The art of crafting talisman paper was already well-ingrained in Chu Ning's mind; this time he was merely putting it into practice.
The key to making talisman paper, aside from the quality of the Ink Spirit Bamboo, lies in the application of many spells.
Since talisman paper is used to craft talismans to store Spiritual Qi,
it must be crafted entirely using spells and magical power throughout the process.
Chu Ning first picked up a few stalks of Ink Spirit Bamboo and cast the Clearing Technique to simply clear the external impurities.
Then, with a few strokes of the Blade Skill, he removed the bamboo leaves and cut the Ink Spirit Bamboo into several segments.
During this, Chu Ning interspersed the use of Exorcism Technique.
The bamboo leaves were all placed in a basket, while the segmented Ink Spirit Bamboo fell into a cauldron.
After Chu Ning was successfully recommended, Zhuang Yunde had already provided him with a set of tools, and this cauldron was one of them.
The next spell was the Ganlin Technique; the amount of water wasn't particularly large, and Chu Ning had no difficulty performing it.
The cauldron was soon filled with clear water infused with spiritual power.
At this point, Chu Ning cast the Exorcism Technique again,
making the bamboos stir within, completing their soaking and further clearing impurities.
After completing this, Chu Ning consecutively used the Exorcism Technique and Clearing Technique to remove the bamboos from the cauldron, and cleaned out the water and impurities.
The Blade Skill was employed once more, and the sections of Ink Spirit Bamboo were now crushed into pieces which were thrown back into the cauldron.
Along with the pure, Spiritual Qi-infused water brought by the Ganlin Technique,
the look on Chu Ning's face turned more serious.
The talisman crafting had reached the crucial stage of boiling and crafting, and the upcoming technique determined the quality of the talisman paper.
With the Fireball Technique, he ignited the specialized wood beneath the cauldron, and Chu Ning began to boil the Ink Spirit Bamboo pieces.
During this process, a supporting technique called "Boiling Technique" was applied.
The main objective was to speed up the softening of the Ink Spirit Bamboo, fully releasing its bamboo fibers.
With the help of the supporting technique, the Ink Spirit Bamboo quickly boiled down into a mushy pulp.
Chu Ning carefully probed with magical power, sensing the bamboo fibers and other impurities within.
Clearing Technique!
Chu Ning instantly cast the Clearing Technique, meticulously removing the impurities from the cauldron.
During this process, the pulp in the cauldron continually whitened.
When Chu Ning completely removed the impurities, the entire pulp was pure white.
Using the Exorcism Technique, Chu Ning separated a portion of the pulp from the cauldron and poured it into a mold.
Wrapped in magical power, the pulp spread evenly and thinly across the mold.
Drying Technique!
Chu Ning cast another spell, drying about fifty percent of the moisture from the paper, and a creamy white sheet fell aside, placed by Chu Ning.
However, such a sheet wasn't true talisman paper, as it lacked the most critical step.
But Chu Ning wasn't in a rush and repeated the previous steps to create more sheets.
Once all the pulp was used, Chu Ning washed the cauldron clean again and continued boiling.
This time, he wasn't boiling bamboo, but bamboo leaves.
The previously cut bamboo leaves were thrown into the cauldron, and under Chu Ning's Boiling Technique, quickly turned into a cauldron of green liquid.
By now, Chu Ning appeared increasingly solemn.
The most critical step in crafting talisman paper involves using the Exorcism Technique to evenly coat these juices onto the newly made paper.
Only when this step is completed can the talisman paper be used to carry spells and Spiritual Qi to craft talismans.
And this step is also the most challenging, as even a slight unevenness would render the entire paper useless.
"I hope the Talisman Source Spirit Body Talent plays a role in this process!"
Chu Ning muttered to himself and cast the Exorcism Technique again.
Wrapping the bamboo leaf juice from the cauldron, he carefully applied it to the freshly made paper.
Perhaps due to nervousness, as soon as Chu Ning started applying, an accident occurred with the Exorcism Technique.
All the bamboo leaf juice poured onto one spot, and this paper was thus ruined.
Shaking his head helplessly, Chu Ning had to start over once more.
This time, Chu Ning felt better and covered about half, but it still ended up ruined.
After failing with two sheets in a row, Chu Ning frowned slightly.
He didn't rush to cast again but sat cross-legged, performed a Small Cycle, and then restarted.
With his spirit refreshed, Chu Ning focused his Heart Spirit, and his whole being relaxed.
In that moment, Chu Ning felt he entered an extremely mystical state.
It felt as though the bamboo leaf juice was within his control, as though he was immersed in the bamboo leaf juice.
Then, driven by instinct, Chu Ning slowly sprinkled the wrapped bamboo leaf juice onto the paper, the process flowing quickly and smoothly.
It felt as though this was something Chu Ning had done a thousand times.
Upon finishing one sheet, Chu Ning seamlessly moved on to the next.
At some point, Chu Ning realized the cauldron was void of any bamboo leaf juice, and as the spell ended, he exited the profound state.
Looking back at the papers, he noticed a thin layer of light green coating on each one.
"Was it really the Talisman Source Spirit Body acting?"
Chu Ning was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly he completed this crucial step.
Yet, he dared not waste time.
Gathering his Heart Spirit, he swiftly performed the "Drying Technique."
The moisture from the paper, combined with that from the bamboo leaf juice, was quickly dried.
The thin original green layer vanished, and all the juice was absorbed into the paper.
The previously creamy white sheet turned a pale yellow at this moment.
Seeing this scene, a wave of excitement surged in Chu Ning's heart.
After drying all the talisman paper, Chu Ning employed several strokes of the Blade Skill to cut the sheets into small standard talisman paper sizes.
Before long, a stack of pale yellow talisman paper lay before Chu Ning.
Finally, Chu Ning reached out and touched the paper, picking up a sheet to examine, a slight smile appearing on his face.
The crafting of talisman paper—success!
And only after two attempts!
Such a success rate is unimaginable for most.
A brief thought, and Chu Ning understood one reason why; the Talisman Source Spirit Body Talent was a major factor.
The reason he was able to complete the final step so swiftly and successfully must be related to this talent.
An additional factor was the exceedingly high quality of the Ink Spirit Bamboo he cultivated.
After Zhuang Yunde personally inspected the Ink Spirit Bamboo, Chu Ning decided to cultivate it in two parts:
One part for submission, with a lower frequency of the Cyan Wood Spring Blossom Skill.
The other part he kept for himself, employing the skill more frequently.
Thus, there was a significant quality difference between the two; the ones submitted were slightly above standard.
The ones he kept, however, had notably higher quality.
Chu Ning refrained from cultivating all the bamboo to super-high quality, lest he attract undue attention.
If a new disciple produced Ink Spirit Bamboo of decent quality, it would be acceptable.
However, if the quality surpassed that of some senior disciples, suspicions would undoubtedly arise.
Now, with his evident mastery in cultivating the Cyan Wood Evergreen Technique and slightly superior skill in the Cyan Wood Spring Blossom Skill, it should be acceptable.
With these thoughts, Chu Ning tidied up the talisman paper crafting area slightly.
If all goes well, Zhuang Yunde should be coming to collect the Ink Spirit Bamboo tomorrow.
It remains to be seen whether the other party will agree to his proposal.