Published: August 15, 2025
Chapter 75: Combining Magic and Martial Arts
Since Han Li learned the "Wind Riding Technique," he became even more interested in the other two spells, the "Calming Talisman" and the "Object Manipulation Technique." He devoted a great deal of time and effort to studying them, hoping that one day he could suddenly comprehend them as thoroughly as he did with the "Wind Riding Technique," experiencing a sudden enlightenment.
However, after repeated research, Han Li unexpectedly discovered that his inability to cast these two spells might not be due to his own shortcomings, but rather because the external conditions required for casting were not met.
According to the book, the "Calming Talisman" is a type of talisman that must be drawn on a specially prepared magical talisman paper. Previously, Han Li had been using yellow paper bought from a nearby town, drawing the symbols with a brush following the patterns in the book.
Although the book didn’t specify what kind of paint to use for drawing the talisman symbols, recalling Doctor Mo’s silver talisman, Han Li naturally chose silver powder, a precious and luxurious material. Whether this paint was effective, Han Li didn’t know, but at least visually, his homemade talismans looked exactly like the examples in the book.
Unfortunately, appearances alone were not enough.
When Han Li recited the incantations to activate the talismans, the symbols on them did not emit the dazzling silver light like Doctor Mo’s talisman, nor did any other strange phenomena occur. His casting was a complete failure, leaving him in a dilemma. He didn’t know whether the failure was due to errors in the incantation or hand gestures, or because the talisman itself was improperly made.
But after this round of research, things changed.
By delving deeply into various related materials and books about magical legends, Han Li finally realized that the talismans used by immortal cultivators were definitely not just ordinary paper and paint casually made by ordinary mortals like him. They must be crafted from certain special materials unique to cultivators, perhaps even requiring special methods during production. Therefore, even if his incantations and gestures were flawless, casting would still be impossible without the proper talismans.
The same logic applied to the "Object Manipulation Technique."
Han Li had previously thought that the "Object Manipulation Technique" could be cast on any ordinary object, so he used common items like furniture or swords as targets for the spell, but naturally, with no effect.
Now, reminded by the talisman paper issue, he understood that the objects manipulated by this technique were definitely not ordinary items, but specific magical artifacts used by immortal cultivators.
So Han Li took the strange and rare items he had obtained from Doctor Mo, including the "Soul Guiding Bell" and the seven Silver Blades used in the "Seven Ghosts Devouring Soul Grand Method," treating them as targets for the "Object Manipulation Technique" and tried casting again. Unfortunately, none of these items responded successfully to his spells. This greatly disappointed Han Li; it seemed the "Object Manipulation Technique" didn’t work on these artifacts, but on something else.
Having grasped the root of the problem and realized that without the corresponding items it was impossible to cast the "Calming Talisman" and "Object Manipulation Technique," Han Li shifted his focus away from these two spells. Instead, he began considering combining secret martial arts techniques with several spells, aiming to rapidly improve his strength and advance to a higher level in a short time.
With this bold idea in mind, Han Li embarked on a grueling journey of self-discipline and quickly achieved some progress.
After some experimentation, he finally combined the "Luo Smoke Step" with the "Wind Riding Technique."
Calling it a combination was somewhat inaccurate; he first cast the "Wind Riding Technique" on his body, then used the "Luo Smoke Step" afterward. However, coordinating and matching the two had to be carefully controlled, or mistakes would easily occur. This required a lot of focus and effort from Han Li.