9: Chapter 9: Using Spiritual Power to Create Ink Talismans – A Successful First Attempt

After mastering a vast amount of basic theory, the desire for practice in Ye Qing's heart sprouted quietly, like wild grass in spring.

However, the dilemma of reality lay before him.

Alchemy requires a Pill Furnace, earthly fire, and Materials.

Artifact Refining requires an artifact furnace, a fire source, Ore, and molds.

Formation requires Formation Flags, Formation Plates, and Spirit Stones.

Spirit farming requires spirit fields, seeds, and spirit springs.

Beast taming... he did not want to think about it for now.

Only the path of Talisman seemed to have the lowest requirements for "hardware."

A Talisman brush, some Talisman paper, and a little spirit ink were enough to try.

A Talisman brush could barely be replaced by an ordinary writing brush, though the conduction of Spiritual Power and the control of the tip would be inferior.

Talisman paper is the key to carrying Spiritual Power and requires special production; even the lowest grade of blank Talisman paper needs to be made by mixing the bark of the "Green Sandalwood Tree" containing faint Spiritual Qi with other Materials.

Spirit ink is even more troublesome, requiring Yao Beast blood, specific mineral powders, spirit plant sap, and so on to be mixed; the formulas vary, and the price is high.

These were all things Ye Qing absolutely could not afford at the moment.

But he did not give up easily.

After repeatedly studying the 《Essentials of Talisman Drawing (Qi Refining Volume)》 Jade Slip and comparing it with several related miscellaneous books, he had a bold idea.

"The essence of a Talisman is to use a specific carrier (Talisman paper) and a medium containing Spiritual Power (spirit ink) to draw Runes containing the power of rules, solidifying and storing Spell models, and releasing them when activated."

"Carrier, medium, Rune—all three are indispensable. But... must they be physical?"

Ye Qing's gaze fell on his own fingertips.

His internal Spiritual Power, under the day and night purification within the space, had become quite pure and condensed.

"If I use my own pure Spiritual Power as 'ink,' the Void Realm as 'paper,' and my Divine Sense as a 'brush' to directly draw the most basic and simple Runes in the air..."

"Not seeking storage, not seeking power, only seeking to verify if the Rune structure is correct, if the flow of Spiritual Power is smooth, and if the 'feeling' at the moment of construction is right..."

"Could this count as the cheapest and most concealed 'Talisman practice'?"

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be dismissed.

Theoretically, it seemed feasible. But the Jade Slip and books clearly mentioned that drawing Runes in the Void Realm required extremely high Divine Sense strength, Spiritual Power control, and understanding of Runes. It was a method only high-level Talisman masters could master, and it was extremely unstable and difficult to sustain.

Ye Qing did not seek stability, nor did he seek sustainability; he did not even expect to successfully activate them.

He only wanted that feeling of "successful construction" to verify his theoretical knowledge and accumulate the initial "feel."

"It is worth a try. In any case, it only consumes my own Spiritual Power and Divine Sense. If it fails, no one will care, and it will not cause any destruction or loss."

For caution's sake, he did not try it in the Library Pavilion immediately.

After all, this was an important area of the Sect; even on the first floor, there was no guarantee that there were no monitoring methods he could not detect.

He chose a more remote and less frequented corner behind the Servant Quarters, where jagged rocks and overgrown weeds were common, and even the servants who dumped trash rarely came.

That evening, after finishing his day's work, Ye Qing used the excuse of taking a walk to digest his food and came here alone.

Confirming no one was around, he took a deep breath and calmed his mind.

His consciousness sank into the space, and that cool aura circulated, allowing his mind to enter a state of high concentration yet exceptional calmness.

He recalled the most basic Rune recorded in the 《Essentials of Talisman Drawing》—the Spirit Gathering Rune.

This was an auxiliary Rune for the vast majority of low-level Talismans. It did not have attack or defense effects itself; its main function was to slightly gather the surrounding Spiritual Qi to enhance the effectiveness of the main Rune or extend the existence time of the Talisman.

The structure was relatively simple, consisting of twelve basic strokes and three Spiritual Power nodes.

Ye Qing raised his right index finger, and the pure Spiritual Power within his body slowly gathered toward his fingertip.

He did not draw immediately, but first simulated the entire structure of the Spirit Gathering Rune, the direction of each stroke, the speed and force, and the nodes and timing of Spiritual Power injection in his mind several times.

Only when he felt confident did his eyes focus, and he drew in the air with his fingertip.

An imperceptible pale cyan spiritual light left a fleeting trail of light in the air as his fingertip moved.

The first stroke, a horizontal turn.

The output of Spiritual Power was steady, and his Divine Sense followed closely, outlining the initial framework of the Rune.

The second stroke, a vertical hook.

His fingertip's Spiritual Power paused slightly, injecting a little more Spiritual Power at the turn to form the first implicit node.

The third stroke...

Ye Qing was fully focused, his mind seemingly merging with the Spiritual Power at his fingertips and the pale cyan light Rune gradually taking shape in the air.

The transcendent Comprehension Ability brought by the space was exerted to the extreme at this moment, allowing him to clearly perceive every trace of Spiritual Power flow and every subtle change in the Rune structure, and to make the most instinctive fine-tuning in time.

He drew very slowly, several times slower than the normal speed recorded in the Jade Slip.

But every stroke strove for precision, and every node strove for stability.

Fine beads of sweat gradually seeped from his temples.

Drawing Runes in the Void Realm consumed far more Divine Sense and Spiritual Power than he had estimated.

Especially maintaining that fragile, carrier-less spiritual light Rune without it dissipating required continuous and precise Spiritual Power output and Divine Sense binding.

A mere twelve basic strokes and three nodes left him with a sense of exhaustion as if he had moved a thousand-pound boulder.

Finally, the last stroke fell, faintly connecting with the starting stroke.

A complete, palm-sized, simple Spirit Gathering Rune made of pale cyan spiritual light hovered in the air in front of his fingertips.

The light Rune flickered slightly, unstable, and its structure looked a bit illusory, far less solid and stable than one drawn with Talisman paper and spirit ink.

But, it had indeed taken shape!

Moreover, at the very moment it took shape, Ye Qing clearly felt that the extremely thin Spiritual Qi in the surrounding air seemed to be drawn by a weak force, slowly gathering a little bit toward this light Rune.

Although the gathered amount was negligible, and the light Rune only lasted for less than three breaths before it went "puff" and the spiritual light dissipated, turning into specks of light and disappearing into the air.

But in Ye Qing's eyes, an irrepressible glow of joy erupted.

"It succeeded! Although simple, unstable, and short-lived, the structure is correct, the flow of Spiritual Power is smooth, and it even triggered a weak Spirit Gathering effect!"

"My theory is correct! My Spiritual Power control is feasible! This path of drawing Runes in the Void Realm is, at the very least, viable for verifying basic Runes!"

A strong sense of accomplishment surged in his heart, instantly dispelling his mental exhaustion.

He did not attempt a second time immediately.

Instead, he sat cross-legged on the spot, closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, and carefully savored every detail of the drawing process just now.

The output rhythm of Spiritual Power—where could it be smoother?

The binding force of Divine Sense—where could it be more ingenious?

The stability of the Rune structure—which connection points could be further reinforced?

With the assistance of the space, all the information from that brief practice was clearly "reviewed," and the strengths and weaknesses were clear at a glance.

After resting for about a quarter of an hour and feeling that his Spiritual Power and Divine Sense had mostly recovered, Ye Qing stood up again.

This time, he attempted to draw another basic Rune—the Shape Stabilizing Rune.

It was an auxiliary Rune commonly used to reinforce artifacts or low-level defensive Talismans, with a structure slightly more complex than the Spirit Gathering Rune, having eighteen strokes and five nodes.

With the experience of the first time, he was steadier when drawing this time, and his coordination of Spiritual Power and Divine Sense was a bit more proficient.

Although the light Rune fluctuated violently and almost dissipated halfway through because the Spiritual Power injection at one node was slightly too fast, he adjusted in time and eventually completed the construction without any danger.

The light of the Shape Stabilizing Rune appeared pale yellow, slightly more condensed than the Spirit Gathering Rune, but it only existed for about five breaths.

Ye Qing could feel that this light Rune contained a faint "meaning" of stabilizing the structure.

"Sure enough, Runes of different attributes also have subtle requirements for the characteristics of Spiritual Power. The Spirit Gathering Rune is more affinitive and requires smooth Spiritual Power flow; the Shape Stabilizing Rune emphasizes stability and requires condensed Spiritual Power. My Spiritual Power, after being purified by the space, seems to be able to simulate these subtle differences quite well?"

He thought thoughtfully.

In the next hour, Ye Qing tried a third basic Rune—the Light Body Rune.

This time he failed twice, and only barely took shape on the third attempt, and the effect was weak, with an even shorter duration.

"The Light Body Rune involves the invocation of concepts like 'wind' and 'light,' which are more abstract and have higher requirements for the 'imagery' of Divine Sense. My understanding of this is still shallow, and the characteristics of my Spiritual Power may not perfectly match..."

Ye Qing was not discouraged.

The experience of failure was equally valuable.

Through these few practices, he not only verified part of his theoretical knowledge but also gained a more intuitive understanding of the characteristics of his own Spiritual Power and the application of his Divine Sense.

More importantly, he had found a practical, low-cost, and highly concealed path of "practice" at his current stage.

"I can come here to practice regularly in the future. Start with the most basic and general auxiliary Runes, and gradually increase the difficulty. Do not be greedy, do not rush, just strive to walk every step steadily and understand thoroughly."

"When I have the conditions to obtain real Talisman brushes, Talisman paper, and spirit ink in the future, and attempt to draw physical Talismans that can be stored and activated, the 'feel' and experience accumulated from these Void Realm practices will surely play a huge role."

Night had completely fallen, and the stars filled the sky.

Ye Qing dragged his slightly exhausted but mentally excited body back to the Servant Quarters quietly.

The servants in the same room were already fast asleep, their snoring rising and falling.

Ye Qing lay on his bunk, his consciousness sinking into the space.

The five-zhang square space was quiet and silent, the black soil was warm and moist, and the Spiritual Qi mist flowed slowly.

He felt that after that "practice" which consumed quite a bit, the energy fed back by the space seemed to be more active, nourishing his slightly dry Meridians and exhausted Divine Soul.

"It seems that this kind of deep focused learning and practice has a promoting effect on both the space and myself."

He understood in his heart, adding more confidence in the future.

Moonlight leaked down from the broken window, illuminating his calm side profile.

A faint, almost invisible, satisfied smile hung on the corners of his mouth.

On the road of steady development, he had taken another solid and unique step forward.

Using Spiritual Power as ink, the Void Realm as paper.

This path might be difficult, perhaps unconventional.

But it fit his current state of being "penniless" yet having "decent Comprehension Ability" very well.

It was late at night.

Ye Qing drifted into dreamland amidst the rhythmic sound of breathing.

In his dream, there seemed to be countless pale golden Runes flowing and combining in the air, evolving into infinite mysteries.