Chapter 61: Talisman Charms

"If, and I mean if, any danger arises in our village, remember to prioritize getting yourselves and your families into the protective range of our sect's defenses. And if possible, bring as many villagers as you can."

Qin Jianghe asked with concern, "Xiao'er, does this mean you believe there's a real danger to the village?"

Lin Xiao looked at him with a serious expression and replied, "To be honest, I'm not sure. But I've been feeling uneasy lately, so I want to make preparations just in case."

Hearing this, everyone nodded solemnly, promising to stay alert.

That night, after dinner, instead of continuing to research new spells as he had in recent days, Lin Xiao opened the system's Mall.

The last time he used the system's mall was when he bought the dagger that crippled Liu Laoda. Today, he intended to buy something that could protect his family and the sect members.

Even though he had already reminded everyone to be cautious, a lingering unease troubled him. Perhaps it was due to reading too many novels in the past, but he feared that something terrible might happen while he was away, something that could cause irreparable harm to his loved ones.

If anything happened to his family... That was a possibility he couldn't bear.

With his mind in turmoil, unable to focus on cultivation, Lin Xiao decided to spend some spirit stones for peace of mind.

As soon as he opened the mall, the homepage was still filled with extravagant items far beyond his means. But after pondering for a moment, he knew exactly what he needed to buy.

He closed the mall interface, and when he reopened it a moment later, the recommendations had changed dramatically. The suggested items were now two types of talisman charms:

 Teleportation Talisman - 10 sheets for 1 spirit stone.

 Locator Talisman - 10 spirit stones for 1 master talisman and 100 sub-talismans.

Each teleportation talisman could transport the user 500 meters when the paper was torn. However, it required the use of a locator talisman.

As long as someone carried a sub-talisman of the locator talisman, tearing a teleportation talisman would instantly transport them 500 meters toward the direction of the master talisman.

Lin Xiao planned to place the master talisman within the sect, allowing everyone to teleport directly to safety in case of danger.

With over a hundred spirit stones to his name, Lin Xiao couldn't afford any miraculous life-saving treasures for everyone. The best option he could think of was to equip them with teleportation talismans to swiftly return to the sect if needed.

From the village to the sect, the distance was roughly 2,000 meters. Lin Xiao calculated that five teleportation talismans per person should be sufficient, giving them a total transport range of 2,500 meters.

Then he started counting heads…

There were eight other members of the sect besides him and Sun Yigao. In his family, apart from Lin Yun and Lin Ying, there were seven more people. Adding Sun Yigao's parents made it seventeen.

Then there were the families of Jiang Youfu, Tietou, and Qin Jianghe…

Counting everyone closely connected to them, Lin Xiao realized he would have to spend a significant chunk of his spirit stones.

It wasn't feasible to consider every distant relative—only those they trusted and who knew about the sect. After all, this was just a precaution.

In total, it came to around 30 people, so he rounded it up to 40. At five teleportation talismans each, that totaled 200 talismans—20 spirit stones. Adding in the locator talismans, it would cost him 30 spirit stones.

Lin Xiao had already spent more than 20 spirit stones creating spells recently, meaning the 50 spirit stones he earned from the sect recruitment task were now almost entirely depleted.

Sitting on his bed, hugging his blanket, Lin Xiao sighed as he looked at his dwindling spirit stone supply.

If only I could make talismans myself…

Ding—System Task Issued

Sect Construction - Sect Facilities (2): A well-organized sect cannot function without specialized facilities. To aid the cultivation of its members, various support tools are essential. Please build a Talisman Crafting Room to provide a place for your members to learn how to draw talisman charms.

Lin Xiao scratched his head.

Come on, System, I'm already busy enough. I don't need more tasks adding to the pressure.

Once issued, a task cannot be retracted. Please strive to complete the task. Note: There is no time limit, so don't feel burdened.

Lin Xiao sighed again.

Fine, at least the system is considerate.

The next day, Lin Xiao didn't immediately distribute the locator and teleportation talismans. Instead, he waited until the end of the day's cultivation session before gathering everyone. He explained the functions and usage of the talismans in detail and then let them take what they needed according to the number of people in their households.

He emphasized that the talismans should only be given to those who knew about the sect and could be trusted—otherwise, they would be wasted.

Lin Xiao initially worried that 200 talismans wouldn't be enough, but to his surprise, everyone took precisely the amount he had calculated earlier.

In the end, he had a few dozen teleportation talismans and over 60 sub-talismans left after accounting for his own family.

He distributed the remaining teleportation talismans among the others, giving each person one more, which added another 500 meters to their escape range.

With this task complete, night fell.

Instead of going down the mountain with the others, Lin Xiao headed to the spiritual field where he had planted the spiritual grain.

Despite being nourished daily by Xiao Luan's fertilizer, the spiritual grain still adhered to the natural cycle and needed time to grow.

The spiritual field was lush green, with every seedling looking healthy and vibrant, not a single weed in sight. It was clear Lin Yun had been diligently maintaining the field.

As Lin Xiao stroked his smooth chin, he realized that Lin Yun's slow cultivation progress might be due to his packed schedule. With only half a day for cultivation, the rest of his time was spent learning carpentry at the old house or tending the spiritual field.

He had been careless, allowing his brother to take on such a demanding routine.

This wouldn't do.

He needed to find someone else to manage the spiritual field or talk to his grandfather about shortening Lin Yun's carpentry training.

He would address this tomorrow when he delivered the talismans.

But tonight, Lin Xiao wasn't here just to check on the crops.

He opened his storage and took out sixteen portions of Spiritual Plant Accelerating Bone Powder, sprinkling them over sixteen of the spiritual grain seedlings.

These plants had been growing for a while, and aside from the accelerated Mo Sang, none had matured yet.

He hadn't experienced the joy of harvesting anything!

He couldn't wait any longer!