Chapter Eighty-Five: Sixth Level of Qi Refinement (1/5)

As for whether it would ever be useful, even he was not entirely certain.

After leaving himself a way out, He Song spent the days that followed doing little besides his daily cultivation and studying the beginner’s manual of talisman making.

It had to be said that, because he had already mastered the beginner’s manual of formations, his grasp of talisman studies advanced at remarkable speed as well.

By his own estimate, it would take him only about a year to understand the beginner’s manual of talisman making completely.

When that time came, he would begin practical work.

If he then devoted another year to actually crafting talismans, he ought to be able to use talisman making to earn spirit stones.

He would start with low-grade earth talismans, then low-grade golden-light talismans, then low-grade movement talismans.

Once his success rate with low-grade talismans reached a certain level, he would then try to draw mid-grade talismans.

The beginner’s manual of talisman making was somewhat different from the beginner’s manual of formations.

Although the beginner’s manual of talisman making contained only three talisman-crafting methods, each of those three talismans was divided into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade versions, corresponding respectively to the early, middle, and late stages of Qi Refinement.

In other words, by purchasing the beginner’s manual of talisman making, one could learn how to make low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade versions of these three talismans.

Compared with the beginner’s manual of formations, which recorded only three formations in total, the beginner’s manual of talisman making was clearly a better bargain.

Still, that was likely because talismans were consumables.

Moreover, formation mastery required innate talent in formations; without such talent, even after decades of study, one might still fail to enter the door at all.

Different difficulty, different returns.

Naturally, then, the beginner’s manual of talisman making and the beginner’s manual of formations were bound to differ as well.

He Song possessed talent for formations, which was why he had been able to study for three years, enter the path, and even set up the Spirit Gathering Formation.

Without that talent, he might have wasted decades without ever managing to arrange even the simplest Spirit Gathering Formation.

Talisman making was different.

Even an ordinary cultivator, after long years of practice, could become proficient at drawing talismans, and their success rate would not be too low.

If luck favored them, they might even earn vast quantities of spirit stones from it.

Given the balance of advantages and disadvantages, the overwhelming majority of cultivators who wished to learn a trade flocked to talisman making.

This, in turn, had driven talisman prices into fierce competition and relentless undercutting.

By contrast, formation arts and the rest of the myriad cultivation skills were studied by very few.

Aside from talisman making, the other cultivation arts either demanded spirit stones to nourish them, extraordinary natural talent, or years upon years of dedication. In a cultivation world that revered strength above all, it was only natural that most people disliked them.

Great powers would certainly have people learning all sorts of cultivation arts.

But for rogue cultivators, the chance and the time to learn such things were pitifully scarce.

No one wanted to waste the time meant for cultivation in exchange for some illusory possibility.

Time was the true executioner of all things.

The cultivation world always ranked people by their cultivation level. On one side stood talisman making, a craft anyone could begin to learn, as common as household necessities, and one that could provide a livelihood soon after mastery.

On the other side stood formations, where most people lacked talent, where decades might be spent in vain, and where one’s cultivation progress could even be delayed.

For a rogue cultivator with no time, no resources, and no strength, the answer to that choice was self-evident.

Even if they knew full well that success could change their fate, the long period at the beginning, when no returns could be seen and time and cultivation were steadily being lost, was enough to make them stop in their tracks.

It was not as though no rogue cultivators had tried.

But the vast majority had fallen during that long period of investment.

As for those few who had gotten outrageously lucky, possessed formation talent, successfully learned the three foundational formations, and then began opening up their own spiritual fields, He Song had never seen any of them, nor did he know what became of them.

Thus, a year passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout that entire year, He Song never heard any concrete movement from the demonic cultivators outside the immortal market.

Even Wei Fan had received no news regarding them.

Whenever the two met at the beginning of each month, He Song would ask.

But Wei Fan would only shake his head and say he had heard nothing either.

Seeing this, the faint unease in He Song’s heart gradually grew heavy.

No news.

That was the biggest news of all.

Perhaps he should leave the immortal market and hide among the mortals for a while?

Such a thought had once flashed through He Song’s mind, only to be quickly rejected by himself.

No.

He was still far from ready. He had not even learned all the spells of the Qi Refinement stage, had not yet purchased a large stock of talismans for protection, and had no magical tools to save his life.

If he left the immortal market like this, his safety might well be worse than if he simply stayed there.

Rather than leaving now, he might as well wait until his spirit rice matured, sell it a few times, strengthen his reserves of spirit stones, and greatly improve his own combat power before making any decision.

At least then, if he traveled outside, he would not need to fear losing his life to demonic cultivators.

That was what He Song had thought then.

And what he had done as well.

Now, a year had passed. He Song opened his eyes, and a wave of spiritual pressure suddenly erupted from his body.

“Qi Refinement, sixth level! Good, good!”

Feeling the surge of spiritual power within him, He Song’s face flickered briefly with delight.

A year ago, when he had set up the Five Elements Formation, he had already vaguely sensed that he would break through to the sixth level of Qi Refinement within a year.

Unexpectedly, only now, after a full year had passed, had he finally made the breakthrough.

Though it was a little later than he had expected, a breakthrough was still a good thing.

A sixth-level Qi Refinement cultivation base could already be called middle-tier in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Once he could break through the bottleneck and enter the seventh level of Qi Refinement, he would instantly step into the ranks of the upper tier and stand on equal footing with Wei Fan and the other senior figures of the market.

Thinking that Wei Fan was only at the eighth level of Qi Refinement, while he himself had already reached the sixth, He Song could not help but feel a trace of pride in his eyes.

Choosing formations among the myriad cultivation arts had truly been the right decision.

If not for the enhancement of the Spirit Gathering Formation, his cultivation would have advanced much more slowly.

Perhaps by now, he would have only just managed to break through to the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

Still.

Although he had successfully reached the sixth level, the joy on He Song’s face did not last long.

He was at the sixth level now.

What came next was how to break through to the late stage of Qi Refinement.

If he encountered an insurmountable bottleneck during that breakthrough, then what would he do?

Such a thought flashed through He Song’s mind, and his gaze could not help but drift toward his storage pouch.

Inside it, a hundred spirit stones gleamed brilliantly.

Brushes, ink, and paper for talisman making were neatly arranged within.

“Fortunately, everything is now in place but for the final wind. Once I become a talisman master, even if the bottleneck is severe, with a spiritual field to support me, I will at least have spirit stones to buy a breakthrough pill.”

The End