Chapter 85: First-Grade High-Rank Talisman Master
The next morning.
Having learned from his previous experience, Ji Yuan set off at the break of dawn.
Unexpectedly, upon arriving at Twin Swallow Island, he discovered that he was still the last to arrive.
Twin Swallow Island was a deserted island, seldom visited.
Moreover, Luo Tian and Yao Jingfeng hadn't concealed their auras.
Not only did passing fishermen avoid the area, but even birds and fish dared not approach.
Since Du Wanyi had chosen this location for their meeting instead of a market town, it suggested that the matter at hand was indeed significant.
“Big Brother, Second Sister, Third Brother, why are you all so early?”
As Ji Yuan landed, the Thunder Gathering Boat beneath his feet shrank and flew into his storage pouch.
“The sky hasn't even fully brightened yet.”
Yao Jingfeng smiled and looked Ji Yuan up and down. “Never mind why we're early. Fourth Brother, shouldn't you explain yourself first?”
“Explain? Explain what?”
As soon as Ji Yuan spoke, Du Wanyi, arms crossed, turned her face away and snorted coldly.
“Second Sister said you were too wicked and dishonest—very dishonest.”
Yao Jingfeng hinted, “Fourth Brother, you didn't bully Second Sister, did you?”
At this, Luo Tian chimed in, “I actually think Second Sister and Fourth Brother are quite a match—talented man and beautiful woman—”
Seeing the conversation veering off course, Ji Yuan had to clarify, “Because Second Sister was teasing me, I said I had good news to share with you all.”
“What good news?”
“It's related to Foundation Establishment, but I didn't elaborate, just left her hanging.”
Ji Yuan spread his hands and looked around, finding no chairs.
“Hmph, see how wicked he is.”
Though annoyed, Du Wanyi still handed Ji Yuan a chair.
She always seemed to have chairs in her storage pouch, never minding the space they took. So, as long as she was around, one never had to stand.
“Really?!”
Luo Tian and Yao Jingfeng leaned in eagerly.
“Of course it's true.”
Ji Yuan smiled; he wasn't one to lie.
After hearing this, Yao Jingfeng and Luo Tian exchanged glances. “It seems we owe you two a favor.”
“We're all on the same side, Big Brother. No need for such formalities.”
After speaking, Ji Yuan looked at Du Wanyi.
“I'll go first.”
Turning to serious matters, Du Wanyi no longer joked. She said solemnly, “Some time ago, I left Yunyu Marshlands and received news from Qingshan City.”
“Qingshan City? That's quite far, near the Joyous Palace, right?” Yao Jingfeng frowned.
Ji Yuan had studied many geomantic maps and was familiar with the local geography.
The Joyous Palace was southeast of the Water Dragon Sect, and so was Qingshan City. It was at the junction of the two sects, a rather chaotic area.
Qingshan City was a place where cultivators and mortals coexisted.
There were also three Foundation Establishment families in the city.
“Yes.”
Du Wanyi nodded slightly. “In ten days, a Green Jiao Fruit will be up for sale there.”
“Green Jiao Fruit? What's that?” Luo Tian hadn't heard of it.
Yao Jingfeng explained, “It's considered a second-tier earth treasure, found where second-tier demonic beasts like green snake jiaos roam. It can enhance a cultivator's cultivation, but if consumed during Foundation Establishment, it increases the success rate by ten percent.”
“Wow, that's indeed a treasure.”
Luo Tian's eyes showed anticipation.
Yao Jingfeng turned to Du Wanyi, “If the news is out ten days in advance, there must be an auction?”
“Yes, with such a treasure, even if there wasn't an auction planned, one would be organized.”
Du Wanyi nodded. “I wanted to hear your thoughts—should we join the excitement? If we intend to buy it, with our combined strength, we might need to pool our spirit stones to stand a chance.”
“Can't afford it.”
Yao Jingfeng shook his head immediately.
“Items that boost Foundation Establishment success are in high demand. Not just Qi Refining cultivators, even those at Foundation Establishment would buy them for their kin. As scattered cultivators not even at the peak of Qi Refining, we shouldn't get our hopes up.”
“True.”
Doused with cold water, Luo Tian calmed down. “Some old folks who've been at the peak of Qi Refining for decades surely have more spirit stones than us.”
“Big Brother is right.”
After Du Wanyi spoke, all three turned their gaze to Ji Yuan.
“For me, it's simple.”
Ji Yuan maintained his cheerful demeanor. “I've obtained the pill formula for the Foundation Establishment Pill.”
“What?!”
“Goodness.”
Du Wanyi even jumped up from her chair, her movements so abrupt that her chest slightly trembled. “Fourth Brother, you—you—”
“Calm down, calm down. I haven't finished yet.”
Ji Yuan raised his hands to signal them to relax.
“Then speak, Fourth Brother.”
Yao Jingfeng had already started addressing him differently.
After all, the Foundation Establishment Pill formula was an irresistible temptation for any Qi Refining cultivator.
“My pill formula is incomplete, probably only half, but it's enough for us to start preparing.”
As Ji Yuan spoke, he handed over three copies of the formula he had transcribed earlier.
Du Wanyi and the others eagerly took them and began examining them closely.
After a while, they looked up and sighed in relief.
“Truly worthy of being the Foundation Establishment Pill formula,” Yao Jingfeng remarked.
“What, Big Brother, you know alchemy?” Luo Tian rarely joked, teasing Yao Jingfeng.
“Of course. Your big brother knows everything.” Yao Jingfeng looked down at the formula again. “This Thousand-Year Qinghui Grass should be the main ingredient, which we can't consider for now. The remaining Hundred-Year Gentian Grass—we can inquire about that. Three-Flower Jade Dew as well. Demon cores and spiritual springs are more common, so no rush there.”
“Mm!”
Luo Tian and Du Wanyi nodded in agreement.
Previously, without any leads on the Foundation Establishment Pill, there was nothing they could do.
Now that they had a clue, they naturally needed to prepare in advance.
After speaking, Yao Jingfeng cupped his fists toward Ji Yuan. “Fourth Brother, regardless, we truly owe you for this.”
“No worries. Didn't we agree to share blessings and hardships together?”
Ji Yuan smiled, not taking it to heart.
Having the formula with himself or sharing it among the four made little difference.
Moreover, with their help, they could search for the ingredients together.
“Alright, let's split up and see if we can quickly find leads on these herbs.”
Yao Jingfeng suggested.
“Big Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, I'm planning to go to Qingshan City. Though the Green Jiao Fruit is out of reach, I intend to look for information on Three-Flower Jade Dew and Hundred-Year Gentian Grass.”
After Du Wanyi spoke, Yao Jingfeng glanced at Ji Yuan and pondered briefly.
“Alright, I'll accompany Second Sister.”
Ji Yuan had no plans to go out. Nowadays, besides cultivating, he was busy with alchemy and talisman crafting.
Luo Tian naturally understood Yao Jingfeng's thoughts.
“It seems Big Brother has some ideas about making a quick fortune.”
The technique he had learned was indeed a bit shady, but it was practical.
Yao Jingfeng didn’t deny it. He simply spread his hands and said, “Can’t be helped. The path of cultivation is short and bitter. Gotta make a quick fortune where I can.”
“Alright then, you two head to Qingshan City. Fourth Brother and I will stay in the Yunyu Marshlands to gather some information. Remember, be cautious above all else.”
“Mm, even if we go, we won’t be back for at least ten days. Once we have any news, we’ll inform you immediately upon our return.”
“Good.”
After the group discussed their plans, they each went their separate ways.
Ji Yuan also returned to his lakeside cottage.
When he arrived at the door, he habitually glanced at the side of the doorway—no shell.
Which meant Qiu Qianhai had not returned.
Was he planning to break through to the late stage of Qi Refinement?
Maybe he intended to return after his breakthrough?
Ji Yuan let his thoughts wander for a while, but once he stepped back inside, the effect of the [Cave Dwelling] activated, and he gradually calmed down.
During the day, Ji Yuan usually spent his time drawing talismans, and only cultivated at night.
Now, besides drawing talismans, he had another task—pill refining.
But it wasn’t too bad.
When it came to pill refining, during the downtime while waiting for the medicinal ingredients to be processed and the cauldron to be heated, he could squeeze in time to draw talismans.
However, since he had been out for half the day today, and there weren’t many herbs left, he decided to take the opportunity to try drawing a top-grade talisman again.
Top-grade talismans were still beyond his current level, so the [Talisman Room] effect wouldn’t activate. He had to rely on the [Comprehension Room] instead.
After all, even a Level 1 [Comprehension Room] offered a 10% boost in comprehension.
The top-grade beginner talisman Ji Yuan chose was called the “Water Explosion Talisman.” It was relatively simple, with an effect similar to the Water Ball Technique, except much more powerful.
After switching the [Talisman Room] plaque to [Comprehension Room], Ji Yuan automatically calmed his mind and focused.
As usual, he took out his mid-grade talisman brush—the Red-Grain Flowing Sand Brush.
He had also upgraded his talisman ink to the mid-grade Pine Soot Flowing Gold Ink, which was quite expensive—one spirit stone could only buy a tenth of an ounce.
Naturally, the talisman paper he used was the top-quality Sharkskin Paper.
Once everything was ready, he began the attempt again.
As always, he started with the talisman head, setting the Spiritual Pivot.
Once the Spiritual Pivot was stabilized, he moved on to the talisman body.
Compared to mid-grade talismans, the body of a top-grade talisman was far more complex.
With so many runes to draw, but the talisman paper being the same size, it made things much more difficult.
Ji Yuan held his breath and focused, carefully outlining the strokes.
After successfully completing one part, he proceeded to draw the corner locks—the spiritual locking patterns.
This step was crucial to prevent spiritual energy from leaking out.
If done improperly, even the best talisman would degrade over time and eventually turn into nothing more than scrap paper.
After a while, Ji Yuan cautiously finished outlining the talisman corners.
He then moved on to the most critical step—Spiritual Activation.
For lower-grade talismans, the runes were simple, so activation was relatively easy.
But that wasn’t the case with top-grade talismans.
With so many runes on the talisman paper, each had to be evenly infused with spiritual energy.
So Ji Yuan had invested heavily, spending a full 50 spirit stones to purchase a Talisman Board.
As long as he placed the talisman paper on the board and infused spiritual energy into the board itself, the paper would then be evenly nourished with spiritual energy.
Previously, Ji Yuan had always failed at the talisman corner step.
So now that he had succeeded with the corners, he knew there shouldn’t be any more problems.
Sure enough, when he saw the talisman paper on the board glow with a water-blue light,
Ji Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.
The Water Explosion Talisman—success!
Though he had only learned one top-grade talisman for now, it was still a top-grade one, wasn’t it?
From today on, he could be considered a top-grade Tier 1 Talisman Master. Having achieved a breakthrough, Ji Yuan was in a great mood.
The next day, he began contemplating the Water Escape Talisman.
The Water Explosion Talisman wasn’t all that practical, but the Water Escape Talisman was.
But just that day at noon, Lin Hu, who had gone to Zengtou Market to buy spirit rice, brought something back for Ji Yuan—
A letter from Lu Suo.