You Can't Refine Talismans? I Can!

Chapter 20.

There were so many other kinds of talismans that I picked out only the ones I needed.

[Body-Protecting Astral Qi Talisman]

-A defensive talisman that forms a barrier of solid Five Elements energy upon activation, deflecting attacks.

[Evil-Banishing Talisman]

-A talisman that wards off and purifies evil spirits, baleful energy, and the intrusion of sinister spells or curses into the body.

[Clear-Mind Talisman]

-A defensive talisman that forcibly clears the mind when one is threatened by an enemy's mental attack or illusion during battle, or at risk of qi deviation.

[Formation-Breaking Talisman]

-A talisman that precisely locates the key points of a barrier or small formation set up by an opponent, then tears through its walls to disable it.

[Voice Transmission Talisman]

-A long-distance communication talisman that lets you exchange words or thoughts with someone far away.

[Search Talisman]

-A detection talisman that subtly senses the energy of hidden spirit stones, treasures, or rare metal ores within the surrounding area.

[Blood-Staunching Vitality Talisman]

-An emergency healing talisman that forcibly stops deep cuts and bleeding sustained in battle and helps bone and flesh heal quickly.

That was about it.

I could divide the Winged Insects up, draw a different talisman on each one's wings, and feed each one only the talismans it was meant to use.

“Hmm... I guess I'll have to do this myself?”

With so many types of talismans, there were more kinds I had to make, too.

I couldn't help sighing at the thought of the tremendous amount of grunt work involved.

Was this why people took on disciples?

‘Still, it can't be helped.’

In the end, plenty of experience improved one's aptitude as a talisman master and sped up one's cultivation.

If you relied too much on fortuitous opportunities, the foundation of your realm wouldn't be solid.

In the end, laying a solid foundation made things easier later on.

I decided to make some talismans right away.

They weren't particularly difficult.

I just had to write the pattern for each talisman, then imbue it with yao power and spirit-consciousness.

Once I'd packed each brushstroke with its own subtleties and force, the talisman was done.

“This is going well. Maybe I'll make a few more.”

Just as I was completely absorbed in talisman crafting, losing track of time,

a question suddenly occurred to me.

Most of the talismans I made were middle-grade.

Even when I made First Realm talismans, it was rare to get a high-grade one.

Wasn't there some ridiculously easy trick that would make top-grade talismans every time?

The higher the quality of the talismans, the faster the Winged Insects would grow.

‘If there were some shortcut to raise a talisman's grade, things would be a lot easier.’

The higher the talisman's grade, the stronger the Winged Insect that ate it would become.

Naturally, they'd also stop clamoring that they were hungry so much.

As I thought it over, the word “foundation” made me remember something.

“Come to think of it, I have that.”

I took a few jade slips out of my bracelet-shaped storage pouch.

These were jade slips from the storage pouch of the Core Formation cultivator who'd trespassed on my territory. They were among the slips containing the Ghost Gate Sect's spells.

This one contained the sect's principal cultivation method, the Turtle Dao Origin-Returning Art.

-Though there are ten thousand currents, they all begin as one. The path of immortal cultivation ultimately returns to its origin.

One must tear down the realm raised high as a tower, accumulate cultivation until it becomes emptiness (積經成虛), then return to the origin and start anew: return to the root and restore the source (返本還源).

Returning to find one's original intention, bones and flesh are renewed, and one returns to the beginner's mind (一歸初心)—this is the principle.

Returning to strengthen one's roots, the ends of one's bones grow hard as steel, returning once more to the foundation (再歸根本). The more one breaks through one's realm and returns along the road home, the wider one's vessel becomes, like the sea, and the more vigorous one's energy grows: repeatedly breaking through and returning (數破經回).

At the end of that road home, against the natural order, the path to the Great Dao finally opens.

“Hmm. Dull and pretentious.”

Even so, a profound art was hinted at in these dull, pretentious words.

What did it mean?

“You tear down the cultivation you've built up and build it all over again. And the Gui in the Turtle Dao Origin-Returning Art is the character for turtle, not ghost.”

You go back again.

It meant that tearing down your accumulated cultivation and building it up anew could make you stronger.

You spread the spiritual energy you'd accumulated through your body and store it in your meridians and yao acupoints, strengthening your body. Then you accumulate purer spiritual energy than before and raise your cultivation.

Naturally, the pace of cultivation was extremely slow.

But the more times you returned to the beginning, the deeper your inner strength and the stronger your body became, until none at the same realm could match you.

‘So that's why Ghost Gate Sect cultivators entered Golden Ring Immortal Paradise.’

Since the rules of the secret realm barred anyone above the Third Realm from entering, Ghost Gate Sect cultivators—stronger than others at the same realm—would have held a considerable advantage.

It was certainly an excellent cultivation method.

“Setting the Ghost Gate Sect aside, did Seo Geum and the others really come in here with no backing at all...? They were brave.”

Then again, if their clan was on the verge of collapse, they would've tried anything.

Well, it wasn't my concern.

I had my own things to worry about!

“Anyway, this isn't bad. As expected, you need a variety of experiences to cultivate.”

And the things that held those experiences were cultivation methods and formulas, I suppose.

Just reading a high-level cultivation method gave me profound insights.

“Those Ghost Gate Sect bastards will probably come back in another hundred years. Somehow, I feel like we've become enemies for life... I'd better get a sense of what their spells can do.”

If they came once, what was to stop them from coming again?

The Yao Immortals were always saying that humans could recover their strength in a mere hundred years and come back to attack.

And I was going to have to fend off waves of humans every hundred years to protect my cave abode.

I had to prepare.

“Anyway, this is good.”

The Turtle Dao Origin-Returning Art.

It had plenty of formulas that could help me, too, since I cultivated both body and technique. Training with them might let me display greater strength than other cultivators at the same realm.

Of course, it wasn't a perfect cultivation method.

To master it, you had to tear down your cultivation three times at each realm and return to the beginner's mind, and that wasn't as easy as it sounded.

You had to dismantle a realm you'd worked so hard to build up.

If something happened while your cultivation was torn down, you'd be as good as dead.

‘It seems the Ghost Gate Sect has formations and other ways to protect themselves... I can't know any more than that, though.’

Even so, I had good reason to take a closer look at it.

“This... seems more suited to yao beasts than humans. Why is it the core cultivation method of a human sect?”

I had plenty of questions, but there was little I could find out.

Still, a few lines from the Turtle Dao Origin-Returning Art kept bothering me.

‘The more times you return along the road home, the wider your vessel becomes, like the sea.’

Defying Heaven.

‘A road home that goes against the natural order.’

Defying Heaven.

‘Returning to the source. Accumulating cultivation until it becomes emptiness.’

Defying Heaven.

All of these went against the Heavenly Dao.

Immortal cultivation was defiance of Heaven, going against the Heavenly Dao.

Why did we face Heavenly Tribulations?

Because we angered Heaven.

Going against the Heavenly Dao.

Defying Heaven was cultivation, and cultivation was defying Heaven.

Returning to the beginning to become stronger.

More precisely, reversing one's course.

Reversal was also a fragment of reincarnation.

Reversal, defiance of Heaven, reincarnation.

“Ah...”

Gyo Ran's mouth slowly opened.

As her small, cherry-like lips parted, her violet eyes began to shine, and a clear aura poured from her head.

It was a sign that the Dao seed containing the Dao-Bone New Scripture was about to bloom.

As pure blue Dao qi spread from within her mind, violet lightning qi rippled alongside it.

“Is this possible?”

Even as sudden enlightenment unfolded in her mind, Gyo Ran couldn't help but wonder.

The idea she'd come up with seemed plausible, but also impossible to put into practice.

There was no point in puzzling over this alone.

She immediately opened the Yao Immortal Gallery and wrote a post.

[Baby Jiaolong: I had a sudden idea while practicing Talisman Crafting. Is this possible?]

The Yao Immortals who saw her post gave almost the same answer.

└Yao Immortal (963.3): You think that's gonna work?

└LotsaTails: I want to agree with everything Baby says, but I'm not sure about this one! Why go out of your way to practice Talisman Crafting? Why not train under me instead? I'll teach you well!!

Training under LotsaTails?

That might not be a bad idea. I'd already learned two of their cultivation methods, and they'd both been really useful.

They seemed like a Yao Venerable with the makings of a grandmaster. Maybe learning from them wouldn't be so bad.

└HumansSuck: I've never heard of anything like that. Why make talismans in the first place? The deeper you get into Talisman Crafting, the more you lose. You should do the basics and quit.

So this was the response I got.

They weren't wrong about talismans, either.

It was more efficient to invest my time in my personal Dharma artifact or something else instead of spending it on talismans.

Ugh. I knew that, but it was still disappointing to get the exact response I'd expected.

└Yao Immortal (178.1): My Dao companion is a master of Talisman Crafting, but even I've never heard of that. Talisman Crafting uses spiritual materials in the first place, so how could it be very effective without painstakingly making something over a long time, like a life-bound Dharma treasure? I don't think it could work.

└Yao Immortal (987.7): I'm a Fourth Realm talisman master, and I want to tell you to wake up from that dream. Is Talisman Crafting some kind of game? Making talismans like that is an insult to the craft.

└Yao Immortal (513.13): That makes no sense. You could get hurt, so maybe don't do it...

Most of them thought it was absurd and advised me not to get too invested in something like Talisman Crafting.

But there was one person.

“I knew you'd believe in me!”

Someone had agreed with me.

└TurtleTurtle: It makes sense in theory. But I can't say for sure whether it will work. There are many paths to the Great Dao. It wouldn't be a bad thing to follow the path you believe in.

└Cloud-Mist Talisman Master: There is nothing impossible on the path to the Great Dao. Nothing is impossible for a talisman master who dares to try.

└Blood Corpse Sect: Rather than that, how about talismans made from human skin? If you're interested, I can teach you.

└Baby Jiaolong: ... Thanks, everyone. That's enough for me.

Gyo Ran immediately took out some spirit talismans.

They were Second Realm Chain-Lightning Talismans she'd made earlier.

She floated three spare Chain-Lightning Talismans into the air, just in case.

Then she gathered them together, drew out her yao qi to fuse them into one, and—Chomp!

She bit them and swallowed.

In an instant, the Chain-Lightning Talismans entered the alchemical furnace within her body.

They entered the Yang Void Staircase nestled within Gyo Ran's body.

‘Accumulate cultivation until it becomes emptiness, return to the source, return once more to the foundation, break through and return again.’

My aptitude for Talisman Crafting is low?

Then I'll refine them in the Yang Void Staircase, where my alchemy aptitude is over 100!

Refine talismans.

That was the shortcut Gyo Ran had thought of,

and it was the Turtle Dao's defiance of Heaven.