Chapter 86: Sixth Level of Qi Refining (15)

As for whether the hole would ever be used, even He Song himself wasn't sure. After preparing this escape route, He Song spent his days cultivating and studying the introductory chapter of talisman crafting.

It had to be said that, having already mastered the introductory chapter of formation crafting, He Song's understanding of talisman crafting progressed rapidly.

According to his calculations, it would take him about a year to fully comprehend the introductory chapter of talisman crafting.

By then, he would be ready to start practical work.

After another year of practicing talisman crafting, He Song expected to be able to earn spirit stones through this skill.

He planned to start with low-grade Earth Talismans, then move on to low-grade Golden Light Talismans and low-grade Swift Movement Talismans.

Once his success rate with low-grade talismans reached a certain level, he would attempt to create mid-grade talismans.

The introductory chapter of talisman crafting was somewhat different from the introductory chapter of formation crafting.

While the talisman chapter only included the methods for creating three types of talismans, these talismans were divided into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade, corresponding to the early, middle, and late stages of Qi Refining, respectively.

In other words, purchasing the introductory chapter of talisman crafting allowed one to learn how to create low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade versions of these three talismans.

Compared to the introductory chapter of formation crafting, which only recorded three formations, the talisman chapter was clearly more cost-effective.

This was likely because talismans were consumable items. Additionally, mastering formation crafting required innate talent.

Without talent, even decades of study might not lead to success. (This was explained in Chapter 17.) The difficulty and rewards differed, which was why there was a gap between the two disciplines.

He Song had talent in formation crafting, which was why he was able to master it after three years of study and successfully set up a Spirit Gathering Formation.

Without such talent, even the simplest Spirit Gathering Formation might remain out of reach after decades of effort.

Talisman crafting, however, was different. Even ordinary cultivators could, after years of practice, become proficient in creating talismans with a decent success rate.

With a bit of luck, they could even earn a substantial amount of spirit stones.

As a result, most cultivators who wanted to learn a skill flocked to talisman crafting. This led to intense competition and a sharp drop in the price of talismans.

Formation crafting and other arts of cultivation, on the other hand, were rarely pursued.

Apart from talisman crafting, most other arts required either significant spirit stone investment, innate talent, or years of dedication.

In a world where strength was highly valued, these arts were naturally unpopular among the majority.

Large factions undoubtedly had members who studied various arts of cultivation. However, for rogue cultivators, opportunities and time to learn these skills were scarce.

No one wanted to waste their cultivation time chasing a vague chance of success. Time was the ultimate constraint. In the world of cultivation, status was determined by one's level of cultivation.

On one hand, there was talisman crafting, which anyone could learn and which provided a quick means of livelihood.

On the other hand, there was formation crafting, which required talent and could take decades to master, all while slowing down one's cultivation progress.

For rogue cultivators with limited time, resources, and strength, the choice was obvious.

Even if they knew that success could change their fate, the long, unprofitable investment period, coupled with the loss of time and cultivation progress, deterred most. Some rogue cultivators did try, but the vast majority gave up during the lengthy investment phase.

As for those who were lucky enough to have talent in formation crafting and successfully learned the three introductory formations, allowing them to establish their own spirit fields—He Song had never met such individuals and had no idea what became of them.

And so, a year passed in the blink of an eye. Throughout this year, He Song heard no specific news about the movements of the rogue cultivators outside the immortal market.

Even Wei Fan had no information to share. At the beginning of each month, when the two met, He Song would ask, but Wei Fan always shook his head, indicating that he had no news.

This lack of information only deepened He Song's unease. No news was the most significant news of all.

Perhaps he should leave the immortal market and hide in the mortal world? This thought crossed He Song's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

No, he wasn't ready yet. His cultivation was still weak, he hadn't even learned all the Qi Refining spells, and he lacked a stockpile of talismans or protective artifacts.

Leaving the immortal market now would likely make him less safe than staying.

Instead of leaving, He Song decided to wait until his spirit rice matured and he could sell it a few times to build up his spirit stone reserves.

With his combat capabilities significantly enhanced, he could then make a more informed decision.

At least then, he wouldn't have to worry about being killed by rogue cultivators while traveling.

This was what He Song thought at the time, and this was what he did.

Now, a year later, He Song opened his eyes, and a surge of spiritual pressure erupted from his body. "The sixth level of Qi Refining! Excellent." Feeling the sudden increase in spiritual energy within him, a flash of joy crossed He Song's face.

A year ago, when He Song had set up the Five Elements Formation, he had a vague sense that he would break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within a year.

Unexpectedly, it took the full year for him to finally achieve this breakthrough.

Although it was slightly later than he had anticipated, the fact that he had succeeded was what mattered.

At the sixth level of Qi Refining, He Song could now be considered a mid-tier cultivator in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

If he could break through the bottleneck and reach the seventh level, he would instantly join the ranks of the high-tier cultivators, standing on equal footing with Wei Fan and other high-ranking members of the immortal market.

Thinking of Wei Fan, who was currently at the eighth level of Qi Refining, while he himself had reached the sixth level, a hint of pride flashed in He Song's eyes.

Choosing formation crafting as his path had been the right decision.

Without the boost from the Spirit Gathering Formation, his cultivation progress would have been much slower.

He might have only just broken through to the fifth level by now.

However, despite his joy at reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, He Song's expression soon turned serious.

Now that he was at the sixth level, he needed to start thinking about how to break through to the late stages of Qi Refining.

What if he encountered an insurmountable bottleneck? This thought crossed He Song's mind as his gaze fell on his storage bag.

Inside the storage bag, one hundred spirit stones gleamed brightly.

A talisman brush, talisman ink, and talisman paper were neatly arranged within.

"Fortunately, everything is ready. Once I become a talisman master, even if the bottleneck is difficult, the spirit fields will at least provide enough spirit stones to purchase a Breakthrough Pill."

(End of Chapter)