Chapter 242: Making Talismans

Han Li carefully put away for the two golden book pages and planned his future actions meticulously.

Since he wanted to cultivate the Three Essence Revolutions Technique, the small mysterious bottle’s green liquid must be used to its full extent. Thus, he quickly gathered together the materials for the two ancient formulas. If it could be bought, it was bought; he let nothing slip away.

With this said, apart from spiritual power, the green liquid also had other components, but they still remained a complete mystery to him. There was no way that Spiritual Qi by itself was able to miraculously mature plants.

After entering Yellow Maple Valley, he had researched it several times. regardless of how diluted the spiritual liquid was, with just a tiny drop of green liquid mixed with water, all the animals that tasted it had similarly exploded. It wasn’t a matter of how diluted the green liquid was but rather its unknown components running rampant.

After receiving several similar results, Han Li was forced to begrudgingly give up.

But using the mysterious small bottle to simply refine pills was a bit narrow! Han Li felt that using its wondrous effects to mature plants had many more uses; to use it just for pills seemed wasteful.

After a moment of consideration, Han Li felt that with Foundation Establishment battles, apart from magic tools and cultivation techniques, mid-grade or higher talismans were an absolute necessity. However, these mid-grade talismans were extremely expensive! A single talisman often cost several tens of spirit stones. Han Li could only shake his head repeatedly!

A good number of these mid or higher grade Five Elements talismans had truly great power. They could take the place of incisive Daoist magics, capable of saving one’s life.

If a magic technique’s grade was too high, then even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator were to use it, it would require no small amount of magic power and time. As such, purchasing a few of these talismans was essential as a life-preserving last resort.

Thus, Han Li decided to refine talismans, actual mid-grade talismans.

Because refining talismans required blank talisman paper refined from spirit herbs of a certain maturity, Han Li wanted to bring out the bottle and make full use of its wondrous effects.

Naturally, high-grade talismans couldn’t be made with this method. Those required spirit hides of a few particular demonic beasts, and Han Li was currently not capable of acquiring such hides.

As for the cinnabar used to refine talismans, there was no need to be picky since most of the supply was refined from the blood of a few spirit beast species, the majority being extracted from domesticated spirit beasts. It fundamentally wasn’t worth much.

One had to be somewhat selective with the talisman brushes used to make talismans. However, Han Li already had the Golden Sincerity Brush, which should suit his needs.    

When Han Li thought of the Golden Sincerity Brush, he naturally thought of that young, easily embarrassed Han Yunzhi and couldn’t help but slightly smile. At this moment, she was probably at Spirit Beast Mountain!

But in the blink of an eye, Han Li regained his focus and once again pondered about the feasibility and risks of refining talismans.

He had the tools and an unending supply of materials. The fundamental problem of a talisman-refinement expert, having enough materials, was no problem for him. Currently, the only restriction he had was his cultivation of mid-grade and higher Daoist magics.

Talisman-refinement experts must first be able to use a magic technique before refining it onto a talisman. Otherwise, there would be nothing to inscribe onto the talisman paper. After all, talismans were only a method of sealing a magic technique in advance.

When he thought of having to cultivate mid-grade magic techniques, Han Li felt a pounding headache!

He didn’t know whether it had to do with his spiritual roots, but when he practiced Daoist magics of the Five Elements, he felt that his talent was extremely lacking. Even after spending several times more effort and time than other cultivators, he wouldn’t make the slightest of gains and remained completely ignorant of the magic’s essence!    

However, after he entered Foundation Establishment, he was able to easily learn those few elementary magic techniques. Furthermore, he was proficient enough to perform most of them in the blink of an eye. But for mid-grade magic techniques, it was the same as before. He could only look up to the sky and sigh! 

Han Li knew that if he arduously cultivated a few mid-grade magic techniques, he would most likely be able to seal and imprint a few talismans. He had no extravagant hopes of being able to refine all of the mid-grade magic techniques he wished.

With a great amount of mid-grade talismans, not only would he have a great advantage in battle, but he could also sell them openly without arousing the suspicion of others.

Thus, Han Li was freed from the plight of lacking spiritual stones. He currently didn’t dare to conspicuously take out spiritual herbs to trade for spirit stones!

Furthermore, Han Li had further thoughts. If his cultivation truly scattered and he had to cultivate back what he lost, during that time, he would unquestionably be at his weakest. If an enemy or someone with a grudge found him, how wouldn’t he be in great danger!? After all, the world of cultivation wasn’t some peaceful world; anything could happen.

But if he had a lot of talismans on hand, he would be able to preserve a certain amount of strength. Even if he couldn’t subdue an enemy with the assistance of talismans, he could most likely escape with them.

Although learning how to refine talismans would surely interfere with the advancement of his magic power, regardless of how he saw it, it would only take up some of his time. The gains were greater than the losses!

After Han Li tossed and turned several times in his chambers, he decided to simultaneously cultivate the Azure Essence Sword Art and practice talisman-refinement. Having made his decision after much deliberation, Han Li immediately set into motion.

During the next few days, he made two trips to his own sect’s market city as well as the Heavenly Star Sect’s market city to look for seeds and sprouts of spiritual herbs used in talisman paper refinement.

The materials written in the ancient pill formulas were naturally extremely rare and priceless materials. Fortunately, Han Li didn’t have any problems with the maturity of these medicinal herbs and was fortunate enough to gather enough materials for the “Qi Refining Powder”, causing him to be overjoyed.

As for the materials for the talisman paper, because he was starting with low grade-talismans, they were easily required. Of course, a large amount of cinnabar was indispensable.

After three or four days, Han Li created an opening in his great formation outside his Immortal’s cave and entered it, closing it behind him. Then he entered secluded cultivation for his first time after reaching Foundation Establishment.

    ……

Time does not stop for cultivation. Four years passed in the blink of an eye.  Underneath the concealment of the formation spell, the cave’s entrance had been tightly closed since that day and hadn’t been opened since.

Then one day, a blue streak of light suddenly flew from the distant horizon. After it circled several times around the great formation, it turned into a chuckling Confucian Scholar holding a blue wooden board in his hand.

“So this is young Junior Martial Brother’s Immortal’s cave! Why did you pick such a remote place? Furthermore, the Spiritual Qi also isn’t very abundant. If Martial Senior Lei hadn’t given me a few directions, it would have truly been hard to find!” The Confucian Scholar muttered to himself with an expression of surprise.

Soon after, the Confucian Scholar sized up the great formation outside the Immortal’s cave, suddenly displaying a desire to test it out.

“Martial Senior Lei said this young Junior Martial Brother’s great defensive formation was incomparably ferocious and that if a Core Formation Cultivator were to come, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to break through. This must truly be false. How could it possibly be so ferocious? Should I give it a try?”

But after a bit of consideration, the Confucian Scholar dejectedly hung his head and said to himself, “Forget about it. This will interfere with Master’s plans!”

With that said, he took out a sound transmission talisman and looked at Han Li’s great formation. The sound transmission talisman suddenly turned into a streak of fiery light and silently entered the formation.

Then the Confucian Scholar immediately threw the wooden board in his hand into the air and left, flying away on his flying magic tool.

At this moment, in the secluded room with the spirit well spring, Han Li was meditating with his eyes closed.

His appearance was actually exactly the same as four years ago, without the slightest of change. However, his body was enveloped in a layer of faint azure light that continuously flickered, appearing as if it were an exceptionally beautiful illusion.

But if someone were to look at around, they would be beyond speechless. That was because there were talismans of all grades scattered around Han Li, from the elementary low-grade “Fireball” and “Ice Arrow” techniques to the elementary high-grade techniques “Earth Wall” and “Fire Cloud” and more. It seemed as if this were a large storehouse for talismans. In addition, there were a few empty boxes of cinnabar as well as stacks of blank talisman paper scattered about, appearing extremely messy. 

Not knowing how much time had passed, Han Li wrinkled his brow in response to something and opened his eyes.

After a moment of thought, he suddenly stood and walked out of the seclusion chamber. As soon as he stood, all of the talismans and other items on the floor silently entered his storage pouch. His room instantly became spotless.

As he walked out of the seclusion chamber, Han Li waved his hand, and a small yellow flag appeared in it. Then he threw it out, turning the small flag into a streak of yellow light that flew outwards.

Before Han Li could finish walking to his bedroom, the small flag that had turned into a yellow light returned with a streak of fiery light in tow. 

When Han Li saw this, he calmly moved his hand and summoned the small flag into it. He opened his other hand and shot out azure light toward the fiery light before him.