Among advanced talismans, those containing Five Elements spell formulas were one thing — most advanced spells simply weren't as powerful as the attacks of a magic treasure.
This meant that once a cultivator formed their Nascent Soul, they would basically abandon further cultivation of Five Elements spells.
However, this didn't mean that advanced spells were completely useless.
According to what Han Li knew, there were quite a few Five Elements spells of tremendous power that, once unleashed, would make even Nascent Soul cultivators unwilling to face head-on.
But these spells were not only extremely difficult to cultivate, even once comprehended and mastered, they were incredibly cumbersome and troublesome to cast.
With that much time and effort, one might as well just attack with a magic treasure directly.
However, Han Li had vaguely heard other cultivators mention that the Mulan people's Fa Masters seemed to have broken through this limitation. They had developed numerous high-power "Spirit Techniques" that could be cast in an instant.
This allowed low-ranked Fa Masters to face ordinary cultivators head-on without relying on magic artifacts or talismans, without falling behind.
And when high-ranked Fa Masters used magic treasures in conjunction with Spirit Techniques, it was like adding wings to a tiger — they could decisively defeat cultivators of the same level, without any doubt.
This was precisely why several major powers in the Tianlan region had to join forces just to hold their own against the Mulan people, unable to truly crush them.
Ever since his Nascent Soul had formed, Han Li had wisely begun studying a few of the most basic advanced spells. He had managed to comprehend three or four of them, though his casting speed was truly abysmal. He believed that if he actually tried to use these spells in combat, unless he had an impenetrable turtle shell that no enemy could breach, he would be killed seven or eight times over by a fellow Nascent Soul cultivator before even completing half the casting.
But using advanced talismans in combination with magic treasures during battle — that was genuinely sharp and devastating. If one could hurl twenty or thirty advanced offensive talismans in one go, just like throwing out low-grade talismans, then forget about cultivators of the same level — even late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators would have no choice but to flee immediately upon seeing it.
After all, that would be equivalent to taking a simultaneous strike from dozens of Nascent Soul cultivators. No matter how heaven-defying the targeted cultivator's cultivation technique or protective magic treasure might be, as long as their cultivation was still confined to the Nascent Soul stage, they absolutely could not withstand it.
But such an attack was nothing more than wishful thinking — a single attack would consume tens of thousands of spirit stones, and no one dared to be so extravagant.
Moreover, advanced talismans were a case of "priced but unavailable" in the cultivation world, and the majority of advanced talismans were of the supportive variety anyway.
As Han Li pondered all this, he walked along the market street, continuously glancing at the larger magic artifact shops and general stores on either side. Generally, only large establishments would have top-grade talisman brushes for sale.
There was no point visiting the smaller shops — nine times out of ten, they wouldn't carry such niche magic artifacts, let alone top-grade ones.
Perhaps some small shops truly did have rare treasures hidden away, but Han Li wasn't willing to waste his time searching them one by one. After all, with as many shops as Tiantian City had, even if he did nothing else, it would take him over ten days to see them all.
The street was bustling with other cultivators besides Han Li, entering and exiting the shops on both sides, buying and selling the items they wanted, each with their own expressions and attitudes.
Most of them were Foundation Establishment cultivators, with the occasional Core Formation cultivator appearing from time to time.
As for Qi Condensation cultivators, apart from those native to Tiantian City itself, there were very few who had come from outside.
Han Li had once again concealed his cultivation to appear at mid-stage Core Formation, so although he encountered many cultivators on the road, he merely received an extra reverent glance or two from the Foundation Establishment cultivators. As for Core Formation cultivators, those he didn't know simply swept their gaze past him without a second thought.
In this way, Han Li didn't attract much attention, leisurely browsing one large shop after another.
When Han Li emerged from yet another pavilion with disappointed expression, more than half the day had passed without him noticing.
Glancing at the sky, which was turning dark, and at the moonlight stones beginning to light up one after another inside the shops, Han Li hesitated.
He was debating whether he should head back to his lodgings, or check a couple more shops first.
But just then, a commotion erupted from somewhere not far ahead, as if someone had gotten into a dispute. A few nearby cultivators curiously gathered around.
Han Li's brow furrowed. He immediately clasped his hands behind his back and turned around with an expressionless face, intending to head straight back to his lodgings.
But before he had walked even two steps, a harsh, malicious voice rang out at full volume.
"What's this? Are all you Fallcloud Sect cultivators such scoundrels? You break something and try to walk away without paying?"