Chapter 7: Talisman Crafting!

Lu Changsheng was surprised to hear this.

Although he had obtained Second-Tier talisman crafting skills through the system, he wasn’t aware of how difficult it actually was.

He now realized that talisman crafting was much harder than he’d imagined.

A newcomer needs thousands of practice attempts just to get started and become an entry-level Talisman Master.

This entry-level refers to a First-Tier low-rank Talisman Master.

First-Tier Talisman Masters are classified based on the talismans they can draw: low-rank, mid-rank, high-rank, and grandmaster.

Second-Tier Talisman Masters are classified the same way.

Lu Changsheng had obtained Second-Tier talisman crafting skills at the highest level.

This meant he was a Second-Tier talisman grandmaster.

For a newcomer to improve their talisman crafting skills to Second-Tier, the time, effort, and money spent are immeasurable.

Even dedicating a lifetime of effort might not be enough to achieve it.

At this moment, Lu Changsheng felt that these Second-Tier talisman crafting skills were far more precious than he’d imagined.

“Shopkeeper, I still want to give it a try,” Lu Changsheng said firmly.

The harder it was to become a Talisman Master, the more valuable his skills would be.

“Alright, if you insist on buying, I can’t refuse to sell it to you.”

Seeing Lu Changsheng’s persistence, the shopkeeper didn’t try to dissuade him further.

He had already given a few words of advice out of kindness.

Young people often need to learn things the hard way.

“A regular wolf-hair talisman brush costs twenty Spirit Stones each and can be used about 200 times.”

“First-Tier regular talisman paper costs one Spirit Stone per stack, with ten sheets in a stack.”

“First-Tier regular spirit ink costs one Spirit Stone per box and can be used about 50 times.”

The shopkeeper quoted the prices.

Lu Changsheng nodded and took out his Flying Sword. “Shopkeeper, could you please appraise this sword?”

“Isn’t this the one the family head rewarded you with?”

The shopkeeper was surprised that Lu Changsheng would sell his Flying Sword for talisman crafting.

Then again, as a live-in son-in-law, where else would he get money if not by selling the sword?

“That’s right,” Lu Changsheng nodded.

“I won’t shortchange you. This Flying Sword is worth fifty Spirit Stones.”

The shopkeeper held up one hand.

“Alright.”

“Then please give me one wolf-hair talisman brush, ten stacks of talisman paper, and two boxes of spirit ink.”

Lu Changsheng nodded and placed the Flying Sword on the counter.

The other party hadn’t undervalued it; this sword would only fetch a few more Spirit Stones elsewhere.

Thinking of Lu Lanshu who had just given birth, and Lu Zi’er and Lu Qing’er who were about to, Lu Changsheng asked.

“Also, give me a pound each of ginseng, licorice, angelica, polygonatum, and wolfberry.”

These were all herbs grown by the Lu Family. They were spirit plants with nourishing effects.

“Alright, that’s thirty-seven Spirit Stones in total. I’ll give you thirteen in change.”

The shopkeeper took the sword, got Lu Changsheng’s items, and gave him thirteen Spirit Stones.

“Thank you, shopkeeper.”

Lu Changsheng thanked him and left with his purchases.

…

In the study.

Lu Changsheng neatly arranged the complete set of talisman brush, paper, and ink on the desk.

Beside them were two books: “Introduction to Talismans” and “Complete Basic Talismans”.

The system-given skill information included many types of talismans.

But he had to play the part convincingly.

He couldn’t just become a Talisman Master without reading a single book, could he?

That wouldn’t be right.

So, to be safe, Lu Changsheng made a show of going to the Lu Family library.

He spent one Spirit Stone to borrow two books about talismans.

“The materials for drawing talismans 100 times cost about twenty-two Spirit Stones.”

“A First-Tier low-rank talisman can sell for 1-2 Spirit Stones. If all are successfully crafted, that’s at least a five-fold profit, up to ten-fold.”

“If all could be made into First-Tier mid-rank talismans, the profit could be over twenty times!”

“Wow, that’s quite a profit margin.”

“With my Second-Tier mastery, turning these materials into First-Tier mid-rank talismans would be a piece of cake.”

Lu Changsheng skillfully ground and mixed the spirit ink, calculating in his mind.

Different grades of talismans had different material requirements.

The wolf-hair brush he bought was the most basic type, suitable for beginners. It could only draw basic talismans and First-Tier low and mid-rank talismans.

It wasn’t that it absolutely couldn’t be used for First-Tier high-rank or Top-Tier talismans.

But it would greatly affect the success rate, and the brush would wear out quickly.

Generally, Talisman Masters who could draw First-Tier mid, high, or Top-Tier talismans wouldn’t skimp on these costs.

They would buy better materials and tools to improve their success rate.

The same applied to talisman paper and spirit ink, which came in regular, High-Tier, and Top-Tier qualities.

Regular quality was best for drawing up to First-Tier mid-rank talismans.

High-Tier was suitable for First-Tier mid and high-rank talismans.

Top-Tier was ideal for First-Tier high and top-rank talismans.

After preparing the ink, Lu Changsheng laid out the talisman paper, picked up the brush, took a deep breath to calm himself, and began crafting.

For a beginner, this would be the time for rituals like bathing, changing clothes, and adjusting body, mind, and breath.

But Lu Changsheng had his cheat code, so he didn’t need all that.

He dipped the brush in the ink.

Then, Qi flowed from his body to his hand, through the brush, to its tip, making the inked tip emit a faint glow.

The brush tip touched the blank talisman paper, and he began to write, his strokes flowing like a dragon and snake.

The whole process was smooth and unbroken, without a hint of hesitation.

Lu Changsheng lifted the brush.

A layer of light appeared on the paper, emitting faint Qi waves that quickly solidified the ink.

Soon, the ink set, and the light on the paper circulated before gradually fading away.

A First-Tier low-rank talisman – Fire Ball Talisman – was complete!

“Phew!”

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng let out a long breath, a smile appearing on his face.

Getting the skills was one thing, but actually drawing a talisman was another.

“Drawing talismans really drains Qi. With my Qi Condensation First Level energy, I can draw at most three or four First-Tier low-rank talismans.”

“If I were to draw a First-Tier mid-rank talisman, I could probably manage only one.”

Lu Changsheng carefully examined the Fire Ball Talisman in his hand.

Just a bit of Qi would activate the talisman, releasing a fireball.

Its power was comparable to a Qi Condensation Third Level’s fireball spell.

This was the power of talismans.

Lu Changsheng, at Qi Condensation First Level, would be completely drained using a single fireball spell.

But with this much Qi, he could draw three or four talismans as powerful as a Qi Condensation Third Level’s fireball spell!

He then drew a Lightness Talisman and a Recovery Talisman.

Both were First-Tier low-rank talismans.

Feeling that drawing more would not only drain his Qi but also fatigue his mind, Lu Changsheng put away the three talismans and began to meditate.

The next day, Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.

After meditating all night, his Qi and vitality were fully restored.

Perhaps because of yesterday’s talisman crafting, which had consumed some Qi and mental strength, last night’s cultivation was slightly more effective than usual.

“Does talisman crafting, which consumes Qi and mental strength, also slightly aid cultivation?”

Lu Changsheng was a bit surprised.

But he didn’t pay too much attention to this small improvement.

He went to the desk, picked up the wolf-hair brush, and prepared to try drawing a First-Tier mid-rank talisman.

He dipped the brush tip in ink and began to write without hesitation.

The brush strokes glowed faintly, moving across the talisman paper in wild cursive style, flowing smoothly without any hitches.

But the moment he finished and lifted the brush, Lu Changsheng let out a long breath, feeling completely drained. He slumped back in his chair, looking exhausted.

After a long while, Lu Changsheng sat up and picked up the talisman from the desk.

It was a First-Tier mid-rank talisman – Golden Light Talisman.

When activated, it would release a layer of golden light to protect the user, capable of blocking one attack from a Qi Condensation Sixth Layer cultivator.

“Right now, First-Tier mid-rank talismans are still quite taxing for me.”

Lu Changsheng thought to himself as he carefully put away the talisman.

In the days that followed, besides cultivation, he added talisman crafting to his routine.

He would draw two or three First-Tier low-rank talismans almost every day.

Or one First-Tier mid-rank talisman.

He stored all these talismans in the study cabinet, waiting for a chance to use them in the future.