Chapter 138 The Way of Making Talismans
Han Li walked back to his room with joy, clutching the wooden box containing the "Golden Bamboo Pen.
" He had exchanged three bottles of "Yellow Dragon Pills" and four bottles of "Golden Marrow Pills" from the girl for this treasure and the bag of Seven Star Grass seeds.
Afterwards, he casually bought some cinnabar from other stalls and hurried back, eager to begin his talisman-making endeavor.
Entering the small building by breaking the prohibition, Han Li saw the little monk still meditating. He didn't want to disturb him, so he went upstairs and returned to his room.
After arranging the talisman paper and cinnabar on the table, Han Li took out the Golden Bamboo Pen and began to immerse himself in the creation of the "Mind-calming Talisman."
Following the method of talisman-making as described in the Mind-calming Art, Han Li infused his spiritual power through the pen's handle held in his right hand, then lightly dipped the pen tip in some cinnabar and began drawing the talisman on a piece of paper.
After a quarter of an hour, Han Li stood up with a pleased expression, stretching his slightly sore waist. He looked at the shimmering talisman on the table with delight.
From the appearance, this talisman was identical to the one used by Inkmaster, although the spiritual energy contained within was slightly weaker. Nevertheless, it was much stronger than the inferior products Han Li had made in his previous practice sessions, which lacked any spiritual power.
Excitedly examining the newly made talisman, Han Li prepared to try the Mind-calming Art. However, before he could cast the spell, the spiritual power on the talisman suddenly became chaotic, showing signs of erupting.
Startled, Han Li hastily threw the talisman away.
With a "puff," the Mind-calming Talisman inexplicably ignited in mid-air, turning into a fireball and burning to ashes.
Han Li stared blankly at the empty space, speechless. After a while, he sighed, realizing that the talisman had failed.
Feeling somewhat discouraged, but not losing confidence, Han Li believed that the talisman he had just made was very close to success. He was confident that with a little more effort, he would definitely succeed next time.
For the rest of the day, Han Li made one Mind-calming Talisman after another, but each one failed continuously.
Some of the talismans he made either burned on their own or exploded suddenly, while others lost their spiritual power as soon as they were drawn, becoming useless scraps of paper.
When Han Li looked at the last talisman he had just completed, which exploded into smithereens with a "pop," he, who had always been calm, couldn't help but look up at the ceiling and curse:
"Damn heavens, are you mocking me? Twelve talismans in a row, and I couldn't succeed once! This is just a basic Mind-calming Talisman of the lower rank! Could it be that today is not the right day?"
After saying this, Han Li felt a lot better, and his mood improved slightly.
After thinking for a moment, Han Li glanced at the table with only half of the cinnabar left and the Golden Bamboo Pen.
He felt that the problem did not lie with these things.
Because he had smoothly infused his spiritual power into the pen handle, and the cinnabar became spiritually energetic when painted on the talisman paper, unlike fake products.
Unable to think of a reason for a while, Han Li decided to ask the little monk to see if he could enlighten him.
At this moment, Han Li realized that having someone like a senior to guide him on the path of cultivation was really important, and he began to think about apprenticing himself to a master.
After listening to Han Li's complaint about the failure of making talismans, the little monk stared at him with a strange look, as if a beautiful white flower suddenly bloomed on Han Li's face.
Seeing the monk's expression, Han Li felt a little uneasy, not knowing what he had said wrong to make the other person stare at him like that.
"Master Han seems to know very little about talisman-making, am I right?" The little monk finally spoke.
"Master Kusang is right. I'm making talismans for the first time," Han Li admitted honestly.
"Actually, among us cultivators, there are not many people who make talismans themselves. Any needed talismans are generally purchased from various trading markets. Even those from prominent families are the same."
"Why?" Han Li was surprised.
"It's simple. Experienced professional talisman makers are too few, and the cost of training a qualified talisman maker is too high. Only those major sects of cultivation have the strength to train them."
The monk smiled and explained, "Master Han probably feels very frustrated after failing more than a dozen times in a row, right?"
"Yes, just the cost of materials alone could buy me several ready-made Mind-calming Talismans!" Han Li lamented.
"But, Master, do you know? For beginners who want to learn talisman-making, it's normal to fail hundreds of times in a row.
If they have poor aptitude, it's not surprising to fail hundreds of times continuously!
Only after making thousands of talismans can the success rate gradually increase, and this is only for the production of the same kind of talisman.
If you switch to another type of talisman, although you can't say you're still a beginner, the initial failure rate is still astonishingly high, which is amazing.
So, a qualified talisman maker must have practiced tens of thousands of times.
But how many people can bear such material losses?
Not to mention cultivation families, even those trained by major cultivation sects can only achieve some success in basic talisman-making.
If they were asked to practice making intermediate-grade talismans, I'm afraid those major sects would also be bankrupt and unable to afford it
. After all, the higher the grade of the talisman, the more expensive the materials used."
The monk's words left Han Li dumbfounded.
"Then why are there still people selling cinnabar and talisman paper at stalls?" Han Li thought for a moment, feeling that something was amiss.
"Hehe! Those cinnabar and talisman paper are sold to practitioners of talisman arts." The little monk smiled and said.
"Talisman arts?" Han Li was puzzled.
"It's the same as the Mind-calming Art you practice.
It requires the use of pre-drawn talismans to be effective!
It's different from those who store spells in talisman paper with the intention of making them convenient for others to use.
The talismans used in talisman arts cannot be simply activated by spiritual power alone.
They also require a certain incantation to be cast, but they are generally not complicated and are easy to learn. "
"Because practitioners of talisman arts often use the same kind of talisman, they feel that it's not cost-effective to buy them.
So, like Master Han, they practice making talismans themselves.
Although the variety is relatively simple, the cost is affordable.
So, if Master Han really wants to learn the Mind-calming Art, it's best to make talismans yourself for the long term.
But if you don't use this art often, it's better to spend a little money and buy a few Mind-calming Talismans as backup.
" The little monk explained meticulously, and finally gave Han Li some advice.
"Thank you, Master Kusang, for your guidance!" Han Li sincerely bowed.
"Master Han is too polite!" The monk quickly returned the gesture.
"This little monk is quite easy to talk to. If there are any more difficulties in the future, I might as well continue to seek his advice." Han Li thought to himself on the way back to his room.
It's impossible to specialize in practicing talisman-making now!
It's better to buy a few Mind-calming Talismans as backup!
However, the Longevity Art in my body has already reached the peak of the eighth layer, and now that I've obtained the heart techniques of the later layers, it seems that it's time to break through the bottleneck and enter the ninth layer.
In addition, I need to practice the new spells I've acquired and master them as soon as possible to increase my strength. "
As soon as Han Li pushed open the door of his room, he had already planned for the future in his mind.
In the days to come, Han Li spent the day in his room, devouring medicine in large quantities, meditating, refining qi, and practicing the Longevity Art. At night, he went to uninhabited places in the valley to practice the several new spells he had learned.
These included the "Quick Sand Technique," "Freezing Technique," "Levitation Technique," "Binding Technique," "Voice Transmission Technique," "Concealment Technique," "Spark Technique," and the most difficult to practice, the "Earth Spike Technique."
After more than ten days of arduous practice, Han Li finally broke through to the ninth layer of the Longevity Art in the last few days before the Tai Southern Assembly, astonishing Wu Jiuzhi and the others, and the Green Stripe Daoist even repeatedly praised Han Li as a genius among the casual cultivators!
However, Han Li knew in his heart that without the ten or so bottles of elixirs he had consumed, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to break through! However, considering that he didn't have many elixirs left, it seemed that he should prepare some more!