"Disciple, how many materials do you think can withstand characters intertwined with the Dao?"
Ai Yueli's question instantly jolted Ye Ling awake.
For an ordinary Talisman Practitioner, as long as the materials allowed it, they could draw as many talismans as they wanted.
But even for an ordinary Talisman Practitioner, the financial cost involved was something cultivators of the same realm could scarcely imagine.
There was a saying that circulated in the cultivation world:
A wealthy person might not be a good Talisman Practitioner, but a good Talisman Practitioner is definitely wealthy.
Cultivators practiced the Six Arts: Divination, Artifact Refining, Talisman Drawing, Spirit Food, Alchemy, and Formations.
Although all Six Arts were expensive, Talisman Drawing was unquestionably a bottomless pit.
One single battle for a Talisman Practitioner could cost as much as what the other five arts would consume at the same level combined.
To use a somewhat imperfect analogy, if the Six Arts were likened to a missile silo—
Divination would be GPS positioning, Artifact Refining the silo itself, Spirit Food the logistical supply of personnel, Alchemy the medical support, and Formations the defensive perimeter around the silo.
Then Talisman Drawing would be the missile.
Once the cannon fired, gold vanished by the tens of thousands.
The other five arts were also consumptive, but compared to talismans, which were completely expended the moment they were used, their costs were negligible.
If ordinary Talisman Practitioners already burned money like this, Ye Ling didn't even dare imagine how wealthy someone like Ai Yueli, who could wield Dao-level talismans, must be.
A rich lady!
Yet another rich lady!
But if Ai Yueli was a rich lady, did that make him, Ye Ling, some kind of rich uncle? Was he supposed to go sell himself just to cultivate talismans?
No. Absolutely not!
So then, materials capable of bearing the Dao… the human body?
Ye Ling glanced down at himself.
Before Body Tempering, his skin could already be described as smooth and refined. After Body Tempering, it even faintly radiated a divine sheen.
But he knew very well that even with his current physique, he couldn't withstand a single character. The gap was simply too great.
By his estimation, he would need to achieve an Immortal Dao Body before he could possibly bear talismans at all.
But an Immortal Dao Body was something for the Tribulation Transcendence Stage. Before that, what could he possibly use to cultivate talismans?
Seeing Ye Ling deep in thought, Ai Yueli couldn't help but quietly let out a sigh of relief.
She was genuinely pleased that Ye Ling remained so steady and hadn't rushed to try things recklessly.
What she feared most was Ye Ling acting impulsively. After all, big boys his age were the most likely to throw caution to the wind and gamble everything, hoping to win big and live it up.
But in cultivation, gambling was the most taboo thing of all. Losing here wasn't just a matter of paying a price. It could mean being ruined for life.
Seeing playfulness and steadiness coexist in Ye Ling only elevated Ai Yueli's impression of him even further.
Ah, such a good child.
Just as Ai Yueli was quietly admiring Ye Ling's handsome, thoughtful expression, a new idea formed in Ye Ling's mind.
"Fourth Master, if one could control power with absolute precision, would it be possible to draw talismans using cheaper materials?"
After turning it over in his mind again and again, this was the only solution Ye Ling could think of, and the only one he could realistically attempt right now.
Deconstruct Difficulty, the GOAT!
"Of course…"
Admiration flickered in Ai Yueli's beautiful eyes. She liked students like Ye Ling, ones who thought things through.
Unfortunately, the deliberately drawn-out tone at the end of her sentence didn't provoke any impatience from Ye Ling.
Left with no choice, she nodded and said, "Yes, it's possible."
Sigh… this child was a little too steady.
Deep down, Ai Yueli actually wanted to see that mischievous side of Ye Ling again.
But that earlier moment had felt like a fleeting bloom, existing only in a dream.
If she weren't so certain her memory was correct, that the gentle-faced Ye Ling before her had indeed shown that boy-next-door charm, she might have thought it was all an illusion.
No, what am I even thinking?
Seeing the slight confusion in Ye Ling's eyes, Ai Yueli quickly snapped back to her senses.
She was here to impart knowledge and resolve her disciple's doubts, not to indulge her own stray thoughts.
Straightening her expression, she said, "But achieving that level of precise control isn't something you can do right now."
Then, worried she might have discouraged him, she added in praise, "Still, the fact that you were able to think this far already is very impressive."
For someone like Ye Ling, a transmigrator, controlling power was basic practice. But in this cultivation world, what cultivators pursued was always overwhelming destructive force.
Firepower was everything.
And so, in Ai Yueli's eyes, Ye Ling's early realization of the importance of controlling power had already surpassed the shallow understanding of strength held by countless cultivators.
However, Ai Yueli simply hadn't seen Ye Ling's battle with Leng Qingqiu. Otherwise, she wouldn't have said such a thing. After all—
"Fourth Master, is this level of control still not enough?"
Rather than explaining, Ye Ling felt demonstration carried more weight. Like performing a magic trick, he wrapped a wisp of True Qi around his hand, gradually shaping it into a glove.
That strand of True Qi was incredibly thin, so fragile that a single breath could scatter it.
Yet under Ye Ling's almost freakish level of control, that fragile wisp was woven into an astonishingly tough glove.
To put it bluntly, even Leng Qingqiu's Void Sword would struggle to pierce it. It would take at least two blades striking together.
And how much True Qi did Leng Qingqiu's Void Sword consume? How much did Ye Ling's glove use?
The gap in efficiency was horrifying.
This completely shattered Ai Yueli's existing understanding.
It wasn't that she couldn't do it. Even she had spent more than a decade in bitter training to reach her current level.
But Ye Ling?
If Bai Yiyi hadn't lied to her, then this was someone who trained Qi for one day, built his foundation in five, and now possessed control so absurd it could make jaws hit the floor.
Even if he'd started cultivating straight from the womb, this kind of level still shouldn't be possible.
Already cursing internally, Ai Yueli began to seriously suspect that Ye Ling might be the reincarnation of some Immortal Venerable. Otherwise, how could anyone have such monstrous talent?
…Wait.
There did seem to be someone just as terrifying.
Ye Ling's display stirred memories buried deep in Ai Yueli's heart, of the person she both adored the most and resented the most—the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden.
If all the talent in the world were measured as a single stone, the Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden would take nine parts of it. She was the kind of terrifying existence who could learn anything at a glance. Calling her the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao wouldn't even feel exaggerated.
That was precisely why Ai Yueli had never considered Ye Ling in that light from the beginning. The Nine Heavens Immortal Maiden was simply too outrageous.
But now, she couldn't help but wonder—
Was Ye Ling her Master's illegitimate child?