Chapter Sixty-Three: A Narrow Escape

Lin Yanghao used the two hundred lower-grade spirit stones he had just exchanged to purchase another two thousand sheets of lower-grade talisman paper. After informing Shang Tian, he returned to his room to begin a closed-door session of talisman crafting.

He had already inquired and learned that the boat fare from Kuangsheng Central Continent to Ziyu Northern Continent would cost more than a thousand lower-grade spirit stones, which made him wince at the expense.

In the days that followed, Lin Yanghao devoted himself tirelessly to the same routine: by day, he crafted talismans; by night, he cultivated and replenished his spiritual energy.

A loud bang erupted. Lin Yanghao sighed, for this was yet another failure in his attempt to craft the Spirit Gathering Talisman. Not only this talisman, but also the Body Protection Talisman and Divine Power Talisman were beyond his current abilities. He had already wasted about five hundred sheets of talisman paper on these three types. In contrast, he had become quite adept at crafting Fireball Talismans, Swift Step Talismans, and Earth Escape Talismans, succeeding with nearly one in every ten sheets.

Out of the two thousand sheets, Lin Yanghao managed to produce seventy-one Fireball Talismans, eighteen Swift Step Talismans, and six Earth Escape Talismans—a result that far surpassed his expectations.

He surmised that his proficiency in crafting Fireball Talismans was likely due to having perfected the Fireball Technique. As for the other two types, the results were far less impressive, totaling only just over twenty talismans together.

“Shopkeeper, I’m here to sell talismans again!” Lin Yanghao returned to the same pawnshop as before, finding the same shopkeeper behind the counter.

“Very well.” The shopkeeper responded with his usual indifference.

Without further words, Lin Yanghao took out the seventy-one Fireball Talismans, keeping the Swift Step and Earth Escape Talismans for himself.

“Oh? I hadn’t realized you were a talisman craftsman! My apologies for underestimating you.” Seeing Lin Yanghao produce so many talismans at once, the shopkeeper immediately guessed his identity. After all, how else could someone bring in so many talismans after only a few days? The shopkeeper also noticed that Lin Yanghao only sold Fireball Talismans, which suggested he only possessed the crafting method for fire-based techniques.

Although lower-grade talisman craftsmen were not uncommon, few could boast such skill at Lin Yanghao’s young age. He might one day become a rare mid-grade or even high-grade talisman craftsman. The shopkeeper, intent on forming a connection, offered one hundred and twenty lower-grade spirit stones per Fireball Talisman.

Lin Yanghao simply smiled and, before long, left with 8,520 lower-grade spirit stones. His mood soared.

“Shopkeeper, could you please exchange these eight thousand lower-grade spirit stones for mid-grade ones?” Lower-grade stones were enough for cultivation in the Foundation Establishment stage, but Lin Yanghao was cultivating the Chaos Divine Spirit Manual, which, though it produced extremely pure spiritual energy, also demanded great amounts. He wanted to try cultivating with mid-grade spirit stones, certain it would yield twice the results with half the effort.

“No problem at all!” The shopkeeper quickly provided him with eighty mid-grade spirit stones.

Upon returning to the tavern, Old Liu informed him that Shang Tian was showing signs of breaking through to mid-stage Foundation Establishment and had gone into seclusion to attempt the breakthrough.

As the saying goes, “A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude.” Lin Yanghao left ten mid-grade spirit stones for Shang Tian, gave Old Liu a few instructions, and departed from Chongzhou City.

He successfully boarded a ship bound for Ziyu Northern Continent. The vessel soared over a hundred zhang high and was lavishly decorated. After paying ten mid-grade spirit stones, Lin Yanghao was assigned a small, humble room.

He soon discovered that rooms aboard were graded as well. His was the lowest tier, a C-grade room. B-grade required ten thousand lower-grade spirit stones, while A-grade demanded a hundred thousand. Only now did he realize how meager his resources truly were.

This ship was naturally no match for a top-tier Gold Sun Eagle spirit beast of the Integration stage; the journey would take at least a month. Lin Yanghao decided to spend this time in closed cultivation and craft more talismans; after all, he couldn’t afford to idle away his resources.

Thus, he had purchased five thousand more sheets of talisman paper before leaving.

“Let’s see just how effective these mid-grade spirit stones are for my cultivation!” Without delay, Lin Yanghao took out one and activated his cultivation technique. As soon as he began circulating his energy, a surge of dense, pure spiritual power rushed into him, so intense that he could barely withstand it.

“As expected of a mid-grade spirit stone—not something the lower-grade ones can compare to.” He hastened his circulation, and the energy from the spirit stone surged even faster into his meridians. With no alternative, he gritted his teeth and pressed on.

Were any of the old monsters from the cultivation world to witness his actions, they would be stunned. Even they would not dare attempt such reckless absorption; at best, it would rupture the meridians, at worst, lead to death from spiritual overload. Yet Lin Yanghao remained unscathed.

Typically, cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment stages use lower-grade spirit stones. Even many at the Core Formation stage continue to do so, and only use mid-grade stones with the utmost care. Mid-grade stones can support cultivation up to the Nascent Soul stage, and only beyond that do practitioners rely on high-grade spirit stones.

With a low, drawn-out growl, Lin Yanghao finally absorbed all the energy from the mid-grade spirit stone. His body felt as though it might fall apart.

Upon examining himself with his spiritual sense, he discovered that his meridians had become thicker and more resilient—nearly half again as robust as before—and his cultivation had risen to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

“By unintentionally using mid-grade spirit stones for cultivation, I not only expanded my meridians, but also advanced my cultivation!” Lin Yanghao broke into a broad grin. With his meridians now strengthened, he could continue cultivating with mid-grade spirit stones in the future.

Without wasting a moment, he sat down to stabilize his new cultivation level. If he regressed back to the initial stage, it would be too late for regrets.