the Sea Nourishing Refined Iron with Heavenly Origin Profound Iron, the Spirit Silver with Nine Nether Silver, and the Array Hub with a Top Grade Spirit Stone. The grade will jump straight to Tier Three Top Grade. Anything higher than that will depend on what kind of top-tier materials you can find."

Li Yuan committed the information to memory.

’Sea Nourishing Refined Iron and Spirit Silver are available at the Alliance’s Exchange Hall. I’ll have to go to a large market district on the mainland to buy Nine Nether Silver and Heavenly Origin Profound Iron. I’m not short on elemental Spirit Stones, though; I have several high-quality ones with me.’

"Thank you." Li Yuan stood up.

Old Fan waved his hand, then pulled out five Mid-grade Spirit Stones and handed them to Li Yuan.

"Your questions were worth five stones."

Li Yuan accepted the five Spirit Stones and left Old Fan’s shop. He then toured several other shops on the main island, buying a batch each of Sea Nourishing Refined Iron and Spirit Silver and placing them in his storage space.

As for the Pupil Technique, he couldn’t find it in any of the shops on the main island either. The demand for Pupil Techniques among cultivators in the sea region was indeed extremely low; even related books were rare.

’I’ll look again when I get back to the mainland.’

Li Yuan left the main island, turning into an Escape Light and flying toward Nanyuan District.

He arrived half a day later.

Zhou He wasn’t in the shop, so Li Yuan went directly into the secret room in the back courtyard.

He took out the jade slip for making the Tide Pattern Talisman from his storage space, spread it on the stone table, and took out talisman paper and Spiritual Ink.

With a foundation in Tier Three Talisman Making Skill, supplemented by a series of permanent traits like Ink Stability, Effortless Brushstroke, and Spiritual Ink Enhancement, his brushstrokes were extremely steady.

The brush tip moved along the path of the pattern recorded in the jade slip. The first main stroke began at the center of the talisman paper, spiraled outward for half a rotation, then turned back, forming a pattern resembling a whirlpool. The Spiritual Ink left a dark blue trace on the paper, the ink line tight and focused, without the slightest bit of overflow.

He finished the final stroke.

The dark blue ink on the talisman’s surface flashed brightly for a moment before the light receded, transforming into an extremely restrained blue sheen. Spiritual Power began its first complete cycle within the talisman’s patterns, like a tide rushing in and out, its rhythm even and stable.

’Success.’

A Tier Three Middle Grade Tide Pattern Talisman, successfully crafted on the first try.

[Tier Three Talisman Making Skill: Entry → Proficient]

Li Yuan picked up the Talisman from the stone table.

His perception triggered within a three-foot range.

Blue light.

[Equippable Item Detected: Tide Pattern Talisman (Complete)]

[Preview Equipment Trait: Tidal Amplification (Blue)]

[Effect: Increases the power of Water Magic by 30%. This effect is increased by an additional 30% in underwater environments. Increases the Spiritual Power circulation efficiency of the magic by 30%.]

[Preview Permanence Condition: Successfully cast Water Magic 30 times in a deep-sea environment using the Tide Pattern Talisman as a medium.]

’A blue trait.’

’The effect is a perfect fit for water-based combat. The extra bonus underwater and the increased Spiritual Power circulation efficiency of the Talisman are a perfect match for my current Talisman Making and Water Magic skills.’

’The condition for making it permanent isn’t too demanding, either. It just requires some time.’

Li Yuan put the Tide Pattern Talisman into his storage space, not rushing to equip it. His equipment slots were full, and any replacement would require careful consideration of his priorities.

He took out more talisman paper and Spiritual Ink and began to make a second one.

His technique was more skilled than the first time, and he worked much faster.