Chapter 90: Success Rate

For a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator, crafting a low-grade Earth Talisman didn't require too much mental or spiritual energy.

However, if He Song were to craft a mid-grade Earth Talisman, producing one per day would already be quite an achievement

. A mid-grade Earth Talisman could withstand several attacks from a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and the spiritual energy it contained was naturally immense.

With He Song's sixth-level cultivation, crafting such a talisman would instantly drain most of his spiritual energy, forcing him to recover before attempting another.

But at the moment, He Song wasn't crafting mid-grade Earth Talismans; he was crafting low-grade ones. Naturally, this required far less spiritual energy.

Continuing his work, He Song focused intently, his brush moving swiftly as intricate talisman patterns took shape on the paper.

With the final stroke, the paper flashed with light, and He Song felt a portion of his spiritual energy being absorbed.

Once the absorption stopped, the paper before him had successfully transformed into a low-grade Earth Talisman worth five spirit stones.

Feeling the slight decrease in his spiritual energy, a flicker of joy crossed He Song's face.

His fourth attempt at crafting a talisman had succeeded!

"Two successes and two failures—a fifty percent success rate? No, it's too early to calculate. I've only crafted four talismans so far. Only with a larger sample size can I truly determine my success rate," He Song thought, shaking his head to dispel any sense of complacency.

A low-grade Earth Talisman had a market price of five spirit stones, but the materials required to craft it—talisman ink and paper—cost two spirit stones.

Factoring in the wear and tear on the talisman brush, the cost would be slightly higher.

However, since a talisman brush could be used for a long time without breaking, its cost was relatively low.

In essence, if a talisman master's success rate didn't reach fifty percent, they were likely to operate at a loss.

Even with a fifty percent success rate, crafting two talismans to ensure one success would only yield a profit of one spirit stone.

Crafting a talisman required two spirit stones in materials, and selling one brought in five spirit stones. If it took three attempts to succeed, the talisman master would lose one spirit stone.

This pricing was the result of intense competition among talisman masters. With so many people capable of crafting talismans, those who couldn't achieve a fifty percent success rate were effectively shut out of the market.

He Song found it hard to believe that after just one year of studying the introductory chapter of talisman crafting and attempting it himself, his success rate was already around fifty percent.

Typically, an ordinary cultivator would need at least two years to master the introductory chapter before even attempting to craft a talisman.

He Song's faster progress was due to his mid-stage Qi Refining cultivation and his prior experience with formation crafting, which gave him a solid foundation.

Ordinary cultivators learning talisman crafting had to memorize the talisman patterns from the introductory chapter and internalize them before they could begin practical work.

Their initial success rates were usually quite low. Succeeding twice out of ten attempts was already considered a sign of talent.

Most ordinary cultivators only succeeded once out of ten attempts, or not at all.

Moreover, talisman crafting required spirit stones. Each attempt cost at least two spirit stones in materials. Failure meant a total loss.

Of course, one could continue studying the introductory chapter to improve their success rate before attempting to craft talismans.

This was why most cultivators only began mastering the various arts of cultivation after reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators were simply too poor.

Only after reaching the mid-stage, when their income increased, could they afford to learn talisman crafting.

This was also why Meng Guan, in his letter to He Song, expressed regret at not having learned a skill during his mid-stage Qi Refining years.

Over the following days, He Song used up the remaining six sets of talisman crafting materials.

In the end, out of ten attempts, he succeeded three times, producing three low-grade Earth Talismans.

This result filled He Song with quiet satisfaction. It seemed that his early study of formations and the inherent advantages of his soul made him more suited to talisman crafting than the average cultivator.

With a success rate of over thirty percent on his first attempt, He Song believed that with further study of the introductory chapter and continued practice, he could soon raise his success rate to over fifty percent.

Once that happened, it would be time to announce his identity as a talisman master.

When his status as a talisman master became widely known, He Song's gaze turned to the quiet room, where the small cargo storage bag still held over eleven thousand pounds of spirit rice.

At that point, he could use his position to sell the rice, earning over one thousand one hundred spirit stones. With that, he would never lack spirit stones again.

After storing the three low-grade Earth Talismans, He Song decided to wait a little longer. He would wait until his success rate truly reached fifty percent before taking action.

In the meantime, He Song's life returned to its usual rhythm. During the day, he oversaw the herb garden, cultivating amidst its rich spiritual energy and gradually advancing toward the seventh level of Qi Refining.

At night, he returned home to continue studying the introductory chapter of talisman crafting.

Occasionally, he would practice drawing talisman patterns with an uninked brush, trying to capture the feeling of crafting a talisman.

However, with his spirit stones running low, He Song couldn't afford to practice talisman crafting regularly.

He decided to wait another year, until he received his annual stipend, before purchasing more materials. Until then, he would use the uninked brush to familiarize himself with the process.

As for actually crafting talismans, he would wait until he had the funds to buy materials.

For now, without having announced his identity as a talisman master, He Song couldn't explain the source of his spirit stones. He decided to wait another year.

After all, the small cargo storage bag had enough space to hold several more harvests of spirit rice, and the rice wouldn't spoil inside it.

Rather than taking risks for the sake of a little time, He Song chose to stick to his plan. This way, he could ensure his safety and avoid any loss of the spirit rice he had worked so hard to grow.

(End of Chapter)