Wei Huoran was leaning back in a high backed chair as he watched a screen in front of him. The room around him appeared as a modern laboratory equipped with computers, as well as a wide array of equipment.
"Xiao Ran, this stone is a very advanced artifact, the runes and arrays are above all the knowledge you currently know", a tall and handsome man in blue and white robes spoke to Huoran.
"Quanliyuan, I think we are at the point now where you project your avatar into real space, and no one would question it", Huoran said in response.
"I don't see any advantages to exposing my existence at this moment", Quanliyuan quipped.
Huoran stayed silent as he turned back towards the screen, watching as Quanliyuan located, scanned, recorded, and displayed each rune onto a schematic on the screen. On a different screen a virtual replica of the stone was seen stopping, a rune being highlighted before dimming, and then stone rotating to a different position.
"As I scan the stone, I can feel more memories are on the verge of unlocking", Quanliyuan remarked.
"That's good, but if this is too high level, I will have to wait until later before I can study it", Huoran said with a slightly frustrated tone, "The current process of writing runes and creating arrays is very inefficient and the materials used in the creation process are wasteful. Look at the current situation, a talisman maker has to absorb Qi, refine it, and transmit the refined from their body through the brush into the ink. The artisan uses the ink on paper, wood, or jade but very often fails due to a variety of reasons."
"So what is your suggestion then?", Quanliyuan inquired.
"I know the problem", Huoran responded, "But there isn't a solution at the moment."
"What is the problem, Xiao Ran?", Quanliyuan asked.
"There is too much loss of power from the artisan to the material", Huoran explained, "If you take a cultivator with an average affinity and have them create a talisman, they will most likely fail. A lower quality brush could obstruct or restrict the flow of Qi from the artisan to the ink. Higher quality inks can store higher levels of power, and higher quality materials support higher level runes or allow inscriptions to be used more often."
"That just sounds like you should just use higher quality materials to create talismans", Quanliyuan chuckled.
Huoran contemplated for awhile before speaking again, "Do you notice a parallel between people and talismans or even artifacts?"
Quanliyuan gave Huoran a strange look, "I don't quite follow what you're talking about."
"If a person could continue to refine their body and mind, I believe they would cultivate faster and breakthrough with greater success", Huoran theorized.
"Oh, that's nothing new", Quanliyuan said, "It's just not done anymore because it requires too many materials, and using Qi is better than fighting with your fist."
"If only there was a better and more efficient way to refine your body", Huoran sighed, "We already shown how using the Synapsis mode in the QR pod can refine the mind and make breakthroughs easier.
Quanliyuan was staring at the screen as Huoran tried to think about his current problem before smiling, "Perhaps I just found the answer to your problem."
Huoran turned to Quanliyuan before looking at the screen as well, "What did you find?"
"Look here", Quanliyuan said as he enhanced a section of the schematic.
Huoran began to study the displayed array before copying it in simulation space and activated it. Nothing happened, and Huoran furrowed his brow in frustration.
"Remember who was holding the stone before", Quanliyuan reminded Huoran.
Huoran nodded, and created a simulation of Chief Ironspurs before handing it a stone with the array inserted into it. He activated the array again, and watched the simulated beastkin's blood essence flow. As the array operated, Huoran noticed that blood energy in the simulated beastkin became stronger, and the blood essence became more pure.
"I'm beginning to understand what this stone does", Huoran said with a solemn expression.
"How could you understand when I haven't even finished recording the whole schematic yet", Quanliyan replied.
"It's just a guess for now, but hear me out", Huoran responded, "I think there is the blood essence of an ancient beast in every stone. When someone who shares a bloodline with the beast picks up the stone, it injects that blood into the person. Then the stone starts to refine the body and blood of the user to eventually change them from their original self to the same race as the drop of blood."
"Why though?", Quanliyuan asked.
"This artifact and the others was probably created with ill intentions", Huoran theorized, "Perhaps it's a method for higher level body cultivators or beastkin to create more blood essence for their cultivation."
Quanliyuan looked as he was thinking for a few moments, "That does sound viable, the new 'Phoenix' would be powerless against an older one and unable to resist."
"Keep scanning the stone", Huoran told the artifact spirit, "This array is the answer to my problems but there are still other issues."
"What other issues are there?", Quanliyuan asked.
"I'm not strong enough to inscribe this rune", Huoran replied, "I either have to wait until Nascent Soul stage or build an artifact that can allow me to inscribe higher level runes."
Elder Bagar Datak was hiding in a cave in the forest south of the Snowfur Yak clans lands. A red fog seem to surround him as he mediated, but he seem to pay it no mind.
'You are so weak, your blood is so weak', he heard in his mind, 'You must go out and find spiritual plants, or capture some more members of your tribe and consume their blood if you wish to get stronger.'
Datak shuddered as he remembered what happened a few weeks ago, Hunturok had returned the village and attacked the others before he, Elder Datak, had killed him. The he took all the bodies to the proper place for burial and prepared to perform the rituals required before burial. When he was taking possession of all the items of the deceased, he noticed the stone in Hunturok's storage bag. Once he picked the stone up, he couldn't remember what happened until one day he found himself here in this cave.
'No', he replied to the voice, 'I feel as you will use me to harm my people.'
Datak could hear laughter inside his mind before it addressed him, 'Just remember you refused my goodwill, I will just find someone else who wants power.'
Elder Datak panicked as he felt his consciousness slipping into an isolated state.
Back inside the cave, Datak's eyes slowly open as he slowly stood up. His eye appeared glazed, and his face was devoid of expression as left the cave, heading in the direction of the yak village.
Wei Huoran had been in simulation space for six days, only taking breaks when needed. He currently was in a workshop looking at the large artifact he had worked on during this period.
"What is this thing supposed to do, Xiao Ran?", Quanliyuan questioned Huoran.
"Well, if it works as designed, it should be able to produce Qi at the same purity as a Nascent soul stage cultivator", Huoran answered the artifact spirit.
"Truly?", Quanliyuan replied, "Then what will you do?"
"I will craft another artifact", Huoran responded, "An artifact that purify the blood and body of anyone by at least one level."
"Is that possible?", Quanliyuan asked.
"I'm going to attempt it", Huoran replied, "Right now the trend for humans is to strengthen to the body just enough that it can handle gathering Qi. But now there is a paradox, if you can strengthen your body, meridians, and mind, you will cultivate faster, and have an easier time breaking through bottlenecks. But no one does it because there aren't enough resources, and common people or people with poor talent as left to die. If only people took the time to learn how to efficiently grow resources, sects could raise a larger force of stronger disciples."
"You are probably right, but cultivators have been taught for generations that you have your own fate", Quanliyuan explained, "The Dao is unbiased and unfeeling, and you can only walk your path alone."
"Then why do cultivators find Dao companions?", Huoran asked in a teasing manner.
"What do I know? I'm just an artifact spirit", Quanliyuan retorted, "That just happens to be one of the many paths of the Dao."
"I should make an app that takes your meridians chart and pairs cultivators up based on compatibility", Huoran joked before stopping to consider, "It actually wouldn't be that hard to make."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Quanliyan reminded Huoran.
"No", Huoran replied as he walked over to the artifact, "Commencing test #327."
Huoran activated the artifact and the control panel screen became active as it displayed the stage and status of operation.
After half an hour, the artifact had reached the last stage, but it took another thirty minutes before it was ready for use. He took a brush that was connected to the artifact and sat at his design desk with Nascent level talisman sitting in front of him.
After practice the rune until he was confident in inscribing it on the first try, he put the brush onto the paper and activated the brush. Once he felt an overwhelming Qi inside the brush, he inscribed the rune onto the paper and then deactivated the brush.
Once the ink dried, he picked up the talisman and took it over to the range to test it. He located a large target very far away from his position, and activated the talisman as a large flaming meteor shot across the range. When it impacted the target, it caused massive damage through the physical impact of the rock and the explosion following afterwards.
"Excellent", Huoran said with a pleased expression, "The artifact test was successful and the talisman power was correct as well. I'll run it through all the talismans we have data for and if there are no more problems, I'll start collecting the materials to build in real space."
"You know Xiao Ran", Quanliyuan said, "We should introduce this into the training classes so that the students can practice inscribing runes above their current level."
"That's a pretty good idea", Huoran praised Quanliyuan, "I just need to add a feature to adjust the level of the rune being inscribed, and it should be ready. Let's get started."