Divine Level Witch Doctor

Hao Li was a little disappointed, but he didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said, ”Oh, right, you have to register as a member on that forum before you can see the content inside. During registration, you’ll need to fill in an inviter’s name and answer some questions. For the inviter, you can just put my ID. On the forum, I’m called ’Little Fatty Mengmengda’. As for the questions, they’ll be a piece of cake for you!”

”Little Fatty Mengmengda?” Several dark lines seemed to appear on Zhao Yuan’s forehead. After sizing up Hao Li for a moment, he grumbled, ”You’ve got some nerve, picking a name like that...”

Hao Li put his left hand on his hip, flashed a peace sign in front of his face with his right, and said with an air of satisfaction, ”What, am I not adorable?”

The pose nearly made Zhao Yuan keel over. ”Don’t stop me, I need to go find a wall to bang my head against!”

After a few more jokes, Zhao Yuan’s curiosity got the better of him. ”Who built this forum? I thought all Cultivators just did their own thing. I never expected them to have something like a forum.”

Hao Li smiled and said, ”We’re in the information age now, so of course Cultivators can’t be exempt from the trend. Besides, the path of cultivation is rough and full of thorns. If you walk it alone, not only is it lonely, but when you run into problems, there’s no one to ask for help. After all, not every Cultivator is like Ying Ji, born into a Cultivation Family.”

”But a forum is different. If you run into a problem, you can post a thread asking for help. The forum has rules—you can’t just post nonsense in a help thread, your reply has to have substance. So it’s a huge help for Loose Cultivators like us! You can also trade Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and materials, helping each other out. After all, with so many different Cultivation Methods, not everything is useful to everyone.”

Zhao Yuan nodded. He felt that Hao Li’s words made perfect sense.

The four great essentials of cultivation were wealth, companions, method, and land. The ’companion’ here didn’t refer to a lover, but to fellow travelers on the path of the Dao who could offer help and exchange ideas!

Working in isolation was a dead end in any field. Only through communication and discussion could one promote development and facilitate improvement.

Hao Li added, ”As for the identity of the forum’s founder, there are all sorts of rumors. Some say it’s the heir of one of the Major Cultivation Sects, others say it’s a senior with profound cultivation. There’s never been a definite answer. After all, everyone is hiding behind a screen name, and some people even use VPNs, so it’s hard to figure out anyone’s real identity.”

As they spoke, the two arrived at the base of the Lingyun Pavilion.

After opening the main door, Hao Li didn’t go in. He turned, made a ”please” gesture to Zhao Yuan, and said, ”Little Brother Zhao, you go on up yourself. I won’t accompany you.”

It was a rule in the Cultivation Realm that when someone was performing Alchemy and Artifact Creation, or engaged in Cultivation and Drawing Talismans, you couldn’t watch from the side without permission. Although Hao Li really wanted to go with him, the rules had to be followed.

”Thanks!” Zhao Yuan nodded to Hao Li, walked straight into the Octagonal Tower, and ascended to the Lingyun Pavilion at the very top.

Standing in the Lingyun Pavilion, he could immediately feel Spiritual Qi from all directions converging in a ceaseless stream!

Not wasting any time, Zhao Yuan opened all the surrounding windows, then took out the Top Grade Thunderstruck Wood and various tools needed for Artifact Creation from his Storage Ring.

Before formally beginning the Artifact Creation, he used the Jade Shavings and Powder from his previous failed attempts at creating the Ghost Residence and the Insect Cage to sketch out a Talisman Array on the floor!

Although these Jade Shavings and Powder were the byproducts of failure, they still retained some Spiritual Qi. The Talisman Array drawn with them would help Zhao Yuan better complete the Artifact Creation!

Once these preparations were complete, Zhao Yuan lit a stick of specially made Soul-Stabilizing Incense. He then walked to the center of the Talisman Array and sat down cross-legged. First, he carefully used a knife to whittle the Top Grade Thunderstruck Wood into the target’s rough shape. After some minor polishing, he took up a carving knife and began to meticulously engrave Runes onto its surface.

The amount of Top Grade Thunderstruck Wood Zhao Yuan had was limited. Two failures and it would all be for nothing. Thus, he didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless. He carved every stroke slowly, preferring to spend more time and endure more hardship than to make a mistake and fail.

However, the thirty-six Thunder Runes were not so easy to carve.

Every cut Zhao Yuan made was extremely arduous! Especially as he progressed, currents of electricity would actually shoot out from the Runes on the Thunderstruck Wood as he cut, searing him with pain and nearly causing his hand to lose its grip!

Under these circumstances, Zhao Yuan had no choice but to grit his teeth and persevere!

Fortunately, under the torment of the Four Saints Technique and the Bone Marrow Refining Pill, Zhao Yuan’s endurance had been forged to be quite strong.

Even now, though the shocks made him grimace and his hair stand on end, he still gritted his teeth and held on! His hands were as steady as a rock!

One cut after another, wood shavings fell continuously.

One Rune after another, they appeared on the Wooden Whip.

The resistance and electric shocks assailing Zhao Yuan also grew stronger and stronger!

By the time he was carving the twentieth Rune, Zhao Yuan was almost unable to bear the electricity anymore. Trickles of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, yet he still persisted, ensuring every cut he made was steady and precise!

By the thirtieth Rune, smoke was rising from Zhao Yuan’s body, and a burnt smell filled the air. The powerful electric current had torn wounds across his skin, but no blood flowed out. Instead, large scabs had formed, because the blood had coagulated the instant it was exposed to the electricity.

Zhao Yuan was starting to waver, but he still held on, a faint smile even appearing on his face.

He wasn’t a masochist. The reason he was smiling while enduring such immense pain and torture was because he knew that this Magical Artifact, the Wind and Thunder Whip, was absolutely extraordinary!

’If it’s this incredible during the creation process, how could the finished product be anything ordinary?’

”I have to keep going. I can’t stop, and I absolutely can’t make a mistake. Success is right in front of me!”

Zhao Yuan exhaled, made a slight adjustment, and began his charge on the final six Runes!

Six...

Three...

One...

When the very last stroke of the very last Rune was carved with perfect precision, the string of tension that had been pulled taut in his heart for so long finally snapped. With a THUMP, he collapsed onto the ground.

Though he felt completely drained, Zhao Yuan’s heart was filled with extreme joy and elation!

”Hahaha, I did it! I made the Wind and Thunder Whip!”

Sprawled on the floor, Zhao Yuan gazed at the Wind and Thunder Whip, which was levitating in mid-air, enveloped in gusts of wind. He felt that all the pain and suffering he had endured before was worth it.

’This Magical Artifact is definitely something special!’

Zhao Yuan couldn’t wait to take it in his hand and test its power!

At almost the exact same moment, in the sky above the Octagonal Tower, the winds and clouds suddenly surged. Great, dark, heavy storm clouds swept in. The cloud layer was extremely low, creating an immense sense of pressure!

PS: Three chapters for now, more to come tonight!