Chapter 30: The Talisman is Formed

Before leaving, Ye Jingyun gave Chen Lin another bottle of medicinal pills.

It was the Spirit Recovery Pill mentioned by the other party.

The efficacy of this pill was several times that of a Qi-Supplementing Pill, making it quite valuable.

However, when Chen Lin poured the pills out of the bottle, his expression became uncertain.

Not one more, not one less—exactly ten pills.

Was it a coincidence, or had she discovered something?

He stared at the ten pills for a long time before solemnly repacking them.

Then, he picked up the jade slip containing the records of the Mental Connection Secret Technique and began to study it carefully.

While this type of secret technique was not common, it wasn't particularly rare either; it was essentially an advanced version of the Object Manipulation Technique, allowing one to control target objects with greater flexibility.

Of course, it possessed more capabilities than the standard Object Manipulation Technique. For instance, an object "refined" through this technique could be imprinted with one's own mental mark, preventing others from interfering with or seizing it while it was being wielded.

This aspect was far superior to the basic technique.

Naturally, if the object fell into someone else's hands, they could still erase the mark and re-refine it.

With his foundation in Object Manipulation, his understanding of the secret technique proceeded quite smoothly. Without even using an Enlightenment Pill, he had almost mastered it. He then began to attempt to refine the Cold Nether Flame contained within the jade box.

The process was extremely smooth. In less than fifteen minutes, he had established a connection with this exotic flame and could manipulate it to hover in the air.

The reason it was so easy was primarily that there were no other cultivators' mental marks present on the flame; it seemed Ye Jingyun had removed her own mark before giving it to him.

Beyond mere hovering and manipulation, Chen Lin discovered that through this technique, he could change the shape of the flame. Furthermore, by increasing or decreasing his mental strength, he could make the flame grow larger or smaller.

This piqued his playful side.

One moment he would turn the flame into the character for "one" (一), the next into "person" (人); one moment it would be the size of a silver needle, and the next it would expand into a wide sheet.

He could even control the flame's intensity, making it roll back and forth across a piece of paper without burning it, or instantly burning a large hole through an iron basin.

What a wonderful treasure!

The more Chen Lin used it, the more he liked it.

Unfortunately, no matter how good the item was, it didn't belong to him. After playing with it for a while and feeling he could apply it skillfully, he placed it back into the jade box.

Next, he began to contemplate the talisman-making method recorded in another jade slip.

The method for crafting this particular talisman was incredibly complex, and parts of the content in the jade slip had clearly been deleted. It only contained the production steps; the name, purpose, and grade of the talisman were not labeled.

Clearly, Ye Jingyun did not want him to know.

Chen Lin had no desire to pry.

Regardless of the relationship between this woman and Yu Yuehai, or why she was secretly refining such a talisman, it had nothing to do with him.

Since they both wanted to treat him as a mere tool, he would simply play the part.

The less he knew, the better his chances of survival.

Calming his mind, he entered a state of deep study.

After a long time, Chen Lin set the jade slip aside and began to refine an Enlightenment Pill.

This talisman was too profound; based on his own comprehension, he didn't know how long it would take to fully grasp it without the help of an Enlightenment Pill.

Such high-level items would not be easy to come by once missed, so he decided to master the production method first.

As for its purpose, as long as Ye Jingyun used it, he would naturally find out.

Indeed, after careful consideration, he still intended to refine the talisman, wanting to see what her true intentions were in refining it behind Yu Yuehai's back.

The raw materials for the Enlightenment Pill were cheap, and he had recently purchased a large amount. After a series of operations, the pill was refined.

Once he consumed the medicine, his state of mind shifted immediately.

While it wasn't as if he had divine assistance, he was able to learn by analogy, transforming instantly from a poor student into a scholar.

Once the effects of the medicine wore off, he had basically mastered the method of refining the talisman. He took out a piece of talisman paper and prepared to begin production.

With his innate talent for refining, he didn't need to master the underlying principles perfectly or go through extensive preparations; he could simply get straight to work.

He opened the bottle of talisman ink, picked up the talisman brush, and soaked it in ink.

Then, following the refinement method, he used his mental strength to manipulate the Cold Nether Flame, wrapping it around the tip of the brush.

Finally, he placed an extra Spirit Recovery Pill in his mouth before he began crafting.

It was his first time using such a strange method to refine a talisman, and having to multitask felt very awkward.

Using his magic power to control the brush while simultaneously using his mental strength to control the Cold Nether Flame clearly exceeded Chen Lin's current capacity. After only two strokes, there was a *poof*, and a burst of black light exploded.

Startled, he hurriedly scrambled backward.

As the light dissipated, he was left dumbfounded.

Not only had the talisman paper been burned to ash, but even the table beneath it had been blasted with a large hole, which continued to emit black smoke.

He rushed over to move the ink bottle and the jade box aside, then scooped up a ladle of water to douse the sparks, narrowly averting a fire.

A wave of lingering fear washed over him.

The consequences of failing to refine such a high-level talisman were truly exaggerated; if he had been a step slower, half of his hand might have been burned.

He looked at the talisman brush in his hand; seeing that it wasn't damaged and that the Cold Nether Flame was hovering quietly, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered that just as the energy had exploded, the golden ring on the talisman brush seemed to have emitted a golden halo, blocking the shockwave of the explosion and preventing his hand from being injured.

Chen Lin was certain he hadn't misseen it, and he couldn't help but look at the brush with newfound respect.

In addition to the golden ring, the brush handle, crafted from Frost Profound Jade, had not suffered any damage due to its material.

It was obvious that this brush had not been chosen at random, but was a specialized tool prepared specifically for making this talisman.

The more he understood, the more curious Chen Lin became about the talisman's function.

With so many treasures used to assist the refinement, the cost had reached a staggering figure; the resulting item was bound to be extraordinary.

Shaking his head, he suppressed his curiosity and began to clean up.

He found a wooden board to cover the hole in the table. Instead of starting over immediately, he practiced using ordinary ink on ordinary talisman paper without using magic power, following the drawing process to build familiarity.

Then, he spent more time practicing his control over the Cold Nether Flame.

He practiced for over an hour, and only after feeling that his technique was correct did he resume the refinement.

This time, it went much better. The first few lines were executed in one continuous motion, only failing and burning up just as the first small talisman array was about to close.

Even in failure, it didn't cause such a massive disturbance as before; the power was only enough to burn the talisman paper and leave a charred mark on the wooden board.

However, he saw clearly this time that the golden ring on the brush did indeed produce a halo when the energy exploded, blocking the shockwave and protecting his hand.

*Good stuff!*

He praised it inwardly and continued crafting.

Not wanting to hide his true abilities, his refining speed was naturally very fast.

Although a normal refinement of this talisman would require a long time to complete all the runes, he only drew the beginning each time. It didn't take long at all; ten attempts were completed before an hour had even passed.

By now, a talisman as black as ink was in his hand, bearing a faint, blurred pattern that emitted a powerful yet subtle and strange fluctuation.

(End of Chapter)