Cultivation: I Can Solidify Equipment Attributes

Chapter 75: Chapter 74: Three Types of Talismans

After reaching the Qi Refining Sixth Level, he continued to take Vein Relaxing Pills, though in much smaller quantities than before.

Over the past few days, the pile of failed talismans on the corner of his desk had grown much larger.

His success rate for the three basic Talismans was steadily increasing, and his Fireball Talisman had reached the introductory level.

[Fireball Talisman: Introductory (32/200)]

A few days later, another group from the guard team was rotated back to the market city to rest.

As soon as Li Yuan entered the market city, he first returned to his residence to drop off his things, then picked up a cloth bag and headed for the North Alley.

The bag contained medicinal herbs he had gathered over the past few days.

As he neared Old Sun’s stall, even before he got close, Li Yuan could hear voices.

"Master Sun, can this Breaking Evil Pill really help one break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Level?"

"Whether you succeed or not is up to you. The pill is just an aid; whether you can actually cross the threshold is another matter."

Old Sun squatted behind his stall, clutching a small porcelain bottle. There was much more confidence in his voice than before.

Two Loose Cultivators stood before the stall. Both had the aura of the Qi Refining Third Level. They stared at the porcelain bottle in Old Sun’s hand, their eyes burning with desire, yet their faces showed a hint of hesitation.

"You said the Evil Qi is potent. How potent, exactly?"

"Far more potent than an Evil Essence Pill. If you’ve never taken one of those, you could buy one to try it out. Then you’ll know just how intense the Evil Qi in this Breaking Evil Pill is."

Old Sun corked the bottle tightly. "But my Breaking Evil Pill is much cheaper than a normal Realm-Breaking Pill, and the probability of a breakthrough is also a bit higher."

The two Qi Refining Third Level Loose Cultivators glanced at each other, then finally gritted their teeth, took out their Spirit Stones, and bought a bottle.

Old Sun handed over the pills. Only then did he look up and see Li Yuan.

"Li Dao You, you’re here."

The two Loose Cultivators took their pills and hurried away. Li Yuan walked to the stall, squatted down, and placed his cloth bag on the edge of the stall’s mat.

"Here’s what I gathered these past few days. It’s not much."

Old Sun pulled open the bag and glanced inside. With nimble movements, he gathered the Cyan Jade Grass and Red Root Vines within and moved them behind him before handing two Vein Relaxing Pills to Li Yuan.

After discovering that the Vein Relaxing Pills were more effective for him, Li Yuan had asked Old Sun to trade for them instead.

"This is enough."

Li Yuan glanced at him, his gaze sweeping over the few new porcelain bottles on the stall’s surface.

"Selling well?"

"Not bad." A corner of Old Sun’s mouth twitched into a small smile. "These pills are finally starting to sell properly."

As he said this, Old Sun raised his hand and patted the medicine chest beside him.

"I’ve also changed the name. It’s called the Breaking Evil Pill."

"’Breaking’ from ’Breaking Realm,’ and ’Evil’ from ’Evil Qi.’"

Li Yuan nodded.

’The name is certainly direct.’

"Has word already spread through the market city?" Li Yuan asked.

"It spread long ago." Old Sun leaned back, lowering his voice slightly, though he couldn’t quite contain his smugness. "At first, no one dared to touch it; they were all afraid of the Evil Qi. Then, a Loose Cultivator at the Qi Refining Third Level gritted his teeth and tried a bottle. He endured the Evil Qi and broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Level."

"Once that news got out, more people started asking about it."

Old Sun paused, then added another sentence.

"Still, only a few are brave enough to buy it."

Li Yuan grunted in acknowledgment but said no more.

’The fact that the Breaking Evil Pill is selling is a good thing for Old Sun. At least his stall won’t be stuck with a few unpopular pills, just barely scraping by like before.’

After a few more minutes of small talk, Li Yuan stood up and left the North Alley.

Li Yuan had long since memorized the address Zhao Heng gave him. Conveniently, it was also in the market city.

’Of course, if it weren’t in the market city, Zhao Heng wouldn’t have had much of a chance to make this Talisman Master owe him a favor in the first place.’

The residence in the southeast corner was much quieter than the North Alley. The courtyard walls were not high, and a few old lanterns hung by the entrance.

Li Yuan stopped in front of a small courtyard and raised his hand to knock.

After a few breaths, the courtyard gate opened from the inside.

The man who opened the gate was in his early thirties. He was not tall and had a slightly sallow complexion, and he wore a clean, well-washed blue cloth robe.

His fingers were long and slender, the tips stained with the faint red marks of years handling cinnabar.

’Mid-stage Qi Refining.’

"Who are you looking for?" the man asked.

"I’m Li Yuan. Zhao Heng sent me."

Hearing Zhao Heng’s name, the man’s gaze lingered on Li Yuan’s face for a moment before he stepped aside.

"Come in and talk."

The courtyard was small. Inside the main house, there was a long table laden with talisman paper, Spiritual Ink, cinnabar, and a few talisman brushes. In the corner were several bundles of cut talisman paper, with a few failed talismans lying beside them.

This Talisman Master’s surname was Yu. He was registered under the Wang family’s Talisman Hall Association but didn’t work there on a daily basis, clearly enjoying a great deal of freedom.

After explaining the situation, Li Yuan took the roll of Tier One Top Grade Split-horned Lizard belly hide from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

Yu Talisman Master’s gaze fell upon the beast hide. After a single glance, he reached out and pushed it back.

"There’s no need for gifts."

"I remember my debt to Zhao Heng. It would have been the same if you had come empty-handed."

After saying this, Yu Talisman Master jutted his chin toward the table.

"First, draw a Talisman for me to see. The higher the tier, the better."

Without wasting words, Li Yuan walked to the table, picked up an ordinary fine-tipped brush, dipped it in Spiritual Ink, and spread out a sheet of talisman paper.

He drew the Fireball Talisman, the one he was most familiar with.

His opening stroke was steady enough, and the first few Fire Patterns went smoothly, but when he reached the central Fire Gathering Pattern, the Spiritual Power from his brush wavered slightly. Although he managed to suppress it at the end and didn’t ruin the paper, the Spirit Patterns on the talisman’s surface were clearly not condensed enough.

Still, his luck wasn’t bad. It was a success, just of mediocre quality.

Yu Talisman Master picked up the Fireball Talisman and examined it for a moment before casually placing it back on the table and delivering his verdict.

"You haven’t been at this for long."

His tone was flat, without any pleasantries.

"You have some basics, and your hand isn’t too clumsy, but your foundation is shallow. The way you draw talismans now, it’s clear you weren’t taught stroke by stroke, but figured it out on your own."

Li Yuan nodded.

"That’s about right."

Yu Talisman Master grunted, dragged over a wooden stool, sat down, and looked up at Li Yuan.

"That makes things simple."

"I’ll offer you three options. Because of my debt to Zhao Heng, I won’t charge you any Spirit Stones."

"You choose for yourself."

Li Yuan didn’t interrupt, waiting for him to continue.

Yu Talisman Master held up one finger.

"First option: I give you the methods for making three types of Tier One Low Grade Talismans. You take them and learn on your own."

"I don’t care how you learn or how far you get. If you succeed, it’s your own skill. If you fail, don’t come back blaming me."

Having said that, Yu Talisman Master held up a second finger.

"Second option: I mentor you for a period of time, teaching you from the basic talisman-crafting techniques and how to control your brush with Spiritual Power. I’ll help you build a solid foundation."

"This method is the most stable, with the least chance of going astray."

"But you won’t learn very much in a short time. At most, you’ll just master a few basic talismans."

Then came the third finger.

"Third option: I personally teach you how to make two types of Tier One Low Grade Talismans, starting directly with practical ones."

"It’s faster than the second option, with fewer detours, but it’s only two types. No more."

The room fell silent for a few breaths.

The lamp on the table flickered gently, casting a yellowed hue on the edges of the stacked talisman paper.

Li Yuan thought for a moment before speaking. "I choose the first option."

Yu Talisman Master’s eyebrow twitched.

"You’ve decided that quickly?"

"I have." Li Yuan nodded. "I don’t have much free time on a daily basis. It would be troublesome to have to come here often to learn."

’For me, all I need is to learn how to make the Talismans. Once they’re made, I can equip them. That’s my main goal.’

’As for the craft of talisman making itself, it’s more of an extra source of income. I happen to have some spare time after my daily cultivation, so I might as well learn.’

’Besides, the second and third options would take up Yu Talisman Master’s time. I’m not sure how reliable this favor from Zhao Heng is, so it’s better to get what I can in my hands first.’

Yu Talisman Master glanced at Li Yuan but didn’t say much more. He simply pulled out three blank sheets of paper from the side of the table, picked up his brush, and began writing on them swiftly.

"Fine."

"Since you know what you’re doing, I won’t waste any more words."

"I don’t know many types of Talismans myself. Most are from the Talisman Hall Association, and I can’t teach you those."

A moment later, the three sheets of paper were pushed in front of Li Yuan.

"Golden Armor Talisman."

Yu Talisman Master tapped the first sheet.

"When activated, it can conjure a layer of golden Spiritual Light in front of you or on your body. It’s defensive. Among Tier One Low Grade talismans, it’s a fairly reliable protective talisman. The drawing method isn’t too difficult, but it requires a high degree of control over Spiritual Power."

"Replenishing Talisman."

He tapped the second sheet.

"A recovery-type Talisman. After activation, it can restore a portion of your Spiritual Power in a short time. It’s quite useful for Qi Refining Stage Cultivators. The drawing method is a bit more detailed than the Golden Armor Talisman; the key is the Talisman Core."

Finally, his finger landed on the third sheet of paper.

"Vein-Expanding Talisman."

"This one aids cultivation. Tier One Low Grade. Its function is to soothe the meridians, helping to expand them slightly when you are circulating your energy."

"Of these three, it’s slightly more difficult, but it’s quite useful."

Having finished, Yu Talisman Master gave the three sheets another push forward.

"The specific stroke order, the flow of the Spirit Patterns, and a few common points of error—I’ve written it all down. Take them home and practice on your own."

Li Yuan reached out, picked up the three sheets, and scanned them quickly.

’The handwriting was neat and the instructions were very clear.’

Yu Talisman Master leaned back, his expression turning indifferent again.

"Alright, take your things and go."

"In the future, if you succeed in drawing them, you can bring them for me to see. If you waste too many, think about where you went wrong first. Don’t just come crying that you can’t do it."

"Understood."

Li Yuan carefully folded the three sheets of paper, tucked them into his sleeve, and pushed the door open to leave.

The alley was silent, lit by the dim yellow lamplight.

The three sheets of paper in his sleeve rested against his wrist, their edges slightly stiff.

Golden Armor Talisman, Replenishing Talisman, Vein-Expanding Talisman.

The methods for making three Tier One Low Grade Talismans were now in his possession.