Chapter 8: Talisman Crafting

Chen Lin was also taken aback by Lu Li’s methods.

Killing at the slightest disagreement—the family disciples truly did not hold rogue cultivators like them in any regard.

However, he naturally had no intention of sticking his neck out, so he huddled in his chair and remained silent.

Seeing that his display of power had the desired effect, Lu Li sneered again. "My things are not something you can just take as you please. Thinking you can get a talisman-making method and a Soul-Splitting Secret Art for nothing? There is no such good fortune in this world."

He scanned the room.

Seeing that no one spoke, he squinted and sneered, "I will only give you two choices now. Either pick up the materials and find a room to make the talismans, or pay fifty medium-grade spirit stones to purchase the method you’ve obtained. If you want to try and leave by force, you’ll have to ask if my flying sword agrees!"

As he spoke, he brandished a small black sword in his hand.

It was this very object that had instantly killed the withered old man just moments ago.

With a clatter, the red-faced man pushed his chair aside, strode forward, grabbed a set of materials, and headed upstairs without looking back.

He appeared to have the fiercest temper, yet he was the first to concede.

But it was a helpless move.

The talisman masters who came here were all rootless rogue cultivators who relied on their craft to scrape by; none of them could afford fifty medium-grade spirit stones.

That was equivalent to five thousand low-grade spirit stones!

And even if they could pay, who knew if Lu Li would keep his word?

With someone taking the lead, the others immediately found their excuse. One by one, they picked up their materials and went upstairs to find rooms to craft the talismans.

Chen Lin also joined the flow of people and collected a set of materials.

When he collected the materials, Lu Li glanced at him, but did not recognize him.

Quietly arriving upstairs, Chen Lin chose an unoccupied room, hung something on the door to indicate it was occupied, went inside, and locked the door securely.

Only then did he let out a soft breath.

The decision to come here seemed a bit reckless; he had underestimated the chaos of this world.

No matter what, he never imagined that Lu Li would kill someone so casually!

After a long while, Chen Lin calmed his nerves and went to the table to open the material package.

He no longer hoped for the reward; he just wanted to leave safely.

However, with so many talisman masters present, the other party couldn't possibly silence them all. Even for a family disciple, the repercussions would be too great.

Killing that old man was merely a show of force to ensure they wouldn't be reluctant to damage their souls and would actually use the Soul-Splitting Secret Art.

After pondering it in his heart and feeling that the likelihood of being silenced was low, Chen Lin closed his eyes and began to recall the method for drawing the Soul-Detention Talisman.

After a long time, he opened his eyes and took out a piece of talisman paper, spreading it flat.

The materials provided by the other party were very complete. Besides the talisman paper, brush, and ink, there was also a stick of calming incense and a Qi-replenishing pill.

They had truly put in the effort.

This further indicated that all of the other party's methods were aimed at obtaining the Soul-Detention Talisman, not at taking their lives.

With his mind settled, Chen Lin prepared to craft the talisman.

Suddenly, Lu Li’s voice rang out from the hallway: "Everyone, I am determined to obtain the Soul-Detention Talisman. To ensure you are not distracted, I have not sent anyone to supervise you, but do not think you can slack off. After the crafting is finished, I have my own ways to detect whether you have used the Soul-Splitting Secret Art. If I find out you haven't, heh heh!"

Chen Lin took a breath, ignored the threat, and picked up the ink bottle to examine it.

According to the jade slip, this ink was synthesized from three substances. He only recognized one, Black Leaf Grass, which was a pricey spiritual herb; he had never heard of the other two.

Lu Li had only obtained the jade slip half a day ago, yet he had managed to gather so many sets of materials. His status and financial resources were evident.

He lit the calming incense, and his thoughts instantly quieted.

Chen Lin picked up the talisman brush, dipped it in the ink, injected his mana into the brush, and began to slowly trace lines onto the talisman paper.

"Puff!"

Just after drawing two talisman patterns, the paper shuddered violently, then erupted into a ball of black light and turned to ash.

This was normal.

After all, it was his first time encountering this type of talisman; it would be strange if he succeeded on the first try.

He cleared away the ashes, took out another piece of paper, and began to draw.

Failure again.

After repeating this several times, wasting several sheets of high-quality paper and consuming a Qi-replenishing pill, he finally managed to advance the pattern halfway.

Chen Lin didn't know how the other talisman masters were faring, but he felt that this was the best he could do.

With his level of skill, if he didn't use his soul as a guide, there was no possibility of completing all the patterns, let alone successfully creating the talisman.

He shook his head and continued to draw.

Soon, it was the tenth attempt, and the familiar scene finally appeared.

Just as the pattern was halfway drawn and the talisman began to tremble, about to be destroyed, an invisible, mysterious force suddenly appeared, wrapped around the paper, and pulled it tight. A complete talisman with faint energy fluctuations appeared on the table!

Every time he saw this, Chen Lin was deeply shocked, but he had no time to study it now.

He packed up the remaining items and put them in his pocket; if he didn't get the spirit stones, these trinkets would serve as his payment.

He then walked to the door and pressed his ear against it to listen for movement.

He decided to wait until everyone else had gone down before he did. If someone else had successfully crafted the Soul-Detention Talisman, he wouldn't bring his out.

If everyone else failed, he would have to produce his; otherwise, he felt that Lu Li, stimulated by immense disappointment, might kill them all to vent his anger.

Chen Lin believed that as long as the talisman was successfully crafted, the other party wouldn't care whether everyone had used the Soul-Splitting Secret Art.

The other party wanted the talisman, not for them to self-mutilate.

Time passed bit by bit, and finally, footsteps sounded in the hallway, intermittently heading downstairs.

He counted the people in his heart, and when the last set of footsteps had descended, he stepped out of the room, feigning a dazed expression, and walked downstairs, swaying with every step.

Twenty or so talisman masters stood there, each one dejected and listless.

Seeing this scene, it was clear that no one had succeeded.

"What are the results?"

Lu Li, who already had his suspicions, looked at the group with a face as dark as water.

The red-faced man was the first to speak again: "I am truly sorry. My skills are lacking; all materials were exhausted, and I even used the Soul-Splitting Secret Art twice, but I did not succeed!"

After speaking, he cupped his hands, looking as if he were ready to accept whatever punishment came his way.

Without the sneer, this man was actually quite humble.

Lu Li slowly stood up from his seat, took out a brown bead the size of a pigeon egg, and pointed at it. The bead floated automatically and hovered before the red-faced man’s brow.

Then, the bead emitted a dim, grayish light and flickered gently.

"Very well, step back."

Lu Li put the bead away and waved his hand.

The red-faced man cupped his hands again and retreated to the back of the crowd.

Chen Lin looked at him; he had actually used the secret art twice. With this kind of internal competition, what were the others supposed to do?

Sure enough, the other talisman masters looked at him with resentment.

But they could only curse in their hearts, not daring to act out.

Next, a man in green robes stood up, described his crafting process, and accepted the inspection.

The brown bead floated up again and pressed against his brow.

This time, the light was slightly brighter than before, and the flickering frequency was slower.

"Only used the secret art once, huh!"

Lu Li snorted.

Under normal circumstances, using the secret art once was enough, but with the previous man's performance, it seemed like he hadn't tried hard enough.

The man in green robes hurriedly explained: "Reporting to Fellow Daoist Lu, to tell you the truth, this talisman is too difficult to craft. Based on my years of experience, let alone using the secret art twice, even if I used it five or ten times, it would certainly not be crafted. Moreover, I am old; using the secret art once is already my limit. If I use it again, I fear I will die on the spot!"

Lu Li waved his hand expressionlessly, but said nothing more.

The old man quickly retreated to the back of the crowd and glared fiercely at the red-faced man.