Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Han Tieshan's eyes lit up immediately.

"Good heavens! Brother Jingyuan is truly resourceful! He even managed to procure such a sought-after item?"

Several people nearby also gathered around.

Even the usually composed Kong Zhaoming couldn't help but linger his gaze a few more times.

Clearly, during this time, the reputation of the Spirit Gathering Talisman has quietly spread throughout the cultivation circles of Black Stone City.

Chen Jingyuan laughed and pushed the spirit-gathering talisman on the table towards the center.

"Not at all, I obtained this copy from my father with great difficulty, and I was just thinking of studying it with you fellow Daoists today."

As he said this, a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.

"This talisman is no ordinary talisman. Its spiritual pattern structure is completely different from the talismans that are currently circulating. In particular, these few turns are simply exquisite."

"I wonder how that talisman master came up with that idea."

Upon hearing this, the others all nodded in agreement.

Even a top-tier alchemist like Kong Zhaoming couldn't help but hold the talisman in his hand and examine it repeatedly.

Li Mufeng, sitting to the side, silently drank his spirit wine, his expression slightly strange.

How was it drawn?

Of course, it was drawn stroke by stroke backwards...

Just then, Chen Jingyuan suddenly slapped his forehead.

"Speaking of which, when it comes to the art of talismans, none of you here can compare to Brother Li. Why don't you let Brother Li explain the principles behind them to everyone?"

This statement came out.

All eyes immediately fell on Li Mufeng.

Li Mufeng's lips twitched slightly.

He couldn't just tell everyone that he drew this himself, could he?

He had no choice but to put down his wine glass and cough lightly.

"My opinion is only superficial. Please take a look. Although these spiritual runes seem complicated, they are actually just deliberately going against the grain."

"Especially the seventh and nineteenth spirit runes, if I'm not mistaken, should be written in reverse order."

"In this way, the cycle of spiritual energy changes from forward to reverse, and then from reverse to forward, ultimately forming a complete cycle..."

"Therefore, in my opinion, the beauty of this talisman lies not in its complexity, but in its return to simplicity and the ultimate truth."

The group listened thoughtfully.

Only the blue-robed cultivator sitting to Chen Jingyuan's right suddenly frowned.

This person's name is Zhou Ziming, and he is also a mid-grade first-tier talisman master.

In the past, whenever there was a gathering and discussions about talismans, he was always the one who provided the answers.

Now that Li Mufeng has suddenly appeared and is being so highly praised by Chen Jingyuan, he naturally feels a bit uneasy.

He then chuckled softly.

"Draw it upside down?"

"Fellow Daoist Li's words are rather far-fetched."

"Let me ask you this: if the spirit runes flow in reverse, how does spiritual energy circulate?"

"Could it be that you can go against the grain?"

The people around immediately fell silent.

Li Mufeng rubbed his nose. "Not exactly. What I meant by writing in reverse order..."

To everyone's surprise, Zhou Ziming had already picked up the spirit-gathering talisman, looking completely confident.

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to say more. In my opinion, the mystery of this Spirit Gathering Talisman lies not in the brushwork, but in the spiritual materials."

"Please take a look, everyone."

He pointed to the patterns on the talisman.

"The spiritual patterns on this talisman are winding and intricate, possessing a natural and refined charm that cannot be contained in ordinary talisman paper."

"It must have used some kind of lost ancient spiritual material."

"Even the spirit ink is very likely made using ancient methods."

"As for drawing it upside down..."

Zhou Ziming shook his head and smiled:

"This talisman-making master is being underestimated."

"The person who could create such ancient talismans must be a master with profound knowledge of talismanic arts."

"Every stroke and every line must contain profound meaning."

"How could it be as Fellow Daoist Li says, merely a simple reverse brushstroke technique?"

As he got excited, he even stretched out his finger and drew lines in the air, as if he had completely seen through the ancient talisman.

"In my opinion, this senior has most likely already reached the state of communion between heaven and man."

"When drawing talismans, one's mind resonates with heaven and earth, and the brush follows the Dao, thus leaving behind such naturally formed spiritual patterns."

"How could we possibly fathom such a realm?"

After saying that, he sighed with considerable emotion.

"A truly admirable figure."

The people nearby nodded in agreement, and even Kong Zhaoming stroked his beard in praise.

"rational."

"Fellow Daoist Zhou truly lives up to his reputation as a talisman master; his insights are indeed unique."

"That's what I think too."

Li Mufeng opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

Finally, he silently picked up his wine glass, lowered his head, and took a sip of the spiritual wine.

If you say so, then so be it.

......

After leaving Zuixianlou, Li Mufeng had no desire to wander around anymore.

After parting ways with Chen Jingyuan, he went straight back to his cave, his steps never faltering.

The appearance of heretical cultivators on the outskirts of the market, and the fact that such important news was deliberately blocked by the Qingxuan Sect, circulating only among a small group of people like Chen Jingyuan who had close ties with Foundation Establishment families.

This made Li Mufeng feel a sense of urgency.

Although he now lives in the core area of ​​the market, some distance from those chaotic shantytowns, no one knows what will happen if the situation gets out of control.

There is never a truly safe place in the world of cultivation.

Instead of placing your hopes on others, it's better to improve your own abilities as much as possible.

Upon returning to his cave, Li Mufeng immediately activated the protective barrier.

He then took out the mid-grade talisman master identity jade token he had obtained earlier and equipped it in the equipment system.

Immediately afterwards, he poured out dozens of spirit stones from his storage bag and arranged them neatly in front of him.

Finally, a Na Yuan Pill emitting a faint medicinal fragrance appeared in his palm.

Previously, I had been saving up spirit stones to buy equipment, and the spirit stones I earned from selling talismans had been accumulating without being used.

Now that the situation has changed drastically, he naturally thought of the most basic use of spirit stones.

Provides spiritual energy.

At the same time, the [Spirit Gathering Jade Talisman] and the mid-grade talisman master's jade tablet worked together, instantly making the spiritual energy of heaven and earth within the cave active.

Li Mufeng circulated the "Mysterious Water Technique," and water vapor rose faintly around his body. Strands of spiritual energy continuously flowed into his meridians and were refined into pure magical power.

This speed of cultivation is far beyond what it used to be.

Five days later.

As the last spirit stone turned to dust, a roar suddenly came from within Li Mufeng's body.

His magical power, which had already reached its limit, suddenly surged. In his dantian, the Xuan Shui spiritual power surged like a tide, and then slowly returned to calm.

[Qi Refining Level 6: 1/100]

Li Mufeng slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

Feeling the increased magical power within him, which was several times stronger than before, he finally felt more confident.

However, this sense of security did not last long.

He knew very well that although the sixth level of Qi Refining was not weak, it was still far from enough if he really encountered those ruthless and evil cultivators who lived on the edge of death.

In the short term, it will be difficult to further improve one's magical power.

However, the inability to break through in cultivation level does not mean that one's strength cannot be improved.

Thinking of this, Li Mufeng's gaze fell on his wrist.

There, a seemingly ordinary, tattered wristband rests quietly against the skin.

【Shanhe Town Prison Ring】.

After the Stone Skin Realm comes the second level of the "Mountain and River Prison Scripture"—the Iron Bone Realm.

If one can cultivate this state, one's bones will be as hard as refined iron, and one will possess immense power with every move.

At that time, even without the aid of magical artifacts and talismans, he would be able to contend with a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator solely with his physical strength.