Preparation

Zhang Tie carefully washed the wounds on his body clean, treated them properly, then slowly sat cross-legged on the bed.

His gaze was deep and focused as he began to consider his plans for the future.

Without question, the most urgent matter was fully charging the Undying Pearl. Only once it had been charged could he resume the path of body refinement.

Secondly, he desperately needed a large quantity of Spirit Stones.

A single bottle of Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood now cost forty Spirit Stones. Zhang Tie had a faint premonition that breaking through the Body Tempering Realm and entering the Meridian Casting Realm could not possibly be accomplished with merely a few bottles of Grade 1 mid-grade spirit beast blood.

He would certainly need quite a bit of Grade 1 high-grade spirit beast blood to help him, and the required Spirit Stones would number not merely in the hundreds, but quite possibly over a thousand.

The rewards from the sect's missions were simply a drop in the bucket, not even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth. Therefore, he had to find a way to earn Spirit Stones steadily.

The Immortal Cultivation World had what was known as the Four Arts of Cultivation: alchemy, artifact refining, talisman crafting, and Array Formation.

Of the four arts, alchemy undoubtedly ranked first in earning Spirit Stones, followed by artifact refining. However, the investment required for both was far beyond what Zhang Tie could currently afford.

Not to mention the rare spiritual herbs required for alchemy, Zhang Tie could not even afford a single pill furnace.

Artifact refining was even more complicated, no less complex than alchemy and extremely difficult to learn. Once a refinement failed, everything would be lost, leaving one utterly broke.

As for the path of an Array Master, it was somewhat useless in its early stages. Low-grade Array Masters held little status in the Immortal Cultivation World and basically found it difficult to earn a stable income.

Although high-grade Array Masters earned substantial incomes and were talents that sects eagerly sought, rising from a low-grade Array Master to a high-grade Array Master took decades at the shortest and over a hundred years at the longest. The cycle was far too long to be something Zhang Tie could consider now.

After much thought, Zhang Tie realized that talisman crafting was the only path he could currently try to learn.

The night of cultivation passed silently. Early the next morning, when the horizon had only begun to pale, Zhang Tie rose and left, heading straight for the Technique Pavilion.

After carefully reading through the materials and information on talisman crafting in the Technique Pavilion, Zhang Tie did not pause for a moment and rushed directly to the market at the foot of the sect's mountain.

From afar, a vast mist shrouded the area, blotting out the sky and sun, making it difficult to see anything clearly. Zhang Tie guessed that this must be the market's protective grand array at work.

Zhang Tie did not hesitate any longer. With firm strides, he continued forward and entered the market.

At that moment, a winding street paved with bluestone came into view. Like a nimble wandering dragon, it wound between the rows of shops.

The shops on both sides of the street were arranged in scattered order, while crowds bustled back and forth. It was exceedingly lively.

Besides the permanent shops, there was also an area specifically for Immortal Cultivators to set up stalls. One stall followed another, each displaying a dazzling variety of goods.

There were cultivation manuals emitting faint spiritual light, spiritual herbs giving off rich medicinal fragrances, magical artifacts flickering with spiritual radiance, and talismans containing mysterious power, among other things. The sight was overwhelming.

As Zhang Tie walked along the street, he soon arrived before a stall displaying numerous talismans. The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a full beard, his eyes revealing a merchant's shrewdness.

"Fellow Daoist, how are your talismans priced?" Zhang Tie stopped and pointed at a talisman as he looked at the middle-aged man.

"Tier 1 Low-Grade Talismans are five for one Low-grade Spirit Stone. Tier 1 mid-grade talismans are one for two Low-grade Spirit Stones. Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans are ten Spirit Stones each. Which kind would you like, little brother?" the bearded middle-aged man asked with a smile.

"I'd like to ask whether you have any books on making talismans."

"Yes, of course. Not only do I have books on talisman crafting, I also have talisman brushes, talisman paper, and cinnabar." Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately beamed.

"May I look at your books on talisman crafting?" Zhang Tie was delighted as well.

"Here. What's wrong with looking?" The middle-aged man readily took out a book titled Compendium of Low-Grade Talismans from his Storage Pouch and handed it to Zhang Tie.

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"How much is this book?" Zhang Tie flipped through the book in his hands and asked.

"At least five Low-grade Spirit Stones. No bargaining."

Zhang Tie did not hesitate. He took five Low-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and handed them to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man accepted the Spirit Stones and smiled. "Thank you for your patronage. If you need talisman brushes, talisman paper, or anything else, you can buy them from me too."

Zhang Tie nodded in response, then turned and left.

"Old Zhao, you've sold off the methods and materials for talisman crafting. Once others learn it, who'll still buy your talismans?" A long-faced man at the neighboring stall suddenly teased with a grin.

"Hehe, you don't understand. Everyone thinks talisman crafting is the simplest of the Four Arts of Cultivation, but they don't realize that it depends most heavily on talent.

Only after trying it for themselves will they know that buying talismans directly is still the most suitable option." The bearded man looked utterly unconcerned.

At that moment, Zhang Tie stood before a shop called the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. After pausing briefly, he stepped inside.

Inside, a white-haired old man looked up and saw Zhang Tie. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "What would Fellow Daoist like to see?"

"Do you have talisman brushes?"

"Yes, this way, please." As he spoke, the old man came out from behind the counter and led Zhang Tie toward another counter.

"If Fellow Daoist is just beginning to practice talisman crafting, I would suggest that a Grade 1 low-grade talisman brush will be sufficient." The old man spoke as they walked.

"Can a Grade 1 low-grade talisman brush only be used to make Grade 1 low-grade talismans?" Zhang Tie asked, his eyes carrying a trace of confusion.

"Of course not. In theory, a Grade 1 low-grade talisman brush can make all Grade 1 talismans.

It is simply that the higher the grade and the better the material, the greater the improvement to the success rate of talisman crafting." The old man answered patiently. Then he took a wooden box from the counter, gently opened it, and handed it to Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie picked up the talisman brush and examined it carefully. It was about half a foot long, and its shaft appeared to be made of peach wood, dark brown throughout, with dense, distinct grain.

The bristles were made from the fur of some kind of demonic beast. Snow-white in color, they were supple and elastic. Having undergone special spell refinement and nourishment, they gave off faint fluctuations of Spiritual Qi once spiritual power was infused into them.

"How much is this talisman brush?"

"Thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Can it be cheaper?"

"How about this? Since it seems that little brother is also someone studying the art of talisman crafting, I'll give you an additional hundred sheets of talisman paper and two bottles of cinnabar. I only hope that when little brother sells talismans in the future, you will give priority to our Hundred Treasures Pavilion." After pondering for a moment, the old man spoke.

"Do you buy low-grade magical artifacts?" Zhang Tie asked.

"Of course we do, though the exact price depends on the artifact's condition." The old man's expression brightened.

"Naturally." Zhang Tie immediately took the small sword from his Storage Pouch and placed it on the counter.

The old man picked up the small sword, infused it with spiritual power, and examined it closely for a while. "Although this flying sword is a low-grade magical artifact, it contains a small amount of precious iron essence.

That brings its quality infinitely close to the mid-grade level. Our Hundred Treasures Pavilion will not take advantage of you. Ordinary low-grade magical artifacts are worth only around fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones, but for this flying sword, we offer sixty. What do you think?"

"That works." Zhang Tie agreed without hesitation.

Before long, the old man brought over the talisman paper and cinnabar, then took out another thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones and neatly arranged them on the counter.

Seeing this, Zhang Tie did not hesitate. With a wave of his hand, he stored everything in his Storage Pouch. After cupping his hands in thanks, he turned and left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, his figure gradually vanishing into the bustling crowd.