Chương 39: Soul Breakthrough

Within Zhang Huaijin's sea of consciousness, his thoughts churned in restless disarray. He now knew the Tian Family was behind the suppression, but the Zhangs were only a Qi Refining Realm family. They didn't even have the right to resist. A full blown conflict with the Tian Family? That would be like throwing an egg against a stone. The Zhangs would be shattered, and the losses would far outweigh any gains. Zhang Huaijin was no hot headed youth. He knew how to weigh costs and benefits.

But he couldn't simply abandon the shop's business, either. Then a solution came to him: talisman crafting. He said a quick word to Zhang Hong and left Langya County Town, heading straight back to Green Bamboo Mountain. Zhang Lixian had also received the news from the county town.

"Huaijin, don't do anything rash," his father said, his expression grave.

"We're no match for the Tian Family right now. So what if business is slow? Let it be. Just wait until I break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm." The gap in power between the Zhang family and the Tian family was simply too vast. Even if Zhang Lixian reached Foundation Establishment, the Zhang family's overall strength would still pale in comparison. That was the cost of a generational gap, and there was no quick fix for it. Not to mention, Zhang Lixian's own breakthrough was far from guaranteed.

"I understand," Zhang Huaijin replied.

"The reason I came back is that I want the talisman crafting inheritance." He was ready to start making talismans. With his powerful Soul and formidable comprehension, Zhang Huaijin was confident that he could become a Tier 1, Upper Grade Talisman Crafter in the shortest time possible. He didn't plan to compete directly with the Tian Family. Instead, he would carve out an entirely new path and launch a talisman business. Talisman crafting was the easiest of the four great cultivation crafts to learn.

With enough resources and steady practice, anyone could become a talisman crafter. The materials were also quite common. The endless groves of green bamboo covering the Zhang family's own mountain were the perfect source for talisman paper. As for spirit beast hide, fur, and blood, those were plentiful right there in Langya County Town. Beyond the three major Foundation Establishment families, even the remaining twelve Qi Refining Realm families were all in the talisman business.

Any Qi Refining Realm family that managed to establish itself, aside from Spirit farming, always had some foundational inheritance to rely on. Most of those were talisman crafting legacies/inheritance. By now, most of the Zhang family's third generation had reached the mid stage Qi Refining Realm. They were all choosing a craft to learn. Only those with no talent for either of the two main crafts became either Spirit Plant Cultivators or joined the family's Spirit Beast Hunting Team.

They hunted spirit beasts to earn their own resources. Zhang Huaijin's second uncle, Zhang Liliang, had already become a Tier 1, Upper Grade Talisman Crafter through constant practice with ample resources. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Two members of the third generation had also become Tier 1, Low Grade Talisman Crafters. For now, though, they could only make one type of talisman each. Their success rates weren't very high, and they still weren't breaking even.

Not everyone had Zhang Huaijin's powerful Soul.

"You want to craft talismans?" Zhang Lixian's tone turned earnest and heavy.

"Your Soul is strong, and your comprehension is excellent. But your most important task right now is cultivation, striving to reach the peak of Qi Refining Realm as quickly as possible."

"Father, don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Zhang Huaijin said firmly.

"You're already a Tier 1, Upper Grade Artifact Refiner. Adding talisman crafting will put too much strain on your Soul."

"Father, I can handle it." Zhang Huaijin's expression remained calm. Zhang Lixian gave his son a long, searching look.

"Alright. Come with me. We'll go see your grandfather." The two of them found Zhang Chongwen. After hearing the situation, Zhang Chongwen raised the same concerns as Zhang Lixian. After all, Zhang Huaijin was in a period of rapid cultivation growth. Mastering one craft was already enough.

"Grandfather, I know what I'm doing," Zhang Huaijin repeated. In the end, Zhang Chongwen and Zhang Lixian were persuaded. After spending a sum of Merit Points, Zhang Huaijin received the talisman crafting inheritance. There were eight types of Tier 1, Low Grade talismans, five types of Tier 1, Mid Grade, and three types of Tier 1, Upper Grade. It had to be said, the Zhang family's Tier 1 talisman crafting inheritance was remarkably comprehensive.

Zhang Huaijin used his Merit Points to exchange for a batch of Spirit Stones, then left the family compound. Although the shop's business had been affected, the Zhang family's development hadn't stopped. On the family's three spiritual mountains, the stationed members continued to reclaim new Spirit Fields. Over the past few years, the family had added another hundred acres of Spirit Fields. The amount of Spirit Rice they harvested had increased.

The spirit beasts hunted by the Spirit Beast Hunting Team also brought in a major source of income. Every part of a spirit beast was useful. The meat could be cooked into food. The hide, fur, and blood could be used for talisman crafting. The scales, claws, teeth, and other materials could be used for artifact forging. Nothing went to waste. Zhang Liliang and the other two Tier 1, Low Grade Talisman Crafters received large batches of these materials to practice with.

That was why their skills had improved so rapidly. Zhang Huaijin returned to the outskirts of Langya County Town and began studying talisman crafting. In less than a day, he had successfully created his first Tier 1, Low Grade Talisman. Fireball Talismans, Water Arrow Talismans, Vine Bind Talismans, Gold Blade Talismans, and Earth Wall Talismans. Various elemental types of Tier 1, Low Grade talismans began to slowly accumulate beside him. The talisman materials in the shop were continuously consumed.

Three days later, Zhang Huaijin's success rate for Tier 1, Low Grade talismans had reached one hundred percent. Then he began working on Tier 1, Mid Grade talismans. The Zhang family's shop also started selling Talismans. All three grades were available, though Tier 1, Upper Grade talismans remained somewhat scarce. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. With the addition of Talismans to their inventory, the Zhang family's shop became bustling once again.

Although customer traffic wasn't as explosive as before due to the Tian family's influence, it recovered to about three quarters of its previous level, steadily earning resources for the Zhang family. And Zhang Huaijin had become a Tier 1, Upper Grade Talisman Crafter. The talismans he crafted were of the highest quality. Even Zhang Liliang's talismans couldn't match them. A single talisman consumed very little spiritual power and could save your life in a critical moment.

After all, the Tian family's shop didn't give away Tier 1, Upper Grade talismans for free. And the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators who could afford Tier 2 Spirit Artifacts weren't interested in Tier 1, Upper Grade talismans anyway. The Zhang family's business gradually stabilized. Including Zhang Huaijin, the Zhangs now had four Talisman Crafters. The talismans they produced were more than enough to keep the shop running.

The Zhang family shop was renamed the "Zhang Family Artifact & Talisman Pavilion," making its offerings clear to any cultivator who needed them. The Tian family had no good way to counter this change. Almost every cultivation family was in the talisman business, how could they target just one? Still, they had successfully curbed the Zhangs' artifact forging business, protected their own interests, and retained most of their own customers.

And after six months of continuous cultivation and practice, Zhang Huaijin's Soul officially broke through. It had reached Tier 2, Low Grade. He now possessed the Soul strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. When Zhang Huaijin released his Soul now, there was no difference between him and a true Foundation Establishment cultivator.