Chapter 24: Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker
Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker
With the Tier Two Middle Grade Spirit Wood in his possession, Li Ping’s steps grew lighter.
After working so hard for so long, he had finally gathered all the nutrients needed to inherit the Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Making skill.
In fact, if he weren’t concerned about maintaining his dignity as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he would have whistled a tune in celebration.
Soon, he would be able to skip countless years of studying Talisman Art and instantly become a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker.
With the Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Making skill under his belt, combined with the one hundred percent success rate granted by the Tree of Inheritance, he likely wouldn’t have to worry about Spirit Stones ever again.
At this thought, Li Ping picked up his pace. He couldn’t wait to get back to his courtyard and have the Tree of Inheritance absorb its nutrients.
...
Inside the main room of his courtyard, Li Ping carefully closed the door. He then unfurled his Divine Sense, meticulously scanning a radius of nearly five hundred meters around him.
Once he was certain there were no issues, he took three items from his Storage Bag and placed them on his desk.
The first was a Talisman Brush with a bluish-purple shaft and a crimson tip. The second was three liters of a blood-red liquid brimming with vibrant Spiritual Energy, contained within a Jade Bottle. The third was a piece of Spirit Wood, pale green in color with faint, shimmering purple veins on its surface.
The Talisman Brush was the very one that Meng Qingyi had used for many years, imbued with the essence of her Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Making skill.
The blood-red liquid was the Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Ink Li Ping had purchased from the Spirit Treasure Pavilion.
The Spirit Wood was the Tier Two Middle Grade Purple Vein Wood that Li Ping had just obtained from the Bai family.
With a wave of his hand, a small pile of thumb-sized, multicolored Spirit Stones appeared on the desk—exactly 1,000 of them.
Just as he was about to let the Tree of Inheritance absorb these nutrients, his expression shifted, and his gaze fell upon the Purple Vein Wood.
The Bai family had given him this piece of Purple Vein Wood with the roots attached to preserve its vitality. If he could find a Spiritual Land of Tier Two Middle Grade or higher, he could plant the Purple Vein Wood and continue to cultivate it.
Even after removing the roots, the remaining three-foot length was more than enough for the Tree of Inheritance.
At this thought, Li Ping took a Dharma Artifact from his Storage Bag, infused it with Magical Power, and cleanly sliced the Purple Vein Wood into two pieces at the root.
One piece, about three feet long, would serve as a nutrient for the Tree of Inheritance. The other, only a few inches long and including the root system, was resealed in a Jade Box and stored away by Li Ping.
In the future, if he settled down, he could plant the Purple Vein Wood that only had its roots left.
The dead wood would bloom again, and the Purple Vein Wood could sprout anew.
...
With all his preparations complete, Li Ping took a deep breath. Within the Purple Qi Space in his mind, the Tree of Inheritance on the gray island suddenly began to glow.
Then, originating from his ten fingers, transparent tendrils, visible only to him, began to spread out. They seemed not to exist in this world as they enveloped the Talisman Brush, Talisman Ink, Spirit Wood, and Spirit Stones on the desk.
Coiling... absorbing... The many items on the desk slowly vanished into thin air...
...
Li Ping felt as if he were in a dream. In it, he had become the Talisman Brush, held between the fingers of a soft, delicate, and fair white hand.
Suddenly, the hand lifted and the brush descended.
As the wrist turned, the ink-laden tip danced across the smooth Talisman Paper like a dragon or a serpent. In the blink of an eye, an incredibly complex Spiritual Power circuit was complete.
Next, the hand’s owner cast a tremendously powerful Magic and sealed it within the Spiritual Power circuit.
Simultaneously, a veritable ocean of experience and knowledge in talisman making and spellcasting surged into his mind, and he began to learn with rapt fascination.
Li Ping’s Talisman Art was improving at a tremendous rate...
While Li Ping was lost in the Illusion Realm, the Tree of Inheritance in his sea of consciousness had absorbed enough nutrients. The single forked branch on its trunk, which represented his Talisman Making skill, trembled slightly before beginning to grow at a visible rate.
Even the Tree of Inheritance itself seemed to be slowly growing taller.
...
When Li Ping awoke from the Illusion Realm, he discovered that the sky had already grown dim.
He remembered that before receiving the inheritance, it had only been around noon.
In other words, receiving the Tier Two Talisman Maker inheritance had actually taken him the better part of half a day.
Feeling the knowledge now etched into his memory, Li Ping couldn’t help but smile.
After experiencing countless instances of drawing Spirit Talismans in the Illusion Realm, he was now a Tier Two Middle Grade Talisman Maker.
The Tree of Inheritance in his sea of consciousness also reminded him of this fact.
Under the observation of Li Ping’s consciousness, the lonely, slender branch at the base of the Tree of Inheritance had now become much thicker and sturdier. Moreover, the words that appeared on it had changed to: [Talisman Maker: Tier Two Middle Grade].
He didn’t know if it was his imagination, but he felt that after absorbing the nutrients, even the Tree of Inheritance itself seemed to have grown a little taller.
...
Inside the room, Li Ping took out the Tier Two Lower Grade Talisman Paper and Talisman Ink he had prepared, laying them out on the desk. Then, he took out the Silver Wolf Brush that Han Xingyan had given him on behalf of the Talisman Alliance.
He dipped the brush tip in the Talisman Ink, his expression instantly turning serious.
His brush danced across the paper like a living thing, completing an incredibly complex Spiritual Power circuit in a single, fluid motion. Then, Li Ping formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, drawing upon the Magical Power of his Foundation Establishment Stage to cast the Tier Two Lower Grade Magic, the Fire Rain Skill.
At the very instant before the magic’s power could erupt, he channeled the terrifying force directly into the Spiritual Power circuit on the Talisman Paper!
The surface of the Spirit Talisman gradually turned crimson from the power of the Magic.
The Tier Two Lower Grade Fire Rain Talisman was a success!
...
Li Ping smiled as he pinched the crimson Talisman between two fingers, holding it up to examine it closely.
’A Tier Two Talisman and a Tier One Talisman are on completely different levels.’
’A Tier One Talisman, even an Upper Grade one, only has the power equivalent to a single strike from a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator. That’s why Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivators look down on Tier One Upper Grade Talismans.’
’They would rather save up to buy Dharma Artifacts. A Dharma Artifact of the same tier has similar power to a Talisman, but it costs ten to twenty times more. However, as long as a Dharma Artifact isn’t damaged, it can be used repeatedly, making it more cost-effective.’
’Meanwhile, the early and mid-stage Qi Refining Cultivators who do need Tier One Upper Grade Talismans are short on cash.’
’The market is so small that my previous batch of just 500 Spirit Talismans nearly crashed the price of all Tier One Spirit Talismans in the Immortal City.’
’But a Tier Two Talisman is different. Its power is equivalent to a single strike from a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.’
’This kind of Spirit Talisman is a hot commodity among Qi Refining Cultivators and can be used as a trump card.’
’Even for a Foundation Establishment Clan like the Bai family, Tier Two Spirit Talismans are important strategic assets—Treasures that can save the clan in a critical moment.’
’So... even though Tier Two Spirit Talismans are dozens of times more expensive than Tier One Spirit Talismans, supply still can’t keep up with demand.’
’From what I understand, this Tier Two Lower Grade Fire Rain Talisman in my hand can easily sell for a high price of over fifty Spirit Stones, yet its material cost is only in the single digits.’
’Of course, this cost doesn’t include the value of my labor.’
’The intangible value of the labor is the biggest cost, and the reason why Spirit Talismans can sell for so much.’