Chapter 193: Talismans

Because itinerant cultivators rarely use talismans, Mo Hua had never even seen one in person, so he promptly forgot about the question.

Now that they were discussing metallurgy and talismans came up, Mo Hua suddenly remembered and asked about it.

Master Chen tugged at his beard, frowned in thought, "I'm neither a array master nor a talisman master, so I can't speak authoritatively—but since you asked, I'll tell you what I know."

Master Chen added, "But this is all outsider talk—just listen, get a general impression, don't take it as absolute truth."

"Mm-hmm." Mo Hua nodded vigorously.

"As far as I know, talisman-making is both a branch of arraycraft and a branch of metallurgy."

"A hybrid of arraycraft and metallurgy?" Mo Hua was startled.

Master Chen glared at him, half-amused, half-exasperated, "Don't phrase it so crudely. All Daoist disciplines are independent yet interconnected."

Mo Hua thought a moment, then said, "Like how alchemists' cauldrons are forged by metallurgists, and the cauldrons made by metallurgists require arrays drawn by array masters, and the spirit ink used by array masters sometimes needs spirit liquids blended by alchemists?"

"Well said." Master Chen nodded approvingly, then continued about talismans:

"After centuries of cultivation world development, Daoist disciplines have evolved accordingly—and talismans are no exception…"

"The earliest talismans were nearly identical to arrays—or rather, simple arrays. Drawn on paper and activated by spiritual power, they produced some array effects."

"But such talismans had many flaws: paper doesn't preserve well, spiritual power is hard to contain, and their power fluctuates with the cultivator's spiritual energy. Even if you used spirit stones to activate them, they were inconvenient to use."

"Most importantly, they lacked prestige. Talisman masters were often called low-end array masters, inherently inferior to others—who could bear that?"

"Over centuries of development, talismans have been refined by countless great cultivators and transformed completely. Today's talismans have become a Daoist discipline entirely distinct from arraycraft and metallurgy."

"What exactly changed?" Mo Hua was curious.

Master Chen said, "Many things. At least in form: jade talismans now replace paper ones, storing not just raw spiritual power and arrays, but specific spells—making them easier to preserve and use."

"Specific spells?"

"Yes. Talismans are like one-time-use spells—simple, convenient. Once you reach the right realm, you can use them, regardless of your spiritual root affinity."

"That sounds incredibly powerful," Mo Hua felt tempted.

"Powerful, yes—but expensive, too," Master Chen exclaimed.

"High cost, then?"

Master Chen nodded, "Jade talismans require jade, which isn't cheap. The higher the rank of talisman, the more expensive the materials. Jade talisman forging still uses some metallurgy techniques, with simple array structures inside. Talisman masters must also master special methods to seal spells into the jade."

Mo Hua shook his head, "Expensive and troublesome."

"Exactly," Master Chen agreed.

"No wonder I've never seen one—it's because they're too expensive for anyone to afford."

Even if someone somehow obtained one or two talismans, they'd rather sell them for spirit stones than use them themselves.

Mo Hua asked again, "Are there other differences?"

"There are, certainly—but those are all I know," Master Chen said. "These are just surface-level details. I learned them from idle chatter with a talisman master when I forged spiritual artifacts for him. Deeper knowledge? I have no idea."

Master Chen added apologetically, "After all, I'm not a talisman master—I know nothing about talisman-making."

Mo Hua said, "That's fine—I know nothing either!"

Master Chen smiled, "Then when you learn more later, come tell me."

"Deal!" Mo Hua grinned in reply.

Only then did Mo Hua realize he'd been chatting too long—it was late. He rose to take his leave: "Master Chen, I'll be going. The metallurgy guild is settled."

"Don't worry," Master Chen didn't try to keep him, but turned to Dazhu: "Dazhu, see him home."

"Got it!" Dazhu replied cheerfully.

Dazhu walked Mo Hua home, chatting along the way. He told Mo Hua about recent amusing events, which Mo Hua listened to with great interest.

In the Great Thousand Worlds, anything is possible. With billions of cultivators, all sorts of bizarre things happen.

Mo Hua heard a wealth of stories and broadened his understanding of cultivation.

At home, Mo Hua invited Dazhu to eat. Dazhu smiled shyly, then accepted without further protest, taking Mo Hua's kindness in stride.

The metallurgy master issue was temporarily resolved—now it was Master Chen's turn.

Master Chen had forged spiritual artifacts in Xiancheng for years, knew many cultivators, and had plenty of familiar metallurgists—he should be able to persuade many to join the new metallurgy guild.

Mo Hua then thought of another problem.

Once the metallurgy guild is built, there's the alchemy guild next. Xiancheng has even fewer alchemists, and they'll be harder to recruit.

One should always prepare early—otherwise, when the moment arrives, unprepared, one will be caught off-guard and flustered.

Mo Hua thought a moment, then took more wine and meat to Xinglin Hall to meet Mr. Feng.

"Grandpa Feng, I've come to see you!" Mo Hua smiled brightly.

Mr. Feng glanced at Mo Hua, half-smiling, half-suspicious: "You've got something on your mind, don't you?"

Mo Hua was puzzled. "Is it that obvious?"

Mr. Feng smiled. "I've watched you grow up since you were a child."

"Oh."

Since Mr. Feng had asked, Mo Hua dropped the pretense and laid out the plans for the metallurgy guild and alchemy guild.

As Mr. Feng listened, his expression grew increasingly serious: "Is Elder Yu really thinking this—and acting on it?"

Mo Hua nodded.

After a moment of thought, Mr. Feng said, "Alright. I agree."

Mr. Feng, a healer with a compassionate heart, would surely support anything that truly benefits the itinerant cultivators of Xiancheng.

Mo Hua had expected this—but still felt delighted when Mr. Feng actually agreed.

"Thank you, Grandpa Feng!"

"I've agreed—but you must prepare yourself for one thing," Mr. Feng added.

"Prepare myself?" Mo Hua was puzzled.

Mr. Feng paused for a moment, then continued: "There are some things in this world that, even though the original intention was good, in the end, because of entanglements of interest and the unfathomable nature of the human heart, end up in a mess, a sorry conclusion."

Mo Hua was stunned for a moment, thought it over carefully, and felt there was great reason in it.

"Grandpa Feng, I'll remember that," Mo Hua said earnestly.

He thought for a moment, then added: "But since it's good for everyone, what should be done still has to be done. Even if things change later, that's a matter for later. One can't do nothing just because of being afraid of everything."

Mr. Feng looked at Mo Hua, slightly taken aback, then his eyes filled with gratification. He nodded and smiled: "Not bad. Even if in the end it ends up in a mess, a sorry conclusion, what should be done must still be done resolutely."