Chapter 162 - 158: Spirit Gathering Array Talisman
The next morning, a few people gathered on the outskirts.
Wang De stood at the head of the group, exchanging a few quiet words with Wang Lu beside him.
The group left the outskirts of Yunyang Marketplace, got onto the main road, and headed in the direction of Qinghe Marketplace.
Wang De slowed his pace and walked over to Li Yuan’s side.
They walked side by side for a stretch before Wang De broke the silence.
"Given your Cultivation speed and the progress you’ve accumulated, you must be close to the threshold of the Qi Refining Seventh Level."
Li Yuan said nothing.
Wang De didn’t press the issue and continued.
"The Qi Refining Seventh Level is the beginning of Late-stage Qi Refining. It’s a difficult hurdle to overcome."
He lowered his voice slightly.
"You have two paths you can take."
"First, you can use Contribution Points to bid for a Realm-Breaking Pill at the Wang family’s internal auction. Realm-Breaking Pills aren’t something you can buy whenever you want. Only a few are released at the internal auction each year, and competition is fierce. Moreover, once you choose this path, your contract with the Wang family will be extended, regardless of whether you end up using the pill."
He held up one finger.
"By about three to five years. The exact duration depends on the pill’s grade and the Contribution Points you offer."
"Second." He held up another finger.
"Break through on your own. After you reach Late-stage Qi Refining, you can negotiate with the Wang family to shorten the length of your contract."
Li Yuan looked at him.
"How would I negotiate?"
"There are two scenarios." Wang De’s tone was level.
"If you do nothing, you simply serve out the remainder of your original contract—no more, no less. But if you’re willing to accept a mission, you can shorten the term after completing it."
He paused.
"The mission is assigned by the Wang family and usually isn’t too difficult. The specifics of the mission are only assigned after you’ve truly broken through to the late stage. Cultivators with different Cultivation levels and specializations get different missions."
Li Yuan was silent for a few moments.
’Use Contribution Points to bid on a Realm-Breaking Pill and extend the contract. Or break through on my own, take a mission, and shorten it.’
Wang De nodded.
"Those are pretty much the two options. The first is a sure thing, but it comes at a great cost. The second depends on your own abilities."
He glanced at Li Yuan.
"With what you’ve accumulated, the second path isn’t out of reach."
Li Yuan grunted an affirmation.
Wang De said no more, quickening his pace to rejoin the head of the group.
The group traveled along the main road for three days.
On the evening of the third day, the walls of Qinghe Marketplace came into view.
The gray stone walls cast long shadows in the setting sun. Two Cultivator guards stood at both the east and west gates. The marketplace had expanded again since a few months ago; a new row of stone houses had been built to the south, and the outer wall now extended further.
The group dispersed at the marketplace entrance. Wang De led a few people toward the administration office, while the others went their separate ways.
Li Yuan went straight to the Talisman Hall.
The Talisman Hall’s courtyard was unchanged. It was a complex of gray-brick, black-tiled buildings, the air thick with the scent of Spiritual Ink and cinnabar. A few Talisman Makers were busy in the side rooms; they nodded as Li Yuan walked in.
Li Yuan went to see the manager.
The manager was a Cultivator in his forties with a stern, square face, sitting behind a desk piled high with bamboo slips.
"You’re back." The manager pulled out a document and handed it over.
"This is your reward for the mission in Yunyang. The Contribution Points and Spirit Stones are all itemized inside. Check it yourself."
Li Yuan took the document and glanced at it. The amounts for the Contribution Points and Spirit Stones were clearly listed.
The manager then pulled another document from the desktop.
"One more thing. Before you left, you were a Grade C Talisman Maker." He pushed the document over. "You’ve been promoted. You’re Grade B now."
Li Yuan took the document.
The document stated it clearly: A Talisman Maker is automatically promoted to Grade B upon reaching Minor Achievement in their overall Talisman Making Skill and mastering the creation of a Tier One Top Grade Talisman.
Following that was a description of the benefits for a Grade B Talisman Maker.
Li Yuan read through the list, item by item.
One: May receive one free Talisman Making Skill of Tier One Middle Grade or below each month.
Two: The ratio of Contribution Points earned from talisman-making tasks is increased by twenty percent over the standard Grade C rate.
Three: The maximum overdraft limit for Contribution Points is reduced by fifty percent from the Grade C allowance.
Li Yuan’s gaze lingered on the third item.
’So I can overdraft fewer Contribution Points now.’
The manager seemed to notice his confusion and offered an explanation.
"Grade B Talisman Makers can take on more missions and earn more, so the overdraft limit is naturally reduced. The intention from above is that, at your level, you shouldn’t need to live on credit anymore."
Li Yuan put the document away.
"Where do I collect the free monthly Skill?"
"First floor of the Scripture Pavilion."
The manager pulled a wooden token from a drawer and handed it to him. "Take this. You can choose one Skill at the start of each month. This month’s credit hasn’t been used, so you can go now."
Li Yuan took the wooden token and left the manager’s office.
He went straight to the Talisman Hall’s Scripture Pavilion.
The layout of the Scripture Pavilion’s first floor was the same as he remembered. Wooden shelves stretched from floor to ceiling, with bamboo slips and booklets arranged in sections according to grade.
Li Yuan walked to the Tier One Middle Grade section.
The shelves in this section held noticeably fewer bamboo slips. Each scroll had a small wooden plaque next to it, noting its name and a brief description.
Li Yuan went down the aisle, examining each scroll.
Breaking Barrier Talisman.
Spirit Shield Talisman.
Spirit Gathering Array Talisman.
Li Yuan stopped in front of the last scroll.
The adjacent wooden plaque read: "Spirit Gathering Array Talisman, Tier One Middle Grade. Difficult to create, requiring cross-disciplinary knowledge of both the Talisman Dao and the Array Dao. Function: Gathers ambient Spiritual Qi to create a small-scale spirit-gathering effect, aiding Cultivation."
’A Spirit Gathering Array Talisman.’
’A cross between the Talisman Dao and the Array Dao.’
Li Yuan took the bamboo scroll from the shelf and weighed it in his hand. The bamboo slats were yellowed with age, and the ox-tendon cord binding them was tight. It felt nearly twice as heavy as a common Tier One Low Grade Talisman Making Skill scroll.
After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan took the Spirit Gathering Array Talisman scroll and went to the registry desk to check it out.
The manager made a note in his ledger and took back the wooden token.
"That’s it. Come back at the start of next month."
Li Yuan placed the bamboo scroll in his storage bag and left the Scripture Pavilion.
He returned to his quarters in the Talisman Hall’s residential area and pushed open the door to his stone house.
The room had been vacant for months, and a thin layer of dust covered the desk. Li Yuan performed a Cleaning Skill, and the dust vanished, leaving the desktop and bedframe spotless once more.
He began to unpack the contents of his storage bag. Talisman-making materials went into the side cabinet, pill bottles were arranged on the corner of his desk, and the various bamboo slips and booklets were stacked together.
He placed the bamboo scroll for the Spirit Gathering Array Talisman by itself in the very center of the desk.