41: Second-tier threshold

After seeing off that sucker... no, the God of Wealth Chen Zhaozu, Zhou Wannian didn't rush back to the secret room. Instead, he cheerfully watered the few stalks of Spiritual Bamboo in the courtyard used to decorate the place.

"Thirty Spirit Stones for ten tranquility talismans."

"That's just a few pieces of scrap paper plus some watered-down cinnabar; the cost is less than one Spirit Stone."

Zhou Wannian hummed an unknown little tune while watering. "Earning money in the Inner District is indeed easier than in the Outer District. Even a pile of crap can be sold at the price of gold here as long as it's wrapped in gold foil."

Of course, this was also thanks to his 'conscientious' pricing strategy and 'unique' product efficacy.

After enjoying a moment of leisure, Zhou Wannian focused his mind, hung up a 'Closed for Cultivation, Do Not Disturb' sign, and dove into the underground secret room.

Although making quick money felt great, he hadn't forgotten what his core competitiveness was.

"I have the second-tier talisman brush, and I have the Divine Sense of a fifth-level Qi Refining stage cultivator."

Zhou Wannian sat before the desk, his expression turning solemn. "It's time to challenge that threshold."

The gap between the first and second tiers is a natural chasm in a Talisman master's career.

First-tier Talismans, whether Low Grade or peak grade, are essentially a form of 'transporting' and 'compressing' Spiritual Qi. Second-tier Talismans, however, involve the use of a trace of 'rules,' requiring the Divine Sense to be perfectly integrated into the runes to grant the Talisman a touch of 'spirituality.'

Zhou Wannian took out a sheet of 'High-Grade Thunder-Light Paper' worth five Spirit Stones and mixed a bowl of that pitch-black 'Special Thunder Ink' blended with charcoal powder.

"Old partner, it's up to you."

He gripped the turtle spirit brush engraved with a tortoise and took a deep breath.

He lifted the brush and applied the ink.

However, as soon as the tip of the brush touched the Talisman paper, Zhou Wannian felt something was wrong.

It was too smooth!

The conduction of spiritual power through this second-tier talisman brush had absolutely no resistance. It was like someone used to driving a tractor suddenly sitting in a Ferrari—step on the gas just a little too hard, and the car bolts!

"Slow down! Slow down!"

Sweat beaded on Zhou Wannian's forehead as he desperately tried to control the brush strokes.

But his 'Spiral Drawing Method,' which was already etched into his very bones, emphasized a kind of wild centrifugal force. Encountering this extremely sensitive brush, the spiral patterns that should have been tight instantly spiraled out of control like a runaway horse.

Zzzzzzt—!

The thunder spiritual power on the Talisman paper began to go haywire. Purple electric arcs danced frantically at the brush tip, letting out a tooth-aching screech.

"Steady... stay steady for me... ahhh, it's going to blow!"

Zhou Wannian's pupils shrank. Almost instinctively, he skillfully dove under the table and slapped a Vajra Talisman onto himself.

BOOM!!!

A dull, massive explosion erupted in the secret room.

The Thunder-Light Paper worth five Spirit Stones instantly turned to ash. The violent thunder spiritual power, carrying the black ink (charcoal powder), performed an indiscriminate spray throughout the enclosed small space.

A moment later.

Zhou Wannian crawled out from under the table, looking disheveled and soot-covered.

His recently changed green Daoist robe had been blown into a beggar's outfit. His hair stood on end, still emitting black smoke, and his face looked like he'd just crawled out of a coal kiln, with only his eyes showing white.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Zhou Wannian spat out a puff of black smoke. Looking at the mess in the room, his heart ached intensely.

"Five Spirit Stones..."

"That one bang was enough for me to eat spiritual rice in the Outer District for three months."

This was the threshold of second-tier Talismans.

Without enough proficiency and micro-control over spiritual power, even with the best equipment, one is just a blacksmith hitting his own foot with a golden hammer.

"It seems if you take too big a step, you'll pull a muscle."

Zhou Wannian shook his head with a bitter smile.

He didn't rush to start a second attempt. Instead, he decided to go out for some fresh air and take a bath. Forcing himself to draw Talismans in this state would be picking a fight with his own wallet... He walked out of the secret room and into the courtyard.

Zhou Wannian had just drawn a bucket of well water, preparing to wash the black soot off his face.

BOOM!!!

Suddenly, an explosion even louder than his own just now came from next door.

The ground even trembled slightly. Immediately after, a thick burnt smell mixed with a strange herbal scent drifted over the courtyard wall.

"Hmm?"

Zhou Wannian was stunned, the towel in his hand not yet reaching his face.

Is this... the neighbor on the left?

He remembered that in the neighboring courtyard, Grade A Number 87, lived a female cultivator who kept to herself. She had been there for a month, but they hadn't really met.

While Zhou Wannian was wondering, the Restriction light screen of the neighboring courtyard fluctuated. Clearly, the defensive Formation had just withstood a heavy impact.

Then, the courtyard gate opened.

A figure stumbled out, seemingly also wanting to get some fresh air.

Their eyes met.

Zhou Wannian had an afro of exploded hair, a face full of black soot, and a wet towel in his hand, looking like a refugee who had just been struck by lightning.

As for the female cultivator opposite him... she was wearing an Alchemist robe that should have been plain white, but was now blown into a smoky gray, with several holes burned into the hem. Her originally smooth long hair was now disheveled and messy. Her face was also patches of black and white, and she was clutching a handful of charred, unknown herbs.

"..."

"..."

The air suddenly went silent for a few seconds.

An awkward atmosphere called 'commiseration' spread between the two 'explosion enthusiasts.'

Finally, it was Zhou Wannian who broke the silence.

He gave a dry cough, trying his best to look like a decent person (though it was difficult), and cupped his hands:

"That... Fellow Daoist, that commotion... was quite unique, wasn't it?"

The female cultivator was stunned for a moment, as if she had only just realized how terrible her current image was. A flash of embarrassment crossed her face, but she quickly regained that cold expression (though it wasn't very convincing with her messy face).

"Alchemy. The furnace exploded."

Her voice was crisp but carried a coldness that kept people at a distance, along with a trace of fatigue she couldn't hide.

"Oh, Alchemy."

Zhou Wannian nodded and pointed at himself. "What a coincidence. I was drawing Talismans, and the paper exploded."

The female cultivator glanced at Zhou Wannian's appearance, which was even more pathetic than hers. The corners of her originally tight mouth twitched imperceptibly, as if she wanted to laugh, but feeling it would be impolite, she forced herself to hold it in.

"I am Zhou Wannian, a Talisman master who moved in not long ago."

Zhou Wannian introduced himself. "I've opened a small shop right here. If Fellow Daoist needs any Talismans, you can come to me. For a neighbor, I'll give a discount."

"Tang Ruyan."

The female cultivator was sparing with her words, offering only her name. She then looked at the charred herbs in her hand and sighed. "I don't need Talismans. However... if you know how to clean stubborn medicinal residue from a Pill Furnace, I could pay you in Spirit Stones."

Cleaning medicinal residue?

Zhou Wannian's eyes lit up.

Isn't this right up my... no, isn't this my specialty?

"To be honest, I have some insight into the 'way of decontamination.'"

Zhou Wannian revealed a row of pearly white teeth, which looked exceptionally bright against his soot-covered face. "I specialize in treating all kinds of difficult ailments following furnace or Talisman explosions. Not only can I clear medicinal residue, I can even help Fellow Daoist wash that dharma robe while I'm at it."

Tang Ruyan gave him a skeptical look.

"Really?"

"No charge if it doesn't work."

...Half an hour later.

Inside Tang Ruyan's courtyard.

Zhou Wannian stood before that Pill Furnace, which was still emitting black smoke and had a thick layer of black grime inside, holding a special Earthworm Version Cleaning Talisman.

"Fellow Daoist Tang, watch closely."

"Haste!"

Slap.

The Talisman was stuck into the furnace chamber.

Buzz—!

The familiar spiral suction erupted.

Those stubborn medicinal residues (Pill Poison polymers) that even spiritual fire couldn't melt and shovels couldn't scrape off began to crack and peel away under the onslaught of the Cleaning Talisman. Finally, they turned into streaks of black smoke and were forcibly sucked into the Talisman paper.

In just ten breaths.

The originally filthy interior of the Pill Furnace became as bright as new, and even the Formation patterns on the furnace walls became clearer.

Standing to the side, Tang Ruyan's cold eyes instantly widened, her face full of disbelief.

As an Alchemist, her biggest headache was the cleanup after a furnace explosion. Those residues were not only hard to remove but would also affect the quality of the next batch of pills. Usually, she needed to spend half a day slowly soaking it with special 'Furnace-Washing Water.'

But this neighbor, who didn't seem very reliable, actually used just one... ugly talisman that looked like an earthworm and finished it in ten seconds?

"This... what kind of Talisman is this?"

Tang Ruyan couldn't help but ask, her tone losing some coldness and gaining some shock.

"Powerful Decontamination Talisman."

Zhou Wannian made up a name on the spot. "Exclusive secret recipe, not for public disclosure."

He carefully put the scrap Talisman, now saturated with Pill Poison, into a jade box (this was good stuff; if he saved up enough, it could be used as a poison gas bomb), and then clapped his hands.

"Done. That'll be two Spirit Stones, please."

Tang Ruyan didn't waste words and directly pulled out two Spirit Stones to hand to him, her eyes even carrying a hint of eagerness.

"Fellow Daoist Zhou, do you sell this kind of Talisman?"

"I do."

Zhou Wannian smiled. "But drawing this Talisman is exhausting (actually the cost is extremely low), so there's a limited supply."

"I'll take them all."

Tang Ruyan made a startling statement. "I've been trying a new Pill Formula recently, and the frequency of furnace explosions is quite high. I need at least... five of these Talismans a day."

Zhou Wannian: "..."

Good heavens.

Five a day?

Are you performing Alchemy or demolition?

It seems this cold-looking female neighbor is also a violent person at heart.

"Deal."

Zhou Wannian readily agreed. This was a long-term meal ticket, and he could also recycle a large amount of 'Pill Poison.' Why not?

...After bidding farewell to his new major client, Tang Ruyan, Zhou Wannian returned to his secret room in a great mood.

He took a bath and changed his clothes, feeling completely refreshed.

"Although I had one explosion, it wasn't without gain."

Zhou Wannian sat back at the desk and looked at the turtle spirit brush.

The failure just now made him realize a problem: he was too greedy.

He wanted to reach the heavens in one step by directly using the 'Spiral Drawing Method' to master the complex structure of second-tier Talismans. The result was taking too big a step and pulling a muscle.

"One bite at a time."

"Since second-tier Talismans are too difficult, why don't I take a step back?"

"I won't draw those 'orthodox second-tier Talismans' that require precise micro-control. I'll only draw what I'm good at."

"I'm going to upgrade the Thunder Duke Drill."

The Thunder Duke Drill is essentially a variant of a first-tier High Grade Talisman. Its power comes from physical penetration and thunderous detonation.

If he used the ultra-high conductivity of this second-tier talisman brush to superimpose another layer inside the spiral structure of the Thunder Duke Drill... 'a double helix?'

No, that was the previous way of thinking.

"This time, I'm going to add some spice."

Zhou Wannian thought of the highly corrosive 'Pill Poison' he had collected while helping Tang Ruyan clean her Pill Furnace.

If he mixed this 'Pill Poison' into the thunder ink... 'Lightning paralysis + physical penetration + poison gas corrosion.'

"Now that's what I call a true 'all-in-one service.'"

Zhou Wannian's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

This was no longer a Talisman; it was a biochemical weapon.

But he didn't care.

"A man of the Gu Dao doesn't care about fair play."

He ground the ink again. This time, he carefully dripped a single drop of the dark green Pill Poison liquid he had just refined into that bowl of pitch-black thunder ink.

Sizzle—

The ink emitted a puff of green smoke and became even more viscous and eerie.

"Come on, baby."

Zhou Wannian lifted the brush and concentrated.

This time, he didn't pursue those extremely complex second-tier runes. Instead, he completely immersed his mind in the most familiar spiral structure.

The brush tip turned.

It was no longer a wild loss of control, but a rotation with rhythm.

The turtle spirit brush danced on the Talisman paper, laying down that poisonous thunder ink evenly on every node of the spiral.

There was no explosion.

Only a heart-palpitating 'sizzling' sound.

Half an hour later.

A Talisman that was entirely pitch-black, covered in dark green patterns, and looked ten times more sinister than before lay quietly on the table.

It didn't belong to the first tier, nor did it completely belong to the second tier.

It was a freak.

A freak that only a 'pervert' like Zhou Wannian could draw, combining the worst of all worlds (ugly, poisonous, and underhanded) into one—

The Second-Tier Poison Thunder Drill.

"Perfect."

Zhou Wannian looked at this Talisman and revealed a fatherly smile.

"Zhao Feng, although you're dead, your brush is really useful."

"With this, even if a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator accidentally takes a hit, they'd have to go to Neighbor Tang for an emergency visit, right?"

Outside the window, the sky was gradually darkening.

Zhou Wannian's life in the Inner District was gradually getting on track amidst these explosions and 'decontaminations.'