**Chapter 33: Alchemy and Talismans**

Thanks to his work on the material sorting task in the lower-level storage and his tireless research in the mid-tier laboratory comparing “refinement concepts” and wizarding materials, Jie Ming’s knowledge of alchemical material properties and energy structures far surpassed his peers, rivaling some low-tier formal alchemy wizards.

This solid foundation made constructing his Alchemy witchcraft model remarkably smooth.

His first witchcraft model—Alchemy—formed faster than that of his fellow apprentices.

Taking advantage of the peak state of true essence and mental energy after breaking through to the Third Layer of Qi Refinement, Jie Ming immersed himself in his mental sea, making final adjustments to the nearly completed “Alchemy” witchcraft model.

This model, unique to him, was built on his understanding of wizarding materials, the integration of Great Dao Book Pavilion’s crafting principles, and a preliminary grasp of “concept” forces.

As it was newly formed, the core effect of his “Alchemy” model was similar to the standard Alchemy spell used by wizard apprentices: analyzing material composition and exerting a degree of control and reconstruction.

The greatest advantage at this stage was that he no longer needed external tools like alchemy disks or specialized workstations to perform Alchemy, unlike other apprentices.

With sufficient mental energy, his “Alchemy” model allowed him to cast it barehanded, as Mentor Clark had once demonstrated.

Though classified as a logistical spell, Alchemy wasn’t useless in combat.

Its essence was analyzing and controlling material composition.

In theory, with a high enough mastery, he could freely manipulate and distort the physical structure of living organisms!

If he also constructed the basic runic studies spell, Analysis, he could parse, control, and manipulate even powerful protective energies covering a living body!

Enemy energy shields and physical forms would become toys in his hands.

At that point, whether elemental, physical, or other special attacks, anything entering his Alchemy’s control range would have its composition and energy controlled by him.

As long as his computational power and mental energy could keep up, no attack could breach his defenses!

It would be true “invulnerability to all methods”!

Of course, organic matter’s complexity required an exponential increase in knowledge, far beyond his current Alchemy model’s capabilities.

His newly formed “Alchemy” model could only easily control relatively simple metals.

For more complex inorganic materials, it required more mental energy with limited control, and organic materials were out of the question.

As for runic studies’ Analysis spell, that was even further off.

“But… this level of Alchemy is sufficient for now.”

For what Jie Ming planned next, completing the Alchemy witchcraft model and reaching the Third Layer of Qi Refinement were both necessary conditions.

The Third Layer of Qi Refinement meant abundant true essence.

For Jie Ming, this wasn’t just a boost in strength but a milestone for unlocking new cultivation techniques.

According to the Great Dao Book Pavilion, only after reaching the Third Layer could one begin attempting another key cultivation art—talisman crafting.

Talismans consisted of two parts: the “lu” (registry), representing identity authentication, and the “fu” (symbol), a method of solidifying spells onto a specific medium for rapid casting.

Its core comprised two components: the medium and the talisman seal (or rune).

The medium was the material carrying the seal, typically special talisman paper, jade, or metal. The seal was specific text or patterns forming the spell’s core, containing methods to channel and manipulate spiritual energy.

Following the Great Dao Book Pavilion’s guidance, Jie Ming began his first attempt at talisman crafting.

First, the medium.

In the cultivation world, talisman paper made from specific spiritual plants was common—light and ideal for holding spiritual energy. But in the wizarding world, he hadn’t found a suitable plant substitute.

However, Alchemy offered another option.

Jie Ming took out some refined gold and mixed it with extraplanar metal essences from the lower-level storage, chosen for their excellent conductivity and malleability.

Per the Great Dao Book Pavilion, metal mediums were typically used for “lu” registries, not for special reasons but because refined gold was the base material for talisman crafting. However, as talism ans were consumables, using pure refined gold was too costly!

The Pavilion’s simplified crafting methods required at least late-stage Qi Refinement, so Jie Ming had to rely on Alchemy to refine and fuse these materials.

Fortunately, after deliberate practice, his Alchemy excelled at handling metals, allowing him to create a metal talisman paper with sufficient toughness and energy capacity.

Though heavier and costlier than true talisman paper, it solved the medium issue.

Next, the talisman seal.

Jie Ming initially had no intention of innovating. Following the Great Dao Book Pavilion’s records on flame talismans, he used true essence as a brush, meticulously inscribing the intricate seals onto the metal talisman paper.

Each stroke carried specific frequencies and rhythms, requiring precise infusions of true essence and mental energy at varying intensities.

Thanks to the robust mental energy from his meditation and Qi Refinement methods, Jie Ming, despite no prior practice, executed the strokes with near-machine precision, completing a talisman.

Upon completion, a faint glow emanated from the metal talisman paper.

Eagerly, he went to the laboratory’s testing area, designed to withstand blasts from third-ring wizards, giving him confidence to experiment.

Activating the testing area’s recorder, Jie Ming took out the freshly made talisman, infused a trace of true essence as instructed, and activated the inscribed seal.

“Command!” he intoned softly.

He expected, as described in the texts, a roaring flame capable of engulfing a large wooden stake.

However, the metal talisman paper only trembled slightly, and then…

With a faint “pfft,” a thumb-sized flame flickered up, wavered twice, and extinguished.

Jie Ming: “…?”

What was that?!