Chapter 26

This night seemed particularly long.

Zhao Yun worked diligently, not coming out since he entered the room, refining weapons with all his might.

Old Sun and the others were not idle either; two of them were moving weapons, one was calculating accounts, and they classified the weapons by their ranks.

Zhao Yun would prioritize refining weapons of higher rank. For those that did not meet the required rank, additional iron materials needed to be smelted and integrated. It might take three to five low-rank weapons to fuse into one high-quality one.

Refining was easy, but fusion was mentally taxing.

As dawn approached, Zhao Yun finally stopped, collapsing on the ground, his face already quite pale.

Crunch! Crunch!

Following this sound, he stuffed handfuls of pills that replenished true essence and vital energy into his mouth.

Cultivation consumes resources, as can be seen from this.

Without substantial financial resources, who would dare to take medicinal pills like they were candy?

There was still some time before dawn, so Zhao Yun waved his hand to fetch talisman paper. All the tools for drawing talismans were ready, neatly arranged.

Talismans and their patterns are mysterious.

For example, an explosive talisman is simple to explain: it involves engraving power into the talisman, combined with peculiar patterns, to seal and enhance its power. When the seal is instantly released, it produces an explosive force.

Therefore, drawing a talisman is a technical skill. It requires engraving according to the patterns, with strict requirements for which patterns need to be infused with true essence and how much. It must be done in one continuous motion, and any flaw, even a tiny one, could ruin the entire process.

He had witnessed its power; a zombie that could not be killed by repeated strikes was blown to pieces by a single explosive talisman, showing its terrifying force.

However, explosive talismans also have different levels, depending on how they are engraved and by whom. An explosive talisman drawn by someone at the Sun Yang realm is far more powerful than one drawn by someone at the Condensing Essence realm. The power engraved into the talisman, especially if it includes heavenly thunder, would make it even more potent.

A simple talisman involves many intricate details, which is one of the reasons why the art of drawing talismans has gradually been lost. Without a master to teach step by step, one would have to take many detours and might not even learn the essence.

Over time, the lineage of talisman masters has declined, making it difficult to find a master of talismans.

As he spoke, Zhao Yun picked up a brush, dipped it in talisman ink, and focused, not pausing from the moment he began. He drew and infused true essence, meticulously controlling where to infuse and where to release.

It took him the time of a stick of incense to complete one talisman. When the last stroke was finished, he staggered, almost falling over. His face was deathly pale, and he felt a severe headache and dizziness. Drawing one talisman almost cost him half his life.

Looking at the talisman he drew, it glowed, with the patterns appearing vivid, especially the central "explode" character, which was particularly pleasing to the eye.

When he looked at it, the residual light from the patterns all converged into the explosive talisman. At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary talisman.

"Monster."

Moon Goddess sighed, having watched the entire process. On his first attempt, Zhao Yun successfully drew a talisman, though it had flaws and looked crude, it was勉强可以称为一个爆炸符。如此天赋，真是逆天，她当年学时，用了好几个时辰呢？

"Try it."

Zhao Yun approached the window, opened a small gap, and threw the explosive talisman out, sticking it to an old tree in the garden.

"You, are also a genius."

Moon Goddess smirked, testing an explosive talisman in his own home—was he not afraid the roof would be blown off?

"Explode."

Zhao Yun mentally commanded, forming a seal with his hand to release the seal on the explosive talisman.

Instantly, a significant amount of true essence in his dantian was drained by an unknown force.

This is the cost of using an explosive talisman.

Boom!

Then came the explosion. A large tree was blown in half, and the houses in the garden were affected. Who knows how many bricks and tiles were blown away, flying over the armory and landing on the street.

"What's happening?"

Though it was not yet fully light, there were already people on the street, some setting up stalls. They were all confused and suffered, with some being hit by tiles and bleeding from their heads, cursing as they held their foreheads.

"What's going on?"

In the small garden of the armory, Old Sun and the others were awakened, rushing out of their rooms without shoes, each holding a weapon. They had been sleeping soundly when a loud boom startled them, thinking someone was attacking.

Seeing the scene in the garden, they were all stunned. What the hell was going on?

Zhao Yun coughed, closed the window, and squatted down, looking awkwardly embarrassed.

Despite the awkwardness, there was still joy. The power of the explosive talisman was indeed formidable. If it were stuck on a person, it would surely blow them to pieces.

On his first attempt, he achieved such power. If he gradually improved and added heavenly thunder, it would be even more powerful.

The formidable power came with a formidable cost. One explosive talisman drained a lot of his true essence. Another one would likely empty his true essence.

Therefore, when his true essence was nearly depleted, it was best to use explosive talismans sparingly, as he could not bear the cost.

"Headache."

Zhao Yun rubbed his head; drawing the talisman had severely drained his mental energy, and his eyes were filled with stars.

"Forging weapons, refining pills, and drawing talismans all have similar requirements for mental energy," Moon Goddess said calmly.

The principle was not hard to understand.

Zhao Yun also understood. The depletion of true essence was minor; the mental load and the consumption of mental energy were the hardest to bear.

"If you transform into a martial soul, it will be much easier," Moon Goddess said softly.

"Martial soul." Zhao Yun murmured.

He was not unfamiliar with this term. Before the Heavenly Martial realm, it was called mental energy, which increased with cultivation. After reaching the Heavenly Martial realm, mental energy would transform into a martial soul.

Mental energy and martial soul were clearly not on the same level. In every aspect, a martial soul was superior to mental energy. Mental energy had mental power, and a martial soul had soul power.

In a certain sense, martial cultivators at the Heavenly Martial realm could not be affected by illusions because they had martial souls, making mental illusions ineffective against them.

Naturally, illusions used by those at the Heavenly Martial realm were not included.

Nothing was absolute. Even before reaching the Heavenly Martial realm, it was possible for mental energy to transform into a martial soul. He had read ancient texts about a peculiar race that was born with martial souls, known as the Soul Race.

The people of the Soul Race had exceptionally powerful souls and were the most numerous in producing alchemists, weapon forgers, and talisman masters due to their innate advantages.

However, they also had a fatal disadvantage: their physical strength was pitifully weak. People of this race could provide support in battles but would face a terrifying nightmare if someone got close to them.

Ancient texts stated that the Soul Race had been extinct, having been involved in a war that cut off their lineage.

"Is there a method to transform mental energy into a martial soul?" Zhao Yun asked softly.

"Yes." Moon Goddess replied casually.

"Teach me!" Zhao Yun's eyes gleamed brightly.

"With your current cultivation and physical strength, you cannot bear a martial soul," Moon Goddess yawned. "Without the corresponding foundation, attempting to bear it will come at a terrible cost. The Soul Race is a good example."

Instantly, the light in Zhao Yun's eyes dimmed. He understood this principle.

In the end, he needed to solidify his foundation and become strong enough to bear a martial soul.

"Seek medicinal pills to enhance mental energy," Moon Goddess added. She had secret methods to train mental energy, but they were not very useful for Zhao Yun at this stage. Medicinal pills were more practical.

"Understood."

Zhao Yun took a sip of spiritual liquid. Moon Goddess was talking about medicinal pills, not pills.

So-called vital energy pills could replenish mental energy, but they only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. Enhancing mental energy was the key.

However, true medicinal pills were hard to find. They were not sold on the market. The last time he searched the black market, he did not find a single one. When he had the chance, he would search the black market again; perhaps he would find one.

He changed into a new set of clothes and left the room.

In the garden, Old Sun and the others were still stunned, circling the broken old tree, wondering how it had suddenly snapped.

"Next time, test it at the Liu family armory."

Zhao Yun mumbled to himself, one was not enough; he would add another.

After breakfast, he sat at the counter.

The first customer of the day was not buying weapons but was the old man selling buns across the street.

Besides him, many others, all looking rather disheveled, mostly holding their foreheads, were the unfortunate ones who had been hit earlier.

Their purpose was clear: to seek medical expenses.

Of course, he would pay.

Zhao Yun was quite generous, giving each person a silver coin.

"Really generous."

The old man beamed, his headache gone at the sight of the silver. Selling buns for half a year would not earn him a single silver coin, so this was worth it.

The others also smiled.

It seemed they should frequent the Zhao family armory more often. They might get hit again and could then seek medical expenses. The young master of the Zhao family was generous and would not hesitate to pay.

This was a way to make money.

However, one had to be able to withstand it. If they were accidentally killed, it would be a loss.

After the injured left, Lu Mang and the others arrived.

They were the most diligent, as making money made them work hard. Every morning when the armory opened, they could be seen, each with a cart full of weapons, all acquired in a day, ready to deliver to Zhao Yun.

He accepted all, no matter how many.

Zhao Yun welcomed all, the more the better.

Soon, customers arrived, mostly bringing weapons, short on money but making up for it with weapons.

"It's time."

Zhao Yun mumbled at the counter.

As he spoke, a black figure entered. It was actually a person in a black robe, clearly not wanting to reveal their identity. The customers glanced sideways, finding it odd that someone would buy weapons so secretly, but no one cared.

"Xiu'er, can you see their true face?"

"Wang De." Moon Goddess replied casually, the one who had fought with him that day.

"Seems I guessed right."

Zhao Yun smiled inwardly, showing no special expression.

"Can I get a discount if I buy a lot?"

Wang De asked indifferently, already at the counter.

"No discount."

Zhao Yun smiled slightly, wanting to monopolize and still ask for a discount? Not giving him a price increase was already generous.

"Then one hundred pieces."

Wang De did not waste words, placing a stack of silver bills on the counter, a total of five thousand taels.