Starting as a Talisman Master

Back in the quiet courtyard, Lu Chi first carefully placed the several bushels of fine spirit rice, then shook out the heavy cloth bag in the storage pouch.

A dozen or so seeds, emitting a faint glow, were scattered like stars on the stone table.

Previously, most of the spiritual plants in his inventory were first-tier spiritual plants, but only a few, such as the Green Grass, were truly compatible with his pill formula and could be used to refine pills and make medicine.

This time, after a large-scale purchase at the market, spending dozens of low-grade spirit stones, they finally obtained essential ingredients such as Spirit-Stabilizing Ginseng and Red Stem Flower, which can support the refining of more pill formulas such as "Stabilizing Essence Pill".

"I can try using [Azure Law] to improve my cultivation again. Let's cultivate the Spirit-Stabilizing Ginseng to maturity on its own first, and then go and retrieve the talisman brush in three days."

Next came the moment when Lu Chi felt most at ease.

He rolled up his sleeves, and with a light tap of his fingertips, drops of crystal-clear [Dew] slid down his fingers, precisely seeping into the soil layer where the Gu Ling Ginseng seeds were buried.

For three whole days, he stayed indoors, feeling the vigorous vitality lurking and sprouting in the darkness. Finally, in a pale green light, the Gu Ling Ginseng broke through the soil and sprouted, completing in the blink of an eye the tedious journey that ordinary spiritual plants would take months to complete.

hum-

A familiar clear sound resonated in his sea of ​​consciousness. The [Azure Law] talent arrived as promised, drawing upon the innate essence that overflowed when the Solid Spirit Ginseng matured, and nourishing his meridians like a gentle stream.

However, after a while, Lu Chi opened his eyes, a hint of helplessness appearing on his lips.

The Spirit Ginseng is only a first-tier spiritual plant. The amount of essence it contains is far less powerful than the Xuanbing Lotus, which has a similar effect of cleansing the marrow and rejuvenating the body. At most, it is only equivalent to about a week of secluded cultivation.

He brought up the control panel, his brows furrowing even deeper.

【Occupation: Spirit Farmer Lv.2 (0/50)】

That column of experience points remained unchanged.

"Just as I thought." Lu Chi sighed inwardly.

He had experienced this situation before as a [Talisman Master].

As his professional rank increases, those lower-level products can no longer provide him with any benefits.

This is like a strong, adult man who, no matter how much rice porridge he swallows, will hardly gain much strength.

He roughly estimated that cultivating a second-tier spirit plant could previously provide three experience points, but now, at the threshold of Lv.2, cultivating a second-tier spirit plant would probably only yield a meager amount.

"Fifty experience points... means you need to collect fifty different second-tier spirit seeds."

Thinking of this, Lu Chi couldn't help but twitch his lips.

Most of the second-tier spiritual items in the Qingque Mountain market are controlled by the three major cultivation families of Luo, Shen, and Han. If he wants to collect all fifty kinds of rare treasures, he will probably have to "borrow" some from the family treasuries of those families.

Fortunately, although the panel has stopped, the feedback from [Qinglu] is still very real.

As long as he can continuously plant these first-tier spiritual plants in this backyard, even if his aptitude is mediocre, with this endless "forced growth," it's almost a certainty that he will break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within a few months.

This level of progress is enough to make those with mid-grade spiritual roots feel ashamed.

……

……

Pushing open the heavy stone door to the back hall of the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, a wave of heat mixed with sulfur and intense spiritual pressure, along with billowing smoke and dust, crashed into Lu Chi's face without any obstruction.

According to the three-day agreement, he thought he only needed to wait quietly in the private room.

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper told him with a troubled expression that Han Tiefeng had gone deep into the underground forging room after the furnace was opened that day and had not come out since. He also specifically instructed that if Master Lu arrived, he could go directly into the underground fire vein to meet him.

Lu Chi slowly walked down the spiraling blue stone steps. The stone walls on both sides were glowing red and shiny from the years of underground fire, and even faintly revealed a kind of dark metallic luster.

As the depth increases, the moisture in the air evaporates completely, and each breath feels like swallowing scorching hot coals.

The magical power circulated spontaneously in his meridians, transforming into a faint blue light that protected his entire body. Only then did Lu Chi feel that the suffocating burning sensation had dissipated somewhat.

After turning the last corner, the view suddenly opened up.

This is a huge circular cellar with a bottomless crack in the center from which crimson subterranean fire roars like a dragon.

On the forked tongue of the fire dragon, a dark, square cauldron was burning red-hot.

"drink!"

A thunderous roar echoed from the ground.

Han Tiefeng was shirtless, his muscles taut like a coiled dragon, his bronze skin covered with large beads of sweat that turned into white mist before they could fall.

In his right hand he held a heavy iron hammer weighing over a thousand pounds. Each strike was accompanied by a muffled thud that resonated in the heart. In his left hand, he tightly gripped a wisp of dark blue light, which stood out starkly and coldly amidst the crimson flames of the earth.

Beside him, two "blacksmiths" at the early stage of Qi Refining took turns swinging heavy hammers to assist him.

At this moment, one of the blacksmiths seemed unable to withstand the sudden burst of fire poison and retreated to the corner to recuperate, his face pale. The other blacksmith was also at his limit, and the rhythm of his hammer swings became slightly disordered.

"Almost there! Just this final push!"

Han Tiefeng didn't turn his head, his eyes fixed on the dark blue light that pulsated like a swimming fish on the anvil, his voice booming like a bell: "Master Lu, since you're here, don't just stand there. Come over and lend a hand!"

Lu Chi chuckled to himself. This old blacksmith was indeed a practical and easygoing person who didn't treat him like an outsider at all.

"Senior, how can I cooperate with you?" He stood on the edge of the heatwave, his expression solemn.

"Take the place of that blacksmith!" Han Tiefeng kicked the swaying blacksmith aside, making room for the erupting ground fire, his tone urgent.

"When I strike with my hammer, channel your water-elemental magic power into the cracks of this anvil! Just a little, the purest spiritual pressure, to counteract the fiery poison and dryness on my hammerhead, and incidentally, to draw spiritual energy to nourish the acupoints of your precious magical artifact!"

Lu Chi understood that this was a plan to have the customer personally perform a "spiritual energy cleansing" at the last moment before the magic artifact was completed.

"when!"

The heavy iron hammer, weighing over a thousand pounds, crashed down with immense force.

"Now!" Han Tiefeng roared, his voice like thunder.

Lu Chi's eyes sharpened. Even though he was in the heart of the heatwave, he still remembered the art of concealing his breath, steadily suppressing his aura to the false level of the fourth level of Qi Refining.

He pointed his right hand together like a sword, and suddenly a streak of azure blue shot out from his fingertips.

That was the water-elemental spiritual power that he had condensed to its extreme after many days of arduous cultivation and the feedback from the [Azure Law].

Just as he had told Han Tiefeng in the private room, this power was steady and resilient, like a slender yet sharp ice needle that instantly pierced into the crimson jade bamboo.

"hiss--"

The violent collision of extreme cold and extreme heat produced a piercing screech.

As magical power poured in continuously, Lu Chi felt as if his mind had extended into every tiny pore of the talisman brush, engaging in a wondrous struggle and fusion with Han Tiefeng's hammer intent.

Just as he was about to take another deep breath to steady himself, the panel suddenly appeared.

[Job Panel]

Name: Lu Chi

[Realm Level: Qi Refining Level 5]

[Occupations: Talisman Master, Spirit Farmer, Alchemist]

[Currently Unlockable]: Refiner (Unlocking in progress)

[Unlock Quest: Weapon Refiner]

[Unlock Objective]:

[Completed]: Observing the Formation for a Moment (Completed)

[Completed]: Using magical power as a tool to guide spiritual energy to nourish the acupoints once.

Lu Chi was quite surprised that he had accidentally triggered the unlocking quest for a new profession.