11: curse?

Talismans still need to be diverse to be competitive.

Lu Ming took out the Talisman True Understanding and pondered while studying it.

Fire Crow Talismans were too common, so common that every stall selling Talismans would have a few.

Therefore, Lu Ming was no longer satisfied with drawing Fire Crow Talismans; he prepared to start drawing Mud Swamp Talismans, Aura Concealing Talismans, Windwalk Talismans, and Thorn Talismans.

They could be used for sale or for personal use.

Don't underestimate them just because they are Low Grade First-tier; these have been tested in actual combat. If you don't believe it, ask Liu Dong.

As for Middle Stage Talismans, Lu Ming's skill was still a bit lacking.

But he wasn't in a hurry; one must eat one bite at a time and draw one Talisman at a time.

First, lay a good Foundation, then think about what comes next.

Having made up his mind, Lu Ming began his great undertaking of Talisman crafting, but he did not neglect the essential.

He did not neglect Cultivation during the Talisman crafting process. Cultivation strength was the Foundation; Spells and Talismans were merely means.

In the following days, he lived a very regular life, Cultivating during the day, crafting Talismans at night, and honing his Spells in his free time.

......

Talisman Cultivator Alliance.

Ding Yu sat in a hall of a branch office, muttering with some dissatisfaction.

"What's wrong with Huang Quan? It's been two days since the deadline for submitting the membership fees, why hasn't he sent them over?"

There were many Loose Cultivator Talisman Masters in the market. Even if only one or two tenths of the profit was taken as membership fees, it amounted to nearly a hundred Spirit Stones a day.

Over a month, it would be thousands of Spirit Stones. Although most of it would be handed over to the Murong Family, it was still a considerable income.

Ding Yu was a direct subordinate of Alliance Master Chang Wei, responsible for coordinating and managing the storage of Spirit Stones, a true head housekeeper.

Every half month, he was responsible for collecting the membership fees submitted by his subordinates. This was a rule of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance.

But now, two more days had passed since the deadline, and Huang Quan still hadn't come.

Ding Yu's eyes were somewhat cold. Could it be that Huang Quan thought he could be so negligent just because he had gained the Alliance Master's favor?

He thought he was Alliance Master's nephew, Chang Yun? Moreover, even Chang Yun wouldn't be so dilatory.

And recently, some unfavorable rumors had been circulating in the market, directly pointing to Huang Quan!

It made the Talisman Cultivator Alliance seem to be ridiculed because of him.

It seemed it was time to properly rein him in!

However, this matter still needed to be reported to Chang Wei first.

He got up and left the hall, walking towards the Alliance Master's residence.

The North District of Green Bamboo Market was the main district, second only to the core area.

Here, many high-rise pavilions stood, and a faint Spiritual Qi shimmered on the bluestone tiles.

The Spiritual Qi was much denser here than in the other districts.

As the Alliance Master of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance, he naturally lived in the place with the densest Spiritual Qi.

Ding Yu walked all the way to a very luxurious courtyard.

He was about to send a message to request a meeting with Chang Wei, but he suddenly froze.

He saw that a light screen had already risen outside Chang Wei's courtyard, completely enveloping it.

"Formation!"

Ding Yu recognized that this was a High Grade First-tier Formation, and it was a defensive Formation.

Anyone who dared to approach at this time would be blasted into debris by the Formation's automatic defense.

He dared not go further; he, a Middle Stage Qi Refining Cultivator, could not withstand the Formation's attacks.

Ding Yu's eyes were filled with doubt and uncertainty.

"Why would the Formation be activated? I didn't receive any instructions from the Alliance Master about a Breakthrough in Cultivation. Could something have happened?"

He was Chang Wei's head housekeeper, so he naturally knew about some recent events.

Chang Yun's Sea of Consciousness inexplicably dried up and his magical power declined.

The Alliance Master was clearly investigating this matter a few days ago, but today he activated the Formation and secluded himself.

It inevitably made people suspect if he also had a problem.

Some fellows in the Talisman Cultivator Alliance were eyeing the position of Alliance Master. Once Chang Wei had an accident, he, as Chang Wei's head housekeeper, would naturally bear the brunt.

Ding Yu's eyes flickered, his hand clutching the communication Jade Slip tightening then loosening.

As if having made a decision, he turned and left, not returning to the Talisman Cultivator Alliance, but walking towards the secluded cultivation place of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance's Vice Alliance Master, Li Yu.

... ...

Meanwhile, in the courtyard's cultivation room, Chang Wei's face was extremely grim.

"You have accumulated a lot of pill toxins in your body, which are already quite evident. It should be due to consuming Medicinal Pills of low quality.

Moreover, your Qi and blood are depleted, and your Sea of Consciousness is dried up, just like..."

"Alchemist Ge, tell me, just like what?"

Chang Wei said, suppressing his anger.

"It's like Cultivating some Demonic Technique or forbidden art that depletes Essence, Qi, and Spirit. If it weren't for your Qi Refining Stage Ninth Level Cultivation suppressing it, you might have already ended up like your nephew.

Fellow Daoist Yun, I advise you not to Cultivate Demonic Path Cultivation Techniques; this is not the Righteous Path."

Alchemist Ge said with a serious expression.

Chang Wei opened his mouth, wanting to explain that he had never consumed inferior Medicinal Pills, nor had he Cultivated any Demonic Techniques or forbidden arts.

He was only fifty years old and had enough time to strive for the Foundation Establishment Bottleneck.

Coupled with his status as a High Grade First-tier Talisman Master, his position was respected, and his future was bright.

He would be crazy to do such a foolish thing that would damage his Foundation and ruin his future.

But he knew that even if he said it now, the other party wouldn't believe him, as even the cause of the illness hadn't been identified.

He really couldn't understand why it had become like this.

At first, he only noticed signs of decline in his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, but it wasn't serious. Later, his emotions began to become irritable and prone to anger.

It was then that he became somewhat alert, suspecting it was a Heart Demon at work.

He dared not be careless, as a single mistake could drastically reduce his Cultivation.

So he no longer had the mind to investigate his nephew's illness and quickly went into secluded Cultivation.

But his Essence, Qi, and Spirit continued to drain like a leaking barrel.

Half a month passed, and not only did his condition not improve, but it became even more severe.

"Could this be a curse?"

Chang Wei thought this, because it didn't seem like something poison could achieve.

He didn't believe that the guys in the Talisman Cultivator Alliance had such ability.

Moreover, besides being concerned about his own physical condition, he also worried about not being able to maintain his current position.

He had been in secluded Cultivation for more than half a month, and he feared that those with ulterior motives were starting to become suspicious.

Although Cultivators sometimes went into secluded Cultivation for ten days, half a month, or even several months or years.

But that was also for the sake of a Realm Breakthrough.

But what was he Breaking through?

Going up another level would be Foundation Establishment.

And...

His Cultivation was rapidly dropping to Qi Refining Stage Eighth Level, and he absolutely dared not go out now!

Chang Wei's eyes showed fear. If those few people in the Talisman Cultivator Alliance knew of his current predicament.

Losing power would be a small matter; he feared it would be a matter of life and death!

He had encroached upon a considerable amount of the Talisman Cultivator Alliance's resources over the years, and those guys had always been eyeing his Storage Pouch.

After sending off Alchemist Ge.

Chang Wei took out a bottle of spiritual liquid, gulped it down, and began to regulate his breathing and meditate.

He didn't know how much of this High Grade First-tier spiritual liquid he had consumed recently, but it still had little effect.

He only hoped that this terrible situation would not continue to worsen.

The reason he held onto hope was because his nephew's previous condition had also ended after only a few days.

But what he didn't know was that his nephew, Chang Yun, had now become a dazed, drooling idiot.

The maids and servants who attended to Chang Yun, fearing severe punishment, had scattered and fled, leaving Chang Yun's tragic state undiscovered.