Chapter 79: Oh no!
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, casting long shadows across his workspace, Xiang Yu decided to stop his pill refining efforts and turned his attention to the two talismans and blank paper he had prepared. He picked up a brush, then—just as he had done with the pill—redirected all his qi sense, focusing its full power on analyzing the talismans.
What he discovered surprised him. These weren’t merely calligraphy marks as he had initially assumed. The visible characters were merely the surface layer—beneath them ran intricate patterns of pure qi, woven together with remarkable precision. If he had to compare it to something from his former world, the design resembled a computer motherboard—complex pathways of energy connecting in systematic patterns beneath the visible surface. Since both talismans were identical, they contained the same elaborate network of qi channels under the visible writing.
Xiang Yu set the brush aside. The calligraphy, he realized, merely served to identify the talisman’s purpose. The true functional component was the intricate qi pattern embedded at the center of the paper. Instead of ink, he focused a small amount of qi at his fingertip, directing it toward the blank paper as he attempted to recreate the pattern.
The moment his qi made contact with the paper, it tore into pieces.
Xiang Yu stared at the shredded remains and sighed deeply. Evidently, he needed far greater concentration to draw such delicate patterns without destroying the medium. He selected another sheet and tried again.
Failure.
Another attempt. Another failure.
Yet another piece of paper. Yet another failure.
After multiple unsuccessful attempts, Xiang Yu exhaled slowly to calm his mounting frustration. He took another blank sheet, holding it gently in his hand. Closing his eyes, he intensified his concentration to unprecedented levels. For a brief, promising moment, it seemed he might succeed—until the paper suddenly tore apart like the others.
Undeterred, he selected his next piece of paper. As he held it, he closed his eyes and concentrated with even greater intensity. The challenge was clear: he needed to make his qi impossibly gentle. He wondered if cultivators used some kind of specialized tool—something similar to the lithography machines from his previous world—to create these talismans. It seemed almost impossible that raw qi could be controlled with such precision.
Perhaps his concentration simply wasn’t sufficient. Refusing to surrender, Xiang Yu deepened his focus even further. In his mind, he meticulously visualized the talisman pattern—every twist, every turn, every minute connection. He pictured it with such extraordinary detail that he slipped into a trance-like state where nothing existed except the swirling, interconnected patterns of the talisman design.
When he finally emerged from this meditative state, Xiang Yu opened his eyes slowly, carefully—and witnessed something remarkable.
The paper in his hand was glowing softly, suffused with qi energy as the pattern he had visualized was etching itself into the material—not by his conscious direction, but as if guided by the pure intensity of his concentration and the perfect blueprint he had created in his mind.
...
He watched with amazement as the pattern materialized before his eyes. When the initial shock faded, Xiang Yu suddenly realized what was happening and regained his focus. To think it was that simple all along! When using qi normally, it originated primarily from the dantian—a source typically violent and unstable in nature. But during his intense concentration, he had inadvertently drawn upon the qi from his spiritual sea—a gentler, more refined energy that flowed like a calm breeze rather than the usual turbulent force.
This revelation explained why cultivating the mind was so crucial for combating mental demons. The serene qi in the spiritual sea could help pacify the turbulent energy coursing through a cultivator’s body. When he had burned the pattern’s image into his mind, mastering every intricate detail, he had subconsciously replicated it onto the paper using this refined spiritual sea energy.
"So this is why," he whispered to himself, genuine wonder in his voice. What had seemed impossible now made perfect sense—these delicate patterns could be drawn on such fragile material because cultivators weren’t using destructive dantian qi but rather the controlled, gentle energy of the spiritual sea.
Did this mean that only those at the Golden Core stage could craft talismans? After all, only cultivators at that realm could access their spiritual sea. Had he not unlocked his spiritual sea prematurely, would talisman crafting have remained forever beyond his reach? Xiang Yu couldn’t help but feel fortunate—the spiritual sea that he didn’t know how to use before was slowly starting to show its value.
He slowly opened his eyes completely, observing with satisfaction that the pattern had been perfectly replicated on the paper. He had created a talisman entirely on his own! Moreover, after studying the pattern so intensely and successfully replicating it, he now understood its purpose.
"It seems to be an explosion talisman, but only ninth grade," he thought to himself. Like other professions in the cultivation world, talisman making was also structured from ninth grade (lowest) to first grade (highest). He wondered if this achievement qualified him as a ninth-grade talisman maker.
Eager to confirm, he prepared to summon his system interface to check if the profession had officially manifested. But before he could complete the mental command, a loud, resonant bell sound penetrated his concentration.
The sound reverberated through the entire sect. From his predecessor’s memories, he instantly recognized the sound as the sect’s emergency bell.
For that bell to ring with such urgency could only mean one thing: the Azure Cloud Sect was under attack.
Xiang Yu’s mind raced, was the sect under attack? Had Elder Mei and his accomplices finally decided to make their move?
As these thoughts whirled through his mind, Xiang Yu suddenly felt a tingling sensation spreading across his entire body. He instantly recognized this feeling, it was the feeling of his battle awareness activating, automatically shifting him into combat-ready status.
But why would this happen? Even if the sect was under attack, there was no immediate threat to him personally unless...
"Oh no," he gasped as realization struck him. He had been focusing all his spiritual sense on the talismans and pill, completely withdrawing the qi sense that normally blanketed the entire pavilion. He had left himself utterly defenseless, unable to detect anyone approaching.
"Dammit! I let my guard down" he thought as he quickly spun around—only to be met with an enormous fist hurtling toward his face at frightening speed. The massive knuckles filled his vision, already too close to evade completely.
In that split-second between recognition and impact, Xiang Yu’s enhanced battle instinct screamed warnings through every fiber of his being. He had made the cardinal mistake that he had sworn never to make in this dangerous world—he had become distracted, forgotten his surroundings, and now someone had managed to approach him undetected.
...
Author’s Corner:
Just wanted to find a use for his spiritual sea, I don’t see many novels using this power enough.