Chapter 65
Chapter 65
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Advancements in Talisman Crafting
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Is that all it took?"
As the final stroke fell, a stream of light flashed across the talisman paper, and a low-grade Water Arrow Talisman was complete.
Chen Jianghe picked up the newly crafted Water Arrow Talisman and examined it closely. He found that while the talismanic script was different, the spiritual power fluctuations were nearly identical.
With a flick of his two fingers, the Water Arrow Talisman shattered instantly. A water arrow condensed from spiritual power shot out, plunging into the lake with a splash and sending up a ten-foot spray of water.
"The power is the same."
A smile appeared on his face. Crafting talismans this way was twice as fast as his clumsy old method, and it consumed forty percent less spiritual power.
The increase in speed also meant that his mental energy consumption was reduced.
By this calculation, this talisman-crafting legacy would allow him to increase his annual profits from talisman making by thirty to forty percent.
In other words, what was originally twenty-five spirit stones a year could now reach at least thirty-two.
After giving half to Talisman Master Chu Lang, he would still net sixteen spirit stones.
Thinking it over, he felt that his deal with Talisman Master Chu Lang was even more worthwhile.
He then crafted two more Water Arrow Talismans to better understand this new technique, and his mind gradually grew clearer on the matter.
As he drew the specific talismanic script, his spiritual power was already merging with it, flowing smoothly onto the talisman paper.
Crafting talismans this way eliminated several steps compared to his previous method.
He no longer needed to draw out the long runes stroke by stroke, nor did he have to seal the spiritual power into the paper at the end.
With the specific talismanic scripts, he could break through the elemental barriers, allowing a cultivator like him, who practiced a water-elemental art, to craft talismans of other elements.
Without this legacy, he would never have been able to do this.
These were talisman-crafting techniques developed through countless trials by the great sages and masters of the cultivation world—a priceless treasure.
He rested for several days to recover his spiritual power and mental energy.
He prepared to try crafting talismans of other elements to see if they were as wondrous as the legacy described.
He laid out the talisman paper, secured the corners with sandalwood paperweights, picked up the peachwood brush, dipped it in spiritual ink, and began to draw.
Instantly, his brush moved as if guided by a divine hand, exquisitely tracing the profound talismanic script onto the paper, revealing marvelous patterns.
Boom!
As he finished the final stroke, a stray thought surfaced, causing his spiritual power to waver. The talisman paper instantly disintegrated into dust.
"I celebrated too soon."
Chen Jianghe cleared his mind of distractions, focused his spirit, and continued to craft the Flame Talisman.
A month later.
He had used twelve sheets of talisman paper and successfully crafted three low-grade Flame Talismans, achieving a success rate of barely thirty percent.
He went to the bow of the boat and tested one of the Flame Talismans.
Instantly, a brilliant flame lit up the night sky. A fireball the size of a washbasin materialized and slammed into the lake's surface, exploding violently and raising waves several dozen feet high.
Several aquatic creatures were caught in the waves, emitting the scent of cooked meat.
"Fire-elemental spells are fierce and powerful. Even though it's also a low-grade talisman, it feels much stronger than the Water Arrow Talisman."
However, the Flame Talisman had its drawbacks. Its attack speed was not as fast as the Water Arrow Talisman's—it was nearly twice as slow.
Once used, a Water Arrow Talisman could shoot its condensed water arrow over a hundred meters in an instant, while the fireball from a Flame Talisman could only travel about sixty meters in the same time.
He spent another month, using thirteen sheets of talisman paper, and successfully crafted five Flame Talismans, raising his success rate to forty percent.
Next, Chen Jianghe began to practice crafting wood, earth, and metal-elemental talismans.
Before he knew it, seven months had passed, and it was New Year's Eve once again.
Chen Jianghe sat in the boat's cabin, brush in hand. As he lifted the brush with a final flourish, the talisman paper flashed with spiritual light, and an Earth Spike Talisman was successfully created.
During these seven months, he had been crafting earth, wood, and metal-elemental talismans. In total, he had used ninety-three sheets of talisman paper and successfully created twenty-three talismans.
Seven low-grade Jade Vine Talismans.
Seven low-grade Golden Light Talismans.
Nine Earth Spike Talismans.
He had gradually increased his success rate for each type of elemental talisman from twenty percent to forty percent.
The low-grade Jade Vine Talisman contained a wood-elemental spell, the Vine Bind Art, which could release three long vines to restrain an enemy.
The low-grade Golden Light Talisman was similar to the Water Arrow Talisman, but it condensed metal-elemental spiritual power into a sharp ray of golden light that shot out instantly to take a life.
The low-grade Earth Spike Talisman was a tool for ambushes, capable of summoning an earth spike that would shoot up from the ground in an instant.
"Let's try the Water Arrow Talisman again."
Chen Jianghe felt his talisman-crafting skills had improved. After successfully crafting talismans of all five elements, his control over both his spiritual power and his mental focus had seen a significant boost.
He then crafted a Water Arrow Talisman. The script on it was more exquisite, and the spiritual power within was calmer and more stable.
"I should be able to reach a fifty percent success rate now." Chen Jianghe felt more and more that his deal with Talisman Master Chu Lang was no loss.
The talisman-crafting legacy was immensely valuable to him.
Once he learned to craft the Five Elements Escape Talismans and the five elemental protective talismans, he felt his skills would reach an even higher level.
At the very least, his success rate for the five elemental attack talismans could rise to sixty, or even seventy percent.
At this thought, a brilliant smile spread across his face.
He walked to the bow of the boat and looked up at the sword lights that occasionally streaked across the sky, and the cultivators flying on streams of qi.
The Mirror Moon Market City on the lake's central island was about to open, and more and more disciples from the cultivation clans of Mirror Moon Lake were arriving for New Year's Eve.
If Chen Jianghe's guess was correct,
the cultivation clans of Mirror Moon Lake had already started trying to rent courtyards and shops on the central island in advance.
Those closest to the source always benefit first.
Given the Yun Clan's history of supporting the cultivation clans within their territory, they would certainly give priority to these vassal families.
"Xiao Hei, hide at the bottom of the lake and don't show yourself. I'm going to buy you a Spirit-Nourishing Flower."
Chen Jianghe sent a message through his spiritual sense.
Then, he used his spiritual power to propel the fishing boat toward the central island.
During the ninth month's fish dormancy period, he had taken a Spirit Accumulating Pill and also given Xiao Hei a Spirit-Nourishing Flower.
Now, he still had one Spirit Accumulating Pill left, but he was out of Spirit-Nourishing Flowers.
According to his plan, he intended to keep Xiao Hei's resources in sync with his own. Whenever he took a Spirit Accumulating Pill,
he would also reward Xiao Hei with a Spirit-Nourishing Flower.
Arriving at the central island, he looked at the ever-improving Mirror Moon Market City. The Hundred Treasures Pavilion, surrounded by waterways, was already complete—resplendent, magnificent, and crystal clear.
On either side, the Yun Clan's general store and the Beast Taming Workshop were having their roofs put on.
There was also the market city's memorial archway, which had already been erected.
Bell Tower Main Street, the market's primary thoroughfare, had been converted into a unique waterway characteristic of the central island, leading directly from the archway to the Tiannan Sect's Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
Along the main waterway alone, there were nearly a hundred shops. If you included the side streets, the Mirror Moon Market City probably had over two hundred shops.
No wonder Yu Daniu had said the Yun Clan emptied their centuries of savings to build the Mirror Moon Market City.
It made sense. A single second-tier large-scale defensive formation had already cost the Yun Clan more than half of their accumulated wealth.
Entering the market city, one could see many cultivators in brocade robes on the spacious Bell Tower Main Street, looking around curiously, wishing they could even enter the shops that hadn't opened yet.
A large crowd of cultivators had gathered, especially in front of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. These were all disciples from the cultivation clans within Mirror Moon Lake.
Most were clan elders bringing their descendants to broaden their horizons.
Chen Jianghe didn't linger. He walked directly to the Yun Clan's talisman shop to exchange the talismans he had crafted this year for spirit stones.