I transmigrated to a chaotic world and became the sole player.

For the next two days, Lu Zhao stayed home, rarely venturing out. During the day, he hid in his dilapidated house, continuing to draw talismans. With superior talisman paper, cinnabar, and a talisman brush, his efficiency and success rate greatly improved. After consuming nearly half of the materials, he successfully drew five [Exorcising Talismans] (ordinary), three [Tranquilizing Talismans] (ordinary), and even attempted to draw a more complex protective talisman, but unfortunately failed twice in a row. He only managed to successfully draw one after using up the last of his materials.

【Amulet (Inferior)】: Can form a weak mental barrier for a short time to resist a low-level mental impact or a weak evil attack, but has little effect on physical attack defense.

The talisman drawing (basic) skill has also increased its experience bar to Lv1 (90/100) through many successes and failures. It is just one step away from being upgraded to Lv2.

At night, he devoted himself to cultivating the [Spirit Refining Technique]. In the relatively stable environment of Qingmu Town, his mind was more easily calmed. Coupled with the nourishment from the remaining fragments of soul power, and his persistent visualization and tempering, he felt his spiritual power steadily increasing and becoming more refined. Although his divine attribute value did not immediately increase, he could clearly feel that his perception of the flow of external energy was more acute, his spiritual tentacles extended further, and his control over his own state was becoming more precise when operating the [Turtle Breathing Technique] and the [Spirit Refining Technique].

On the evening of the third day, as the last rays of dawn disappeared, Lu Zhao finished his cultivation for the day and took out the [Broken Yin Serpent Soul Core] from his pocket. The soul core was icy cold to the touch, with gray-black energy slowly swirling inside, emanating a chilling and unsettling aura.

It's time to try absorbing and purifying it. When he killed the warlock apprentice before, he tried to purify ordinary soul cores using the [Refining Spirit Technique], but those soul cores were of mixed quality and the effect was mediocre. This Yin Serpent Soul Core, however, contains a much stronger Yin energy and resentment, and its backlash against spiritual power is far more intense.

He didn't start immediately, but first sat quietly for half an hour, adjusting his mind to the most harmonious and peaceful state. The [Refining Spirit Technique] slowly circulated, and his spiritual power flowed like a warm stream in his sea of ​​consciousness, building a layer of tough protection.

"start."

Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhao cupped the Soul Core in his hands and placed it in his lower abdomen, near his dantian. He carefully extended his spiritual energy, transforming it into countless fine threads that slowly seeped into the Soul Core, like unraveling a cocoon.

In an instant, a chilling, violent, and chaotic intent, filled with endless resentment and chaos, pierced his mind like countless ice needles! Countless distorted and devoured phantom souls seemed to appear before his eyes, and roars, cries, and venomous curses rang in his ears, almost tearing his consciousness apart!

This is the resentment and mixed Yin energy remaining in the soul core from the corrupted Yin Serpent! It's several times stronger than the previous mixed soul core!

"snort!"

Lu Zhao grunted, his prepared mental energy instantly contracting to form a solid dam, firmly guarding the core of his consciousness. He activated the [Refining Spirit Technique], his mental energy no longer passively defending, but instead began to rotate like a millstone, gradually grinding away, purifying, and separating the invading resentment and yin energy.

This was an extremely painful and mentally exhausting process. Like walking through a pot of boiling oil, every step was accompanied by intense mental pain. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

But he gritted his teeth, his eyes resolute. He clearly "saw" that beneath the layers of filthy resentment lay strands of purer, more refined, and pristine primordial soul energy. That was the "experience points" and "divine attributes" he needed!

Time passed slowly. Inside the soul core, the gray-black resentment, under the cleansing power of the [Refining God Technique], melted and evaporated like snow under the scorching sun, dissipating into harmless black smoke. Meanwhile, the wisps of pure soul essence were extracted and, guided by spiritual power, slowly merged into Lu Zhao's sea of ​​consciousness, nourishing his soul.

[Begin purifying the 'shattered Yin Serpent Soul Core'...]

[Mental energy is being continuously depleted...]

The resentment was dispelled... the malevolent energy was dispelled...

[Absorbing the essence of the soul core...]

The entire process lasted for nearly an hour. When the last trace of the soul core's chilling aura was refined and turned into dust, slipping from between his fingers, a cool, pure torrent of energy surged into Lu Zhao's mind!

[Successfully purified and absorbed the 'Broken Yin Serpent Soul Core'!]

[Experience points gained: 300!]

[Divine attributes have been significantly boosted!]

[God: 2.85 → 3.1!]

[Refining Spirit Technique (Beginner) Lv2 (15/200) → Lv2 (50/200)!]

Huff! Lu Zhao exhaled a long breath, which condensed into a white mist in the late autumn night. He opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing deep within his pupils before receding. His mind was clear, his mental energy more abundant than ever before, his perception range seemed to have expanded slightly, and his control over his body was even more subtle. More importantly, he felt that his "divine" attribute had seemingly touched a threshold. 3.1—this far exceeded the range of ordinary people, even surpassing many low-level sorcerer apprentices.

"This soul core is indeed incredibly nourishing! But the purification process is extremely dangerous. Without the protection of the [Spirit Refining Technique], or even the slightest wavering of the mind, one will inevitably suffer a backlash. At best, the soul will be damaged; at worst, one will suffer mental derangement." Lu Zhao was alert, but even more so, he felt joy. His strength had advanced another step!

The benefits of his enhanced "divine" attribute became immediately apparent the following morning when he was drawing the talisman. He picked up his talisman brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and attempted to draw the much more complex "protective talisman" once more. This time, his brushstrokes were divinely aided; his control over his mental energy and his grasp of the rune's spiritual essence had both reached a new level. The brush flowed smoothly, the rune completed in one go, shimmering with spiritual light—the talisman was finished!

[Amulet successfully created!]

[Spell Drawing (Basic) Lv1 (90/100) upgraded to Lv2 (5/300)!]

[Received: Amulet (Common) x1!]

[Effect: Upon activation, it forms a weak shield that can withstand minor physical/energy impacts and provides slight protection against mental attacks and malevolent energy.]

A talisman of ordinary quality! It's much more effective than a low-quality one! Moreover, his talisman-drawing skill has finally reached level 2! This not only means that his success rate and quality in drawing talismans will improve, but also that his understanding of the "Way of Talismans" has deepened.

"It's time to investigate again." Lu Zhao glanced at the neatly arranged talismans on the table—five [Exorcism Talismans], three [Tranquility Talismans], and one [Protection Talisman]—a sharp glint in his eyes. His equipment and condition were now at their best. He needed more information, especially about the "Qingyun Temple" and that potential competitor.

In the afternoon, he tucked a few discarded talisman papers under his purse (as a cover) and returned to the market. Instead of going to Liu's general store, he turned towards the northeast corner of the town, a relatively quiet area with a small Taoist temple above its entrance, bearing the plaque "Qingyun Temple." The temple wasn't very popular, but the grounds were clean, and a faint scent of sandalwood wafted through the air.

Lu Zhao circled around the Taoist temple but didn't go in. Instead, he sat down at a tea stall diagonally opposite, ordered a bowl of coarse tea, and slowly sipped it, his gaze subtly observing the people entering and leaving the temple.

Not long after, the two "rogue cultivators," a man and a woman, whom he had met at Liu's shop the day before, emerged from the Taoist temple. They appeared relaxed, seemingly familiar with the people in the temple. Lu Zhao noticed that the woman had a small, palm-sized brocade pouch embroidered with cloud patterns at her waist, which appeared to contain newly purchased talismans or elixirs.

"Brother Wang, what Master Qingxu said is true. The ghouls' den in Black Wind Ridge is indeed most yin and active after nightfall. With this 'Heart-Cleansing Talisman' and 'Exorcising Talisman,' plus your 'Blazing Sun Talisman,' we'll definitely succeed this time and get the 'Wolf Heart Grass,'" the woman said.

"Yes, Sister Chen is absolutely right. Let's not delay, let's go back and prepare, and set off first thing tomorrow morning." The man nodded, and the two left side by side, heading out of town.

Black Wind Ridge? Carnivorous Wolves? Wolf Heart Grass? Lu Zhao's heart stirred. This was another bounty mission, seemingly related to some medicinal herb issued by "Qingyun Temple." It seemed Qingyun Temple not only sold talismans and pills but also issued or accepted commissions. This might be a way to break through the barrier.

He put down his teacup, got up, paid, and followed the two at a distance. He saw them leave the town and head west, seemingly towards "Black Wind Ridge" rather than "Li Family Village" in the north.

"This isn't a mission from Li Family Village; the objectives are different." Lu Zhao stopped, feeling somewhat relieved. At least for the time being, there wouldn't be any direct conflict. But the Qingyun Temple connection was worth keeping an eye on.

Back at his lodgings, Lu Zhao carefully kept the newly drawn talismans close to his body. With these, plus the breakthrough of 3 points in his divine attribute and the upgrade of his talisman skill to level 2, he was more confident in his next trip to Li Family Village to investigate the origins of the evil creature in the graveyard.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high, perfect for a nighttime raid. Lu Zhao changed into a set of dark, old clothes, tucked away talismans, a woodcutter's knife, a tinderbox, realgar powder, and other items, and quietly left Qingmu Town again, sneaking towards Li Family Village.

This time, he wanted to go further and see what was hidden beneath the collapsed tomb.