Ning Zhuo held the Ideograph Brush, examining it carefully.
The pen shaft was made of yellow-green Heluo Jade, with natural jade patterns interwoven to form blurred hexagrams.
The pen handle was made of Kai Wood, bearing the scorch marks of lightning.
The pen tip was made of Autumn Frost White Yak Hair, and under the light, one could see traces of silver gleaming.
The whole Ideograph Brush emitted the aura of a Magic Treasure Level artifact.
Ning Zhuo, Bai Jiyun, Liu Fushu, and Kong Ran exchanged a lot of information over the banquet, learning much about this brush.
"To create an Ideograph Brush, one must undergo tribulations."
"This is a Golden Core Level Ideograph Brush, it must withstand at least three tribulations."
"Among them, the most basic is the Heart Demon Tribulation, which tests the Literary Heart of a Confucian Cultivator. Additionally, Heluo Jade being extracted from water is likely to face lightning tribulations."
"Looking at this pen’s handle made of lightning-struck Kai Wood, it’s likely the Heluo Jade, after being extracted from water, suffered a lightning tribulation without adequate protection, leading to erosion by lightning energy. Thus, they used lightning-struck Kai Wood to compensate for this material flaw."
"As for what the third tribulation is..."
According to Ning Zhuo’s current cultivation and artifact refining expertise, he couldn’t determine it.
During the banquet, he also presented this treasured brush to Bai, Liu, and Kong to examine, but the three cultivators couldn’t discern any clues either.
Without knowing, it didn’t hinder Ning Zhuo from using it.
Immediately, Ning Zhuo stimulated his Five Elements Mana, infusing it into the Ideograph Brush.
Ning Zhuo was not a Confucian Cultivator, so the Five Elements Mana was not entirely compatible with the Ideograph Brush. Although it affected the actual outcome, it was still usable.
With the infusion of mana, the seven-inch-two-divider-long pen shaft quickly emitted a gentle jade light, warm and clear.
Points of electric glow shone on the pen handle.
The pen tip grew even more intensely silver.
Ning Zhuo had already reached some trade agreements with Bai Jiyun and Kong Ran, including a demand for authentic works.
Now, Ning Zhuo wanted to test the pen, and after pondering, he first took out a tiger hide.
This tiger hide was heavy, thick, and very broad, with two tattoo-like large talismans on it.
It was precisely the trophy Ning Zhuo acquired after a conflict with a cultivator from the Pi Family, slaughtering a Tiger Demon.
Both Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong examined the two talismans on this tiger hide but to little avail.
"Let’s see if using this treasured brush can work this time?"
Ning Zhuo first attempted to replicate the Burning Blood Rushing Talisman.
This talisman was nearly circular, large as a millstone, seemingly written in blood, and now its surface resembled the dark red of dried blood.
Upon careful observation, one could discern many flame-like patterns within the dark red lines.
Ning Zhuo had already studied this Demon Talisman once and was well aware of its structure.
Ning Zhuo began to replicate it.
He took the talisman heart as the starting point. The talisman heart of the Burning Blood Rushing Talisman was shaped like a blood droplet on the upper half and burning flames on the lower half.
As Ning Zhuo replicated the talisman heart, he instantly felt an abnormal impulse and couldn’t help but utter, "Blood fuels fire, fire boils blood."
Starting from the talisman heart, he worked along the main patterns of the talisman.
The main patterns of the Burning Blood Rushing Talisman consisted of three thick deep-red cinnabar lines, slightly twisted, radiating outward from the center of the talisman.
As Ning Zhuo replicated them, it was as though he felt three boiling blood vessels, pulsating rhythmically with a heartbeat.
"Twisting, boiling, as if magma is coursing within..."
Lastly came the auxiliary decorations. The spaces between the three main lines were filled with fine and closely connected lines.
While replicating, Ning Zhuo had two primary sensations.
One was like a strong wind brushing his face, creating a tingling sensation. The other was a feeling of space fracturing, breaking through limits.
Consequently, he promptly realized: "There are two types of rune patterns. One is the Wind Thunder Pattern and the other is the Sky Splitting Pattern."
This was a depth he hadn’t discovered in his previous study of the talisman.
Moments later, Ning Zhuo looked at the replicated Burning Blood Rushing Talisman on the talisman paper and made a final assessment.
From appearance alone, this talisman was indistinguishable from the one on the tiger hide.
Ning Zhuo gently stroked the surface of the talisman, feeling from the bold and powerful lines a sense of impending explosive force, as well as the sacrifice of burning blood in exchange for rapid velocity and demonic nature.
He infused mana, attempting to ignite the talisman paper.
The result was that the talisman paper simply burned, without any reaction.
The talisman-making failed.
Ning Zhuo wasn’t the least bit surprised.
He had merely replicated it once, experiencing the intent within. It slightly enhanced his foundation in Talisman Making. Naturally, it also included the Paper Molding Technique, but the gains in this aspect were even more minimal.
Ning Zhuo then proceeded to replicate the Thousand-layered Scale Talisman.
This Demon Talisman was the size of a washbowl, not a perfect circle like the Burning Blood Rushing Talisman but rather octagonal, with distinct edges and angles.
The rune colors weren’t dark red but instead a deep earthy yellow.
At first glance, this talisman seemed challenging to replicate; its main patterns were overly dominant, overshadowing everything else. The talisman heart was small, yet intricately connected to the surroundings.
To replicate such a talisman, one must work from the outside in.
Ning Zhuo began replicating.
The theme of the Thousand-layered Scale Talisman was countless fine and orderly diamond-shaped runes. While replicating, one also needed to layer them continuously.
Threads of intention conveyed to Ning Zhuo’s heart made him feel as though he was touching a layer of real gemstone scales.
Extending inward from these diamond-shaped runes, Ning Zhuo slowly reached the position of the talisman heart.
Around the talisman heart were three different rune patterns, forming three concentric rings.
The outer appearance of the rings was almost identical, differing only in size. But this time, as Ning Zhuo replicated them, he felt three distinct intentions.
The outer ring felt like a spinning wave, the middle ring like a solid mountain, and the inner ring like a leisurely land turtle.
The final decorations filled the gaps between the scales and the three concentric rings.