Song Wen picked up the stack of yellow talismans and examined them with curiosity.

He discovered that only twelve of these talismans were drawn on, while the rest were blank talisman paper. The completed talismans were not all identical; upon closer inspection, Song Wen determined there were four distinct types.

He also noticed that the talisman paper was not made of ordinary xuan paper, but rather a certain animal hide that felt exceptionally soft to the touch.

The ink on them was far from ordinary. It had clearly been specially crafted, and Song Wen could still make out a faint scarlet hue on the paper.

Moved by a sudden thought, Song Wen picked up a writing brush.

"This brush must be meant specifically for drawing talismans."

He then picked up an inkstone box. The ink inside was scarlet red and incredibly viscous. This was the ink used to draw the talismans.

Song Wen held an immense interest in these yellow talismans and spent quite a long time studying them. His mind still clearly remembered the terrifying, awe-inspiring might of the fireball Jiyin had summoned using a yellow talisman.

Now, all these yellow talismans belonged to him. It was just that he still didn't understand how to use them.

Song Wen shifted his gaze to the books lying nearby. He believed he could likely find the answers he sought within their pages.

The first book was a cultivation method, the Everlasting Longevity Art. It contained the complete Qi Condensation cultivation method, from the first layer of Qi Condensation all the way to the ninth.

The second and third books were ones Song Wen had seen before: the Detailed Explanation of Low-Grade Spirit Grass Cultivation and the journal of Spirit Grass cultivation experience written personally by Jiyin.

None of these three books were what Song Wen wanted to read right now. After briefly flipping through them, he set them aside.

Complete Collection of Beginner Talisman Drawing!

When Song Wen picked up this new book, his spirit was immediately invigorated. This was precisely what he hoped to find the most.

After finishing the book, Song Wen finally understood that these yellow papers were simply called talismans, and the ones here were all first-grade talismans.

He also learned how to use them. The method was very simple: one only needed to pour in Spiritual Qi to activate them.

Among the twelve talismans currently in his hands, there were six Fireball Talismans, three Wind Gust Talismans, two Shield Talismans, and one Flight Talisman.

The first three types were all first-grade Low Grade talismans, while the Flight Talisman was a first-grade Middle Grade talisman.

This Flight Talisman was noticeably older than the rest.

A Flight Talisman allowed a person to ride the wind and fly. However, it could only lift the user thirty Zhang off the ground and sustain flight for one quarter-hour. It could not be considered true flight through the air.

Even so, it still left Song Wen extremely excited.

Taking to the skies was a dream shared by all mankind. Who hadn't fantasized about soaring through the heavens like a bird, free and unrestrained?

The Complete Collection of Beginner Talisman Drawing recorded the drawing methods for twenty-four types of first-grade talismans, as well as the production methods for talisman paper and ink.

The manufacturing process for talisman paper and ink was exceedingly complex. Taking the first-grade Low Grade talisman paper in Song Wen's hands as an example, it was crafted from animal hide that had to undergo more than ten rigorous steps, including soaking, degreasing, tanning, dyeing, and drying.

As for first-grade Middle Grade talisman paper, ordinary animal hides were no longer sufficient. It had to be made from Demon Beast skin, as common hides simply could not withstand the powerful Spiritual Qi contained within.

The remaining two books had no titles. By flipping through their contents, Song Wen learned that they were cultivation journals written by Jiyin and a person named Huang Shang.

After reading these two journals, Song Wen gained a general understanding of Cultivation and the cultivation world.

For example, the realms of cultivators were divided into: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul...

The Qi Condensation stage consisted of nine layers in total. The first three layers made up the early Qi Condensation stage, the middle three layers the mid Qi Condensation stage, and the final three layers the late Qi Condensation stage.

Huang Shang was originally a Rogue Cultivator scraping by at the very bottom of the cultivation world. At his peak, he only reached the sixth layer of Qi Condensation. As he grew older, he despaired of ever reaching Foundation Establishment. Tired of the constant deceit and perilous days of the cultivation world, he abandoned it and returned to the mortal realm. He lived out a period of carefree wealth and luxury, before finally passing away in a meditative state inside a mountain cave, leaving behind no heirs.

Later, through sheer dog-shit luck, Jiyin went into the mountains to gather herbs and accidentally stumbled into Huang Shang's cave dwelling, thus serendipitously beginning his path of Cultivation.

Perhaps influenced by the contents of Huang Shang's journal, Jiyin did not immediately seek out the world of cultivators after successfully stepping onto the path. Instead, he chose to remain in the mortal realm.

Cultivation required one to possess spiritual roots. However, Huang Shang had not left behind any techniques or methods to test for them. This left Jiyin with no way to assess another person's aptitude. His only option was to continuously force people to attempt cultivation to find medicine slaves who possessed spiritual roots.

That Flight Talisman was a relic left behind by Huang Shang. With only an early Qi Condensation cultivation base, Jiyin had been unable to craft it himself.

The remaining talismans, talisman papers, and other items had all been painstakingly produced by Jiyin through trial and error based on Huang Shang's journal. It had to be said, Jiyin actually possessed quite a bit of talent for Cultivation.

Additionally, within Huang Shang's journal, Song Wen found several Pill formulas and the cultivation methods for a few techniques.

Among these Pill formulas was the Blood Qi Pill that Jiyin had been continuously refining.

He finally understood why Jiyin's refined Blood Qi Pills had problems.

The Pill formula was recorded incompletely in Huang Shang's journal; the exact measurements for two auxiliary herbs were not clearly specified.

Jiyin could only determine the correct proportions through repeated trial and error.

During his initial attempts to refine the Blood Qi Pill, Jiyin had even caused the alchemy furnace to explode-an accident that nearly cost him his life.

However, Jiyin was a man of great perseverance, stubbornly testing the recipe until he figured out the approximate amounts.

The several techniques recorded in Huang Shang's journal could all be learned. Jiyin had mastered the Shield Spell and the Fireball Spell, as these were the only two techniques in the journal that could be cultivated at the early Qi Condensation stage.

What tempted Song Wen the most were the Flight Technique and the Wind Blade Technique. Once these two techniques were mastered, the former would allow him to soar through the sky, while the latter could kill without a trace. In the mortal world, he would be virtually undefeated, completely unafraid of human wave tactics and able to come and go as he pleased.

However, both techniques required the fourth layer of Qi Condensation to cultivate. This was precisely why Jiyin had been so desperately urgent to break through.

Setting the books aside, a pill furnace over one Chi tall and a jade box two Chi long appeared in Song Wen's hands.

The jade box was empty. It was carved from top-quality mutton-fat jade that Jiyin had spent a massive fortune to procure. Used for storing spirit medicine, it could maximize the preservation of medicinal properties and prevent them from leaking away.

The pill furnace was what Jiyin used for alchemy; it was another of Huang Shang's relics.

By the time he finished examining all the items, the sky outside was already growing faintly bright.

"Now, the Heavenly Fiend Gang no longer has anything that can bind me. Should I stay in the mortal world to live out a carefree life like Huang Shang and Jiyin, or should I go to Tianxing Market to try my luck and fight for that elusive chance of longevity?"

Tianxing Market was the closest gathering place of cultivators recorded in Huang Shang's journal, though it was still a staggering ten thousand Li away from the Qian Kingdom.

There, the Spiritual Qi was denser. There was more Spirit Grass, more profound cultivation methods, and Pills that could advance one's cultivation. It was a place where countless cultivators gathered.

Going to Tianxing Market would undoubtedly allow him to obtain more Fated Chances.

However, just as Huang Shang had recorded, the risks there were also far greater. At any moment, there was the possibility of being killed to seize treasures, becoming someone else's Fated Chance.

"However, I cannot leave the Heavenly Fiend Gang just yet. At the very least, I must wait until Tang Liang is dead before I go."

The grudge of Tang Liang's assassination attempt still had to be avenged. Since he had now stepped onto the path of Cultivation, he had to act according to the desires of his heart.