The First Piece of Green Jade Stone

Even though this item had some flaws, Chen Ganliu was still overjoyed. He placed his walking stick, the Peach Mountain Seal, and his calligraphy tools—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone—inside it. He immediately felt lighter and more at ease, muttering to himself, "This is what a cultivator is like!"

Without even a storage bag, he had to carry all his belongings in a bundle.

How could he achieve the freedom and elegance of an immortal when he was so encumbered?

After refining the beast skin pouch, Chen Ganliu suppressed his restless emotions and resumed his cultivation of the Azure Emperor Jia Yi Art as usual.

The night passed without incident. The next morning, he set out to build housing for Daoist Wu Chang.

Seven or eight days later, Daoist Wu Chang moved into his new residence and praised Chen Ganliu's craftsmanship.

By this time, the small market in Suiyang Immortal Market had dispersed, and the various immortal families who had come to trade were leaving one after another, leaving only the twenty or thirty Rogue Cultivators who were permanent residents of the market.

Although these Rogue Cultivators constantly came and went, most of them were familiar with each other.

Thanks to Chen Qing and Daoist Wu Chang, Chen Ganliu easily settled into Suiyang Immortal Market.

Although the next grand market was still far off, and the next small market was six months away, there were still occasional cultivators who came to trade in Suiyang Immortal Market. Chen Ganliu's low-end talisman business could still be sustained, it just wasn't very profitable.

Although Chen Ganliu primarily dealt in low-end talismans.

In Suiyang Immortal Market, everyone who knew Chen Ganliu regarded him as an Artisan Cultivator!

Two or three months passed in a flash. Chen Ganliu accumulated a small sum of Talisman Coins and decided to buy a Green Jade Stone to try his luck.

He also had a plan: the person who obtained the White Emperor's Legacy in his previous life had originally intended to refine Jade Talismans. That piece of Green Jade Stone would have been perfect for "refining talismans."

If that Green Jade Stone had later flowed into Suiyang Immortal Market, he naturally wouldn't be able to find it now. If it had already entered Suiyang Immortal Market, it would have been "unsold" for many years, otherwise, it wouldn't have been bought years later.

This Green Jade Stone, which contained the White Emperor's Discourse Collection and three Magic Treasures—a sword and two hooks—must have been quite large.

With these three conditions, Chen Ganliu sifted through the "old stock" of several long-term resident Rogue Cultivators in Suiyang Immortal Market and selected a piece of aged stone collected by a Rogue Cultivator named Ling Xiaozi.

The quality of this Green Jade Stone was extremely poor, mixed with impurities, almost indistinguishable from ordinary rock. The selling price was also very cheap.

Chen Ganliu haggled for six or seven days, using the excuse that he wanted to refine a batch of Jade Talismans.

Ling Xiaozi hadn't intended to sell it for a high price anyway, as the quality of the Green Jade Stone was truly terrible. He only had a slight trace of a green jade vein, so he sold it to Chen Ganliu for thirty Talisman Coins.

Chen Ganliu was overjoyed to obtain this Green Jade Stone. Although he didn't believe he would be so lucky as to find a "treasure" on his first try, he was still very hopeful.

He specifically activated the Illusion Talisman technique contained within his walking stick to its maximum, enveloping his wooden hut, before he began to split open the low-quality Green Jade Stone.

Chen Ganliu knew it would be best to leave Suiyang Immortal Market, find a secluded spot, set up a formation, and then break open the Green Jade Stone. However, if he couldn't strike it rich this time, he might have to buy more in the future. Sneaking away every time he bought a Green Jade Stone would be too conspicuous and would easily arouse suspicion. Moreover, he didn't know any formations, so he could only make do like this!

Chen Ganliu had already prepared his axe and chisel. He chose an angle and tapped lightly. After only a few dozen strikes, a crack appeared in the low-quality Green Jade Stone, and a large piece of broken stone flaked off, revealing the stone's heart, which was a vibrant green.

He didn't know if this was good luck or bad luck. The stone heart of the Green Jade Stone he bought was green and surprisingly refined, hiding a superior piece of Green Jade Stone beneath its impure exterior.

Chen Ganliu refused to give up. He carefully chipped away for two days, uncovering seven or eight pieces of high-quality material suitable for Jade Talismans and three pieces of scrap material, but he didn't find any trace of the White Emperor's Legacy.

He sighed, having to accept the outcome. This "stone gambling" hadn't yielded the main prize, but it wasn't a complete loss.

Jade Talismans were very different from ordinary talismans. Ordinary talismans had limited capacity for spiritual energy, while Jade Talismans could hold more, allowing for more layers of refinement.

In fact, Jade Talismans could already be considered a type of Magic Tool. Refining one required a hundred times more effort than ordinary talismans, and the refining method was also different. They couldn't be drawn with a brush and ink; they had to be made using the Heart Talisman Technique, which had a much higher barrier to entry than drawing talismans.

In his previous life, although Chen Ganliu had reached the Second Layer of Qi Condensation, he hadn't grasped the Heart Talisman Technique and was incapable of refining Jade Talismans. He would have had to find ways to offload the Green Jade Stone material. Doing so once or twice might be fine, but doing it repeatedly would inevitably expose his flaws.

However, in this life, he already had a plan for refining Jade Talismans.

Among the Twelve Talismans of the Profound Gate, Chen Ganliu was most skilled in the Illusion Talisman. He planned to refine an Illusion Jade Talisman to serve as the treasure of his talisman shop.

He temporarily put away all the high-quality materials. Although the good material for refining Jade Talismans couldn't compare to obtaining the White Emperor's Legacy, he couldn't flaunt it either, lest it attract trouble. He picked the worst of the three scrap pieces and considered it a small period of seclusion. It took him five days to refine the Jade Talisman to a passable standard. With a weary expression, he put away his walking stick and removed the illusion that had enveloped his wooden hut.

Since receiving his new residence, Daoist Wu Chang had been quite friendly towards Chen Ganliu. When there were no markets, these Rogue Cultivators didn't have much to do. Being advanced in age, he knew he had no hope of breaking through further and practiced cultivation at his own pace. Seeing that Chen Ganliu had deactivated his illusion, he boldly came to his door and asked with a smile, "Daoist Chen, did you gain anything from your recent seclusion?"

Chen Ganliu quickly replied, "The raw stone I bought a few days ago yielded a few pieces of material. Time was short, so I only managed to refine one Jade Talisman, and its effects are not yet complete."

He showed the three pieces of scrap material to Daoist Wu Chang. The old Daoist never imagined that this "young-looking" fellow cultivator had other plans. He glanced at the three pieces of scrap material and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. Daoist Chen, you've even mastered the Heart Talisman Technique. Your business will surely prosper at the next small market."

The old Daoist pulled Chen Ganliu along, inviting him to his home for a drink. Chen Ganliu had no choice but to accompany him. Anyway, when there were no markets, there were hardly any outsiders in Suiyang Immortal Market, and he had nothing valuable at home, so he wasn't afraid of theft.

Chen Ganliu spent half a day drinking with Daoist Wu Chang, chatting idly, before returning home slightly tipsy.

As soon as he reached the entrance of his wooden hut, he saw Chen Qing sitting inside.

For the convenience of his guests, the lower floor of the small wooden hut had walls on only three sides, without doors or windows. He had also specially made several wide chairs with thick cushions and comfortable backrests, aiming for an atmosphere where guests could come and go freely and feel at home.

Chen Qing was an acquaintance, so she wasn't overly reserved.

Seeing the female cultivator, Chen Ganliu smiled and said, "Sister Chen, why didn't you call me from Daoist Wu Chang's home, but instead sat here alone? Have I been neglecting my guests?"

Updated

I wrote this chapter in three hours this morning, revising it repeatedly. I want to establish a daily routine for the protagonist, hoping to capture the feeling of a low-level cultivator.

Different from ordinary people, yet possessing the helplessness and troubles of a low-level cultivator, fitting the essence of a Mortal Immortal...

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