Chapter 52: The Three Talismans Sect

He opened the storage pouch, and as he had expected, among dozens of materials, he easily found the Golden Sun Stone and beast bones.

"Interesting," he murmured with a slight smile.

With practiced hands, Shen Yan took out the Golden Sun Stone and beast bones and began repairing the magical sword. He placed his own jade cauldron atop the iron anvil, then added the materials for forging the sword into the cauldron. Quietly, he summoned the earth fire, using its heat to melt the Golden Sun Stone and beast bones.

Thanks to the barrier of the White Mist Array, the sounds of cultivators repairing their magical tools were muted; the instrument hall was enveloped in a deep silence.

"Senior Sister Chen, do you think the cultivators chosen this time can repair the talisman treasure? In my opinion, it would be better to invite a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Instrument Sect or another large market to do the repair—then we could simply share a portion of the resources gained with them," the elder of the Xu family asked, casting a wary glance at the White Mist Array before him, torn between hope and worry.

"Senior Brother Xu, why the impatience? These cultivators may not be of high rank, but they hold their own in the marketplace, which shows they have their merits. Besides, as we have deduced, repairing the talisman treasure only requires following the proper steps—it hardly warrants a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s intervention," replied the elder of the Zhao family, his voice humming.

The Chen family elder nodded, casting a look of approval at the Zhao elder, and gently reassured them, "Junior Brother Xu, the talisman treasure is of great importance. Our three families share a bond—whether we can deepen that bond in the future rests on this talisman treasure."

With a brief pause, she continued, "The more outsiders who know, the greater our risk. Now that we’ve selected someone for the repair from within the marketplace, why invite unnecessary complications by seeking outsiders and increasing uncertainty?"

The Xu family elder was silent for a moment, then finally nodded, "Senior Sister, you are right. I was reckless."

After those words, the three closed their eyes again, waiting as the cultivators continued their repairs.

A day later, someone finally completed their work in the instrument hall; the white mist around them dissipated.

"Honored elders, Han Yin has fulfilled her task and completed the repair. Please examine it," announced Han Yin, the female cultivator who had spoken earlier and was the first to finish. Though only at the middle stage of Qi Refinement, she had repaired her magical artifact more quickly than any other, and her expression showed clear confidence in her skills.

"You’ve worked hard, fellow cultivator," said the Zhao family elder, accepting the artifact Han Yin handed over and inspecting it closely.

"This Heart Pendant is a defensive artifact. Fellow Han managed to restore the damaged parts completely, leaving not a trace behind. Your family’s craftsmanship is truly remarkable," the Zhao elder said after his inspection, a smile forming on his face as he passed the artifact to the Chen family elder, offering praise.

"Your words are too generous, elder. I dare not accept such praise," Han Yin replied, her face lighting up with joy. She was only at the middle stage of Qi Refinement and had not expected much, but now she saw real hope of coming out on top.

The Chen and Xu family elders each examined the artifact in turn, both showing signs of satisfaction.

"Xu Sheng, take fellow Han to rest," the Xu elder instructed. Once Xu Sheng led Han Yin away, he smiled and said, "Senior Sister Chen, Junior Brother Zhao, Han Yin should definitely be one of the candidates. Her speed in repairing artifacts is outstanding, and the results are exceptional. If she joins in repairing the talisman treasure, it should provide considerable support."

"Senior Brother Xu, you make a fair point," nodded the Zhao elder, but then he frowned, "Her cultivation is a bit low, though. If her spiritual power can’t keep up during the repair, it might delay important matters."

"No matter. If she truly makes it into the top four, I have ways to raise her cultivation to the late stage of Qi Refinement. It may seem a bit rushed, but we can’t afford to worry about that now," the Chen elder said, shaking her head to indicate it was not an issue.

As time went on, more and more cultivators finished repairing their magical artifacts. The three market masters continued their inspections and comments, quietly noting the strengths of each repair and comparing them to the requirements for repairing the talisman treasure. Soon, they finalized their selections.

"The first to finish was Han Yin, Zhou Qian used the least materials, Shen Yan improved the artifact’s power by ten percent after the repair, and Feng Ping, who has the highest cultivation at the peak of Qi Refinement," the market masters discussed at length before settling on the top four candidates.

"Now that we’ve chosen, let’s announce it. As for those not selected, we can’t simply let them go," said the Chen elder after a moment’s thought. "Let’s reward them, prepare a cultivation space for them in the main hall, and randomly pick five among them to receive mid-grade magical artifacts, as a gesture of consolation."

Xu Sheng nodded and went to inform the waiting crowd of the market masters’ decision.

Immediately, everyone’s gaze fell upon the four chosen, envy and jealousy written all over their faces.

Among those selected, Han Yin and Zhou Qian were beaming with joy, while Feng Ping, with the highest cultivation, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Only Shen Yan, on hearing that the market would reward those not selected and allow them to cultivate within its grounds, felt his suspicions were further confirmed.

"The talisman treasure the three families wish to repair is clearly tied to their secret. I only hope that once the repair is complete, they will honor their promise to let us go. Otherwise, things could get troublesome."

The three families had hidden the secret of the talisman treasure so carefully—either it involved a celestial opportunity, or a mysterious cave dwelling had appeared near Little Lan Mountain.

But as these matters were still uncertain, Shen Yan settled into the room arranged for him by the market master.

"The concentration of spiritual energy here is still different from that of Silent Cloud Island," Shen Yan mused, closing his eyes to absorb the world’s spiritual energy while pondering the path to Foundation Establishment.

Little Lan Mountain’s spiritual energy was not particularly abundant, and it had to sustain three Foundation Establishment cultivators—a heavy burden for the land.

Shen Yan never considered this place as the site for his Foundation Establishment.

"The Way of the Five Elements—now I possess water and earth, but I have no clue how to obtain metal, fire, and wood," he thought, keenly aware of the five elemental spiritual energies he drew into his body.

The domain of magic would be the foundation of his future path; he could not afford a single mistake.

To quickly condense his own five-element domain, he needed corresponding spiritual objects of heaven and earth.

Vital energy entered his body, slowly merging with the water and earth spiritual objects in his dantian.

One cycle… two cycles… three cycles…

Until his meridians throbbed with pain, Shen Yan finally stopped his cultivation.

The twelfth layer of Qi Refinement had long been perfected, yet he still lacked one element, which made him increasingly anxious.

He opened his eyes and looked outside, realizing that yet another day had slipped by.