The storage shed felt smaller after what Luo Fan had seen.
He sat on the cold stone floor, his back against the wall, the Sharpening Talisman still tucked into his sleeve. The morning light had shifted—what had been pale gold was now a harder, whiter glare. An hour had passed. Maybe two.
Wei Feng.
The name echoed in his mind like a stone dropped into deep water. A senior outer disciple. Qi Condensation fifth or sixth level. Stronger than Lu Chen. More dangerous. And he already knew about the talismans.
Luo Fan pulled up the system interface.
---
Demonic Forge System – Status
Host: Luo Fan
Forge Mastery: 3 / 100 (Rusty Mortal)
Forge Points: 1
Refined Spiritual Essence: 8.0 units
Corruption: 0%
Timer (until collapse): 67:52:14
Lifespan Remaining: ~72 years
---
Two different numbers. The timer measured how long until his body collapsed from lack of RSE—hours and days. The lifespan was his actual mortal years, untouched so far. He would need to remember the difference.
One Forge Point. Not enough for anything useful. He needed more schematics—specifically, he needed something that could hide his work from prying eyes.
The system's schematic menu glowed when he focused on it.
Available Unlocks:
· Concealment Talisman – Cost: 20 FP
· Minor Healing Salve – Cost: 15 FP
· Spark Talisman – Cost: 5 FP
Twenty Forge Points. He had one. But he had materials—the leftover iron filings, spirit dust, and thread from his scavenging run. And he had five days until Lu Chen's next delivery. Five days to build up enough FP to unlock the Concealment Talisman.
If Wei Feng comes back before then, I'm exposed.
He looked around the shed. It was barren—stone floor, wooden walls, a single locked door. No hiding places. No secret compartments. If someone searched this place, they would find his forging tools, his materials, and any talismans he hadn't yet delivered to Lu Chen.
He needed a way to hide his work. Not just the finished items—the act of forging itself.
The Concealment Talisman was the answer. Its description read: Hides a small area from spiritual sense for a few hours. Enough to mask his forging corner while he worked. Enough to keep Wei Feng's Qi senses blind.
But twenty FP was a steep price.
He stood up, his legs steady now—a small miracle from the 8.0 RSE in his body. He gathered the remaining scraps from yesterday: a few iron fragments, a torn piece of formation cloth, an empty pill bottle. Not much, but enough to recycle.
He worked quickly, breaking down each item.
· Iron fragment → +1 FP, iron filings (0.2 oz)
· Torn formation cloth → +1 FP, spirit‑infused thread (0.3 oz)
· Empty pill bottle → +0 FP, spiritual residue (0.1 oz)
· Another iron scrap → +1 FP, iron filings (0.2 oz)
His FP climbed: 1 → 4.
Not enough. He needed more scraps.
He stepped out of the shed, keeping to the shadows. The outer disciple quarters were busier now—disciples moving between training grounds, servants hauling water and firewood. He kept his head down, his shoulders hunched, the same mask of worthlessness the original Luo Fan had worn.
The refuse piles near the practice yards had been picked over, but he found a few overlooked items: a cracked beast core fragment (too drained for essence extraction, but recyclable), a broken sword hilt, and a torn length of spirit‑infused silk.
Back in the shed, he recycled them.
· Cracked beast core fragment → +2 FP, trace beast essence (0.1 oz)
· Broken sword hilt → +1 FP, iron filings (0.3 oz)
· Torn spirit‑infused silk → +2 FP, spirit thread (0.4 oz)
FP: 4 → 9.
Close. But not close enough.
He searched again, this time venturing closer to the inner disciple quarters—a risk, but necessary. He found a discarded formation flag, its fabric torn but the metal core still intact. A broken jade slip that had once held a cultivation manual. A spent Qi‑regeneration pill bottle with faint residue.
Back in the shed:
· Formation flag → +2 FP, spirit metal shard
· Broken jade slip → +1 FP, jade dust
· Spent pill bottle → +0 FP, spiritual residue
FP: 9 → 12.
Still eight short.
He was running out of time. The sun had climbed to its zenith; the afternoon heat pressed against the shed's thin walls. Wei Feng could return at any moment. Lu Chen might come early to check on his investment.
I need to forge something. Something cheap. Something that gives FP.
He checked the schematic menu. The Spark Talisman cost 5 FP to unlock and required minimal materials: a fire‑aspected beast scale (he didn't have), spirit dust (he had), and a drop of blood. He had no beast scale.
But he had spirit‑infused thread. And iron filings. And the trace beast essence from the cracked core fragment.
Alternate materials.
He focused on the Spark Talisman schematic. The system hummed, then displayed:
[Alternate Material Detected: Spirit‑Infused Thread + Trace Beast Essence. Compatibility: 58%. Success chance reduced by 15%. Accept?]
A risk. But a failed forge would cost him materials and time without gaining FP. He needed the FP.
He accepted.
[Unlock Schematic: Spark Talisman – Cost: 5 Forge Points]
[Forge Points: 12 → 7]
The schematic unfolded in his mind. The formation was simple—a flame knot, three nodes in a triangle, with a channel for heat. He cut a small strip of spirit‑infused thread, mixed the trace beast essence with a drop of his blood, and began to trace.
The awl moved slowly. The paste was thicker than before, harder to control. His hand slipped once, smearing the pattern, but he corrected it. Ten minutes later, the final node connected.
A small flame flickered to life on the thread—then died. The talisman was unstable. But it held.
---
[Forging Complete!]
Item: Spark Talisman (Mortal‑rank, Low Quality – Unstable)
Forge Points Earned: +3 (reduced due to unstable quality)
Refined Spiritual Essence Absorbed: +1 unit
Forge Mastery increased: 3 → 4
---
RSE: 8.0 → 9.0
Timer: 67:52:14 → 67:58:40 (net +6 minutes)
FP: 7 → 10
Ten FP. Halfway to the Concealment Talisman. But he was running low on materials. He had enough for one more Spark Talisman, maybe two.
He cut another strip of thread. Mixed the remaining beast essence with another drop of blood. Traced the flame knot again.
This time, his hand was steadier. The paste flowed smoothly. Ten minutes later, the talisman flared to life—and held.
---
[Forging Complete!]
Item: Spark Talisman (Mortal‑rank, Low Quality)
Forge Points Earned: +4
Refined Spiritual Essence Absorbed: +1 unit
Forge Mastery increased: 4 → 5
---
RSE: 9.0 → 10.0
Timer: 67:58:40 → 68:03:15 (net +4 minutes)
FP: 10 → 14
Fourteen FP. Six short.
He looked at his remaining materials. A few scraps of thread, a pinch of spirit dust, some iron filings. Not enough for another Spark Talisman.
But he had the Sharpening Talisman. His first self‑made item. He could recycle it.
He pulled it from his sleeve. The crude talisman sat in his palm, the formation lines still faintly glowing.
[Recycle Sharpening Talisman?]
Materials Recovered: Spirit‑infused thread (0.2 oz), iron filings (0.1 oz), spirit dust (0.05 oz)
Forge Points: +3
He hesitated. This was his first creation. It had value—not just in materials, but in what it represented. But Wei Feng was coming. He needed the Concealment Talisman more than he needed a memento.
He pressed yes.
The talisman dissolved into motes of light. The materials reappeared in a small pile.
FP: 14 → 17
Seventeen. Three short.
He had just enough materials for one more Spark Talisman. He cut the last strip of thread. Mixed the final pinch of spirit dust with a drop of blood. Traced the flame knot one last time.
His hand ached. His vision blurred. The third talisman of the day—his body was reaching its limit.
But he finished.
---
[Forging Complete!]
Item: Spark Talisman (Mortal‑rank, Low Quality)
Forge Points Earned: +4
Refined Spiritual Essence Absorbed: +1 unit
Forge Mastery increased: 5 → 6
---
RSE: 10.0 → 11.0
Timer: 68:03:15 → 68:07:40 (net +4 minutes)
FP: 17 → 21
Twenty‑one FP. Enough.