Confucian and Taoist Cultivation Starting from the Equipment Slot

The secret of using the power of the demon core to push through the source stone, as recorded in that scripture, might be that the demon core is used as a filter.

Chen Zhuo's mind was completely in a state of deep thought.

In theory, as long as a layer of demon core is added between the "devour" script and the source stone as a buffer medium, it is possible to achieve the desired result.

Let the demon core endure the erosion of the long night's energy first, and then let the pure energy of the source stone enter the body through the demon core's filtration.

This might significantly reduce the rate at which Originium is consumed.

Of course, his idea is currently only at the theoretical stage.

The specific quality of the demon core required, the number of filtration layers needed, and whether the conversion rate of the runes can meet the standards for practical use all require repeated experiments.

But now he has a direction and has completed the stage of making bold assumptions. The next step is to carefully verify them.

He then glanced at his inventory.

We currently have two Originium stones, which give us a total of eight uses, enough to support a complete test.

Aside from Originium, the remaining materials are nothing more than demon cores and blank talisman paper, both of which are not difficult to obtain during the Long Night City Defense.

When you're on duty, you can clear out the demons along the way. The demon cores can be kept directly without having to hand over points.

After making up his mind about this matter, Chen Zhuo began to study the making of talismans.

He realized that he should put this matter on his agenda now.

Turning to the page recording the basic talisman-making methods, Chen Zhuo spread out a blank talisman paper and opened a set of talisman-making tools.

This is a set of talisman-making tools that my second senior brother, Li Zhao, sent over by someone last time.

According to him at the time, it was just a basic, introductory set of tools.

It wasn't worth much money, so Chen Zhuo accepted it without hesitation.

This is exactly what I need now.

The toolbox contained five talisman pens, each with the characters "引" (lead), "定" (fix), "封" (seal), "转" (turn), and "收" (collect) engraved on its handle.

These five boys correspond to the five steps in the creation of the talisman.

There was also a note left by the second senior brother, the handwriting so neat and elegant that it didn't sound like his usual tone of voice:

"Junior Brother is developing talismans, so I don't have much to give you. This set of old pens is what I used when I first learned to draw talismans. They're not expensive, but I'm used to each one and they're better than the more expensive ones."

Upon seeing the note, Chen Zhuo smiled knowingly, then put the note away and took out a blank talisman.

Talisman paper is a special type of paper that is thicker than ordinary Xuan paper, and its surface has a subtle sheen from a literary treatment.

He laid the talisman paper flat on the table and picked up the talisman brush with the character "引" (yin) engraved on it.

Then, adjust the flow of Qi within your body to the most stable speed, and gently place the tip of the brush on the talisman paper.

He wasn't going to draw a complex offensive rune, but rather a calming rune, which Qian Xiu had marked as a must-learn rune for beginners.

The calming talisman has a simple effect: it brings peace of mind to the wearer, preventing them from being disturbed by minor mental disturbances.

This type of symbol has a simple structure and a clear flow of literary energy, making it ideal for practice.

As the pen tip moves across the paper, the literary essence seeps into the paper fibers along the pen tip, leaving a very faint line.

The brushstrokes need to be stopped at the bends in the lines, otherwise the literary quality will overflow at the corners.

When finishing a stroke, the flow of the writing must be cut off cleanly and decisively; otherwise, the entire talisman will continue to lose its flow of the writing energy and will soon become waste paper.

When I was halfway through drawing the first talisman, the pen tip trembled unconsciously at a certain bend, and the lines on the talisman paper became crooked.

Chen Zhuo stopped and watched the crooked line slowly fade, sighing silently in his heart.

Then set the waste paper aside.

It's normal to make mistakes the first time, Chen Zhuo silently comforted himself.

He then took out a new talisman to try.

He learned from his previous experience and completed the drawing of the talisman in one go.

The patterns on the paper brightened slightly after the strokes were finished, then gradually stabilized, and the entire talisman exuded a very faint literary luster.

[Tranquility Talisman (White): Grants the wearer a slight resistance to mental interference, lasting for the duration of one incense stick. Note: First time crafted independently, talisman crafting experience +1.]

Chen Zhuo held the talisman up to the lamp to examine it, then placed it on the corner of the table and picked up his pen again.

Now that the five basic processes have been successfully completed, the next step is to try to introduce the energy of Originium into the rune structure.

Following the annotation's line of thought, we should first test whether the Originium energy can be sealed in the talisman paper, and then test whether the demon core medium can reduce energy loss during the sealing process.

Do it when you think of it.

He placed a small fragment of Originium next to the talisman paper, spread out a blank sheet of talisman paper, and picked up the writing brush again.

During this talisman-drawing process, he diverted a wisp of his spiritual energy during the Qi-guiding stage to guide the formation of an extremely thin bridge of spiritual energy between the talisman paper and the Originium fragment.

This is to allow the talisman's structure to actively absorb trace amounts of energy dissipating from the surface of the source stone during the forming process.

As the pen tip moved across the paper, the lines on the paper trembled slightly at the bend, and then, as the pen finished its stroke, the entire line simultaneously lit up with a very faint bluish light before settling down.

[Tranquility Charm (Originium Enhancement, White): The wearer can slightly resist mental interference, and the duration is doubled. Originium energy consumption is negligible.]

efficient!

Upon seeing this result, Chen Zhuo was overjoyed.

He examined the newly produced talisman.

Although the consumption was minimal, it at least proved that the idea was sound.

The next step is to increase the proportion of Originium energy input so that the effect of the rune is not just doubling the time, but producing a qualitative change in more critical indicators.

Just as he was setting up to continue trying, there was a knock on the door.

Qingluo's voice came through the door: "Young Master, the Eldest Young Master sent someone to ask if you are available now. He said he has something to discuss."

"Does your brother need to see him?"

Chen Zhuo was somewhat puzzled, because generally speaking, even his father and elder brother would not bother him.

When it comes to things like lost goods, they just follow the clues themselves and don't come looking for him.

Chen Zhuo put down his pen and carefully put away the Originium fragments and talisman paper.

"Please go to the side hall, brother. I'll be there right away."

When Chen Zhuo entered the side hall, Chen Zheng was already waiting there.

He sat in a chair by the window, holding a half-cup of tea.

Upon seeing Chen Zhuo enter, he put down his teacup, offered no pleasantries, and directly took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and laid it on the table.

"This is what I found out recently."

Chen Zheng pointed to the densely written words on the paper, "I've gathered all the clues you asked me to keep an eye on."

The thing he had asked his older brother to keep an eye on was the follow-up to that shipment.

I had a feeling that there was more to that shipment than met the eye, and after mentioning it to my older brother, he agreed, and the two of them hit it off immediately.

And that's how the current scene came about.

Chen Zhuo sat down opposite Chen Zheng and turned the paper over to examine it closely.

The document contains more than a dozen clues written in neat small characters, each with its source and credibility indicated.

Some of the information came from inquiries with old merchants in the outer city, some from extracting information from gang members, and a few from reviewing documents within the county government.