After finishing his bath and rinsing off the medicinal scent from his body with clean water, Dongfang Xiaotian began preparing to take out his raw materials and start drawing Runes.
Creating a Spirit Talisman isn’t as simple as dipping a brush in some ink and scribbling on talisman paper as if practicing calligraphy.
In this world, Spirit Talismans and Formations are both extremely intricate things, and the higher the grade, the more so.
For example, the ink drawn onto a Spirit Talisman isn’t made by just getting some black dog blood like in those zombie stories.
It must be blended according to secret recipes among Rune Cultivators, such as a Groundwalking Talisman that requires the fresh blood of a spiritual beast with high earth Attribute affinity as the Main Material, while the Vajra Body-Protection Talisman uses Tiangang Gold powder as the Main Material, and then a series of Auxiliary Materials are added to blend it into suitable Spiritual Liquid Ink.
After making the Spiritual Liquid Ink, the second phase, drawing the Rune, is the most troublesome.
The Runes on a talisman are visible to anyone; people with good memory could even memorize them on the spot.
But this kind of knowledge, much like advanced mathematics, is a side path where people with talent can quickly grasp the essentials after enlightenment, while those without can only resort to rote memorization, and their speed suffers.
Yet even memorization isn’t enough.
Every single stroke must be controlled precisely for depth and force.
A third-grade Spirit Talisman can have hundreds of Runes crowded onto a piece of paper only a bit larger than one’s palm.
It’s no exaggeration to call it a work of art, and just the act of drawing it would tire out an ordinary person.
The third step after drawing the Rune is the simplest, yet it relies heavily on fate.
A ritual must be performed, opening an altar and communicating with Heaven and Earth, declaring to the cosmos the intended use of this talisman—such as “If I break my oath, this Spirit Talisman will be rendered void,” and so forth.
Of course, there are some unorthodox Rune Cultivators who, to strengthen the power of their Spirit Talismans, make all sorts of vows to the Heavenly Dao and then add all kinds of usage restrictions, thereby boosting the talisman’s power even more.
No matter the form of the altar ritual, it’s all about gaining the recognition of Heaven and Earth; only after that can the Spirit Talisman be considered complete.
In summary, making Spirit Talismans is a complicated, brain-burning, and even luck-dependent affair.
But the upside is that they have a very low usage threshold.
Even ordinary people, with a bit of professional training or the aid of a Spirit Stone and a special spiritual tool, can use them too.
There’s even a popular saying among Rune Cultivators: “When strength falls short, Spirit Talismans come to help; challenging those above your level, or a mortal slaying an immortal, is no longer a dream!”
In other words, Spirit Talismans are absolutely indispensable for both offense and defense—an essential strategic resource, as sought-after as spatial artifacts.
Of course, Dongfang Xiaotian had been busy all day and had no energy left for drawing Runes tonight.
After his bath, he ate a little something and then went to bed.
In this world with no entertainment, sleeping is the greatest pleasure.
***
The next morning, Dongfang Xiaotian was taking inventory of the Rune-making materials left in his spatial ring, and in the end, he could only shake his head.
“The most troublesome Tiangang Gold powder is actually used up…”
Tiangang Gold is a type of gold rich in strong metal Attribute spiritual energy, especially effective in defense.
Quite a few fourth-grade defensive spiritual artifacts require it for refinement.
In the Saint Hua Central Plains and the Northern Lands, many spiritual artifacts containing Tiangang Gold can be found, making it a fairly common crafting material.
But the problem was, this wasn’t the Central Plains or the various states and counties of the Northern Lands.
This was Lingtian City, where even the number of Golden Core cultivators could be counted on one hand.
In a city where the discovery of a third-grade Seven-leaf Yangzhi could send swarms of disciples to scour the ruins for it, and where even the mere possibility of a Lingyao was enough to spark intense competition, there was no need to even mention the far more commonly used Tiangang Gold.
“What are you sighing about?”
Just as Dongfang Xiaotian was sighing, Second Junior Sister knocked on his door.
Around Dongfang Xiaotian’s residence, there was a defensive Formation; only the junior disciples with tokens—Little Junior Sister, Second Junior Sister, and Little Junior Brother—could come and go freely.
As for the rest… Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t be bothered to remember their names.
If someone wanted to visit Dongfang Xiaotian, they could hand in an Invitation Post outside.
If he accepted it, they could enter; if not, they could just try their luck with the Formation.
Ever since Dongfang Xiaotian became Senior Brother, countless people have coveted the associated benefits.
Second Junior Sister could ward off overt trouble, but what lurked in the shadows was harder to handle.
To put it simply, take the Demonic Fans of Fang Yu, the previous Senior Brother whom Dongfang Xiaotian defeated.
They kept demanding a rematch between Dongfang Xiaotian and Fang Yu, gathering and causing trouble for a while and giving Dongfang Xiaotian no end of headaches.
Such disturbances were normally not allowed in the sect, but for some reason, no one intervened.
When Dongfang Xiaotian took the matter up with the higher-ups, all they said was that he’d incited public anger and they couldn’t do anything about it.
Fortunately, Second Junior Sister later showed up and beat up everyone involved.
The point is, Second Junior Sister is different from Dongfang Xiaotian, who has only a reputation but no backing.
She has the support of her family.
Even the senior staff of Four Sages Academy couldn’t easily do anything to her.
After all, this branch campus is led at best by a Golden Core cultivator, while the Tushan Clan has a Soul Formation Stage powerhouse in residence.
What’s more, Tushan Bingxian is a direct descendant of the Tushan family.
Even if they couldn’t call upon a Soul Formation Stage powerhouse, they could easily send a Nascent Soul Stage expert to teach the troublemakers a lesson.
Ah.
And so, the matter was dropped, and no one came to stir up trouble again—everyone was stuck at home recuperating.
Looking at Second Junior Sister, who had come to find him, Dongfang Xiaotian suddenly thought: the Tiangang Gold he’d brought from the South had run out, but maybe Second Junior Sister had some?
Dongfang Xiaotian asked, “Second Junior Sister, do you still have any Tiangang Gold? I can borrow it from you and pay you back with Spirit Stones later.”
“Oh, I don’t.”
Tushan Bingxian shrugged and said, “The side path technique I practice is Illusory Sound; I don’t need all your little knickknacks. I just wanted to ask if you’re signing up for the inner sect assessment this time, and whether you want to go collect your stipend this month?”
Of course, Tushan Bingxian’s main purpose in seeking out Senior Brother was actually the latter matter.
After all, going out with this homebody Senior Brother is a rare opportunity.
“I’ll sign up.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded and sighed.
Since even Little Junior Brother was going, there was no way he could fall behind.
“As for the stipend, Little Junior Sister can help collect it for me.”
“Alright, I’ll relay the message to Third Elder.”
Upon hearing that Little Junior Sister would help out, Tushan Bingxian lost much of her enthusiasm and casually responded before asking, “Speaking of the inner sect, when do you think you’ll recover your Foundation Establishment cultivation?”
“Normally, it’ll take eight or nine years.”
Dongfang Xiaotian recalled the words of a certain outstanding Alchemist.
His body, with its Banyao bloodline, had extremely strong recovery ability—just like Little Junior Brother’s spiritual veins, which were restored using Dongfang Xiaotian’s blood as a Medicine Guide.
Of course, Dongfang Xiaotian himself naturally had the same regenerative power.
Dongfang Xiaotian considered the Alchemist’s advice: “If I could repeatedly stimulate my body with certain things, the recovery time could be greatly shortened.”
“What do you need?” Tushan Bingxian asked curiously.
“I’ve already prepared most of the Lingyao; just three tricky things remain. The Spirit Core of a Golden Core Stage spiritual beast with both metal and wood Attributes, the Azure Dragon Marrow-Cleansing Pool, and a Third Grade Purple Jade Spirit Crystal.”
“A Spirit Core from a Golden Core Stage spiritual beast with both metal and wood Attributes, huh?”
Tushan Bingxian thought for a moment and asked, “You mean the one being auctioned at the Auction House in three days?”
In this world, most cultivators’ spirit power has no Attribute—it only changes with their cultivation method.
But Innate Spirit Power comes with an Attribute, and such people are usually called geniuses.
Second Junior Sister, for example, has the Ice Spiritual Root, a branch of the Water Linggen; Little Junior Brother possesses Lightning, Fire, and Wind—Three Attributes Linggen; Dongfang Xiaotian has Lightning, Wood, and Golden Spiritual Roots—also a Three Attributes Linggen.
Simply put, Linggen determine one’s spiritual power Attributes, unlike the traditional cultivation of Earth where the more Linggen, the worse off you are.
Here, the more Innate Attributes you have, the more paths you can take, and the more you can achieve.
Unfortunately, those with a single Attribute Linggen are rare, let alone those with dual Attributes, especially when it comes to a third-grade Spirit Core from a beast with both Lightning and Wood Attributes.
Dongfang Xiaotian could easily imagine how the price would skyrocket.
Originally, Dongfang Xiaotian’s plan was that no matter how expensive the Spirit Core was, it couldn’t be more than the value of a hundred or so third-grade Vajra Body-Protection Talismans.
But thanks to Xiao Yuanqing’s incident, Dongfang Xiaotian now had to scramble to make money within these three days.
As for borrowing from Second Junior Sister…
Dongfang Xiaotian thought of the Tushan Clan’s “borrow money, pay in flesh” policy and decided to forget it.
Tushan Bingxian could see what was troubling Dongfang Xiaotian.
Looking at the apology gifts Beichen Yue had sent, she asked, “Aren’t these enough?”
Dongfang Xiaotian shook his head. “The total is about five thousand Spirit Stones, but I can only use about one thousand immediately. It’s really not enough.”
“Five thousand?”
Tushan Bingxian was stunned.
She had more than that just in the dowry prepared for her wedding; could Beichen Yue, a genius of the Beichen clan and direct disciple of Ice Ling Immortal Palace, only give five thousand Spirit Stones as compensation for breaking off the engagement?
Though Tushan Bingxian knew these were just the extras, the real compensation was actually the inner disciple spot at Ice Ling Immortal Palace—a priceless opportunity.
Still, she couldn’t help but comment, “Are they treating you like a beggar?”
“They were willing to give anything at all, which is better than nothing. I never expected much in the first place.”
Dongfang Xiaotian was quite optimistic. “Better to have something than nothing, right?”
He gathered the little trinkets on his table and said, “Most of these things are of no use to me. Leave some gold and silver for Little Junior Sister; split the cultivation pills among you, Little Junior Brother, and Little Junior Sister. I’ll be making a trip down the mountain.”
“Oh? Now you’re willing to give them to me?”
Tushan Bingxian’s heart felt sweet; the smile on her lips nearly reached her ears, but she still spoke with her usual sharp tongue.
“Weren’t you complaining about me playing favorites in the ruins?”
Dongfang Xiaotian sighed helplessly. In moments like this, how could he not treat everyone equally?
“In any case, I’m off the mountain to make money and cure this incurable illness of mine. Keep an eye on Little Junior Brother for me, and back him up if I’m not around.”