Cultivation Starting from Full Talent

Chapter 67: Chapter 65: Paper Substitute

Chaotic Sect, mountain path.

Ning Daoran reviewed the trip and blamed himself deeply. His risk assessment was wrong—the risk level was dangerously high.

But there was nothing to regret. Since he had decided to pursue cultivation, he had to understand every aspect of this world.

Cultivation was one thing, but it did not equate to combat power. The ability to respond in battle was also critically important.

Like the Golden Core Early Stage Green-clothed Evil Ghost, he had basically grasped her capabilities after the first encounter, and the second one would likely be her end.

“Uh…”

Lin Sheng woke up, feeling dizzy.

“Junior Brother, Junior Sister, what happened just now?” he asked in surprise.

“It’s a bit embarrassing to say.”

Ning Daoran said, “Junior Sister and I were too slow to react, and we could only watch as a clone of that Green-clothed Evil Ghost attacked and knocked out Senior Brother Lin.

“Luckily, Old Lu reacted quickly, carrying Senior Brother away. Junior Sister used a Second Order Prohibition Breaking Talisman that saved us from the Green-clothed Evil Ghost’s illusionary realm.”

“Ao~~~”

Big Stupid Deer cried out, quickly wagging its tail to claim credit.

“I see…”

Lin Sheng felt responsible. “It’s my incompetence. If I could have succeeded in my Foundation Establishment, or if I could have refined the True Yang Furnace Technique to Great Success, perhaps it wouldn’t have come to this.”

“Senior Brother need not blame himself. We are only in the Late-stage Qi Refining, and we were never a match for the Green-clothed Evil Ghost. It’s better not to take on such difficult missions in the future.”

Ning Daoran said this, but in his heart, he doubted that just Foundation Establishment and the Great Success of the True Yang Furnace Technique could trouble the Green-clothed Lady.

At the very least, he would need the Perfect level of the True Yang Furnace Technique plus Mid-stage Foundation Establishment to be secure.

Contribution Hall.

The three of them completed their mission and each received five hundred contribution points.

Han Bing decided to save them.

Lin Sheng exchanged his for Elixir Pills to strengthen blood qi. His cultivation of the True Yang Furnace Technique treated the human body as a furnace that needed constant replenishment of blood qi.

Moreover, Lin Sheng, being ten years older than Ning Daoran and nearing his fifties this year, must replenish his blood qi; otherwise, he would fail the Blood Qi Barrier during Foundation Establishment.

Ning Daoran exchanged his five hundred contribution points for a magnificent-looking green Alchemy Furnace, one with an ancient charm.

If such an Alchemy Furnace were taken back to his previous world, it would surely be placed in a national museum.

“Junior Sister.”

Ning Daoran frowned and said, “Because of this trip, you lost a Second Order Prohibition Breaking Talisman. Uncle Master Ning Qing might not be happy if he finds out, how about Senior Brother Lin and I compensate you?”

“No need.”

Han Bing smiled and shook her head, “Master won’t blame me; don’t worry, Senior Brother.”

“Then that’s good.”

Ning Daoran, along with Big Stupid Deer, returned to Qiongbi Peak.

Han Bing watched Ning Daoran’s retreating back, deep in thought.

In a moment of crisis, she managed to pull out a Second-stage Lower Grade Prohibition Breaking Talisman—something attributed to her sect’s heritage; yet Senior Brother Ning produced two talismans of no lower quality than her own…

It seemed that Senior Brother Ning must be carrying a huge opportunity on his shoulders; otherwise, he would not have such means.

And the fact that he used them in front of her, without any attempt to hide, showed that he truly treated her as one of his own.

“…”

For a moment, this endearing Junior Sister from Purple Cloud Peak flushed with resolve.

‘I must keep this secret, guarding Senior Brother’s little secret!’ she thought.

…

Qiongbi Peak.

Underground secret chamber.

Ning Daoran checked his gains from the day. The branch leader of the Green Robe Association was only at the Perfect Qi Refining Stage, a small figure under the Green-clothed Lady’s command. He did not expect much from his storage bag.

But when he opened the storage bag, he was still taken aback.

Inside, there were more than two thousand Low Grade Spirit Stones. Was this the wealth a mere Qi Refining Stage practitioner should possess?

Most likely, this was what he had extorted from the common people!

This charlatan who exploited the populace…

All his possessions, confiscated!

A smile slowly spread across his face as he further examined the storage bag. Aside from a few inexpensive magic artifacts, there was also a Secret Technique Manual.

[Paper Substitute, Yellow Rank Top Grade (Uninitialized)]

It was a method for crafting paper substitutes, obviously the same method used by the branch leader to summon four clones in an instant.

“Hmm…”

Although Ning Daoran possessed the talent of the Grass and Tree Holy Spirit with the Refining Time system, he had limited years to utilize it and did not need to learn every spell—steel must be used on the blade edge.

Clearly, this Paper Substitute technique was quite useful, greatly enhancing his safety in the Cultivation World.

It could even save his life.

Why not learn it and save the Refining Time for other things?

He immediately mastered the Paper Substitute to the Transformation Realm…

Spending over seven thousand years of Refining Time, he still felt he could push further.

So he continued, vigorously mastering Paper Substitute to the Return to Nature Level!

In an instant, a multitude of memories and familiarities regarding the Paper Substitute technique flooded his mind, leaving a clear imprint in his memory.

The Paper Substitute technique had high demands on paper and refining.

For refining, with the controllable intensity of the Samadhi True Fire, there were no issues.@@novelbin@@

As for the paper, it must be imbued with spiritual energy to craft Paper Substitutes, and Ning Daoran only had ordinary, top-grade, and high-quality Talisman Paper at hand.

He had bought these earlier, intending to learn talisman painting and make a name in the Talismanic way.

Unfortunately, he found he had no talent for talismans, and his time and energy were limited, so he gave up on the Talismanic way.

Focusing on Array Path and Alchemy Dao was the optimal method to convert strength into results.

Ning Daoran took out a piece of top-grade talisman paper and skillfully folded it at lightning speed, quickly shaping it into a small human figure. Then he summoned a strand of Samadhi True Fire and refined it with his own mana.

After the time it takes to brew half a pot of tea, the creation of the Paper Substitute was complete.

“Activate!”

Ning Daoran cast a spell, instantly bringing the paper figure to life.

The paper figure floated out and expanded continually, transforming into a woman in a long dress of breathtaking beauty, each frown and smile exuded a sense of devastating allure.

This figure, Ning Daoran had modeled after a female Internet celebrity he was quite fond of in his previous life.

“Greetings, Master.”

The Paper Substitute at the Return to Nature level was strikingly lifelike, far surpassing the several duplicates created by the Branch Leader!

“There’s no need for formalities.”

Ning Daoran smiled faintly. As he looked at the beautiful paper woman, he thought better of some rather unbecoming ideas he had and casually changed it back into the form of a paper figure before storing it in his Storage Bag.

Such ordinary items were kept in reserve.

He then took out a piece of high-quality talisman paper and within the time it takes to brew half a pot of tea, refined it into his own likeness.

“Whoosh!”

Another Ning Daoran appeared before him, clad in a pale blue garment with a youthful aura expressing a subtle heroic spirit.

After all these years, though Ning Daoran hadn’t taken any Solid Color Pills, his appearance remained that of an eighteen-year-old boy due to his cultivation of the Evergreen Technique.

A sweep of his Divine Sense easily revealed that the paper figure had no Divine Soul; it was merely a piece of paper.

Right away, Ning Daoran infused a strand of his Divine Soul into the paper figure, and suddenly the “Ning Daoran” before him took on a spirited charm, virtually indistinguishable from the real person, even his physical body, Divine Soul, and mana fluctuations could be sensed upon inspection with Divine Sense.

Moreover, the paper figure possessed a certain degree of combat ability.

Because of the infusion of Divine Soul and mana, the true combat power of the paper figure was roughly ten percent that of Ning Daoran.

This was perhaps the marvelous benefit of refining a Paper Substitute to the Return to Nature level!

As for how to improve the combat power of the paper figure, that depended on the materials used.

Though the high-quality talisman paper was also decent, after all, it was a mere mortal object, not one of those legendary Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

In addition, the cultivation technique for the Paper Substitute originally came from the Demon Path and was not the orthodox method of the Righteous Path. Therefore, the heavier the Yin Qi of the materials used in its creation, the more extraordinary the effect of the Paper Substitute, and the higher the combat power it would retain!

“Sigh~~~”

Ning Daoran took a deep breath and let the newly created Paper Substitute out to meditate and cultivate in the room on the ground floor, serving as his replacement.

In this way, if an archenemy indeed showed up, they would kill the substitute with a slap, and his original body would be alerted, providing him ample time for a tactical retreat.

…

The next day, Yellow Dragon Square.

Qingfu Square was bustling with people coming and going.

Chen Ping’er was dressed in a water-blue garment, holding a pink fan, radiating an untouchable beauty.

“Fellow Daoist Ning, are you buying so many high-quality talisman papers… could it be that you’re planning on cultivating the Talismanic way?”

“You misunderstand, Fellow Daoist.”

Ning Daoran shook his head, “I am already studying the Array Path; where would I find the time to delve into the Talismanic way? These are purchases for my fellow sect brothers.”

“I see.”

Chen Ping’er giggled lightly but did not probe further.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, does Qingfu Square have any materials for making paper heavy in Yin Qi?”

“Materials for making paper heavy in Yin Qi?”

Chen Ping’er thought for a moment, “No, but a few days ago, a Daoist Shangguan has reserved a private room in the back hall of Qingfu Square, claiming he wants to host a small exchange meeting. He has a piece of second-stage Yin Chen Wood, which is said to be heavily imbued with Yin Qi. If Fellow Daoist Ning is interested in Yin Chen Wood, you might want to participate.”

“An exchange meeting…”

Ning Daoran frowned slightly, feeling a little apprehensive.

But this was Qingfu Square, and there had been precedents before, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“Those individuals are all Late-stage Qi Refining; there’s no need for concern,” said Chen Ping’er with a light smile, “Besides, Qingfu Square is guaranteeing the safety of this meeting; it’s very secure.”

“Okay, then I’ll participate.”

…

A few days later, Ning Daoran returned to Qingfu Square. This time, he disguised himself as a young male cultivator, with high cheekbones and an obscure gaze.

Chen Ping’er actually couldn’t recognize him at first.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, it’s me.”

Ning Daoran transmitted his own voice to her.

“Ah?”

Chen Ping’er couldn’t help but laugh and whispered telepathically, “Fellow Daoist Ning, you really are cautious.”

Ning Daoran smiled indifferently. This move was for safety first, but also a test for Chen Ping’er. If something went awry at the exchange meeting, then he would know he needn’t contact Chen Ping’er at Qingfu Square in the future.

Inside the private room, five Late-stage Qi Refining cultivators were seated on the floor.

“My name is Shangguan Xing.”

A cultivator at the Perfect Qi Refining stage smiled and said, “Let’s start with me…”

He lightly raised his hand, and a piece of wood brimming with Yin Qi floated up, “This is second-stage Yin Chen Wood. Although it’s just a small piece, it’s heavily infused with Yin Qi and can be used as a material for arrays, Yin items, and spiritual artifacts. I won’t sell it for Spirit Stones, only barter for it.”

“May I ask, Daoist, what exactly are you seeking?”

Ning Daoran spoke up first.

“I am seeking an opportunity for Foundation Establishment, but alas, due to my advanced age, my Blood Qi is weakening. Naturally, if I could have a Spirit Pill that enhances Blood Qi, that would be best.”

“How convenient.”

Ning Daoran patted his Storage Bag, and two deep red Blood Transformation Ginsengs floated out. “Both of these ginsengs are nearly a thousand years old; perfect for concocting Blood Strengthening Pills to replenish the Blood Qi you’ve lost.”

“That would be excellent!”

Shangguan Xing’s eyes lit up, and he immediately exchanged the Yin Chen Wood for the two thousand-year-old Blood Transformation Ginsengs.