Chapter 194: Talismans
Since rogue cultivators rarely used talismans, Mo Hua had never even seen one in person, so the matter had long slipped from his mind.
Now, as the conversation turned to refining tools and the topic of creating talismans arose, Mo Hua suddenly remembered and asked about it.
Master Chen tugged his beard, furrowing his brows as he considered, "I'm neither a formation master nor a talisman master, so I can't speak with authority. But since you asked, I'll tell you what I know."
After speaking, he added, "But this is all just casual talk. Take it as a reference, don't take it too seriously."
"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded repeatedly.
"As far as I know, talisman crafting is both a branch of formations and a branch of tool refinement."
"Formations and refining mixed together?" Mo Hua was taken aback.
Master Chen glared at him, half amused, half exasperated. "Don't put it so harshly. All the branches of cultivation are independent yet interconnected."
Mo Hua pondered, then said, "Like how an alchemist's refining furnace depends on a tool refiner to make it, and the furnace the tool refiner makes relies on a formation master to design formations. And the ink the formation master uses sometimes needs the alchemist's spiritual elixir?"
"Exactly right." Master Chen nodded approvingly, then continued on talismans:
"Over the years, cultivation disciplines have evolved, and talismans naturally developed along the way…"
"The earliest talismans were very similar to formations, or you could say they were simplified formations. Drawn on paper and activated with spiritual power, they produced some effects of a formation."
"But these early talismans had many problems. Paper was hard to preserve, spiritual power was hard to seal, and their effectiveness fluctuated with the cultivator's power. Using spiritual stones to activate them was inconvenient."
"The main issue, though, was prestige. Talisman masters were often looked down upon as low-level formation masters, naturally a rank beneath others. Who could bear that?"
"After years of development, many talented cultivators improved and transformed talismans completely. Today, talismans have become a cultivation discipline distinct from both formations and tool refinement."
"What exactly changed?" Mo Hua asked, curious.
Master Chen replied, "Many things. At least in form, they're very different. Today, jade talismans replace paper ones. They no longer simply store spiritual power or formations, but specialized spells. This makes them easier to preserve and use."
"Specialized spells?"
"Yes. Talismans are like one-time-use spells. Simple, convenient, usable once your cultivation reaches the right level, and not limited by your spiritual root attributes."
"That sounds amazing!" Mo Hua felt intrigued.
"Powerful, yes, but expensive too." Master Chen exhaled in disbelief.
"The cost must be high."
Master Chen nodded. "Making talismans requires jade to craft the talisman itself. Jade isn't cheap, and higher-grade talismans require more expensive materials. The crafting also incorporates some techniques from tool refinement, including simple formation structures inside. A talisman master must learn special methods to seal the spell into the jade talisman."
Mo Hua shook his head. "Expensive and troublesome."
"Exactly." Master Chen agreed.
"No wonder I've never seen them, so costly that most can't afford them."
Even if one obtained a talisman by chance, it was often more practical to sell it for spiritual stones than to use it personally.
Mo Hua asked, "Any other differences?"
"There are surely some, but this is all I know," Master Chen said. "These are superficial things I learned when helping a talisman master refine tools and chatting casually. As for the deeper secrets, I have no knowledge."
He added apologetically, "I'm not a talisman master, so I'm clueless about crafting talismans."
Mo Hua said, "No matter, I'm clueless too!"
Master Chen smiled. "Then when you learn more in the future, come tell me about it."
"Deal!" Mo Hua answered with a laugh.
After realizing they had talked for quite a while and it was getting late, Mo Hua stood to leave. "Master Chen, I'll head back now. The matter of the refining workshop is settled."
"Don't worry," Master Chen replied without trying to keep him, turning to Dazhu. "Dazhu, see him off."
"Yes!" Dazhu replied cheerfully.
Dazhu escorted Mo Hua home. Along the way, they chatted, with Dazhu sharing some recent interesting stories, which Mo Hua listened to eagerly.
The great world is full of wonders, and among countless cultivators, all sorts of chaotic events naturally occur.
Mo Hua absorbed the stories, broadening his understanding of cultivation.
At home, Mo Hua offered Dazhu some food. Dazhu smiled shyly and accepted generously.
The issue with the tool refiners was temporarily resolved. Next, attention turned to Master Chen.
Having refined tools in Tongxian City for many years, Chen knew many cultivators, including a fair number of familiar tool refiners. He should be able to persuade several to join the new workshop.
Mo Hua then considered another problem.
The Artifact Refining Workshop was smoothly established, but there was still the Alchemy Workshop. Tongxian City had even fewer alchemists, and they would likely be harder to recruit.
Preparation was essential. Acting at the last moment without sufficient planning would inevitably cause difficulties.
Mo Hua took some food and wine to the Apricot Medicinal Hall to see Elder Feng.
"Grandpa Feng, I've come to visit you!" Mo Hua said with a bright smile.
Elder Feng glanced at him, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Something on your mind?"
Mo Hua looked puzzled. "Is it that obvious?"
Elder Feng smiled. "I've watched you grow up."
"Oh."
Since Elder Feng asked, Mo Hua didn't beat around the bush and explained the matters of the Artifact Refining and Alchemy workshops.
Elder Feng listened carefully, growing serious. "Elder Yu really intends to do this, and is acting on it?"
Mo Hua nodded.
Elder Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, I'll agree to this."
Elder Feng, a healer with a benevolent heart, would naturally support something that truly benefited the lower-tier wandering rogue cultivators of Tongxian City.
Mo Hua had expected this, but was still pleased that Elder Feng would truly agree.
"Thank you, Grandpa Feng!"
"Though I agree, there's one thing you must be mentally prepared for," Elder Feng added.
"Mentally prepared?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
Elder Feng paused, then continued, "Some things, though begun with good intentions, inevitably end in chaos due to conflicting interests and unpredictable human hearts."
Mo Hua paused to consider and found his words made sense.
"I'll remember, Grandpa Feng," Mo Hua said earnestly.
After thinking a moment, he added, "But since it benefits everyone, what must be done should still be done. Even if things go awry later, we can deal with it then. We cannot let fear prevent us from acting."
Elder Feng looked at Mo Hua, slightly surprised, then smiled in deep satisfaction and nodded. "Exactly. Even if the end is a mess, what must be done must still be done resolutely."
(End of Chapter)