His True Qi could roughly draw about three talisman papers.
However, it wasn't guaranteed to yield three, after all, the success rate was somewhat lacking.
After settling himself, Xu Xuan picked up the brush, dipped it in a bit of cinnabar, and began to write on the yellow paper.
The talismans must be drawn in one go.
And with full concentration, channeling True Qi into the tip of the brush.
Pfft!
As he was thinking, the yellow paper caught fire.
The drawing had failed.
After several attempts, only one out of the three was successful.
With his True Qi depleted, Xu Xuan took out a Spirit Crystal, holding it in his palm and began to absorb energy from it.
Luckily, it was Talisman Techniques that could store spells, otherwise, it would have been too wasteful.
"I must get Li Qingshi and the others to offer more Spirit Stones, I wonder how they're doing over there."
Xu Xuan looked through the mirror and saw that these people were still rigorously training, practicing the Corpse Driving Secret Technique.
"Forget it, probably still three to five months left."
There are three ways to increase the success rate of talisman drawing.
The first is to improve proficiency, which requires persistent cultivation.
The second is to enhance one's cultivation level.
The third would be to start with the materials.
For example, using the best quality cinnabar mixed with fox blood, brushes made from fox tails, and papers crafted from high-quality materials.
Xu Xuan decided to start from the material aspect.
Gathering more talismans, once there is a good number available, releasing them all at once would surely have a stunning effect.
"That's right, there's also the collection of various sects' Secret Techniques and magical artifacts," he reminded himself.
Whether they are usable or not, true or false.
All could be exchanged with Li Qingshi's group.
Cultivation techniques aren't something that only one person can study.
"This should be enough for now."
Wu Xiong went back.
"Brother, I am willing to relinquish the position of Pacification Envoy," he declared.
In the Wu Family residence.
Wu Ying was taken aback by these words.
Had his brother gone mad?
"Are you sure?" Wu Ying wondered if there was any conspiracy.
"Of course I'm sure! I'll tell father tomorrow," Wu Xiong said earnestly.
Having reached this point, Wu Ying had to take it seriously.
The struggle for interests among the Barbarians was very straightforward; they were always blunt and didn't conceal their intentions.
Once he spoke to the Family Head about relinquishing power, the Family Head would indeed agree.
"As long as you give it up, I'll agree to anything you want."
"I want control over the underground forces in Chenzhou City and the position of Chenxi County Head," Wu Xiong stated.
Wu Xiong had no interest in fame and fortune.
Now, he only wanted to practice the martial arts of Qi and blood, which was said to be a prerequisite for extraordinary strength.
What's the position of Family Head to him?
With the practice of Immortal arts, one could even become a Duke or Marquis; who would care for the mere position of a Tribal Chieftain?
"No problem," Wu Ying agreed immediately, thinking his brother's aspirations were indeed too small.
Underground forces?
If it were military power he wanted, Wu Ying really couldn't agree, but what were the underground forces compared to the Wu Family's elite troops?
Thereafter, Wu Xiong officially began consolidating power, rallying the displaced to become the enforcers of the underground forces.
At the same time, he took up the position of Chenxi County Head, instantly gaining control over three hundred elite troops.
Xu Yong took control of the financial power, meanwhile acquiring materials needed for cultivation from the market.
Wu Xiong directed various factions to inquire about cultivation Secret Techniques.
Their reach had extended, awaiting the outcome.
Half a month later.
In the courtyard.
Xu Xuan was basking in the sun, flipping through the materials in his hands.
He had already mastered the basics of Detoxification Talisman and hemostasis; the rest he would slowly cultivate in time.
As for Corpse Driving and the Corpse Preserving Talisman, as well as the mysterious Corpse Driving Bell, he was still clueless.
Perhaps it was due to his own insufficient capabilities.
The books in his hands were on history and tales of Immortals.
Xu Xuan had roughly untangled the threads.
Before the Pre-Qin Era, there were still sporadic official records of spells.
Later on, alchemists were nearly equated with charlatans.
"Nature's spiritual energy probably completely disappeared during the Qin Dynasty, which led to the complete extinction of alchemy, and before the disappearance of spiritual energy, the ranking of this world didn't seem to be that high either," he mused.
There had never been True Immortals causing massive upheavals; most of them were just showing off their invisibility, phasing through walls, and performing tricks such as breathing fire or spewing smoke.
The ranking wasn't very high.
"Then these are all fake at a glance."
Xu Xuan glanced at the "Secret Techniques" on the table, such as the Great Northern Technique, capable of summoning a million soldiers of Tian Peng, or the Ninety-Nine Day Ascension Scripture, which could summon Lei Gong's lightning powers.
Xu Xuan noticed something, the more renowned the Daoist temple, the more such fabricated spells there were.
And they gradually stopped practicing such techniques, turning instead to the study of metaphysics.
They would speak of the great Dao at every turn, of the universe at every mention.
Moreover, the cultivation techniques and spells would be "improved" with each generation of inheritance, becoming increasingly unreliable.
In contrast, the less enlightened barbarian territories, or the rural Daoists, still had many true heritages.
Because they were uneducated, even illiterate, they only knew how to memorize and recite from their inheritance.
Take these two prescriptions, for example.
The Gold Sand Element Cultivating Pill, the Great Green Dragon Powder.
"A bunch of heavy metals, forget it, let Li Qingshi and others test the waters."
The content of lead and mercury in the elixirs was frighteningly high, ancient Daoists died of poisoning by them, yet they took it as divine retribution, never considering that the problem was with the elixirs themselves.
Xu Xuan hypothesized that it was probably because the predecessors didn't have True Qi and couldn't neutralize the toxins within the pills.
Mirror Realm.
Li Family's rear courtyard.
The air was filled with billowing yin fog and howling yin wind.
Within the residence were placed ten open coffins, lidless, with skylights above them, allowing moonlight to shine down on the bodies.
The bodies had their eyes tightly closed, with a piece of yellow paper on their foreheads.
This was the Corpse Preserving Talisman.
It arrested the leakage of vital essence and decay of the bodies.
After many days of refinement, the bodies' surfaces turned grey-brown, with long fingernails and sharp fangs, looking particularly sinister.
In front of the coffins, a spiritual position was set up, worshipping a mirror.
"Finally, we've refined the walkers. They're strong as oxen, impervious to blades and spears. Fearless of a certain amount of water and fire, it's just a bit difficult to control them," Li Qingquan said.
These walkers also feared not death, for they had no vital points; to trade injury for injury, or even death for injury, was still a win for them.
"Keep refining them, once we have twenty, we'll mobilize troops tonight," Li Qingshi ordered all unrelated personnel to leave.
He then took out a small box, which contained another Spirit Stone.
"Offer it to the Mirror Immortal, we need more secret techniques," Li Qingquan said.
The situation was turning increasingly urgent.
They had to possess more powerful secret techniques.
"... Humbly presenting the offered meal to the Immortal Superior!"
The Spirit Stone disappeared, and new words surfaced within the mirror.
"Great Green Dragon Powder... consolidates the foundation, nourishes vitality, and rejuvenates Qi."
Generally speaking, this method could accelerate the speed of True Qi cultivation, recovery rate, and replenish the body's Essence Element.
"Good stuff, another heirloom recipe," Li Qingquan commented.
They had the special Corpse-Driver Technique and heirloom prescriptions to ensure the training of talents.
They could control at least one county.
...
Wupo Stockade.
At this moment, two factions converged; one was led by Xu Wang with thirty family guards, all of whom practiced the Iron Armor Technique.
The other was led by Wu Xiong with three hundred county soldiers.
"The time has come; we can storm the mountain now," Wu Xiong declared.
"Wupo Mountain is easy to defend and hard to attack, we might return without success..." someone hesitated.
"No matter, today is unlike any other day," Xu Wang assured.
"Kill!!"
A night of bloodshed.
Those who had cultivated the vital energy technique moved more agilely, and with the addition of a night attack and equipped with crossbows, the previously fierce bandits were all captured.
In total, over one hundred and fifty prisoners were taken.
The leader at the forefront was a middle-aged man with a prominent hooked nose.
"Kill me; I will never surrender to you dogs of the government," the leader Gui Zhegu roared in anger.
"Heh, just lock him up for now," Wu Xiong instructed his men, "Don't leak the news that Wupo Stockade has been broken."
"Yes!"
The next day, Xu Wang returned to the manor to report, and Xu Xuan took time to descend the mountain.
Three days later, Gui Zhegu switched allegiance.
From then on, Xu Xuan's forces formed a tripartite stance with underground Chenzhou, Chenxi, and Wupo Mountain.
All of this was unknown to outsiders.
Even Li Hu and Xu Yong, who were closest to him, had only a vague understanding, and the people of Pear Manor didn't even know Xu Xuan could cast spells.
These people, unlike Wu Xiong and Gui Zhegu, couldn't be coerced or bribed, or even falsely poisoned and controlled; when the time called for it, they could not be silenced through murder. The people from Pear Manor were a different story.
There was no hurry to confront them until the timing was right.
Time gradually passed.
Changes occurred in the outside world.
Refugees appeared in the west, conquering several provinces in months and roaming everywhere.
Local warlords fortified their power and gradually became independent of the Imperial Court.
The tribal chieftains around Chenzhou also began to harbor their ambitions.
The Xu Family.