Chapter 58: Talismanic Sword Seal

Chapter 58: Talismanic Sword Seal

Chu Liang looked at Wen Yulong with a serious expression. "...?"

Wen Yulong gazed back at Chu Liang, sweating nervously.

The atmosphere in the room seemed to freeze for a moment.

Wen Yulong stammered, "S-senior Brother, I assure you that it's because I am aiming to maximize the power of the enchanted tool. The effects that I can produce will definitely be stronger than what others can do! So, the risks of failure will inevitably be higher... If you prefer a safer option, you can choose someone else to do it..."

"Seventy sword coins, and I'll let you make this for me," Chu Liang said suddenly.

This business model provided a convenient service for disciples that needed tool-making services as well as a great opportunity for disciples that were gifted in tool-making to gain experience.

For someone like Wen Yulong, who was young and yet had a long history of failures, to be allowed to take orders from customers... it meant that he was either the sect leader's grandson or that the Weapons Master had a high opinion of him. Either way, they believed it was worth having him here.

The Lifeforce Green Leaf was a rather precious material. Nevertheless, it was not that important to Chu Liang, so he didn't mind taking a gamble with it.

Still, the service fee had to be lowered.

Chu Liang knew that a portion of the tool-making fee went to the Hall of Weapons, and this part was non-negotiable. However, the rest of the fee was designated for the disciple, and that was negotiable.

So, Chu Liang made a small cut to the fee. If the enchanted tool were to be successfully made, Chu Liang would only need to pay seventy sword coins. If it were to fail, he could still retrieve the item. So, the risk was relatively acceptable.

Wen Yulong didn't hide his emotions; he immediately became teary-eyed.

"Senior Brother Chu, the portion of the fee reserved for me is only thirty sword coins..."

The cut Chu Liang had made struck a nerve with Wen Yulong. However, Chu Liang remained silent and just watched him quietly.

After some hesitation, Wen Yulong nodded and said, "All right, all right. I'll take up this request. Please rest assured I will definitely do my best."

It was evident that he hadn't received any requests for quite a while, so he was pretty excited for the opportunity to make something.

Chu Liang nodded softly and replied, "Then I'll entrust this to you, Junior Brother Wen."

He left behind the Lifeforce Green Leaf and the payment for the service. Then he stood up and left.

Despite the small reduction in the fee, the final amount still almost emptied his savings. Additionally, he was running out of Qi-Gathering Pills for his Large-Headed Doll. The urgency of making money suddenly weighed down on him.

"Sigh..."

As Chu Liang walked out of the Hall of Weapons, he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

Even a great hero, who could overturn rivers and seas, could not escape being hungry, cold, and poor. Money made the man; without money, it was hard to be a man.

When would Chu Liang finally achieve financial freedom with sword coins?

Back at Silver Sword Peak, he saw another small paper crane on the table. Chu Liang unfolded it to find a reply from Jiang Yuebai.

It contained just a few simple words: Today, after the sun has risen[1], at the old place.

...

After that, Miss Jiang's small classroom was back in session.

The theory behind the Talismanic Sword Seal was relatively easy to understand. It involved using a sword to write characters[2] in midair to communicate with spirits. The next step was to execute the Sword Manipulation Technique, allowing the caster's flying sword to charge forth with the innate power of the characters. The combination of sword qi and a talisman had a formidable destructive power.

Moreover, as long as the caster was strong enough, one sword seal could have many characters and turn into a Ten-Character Talismanic Sword or a Hundred-Character Talismanic Sword. It was said that a formidable swordsman in Mount Shu Sect once combined the Ten Thousand Swords Seal with the Talismanic Sword Seal, unleashing a strike that manifested a Hundred-Thousand-Character Talismanic Sword.

The sword suppressed the heavens and the earth; it had a sword qi that shook the nine provinces and a supreme power capable of destroying mountains and seas. A Talismanic Sword Seal that had been cultivated to such a high level was just as powerful as an immortal art.

After finding out about that, Chu Liang couldn't help but yearn to learn the Talismanic Sword Seal.

However, what Jiang Xiaobai asked next immediately made Chu Liang lose his eagerness.

"Can you make talismans?"

"Uh..." Chu Liang uttered.

He could only shake his head in response.

Seeing Chu Liang's bewildered expression, Jiang Yuebai was secretly delighted.

She had already reached the Golden Core Realm before she started learning the Talismanic Sword Seal. Moreover, she had been familiar with the talisman-making process. So, it had taken her just twelve days to finish learning the technique, setting a record as the fastest one to do so among her generation of disciples in the Mount Shu Sect.

Chu Liang seemed like a novice in all aspects, so mastering the Talismanic Sword Seal in twelve days would obviously be an impossible feat for him... It would be very difficult just to learn how to make talismans in that short period.

It seems like I've won this time, Jiang Yuebai thought happily.

Then she suddenly felt rather puzzled by her own thoughts.

Huh? Why do I care so much about this?

He's clearly just a junior brother at the mid-stage of the Spiritual Awareness Realm. It's a matter of course that I should win against him!

Upon realizing that, Jiang Yuebai reminded herself to stay calm.

Chu Liang noticed the flickering emotions in Jiang Xiaobai's eyes, but he couldn't tell what she was thinking about.

Regardless, he handed her a jar of Honey Syrup Tea.

"Senior Sister Jiang, thank you for the explanation. Here, have a drink. This is a beverage I bought from the foot of the mountain, and it has a very pleasant taste."

"Hm?" Jiang Xiaobai took the tea and had a sip. Her eyes immediately lit up. "Indeed, it's delicious!"

Seeing Jiang Xiaobai's happy expression, Chu Liang remembered his teacher's review earlier and thought that this sweet beverage seemed to be favored by women.

A light bulb suddenly lit up in his mind.

"Senior Sister Jiang, if you like it, I can bring this beverage here for you often in the future. However..." Chu Liang said, "can you help me with a small favor in return?"

1. Period of 7-9am ☜

2. This is referring to Chinese characters, not English ones. They are often words on their own or paired with one or more characters to form a different meaning. ☜