Huifeng and the others stared in disbelief at the lonely thatched hut, and then there was no further reaction.
"Alright, that's about right." Xiao Wenbing put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand and looked at the dozen or so magical runes on the table with satisfaction.
This talisman, originating from the celestial realm, possesses properties that are even more elusive.
Once the painting is completed, if left unattended, it will slowly absorb the celestial energy that lingers in the area.
But if you infuse it with any kind of energy, it will use that energy as its foundation and absorb all kinds of energy from the space until it becomes saturated.
Although this realm is severely lacking in immortal spiritual energy, it is absolutely abundant in the five elements and lightning molecules.
Therefore, as long as Feng Baiyi is around, creating some Heavenly Thunder Talismans is indeed a piece of cake.
The power of the five elements is the foundation of this world, and is naturally abundant. But why is the power of lightning no less powerful than the power of the five elements? Xiao Wenbing specifically asked his teacher and friend, the Mirror God, about this question.
The answer he received sent chills down his spine. The Mirror God replied that it was a deliberate arrangement to facilitate the God of Destruction's annihilation of the world in one fell swoop.
Xiao Wenbing was actually half convinced and half skeptical of this answer. However, in his heart, he couldn't help but feel a little more respect for Feng Baiyi, the future quasi-destroyer.
"Baiyi," Xiao Wenbing said to Feng Baiyi with the most flattering smile, "could you do me a favor and infuse each of these talismans with a little bit of the power of Heavenly Thunder?"
Feng Baiyi entered the thatched hut and remained silent until now, when she finally spoke: "These runes may not be able to withstand them."
"Shouldn't we always give it a try?"
"good."
A sliver of purple lightning, flashing with dazzling color, flew onto one of the runes.
"puff……"
With a soft click, the talisman instantly turned to ashes.
"Hmm, this..." Xiao Wenbing frowned deeply, calling upon the Mirror God in his mind while simultaneously transmitting the image from earlier.
"Her abilities are insufficient; she cannot yet control the power of destruction with ease."
"Oh, so the white-robed man is nothing special after all."
"Better than you."
"What??"
"Although Hao's technique is not skilled, he is still manipulating real destructive power. As for you, Jing, although in terms of the level of divine power, the divine titles represented by your divine power are at the same level, you can't even create things from the immortal realm. You are far inferior to them."
"Hmph." Xiao Wenbing almost choked with anger. He said with dissatisfaction, "Haven't you heard the saying that destruction is easy but creation is difficult? This proves that my ability is of the highest level."
"snort……"
Ignoring their renewed argument, or rather, the two women were completely unaware that a life form entirely different from humans resided within Xiao Wenbing's ring.
Feng Baiyi's expression was solemn. She slowly stretched out her slender fingers, and on her fingertips, a tiny, almost invisible purple lightning bolt danced with the most lively energy.
Among the five elements, the fire element is undoubtedly the most active, but compared to the lightning element, which is unpredictable and has no rules, it is an extremely peaceful and well-behaved element.
Throughout history, lightning has been the most difficult energy to control. For Feng Baiyi to have mastered it to such an extent at the Golden Core stage is already a once-in-a-millennium genius.
Gently, place that bit of lightning onto another talisman.
The purple light rippled back and forth across the talisman for half a circle. Suddenly, it started spinning wildly like a runaway horse, and finally made a soft "poof" sound, rendering the talisman useless.
Xiao Wenbing and Zhang Yaqi both exclaimed in unison, "What a pity! It's all for naught!"
Feng Baiyi, however, seemed completely unaffected by the second defeat; a fainter, almost imperceptible spark of electricity ignited once more on her fair and delicate hands.
Xiao Wenbing's heart leaped into his throat. He could tell that this was the minimum energy Feng Baiyi had extracted by concentrating all her energy. If this attempt failed again, then these talismans would have no chance of success.
Several options flashed through his mind in an instant. If the talisman didn't work, then he would have to change the material. Those sturdy materials should be able to withstand more destructive power.
Under the tense gaze of the three, the point of purple light circled back and forth on the talisman a few times before suddenly disappearing into the runes.
"It's done." Xiao Wenbing clapped his hands excitedly, picked up the talisman, poured in a wisp of his divine thought, and then flicked his finger. The talisman flew into the air and remained suspended there. A strange energy surged towards the talisman, and it made a series of hissing sounds from time to time.
"This rune...is absorbing the power of lightning?" Zhang Yaqi asked in surprise.
Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "Yaqi has great insight."
Xiao Wenbing had no intention of hiding anything from the two women, but regarding the existence of the Mirror God... well, don't forget, even real couples have their secrets...
It's not that he doesn't trust the two women, but if they know about the Mirror God, what will he use to save face in the future?
"How powerful is it?" Feng Baiyi asked calmly.
"I don't know, but if I have the chance, I might as well give it a try."
"Alright." After saying that, Feng Baiyi pointed to the dozen or so runes on the table and asked, "What about these?"
"If Baiyi has time, could you please lend a hand again?" Xiao Wenbing said shamelessly. This kind of free labor was hard to find. Besides Feng Baiyi, he really didn't know anyone else who could manipulate lightning.
Volume 4, The Divine Artifacts, Chapter 165: Illusory Transformation (Part 1)
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As if in response, a tiny wisp of lightning rekindled in Feng Baiyi's hand. She focused intently on the next talisman, her expression unwavering, as if nothing else could be contained within the talismans before her.
Xiao Wenbing sighed inwardly. Judging from Feng Baiyi's appearance, she seemed to be addicted to this job. Otherwise, how could she tirelessly repeat this tedious action one after another?
Her movements were slow, each step taken with utmost care, lest she make a mistake. However, no matter how careful she was, she still couldn't avoid slipping up from time to time.
Two full hours passed before Feng Baiyi finished counting all the talismans, but she seemed oblivious and continued searching for the next one.
However, upon looking around, she found the area completely empty. She paused, slightly startled, and snapped out of her reverie. Then, she immediately asked, "Is there anything else?"
"What?" Xiao Wenbing asked, puzzled.
"This method is indeed the best training method for honing control skills. Let's draw a hundred more talismans and continue."
A smile played on Feng Baiyi's lips; she had lost all her usual reserve and smiled broadly, like a child who had just found their favorite toy.
Xiao Wenbing's breath caught in his throat. Such an extraordinary expression appearing on Feng Baiyi's face was truly rare, and the shock it brought was even more intense.
"Hey, bring out a hundred runes." Feng Baiyi blushed and said angrily.
Xiao Wenbing snapped out of his daze and involuntarily repeated, "One hundred sheets?"
Only now did she understand why Feng Baiyi had achieved so much at such a young age without any extraordinary encounters. Talent was certainly important, but her unwavering devotion to martial arts was the most crucial factor.
The more subtle the power of lightning, the more difficult it is to control. After failing twice, Feng Baiyi immediately sensed the peculiarity of the technique. If she could persevere in her training, while her overall skill might not improve, her control over lightning would certainly become increasingly adept.
She certainly wasn't going to let such a good opportunity slip by.
"Hurry up!" Feng Baiyi urged.
"But where would I get so many blank runes?"
"This is the Jade Cauldron Sect, so there must be runes here."
"Is that so?" Xiao Wenbing gave a wry smile. How did it turn out that she was the one urging him?
Left with no other choice, he had to go out and ask the disciples on duty for some blank runes.
Although he didn't know what Xiao Wenbing wanted the items for, the Jade Cauldron Sect, as expected of one of the most prestigious super sects, took them out without hesitation, and the sheer quantity of them delighted him.
Looking at the more than a thousand blank runes before him, Xiao Wenbing clicked his tongue in amazement. These runes were of superior quality, even better than those from the talisman sect, which started out with spirit talismans.
Having secured a sufficient supply of goods, Xiao Wenbing drew over a hundred lines in one go, handing them all over to Feng Baiyi.
He'll do as much as he can; as long as it's enough for him, it's sufficient.
A day later, Xiao Wenbing presented a large list containing a wide variety of cultivation materials.
After receiving the list, Hewlett-Packard stroked his beard thoughtfully, scrutinizing it carefully. Sometimes he clapped his hands in approval, sometimes he remained silent. After a long while, he put down the list and instructed his servants to prepare it as soon as possible.
Huiming, Huifeng, and the others took the orders, each with their own unique circumstances and gains.
A month later, the news had spread throughout Tianding Star. Within the Jade Cauldron Sect, there was a great deal of discussion. With the strong recommendation of Daoist Huipu, although most people still had great doubts, all the materials listed on the list had been prepared in full, and even an extra copy had been prepared.
Unlike the bustling activity outside, the thatched hut was remarkably quiet.
For the past month, Xiao Wenbing and the other two have legitimately occupied this ancestral master's house.
Although they are men and women, there aren't many rules to follow in the cultivation world. Even if some people had their doubts, they dared not voice them.
In the past few days, Zhang Yaqi has taken this opportunity to cultivate diligently and continuously improve her mental state. She has inexplicable and extreme confidence in Xiao Wenbing. Since he said that he would refine a magic weapon with the same effect for her to use in the future, then he will definitely be able to do it.
Therefore, she did not force herself during her cultivation, but simply let things take their natural course. Unexpectedly, this action was in line with the Taoist attitude of peace and tranquility, and the speed at which her mental cultivation improved far exceeded Xiao Wenbing's expectations.
As for Feng Baiyi, she was immersed in that boring training. Every day, she would ask Xiao Wenbing for a hundred spirit talismans and then go off to cultivate alone.
Her progress was evident to all. On the very first day, she only succeeded on average once every five or six attempts. By the end of the day, she had handed over fewer than twenty talismans to Xiao Wenbing.
But she was not discouraged. She persevered and faced the challenges head-on. A month later, her success rate had reached 30%. Not only that, she had become much more skilled at manipulating lightning. At least, when she actually used it, there were far fewer stray bolts of lightning that couldn't distinguish friend from foe.
Seeing the obvious progress of the two women, Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed. The relationship between the three of them was quite complicated, and even Zhang Yaqi was well aware of certain things.
However, there seems to be a tacit understanding between them, and they are both deliberately avoiding a certain topic.
Xiao Wenbing felt both pleased and worried about this ambiguous relationship, but he was helpless. It wasn't that he was indecisive; rather, he simply couldn't choose.
Just like now, looking at the two women's serious expressions, he felt a warm glow in his heart, and he wished he could keep watching them like this for a long, long time, until the end of time, until the universe was destroyed.
"Do you want this world to be destroyed?" A jarring question suddenly popped into his mind.
Xiao Wenbing's beautiful smile suddenly froze. This Mirror God had once again interrupted him when he was in the best mood.
However, Xiao Wenbing quickly forgave its rudeness. He knew perfectly well why the Mirror God had suddenly become so fussy. Because there were outsiders present, the Mirror God couldn't reveal itself under any circumstances. Hiding in the Heavenly Void Ring for over a month, it was probably getting restless and unsatisfied.
"You're the one who's sexually frustrated, yet you dare to criticize me." An angry roar echoed in his mind again.
Xiao Wenbing ignored him, closed his eyes, and automatically filtered out those unpleasant words.
Spending so much time with the Mirror God actually allowed him to develop this ability to hear things without realizing it—a truly unexpected and wonderful gain...
However, Xiao Wenbing turned his head and realized that what this guy said made some sense.
If there was anything unpleasant about the three of them living together, it was that Xiao Wenbing was forced to act like a gentleman for a month under mutual surveillance.
A true gentleman...
When did Xiao Wenbing ever become so honest?