Chapter 9

"What is a spirit stone?" a disciple was taken aback.

Li Muran's heart sank. He had read about spirit stones in ancient texts; they were special crystals containing a certain amount of primordial energy from heaven and earth, with a wide range of uses. In the world of cultivation, almost everyone needed spirit stones, so they also became a common equivalent in transactions, similar to the role of gold and silver in the secular world.

Li Muran said, "Senior Brother Wu, could you be a bit more flexible? We have just started our cultivation, where would we get spirit stones! How about this, we will temporarily record the cost of these two spirit stones and will definitely return them with both hands in the future!"

"No spirit stones, no deal!" Wu Zhisshi's face immediately darkened, and he waved his hands, adopting a business-like attitude.

These disciples were helpless and had to discuss seeking help from the sect master's senior brother.

However, the sect master's senior brother was very busy, and even formal disciples rarely saw him. It was even more uncertain whether they, as auditors, could meet him.

"What's all the commotion?" At this moment, a young figure suddenly appeared, and it was Mo Yunzi, whom Li Muran and the others had seen before.

"Senior Uncle Mo!" The disciples hurriedly bowed.

Wu Zhisshi took the lead and said, "Senior Uncle Mo, these auditor disciples also want to collect talisman paper and other items, saying they want to practice drawing primordial energy talismans. However, there is no clear rule in the sect, so I have some disputes with them. We are discussing whether to report to the sect master's senior brother and the other senior uncles for a decision."

"Primal energy talismans?" Mo Yunzi glanced coldly at Li Muran and then smiled slightly, saying, "Just give them what they want. After all, it's not worth many spirit stones!"

Wu Zhisshi was taken aback for a moment and then said, "Yes, yes! If Senior Uncle Mo says so, there's no problem!" Saying this, he hurriedly went to prepare the talisman paper, ink, and brush, giving each of Li Muran and the others a set.

"Thank you, Senior Uncle Mo! Thank you, Senior Brother Wu!" Li Muran and the others were overjoyed, expressing their gratitude to Mo Yunzi and leaving with satisfaction.

Watching Li Muran and the others leave, Mo Yunzi suddenly sneered and muttered, "Hmph, with such poor talent, using the hard-earned primordial energy for making talismans, I don't think your cultivation will be very high!"

...

Li Muran returned to his room and immediately took out the talisman paper, brush, and ink, playing with them joyfully.

From the texture, the talisman paper was made from the pulp of a thousand-year-old spirit tree, measuring three inches long and one and a half inches wide, much smaller than the enlightenment talisman paper.

The talisman brush had a six-inch-long handle, smooth and glossy, likely made of some kind of jade. The brush bristles were milky white, and Li Muran had read in ancient texts that the bristles of the talisman brush of the Primordial Talisman Sect were mostly made from the fine hair of white-tailed spirit apes raised by the sect.

The talisman ink was a bright red powder that dissolved in water, made by mixing the blood of a blue ox with cinnabar powder.

The talisman paper, brush, and ink were all specially refined, containing spiritual energy, and could not be replaced by ordinary secular items.

The progress of his cultivation during the day was too slow, so Li Muran decided to use this time to practice drawing the talisman characters needed for the primordial energy talisman.

This one-star primordial energy talisman was not too complex, consisting of a "Qi" character, a spell to fix the primordial energy, and a simple seal.

With the solid foundation Li Muran had built through years of diligent cultivation, he practiced the character, spell, and seal for half a day and became proficient.

However, this was just practice with ordinary paper and brush. The difficulties he would encounter when actually making the talisman were unknown, and he would only have a deep understanding after actual practice.

Li Muran suddenly thought, "For other disciples, cultivating primordial energy is difficult, and using it to make talismans is indeed a waste. But the primordial energy I cultivate at night will dissipate by dawn. Using it to make talismans is better than letting it go to waste!"

Thinking about this, Li Muran became excited again. The primordial energy he cultivated at night was abundant and should be sufficient to make primordial energy talismans. Moreover, since it would dissipate by dawn, not using it would be a waste.

After much consideration, Li Muran found this method very feasible. Before finding a suitable method to retain the primordial energy in his body, using it to make talismans before it dissipated seemed to be the most efficient way!

After all, Li Muran had repeatedly verified that the primordial energy itself was not problematic and should not cause any issues when used to make talismans.

Moreover, Daoist Zixia could return to the sect at any time. If Li Muran could present a primordial energy talisman he had drawn himself when he returned, it would be enough to prove that he was not a mediocre talent, increasing his chances of staying in the sect.

Since he was going to make a primordial energy talisman, he needed to prepare carefully. Making talismans could not be done in one go; it required step-by-step practice and gradual improvement.

After analyzing, Li Muran felt that the talisman brush could be used continuously, and the amount of talisman ink was relatively sufficient, enough to draw dozens of talismans. If it ran out, he could borrow a little from other senior brothers. Only the talisman paper was a limited material, with only ten sheets in total, and each use would reduce the number, regardless of success or failure.

Therefore, after practicing the talisman characters, Li Muran did not rush to make the talisman but used the talisman brush and ink to draw on ordinary white paper.

The talismans drawn this way naturally had no effect, but it allowed Li Muran to become familiar with the use of the talisman brush and ink, avoiding unexpected mistakes when actually making the talisman.

On the second night, Li Muran meditated for an hour, and the primordial energy in his body was already saturated.

Li Muran took out a small dish, sprinkled some talisman ink powder, and poured a little clear water from a gourd, mixing it evenly.

The clear water in the gourd was from a spirit spring dozens of miles away. It was said that this spirit spring water itself had a bit of spiritual energy, and using it to dissolve the talisman ink was slightly better than using ordinary spring water.

Although the effect was minimal, Li Muran, who was always very meticulous and did not overlook any detail, took it very seriously. He spent several hours traveling back and forth without complaint. Other disciples, even if they knew this, might not have gone to fetch the spirit spring water.

After mixing the talisman ink, Li Muran laid out a sheet of talisman paper, took out the talisman brush, dipped it in half the ink, and began to draw the talisman, focusing his mind and spirit.

From the first stroke, Li Muran felt the huge difference between actually making a talisman and practicing. As he drew each stroke, not only did he encounter increasing resistance, but the primordial energy in his body also gradually dissipated, transferring to the talisman paper.

Fortunately, Li Muran had a solid foundation, with excellent hand, eye, and mental skills, and his body was full of primordial energy, so the process was relatively smooth.

After a moment, the complex "Qi" character was drawn, leaping onto the paper with a notable aura. Li Muran continued to draw the spell around the "Qi" character without stopping.

The spell to fix the primordial energy was not particularly complex, but as he drew it, Li Muran felt the primordial energy in his body flowing more rapidly through the talisman brush into the paper. Clearly, this spell was the key to the one-star primordial energy talisman.

When he was halfway through the spell, a powerful suction suddenly appeared, greedily absorbing the primordial energy from the talisman brush. Li Muran was unprepared, and his magical power was not mobilized quickly enough, causing the primordial energy to be interrupted for a moment.

Although it was just a small mistake, it caused the talisman-making to fail, and the talisman paper spontaneously combusted and burned.

"Senior Brother Qingfeng said that the key to making a primordial energy talisman lies in the mobilization of the magical power in the body, and indeed it is so!" Li Muran thought to himself, not feeling discouraged.

Only through actual practice could one understand such details. One failure was just a lesson learned.

Although the talisman-making failed, Li Muran found that a significant portion of his primordial energy had been consumed. He rested for a while, calmed his mind, and meditated again to cultivate, waiting for his primordial energy to be abundant before continuing to make the talisman.

This time, while drawing the talisman, he continuously mobilized the primordial energy in his body to flow to the talisman brush. The primordial energy was abundant, and making the talisman was relatively easy.

However, due to his overly hasty mobilization of the primordial energy, the spell deviated at a certain stroke due to the excessive primordial energy, ultimately causing the talisman-making to fail again.

This one-star primordial energy talisman, although the simplest and most basic talisman, was not easy to make. In addition to a solid foundation and proficiency in drawing the talisman characters, the mobilization of the primordial energy could not be too slow or too hasty.

Li Muran was not discouraged. After resting for a while, he continued to meditate and make talismans. Finally, on the third attempt before dawn, he successfully drew a one-star primordial energy talisman.

The hard work of the night made Li Muran rest for the entire day. After dinner, he continued to cultivate and make talismans.

Li Muran calculated that making a primordial energy talisman required a considerable amount of magical power. At night, his cultivation speed was very fast, allowing him to make three to four primordial energy talismans.

"Ten sheets of talisman paper, won't they be used up in three nights?" Li Muran thought, "Senior Brother Qingfeng said that after becoming a formal disciple for a year, one must submit five one-star primordial energy talismans each month, which doesn't seem too difficult!"

For Li Muran, it was indeed not difficult. After drawing the first primordial energy talisman, the subsequent talisman-making went smoothly. In three nights, with ten sheets of talisman paper, he successfully drew seven one-star primordial energy talismans.

However, for other disciples, it was quite difficult. Disciples with average talent and cultivation often had to work hard for two to three days to have enough primordial energy to make one one-star primordial energy talisman. Five one-star primordial energy talismans would take almost ten to fifteen days of cultivation. If they made mistakes during the process, the cost would be even higher!

With these few primordial energy talismans, Li Muran finally had some confidence. Being able to make primordial energy talismans so quickly and with a relatively high success rate proved that he had a solid foundation and some talent in talisman-making. If Senior Uncle Zixia had no prejudice against him, he would likely take him as a disciple, allowing him to continue cultivating in the sect.