Draw the Flame Rune!

After a pleasant chat, the three of them had a preliminary understanding of each other.

The Talisman knowledge delivered to his doorstep was a gift he couldn't refuse; with Mu Xinling's explanation, he expected drawing Talismans would be much easier.

........

Early the next morning.

Just like before, Li Tan and Wang Longzhi arrived at Tuisu Mountain Peak early.

Looking around, a large group of what seemed to be either Utility Disciples or Low Grade Disciples were busy working on the Materials in their hands.

Every single one of them was engrossed in their work, not daring to show the slightest slack.

Two Disciples responsible for managing them constantly wandered back and forth, checking the quality of the Materials and ensuring no one was slacking off or causing delays.

Among several Materials, an item lay quietly, instantly making Li Tan's eyes light up.

"Corpse Fiend!"

The Corpse Fiend retained the form and agility of a person, the only difference being its skin.

Its skin was rougher, with jagged green scales, and its hair had turned into white roots.

A subordinate swiftly severed the Corpse Fiend's neck; there was no cry of agony, or rather, it was incapable of making a sound.

Its trembling body signified its pain and also its impending release.

That subordinate took out a piece of Corpse Fiend meat, carefully dropped it into a stone cauldron, and, combined with several strange spiritual Materials, refined it over a large fire.

They continuously stirred it with a stone spoon, and the pungent smell was quite repulsive, though this was only one step of the process.

On the other side, a subordinate held a stone hammer, continuously striking bright golden Ore until it became fine gold dust.

The gold dust would be inspected one by one by three supervisors, and only after confirmation would it be placed on a special stone platform for further refining.

During this, there were inevitably some flawed pieces of gold dust, and those subordinates who made mistakes were treated like weeds, to be cut down at will.

Drawing closer, one could hear the voice of a small leader: "A bunch of worthless things, listen up! Here, even if you're a Dragon, you'll have to coil for me. Don't harbor any ill intentions."

"All of you, work hard! If there are any defective products, your heads will pay for it!"

As soon as this small leader turned around, he saw Li Tan and Wang Longzhi, and immediately greeted them with a smiling face, kneeling down in deference, a complete change from his previous demeanor.

There was no trace of his arrogant attitude; the word 'docile' suited him much better.

Li Tan nodded slightly, indicating his acknowledgment, while Wang Longzhi acted as if he hadn't seen anything, closely following by Li Tan's side.

Master Xu Yan was in the foremost seat, eyes closed in meditation, with no one around; no audacious subordinate dared to approach him.

In front of the Disciples, Xu Yan was a gentle and benevolent Revered Master, but to the subordinates, he appeared in a completely different light.

Cruelty, cold-blooded murder, and unpredictable moods had all become synonymous with him.

A trivial matter could lead to the deaths of entire groups of subordinates, and even if someone simply looked displeasing, he could crush them from a distance.

As time passed, the Senior Brothers gradually appeared, greeting each other, yet completely forgetting about the two of them.

They didn't even glance in their direction, as if Li Tan and Wang Longzhi had never existed.

The last person to arrive was Yue Shiwei; unlike the indifferent crowd, she greeted the two of them very warmly.

There was no hint of people leaving as the tea cooled, which made Li Tan have a good impression of her.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the Disciples respectfully bowed to Master Xu Yan: "Disciples pay respects to Revered Master."

Xu Yan, seated high, slowly opened his eyes, a sharp sword-like gleam in them, and an invisible pressure instantly swept across the entire Yanwu Arena.

"Since my Disciples are all gathered, let us begin drawing Talismans."

Xu Yan lightly lifted his Talisman brush, letting gold dust fall onto the Talisman paper, and the fluctuations of spiritual Qi grew stronger.

Ripples spread through the space, and the Talisman paper had already broken through mortal limitations, occasionally emitting flames.

With each stroke, the patterns on the Talisman paper became dense, and a hint of a violent aura could faintly be felt.

The patterns appeared reddish-orange, shimmering with a luster, and the heart-pounding power gradually stabilized.

Li Tan stared with wide eyes, trying not to miss any detail of the Talisman drawing, as this concerned Revered Master's attitude towards him.

A dazzling light appeared in everyone's eyes, and the drawing of the Talisman was complete.

Xu Yan stopped his movements and gently placed the Talisman brush, which had lost one-tenth of its power, on the table.

The Materials in the stone plate had also been used up by a small notch, along with the cost of one Talisman paper.

Li Tan pondered, "The cost of refining Talismans is quite high; each time, a considerable amount of Materials will be consumed."

If it were a high-grade Talisman, the required consumption would surely be an incredibly terrifying number.

Talisman Revered Masters also seemed to be a money-burning profession, though if the success rate was high, the income would also be substantial.

Recalling Xu Yan's Talisman refining process, it was simply effortless and masterful, with almost no wasted resources.

Presumably, Revered Master's Realm in drawing Talismans had already reached the level of a Scholar!

......

Xu Yan's eyes swept over the crowd, and he slowly said:

"My Disciples, the Talisman I have drawn is called Lieyan! Its grade is First Grade Peak."

"You may come forward to observe; after the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, each of you must draw one First Grade Low Grade Lieyan Talisman."

The Lieyan Talisman is of Yang attribute, countering all evil spirits, dark attributes, Yin attributes, and... Corpse Fiend!

Once Supreme Yang emerges, all evil demons and crooked Daos will become rats hiding everywhere.

No one dared to delay, and they eagerly moved forward to observe the detailed patterns of the Lieyan Talisman.

The Dao of Talismans is indeed profound and difficult to fathom; a seemingly casual stroke actually conceals profound mysteries.

The control of spiritual Qi was just right, the gold dust served as their skeleton, and the final finishing touch adorned them with a magnificent robe.

"It truly is a wondrous and incredible feat!"

Li Tan's eyes were fixed, and he became quite interested.

If he could learn to refine Talismans, even if it was just the lowest-grade First Grade Low Grade Talismans, he could earn a fortune.

Where there is demand, there will be a market; weak Cultivators are endless, and the conditions for promoting Talismans are almost negligible.

This also means that the status of Talismans might wane but will never perish.

"Time is up. All of you, go and refine Talismans. Be careful with the control of spiritual Qi."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew; progress gradually."

Everyone cupped their hands, expressing that they would remember Xu Yan's words.

The deliberate exclusion by the Senior Brothers led to the two of them once again sharing a table, with the Materials and gold dust already prepared.

The subordinates obsequiously brought the required Talisman paper, Talisman brush, Yan Ink....

Wang Longzhi yawned, his face full of distraction.

His aloof attitude quickly caught Xu Yan's attention.

"Slap!"

The familiar sound of a slap... was not absent, and the wailing Wang Longzhi was just like before.

The Yan attribute ink paste emitted a scorching heat; if it touched a corner of clothing, it would likely instantly burn to a crisp.

Li Tan took out a piece of Talisman paper, gently placed it on the stone platform, and dipped the Talisman brush in some Yan Ink.

He began his first ever attempt at drawing a Talisman in his life....

The Talisman paper was of the lowest grade, yet it was still quite valuable.