Immortal Path in the Palm of a Mortal's Hand

Talismans are consumables, used up and gone; one only needs to weigh the pros and cons. Magical artifacts, on the other hand, require long-term use; their grade, attributes, and compatibility with the cultivation method must all be carefully considered. His cultivation method, the *Great Evolution Prison Suppression Scripture*, is an attribute-less technique, theoretically allowing him to use any attribute-based magical artifact. Precisely because it lacks attribute enhancement, the artifact itself must be powerful enough!

Such ritual implements are extremely rare.

Moreover, the price was far beyond his current means. A high-grade magic weapon cost at least three or four hundred spirit stones. If it was a top-grade one, it could cost over a thousand. He currently only had a little over a hundred spirit stones left, not even close to owning a high-grade magic weapon.

Only after the first level of the "Great Evolution Prison Suppression Scripture" is completely perfected, and one's spiritual consciousness advances further, and the number of pills refined daily increases to seven or even eight, can one consider magical artifacts.

With these sixty-two talismans and one Fire Python Talisman at hand, he should be safe as long as he doesn't encounter a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Back in the stone chamber, Chen Fan carefully categorized and arranged the talismans in his storage bag. He placed the Fireball Talisman in the most convenient spot, followed by the Ice Cone Talisman and Earth Wall Talisman, and kept the Golden Bell Talisman close to his body. The Wooden Vine Talisman and Lightning Strike Talisman were kept as secret weapons. The Fire Python Talisman was hidden deep at the bottom of the bag—this was his most treasured life-saving item, to be used only in life-or-death situations.

As if sensing its master's return, the golden-backed mantis larva slowly crawled out from the corner. After being fed for half a month, its body had grown from the size of a fingernail to the size of a thumb, and its carapace was much harder than when it was born, with its dark golden luster becoming more pronounced. It crawled to Chen Fan's feet, its antennae trembling slightly, conveying a faint sense of hunger.

Chen Fan placed a small piece of spirit stone fragment in front of it. The larva immediately buried its head and began to gnaw at it, making a soft rustling sound.

He lowered his eyes and stared for a moment.

"It's time to give you a name."

The larvae were so engrossed in feeding that they were completely unaware of what was happening.

Chen Fan pondered for a moment. The Golden-backed Demon Mantis had a carapace as hard as metal and forelimbs as sharp as sickles.

"So it was called 'Ironclad'."

Simple, straightforward, and easy to remember.

After gnawing away at the fragments of the spirit stone, the armored creature crawled back to its corner, curled up contentedly, and drifted off to sleep once more.

Chen Fan withdrew his gaze, closed his eyes and concentrated, continuing to circulate the first level of the "Great Evolution Prison Suppression Scripture".

Outside the window, the mountain wind howled, and in the distance, the mythical beast-shaped peaks stood silently in the night. The oil lamp in the stone chamber flickered, casting a solitary shadow that remained motionless on the mottled stone wall.

Inside the storage bag, sixty-two talismans lay silently. Ironclad lay curled up in a corner, fast asleep. The golden book lay pressed tightly against his heart, cold and still.

These things constitute his entire fortune and reliance at this moment.

Though meager.

However, it is sufficient.

……

Chen Fan slowly awoke from his meditation.

Outside the window, a fine drizzle fell silently, condensing into droplets on the edge of the stone window and falling one by one. The mountain breeze, carrying the fresh scent of damp grass and trees after the rain, rushed in, washing away some of the stale air that had accumulated in the stone room for many days.

He looked up out the window. Low-hanging, gray clouds engulfed the upper half of Fire Cloud Peak. The stone chamber was dimly lit, with only a small oil lamp in the corner casting flickering light and shadow on his face.

It's been two years.

Two full years have passed since Master Chiyun received that page of golden book from him.

Chen Fan focused his divine sense into his dantian, examining his sea of ​​qi. The vortex of magical power had nearly doubled in size compared to when he was at the tenth level of Qi Refining two years ago! The speed of the flow of magical power had also increased by three-tenths. If the vortex was like a slowly rotating wisp of mist back then, it was now a solid and powerful vortex, with every strand of magical power being thicker and more refined than before.

Qi Refining Level 12!

In two years, he climbed from the tenth to the twelfth level of Qi Refining, bridging two minor realms. This speed, among the outer disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain, was neither fast nor slow. However, given his three spiritual roots, this progress was a result of the combined effects of the *Great Evolution Prison Suppressing Scripture* and the mysterious vortex in his palm. Without the vortex imprint continuously refining Qi Refining Pills, and without the *Great Evolution Prison Suppressing Scripture* significantly enhancing his divine sense and multiplying the pill-refining effect, breaking through even one minor realm in two years would have been a stroke of luck for someone of his aptitude.

Compared to the improvement in magical power, the transformation of spiritual consciousness is even more significant.

Three months ago, the second level of the "Great Evolution Prison Suppression Scripture," "Transformation of Thought," was successfully completed! Now, his divine sense can stably split into three streams, operating in parallel without interfering with each other! This means that while refining pills, he can simultaneously control the vortex mark to refine spiritual energy, maintain his perception of the surrounding environment, and divert a wisp of divine sense to monitor the armor's condition. With three minds working at once, his efficiency has more than doubled compared to the first level!

The range of divine sense coverage has also expanded to seventy feet! This distance far exceeds that of most Qi Refining cultivators. Ordinary Qi Refining cultivators at the twelfth level rarely have a divine sense coverage exceeding fifty feet. If all three strands of divine sense are released, the limit can reach eighty feet. Although the duration is short, it is enough to seize a first-mover advantage at crucial moments.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the palm of his left hand.

The swirling pattern on my palm is much clearer and more solid than it was two years ago. Originally only the size of a copper coin, it has now expanded to the size of a walnut, taking up most of my palm. The swirling pattern has increased from the initial three circles to five circles, and the lines have become increasingly fine and intricate. Under the dim yellow oil lamplight, it gleams with a faint, almost imperceptible light, as if some kind of liquid is slowly flowing between the lines.

The most dramatic change was in the speed at which spirit stones were refined.

Two years ago, it took the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to refine a single Qi Refining Pill. Now, the same process only takes a little less than half a cup of tea! The time has been reduced by more than half! In the past, refining eight pills a day would exhaust one's spiritual energy; now, it is easy to refine fifteen! If all three streams of spiritual energy were invested, the maximum could reach about eighteen pills, but that would deplete one's spiritual energy, requiring more than half a day to recover, which would be a loss.

Refining fifteen Qi Refining Pills a day, each selling for five spirit stones in the market, yields a daily income of seventy-five spirit stones! After deducting the pills consumed for cultivation and the expenses of feeding the iron armor, the monthly net surplus can reach around one thousand two hundred spirit stones!

Two years ago, he would never have dared to hope for such a number.

Chen Fan withdrew his left hand and slowly scanned the stone chamber with his gaze.

The room was much more furnished than it had been two years ago. A row of wooden shelves had been added to the corner, on which dozens of jade bottles, each containing his accumulated Qi Refining Pills, were neatly arranged. Next to the shelves was a half-person-high ceramic jar, filled with spiritual spring water drawn from the mountain stream, for daily drinking and for washing hands during alchemy.

To the left of the cushion, a brand-new set of equipment was neatly stacked.

At the very top was a dark red inner armor. This armor was tanned from the belly skin of a second-tier fire-attribute demon beast, the "Crimson Scale Python." It was thin, flexible, and worn close to the body, barely hindering movement. The belly skin of the Crimson Scale Python naturally possessed fire resistance, effectively weakening attacks from fire-based spells and magical artifacts. This armor cost him three hundred spirit stones, purchased from a shop in the market specializing in demon beast materials.

Beside the inner armor was a palm-sized bronze mirror. The mirror was perfectly round, with wavy patterns cast along its edges. Its surface wasn't ordinary bronze, but a deep, dark gold. This was the "Golden Mirror," a superior defensive magical artifact! It was crafted primarily from metal-attribute spiritual materials, with a small amount of water-attribute spiritual ore added. Once activated, the mirror could emit a thick golden light to protect the entire body, providing excellent defense against flying swords, throwing knives, and other metal-attribute magical artifacts. This mirror cost him five hundred spirit stones, making it his most valuable possession.

Beside the bronze mirror lay a short sword, about thirteen inches long. The blade was entirely dark red, with a faint golden pattern running along its spine from the hilt to the tip. The hilt was made of dark spirit wood, wrapped with fine dragon veins, providing a non-slip grip and cushioning. This sword was named "Golden Flame," forged from high-grade fire-metal, possessing the power of both metal and fire attributes! The fire, aided by the metal, complemented each other, making its power far surpass that of single-attribute magical artifacts of the same rank. The Golden Flame sword cost four hundred and fifty spirit stones.

Three magical artifacts, totaling one thousand two hundred and fifty spirit stones!

This was the wealth he had accumulated over two years, almost all of it! The inner armor protected his body, the Golden Mirror defended him, and the Golden Flame Sword attacked enemies. These three weapons belonged to the three elements of metal, water, and fire, perfectly matching his own three spiritual roots of metal, water, and fire! When a cultivator wields a magical weapon that matches his own spiritual root attribute, the conversion of magical power is more efficient, the consumption is less, and the power is greater! Chen Fan had learned this principle from the scriptures in the Spirit Beast Mountain Scripture Pavilion and had memorized it.

He picked up the Golden Flame Sword and slightly channeled his magic power. The golden pattern on the dark red sword suddenly lit up, and a layer of pale golden flames silently leaped from the blade, burning fiercely! The temperature in the stone chamber rose sharply, and fine water droplets instantly seeped from the surfaces of several jade bottles on the wooden shelf.

Chen Fan withdrew his magical power, and the golden flames on the sword slowly subsided. He placed the sword back in its original position and took out a stack of talismans from the right side of the futon.