Chapter 74: Chapter 74: The Difficulty of Making Talismans, Ning Rongrong's Envy!
After receiving so many amazing rewards, Su Ming was eager to record everything.
[Amazing, absolutely amazing! I triggered a critical reward today!]
The girls were curious. What kind of reward could make Su Ming this excited? It seemed the diary hadn't provided any impressive rewards for a while, only giving vague and misleading ones over the past few days.
[There were three rewards in total. The first is the Divine Bestowed Soul Ring, which is incredibly useful, though I don't need it right now. I still haven't decided on the type of ability I want for my next soul ring.]
[Plus, while the Divine Bestowed Soul Ring grants the most suitable soul skill for the user, it may not always be the one I want. So, I'll keep it for now.]
Bibi Dong: The most suitable soul skill, and you're still not satisfied? Give it to me! I'd love to have one! This damn Rakshasa God hasn't even given me a single Divine Bestowed Soul Ring!
The other girls were equally frustrated and envious of Su Ming's casual attitude toward such a reward. If you don't want it, give it to us!
[The second reward is a skill called Fiery Eyes of Truth. It's a visual technique, though its effects are more limited. It allows me to see through all illusions and identify a soul beast's true form, even if it's taken human shape. Seeing through disguises like women dressed as men will be a breeze.]
[This ability is somewhat similar to Tang San's Purple Demon Eye, which also has those first two functions, but mine doesn't require cultivation. And unlike the Purple Demon Eye, I can easily see through someone's disguise.]
[The third reward is what I've been most excited about. I didn't expect the system to give it to me today!]
The girls speculated on what could have made Su Ming so thrilled.
[The third reward is a book called The Complete Guide to Talisman Crafting. It details how to make various talismans, divided into categories like attack, defense, and special types. For example, there's the space talisman, teleportation talisman, and defensive talisman.]
[However, even though I have this guide, I still need to learn how to craft the talismans myself. It's not like the system will just magically pour all the knowledge and skills into my head.]
[But that's okay! I'm not greedy. Having this guide is already a huge win. Really, I'm satisfied!]
The system: ...
The girls were stunned. The system is being this generous? They found it hard to believe. While the system hadn't handed Su Ming everything on a silver platter, just having the guide was already impressive.
If the system had done everything for him, it would've seemed too overpowered.
They had already noticed that the system didn't grant Su Ming overpowered rewards instantly. Even in the past, things like the Wood Elemental Scripture, the Chaos Divine Mill Visualization Technique, and Ling Bo Weaving Steps still required him to train and master them himself.
If the system had simply boosted his soul power or mental strength directly, Su Ming wouldn't have become a true master—he would've been just a puppet relying on his luck. They realized that the real value lay in the opportunities the system provided, not in shortcuts.
[I also checked the info on the Misfortune Talisman. It turns out that it's considered a high-level special talisman, which surprised me. I thought it would be pretty low-level since all it does is cause bad luck.]
The girls: ...
[But after thinking about it, the Misfortune Talisman affects a person's luck. Even if it doesn't kill someone outright, making someone unlucky involves complex processes and rare materials, which makes it challenging to craft.]
[The levels of talismans range from one to nine, corresponding to the nine stages of soul masters. The effect and power of each talisman depend on the materials used and the skill of the person making it. It's quite complex.]
[For example, a second-tier Explosive Talisman at its highest level would be as strong as the full-strength attack of a level 20 power-type soul master with the best soul ring configuration, excluding those who absorbed higher-level rings.]
The girls were shocked. These talismans seemed quite powerful, though it still depended on the creator's abilities.
Both Zhu Zhuqing and Xiao Wu, who had used talismans before, could deeply appreciate their practicality. Talismans were incredibly convenient and didn't consume soul power like soul skills. Zhu Zhuqing, for instance, wouldn't have reached the Heaven Dou Empire so easily without her space talisman, avoiding multiple assassination attempts.
Bibi Dong considered the larger implications. If these talismans were as powerful as Su Ming claimed, they could revolutionize the continent, potentially triggering a technological transformation!
After all, unlike soul rings, which limited how many abilities a soul master could have, talismans had no such restrictions.
However, Bibi Dong had a question: Could only soul masters use talismans, or could ordinary people use them too? If it were the latter, it would be a huge boon for non-soul masters.
Still, talismans would likely be expensive, making them out of reach for the common person. Bibi Dong decided to shelve these concerns for now. She believed that as the continent advanced, affordable self-defense tools would become available to all. She had faith in Su Ming to lead such innovations.
[But there's one immediate obstacle to making talismans—materials! Not to mention, the talisman paper itself is a problem. It's not just ordinary paper; it has to be of extremely high quality, or it will easily break during the crafting process.]
The girls realized that Su Ming wouldn't be producing talismans anytime soon. It seemed they would have to wait quite a while to see a finished product.
After writing this, Su Ming paused. He understood that learning to craft talismans was no easy feat, and gathering the necessary materials was a significant challenge.
However, he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. He decided to start by practicing drawing talisman patterns on ordinary paper. Each talisman had different symbols, and as the talismans increased in power, the symbols became more complex. He needed to familiarize himself with the process before attempting the real thing.
[Ding! Today's mentions of female leads: Xiao Wu, 18 times; Ning Rongrong, 25 times; Zhu Zhuqing, 5 times.]
[The most mentioned female lead today: Ning Rongrong.]
Ning Rongrong anxiously watched her diary. This was her second time receiving such a reward in six years. The first had been the Glazed Jade Pendant, which had been incredibly useful. She wondered what she'd get this time.
[Since Ning Rongrong was mentioned the most, a critical reward has been triggered: a 100,000-year left arm soul bone.]
Ning Rongrong couldn't hide her joy. She was thrilled! Although the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan wasn't lacking in soul bones, none had ever been this exceptional, and none had been suitable for her. But a 100,000-year soul bone—this was beyond amazing!
Carefully, she stored the soul bone in her soul tool. Now wasn't the time to absorb it.
The next day, Su Ming, Xiao Wu, and Tang San arrived at Shrek Academy, which was located in the countryside. There was already a long line of people waiting to register.
Xiao Wu, seeing the academy's dilapidated appearance, immediately complained to Tang San, "Tang San, is this really the academy Grandmaster recommended? Look at it! It's falling apart!"
"Do you realize that because we trusted Grandmaster's words, Su Ming and I rejected every other invitation from the intermediate soul master academies? Grandmaster said this was an academy for monsters, but this?"
Su Ming, playing along, gave Tang San an expectant look, as if waiting for an explanation.
Tang San scratched his head awkwardly under Xiao Wu's accusations. It wasn't his fault! He hadn't expected the academy to look like this either. Compared to even Notting Academy, Shrek looked terrible. Could this place really attract talented students?
Despite his doubts, Tang San tried to reassure them, "Don't be so quick to judge. Maybe the facilities aren't great, but they could still have good resources. Otherwise, why would so many people be lining up to register?"
Seeing Tang San's optimism, Su Ming and Xiao Wu begrudgingly agreed to wait and see.
The three of them got in line, and Su Ming turned on his recording device, planning to document the entrance process. He also took a panoramic shot of the entire academy.
While filming, Su Ming looked around but didn't see Ning Rongrong or Zhu Zhuqing, guessing that they hadn't arrived yet.
The girls watching the live feed were immediately glued to the screen. They remembered that Su Ming had said he would be filming Shrek Academy today, and they were curious to see what the academy was really like.
Meanwhile, both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing were not far from the academy and had already gotten a good look at it.
One word: shabby.
Two words: extremely shabby.
Three words: unbelievably shabby.
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing had been curious about what kind of academy could claim to only admit monsters, but now they were disappointed. Zhu Zhuqing even wondered what had motivated Dai Mubai to come here.
As they walked, their eyes met briefly as they glanced at their ethereal diaries. Each girl's diary had their name on it—one said "Ning Rongrong's Exclusive," and the other "Zhu Zhuqing's Exclusive."
Both knew each other's names from Su Ming's diary, but they hadn't known what each other looked like until now.
Zhu Zhuqing nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Ning Rongrong's gaze lingered a bit longer on Zhu Zhuqing's impressive figure before glancing down at her own.
Ning Rongrong: Unfair! Could this be what Su Ming meant by "can't see your toes, a beauty for sure"? She is really pretty, but...
She looked down again. Hmm, still can see my toes...
Ning Rongrong wondered what Zhu Zhuqing had eaten growing up. She was sure her diet had been excellent too, so why was her figure...?
Zhu Zhuqing noticed Ning Rongrong staring at her chest, then glancing at her own. Realizing what she was thinking, Zhu Zhuqing's face turned red.
Even so, since they both owned diaries, they felt a sense of kinship—after all, they shared the same secret.
The mischievous Ning Rongrong took the lead, smiling, "Let's get acquainted. I'm Ning Rongrong."
Zhu Zhuqing responded calmly, "I'm Zhu Zhuqing."
They walked together, both watching Su Ming's live stream.
Suddenly, their diaries popped up a prompt:
[Ding! Another diary owner has been detected. Would you like to add them as a friend?]
Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing exchanged glances and both accepted the friend request.
Now that they were friends, they could chat through their diaries. Convenient!
Ning Rongrong, being playful, couldn't resist asking, "Zhuqing, can you tell me how yours grew so much? I'm so jealous! Any tips?"
Zhu Zhuqing blushed, hesitating before answering quietly, "I just eat normally. I think it's related to my family's martial spirit. The women in my clan... well, they're all quite... um... developed. It's beyond my control."
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