9: Chapter 9 Monopoly

Even after receiving a rap on the head, Ye Yisong did not forget the financial freedom he was about to achieve.

Before leaving, he asked Ye Jiexin for a Storage Pouch full of second-grade Materials and requested a few days off, claiming he needed to go home to consolidate his insights on crafting second-grade Talismans.

Ye Jiexin was quite understanding; after all, Ye Yisong had just become a second-grade Talisman Maker, and a Medium Grade one at that. He satisfied Ye Yisong's request, letting him float on cloud nine for a few days. However, he also set a minimum requirement: from one bag of second-grade Materials, he had to produce at least thirty second-grade Talismans.

After leaving Lingmu Peak, Ye Yisong could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart. His pace quickened many times over, and he dashed towards his courtyard.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Ye Yisong appeared in his courtyard. He took a large gulp of spirit spring water and adjusted his breathing. He then impatiently took out the Storage Pouch. After sweeping it with his Mental Energy, Ye Yisong realized that Ye Jiexin was truly good to him.

A moment ago, he had complained that the old man was too stingy, giving him only one Storage Pouch and expecting him to complete thirty second-grade Talismans. Now, seeing the contents, it was truly worth it.

He saw fifty second-grade Withered Vines, thirty second-grade Black Tortoise Shells, and ten pieces of second-grade Ice Jade lying quietly inside.

The Withered Vines were the primary Materials for crafting second-grade Great Fireball Talismans, while the Black Tortoise Shells were for crafting second-grade Black Tortoise Shield Talismans. The Black Tortoise shell was famously tough, making it the best choice for defensive Talismans. Finally, the Ice Jade was the Material for crafting second-grade Water Spear Talismans, named for its cold, jade-like texture.

Ye Yisong took out a Withered Vine and briefly recalled the layout of the Great Fireball Talisman's board in his mind before taking out his engraving knife to carve into the vine. As soon as he started, that mechanical voice rang out in Ye Yisong's mind: "Turn left at the road ahead." "Continue straight for five millimeters in the current direction." "Make a U-turn ahead and enter the second lane." ...

In less than thirty minutes, the board for a second-grade Great Fireball Talisman was carved. Ye Yisong took a breath and began infusing the board in his hand with Spiritual Qi. Having learned his lesson last time, he focused intently on controlling the flow of Spiritual Qi. He couldn't afford to be reckless again; it had been difficult enough to gain this bit of autonomy.

Ye Yisong knew that if he were injured due to the infusion, he would certainly face strict supervision from Ye Jiexin, making it difficult to be alone again, and his secret might not remain safe.

After all, success once or twice could be attributed to luck, but succeeding every time would be somewhat terrifying.

A quarter of an hour later, following Ye Yisong's shout: "Seal!" A brand-new Medium Grade second-grade Great Fireball Talisman appeared before Ye Yisong. What luck. Looking at his masterpiece, Ye Yisong felt as if a massive mountain of Spirit Stones was approaching him.

After a brief rest, Ye Yisong threw himself into the production of the second Great Fireball Talisman.

In less than half an hour, the second Great Fireball Talisman appeared.

However, this time it only reached Low Grade second-grade. While crafting the second Talisman, Ye Yisong felt increasingly powerless as he went on. He felt it might be because his mental exhaustion was too great; after all, he had crafted two Great Fireball Talismans in a row, and this was his first time doing so. Secondly, as he progressed, his Spiritual Qi became increasingly insufficient, and he almost failed to complete the infusion.

Ye Yisong looked at the two second-grade Great Fireball Talismans in his hand. Although he was now completely exhausted, he felt it was well worth it; the Dao of Talisman Making was right before his eyes.

He took a few Spirit Stones from his secret stash and slowly recovered his Spiritual Qi.

He couldn't help but think, if 798 could guide him in carving such complex Talisman boards, why couldn't it guide him in the infusion process? If 798 were guiding him during the infusion, he would like to ask, who else among all the Talisman Makers in the world could be his match?

After resting enough, Ye Yisong waved his arms and then took out the third Withered Vine, carving it meticulously. Amidst the series of mechanical sounds, Ye Yisong skillfully carved the patterns of the Great Fireball.

Looking at the High Grade Talisman board in his hand, Ye Yisong couldn't help but boast: "Only my own heaven-defying, exquisite hands could carve such a perfect work. Let's continue."

Ye Yisong began infusing the Talisman board with Spiritual Qi. Just as he began, a sudden change occurred—the mechanical voice actually rang out again: "Speed limit 30 ahead." "Red light camera ahead, please slow down." "Highway entrance ahead, minimum speed 80." ...

This series of flashy operations stunned Ye Yisong. It was truly a case of getting exactly what he wanted. If he weren't afraid of wasting Materials, Ye Yisong would have loved to sing a song of "My Old Father" to express his affection for 798; it really provided whatever he needed.

After some simple research, Ye Yisong realized that the "speed" corresponded to the magnitude of the Spiritual Qi infusion for the Talisman board; some patterns required more Spiritual Qi, while others required less. Encountering traffic lights was a prompt to establish Spiritual Qi points, allowing him to smoothly circulate the Spiritual Qi within the board.

With the establishment of the final Spiritual point, a second-grade Great Fireball Talisman was completed.

Amidst the mechanical prompts, as the last ray of the setting sun shone on Ye Yisong's face, he let out a long sigh of relief; he had completed another Great Fireball Talisman.

Looking at the five second-grade Great Fireball Talismans lying quietly on the table, his long-tensed nerves finally relaxed.

Ye Yisong put down his engraving knife and stretched, a strong sense of weakness sweeping over his entire body.

To test the functions of 798, Ye Yisong hadn't gone to the cafeteria for lunch. It had been a full dozen hours since morning, and he had been in a state of high consumption; it would be strange if he weren't hungry.

Martial Warriors had not yet reached the Bigu Realm, so necessary supplementation with spirit food was essential; otherwise, his body definitely wouldn't be able to hold up. Unless he reached the Martial Ancestor Realm, at which point his own Spiritual Qi would form a closed loop, allowing him to continuously recover energy.

Walking out of his detached courtyard, Ye Yisong strode towards the cafeteria. Grabbing a bowl of meat, he began devouring it wolfishly. Halfway through, the two brothers, Ye Yitian and Ye Yifan, also brought over large bowls of meat and sat down.

As soon as he sat down, Ye Yifan slapped Ye Yisong and said: "Thirteenth Brother, you are too awesome. How did you become a second-grade Talisman Maker so quickly? If I had known Talisman Making was this simple, I would have chosen Lingmu Peak too."

Ye Yitian couldn't help but exclaim: "Thirteenth Brother's talent is too strong; it's almost catching up to the fourth-generation Ancestral Master."

Ye Yisong swallowed the last bite of meat and humbly replied to them: "It was just a coincidence of Opportunity. I believe it won't be long before you both achieve Breakthroughs in your own Domain."

At this moment, Family Disciples began to file in one after another; these were the younger generation of the Family who had just finished their cultural classes. It could be said that the future hope of the Family rested on them.

Of course, this also included the two brothers currently fighting over meat and Ye Yisong, who was watching them.

"Look, that's Ye Yisong."

"I heard he just broke through to become a second-grade Talisman Maker today and can already craft Medium Grade second-grade Talismans."

"Look, look, Thirteenth Young Master looked at me."

"Bullshit, he was clearly looking at me. Thirteenth Young Master even smiled at me. Do you think I should go say hello?"

"Are you blind? He was clearly smiling at me."

The Family's confidentiality needs improvement! Listening to these whispers, Ye Yisong thought to himself.

Ye Yisong smiled at everyone; these were all the future hopes of the Family. Perhaps they would go on a mission together someday, so there was no need to be too aloof.

"Thirteenth Brother, you haven't attended the afternoon cultural classes for the past two days. Master He has asked about it several times. Master He wants you to find time to get your graduation certificate," Ye Yitian said while eating.

Master He was a four-star Guest Elder of the Ye Family Clan and had always been Ye Yisong's teacher for cultural classes. Over the past ten years, Master He had explained many profound principles in books to Ye Yisong, helping him understand them thoroughly; otherwise, he wouldn't have reached his current fourth-grade level of Mental Energy.

A fourth-grade level of Mental Energy meant that as long as Ye Yisong didn't fall midway, he could become a Martial Ancestor powerhouse capable of dominating a county.

Master He had taught a total of five people with fourth-grade Mental Energy, and Ye Yisong was the fifth lucky one.

Ye Yisong was very respectful towards Master He and always paid his respects with the etiquette of a Disciple. No one in the clan dared to slight Master He; it was no exaggeration to say that his contribution to the Ye Family was equivalent to five million Spirit Stones, and he was a walking treasure at that.

"It seems I need to find time tomorrow to visit Master He and explain my situation to him; otherwise, it would be bad if there were any misunderstandings," Ye Yisong thought to himself.

After finishing dinner, the three brothers walked together towards the Library.

Ye Yitian and Ye Yifan had not yet been released from supervision, so they had to attend. Ye Yisong went to relax his brain; he had pushed himself too hard this afternoon and was somewhat over-exhausted, so he decided to rest a bit before crafting the remaining Talismans at night.

Three hours passed quietly. Ye Yisong held a copy of "Great Wei Spiritual Plant Encyclopedia" and continued studying from where he left off.

Looking at the thickness of the book, he estimated it would take about another week to master it. The memory of a martial artist could not be judged by ordinary standards; combined with various secret techniques, any "memory master" would have to step aside.

Ye Yisong returned the book to its original place and walked out of the Library with the other Family Disciples. Because he had things on his mind, he didn't wait for those two clowns and quickly returned to his courtyard alone.

He hung a "Closed-Door Cultivation" sign on the door and impatiently took out the Storage Pouch, first stroking the Talismans he had crafted in the afternoon.

Among these five Talismans, there were three Low Grade second-grade ones, one Medium Grade second-grade one, and finally, betting his hands that had been single for ten years, he had crafted one High Grade second-grade Great Fireball Talisman.

Low Grade second-grade Talismans could unleash thirty percent of the technique's power, Medium Grade could unleash fifty percent, and High Grade could unleash seventy percent; the prices were divided into three tiers for this reason.

Looking at the remaining forty-five Withered Vines, green light shone from Ye Yisong's eyes—these were all Spirit Stones!

Adjusting his breathing, Ye Yisong picked up a Withered Vine and began carving. Following the mechanical guidance sounds, Ye Yisong accurately carved the patterns into each Withered Vine...

This was also a method Ye Yisong had thought of while reading today: first prepare the Talisman boards, then perform the infusion all at once.

This could improve his proficiency in carving Talisman boards and save time, so he wouldn't need to rest after making just two boards. Although carving boards consumed Spiritual Qi, compared to the infusion, it was barely a drop in the bucket.

Several hours passed. Ye Yisong looked at the ten carved Talisman boards on the table and stopped his engraving knife. He was truly itching to continue; looking at such perfect boards, not infusing them felt like letting down 798's diligent guidance.

With a pained heart, he took a few more Spirit Stones from his secret stash to replenish his Spiritual Qi, muttering to himself: "If the old doesn't go, the new won't come."

This was his secret stash that he had saved for ten years; every single Spirit Stone could be said to have been preserved through his wits and struggles. Ye Jiesheng was afraid that Ye Yisong would secretly use a large amount of Spirit Stones to Cultivate, causing him to break through Realms too quickly and resulting in an unstable Foundation, so he had always strictly controlled Ye Yisong's Spirit Stones.

After replenishing his Spirit Stones, Ye Yisong piously washed his hands and bowed to the first-generation Ancestral Master hanging on the wall before cautiously picking up the first Talisman board on the table and slowly infusing it with Spiritual Qi.

In the repeated joy of replenishing Spiritual Qi and infusing the Talisman boards, Ye Yisong finally completed the infusion of the tenth board just as a fish-belly white light appeared on the horizon.

Looking at his newly added eight Low Grade second-grade Great Fireball Talismans and two Medium Grade second-grade ones, Ye Yisong collapsed onto his bed with dark circles under his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

He was still muttering softly in his mouth: "Rich, I'm rich... hehe..."