Chapter 368: Talisman Art
**Talisman Art: Novice**
**Effect 1: Basic Talisman Success Rate 50%**
“So that’s why the Talisman Art never appeared before,” Jiang Chen realized with a start. “I’d never actually carved a complete, complex talisman.”
He had known a few basic runes, but they had never coalesced into a formal Art. He never imagined that simply helping the Fortress with its repairs would trigger this breakthrough.
Talisman Art was a unique skill that used runes as a medium to channel energy and manipulate the laws of the world. Its applications were vast, covering everything from Spirit Weapons and Magical Artifacts to Formations and Talismans. The most common examples were simple Illumination and Cleansing Talismans, which posed little difficulty even for beginners.
Until now, Jiang Chen had only ever inscribed runes during the artifact refinement process; he had never drawn a proper spirit talisman. But now, armed with a Water Spirit Root and a newfound mastery of the Art, he was finally ready to try.
After all, the Golden Light Talisman that Chen Tian had used during his Tribulation was a testament to the Art’s terrifying power.
*Consume 30 years of Lifespan to elevate Talisman Art to Masterful Hands?*
Jiang Chen nodded without hesitation. “Right now, I’m so poor all I have left to spend is my life!”
This time, the Epiphany lasted longer than any before it. A torrent of techniques, insights, and experiences related to talismans flooded his mind. It was like a grand puzzle, its pieces snapping together one by one as time flowed past, slowly revealing the complete picture. Jiang Chen lost himself in the process, striving to absorb, assimilate, analyze, and innovate.He had no idea how much time had passed when he finally emerged from the trance-like state. When he did, he found the Fortress staring at him with an unnervingly wise gaze.
Jiang Chen blinked. “Is it already night?”
He couldn’t help but look the construct up and down. “Long time no see!”
The Fortress’s optical sensors flickered. “It may have been a long time for you, Master,” it replied in its deep, rumbling voice, “but for me, I have been by your side all along.”
Jiang Chen grinned. “Didn’t realize you’d learned how to sweet-talk.”
In truth, the days without the Fortress had been a bit dull. It was strange not hearing its constant *thump, thump, thump* echoing through the grounds. With it back, he wouldn’t have to pull weeds or clean up after Da Huang and the chickens.
The Fortress, seemingly unsure how to respond, chose silence.
Seeing this, Jiang Chen waved a hand dismissively. “I’ve still got things to do. Go outside and feed Da Huang, the chickens, the pearl chickens, and the turtles and fish in the pond.”
The Fortress turned and lumbered away, the familiar *thump, thump, thump* a welcome sound after its long absence.
Jiang Chen watched it go, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Could the gift of the Wood Law have elevated its intelligence?”
The old Fortress would never have greeted him. Its interactions were purely mechanical, a rigid series of questions and answers. But now, not only did it offer flattering words, but it also seemed to understand when to speak and when to remain silent. He had only ever seen this level of intelligence in the Pillar Python and Storm Crane 7.
Shaking his head, Jiang Chen dismissed the thought and refocused his attention on his status panel.
**Talisman Art: Masterful Hands**
**Effect 1: Basic Talisman Success Rate 99%**
**Effect 2: High-level Talisman Success Rate 95%**
**Effect 3: Source of Ten Thousand Talismans Success Rate 88%**
**Effect 4: Talisman Combination Success Rate 80%**
**Effect 5: Rule Talisman Success Rate 66%**
**Special Effect 1: Inscribe talismans directly into the air using spiritual energy or Qi, no medium required.**
**Special Effect 2: Any object can serve as a medium, imbuing the talisman with attributes corresponding to the material.**
**Special Effect 3: Cultivate a ‘Source of Ten Thousand Talismans,’ allowing you to instantly imprint any known talisman.**
**Special Effect 4: A chance for a talisman to undergo a qualitative transformation during inscription.**
*Clap. Clap. Clap.*
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but applaud as he read through the effects. *Damn.* The long-awaited Talisman Art was every bit as incredible as he’d hoped. He no longer needed talisman paper; he could now create spirit talismans from thin air.
Based on this, the Golden Light Talisman he coveted was likely either a high-level or a rule talisman. As long as he could find the schematic and learn it, what was there to fear from the Golden Core Tribulation?
At that thought, an idea sparked in his mind. He channeled the water-aspected spiritual power from his dantian, his fingers tracing the strokes of an Illumination Talisman in the air before him.
The next second, a globe of brilliant light flared to life in the dark cultivation chamber, banishing every shadow and illuminating the room more effectively than any lamp. The only drawback was its duration; the light flickered and died in less than five breaths.
“So, I can draw talismans from nothing,” Jiang Chen mused, “but they don’t last. The best approach is still to use a medium, whether it’s talisman paper or some other material.”
With that, he stood up. Continuing to practice tracing Illumination Talismans as he walked, he made his way back to the ground-floor living room. The Fortress hadn’t been lying; night had indeed fallen.
Jiang Chen slid the door open and stepped out into the cool air. A crisp, autumn chill hung in the night. The stars were scattered jewels against the sky, their light softened by a hazy moon.
In the Spirit Farm, the spirit plants continued their vigorous growth, but the surrounding flora had begun to wither, their leaves turning brittle. The cycle of life and decay seemed to hold a profound truth, a whisper of the Great Dao. The surface of the pond was a placid mirror, so still it was impossible to tell where the water ended and the reflection of the starry sky began. The atmosphere was one of deep, profound tranquility.
His gaze swept across the familiar scene. Da Huang was licking his food bowl clean. The chickens pecked at scattered Spirit Rice. The pearl chickens were already asleep in their coop, and the pond’s turtles and fish were unnaturally still.
As for the Fortress, it stood sentinel beneath the poplar tree, back in its usual spot.
Jiang Chen felt no desire to sleep. He dragged his rocking chair out of the house, set it by the door, and sank into it. Leaning back, he gazed up at the cosmos while leisurely sipping his top-grade Golden Wine. A wave of pure contentment washed over him.
“This,” he sighed in admiration, “is the life.”
***
Two days later, the Return to Ruins Secret Realm opened.
Jiang Chen, riding his Shattered Moon Flowing Frost, led Jin Fugui, Mo Yu, and Lin An toward the teleportation formation. The Secret Realm was located a vast distance away, necessitating the use of a long-range transporter. For that, they had to bypass the usual flight dock at Fire Peak and head to a different location.
On the far side of the Earth Vein entrance was a massive platform known as the Inspiration Platform, upon which sat the long-range teleportation array.
“Relax, Old Jiang! I’ve already greased all the right palms over there,” Jin Fugui boasted.
“He’s right,” Mo Yu added. “This isn’t our first rodeo!”
“Hey, watch how you say that,” Lin An chimed in. “It’s not like we’re some… evil organization!”
Bantering amongst themselves, the group arrived at the Inspiration Platform. It was essentially a spacious plaza, large enough to hold over a thousand people. With his newly acquired Talisman Art, Jiang Chen now saw the world through the eyes of a craftsman. He immediately recognized that the teleportation array was constructed from three nested, concentric rings of array diagrams.
The outermost layer was a defensive formation that enveloped the entire plaza. Its lines, like coiling flood dragons, were carved with interlocking space-locking runes. The entire ring glowed with a faint cyan light, forming a translucent shield that isolated the platform from all external interference.
The middle layer was a positioning matrix composed of three thousand six hundred miniature targeting runes. Each illuminated segment corresponded to a specific coordinate in the Azure Realm, all interconnected by silver threads of light to form a three-dimensional celestial map.
The innermost layer was the teleportation core itself. A spatial-earth origin fruit, the size of a human head, was embedded at its center, surrounded by incomprehensible runes that pulsed with a soft, yellow halo.