He picked up the wolf-hair brush and drew another protective talisman on the talisman paper. Hadn't his third senior brother taught him to give equal importance to both? It's always good to be prepared.
However, when he put down his pen, he was surprised to find that the spiritual energy he had used this time was less than half that of drawing with his hands.
He pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized.
Drawing freely in space is convenient, aesthetically pleasing, and exudes a sense of freedom and ease, like a deity. However, the price to pay is double the spiritual energy and an unstable success rate.
Hehe...that's quite fair, isn't it? If you want something nice and convenient, you have to pay a higher price, hehe...that's just how it is.
He let his mind wander for a moment, then calmed down and continued practicing.
The five runes consumed roughly the same amount of spiritual energy. Each rune consumed about 10% of his spiritual energy each time it was cast. Before long, the spiritual energy in his body was completely depleted.
Recalling his third senior brother Mingmei, even when he was severely mentally exhausted, he could easily draw these five runes dozens of times.
Sigh... He sighed deeply. This is the difference.
However, he was confident that surpassing Ming and Mei wouldn't be too difficult. Of course, for now, it might as well make it his goal.
Without hesitation, Xiao Wenbing consumed a small elixir. After more than a year of hard work and accumulation, his wealth had become quite substantial.
Both Lesser Rejuvenation Pills and Foundation Establishment Pills have accumulated thousands in stock. Therefore, this small loss is completely insignificant.
A familiar warmth flowed through his body, and his spiritual power gradually recovered. However, Xiao Wenbing couldn't wait that long. He casually drew, constantly practicing his skill of drawing talismans in the air with his bare hands.
His relentless use of spiritual energy was so excessive that even the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill couldn't keep up, and the replenished spiritual energy was quickly squandered again.
Just as he was about to take out another one to replenish his energy, the natal golden talisman within his body activated. Streams of faint but pure spiritual energy flowed continuously from the golden talisman into his dantian, allowing him to continue using it.
Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed. He didn't stand on ceremony and continued practicing until he had completely mastered the method of drawing amulets with bare hands.
When he snapped out of his immersion in practice, a full half-day had passed. Xiao Wenbing breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly realized something was wrong.
He had been practicing for a full half day, during which he had been expending a lot of spiritual energy every moment. If he were at his own level, he wouldn't have lasted even half an hour, let alone half a day.
But now, he not only did it easily, but also seemed to have plenty of energy left.
Silently using his internal vision technique to examine his body, Xiao Wenbing was surprised to find that both his own inner core and the natal golden talisman hanging above it were frantically absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
However, the absorption speed of the two is vastly different; the absorption speed of one's own inner core is simply no match for that of the natal golden talisman.
The natal golden talisman absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth while selflessly providing the transformed spiritual power to Xiao Wenbing, which is the biggest reason why he has been able to hold on until now.
The natal golden talisman is really good. After a series of experiments, Xiao Wenbing came to this conclusion: although the natal golden talisman absorbs the spiritual energy of heaven and earth faster than he consumes it, the absorption and replenishment by the inner core basically makes up for the difference.
In other words, as long as he doesn't draw the talismans too quickly, with only a slight pause in between, he won't have to worry about insufficient spiritual energy, and he can even save on the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill.
Of course, if Mingmei were to teach advanced runes in the future, his spiritual power would eventually run out. However, by then, his natal golden rune would likely be even more powerful.
As the tide rises, so does every boat; the rise is endless.
After resting for a moment, he immediately began practicing the next rune. Relying on the inexhaustible spiritual power provided by his natal golden talisman and the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill, Xiao Wenbing worked hard, hard, and even harder.
After a week, he had completely mastered the five talismans. He could use them effortlessly, without any hindrance.
Although these runes are slightly more difficult than the most basic Spirit Gathering Rune, they are all of the same lineage and share some commonalities.
Xiao Wenbing has drawn tens of thousands of spirit-gathering talismans in the past year, so his foundation is already exceptionally solid. In the past seven days, he has continuously drawn hundreds of spirit talismans every day. If he still can't master them, then he is truly beyond help.
Diligence can make up for lack of talent. Even the most dull person can master it after practicing thousands of times. Xiao Wenbing is a smart man.
After spending another day in the quiet room, practicing the talismans to perfection, he finally couldn't resist and left the quiet room.
Although Mingmei gave him a month, since he had exceeded the task, there was no need for him to stay here and waste time.
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Forty-Nine: The Wonderful Use of the Golden Talisman
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A few cold stars flashed by, and a mysterious pattern appeared in the void. Xiao Wenbing pointed at it and said, "Go..."
Countless bright lights transformed into countless stars and flew into Mingmei's body. This lightness talisman was the secret talisman that Mingmei used when Xiao Wenbing first went up the mountain. Now, a year later, Xiao Wenbing was already using it with ease.
Thinking back to the day Mingmei used it, and how dumbfounded he was, Xiao Wenbing felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, more than a year had passed, and no one mentioned it again.
"Next dish."
"Yes, please correct me, senior brother."
In a short while, Xiao Wenbing had successfully completed the five talismans. What was even more surprising was that he had created them directly in the void using the method of drawing talismans with his bare hands.
After casting five spirit talismans, Xiao Wenbing remained calm and composed, as if he had not expended any energy at all, and could easily handle dozens more.
Mingmei showed no surprise; he had long anticipated his junior brother's extraordinary abilities. Therefore, when Xiao Wenbing came to see him more than half a month early, he did not scold him. Instead, he calmly followed him to an open space and asked him to demonstrate the five spiritual talismans.
However, when Xiao Wenbing actually used all five spirit talismans one by one, and none of them were forced or awkward, he was still so shocked that he couldn't speak.
"Third Senior Brother, do you think I passed the test?"
Nodding blankly, Mingmei suddenly realized that her nerves had become numb after being challenged repeatedly recently.
In the past, if he knew that someone could master the five secret talismans to the point of near-instantaneous mastery within a week of just entering the Core Formation stage, he would have been astonished and full of wonder.
However, today, when this junior brother brought him this surprise again, he found that he no longer felt any excitement, as if this was something that should have been taken for granted.
"Very good, junior brother. Although I have said it many times before, I still have to say it again today. Your talent is truly unparalleled..." Mingmei sighed deeply.
A doubt arose in Xiao Wenbing's heart. Mingmei was definitely not stupid, and his comprehension was definitely no less than his own, so why did he praise this matter so highly?
In truth, his cultivation speed wasn't fast. The reason he was surprised was because of his relentless practice. He had achieved his current level through countless trials and tribulations, without a trace of luck.
"Third senior brother, I have a question to ask you."
"you say."
"I wonder how long it took Third Senior Brother to cultivate these five spirit talismans?"
"not much."
"Ah..." Xiao Wenbing nodded secretly. These five runes were not extremely difficult, so it was reasonable that the training time was short.
“About three months,” Mingmei said suddenly, counting on her fingers.
Xiao Wenbing nearly choked on his breath. He asked urgently, "Three months?"
“Exactly.” Mingmei’s expression was serious, and it was clear at a glance that he was not lying.
"How could it take so long?" Xiao Wenbing's extremely surprised tone was palpable even to an idiot.
She glared at him fiercely, then said dejectedly, "Do you think everyone has this kind of talent like you?"
A long, helpless sigh: Comparison is the thief of joy...
He comforted himself, saying, "Actually, it wasn't that long. Back then, I was just like you, having just formed my inner core. My spiritual energy was severely insufficient. Being able to draw eight or nine lines at once was considered a very good achievement."
Mingmei looked up, as if recalling the days of relentless practice, and a harmonious smile appeared on his lips: "To master a spirit talisman, it is simply impossible without thousands of arduous practices. Given your level back then, you could only practice a hundred or so times a day at most, hehe... To be able to master it in three months... no, to barely master it, is already extremely rare, extremely rare."
"You can only practice a hundred or so times a day?"
“Not bad.” Mingmei glanced at him, then suddenly realized that it would be a bit like an old man bragging about his own wares in front of him. So he coughed lightly and said, “Of course, compared to you, Junior Brother, I am far inferior.”
Xiao Wenbing secretly calculated in his heart that if he could only practice a hundred or so times a day, wouldn't he still not reach ten thousand times in three months?
As for myself, I possess supernatural abilities, backed by the Lesser Rejuvenation Pill and my natal golden talisman. I wouldn't dare say I practice ten or twenty thousand times a day, but I can't escape eight or nine thousand. Could it be that Mingmei's aptitude is actually ten times better than mine?
"Junior Brother, you've managed to refine these five spirit talismans to such a high level in just eight days. I'm afraid that since the founding of our sect, apart from our founding ancestor, Master Baihe, no one has been able to compare with you." Mingmei continued to ramble on.
Xiao Wenbing's heart stirred. Remembering Mingmei's words that he had barely mastered it, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, what level did you reach after three months?"
"Well, if we use a wolf hair brush, we have an 80-90% chance of success, but drawing talismans with bare hands depends on luck. If we can succeed even halfway, we'll be lucky."
So that's how it is. It seems my talent and aptitude are at least no worse than his. Xiao Wenbing looked at him and suddenly asked cautiously, "Senior brother, what is the purpose of the natal golden talisman within our bodies?"
Upon hearing this, Mingmei immediately became animated: "The Natal Golden Talisman is a secret technique created by Grandmaster White Crane. It is precisely because of this talisman that our Secret Talisman Sect has been able to join the ranks of the major sects in the Earth's cultivation world."
"Ahem, senior brother, I'm asking what the purpose of this thing is?"
"Well... you'll understand when you reach the Nascent Soul stage," Mingmei said, feigning profundity.
"Nascent Soul stage?" Xiao Wenbing exclaimed in surprise. He looked Mingmei up and down and suddenly asked, "Senior brother, could it be that you are not yet able to use your natal golden talisman?"
"Haha." Mingmei laughed rather awkwardly and said, "The spiritual power required for the Nascent Soul Golden Talisman is extremely high. It is probably difficult to accumulate that much spiritual energy before reaching the Nascent Soul stage. Moreover, without reaching the Nascent Soul stage, one does not have the strength to activate the Golden Talisman. Therefore, in our sect, apart from our master, no one else can use the Nascent Soul Golden Talisman."
"ah……"
Aside from a deep sigh, Xiao Wenbing was speechless.
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Fifty: The Heavenly Dao Sect
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Time flies, and Xiao Wenbing has not come down the mountain for two whole years since Zhang Jie brought him to the mountain gate.
During this time, Xiao Wenbing spent a year achieving the unprecedented Core Formation realm, which also elevated his status within the Secret Talisman Sect to an unprecedented level.
Even though the usually stern-faced and unsmiling Daoist Xianyun was always smiling when he treated him, regarding him as a precious treasure and the apple of his eye.
In the following year, Xiao Wenbing utilized his ability to use his natal golden talisman ahead of time to cultivate various spiritual talismans with all his might. His rapid progress could perhaps be attributed to his diligence, making the most of his unique talent. In short, by now, Mingmei had imparted all his knowledge and could no longer come up with any new tricks.
Similarly, his inner core and natal golden talisman also saw a significant improvement. The reason for such rapid progress was that Xiao Wenbing secretly created several more natal golden talismans and absorbed their spiritual energy.
Absorbing the natal golden talisman of the Core Formation stage with the cultivation of the Core Condensation stage required some effort, but no danger or discomfort occurred.
The powerful natal golden talisman continuously provided new spiritual energy for the inner core to use and absorb. After a year, Xiao Wenbing's inner core had leaped from the initial stage to the middle stage, a progress that left the old Daoist Xianyun and others speechless.
If Xiao Wenbing and Ming Mei were to fight one-on-one at this moment, Xiao Wenbing might be at a disadvantage for a while, but with the continuous replenishment from his natal golden talisman, he would definitely be able to defeat Ming Mei in a protracted battle.
Of course, Xiao Wenbing never mentioned his natal golden talisman. It was his secret weapon, and he couldn't let anyone know that he could use the natal golden talisman even in the Core Formation stage.