The night.
Lin Zhao, with nothing to do, walked out of the command tent to chat with Old Fan. He glanced at the "talismans" section of the general store. As it turned out, Old Fan only sold two types of talismans. One was ordinary yellow paper, which offered no bonus to talisman effects. The other was blue talisman paper, which increased talisman effects by 10%, though it was still quite mediocre. Lin Zhao couldn't help but look at Old Fan and laugh, "Old Fan, why are you so pathetic? What kind of street stall goods have you stocked?"
Old Fan was startled, "Master, how did you know I used to set up a street stall outside the academy of Fusu Great Wall?"
Lin Zhao held his forehead.
But having something was better than nothing, so he bought a lot of yellow paper and blue talisman paper. The yellow paper was cheaper, a large pile for just one gold coin. The blue talisman paper cost one Qingfu coin per sheet. Fortunately, Xue Zhi had split half of her fortune with Lin Zhao last time, so buying some blue talisman paper was not a problem. He bought 300 sheets at once to practice, especially since it had been so long since he last drew talismans.
Afterward, he bought some ordinary cinnabar and then went into seclusion.
Alone in the command tent, wielding his Thousand Horsemen Rolling Snow technique, he began by drawing tracking talismans. The moment he picked up his brush to draw, it was as if divine inspiration struck him. His skills from his previous life returned, and with practiced ease, he drew an almost perfect tracking talisman on a sheet of yellow paper in one stroke. The moment the talisman was successfully drawn, a chime sounded in his ear—
"Beep!"
System prompt: Congratulations, you have obtained [Tracking Talisman] x1 and consumed 1 Stamina point!
...
Drawing talismans consumes Stamina points?!
Lin Zhao was slightly taken aback. The stamina system in "Tian Xia" was quite scientific. After reaching level 50, a player's maximum stamina was 200 points. Actions such as combat, movement, spellcasting, and gathering would consume stamina, but stamina also recovered at a decent rate, generally keeping pace with consumption. Unless a player rode their horse at maximum speed for over an hour, their stamina wouldn't be depleted, and there would be no need to "sit down and recover stamina." Therefore, talismans consuming stamina was reasonable.
After drawing ten tracking talismans consecutively, Lin Zhao's "feel" for drawing talismans grew stronger. He then, without wasting any more stamina, started drawing talismans on the blue talisman paper. The 10% effect might not seem like much, but any bonus was good. Combat attributes were naturally a case of "the more, the merrier." The first blue talisman paper he used was for a Clarity Talisman. A Clarity Talisman had a 50% chance to grant immunity to all negative effects for 9 seconds, making it quite useful in team battles. With Lin Zhao's strength, igniting a Clarity Talisman for himself when charging into the enemy formation would also be twice as effective with half the effort.
Thus, he drew 20 Clarity Talismans in one go.
Next, he began drawing Valor Talismans, which increased attack damage by 35%. These were also good items. If Shen Xingchen, Ding Chi, Lu Li, and others in the Crimson Moon Knights were to use one, their damage output would be incredibly explosive. Lin Zhao himself also greatly needed these Valor Talismans. Igniting one lasted for 60 seconds, making it a god-given buff during PvP!
He drew a full 50 Valor Talismans before stopping. Not only did Lin Zhao need them himself, but he also had to distribute them to the people in the studio. In the future, if there was surplus stamina, even Chen Xue, Roman, Lu Han, Deep Blue Blade, Mo Yin, and others would each get one. During large-scale team battles, having a Valor Talisman on hand could allow them to crush the enemy within those 60 seconds!
He didn't draw too many Prayer Talismans, as changing the weather seemed meaningless. However, Lin Zhao still drew five, keeping them as reserves. Who knew when a rainy weather or terrain would suddenly be needed!
Demon Suppressing Talismans were useful when fighting demons, providing an instant burst of 1500% damage, suitable for burst damage during boss encounters. But Lin Zhao didn't draw a single one; it was of little significance. The same applied to Bane Breaking Talismans. With the current strength of players, using such talismans would be a waste. Which Earth-level or Heaven-level boss would lack your 1500% burst output?
Lin Zhao began drawing Swiftness Talismans. These Swiftness Talismans were definitely good items. In the past, he had escaped danger multiple times thanks to Swiftness Talismans, and he had also defeated the Innate Sword Seed in three punches with the help of Swiftness Talismans. They greatly increased his movement and attack speed, making them quite useful for him in future boss encounters and PvP. Moreover, Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue could also use them. However... Swiftness Talismans were SS-grade talismans, so each one consumed 2 Stamina points.
Thus, he drew 50 Swiftness Talismans and then stopped. He sat cross-legged to recover some stamina. Afterward, he began drawing Sword Illumination Talismans and Immobilization Talismans. Both were also SS-grade talismans and consumed stamina very quickly, but both were excellent items. Sword Illumination Talismans had immense destructive power, which would be very useful when fighting bosses and completing story quests. Immobilization Talismans could be used on players, effectively adding a 3-second crowd control skill. Anyone who dared to say Immobilization Talismans were not god-tier skills was lying with their eyes open!
As he drew, his 200 stamina points were depleted.
Lin Zhao felt utterly exhausted. He slumped onto the seat behind the command desk, resting his entire head on it. He would recover about 100 stamina points per hour, so he would take it slow. Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry to level up now; he would take it step by step.
...
At this moment, several figures entered the command tent. Xue Zhi, Mu La, Chu Yu, and Xiang Ji, the four great generals, walked in.
"Sir, we have something we would like your opinion on," Xue Zhi said.
"Oh?"
Lin Zhao struggled to lift his head. With only 1 stamina point left, his eyes were barely open. "What is it?"
Xue Zhi said, "Chu Yu and I have discussed it. It's not right for you to live in the command tent every day. Furthermore, the number of people in Snow Domain Heavenly Pool will only increase. Therefore... Chu Yu, Mu La, and I all believe that the Mountain Peak Villa should be rebuilt, and its scale should be expanded. The location will be on the mountain behind the original site of the villa, not far from the camp, so we can get there anytime."
Chu Yu added, "After all, the army camp is too noisy. In the future, the young talents in Snow Domain Heavenly Pool should be arranged to cultivate in the Mountain Peak Villa. Additionally, once the Mountain Peak Villa is built, Dongcang will have a place to stay, so he won't have to stay alone in the wilderness anymore. We have already spoken with Lord Liu Xingshu, the Inspector of the Great Shang Dynasty. As long as we are willing to spend money, the artisans and laborers he brings can help us rebuild the Mountain Peak Villa. It won't require too much manpower."
"It's a good idea, it's a good idea."
Lin Zhao frowned. "But rebuilding the Mountain Peak Villa, and expanding it at that, should cost quite a bit of money, shouldn't it?"
"Ten gold Gu fish coins. But Master, you don't need to worry. Someone has already offered to pay for it."
Xue Zhi said with a smile.
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao blinked. "Who paid for it?"
Mu La stepped forward, cupped his fist, and said, "Master, I paid for it. This morning, I took my wind-riding technique to Fusu Great Wall and sold a magic artifact necklace that I previously looted from the demon race. It just so happened to be ten gold Gu fish coins."
He scratched his head and said with a naive smile, "Actually, I originally planned to give this necklace to my future wife. But something Xue Zhi said enlightened me and made me give up this unrealistic dream."
Lin Zhao was surprised. "What did Xue Zhi say?"
Mu La said indignantly, "Xue Zhi said, 'Mu La, you are so ugly, how could any fairy from the mountains fancy you? It's better to donate the necklace to rebuild the Mountain Peak Villa!'"
Lin Zhao couldn't help but laugh. Xue Zhi was truly a blunt girl. It did seem to make sense. Martial artists who practiced martial arts endured a lot of hardship. Martial artists were basically rough men. There were so many martial artists in the world, and how many could be as composed as Chen Wanli, or as refined as Chu Huaixi? The outstanding martial artists were mostly rough men like Liu Xilong. Mu La's appearance was comparable to Liu Xilong's. Xue Zhi was indeed not speaking without reason.
"Mu La."
Lin Zhao nodded and smiled. "Thank you for everything you've done for Snow Domain Heavenly Pool. But it's okay. Don't take Xue Zhi's words to heart. I believe that not all fairies on the mountain judge people by their looks. After all, they have cultivated the Great Dao and have high realms; their state of mind certainly won't be too bad. I believe many fairies look at inner qualities. You, Mu La, have a generous nature, and a beautiful companion will surely come knocking on your door in the future!"
Mu La trembled all over, looked at Xue Zhi, and said, "See? Master is much better at handling people than you are!"
Xue Zhi rolled her eyes and ignored him. "Master, since you agree, then the Mountain Peak Villa will commence construction on an auspicious day..."
"Mm."
Lin Zhao nodded.
Just then, a "beep" sounded, and Chen Xue sent a message: "Time for supper. Sister Juzi is cooking seafood porridge for everyone. Ding Chi just went out to pack a large portion of spicy crayfish."
"Crayfish?"
Lin Zhao's eyes lit up. "Coming, coming!"
Perfect timing. He would go offline to eat, and let his account recover stamina online. It was currently half-past ten. If he logged back in at twelve, he should have 150 stamina points, enough to draw another 75 SS-grade military talismans.
...
In the studio living room.
Everyone was present. Chen Xue and Roman were helping to serve porridge, while Ding Chi and Zhang Jun were unpacking the crayfish. Indeed, there were two large basins of crayfish, enough for everyone to eat. Lin Zhao put on plastic gloves and skillfully peeled the first shrimp tail. Instantly, Shen Xingchen, Chen Xue, Roman, and Mo Chenxue all looked at him. Was he going to give this first shrimp tail to someone?
"Huh?"
Lin Zhao held the shrimp tail, dipped it in some sauce, and was about to put it in his mouth when he suddenly saw everyone looking at him. He felt a little flustered. Eating crayfish wasn't illegal, was it? What did all these stares mean?
"Brother?"
Roman raised an eyebrow, almost making it explicit.
So that's how it is!
Lin Zhao suddenly understood, but giving it to anyone felt wrong. If he gave it to Shen Xingchen, she had contributed greatly to the Crimson Moon Knights with her strategies and efforts. But what about Chen Xue? She had also put in the effort. Giving it to Roman and Mo Chenxue wouldn't be good either, as it would make Shen Xingchen and Chen Xue feel that their alliance leader was indeed using his position to date women, which was unacceptable.
Therefore, Lin Zhao directly raised his hand and said with a smile, "Chi!"
"Ah~~~"
Ding Chi opened his mouth wide and caught the first shrimp tail Lin Zhao had peeled, eating it with relish and smiling. "Good brother, you wait, I'll peel one for you too!"
Lin Zhao nodded vigorously. "Alright, I'll add a piece of blue crab to your porridge!"
"Love you, brother!"
"..."
The group of girls pretended to gag.
...
Shen Xingchen glanced at Lin Zhao and said, "Do you know? In a little while, the four major guilds, Star River, Cang Long, Han Cheng, and Lin Yuan Xian Yu, will be marching out of Shanhai Pass on an expedition to the demon race's encampment!"
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao's expression stiffened slightly.