Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 170 The Five Talismans of the Present World: Celestial Master Talisman, Thousand Machine Talisman
There are no plans to activate the runes for the time being.

But he was still very interested in Master Tong.

Seeing that no wealthy customers were peeking out to buy his goods, he simply stood in front of the old Taoist's stall and, despite the old Taoist's indifference, pestered him relentlessly.

"Fellow Daoist, was that a third-order spatial rune you just used? Was it created with talisman paper, or did you directly use runes to perform a divine power?"

"If you could directly use runes to perform supernatural powers, would I still be setting up a stall here?" the old Taoist said irritably.

"A third-tier spatial talisman paper, you used it so readily, fellow Daoist? Fellow Daoist's generosity is beyond my reach!" Su Qing said admiringly.

"It's just a second-tier intermediary talisman. If you can activate that talisman, I can exchange dozens of them for merit points!"

Tong Laodao felt a pang of regret, even though he was certain that no one could refuse the invitation from the Heavenly Talisman Palace, and that this deal of his would only bring him profit.

But Su Qing's speed in collecting spirit crystals was a bit too fast.

With spirit crystals, most of the necessary items can be purchased at the Treasure Pavilion, so it seems that this talisman may not need to be activated for a while.

Why doesn't this kid ask himself what that stroke of luck was?

This is truly bizarre!

Su Qing was puzzled when she learned that a second-tier talisman could perform so miraculously as before.

He can also draw second-order spatial runes, although they are not applied to the talisman paper but to the puppet, but they do not have the same magical properties as the mediator talisman.

"Various runes, when combined with each other, can create a myriad of wonderful uses, just like your puppet form."

Spatial runes, when used on puppets and combined with material runes, can change size; when combined with five-element runes, they can be used for teleportation.

When combined with the Illusionary Heart Rune, it can achieve the same effect as the Intermediary Rune, separating space and concealing one's abilities.

All these combinations and myriad uses are passed down within my Heavenly Talisman Palace.

"Fellow Daoist, if you wish to access this information, you should activate the talisman as soon as possible. The merit points I earn guiding newcomers are insignificant; delaying your cultivation is a much bigger deal!"

Old Master Tong spoke earnestly and patiently.

Su Qing nodded in agreement.

So it seems that the Heavenly Talisman Palace did indeed help him a great deal.

When he was crafting puppets, he would also study the combination of various runes. He wasn't afraid of materials as sturdy and durable as the Demon King Tiger Bone. At most, he would fail and damage the material's foundation.

However, for some delicate materials, you can't just force the runes on them like that.

How to combine different runes, which runes can form a synergy with which other runes, and what the synergy effect is—these are all complex subjects to study.

If we let him figure it out on his own, who knows how much tuition he'll have to pay.

But it seems that the Heavenly Talisman Palace can't be taken for free either.

"Fellow Daoist, please tell me, where do those merit points come from?"

When the old Taoist priest saw that he had asked about merit points, he knew that the old man was interested in the Heavenly Talisman Hall, so he immediately straightened up and said warmly:

There are three ways to obtain merit points.

One way is to exchange various cultivation resources, such as cultivation techniques, combat skills, spiritual materials, and even spirit crystals and spirit stones. One spirit stone can be exchanged for one point of merit.

This method is extremely expensive, and only those who are born into wealth and are spoiled, such as disciples of immortal sects or those with the bloodline of demon saints, can afford it.

We independent cultivators don't even have enough spirit stones for ourselves, let alone extra money to exchange for merit points.

Su Qing nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. It wasn't easy for rogue cultivators to earn money; he had to be extremely careful with every spirit stone he owned, let alone afford it. "The second way is to exchange it for your own rune skills. You can inscribe your knowledge of rune skills and exchange it for points based on their value. Of course, you need at least third-tier or higher rune knowledge to do this."

"If you develop a new type of second-tier puppet, the blueprint for that puppet can be exchanged for ten to twenty merit points."

"So little?" Su Qing was surprised to hear this.

That's way too much. According to this old Taoist, his Tyrant Tiger puppet blueprints are only worth ten or twenty spirit stones.
If he really wanted to buy it, a hundred spirit stones would be enough for both the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and the Fate Pavilion to fight over it.

After all, this is an exclusive blueprint, known only to him. You could search the entire Tianyuan Realm and you still wouldn't find another person who knows this blueprint!

"Originally, there weren't this few. It's just that a thousand years ago, a spirit painter took advantage of a loophole. He didn't care whether the things he painted were actually practical or not. As long as they were considered new paintings, he would get merit points from the Heavenly Talisman Hall."

He kept deceiving him, and before he knew it, he had cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage, and none of his paintings had been redeemed by anyone else.

The Heavenly Talisman Hall subsequently strengthened its oversight and lowered the prices of related skills.

After Tong Laodao finished speaking, he and Su Qing sighed regretfully.

The older generation really had a sharp mind!
With his Tyrant Tiger, he could easily create Tyrant Black Armor Tiger, Tyrant Silver Flow Tiger, and if he weren't so particular, Tyrant Jumping Tiger or Tyrant Bouncing Tiger wouldn't be out of the question either.

One type of puppet, by adding or subtracting, can produce hundreds of puppet blueprints, which can be exchanged for tens of thousands of merit points.

"The third way is to collect information about ancient Dao patterns, such as Dao Heaven Talisman Walls, Great Power Jade Slips, and clues related to Dao pattern relics. All of these can be exchanged for a large number of merit points."

Of course, if you have the ability to deduce the five talismans of the present world to a level that no one before you has reached, you can also exchange them for a massive amount of merit points.

"Besides the three methods mentioned above, tasks such as guiding newcomers and killing those who leak the Heavenly Talisman inheritance can also earn some merit points."

After the old Taoist finished speaking, he looked intently at Su Qing and said:

"Ancient Dao patterns are not something everyone can come into contact with. For us to encounter them once is a blessing from heaven. When the opportunity comes, we should seize it!"

Is it that difficult?

I have two Dao patterns imprinted on my body right now!
Su Qing ignored the old Taoist's patient persuasion and instead asked about the fortune-telling he had done for her.

Believe it or not, I thought the old Taoist priest was talking nonsense at the time, but he actually came right.

The crisis was indeed with the witch, but the opportunities on this trip were even greater than he had imagined.

"This is the wondrous use of the Human Fortune Talisman. I have been studying this talisman for over a hundred years, but I have only gained a little understanding. I wonder if I will be able to glimpse the wonders of the Heavenly Secret Talisman when my path of cultivation ends!"

The old Taoist shook his head, looking dejected.

Su Qing also learned from him that this talisman originated from the ancient Daoist pattern, the Celestial Master pattern, which is the Daoist pattern most compatible with the lineage of talisman makers.

This pattern contains many talismanic traditions, only those that have been deciphered and evolved into talismans in the present world.

Then people began to carry talismans, such as the Talisman Armor Warrior Talisman, the Golden Light Talisman, the Five Thunder Talisman, the Heavenly Secret Talisman, and many other talisman papers.

The ancient Dao pattern that best matches the Puppet Master is the Thousand Machine Pattern.

The puppet inheritances that are now widely popular in the cultivation world of the Western Sea, developed from materials such as metal, stone, and spirits, are mostly derived from cultivators' analysis of these Dao patterns.

Although he didn't know the old Taoist's cultivation level, his knowledge was definitely far superior to his.

While Xiong Er was helping sell the goods, he spent the whole afternoon pestering the old Taoist priest with questions, learning a lot of secrets about the cultivation world.

As for Tong Laodao becoming increasingly annoyed and feeling that he was hindering her business of selling talismans, Su Qing simply ignored him.

We're all like-minded people, so what's wrong with sitting down and discussing our views?
(End of this chapter)