Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Studying Talisman Techniques

Perhaps due to being a stone, when Chen Yang drew talismans, he didn’t even need to use the concentration technique; with just a little seriousness, he could focus entirely on the talisman drawing.

He wasn’t aiming too high, so he started with the most commonly used basic five-element talismans, selecting the fire talisman that the Yang Family utilized the most.

He picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and began to sketch.

As the brush tip danced lightly, half an hour later, a pattern resembling flames sprang to life on the talisman paper.

The drawing process was complete, and now it was time for crafting.

This required a high sensitivity and control over spiritual power, as excessive force could easily tear the talisman paper.

Fortunately, these were precisely the areas where Chen Yang excelled.

Since Chen Yang aimed for the highest quality in talismans, the crafting process took a bit of effort.

About four hours later, a bright red talisman soared with the wind and landed in Old Yu’s hand.

The three children looked over, expressing their amazement.

Old Yu rubbed the fire talisman between his fingers, still feeling that this was truly unbelievable, as if he were dreaming.

It wasn’t until he activated the talisman that the burning heat snapped him back to reality.

As the flames ignited, Yang Lingqing and the others felt a chill in their hearts and stepped back a few paces.

"It’s actually a superior-quality talisman! Impressive! Truly impressive!"

Feeling the power of the fire talisman, Old Yu’s heart trembled once again.

Due to varying skill levels among crafters, talismans, elixirs, and many comprehensive products all have varying quality levels.

This five-element fire talisman is a mid-stage Gathering Qi talisman; the qualities are classified into three levels: common, superior, and excellent, corresponding to the fourth, fifth, and sixth realms of Gathering Qi.

The fire talismans currently in the Yang Family’s possession are all inferior quality, with power only equivalent to the fourth level of Gathering Qi.

Yet, Chen Yang, crafting a talisman for the first time, had already reached a superior-quality level! Its power was equivalent to the fifth level of Gathering Qi! How could anyone remain calm?

Such skill truly befits the title of Immortal Master!

"Hmm, this power looks decent but could still use some improvement."

Looking at the successfully activated talisman, Chen Yang seemed somewhat dissatisfied.

The earlier incident where Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi were ambushed had been weighing on his mind.

From the outcome, he could see that his preparations had worked, allowing Yang Lingrui to resist the bell’s mental attack.

However, Chen Yang felt that it was more of a lucky coincidence rather than a reliable success.

If Zheng Huaming had obtained a powerful spiritual treasure that day, Yang Lingrui’s situation could have been perilous.

This realization made Chen Yang aware of his shortcomings; he couldn’t provide protective items for the Yang Family cultivators beyond his immediate awareness.

But now, with this Talisman Inheritance, the situation could change.

Since he had nothing particular to do besides practicing Gathering Qi every day, he might as well study this talisman technique.

This way, whenever the Yang Family sent cultivators out again, they would have more means of self-defense.

A superior-quality talisman for mid-stage Gathering Qi wasn’t enough; he needed to produce a superior-quality one to take along.

Moreover, there were even higher-level late-stage Gathering Qi and perfected talismans; these could truly be considered hidden cards.

He then conveyed through Thought Transmission to Old Yu, informing him that from now on, he would take charge of talisman crafting.

If any of the Yang Family descendants displayed talent for crafting talismans, they could be brought to this place, where he would teach them the way.

"Today, witnessing the Immortal Master’s miraculous powers and extraordinary wonders, I am deeply shocked!"

Old Yu bowed and said, "Following the Immortal Master’s decree, the Yang Family has received the Immortal Master’s favor, which is indeed a blessing for us!"

Having learned a new skill, Chen Yang felt a long-lost excitement; while gathering spiritual energy for the three, he picked up a second sheet of talisman paper to draw.

Yang Linghu and Yang Lingrui sat cross-legged on the cushions, trying to enter a meditative state, but they couldn’t help but peek at Chen Yang drawing talismans.

It wasn’t until they were hit hard on the forehead by two mud balls that they refocused their attention and began to truly meditate.

Chen Yang chose to continue drawing the fire talisman. The drawing process went smoothly, but at the end of the crafting process, his spiritual power pierced through the talisman paper, signaling a failure.

His pursuit of perfection led him to want to craft a superior-quality fire talisman, but due to his lack of skill, he faced a lost effort.

"I was a bit too hasty; it seems I need more patience in studying this technique."

In the following days, Chen Yang dedicated himself to studying this Talisman Inheritance.

After half a month, he finally succeeded in crafting his first superior-quality fire talisman.

Another two months passed, and Chen Yang had mastered the remaining four types of five-element talismans, ensuring that each crafting attempt resulted in a superior-quality product. However, achieving a superior quality remained difficult, with a success rate of around twenty percent.

Thus, eight talismans remained in the inheritance.

For early-stage Gathering Qi, there were the tranquility talisman and the evil-repelling talisman.

For mid-stage Gathering Qi, there were the spiritual shield talisman and the divine movement talisman.

For late-stage Gathering Qi, there were the diamond talisman and the mountain-opening talisman.

For perfected Gathering Qi, there were the thunder talisman and the spiritual concealment talisman.

The two early-stage talismans were not difficult to craft; the tranquility talisman could assist cultivators in calming their minds, and the evil-repelling talisman could suppress evil entities.

Chen Yang could already achieve superior quality after half a month of contemplation.

However, these two talismans were relatively low level and not very effective, currently only useful for Zhao Qi and Liang Yi in the Yang Family, thus having low value.

The spiritual shield talisman and divine movement talisman were easily understood by their names, and their crafting difficulty was similar to that of the basic five-element talismans.

Chen Yang spent more than a month mastering the superior-quality crafting methods for these.

Then came the real main event.

The talismans for late-stage Gathering Qi and perfected Gathering Qi were Chen Yang’s true goals!

At his current late-stage Gathering Qi realm, crafting talismans of the same realm should not be a problem.

Chen Yang first chose the diamond talisman to craft.

This talisman was essentially an upgraded version of the spiritual shield talisman.

While the spiritual shield talisman could only block physical attacks, the diamond talisman could also defend against mental attacks, and its defensive abilities were among the best of its level.

"Then let’s get started; it probably won’t be easy," Chen Yang thought.

As expected, just as he had imagined, he faced multiple failures during the drawing phase.

This was something he hadn’t encountered during previous drawing attempts.

The drawing of the diamond talisman required not only precision but also strict adherence to specific tracks; a slight mistake could lead to failure.

Chen Yang remained calm; indeed, having a challenge made the task all the more interesting.

Three months swiftly passed, and after ruining over twenty sheets of talisman paper, Chen Yang finally succeeded in crafting his first diamond talisman one night.

Although it was only of inferior quality, it marked a breakthrough from zero to one, and he could now slowly improve.

"Finally, it worked; the difficulty was quite significant."

The inferior-quality diamond talisman could briefly withstand attacks from a seventh-level Gathering Qi cultivator, making it an absolute life-saving card for the current Yang Family cultivators.

Having acquired a hidden card, he should also have a means of offense.

Chen Yang then began tackling the mountain-opening talisman.

This talisman could unleash a razor-sharp cutting technique, fast and powerful, making it a suitable attack method to keep in reserve.

With his experience in crafting the diamond talisman, Chen Yang managed to create an inferior-quality mountain-opening talisman in just two months.

When he succeeded in crafting it, he let out a long sigh of relief, realizing he had conquered these two talismans.

Having received his Thought Transmission, Old Yu and the others quickly arrived at the ancestral hall.

When the two talismans floated into Old Yu’s hands, his hands trembled with excitement, unable to contain himself.

At this moment, any words of gratitude felt too shallow; he called Yang Lingqing to his side.

“Lingqing, how is the matter of the sacrificial offering going?” Old Yu asked.

Yang Lingqing replied, “Everything has been arranged. Following Elder’s instructions before he left, this will be a family-wide Grand Ceremony, with incense offered at the foot of the mountain and a blood sacrifice to the spirits on the mountain, scheduled for ten days later.”