90: Chapter 90 Adaptation

By the time he returned to his cubicle, it was already the end of the Wei hour.

Lin Xuan had just sat down when a transmission Talisman in his robe began to warm slightly—it was a special sensory link that only he could perceive.

It was Chen Hao.

Injecting a trace of Qi, Chen Hao's voice resonated in his mind, carrying evident exhaustion and a smoky, raspy quality:

"Lin Xuan, have you finished work for the day? The Artifact Refining Peak is absolutely hellish—I've been forging sword blanks for three days straight, swinging the hammer at least five thousand times a day; my arms are almost too heavy to lift. Master says the front lines are pushing hard, and this batch of one thousand sword blanks must be delivered before the end of the month."

After a pause, his voice lowered slightly, tinged with a hint of excitement:

"But there are benefits, too. Seeing that I'm hardworking and reliable, Master taught me a set of 'Iron Forging Hands' techniques yesterday. He says it's the Foundation of Artifact Refining, but it's also useful for close-quarters combat."

"Right, how are things on your end? I heard the rules at the Hundred Talisman Hall are extremely strict. I heard several Disciples had their contribution points deducted because they couldn't meet their quotas, and two were even transferred to the front-line supply team?"

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment, then took out a transmission Talisman and injected Qi to respond:

"I'm doing fine; I can complete my daily quota. The Hundred Talisman Hall is strict, but it's safer than the front lines. Is our rest day set for the day after tomorrow? See you at the old spot."

The transmission Talisman burned to ash in his palm, transforming into a faint glimmer that flew out of the cubicle, streaking toward the Artifact Refining Peak.

After doing this, Lin Xuan spread out a fresh sheet of purple-patterned paper.

There was still time today, so he wanted to try crafting a Thunder Spear Talisman again.

Over the past half-month, he had attempted to draw a Thunder Spear Talisman every two or three days—this was another first-tier Medium Grade Talisman recorded in the Elementary Talisman True Interpretation.

It was a single-target attack with great power, but the drawing difficulty was higher than the Thunder Shield Talisman, requiring more stringent compression and control of Spiritual Qi.

At first, his success rate was less than thirty percent, but with the support of his Thunder Gathering talent, Lin Xuan's control over Thunder Spiritual Energy was naturally precise.

Coupled with the absolutely quiet and focused environment of the Hundred Talisman Hall, after repeated practice, his success rate had now risen to around forty percent.

Although it was still not high, at least he wasn't just incurring pure losses.

He dipped the brush tip fully into the thunder-pattern cinnabar.

He set the brush to paper.

Thunder Spiritual Energy surged out, gathering and compressing at the tip of the brush.

The first stroke, the second stroke... The Talisman structure of the Thunder Spear Talisman was vastly different from the Thunder Shield Talisman, focusing more on "penetration" and "burst," with sharp, aggressive brush movements and rigid turns.

The twelfth stroke required compressing the Thunder Spiritual Energy to its limit to form the prototype of the "spear tip."

Lin Xuan held his breath, the brush tip lightly tapping, rotating, and hooking back.

The Talisman paper trembled slightly, but it held steady.

The eighteenth stroke, the twenty-fourth stroke...

The twenty-seventh stroke, the final circular finishing stroke!

"Hum—"

A bright silver light erupted from the Talisman's surface before immediately receding.

Talisman complete!

Lin Xuan picked up this Thunder Spear Talisman and examined it carefully.

On the pale purple Talisman paper, the silver-white Talisman markings resembled a sharp spear, with a point of thunder radiance at the center that remained concentrated and did not dissipate, faintly exuding a piercing intent. The quality was top-tier.

He examined it for a moment, then carefully tucked the Thunder Spear Talisman into his Storage Pouch—placing it separately in an inner compartment, not mixed with the other Talismans.

He would not hand it in.

This was one of his trump cards.

The wartime acquisition price for a Thunder Spear Talisman was 30 points, 8 points higher than a Thunder Shield Talisman. If he could produce them steadily, his income would increase significantly.

But Lin Xuan did not intend to hand them in.

At least not now.

If he frequently handed in Thunder Spear Talismans, he would inevitably attract attention, and by then, the deacon might very well set a quota for Thunder Spear Talismans for him.

And his success rate for the Thunder Spear Talisman was only forty percent, while the material costs were higher.

Once he failed to meet the quota, having contribution points deducted was a minor matter, but if he were deemed to be "concealing skills to avoid conscription," that would be real trouble.

Hiding one's clumsiness meant not just hiding one's cultivation, but also hiding one's skills.

At the Hundred Talisman Hall, completing the quota, slightly exceeding it, and playing it steady was the least conspicuous way to live.

At the third quarter of the You hour, a low bell tolled within the hall.

It was time to finish work.

Lin Xuan packed up his tools, ensured the workbench was tidy, and only then walked out of the cubicle.

Outside the hall, the sky had already darkened, and the autumn evening breeze carried a bone-chilling cold, swirling the fallen leaves on the plaza.

Many Disciples were leaving in twos and threes, some looking relaxed, chatting and laughing as they headed toward the dining hall.

Others were dejected, walking alone in silence; still others were hurriedly turning back, clearly having failed to meet their quotas and needing to stay behind to finish their work.

"Senior Brother Zhou handed in seven Fire Rain Talismans again today, he's truly amazing!" a young Disciple said with envy.

"Amazing what?" his slightly older companion lowered his voice. "Didn't you see his complexion... I heard he spat out a mouthful of blood while adjusting his breath yesterday and only managed to hold on by secretly taking a 'Soul-Nourishing Pill'."

"Pushing himself that hard?"

"What else can he do? His Dao Companion is in the front-line combat unit, a Sword Cultivator from the Sharp Metal Peak, and every sortie is on the very front lines. Contribution points are spent like flowing water—buying Medicinal Pills, Talismans, life-saving Magical Artifacts... It's not enough, it's simply not enough."

"Sigh, how long is this war actually going to last..."

The sound of their conversation drifted over with the wind, then scattered with it.

Lin Xuan activated his Wind Control Technique, his Spiritual Qi lifting his body, and he drifted lightly toward Emerald Bamboo Peak.

Looking back, nearly one-seventh of the cubicles in the Hundred Talisman Hall were still lit—those were the Disciples who hadn't finished their quotas and were working overtime.

The warm yellow light shone through the transparent light barrier, flickering in the deepening night, like a field of silent stars.

Under the shadow of war, no one was at ease.

When he returned to his small courtyard, the night was as thick as ink.

Bamboo shadows swayed in the moonlight, rustling softly.

Lin Xuan first entered the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The space was still serene. The Thunder Spiritual Energy was dense, and with every breath, he could feel a tingling nourishment.

The thunder essence fruit tree had grown to over eight feet tall, its canopy like a cover.

At the tip of the thickest side branch, the pale purple flower bud had swelled another circle; the outlines of five petals were now clearly visible, and a faint, fresh fragrance was being emitted.

The fruit on the thunder-attracting vine was already the size of an infant's fist, intertwined with blue and purple, and electric sparks crackled and danced on its surface, occasionally bursting into tiny arcs of electricity.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse was hugging a tender leaf of a small thunder-pattern grass and gnawing on it. Its dark purple fur was glossy and shiny, and its aura was clearly more substantial than it had been half a month ago—ever since this little fellow broke through to Qi Refining Level 2, its growth speed had accelerated.

The Pangolin was curled up at the entrance of its burrow, its dark golden scales gleaming with a metallic luster under the illumination of the space's thunder light.

Sensing Lin Xuan's mental probe, it lifted its head, blinked its dark golden eyes, and conveyed a thought of "all is well."

Everything was fine.

Lin Xuan exited the space and began his cultivation for the night.

He circulated the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, and the Thunder Spiritual Energy surged through his Meridians like a river.

His Qi Refining Level 4 cultivation was advancing steadily; although there was still some distance to Level 5, his Foundation was becoming more solid with each passing day.

The speck of purple thunder seed at the core of his Qi vortex flickered with his breathing, becoming a fraction more solid with each flash.

The Origin Returning Qi Concealment Formula was also becoming increasingly proficient. Now, even if he maintained the facade of Qi Refining Level 2, he could sustain it for an entire day without any fluctuations. This Cultivation Technique was not far from Perfection.

After finishing his cultivation, the Zi hour had already passed.

Lin Xuan lay on the bamboo bed, listening to the wailing sound of the autumn wind sweeping through the bamboo forest outside the window.

The war had been going on for half a month.

He had adapted to the rhythm of the Hundred Talisman Hall, figured out the Sect's needs, and started consciously stockpiling resources.

Exchanging contribution points for Mid-Grade Spirit Stones and soul-calming flowers was just the first step.

The next step was to find opportunities to exchange for some healing Medicinal Pills and life-saving Talismans—they might not be used immediately, but he had to have reserves.

Everything seemed to be under control.

But deep down, there was always a faint unease, like a small beast before hibernation, restless in the depths of its burrow.

The fall of Iron Wall Pass, the mobilization of combat unit Disciples, the rationing of supplies, fellow Disciples working themselves to the point of vomiting blood while crafting Talismans... these fragmented scenes all pointed to one fact:

This war had only just begun.

And all he could do was hide himself well, steadily improve, stockpile resources, and wait for the right moment.