The idea of letting an avatar handle talisman crafting only came to Liu Ba when he was using the Guiding Talisman.
Originally, this thought had never crossed his mind, because Liu Meng had always been hopeless when it came to talisman making. Even after repeatedly attempting to refine the Guiding Talisman, she still failed more often than she succeeded.
Later, she tried her hand at various other talismans, but even slightly more complex ones proved almost impossible for her to complete. With such a high failure rate, it was actually cheaper to just purchase them from the Three Talents Pavilion.
If not for the fact that the Guiding Talisman was something that could never be sold there, Liu Meng wouldn't have bothered pushing through the enormous failure rate to draw them herself.
Thus, aside from the Guiding Talisman, Liu Meng had long since given up attempting to create any other talismans.
But now that he thought about it… could it be that Liu Meng's particular avatar simply wasn't suited for talisman crafting?
If another avatar were to attempt it, would the results be different?
The avatar he had just summoned today would be the perfect test subject.
A new day had dawned. Sitting cross-legged in the secret chamber, Liu Ming calmed his thoughts and issued a mental command without hesitation.
"Summon Avatar!"
[Summoning avatar…][Avatar appearance randomly generated][Please choose items to assign to avatar]
As usual, he was about to choose "none" by reflex, but then paused.
At this point, he had already accumulated five innate talents: Eavesdropping Mouse, Noble Sacrifice, Fishing in Troubled Waters, Loose Tongue, and Tight-Lipped. Yet he hadn't assigned a single one.
They had all seemed rather useless at first glance—but perhaps soon, one of them might prove handy.
"Assign Noble Sacrifice."
[Talent assigning… success][Please name your avatar]
"Liu Jiu."
[Summoning avatar… please wait]
The air within the chamber twisted violently, and a frail silhouette slowly emerged before Liu Ming.
This time, it was a withered old man on the brink of death.
His back was hunched, his face covered in deep wrinkles like a dried riverbed. Sparse white hairs glimmered under the candlelight, and his entire body radiated an aura of decay. He looked as if the slightest breeze would topple him over, with no more than a few days left to live.
Liu Ming clicked his tongue in surprise. While it was true that avatars could assume any random appearance, getting an old man at death's door was still… peculiar.
Since talismans couldn't be crafted without spiritual power, the first step was to push Liu Jiu into Qi Refinement.
He placed a copied version of the Scripture of Rites and Poetry before him.
Liu Jiu squinted through his cloudy eyes and stared at the book for a long while. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried, dizziness overcame him. The lofty words looked majestic on the page, but as they entered his mind, they turned into sleep-inducing incantations, leaving him drowsy and unable to comprehend their meaning.
With a sigh, Liu Jiu set the booklet down. Clearly, this was not the path for him.
Instead, his gaze drifted to the large platter of roasted meat already prepared at his side.
Having understood the true essence of the Blood Feast Art, he knew that even if he didn't slaughter beasts with his own hands, devouring their flesh and blood would still allow him to absorb their essence and refine it into spiritual power.
With trembling hands, Liu Jiu grabbed a sizzling, oil-dripping beast leg. Even with most of his teeth gone, he stuffed the cut-up meat into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
Moments later, an overwhelming tide of blood essence erupted inside him. His withered meridians, long dried like barren earth, were instantly nourished by pure energy.
A sharp crack echoed in his body as his mortal shackles shattered.
Qi Refinement, First Layer!
In the blink of an eye, the wrinkles on his face smoothed, his sparse white hair shed completely, replaced by thick black strands growing anew. His hunched back straightened, muscles faintly bulging beneath his robes.
In but a breath, the dying elder had turned back into a youthful man, black-haired and full of vigor.
Even though Liu Ming had already grown accustomed to the effects of the Blood Feast Art, he couldn't help but marvel once again at its sheer absurdity. What kind of being could have possibly invented such a heaven-defying technique?
After a brief moment of wonder, Liu Jiu strode to the nearby desk, where talisman paper, spirit ink, and brushes had all been carefully arranged.
He took a deep breath, dipped the brush, and began sketching according to the talisman knowledge imprinted in his memory.
The first he attempted was, of course, the familiar Guiding Talisman.
Strokes, lines, spiritual infusion—each step flowed seamlessly, executed in one smooth motion.
Buzz!
With the final stroke, a faint azure light flickered across the paper. A flawless Guiding Talisman had taken form.
Success—on the very first try!
Liu Jiu stared at the talisman in disbelief.
Liu Meng, despite countless practices, had always failed more often than not. Yet Liu Jiu had crafted a perfect one on his first attempt!
Yes, part of it was because the knowledge already existed in his mind. But he instinctively knew that wasn't the decisive factor.
When his brush touched the paper, he had felt something inexplicable—a mystical "hand-feel," as if the brush was no longer a tool but an extension of his arm, and the ink itself a manifestation of his spiritual energy.
Every turn, every pause, he simply knew what was correct.
Liu Meng had never once experienced this sensation.
Could it be… that this avatar was a natural-born talisman genius?
Excitement coursed through Liu Jiu as he immediately grabbed a second sheet of talisman paper, eager to attempt a higher-level one.
After all, producing low-grade talismans held little value. At the Three Talents Pavilion, such items were sold like cheap cabbages; no matter how many he made, he could never outcompete their mass production.
Only the rare, high-level talismans—those too difficult to mass-produce, requiring extraordinary skill—truly carried worth.
With the ability to craft such talismans, whether for his own use or to trade for spirit stones, he would gain an invaluable resource.
At that moment, a daring thought even flickered through Liu Ming's mind.
What if he deliberately sent more avatars into the Three Talents Pavilion, allowing them to be "captured" on purpose?
If he could acquire their pill formulas and artifact-refining techniques that way, then he could supply himself with pills and artifacts without relying on anyone else.
When that time came, whether it was talismans, pills, or magical tools, he would be completely self-sufficient.
He wouldn't even need to leave his chamber—just let avatars provide him with everything, while he became their ultimate "logistics support."