He obtained the God of All Laws from human skin.

Chapter 147 The Talisman Master's Upgrade, Various Thoughts

In the secret room, Hu Daoren sat at the table and laid out the ancient painting that sealed the painting's charm.

He thought that the painting spirit would naturally beg for mercy after a few days of being left to rot, but he did not expect that this thing would be so resilient. Even after using a lot of coercion and enticement, it still did not speak.

"You're still not willing?" Master Hu stared at the blurry woman's face on the scroll, his tone already somewhat impatient. "Your aura has weakened so much. If you don't replenish your essence, you won't last much longer."

He was met with a long silence. The scroll remained lying on the table, motionless, without the slightest movement of its aura, looking just like an ordinary painting.

Hu Daoren's facial muscles twitched, then a sinister smile appeared on his face: "Fine, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences. I'll see how long you can keep up this act."

After saying this, he made a hand seal and locked the scroll back inside.

To be honest, the current situation was indeed somewhat unexpected. This painting demon was clearly at its wit's end, yet it refused to bow its head. How could a spirit be so resolute when it was forced to the point of being on the verge of losing its form and spirit? What would happen if it submitted to me?

The problem is that she won't even utter a single word.

I can't figure it out.

Hu Daoren pondered it repeatedly, but still couldn't figure out the key point.

But it doesn't matter if you can't figure it out; he never puts all his eggs in one basket.

Since the painting spirit was unwilling to take the initiative, he couldn't blame him for forcing his way in.

If there is still no change in the situation after a few more days, then we will forcibly refine her.

Just as he was pondering this, a series of steady footsteps came from outside the secret room.

Hu Daoren moved extremely quickly. With a flick of his wrist, he swept the painting into his sleeve, neatly gathered the cuffs, and then sat down in front of the alchemy furnace, resting his arms on his knees, adopting a composed posture as if he had just finished closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

A moment later, Ma Yanwang appeared at the door.

He glanced at the alchemy furnace, then fixed his gaze on Hu Daoren's face, and asked, "Based on the time you gave me, this pill should be ready by now, right?"

The Taoist priest flicked his sleeves, stood up, and said with undisguised arrogance, "Of course. Since this humble Taoist has agreed..."

"Chief, how could we possibly fail?"

As he spoke, he walked to the alchemy furnace, made a hand seal, and extinguished all the flames at the bottom of the furnace.

The moment the stove lid was lifted, a strong stench of blood, accompanied by a wave of heat, rushed out.

At the bottom of the furnace lay six or seven pills, each about the size of a thumb, dark red in color, with a faint, almost imperceptible sheen of blood flowing across their surface, as if they had just been taken from something. The lingering, pungent stench was so strong that even King Ma couldn't help but frown.

Hu Daoren took out the pills one by one, held them in his palm, and handed them to Ma Yanwang: "This is the Boiling Blood Pill that I mentioned to the gang leader before. This pill is made primarily from the essence blood of a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, supplemented with seven kinds of potent medicinal herbs, and it was refined in the alchemy furnace for a full forty-nine days before it was formed. Taking it can greatly enhance qi and blood, and it is very effective for the gang leader in breaking through to the Meridian Opening Realm. With the gang leader's current cultivation, if this pill helps, the chances of breaking through will increase by at least 30%."

King Yama took the pill, picked one up, and examined it carefully.

He was a suspicious man by nature and never trusted others easily. Even though he had found this old Taoist priest to refine medicine, he never let his guard down.

Hu Daoren naturally saw through his thoughts and was not annoyed. He simply draped his whisk over his arm and said, "If the leader is worried, he can find a brother in the Blood Condensation Realm to try it first. However, ordinary people should not touch it. This pill contains the essence and blood power of a Bone Forging Realm expert. If an ordinary person takes it, their meridians will not be able to withstand that power, and it will be more harmful than beneficial."

Hearing this, King Ma looked at the water vat beside him and then said, "Since this elixir can improve qi and blood, I think..."

This must be quite advantageous to demons as well.

"Haha..." Master Hu laughed a few times. He understood what King Ma was thinking. King Ma was afraid that he had done something wrong, so he planned to use the water monkey to test the elixir.

Seeing this, Taoist Hu did not refuse and directly summoned the water monkey.

Looking at the monster in front of him, King Ma threw the pill over. The water monkey caught it, sniffed it a few times, and then swallowed it in one gulp.

Soon after, steam visibly rose from the water monkey's body.

It suddenly raised its head, pounded its chest with its fists, and let out a series of low and excited roars.

King Ma squinted and looked the water monkey up and down, confirming that its blood and qi had indeed increased significantly in a short period of time, and that there were no signs of poisoning or loss of control. Only then did he nod slightly.

He carefully put the few Boiling Blood Pills into the bottle, nodded to Hu Daoren, and then turned and walked out of the secret chamber.

As Ma Yanwang left, the gentle expression on Hu Daoren's face also disappeared.

He certainly didn't poison the elixir.

Poison is too stupid; it is easy to detect and leaves traces in the meridians.

He only added one inconspicuous ingredient, which was harmless in itself and could even slightly enhance the medicinal effect, making the Boiling Blood Pill more potent than when it was normally refined.

However, once ingested, the blood and qi in the body will slowly be imprinted with his unique spiritual energy under the influence of the medicine.

At first, there was nothing unusual, but as the pills were taken one after another, the mark would become deeper and deeper, until King Ma finished taking all the Boiling Blood Pills and successfully opened his meridians.

The mark of the Dao soldiers was also completely imprinted.

For Daoist Hu, a Dao weapon at the Meridian Opening Realm was quite precious.

Speaking of Daoist soldiers, Hu Daoren suddenly thought of Qin Chuan.

Ma Yanwang's cultivation level was indeed much higher than Qin Chuan's, but Qin Chuan had a bloodline that even he couldn't fathom. The dense, unyielding Yang Sha Qi alone was something that Ma Yanwang's physical body, which only had a cultivation level, could not match.

If we can completely unravel the mysteries of this kid's bloodline, we might be able to forge a Dao weapon ten times stronger than Ma Yanwang.

However, I'm currently busy with the painting spirit. Once I refine it, I can elevate this kid's bloodline to a higher level.

The process is over.

Time passed silently, and a few more days went by after the incident with Wei He.

Qin Chuan spent all his time indoors, focusing his energy on talismans, aside from his daily, unwavering cultivation practices and appointments at Xiangmanlou.

He had read the book "Miscellaneous Records of Talismans" given to him by Hu Daoren several times, and he had already memorized the talisman structure, incantations and key points of more than a dozen basic talismans in it.

Over the past few days, he tried out all the dozen or so basic talismans listed in the miscellaneous book. Although some of the talismans were indeed a bit complicated, thanks to his skill as an artist and his precise control of spiritual power as a Qi cultivator, it only took him a little longer, and he succeeded in making them one after another.

At this moment, he was holding a paintbrush and carefully drawing a fireball talisman on a brand new piece of talisman paper in front of him.

If it were just a regular fireball talisman, given his current skill level of making it seven or eight times out of ten, there would be no need to be so cautious.

But the one he drew now was different. In addition to cinnabar and spiritual power, the talisman also contained a wisp of spirituality that he had extracted from his own yang energy through the technique of "absorbing spiritual energy into the painting".

This Yang Sha Qi is inherently fierce, and it will explode on the talisman paper if you are not careful. Even though he has the method of capturing spirits into the painting and has tamed the spirit to some extent, it is still much more difficult than expected to seal it steadily into the talisman.

Drawing talismans requires the skill of both hand and spirit, and now spirituality must also be added. The three forces operate simultaneously at the tip of the brush. If he were not simultaneously a talisman master, a Qi cultivator, and a spirit-capturing painter, an ordinary talisman master would already be overwhelmed just by maintaining the balance of these three.

Qin Chuan had been practicing this talisman for one or two hours every day for the past few days. At the beginning, he could not control the intensity of the talisman at all, and the paper would burn and the ink would explode after only two or three strokes. Now, he can bring up the three forces at the same time as the tip of the pen touches the paper, and let them layer up along the direction of the talisman. His hand is becoming more and more stable every day.

His brushstrokes were extremely steady at this moment. The vermilion and red lines, carrying spiritual power and yang energy, meandered and moved across the talisman paper. The paper became slightly hot where the brush touched, but it did not smoke or explode as it had a few days ago.

As the last stroke of the rune finished, the entire rune suddenly lit up with a very faint crimson light. The light was not as bright yellow as that of an ordinary fireball rune, but rather carried a deep, dark red hue, faintly exuding a violent yet oppressive aura.

Become!

At the same time, a new message appeared on the system panel: [Spell drawing successful, profession experience +10]

[Experience capped; Rune Master class level increased]

[Occupation: Rune Master]

【等级：1v1→1v2（2/200）】

[Professional Skill: Ink Touch]

Qin Chuan looked at the panel. This upgrade of the talisman master was within his expectations. He had drawn at least dozens of talismans in the past few days, and his experience points were already close to the threshold. He was just one step away from the final step.

He was somewhat surprised that the experience points provided by this Yang Sha Fire Talisman were so generous, a full ten points, more than double that of an ordinary fire talisman.

He picked up a pen and tentatively drew a picture, silently sensing the changes after the talisman master leveled up to Lv2.

Needless to say, the control over the pen when putting pen to paper is much better than in Iv1.

Furthermore, Qin Chuan discovered that while he previously needed to actively control each stroke when drawing talismans, as his level increased, some of the simpler ones had begun to be memorized by his body, almost like they had become instincts.

If one can continue to advance, the more complex and mentally demanding talisman gestures may eventually become an instinct.

After learning about the changes after the career upgrade, Qin Chuan put down his pen and picked up the Yang Sha Fire Talisman, examining it carefully between his fingertips.

The true power of this Yang Sha Fire Talisman cannot be determined by simply observing it from inside the house; it must be tested in an open space.

He picked up the stack of ordinary fireball talismans on the table, selected a few of the most neatly drawn ones, and put them together with this Yang Sha Fireball Talisman into his pocket. He planned to take advantage of the early hour to go out of the city and find a deserted wilderness to try out all the talismans one by one.

Qin Chuan left the city gate and headed towards a remote riverside in the distance.

At the same time, a figure in the city saw this and quickly called his companion, whispered a few words in his ear, and then ran towards the south of the city without stopping. Soon after, the person arrived at the Zhennan Martial Arts Hall and said a few words to the gatekeeper next to him.

A moment later, the man was led into the martial arts hall by the doorman and saw a tall and imposing figure.

The figure was none other than Qi Xiuyuan, the champion of the Qinghe County Martial Arts Competition and the senior disciple of Zhenshan Martial Arts School.

Qi Xiuyuan looked at the figure in front of him and asked, "That kid left the city?"

"Yes." The figure nodded. "Xiao Ba is probably keeping an eye on it."

"Alright." Qi Xiuyuan took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it over. "Take me to him."

A figure walked over to a rocky beach on the banks of the Bailang River.

This person was Qin Chuan.

Because of its remote location, few people come here.

He glanced around but didn't see anyone. To be on the safe side, he found a corner and took out the fireball talisman from his body.

In the middle of the river, there was a boulder that took two people to encircle, half submerged in the water and half above the surface. It was perfect for testing talismans.

Qin Chuan held the talisman firmly between his fingers, closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment, sending a wisp of spiritual energy along his meridians to his fingertips. Then he made a hand seal, silently chanted a short syllable, and flicked the talisman towards the boulder in the middle of the river.

The talisman ignited without wind, transforming into a fist-sized bright yellow fireball that flew out with a muffled "bang," sending shards of rock flying and blasting a charred crater the size of a bowl into the surface of the reef.

Seeing this, Qin Chuan also seemed to be deep in thought. The power of this fireball talisman was about the same as that of a martial artist in the Blood Condensation Realm.

Qin Chuan then picked up the fireball talisman drawn with Yang Sha spiritual energy.

As soon as he infused the talisman with spiritual power, a violent and oppressive aura surged up, causing his blood and qi to ripple slightly.

He uttered a spell, and the talisman suddenly exploded, releasing a dark red fireball that was a size larger than the previous one, and nearly twice as fast as an ordinary fireball talisman.

As the fireball streaked across the river, the surrounding moisture evaporated into a white mist, and a dry, scorching smell filled the air. It then slammed heavily onto the rock that had already been dented by an ordinary fire talisman.

This time it wasn't a muffled "bang," but a deafening "boom." The entire reef was blasted into a charred hole the size of a washbasin, with cracks extending outwards like a spider web at the edges. Shards shot in all directions, splashing up a white column of water as they fell into the river.

That power!

Qin Chuan stood on the shore, gazing at the scorch marks and cracks remaining on the reef, silently estimating the impact range and extent of damage from where the fireball had landed.

He himself was a martial artist who had reached the Great Perfection of the Blood Condensation Realm, and he knew the strength of the Blood Condensation Realm all too well. An ordinary full-force attack could only create a fist-sized dent on a reef, which was considered quite good. Even if it was a penetrating attack, it would only create a few cracks inside the stone.

However, the power of that Yang Sha Fire Talisman that struck just now, with its charred hole the size of a washbasin and the red-hot edges of the broken stones, far exceeded the range of a full-force attack from a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator.

He mentally compared the two and figured he had probably reached the threshold of the Lesser Completion of the Bone Forging Realm.

While it may not be as powerful and refined as a true Bone Forging Realm expert's punch that can shatter stone, if thrown unexpectedly in a fight, even a Bone Forging Realm martial artist would never be willing to take it head-on.

After comparing the ordinary fireball talisman with the Yang Sha fireball talisman, Qin Chuan was somewhat surprised to find that the power of the two differed so greatly.

This is only the first attempt. If the extraction of Yang Sha spirituality and its compatibility with the talisman can be improved further in the future, the power of the fire talisman may be even greater.

Qin Chuan didn't rush to leave. Instead, he lined up the ordinary fireball talismans in his arms, wanting to test the practical effect of continuously activating the fireball talismans.

Activating a fireball talisman with one hand is not difficult. He had just verified that as long as he used spiritual power as a guide and made a hand seal, a fireball could be launched.

The real problem is time. Even if he has compressed the circulation of spiritual energy to the extreme, there will still be a noticeable interval between the two activations, from the time he makes the hand seal to the time he completes the activation action.

It's not that the incantation itself is complicated, but rather that the spiritual energy needs a moment to flow back and adjust after the fireball leaves the talisman before it can be re-condensed on the next talisman.

He tried firing twice in quick succession, with an interval of about two breaths between them. This was the fastest speed he could currently compress his spiritual power.

What if two fire talismans are activated at the same time?

Qin Chuan pondered for a moment and decided to give it a try.

He took out two ordinary fire talismans from his sleeve, holding one in each hand. He took a deep breath, and the spiritual energy in his dantian slowly split into two strands, flowing into his palms along his meridians.

Multitasking wasn't too difficult for him, since drawing the fireball talisman of Yang Sha could be considered multitasking.

However, as the spiritual energy circulated through his meridians, he also noticed something was wrong. Although he could multitask, the proficiency of his two hands was ultimately different. The spiritual energy patterns on the talisman in his right hand shone very steadily, while the one in his left hand seemed to be stuck by something.

He forcefully pushed the two strands of spiritual energy forward simultaneously, and the two talismans suddenly exploded in his palm, sending out two bright yellow fireballs trailing blazing tails of flame.

The shot from the right landed steadily on the reef that had been test-fired earlier, sending shards of rock flying. The shot from the left, however, went wildly off course, grazing the edge of the reef before plunging into the river with a hiss, creating a cloud of steaming white mist. Several small fish, belly up, were swept ashore by the blast.

Qin Chuan lowered his hands, his brows furrowing slightly, and silently noted the result of this attempt in his mind.

Dual-shot is indeed feasible, but the drawbacks are also obvious. The spiritual energy consumption is almost twice that of single-shot. What's more troublesome is the accuracy. Because the spiritual energy flow in the left hand is not smooth enough, the timing of the activation of the fire talisman is half a beat slower than that of the right hand, so the angle of the shot is off.

With his current level of control over his spiritual power, he can only guarantee that one of his two shots will hit the target, while the other shot is up to chance.

Unless the opponent is a large enough target, it would be a waste to rashly fire two shots in actual combat.

He silently kept this conclusion in mind, planning to practice more when he got back to see if he could improve his accuracy in multitasking even further.

With most of the talismans in his sleeve used up and his spiritual energy nearly depleted, Qin Chuan turned and walked back along the path he had come from.

It was still early, and there were only a few pedestrians on the official road. He didn't walk fast, his mind still racing with the data from the talisman test, planning to draw a few more Yang Sha fireball talismans to have on hand when he got back.

However, just as he turned the corner of a large blue stone that was more than half a person tall, he suddenly stopped.

A figure stood in the middle of the dirt road ahead.

The man was extremely tall, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Standing there, he was like an iron wall, completely blocking the entire road.

It was Qi Xiuyuan, the senior disciple of Zhenshan Martial Arts School.

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