“These… These are ordinary rank two talisman paper…” Shang Quan frowned after grabbing the stack of it from Shang Xia.
A bitter smile formed on Shang Xia’s face. “Uncle Quan, I didn’t know previously that talisman paper was so expensive! I used the high grade ones you provided, but today I learned that even the ordinary ones cost ten silver essence each!”
Shang Quan chuckled in amusement. “Now that you’re trying to advance to a rank two talisman master, you have to try your best in order to create the runes of a rank two talisman. You can keep the ordinary talisman paper for when you actually advance. For now, use the ones I gave you. Our Shang Clan is more than capable of supporting the growth of a rank two talisman master.”
Shang Xia thought about it for a second and shook his head. “It’s alright! Now that I know how expensive they are, it’s better for me to use the ordinary talisman paper I traded with the institution.”
“Sure. Do whatever you like. You managed to create a rank one talisman before, and learning how to make a rank two talisman is a matter of time and practice.” Shang Quan laughed.
“Well… I still need rank two talisman ink in order to create rank two talismans…” Shang Xia pressed his lips together and said sheepishly.
Shang Quan smiled. “That’s easy. You might not know, but I’m capable of creating rank two talisman ink myself.”
Shang Xia crushed up the ordinary talisman paper after his failed attempt at creating a rank two talisman and he tossed it into a specialized waste paper basket beside him.
Looking at the basket, there were more than ten balls of failed crushed talismans contained in them.
Thinking about the cost of each raw material contained within the basket, it would far surpass the amount required to create a medicine for a cultivator at the Martial Realm to advance into the Martial Extremity Realm!
If Shang Xia included the time, effort, and inner qi he drew upon during his attempts, the cost was extraordinarily large!
“You won’t know how expensive it is until you pay for it yourself… In the past, I used the ingredients without worry as Uncle Quan provided them all. He never brought up how much it cost, and I used as many resources as I wanted without a care in the world…” Shang Xia sighed as he gathered up his lost inner qi in his previous attempt. “I was so happy when I created the Stimulation Talisman previously, thinking that I was close to reaching a rank two talisman master… From the looks of it, I’m nowhere near! The difference between a rank one talisman master and a rank two talisman master is truly huge…”
After so many attempts at creating a rank two talisman master, Shang Xia gained a better understanding of his own abilities.
He might have failed more than a dozen times recently, but his confidence didn’t wane in the slightest. Instead, he could feel that he was getting closer to becoming a rank two talisman master.
With the recovery of his inner qi, his mind moved a lot more quickly.
Taking out another piece of talisman paper, Shang Xia’s Thorny Brush was dipped into the ink provided by Shang Quan. The ink was made from a rank two material called the Blood Pine, and it was a great material to craft rank two talismans.
The moment his brush touched the paper, Shang Xia’s mental state reached its peak. He felt a wondrous rush of adrenalin and a thought formed in his mind. “This is the time to succeed.”
Suppressing the thought, Shang Xia’s mind focused completely on the talisman paper before him. The only thing in his mind was the brush and rank two talisman paper.
The Thorny Brush flowed like water, and several complete runes were formed.
Even though the brush was still dancing about the piece of talisman paper, the complete talisman had already appeared in Shang Xia’s mind.
He didn’t know what state he was in, but his soul seemed to have escaped his body. He watched on as the runes appeared on the paper one by one.
With the final stroke, the ink on the Thorny Brush was used up and a complete rank two talisman was formed!
On the table before him laid a Piercing Golden Sword Talisman
Also known as the Golden Sword Talisman, a golden ray of sword qi would appear when it was used. The offensive ability was pretty strong, and it was a fairly common talisman of the second rank. It contained the qi of softness and strength, something Shang Xia was familiar with.
As there were countless types of talismans, one wouldn’t be able to learn all the different types of rank two talismans even if they were rank two talisman masters.
Moreover, talismans masters might not be able to craft talismans that required different types of qi. The type they could create was greatly impacted by the type of qi they trained in.
The Golden Sword Talisman might be difficult for other rank two talisman masters to create, but Shang Xia created it in order to step through the ranks.
“With my Yin Yang Essence Qi as the foundation, I should be able to create any type of talisman. However, it would take too long to learn all the different types of talismans. It won’t be possible for me to learn how to make them all.”
“Whatever the case, the number of talismans I can craft will be much more than an ordinary rank two talisman master!”
“With the large number of talismans I can craft, I should be able to quickly make a ton of money to purchase other ingredients. The speed of my mastery should be much quicker than usual too! This way, my cultivation speed won’t be affected much even when practicing the art of talisman refining!” Shang Xia smiled.
Taking advantage of the fact that the remnant qi after creating the talisman, Shang Xia familiarized himself with the feeling of creating the talisman.
Pulling out another talisman paper beside him, he realized that he only had seven pieces left! Even the ink given to him by Shang Quan was depleted by half!
Shang Xia couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed as though he would have to go bother his Uncle Quan yet again.
A basic rank two Golden Sword Talisman could be sold for thirty silver essence, and Shang Xia hoped that he would be able to create a few more of them in order to make back whatever he spent.
Of course, he was thinking too highly of himself. After becoming a rank two talisman master, Shang Xia was too excited to think straight.
The moment he started creating his second Golden Sword Talisman, the runes shattered due to the uneven fluctuations in qi. A shockwave emerged from the talisman paper, blowing it to bits.
Luckily for him, he quickly raised his pen and protected the tip of the Thorny Brush with his inner qi. Otherwise, the tip might be completely damaged from the impact.
His next attempt wasn’t too successful either. Because of a moment of folly at the end, the runes shattered and the materials were wasted.
After failing twice, Shang Xia was no fool. He tried again, and this time, he didn’t make the same mistake as before. Even though it wasn’t as successful as the time he finished the talisman in one smooth motion, he managed to create his second completed Golden Sword Talisman after taking a short break.
When he was done, Shang Xia took a short rest to recover his inner qi before taking out another piece of talisman paper.
Failing two more times, he eventually managed to create another Golden Sword Talisman on his third try.
Since he had one last talisman paper, Shang Xia decided to use it to make his final Golden Sword Talisman of the day.
With his mind much more at ease, a flash of inspiration crossed his mind. He no longer focused on creating the talisman with one type of qi at a time. Transforming his Yin Yang Essence Qi to possess both softness and strength attributes, he made his final attempt with his last talisman paper.
Even though he failed, a trace of excitement filled his heart.
He could tell that his actions were on the right path. It was possible to create the talisman that way.
The reason he failed was because it was the first time he tried anything like it. He wasn’t able to perfectly control the two types of qi.
The moment he created the Golden Sword Talisman with the fusion qi, the power contained in the strike released would be a lot stronger than ordinary Golden Sword Talismans. No one other than him would be able to create the strengthened version of the Golden Sword Talisman!