Crisis (1)

Time passed swiftly, and half a month went by in the blink of an eye. During that time, Zhang Tie never left his residence, devoting himself entirely to talisman crafting. Every day, he kept company with talisman brushes, talisman paper, and cinnabar. Though he was somewhat weary in body and mind, the results filled him with delight.

All six hundred sheets of talisman paper had been used up, producing a total of one hundred seventy-two Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans.

At their normal selling price, they would be worth one thousand seven hundred twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones. Even at the buyback price, they would fetch more than one thousand three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. Zhang Tie had never even dared to dream of possessing such a quantity of Spirit Stones before.

At the thought, Zhang Tie could not help feeling slightly excited. To him, these talismans were not merely ordinary talismans, nor were they simply Spirit Stones. They were the solid foundation that would support his unceasing advance along the long road of Immortal Cultivation.

With that thought, Zhang Tie slowly calmed his mind, sat cross-legged, adjusted his breathing, and prepared to recover his strength.

He planned to visit the Spirit Beast Garden tomorrow to exchange for more Spirit Beast blood. This time, he hoped to obtain several bottles of Tier 1 High-Grade Spirit Beast blood, then use the power of the Undying Pearl to break through to the Meridian Casting Realm in one fell swoop.

After all, once one broke through to the Meridian Casting Realm, not only would one's strength rival that of an Immortal Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment stage, but one's lifespan would also increase to around two hundred years.

The next morning, Zhang Tie first hurried to the market. He headed straight for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion. Upon entering, he did not hesitate to sell fifty Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans, successfully receiving four hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Afterward, he went to another shop and purchased one thousand sheets of talisman paper and ten bottles of cinnabar.

Then, Zhang Tie rushed back to the sect without stopping. However, on the way back, he kept feeling as if a pair of eyes were secretly watching him from behind.

Whenever he turned around to look, he found nothing. At first, Zhang Tie thought that his recent continuous talisman crafting had exhausted him mentally and caused him to imagine things, so he did not take it to heart.

After returning to the Outer Sect, Zhang Tie headed directly for the Spirit Beast Garden. Behind the management counter stood the same pretty young woman from before.

"Greetings, Senior Sister. I came today to purchase some more Spirit Beast essence blood." Zhang Tie clasped his hands and bowed, respectfully stating the purpose of his visit.

"Of course. What grade do you want, and how much?" the young woman replied softly with a slight smile.

"I wonder how much you pay here for Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans?" Zhang Tie suddenly changed the subject.

The young woman was taken aback for a moment before answering, "One Tier 1 High-Grade Talisman is worth seven Low-grade Spirit Stones."

"Then please get me five bottles of Tier 1 High-Grade Spirit Beast essence blood, Senior Sister."

"Five bottles of Tier 1 High-Grade Spirit Beast blood?" The young woman hesitated, seemingly suspecting she had misheard him, so she deliberately confirmed it again.

"Yes, Senior Sister." Zhang Tie nodded. He then took fifty Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans and one hundred fifty Low-grade Spirit Stones from his Storage Pouch and placed them on the counter.

The young woman was slightly startled at the sight, but she quickly regained her composure.

Then, she took five porcelain bottles from a Storage Pouch and placed them on the counter. As the young woman swiftly put away the Spirit Stones and talismans, Zhang Tie waved his hand and stored the five bottles of Spirit Beast blood in his own Storage Pouch.

Just as Zhang Tie was about to turn and leave, the young woman spoke. "I never expected Junior Brother to be a talisman master as well. My name is Su Wei. May I know how to address Junior Brother?"

"My name is Zhang Tie." Zhang Tie looked puzzled, wondering why Senior Sister Su had suddenly become so enthusiastic.

"Junior Brother, please do not overthink it. I was merely surprised that someone as young as you is actually a Tier 1 High-Grade talisman crafter.

If I ever need Junior Brother's help crafting talismans in the future, I hope you will lend me a hand." The young woman looked at Zhang Tie with a gentle smile still on her face.

"Of course. If Senior Sister Su has nothing else, then I'll be going back first," Zhang Tie said.

"Mm, take care, Junior Brother," Senior Sister Su said.

Zhang Tie turned and left, heading straight back to his residence.

Once he returned, Zhang Tie vaguely felt that something about today's events was not quite right.

Whether he had been selling talismans at the market or purchasing Spirit Beast blood at the Spirit Beast Garden, that strange feeling had lingered in his heart.

Could it be that he had revealed too many spirit talismans and stirred up thoughts of murder and robbery in others? But Zhang Tie quickly dismissed the idea. After all, this was within the sect. Who would dare commit such evil beneath the eyes of a Core Formation patriarch?

Perhaps he had simply been too tired lately, making him overly sensitive and suspicious.

Perhaps they had merely been impressed by his exceptional talisman-crafting skill and genuinely wanted to befriend him. There was truly no need for him to judge gentlemen with the heart of a petty man. Besides, this was still the sect. Surely no one would dare act recklessly.

Zhang Tie shook his head, no longer dwelling on it. He took out the Spirit Beast blood from his Storage Pouch and prepared to begin cultivating.

Without realizing it, ten days quietly passed. At this moment, Zhang Tie was inside his room, stretching his body.

Over those ten days, the Undying Pearl's energy had been exhausted once again. Yet the results were remarkable: he had successfully refined two bottles of Tier 1 High-Grade Spirit Beast blood and broken through from the sixth layer of Qi Refining into the seventh layer of Qi Refining—the late stage of Qi Refining.

Zhang Tie felt as though his entire body was brimming with strength, while his mental state was exceptionally full and vigorous.

Moreover, he had already vaguely touched upon the bottleneck of the Body Tempering Realm. Zhang Tie firmly believed that the next time he cultivated using the Undying Pearl, he should be able to break through the Body Tempering Realm and enter the Meridian Casting Realm.

Zhang Tie gathered his thoughts and decided to rest properly tonight. Tomorrow, he would continue to the Spirit Stone Mining Area to mine, allowing him to quickly restore the Undying Pearl's energy.

The next day, Zhang Tie made his way to the Spirit Stone Mining Area with practiced ease. Using the same old method, he hid the Storage Pouch issued to him before beginning to mine with all his strength.

Afterward, he stored all the Spirit Stones he dug up in an underground cave he had excavated beforehand, planning to absorb and refine them all at once after accumulating a sufficient quantity.

However, Zhang Tie had no idea that not long after he entered the Spirit Stone Mining Area, two figures appeared not far behind him. One was the white-haired old man from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, while the other was someone Zhang Tie also knew: Elder Su, who had brought him into the sect.

"That kid has plenty of suspicious things about him. He can already draw Tier 1 High-Grade Talismans, yet he still comes here to mine," the white-haired old man said, frowning in confusion.

"Not just that. Before entering the sect, he was only at the fourth layer of Qi Refining, yet in just two years, he has reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining.

It would be one thing if he had outstanding Spiritual Root aptitude, but he has a Quadruple Spiritual Root—trash Spiritual Roots second only to a Mixed Spiritual Root." Elder Su's expression darkened.

"Now that you mention it, this child may well be hiding a great secret. But it would not be easy to act within the sect. Once we make a move, it would be very easy to alert the mountain-protecting grand formation's detection," the white-haired old man said, his face full of concern.

"Ordinarily, there truly would be no way. But hasn't this kid chosen such a fine place for us to act today?" Elder Su said with a crafty smile curling his lips.

"That's right. This Spirit Stone Mining Area has an independent formation. As long as we settle things with Elder Zhao, who is on duty here this year, and have him turn a blind eye, that will be enough. We can give him some benefits afterward," the white-haired old man suddenly realized.

"Good. We should not delay. Let's go back and find Elder Zhao now," Elder Su said with a nod.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tie remained utterly unaware of the crisis about to descend upon him. He was still bent over his work, mining with all his strength.