Chapter 117: The Armament Talisman Is Complete, The Tiger’s Roar and Dragon’s Howl Technique, The Time Is Set

The Ice Arrow Talisman was now mastered. This represented one more method of attack at his disposal. Although this talisman dealt physical damage and might be less effective against ghosts and spirits compared to the Ghost-Slaying or Lightning-Summoning talismans, who was to say his enemies would only be of the spectral variety? Furthermore, this talisman was also effective against zombies, the undead, and demonic beasts.

"However, the most powerful among these talismans is the Soldier-Armor Talisman!" Chen Yushu felt a natural sense of anticipation toward it. It was the most potent talisman recorded in the two volumes of Zhaoyang Talisman Arts he had acquired. It comprised thirty-eight distinct talismanic structures. To draw it in one go and ensure the patterns merged perfectly onto the talisman paper was no simple task. Naturally, the more powerful a talisman, the more difficult it was to craft. Even with his meditative state reaching the level of Constant Stillness, Chen Yushu was not confident he could draw it successfully in a short time.

For the sake of caution, he first continued to draw ten Ice Arrow Talismans. He then checked his attribute panel.

Ice Arrow Talisman: Proficient (1/200).

The Ice Arrow Talisman was now proficient. Additionally, his Talisman Crafting skill had gained two points of experience. At this moment, Chen Yushu realized a pattern: every time the level of a specific talisman increased, his corresponding Talisman Crafting experience also rose. For instance, the House-Calming Talisman granted one point at Novice, two at Proficient, four at Minor Success, and eight at Major Success. Calculating this, from Novice to Minor Success alone, he could gain fifteen points of Talisman Crafting experience.

Currently, he had mastered the House-Calming and Evil-Dispelling talismans to Major Success, totaling thirty points. The Spirit-Calming, Ghost-Slaying, and Lightning-Summoning talismans were at Minor Success, while the Fetal-Protecting, Luck-Borrowing, Body-Lightness, Spirit-Summoning, Gold-Armor, and Ice Arrow talismans were all Proficient. Converting these, his Talisman Crafting skill stood at Novice (69/100). The attribute panel confirmed this. This level of understanding placed his grasp of talismans at a relatively high level; at the very least, drawing them now was far easier than when he had first begun—and this was without even accounting for the spike in his "comprehension" following the improvement of his meditative state.

He then turned his focus to the final one: the Soldier-Armor Talisman. After confirming he had mastered the structural layout, he began to attempt the drawing. Once, twice, three times... failure, failure, failure. But with every failure, he quickly identified the cause and adjusted his technique. With almost every attempt, he felt his progress and sensed that success was drawing nearer. Fifteen structural elements, nineteen, twenty-seven, thirty-two... Each time he erred, the failure occurred further along the sequence. After his seventh attempt, he managed to reach the thirty-eighth structure. He failed three more times after that.

These failures were primarily due to the finalization of the talisman; it required total harmony with all previous structures—a case where one small flaw affected the entire design. It was no longer a simple "fill-in-the-blank" exercise; he had to account for every aspect. It was much like a novel: no matter how brilliant or smooth the writing was, if the ending was subpar, full of plot holes, or left hanging, it remained imperfect in the eyes of the reader, leaving them feeling unsatisfied.

Fortunately, on the fourth attempt—after a total of eleven failures—Chen Yushu placed the final stroke.

*Hum!*

The void vibrated. In his eyes, a surge of special energy rapidly poured into the talisman. One breath, two breaths, three breaths... It wasn't until five breaths had passed that the infusion stopped.

It was done! The Soldier-Armor Talisman was complete!

"The Soldier-Armor Talisman can summon a soldier to protect one's sides. I wonder what this soldier looks like, and what its power and capabilities are?" Chen Yushu looked at the talisman in his hand with great anticipation.

He stepped into the courtyard, and with a thought, he activated the talisman.

*Hum!*

In an instant, the talisman ignited without wind. A moment later, his vision blurred, and a soldier, roughly half a person's height and covered in armor, appeared before him. He could vaguely sense that the soldier was under his control, ready to obey his commands—either to attack or to stand guard.

He took up a long saber and struck at the armored soldier with force. *Clang!* A sharp, ringing sound echoed. Its defensive capability was not weak at all. Although Chen Yushu had used brute force, the strike only left a half-inch-deep dent in its armor. He then commanded the soldier to attack him. The soldier raised a spear-like weapon and thrust it forward. Chen Yushu blocked with his blade and parried, launching a flurry of eighteen strikes. *Clang!* The soldier’s body immediately suffered wounds half a foot deep. However, as the soldier was essentially a construct of primordial energy, it felt no pain and showed no hesitation. It raised its spear again to attack. Chen Yushu swept his blade horizontally, taking off the soldier's head. The soldier’s form faltered, then disintegrated like flowing sand, vanishing into nothingness.

"The actual combat power of this soldier isn't particularly high. Its speed is relatively slow, comparable to an ordinary person. But its defense is solid enough to withstand a full-force blow from an Outer-Forging martial artist. More importantly, it is fearless and mindless; its presence on the battlefield is arguably more intimidating than an Outer-Forging warrior. It’s essentially a death-sworn bodyguard with the strength of an Outer-Forging martial artist, ready to take damage and follow commands. For any practitioner of the Yin arts, this is a massive temptation."

Chen Yushu was initially disappointed, but upon reflection, he felt a surge of delight. In certain situations, this was incredibly useful. It could save his life at a critical moment—for instance, when exploring a place filled with traps; he could simply command it to scout ahead. His only regret was its small stature, but considering this was only an entry-level Soldier-Armor Talisman, he couldn't ask for too much.

"The only thing is, I haven't measured its exact duration..." Chen Yushu pondered, though he wasn't too concerned. From the duel just now, it had lasted at least thirty breaths. That was enough. Combat rarely lasted long. Thirty breaths were sufficient to accomplish many things. Besides, its actual duration was likely much longer.

He returned to the study and continued to draw talismans. Every time he finished one, he tossed it aside; the natural energy of the world would flow into them, assisting in the final step of their creation. He drew them one after another, switching between the Ghost-Slaying, Lightning-Summoning, Body-Lightness, Spirit-Summoning, Ice Arrow, Gold-Armor, and Soldier-Armor talismans based entirely on intuition. Whichever felt more natural to draw in that moment, he would draw. Overall, he kept a balance.

Unknowingly, the sky began to brighten. Chen Yushu finally stopped. He realized then that the brush he was holding had cracked along its shaft. He had drawn too many talismans at once, and his mental energy had pushed the brush beyond its limits. It hadn't been a high-quality brush to begin with, so the fact that it had lasted this long was impressive. Sure enough, as soon as he withdrew his mental energy, the brush shattered completely, becoming useless.

"A pity I couldn't purchase a suitable brush at the gathering," he sighed. He had wanted to replace it for a while now. With it broken, he had no choice but to visit Old Fu’s incense shop to see if there was anything decent. He didn't mind much; he never had high demands for his brushes. He gathered the talismans, stacked them neatly, and placed them in a pouch. Even with his meditative state constantly replenishing his mental energy, the sheer volume of work left him feeling weary.

He closed his eyes and began to truly relax. Everything around him turned perfectly quiet. In his perception, the world became vibrant and colorful. Mental particles drifting in the air, along with various shimmering light particles, were all clearly visible. He vaguely discovered that there were other energy particles in the world besides mental particles that seemed beneficial to the human body. However, he didn't dare attempt to absorb them easily; aside from the risk of energy conflict, the efficiency was simply too low. For example, while mental particles and certain scorching spiritual particles existed in similar quantities, his "White Tiger Visualization" allowed him to absorb mental particles at a high rate, whereas the scorching particles were absorbed with less than ten percent of that efficiency. It felt like a waste of effort.

"Is it because I lack the corresponding cultivation technique?" Chen Yushu muttered, but he didn't dwell on it.

...

"You say you've reached the point of tempering flesh into marrow?" On the second floor of the medicine shop, Su Ming looked at Chen Yushu in astonishment.

"Yes!" Chen Yushu nodded calmly. "Though I have not yet fully perfected marrow-tempering, I can already induce the bone marrow to vibrate and strengthen itself." As he spoke, he stood still and moved his body, controlling the internal force to continuously wash over his marrow. Faintly, a "cooing" sound of marrow vibration emanated from him. This was one of the signs of successfully tempering flesh into marrow. The sound occurred because the marrow inside the bones vibrated, causing the bones themselves to emit a muffled sound that resonated through the flesh. The louder the sound, the stronger the impact the marrow could withstand, signifying a more effective tempering process.

"Truly, you have reached it. This is... far too fast!" Su Ming could not hide his shock. He knew his disciple was talented, but he never expected such rapid progress. Tempering flesh into marrow was equivalent to completing the Outer-Forging stage. Most martial artists required three to five years to reach this stage because "internal force" was limited and required a slow, grinding process to refine the body. Chen Yushu had achieved this in less than a month.

Su Ming wasn't worried about an unstable foundation. Martial arts training was a step-by-step process; reaching marrow-tempering meant the previous training of skin, flesh, tendons, and bones was already solid. "Since you have reached this stage, as your master, I must pass on an internal cultivation technique to you—partly due to the rules of the shop, and partly because it is time. I will teach you the 'Medicine King’s Thunder-Swallowing Sound' shortly. Additionally, I will teach you the 'Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant.' This is also an internal technique, but unlike the Thunder-Swallowing Sound, it strengthens the internal organs while also opening vital points and gathering power. Once mastered, you will possess the strength of dragons and tigers. Neither is superior to the other; they complement each other perfectly. Cultivating two techniques is far better than just one."

Su Ming made his decision. Chen Yushu’s talent was so immense that an extra technique wouldn't be a burden; it would serve as a formidable foundation, allowing his potential to grow even greater.

"I will follow your arrangements, Master!" Chen Yushu naturally agreed. He had revealed his strength specifically for this. Even though he felt his "Medicine King’s Strength-Locking Technique" hadn't reached its absolute limit, he didn't want to stop. His current training would be perfected in two or three days, which coincided with his planned trip to "raise the corpse" with Zhao Yufeng and the others. He didn't want to interrupt his training; learning these internal techniques now would rapidly increase his physical strength and shore up any weaknesses in his internal organs.

Under Su Ming’s guidance, Chen Yushu began practicing the two techniques. Both involved specific breathing rhythms that caused the internal organs to vibrate, thereby strengthening them.

*Boom!*

The Medicine King’s Thunder-Swallowing Sound truly sounded like a peal of thunder. Combined with the circulation of his internal force, it made his internal organs tough and resilient. The Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant was similar, yet the breathing frequency and the path of the internal force were quite different. Every time he practiced, he emitted sounds akin to a dragon's roar or a tiger's growl.

By the afternoon, Chen Yushu returned home. He brewed his medicinal decoction and began to train intensely. The Medicine King’s Stance and Strength-Locking techniques worked in tandem, filling his body with a steady stream of internal force that fortified his bones and marrow. Under his internal vision, he could "see" his bones turning from white to a translucent, jade-like luster, becoming tougher and more formidable. His marrow grew thick and dense, enhancing his very foundation.

Once the medicinal power was absorbed, he switched to the new techniques. *Boom! Boom!* At first, the sound was faint, like a grumbling stomach, but as time passed, the sound grew louder. Xiao Yin, playing in the room, was startled by the noise and huddled by the window, watching him. Each "boom" made the creature tremble, as if it feared a real thunderbolt was brewing inside Chen Yushu.

He checked his panel.

Medicine King’s Thunder-Swallowing Sound: Proficient (22/200).

He realized he had reached proficiency without even noticing. The Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant was slower, still at Novice (65/100). He treated both equally, alternating between them. The difference in progress made him realize that the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant was likely a more sophisticated technique.

"The Thunder-Swallowing Sound is a heritage technique of the Medicine King Valley, which is definitely a top-tier martial faction. If the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant is even better, its origins must be extraordinary," he thought. He didn't ask, though. By sunset, he had reached Proficiency in the Dragon's Roar and Tiger's Chant. His internal organs now felt significantly tougher, and his strength and aura had surged.

*Knock, knock, knock!*

"Who is it?" Chen Yushu asked.

"It’s me, Qi Jichuan."

Chen Yushu opened the door. Qi Jichuan walked in and remarked, "I was wondering who was practicing such powerful techniques. The sound... it was you, kid. The Medicine King’s Thunder-Swallowing Sound? I didn't realize your martial arts were this advanced—you've already started internal cultivation?"

Qi Jichuan looked at him with curiosity. He was a dual practitioner of Taoism and martial arts himself, but he had only turned to martial arts after hitting a bottleneck in his Taoist practice. Seeing Chen Yushu achieve such success in both at such a young age was truly surprising.

"I have only just begun," Chen Yushu said politely.

"No matter. I’ve come to inform you: the time for the corpse-raising has been set."

"When?" Chen Yushu’s heart tightened.

"We leave tomorrow morning," Qi Jichuan replied. "The 'Extreme Yin' location requires an 'Extreme Yin' time to be opened, as that is when the surrounding formations are at their weakest. We’ll arrive by evening, and we must finish raising the corpse before midnight." Qi Jichuan’s expression turned solemn. "Make your preparations. It’s going to be a tough fight. That old beast has plenty of tricks up his sleeve."

With that, Qi Jichuan left. Chen Yushu stood in the doorway, frowning. He decided he needed to inform Sister Qiaoer. He felt uneasy about this mission. He returned to his room and lit the incense. Xiao Yin, seeing this, cheered and flew over, hugging the incense sticks and inhaling deeply.