Chapter 214

Chapter 214: Top-quality Talisman

Zhou Luo was completely flush with money now; naturally, he intended to purchase the very best.

Upon hearing these words, the shopkeeper was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized a major customer had arrived. He immediately smiled broadly and began his pitch.

"A top-quality spiritual brush made of wolf hair, fifty spiritual stones each. Can be used roughly three hundred times."

"Top-quality first-grade symbol paper, one hundred spiritual stones per stack. A stack contains ten sheets."

"Top-quality first-grade spiritual ink, eighty spiritual stones per box. Can be used approximately fifty times."

Since Zhou Luo had asked for the top tier, the shopkeeper directly introduced the best stock available.

The tools for rune-making comprised the spiritual brush, symbol paper, and spiritual ink.

Of course, these were the basic tools; the materials required varied depending on the effect of the talisman to be drawn.

Take, for example, the magical beast talisman Zhou Luo had once unleashed.

It was actually made by refining and infusing a magical beast skull to grant it that power.

The grade of these tools corresponded to the spiritual symbol master’s level, but it didn’t mean top-quality first-grade symbol paper was exclusively for crafting top-quality first-grade talismans.

When simultaneously crafting two talismans of the same level, the higher the grade of tools used, the greater the success rate.

However, tools of such top quality were also correspondingly expensive.

Generally, no spiritual symbol master would be willing to purchase them unless crafting a top-quality talisman.

The shopkeeper before him probably took Zhou Luo for a foolishly rich sucker, hence presenting only the most premium tools upfront.

Zhou Luo gave them a glance and, without hesitation, bought them all right there.

Such a lavish move genuinely astounded the shopkeeper.

He hurriedly asked warmly, "Honored customer, might you require anything else? Our shop’s goods are absolutely top-notch and affordable."

Zhou Luo browsed around and purchased some more formation materials.

The trip to the Longfeng Mountain range had depleted a significant portion of the formation materials he carried; now was the perfect time to restock.

After finishing all his purchases, Zhou Luo went to another shop and bought the materials required for several top-quality talismans.

Inevitably, he gained some unwanted attention during this process.

In times like these, avoiding prying eyes was truly a difficult feat.

But Zhou Luo paid it no mind. After completing all his purchases, he headed straight, holding his token, towards the Tian Xia Restaurant, a chain operating across various cities.

Spotting the VIP token, the restaurant attendant immediately offered him the highest level of reception.

This sight naturally quashed the schemes of those cultivators covertly watching him.

Upon arriving in his room, Zhou Luo changed back into his previous attire, then walked out and returned to the Zhou Garden.

…

The third floor of the main building.

This area had now entirely become his private domain.

To prevent others from spying, he specifically set up a trapping formation.

Anyone entering would be trapped by the formation and unable to find their way out.

The third level actually had quite a few rooms, including an alchemy room, a training room, and several additional rooms Zhou Luo had added later.

Daily, Zhou Luo would come here to either refine potions or study formations.

Arriving at one particular room, Zhou Luo laid out a full set of rune-making tools on the nanmu wood round table.

He wasn’t creating talismans to earn money.

After all, the Lifespan Pill alone had already earned him immense wealth, and he would continue to rely on potions for income in the future.

As for rune-making, he intended to keep it hidden in the shadows like his formation crafting, treating it as one of his trump cards.

Therefore, if he was going to create talismans, he would create advanced ones.

Zhou Luo contemplated this while grinding spiritual ink.

Drawing spiritual symbols was actually quite similar to painting with a brush, except for the infusion of spiritual energy, making it extraordinary.

To craft top-quality talismans, Zhou Luo selected only the finest rune-making tools.

Once the ink was prepared, he unrolled the sheet of top-quality symbol paper.

The golden symbol paper shone brilliantly, and traces of flowing spiritual energy could be felt upon its surface.

This was what set top-quality symbol paper apart.

He picked up the wolf-hair spiritual brush, took a deep breath to calm his mind, and began attempting rune-making.

For a beginner, crafting talismans, like potion refining, wasn’t simply about randomly drawing with a brush.

It required a series of preparatory steps: bathing, changing clothes, calming the mind, regulating breath, and so on.

However, Zhou Luo didn’t need to do these.

Thanks to the system’s enhancement, these small techniques had already become his muscle memory; he didn’t need to consciously push his body to peak condition.

The more advanced the spiritual symbol master, the less preparation was needed.

For instance, Second Level spiritual symbols could be drawn at any time. An even higher-level Third Level spiritual symbol master could draw talismans with just their mental strength, without needing tools like spiritual brushes or ink.

At Fourth Level and beyond, one could even forgo symbol paper entirely, completing talismans with a single thought.

Zhou Luo lightly dipped the tip of the spiritual brush into the ink.

Then, spiritual energy surged within his body. He channeled it into his palm, flowing through the brush toward the tip, causing it to emit a faint glow.

Similar to potion refining, rune-making consumed both mental strength and spiritual energy.

Given Zhou Luo’s current cultivation at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, he could roughly draw two top-quality talismans in one go.

It couldn’t be helped; top-quality talismans required significant expenditure. Upper-grade ones might have allowed him to draw over ten.

Holding his breath and focusing, Zhou Luo brought the brush down. The faint glow flowed over the golden symbol paper under his control, like a swordsman’s effortless flourish, graceful and elegant.

At the start, it was smooth, accomplished in a single breath without the slightest hesitation.

But the further he went, the more difficult it became.

The process of crafting a spiritual symbol was straightforward: after preparation, sketch the structure that channels its function, then add the necessary material.

Though simple, it didn’t mean one could draw carelessly.

Especially since this was a top-quality talisman.

Zhou Luo’s steady hand paused above the symbol paper, his eyes fixed on the pattern one-third complete, flickering with a bright glimmer of light.

The pattern represented the talisman’s operational structure, similar to a formation diagram.

It required the spiritual symbol master to infuse vast amounts of spiritual energy while consuming mental strength.

Hoo——

Zhou Luo exhaled a heavy breath. The spiritual light in his palm intensified as more vigorous spiritual energy poured into the spiritual brush.

The wolf-hair spiritual brush also radiated a strong luminance.

Streams of spiritual energy flowed from the brush tip into the symbol paper, allowing him to continue drawing.

Drawing a single top-quality talisman was extremely labor-intensive. Even a master spiritual symbol master couldn’t guarantee a 100% success rate.

Therefore, top-quality talismans had always been exceptionally rare treasures in the market, objects countless people sought in vain.

Half an hour later, a layer of radiance surfaced on the golden symbol paper.

Within the radiance, mighty spiritual energy surged, ripples of power expanding outward.

Zhou Luo immediately fetched the required material – a top-quality material called "Xuan Huang".

He used his mental strength to draw out the energy it contained, channeling it into the golden symbol paper.

This Xuan Huang held a vast amount of earth-attribute elements and was a crucial component for crafting the Xuan Tu Symbol.

Originally, Master Lin Zhi Shou had gifted him such a talisman. He had used it during his battle against Liu Fu Chen in the Longfeng Mountain range.

He had noticed back then that the defensive power of this top-quality talisman was quite impressive.

Moreover, he happened to possess this material now, so he planned to refine a few more for defense.

Materials for rune-making differed from those needed for the other three main crafts. Often, only one material was required.

However, the higher the level of the spiritual symbol, the more rare, precious, and peculiar its required material became.

Take the "Cold Ice Spear" for example. Though it was a treasure, it was essentially a spiritual symbol, only using a magical artifact as its material.

As the power of "Xuan Huang" infused into the symbol paper, the faint radiance intensified dramatically, accompanied by the howling sound of surging spiritual energy.

This process likewise demanded his utmost concentration.

He needed to maintain absolute focus to perfectly imprint the material’s power onto the symbol paper.

Before long, the radiance gradually faded and dissipated. The ink on the symbol paper solidified.

A top-quality talisman fully inscribed with an intricate pattern appeared before his eyes.

One top-quality talisman, the Xuan Tu Symbol – completed!