Chapter 84
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Chapter 84: Finally Seeing the Return of Money
Five days had passed since the "Lu Zhi Monk" killing incident.
Initially, there was a wave of panic both inside and outside Yunshan City.
Feeling deeply humiliated, the outer sect headquarters issued a wanted notice and dispatched a large number of enforcement disciples to search the surrounding areas of the mountain gate for the murderer’s whereabouts.
However, the countryside and wilderness are vastly different from the city, offering countless hiding spots.
Finding someone in such a vast area was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
The incident had occurred abruptly, and the "Lu Zhi Monk" had disappeared without a trace. Despite the substantial bounty offered by the headquarters, no one managed to claim the reward.
As days went by, the situation gradually calmed down, and the guards in Yunshan City ceased inspecting the storage bags of loose cultivators.
Continuing such measures would only provoke widespread resentment among the loose cultivators.
This would not bode well for the Yunyang Sect.
In reality, many outer sect disciples go missing or die under mysterious circumstances each year.
Some may have fallen victim to evil spirits, others to bandits, and some may have met their demise by venturing recklessly into the outer regions.
Rarely are these incidents thoroughly investigated.
Over time, even the patrons of the tea houses forgot the name "Lu Zhi Monk."
No one spoke of it anymore.
Unless he were to commit another crime!
But Wang Chen had already retired the alias of "Lu Zhi Monk."
One should not push their luck too far.
Although the outer sect headquarters had not uncovered his identity, it did not mean the Yunyang Sect was powerless to track down the murderer.
Take, for example, the Heavenly Merit technique!
This technique could delve into the threads of cause and effect.
Even if it couldn’t directly pinpoint Wang Chen’s true identity, it could still uncover relevant clues.
However, this spell is exceedingly profound, and very few within the Yunyang Sect have mastered it.
Moreover, casting the Heavenly Merit technique not only drains one’s cultivation level but also shortens one’s lifespan.
Which Purple Palace master would be willing to sacrifice their cultivation and lifespan for a few low-level disciples?
After all, they are not their own offspring!
Nevertheless, Wang Chen reminded himself not to engage in such activities frequently.
Although the prospect of killing for treasure and gaining Heavenly Merit is tempting, a single misstep leading to exposure would mean certain death with no place for burial!
Escape would be nearly impossible.
Whether inner sect or outer sect disciples, all have soul tokens kept within the sect.
The sect can monitor the life and death of its disciples.
It can also use these soul tokens to track down traitors across vast distances.
This is undoubtedly an ace in the hole that restricts the disciples of the sect!
Even though the initial frenzy had passed, in the days that followed, Wang Chen continued to diligently work in the fields outside and practiced talisman-making at home.
He steadily improved his strength.
As steady as an old dog.
Winter passed, and the earth shed its white cloak. The warm spring breeze began to blow through the Tianyun Mountain range once again.
As everything came back to life, Wang Chen’s main cultivation, the Five Element Technique, reached a critical point.
The sixth level of Qi Training was imminent.
But the first breakthrough he made was in Beginner Talisman Making!
【Beginner Talisman Making · Experience +1】
【Beginner Talisman Making (basic level): 299/300】
In the hidden chamber, Wang Chen picked up the talisman brush. The talismans he had just completed, after "Dotting the True," glimmered brilliantly on the table.
Anyone could see that this was an almost perfect talisman!
Talismans of the same rank also vary in quality; an "Exorcism Talisman" drawn by a master talisman maker would certainly possess greater destructive power than that of an ordinary talisman maker.
After breaking through to the basic level, Wang Chen’s Beginner Talisman Making skill had reached a point where he could grasp the subtleties of this art with precision.
But that was not enough!
He did not want to be an ordinary craftsman, repeating mechanical tasks like an assembly line worker.
Add points!
【Beginner Talisman Making (advanced level): 0/400】
It only cost him 1 point of Virtue, and his Beginner Talisman Making skill directly entered the realm of advanced level.
Thanks to his 5 points of comprehension, Wang Chen could now accurately control the process of skill enhancement.
He was confident in his ability to break through the first two stages on his own.
Unless absolutely necessary, he would rely on his own hard work.
The difficulty of achieving breakthroughs suddenly increased.
So he decisively added points!
This principle applied not only to talisman-making technique but to all skill training.
Thus, until now,
although Wang Chen hadn’t earned any Virtue recently,
with his past accumulation, he had more than enough to elevate multiple spells to higher levels.
Upon entering the advanced level, a flash of inspiration instantly surged through his mind.
It felt as if he had suddenly unlocked a certain acupoint.
Wang Chen reached for a new piece of talisman paper, and his right hand skillfully dipped the talisman brush into some Spiritual Ink.
With the brush dancing like a dragon across the paper, he swiftly inscribed three true seal characters that filled the surface.
Finally, he completed the "Dotting the True" in one go!
Exhilarating!
Though Wang Chen’s dantian was nearly drained of magical power and his spirit was thoroughly exhausted,
the Falling Fire talisman he crafted at the advanced level allowed him to genuinely savor the comfort and delight that comes with advancing one’s realm.
It felt as though everything was within his control!
Increased speed, reduced consumption, and even more impeccable quality.
If talismans produced at the basic level scored a 7, then those at the advanced level would easily rate at least an 8.5!
Putting down the talisman brush, Wang Chen took a moment to admire his latest masterpiece.
He set this talisman aside separately.
On the other side of the table, a thick stack of identical talismans was neatly arranged.
All of them were Falling Fire talismans!
He had mastered all two hundred thirty-seven talisman illustrations and three hundred nine true seal characters from the "Basic Talismans Illustrated."
Wang Chen had already created over thirty types of talismans, primarily Falling Fire, Wind Blade, Lightning Strike, Exorcism, Rebirth, Flash, and Protection— the most commonly used legal symbols among cultivators.
But the talisman he used to enhance his skill proficiency was solely the Falling Fire talisman!
This was because his success rate in creating Falling Fire talismans was the highest, and the effects of the completed talismans were superior.
As long as his magical power and spirit held steady, his experience points soared rapidly, making his efforts incredibly efficient!
The only issue was that Wang Chen had already amassed several hundred Falling Fire talismans.
That night, after fully replenishing his magical power and energy,
he threw himself into the task with renewed vigor and produced fifty new Falling Fire talismans, achieving a success rate so high it was almost unbelievable!
He had nearly depleted all his talisman paper.
What a rush!
Wang Chen had already decided to keep these Falling Fire talismans for self-defense.
Then he would sell off a portion of his previously accumulated stock.
It was a way to replace the old with the new.
He really had no other choice.
Not to mention the usual training expenses, just the experience points gained from creating talismans had cost him nearly two hundred spirit fragments.
He felt like he was sitting idle, watching his resources dwindle.
If it weren’t for a few instances of killing and looting that had earned him spirit stones, Wang Chen wouldn’t have made it this far.
And this method of acquiring spirit stones wasn’t exactly righteous.
He would never take the initiative to do such things.
Now that his Beginner Talisman Making skill had reached the advanced level, using talismans to sustain his talismans was no longer a problem.
After calculating the prices of these talismans, Wang Chen truly felt a surge of excitement.
Finally, he could see a return on his investment!
He decided to head to Yunshan City tomorrow and refill his once-depleted storage bag.
Pe551
Thanks for the chapter ┌(・。・)┘♪┌(・。・)┘♪