Immortal Dust Sect Partner

Li Xiuchang and Wang Long discussed the matter and found it feasible, so they immediately began preparations.

Wang Long first took Li Xiuchang to the market. Afterward, they parted ways. Li Xiuchang went to purchase raw ingredients like spirit meat, while Wang Long busied himself with recruiting and renting furnaces and magic artifacts.

Before leaving, Wang Long hesitated and said, "Junior Brother, could I borrow some Spirit Stones for now..."

As he spoke, shame colored his face; a senior disciple asking a newcomer for Spirit Stones.

Li Xiuchang saw Wang Long's predicament and nodded, saying, "Renting the furnaces and recruiting people both require Spirit Stones. This expense should have been mine."

With that, he took out a handful of Spirit Stones from his pocket and asked, "Are twenty enough?"

"Not that much is needed. Five will suffice; I still have a few Spirit Stones on me."

Li Xiuchang also needed a considerable amount of Spirit Stones to purchase raw materials, so he counted out ten and handed them to Wang Long.

Wang Long sighed, "Thank you, Junior Brother. It's not that I'm unwilling to pay for the Spirit Stones, but rather..."

"Senior Brother, there's no need to explain. I understand completely," Li Xiuchang interrupted.

The competition among Talisman Masters was fierce. Although the raw materials like Tier 1 Talisman Paper were cheap, the selling price of Tier 1 Talismans was also low. Moreover, the supply exceeded demand, making them difficult to sell.

Only Tier 1 Talisman Masters with a success rate of over eighty percent could achieve a meager profit. Those with a success rate below eighty percent lost money with every Talisman they successfully drew.

It was particularly difficult for Talisman Masters like Wang Long, who were at the peak of Tier 1. To attempt to break through to Tier 2, they had to practice with Tier 2 Talismans. However, the raw materials for Tier 2 Talismans were not cheap...

The Spirit Stones he received monthly from the sect, plus the remuneration for guiding new disciples, were all spent on Tier 2 Talisman materials for practice as soon as they arrived. He was even reluctant to use Spirit Stones for his daily cultivation.

Li Xiuchang watched Wang Long leave before turning and entering the market.

This time, he directly purchased a full thirty Spirit Stones worth of various Spirit Beast Meats.

There was beef, pork, venison, and more.

Because he was buying in bulk, Li Xiuchang naturally negotiated the price. The final price remained the same as last time, but the shop owner threw in Spirit Salt and other assorted seasonings, saving Li Xiuchang a few Spirit Stones.

With only thirteen Spirit Stones left in his pocket, Li Xiuchang went to a shop specializing in Spirit Plants.

There were thousands of Spirit Plants in the world: various Spirit Grasses, Spirit Woods, Spirit Flowers, and Spirit Fruits, each with its own effects and uses.

Not all Spirit Plants could be used for Alchemy. Some Spirit Fruits were only suitable for direct consumption, some Spirit Woods were suitable for making Flying Swords and Magic Treasures, some Spirit Grasses were suitable for making Talisman Paper, and some were used for making poisons...

However, there were always some Spirit Plants, like some people, that were useless.

But these Spirit Plants, which were good for nothing, had one advantage: they were cheap.

These types of Spirit Plants were called "Waste Spirit Plants," and their prices were far lower than other Spirit Plants of the same tier.

Even Waste Spirit Plants contained wood-attribute Spiritual Power, which could be used to cultivate some wood-attribute cultivation techniques or as auxiliary materials for Formation Arts.

Li Xiuchang's target was these Waste Spirit Plants. He planned to buy some to see if they could assist in cultivating the Fire Starting Skill.

Finally, Li Xiuchang set his sights on a piece of Tier 1 Spirit Wood. There was no other reason than its large size and the abundant wood-attribute Spiritual Power it contained.

"Boss, how much for this piece of rotten wood?"

"That is Tier 1 Spirit Paulownia Wood. Thirteen Spirit Stones."

Li Xiuchang suspected the boss had X-ray vision, knowing he only had thirteen Spirit Stones left.

"Waste Spirit Plants are still sold so expensively!"

"There are no Waste Spirit Plants, only Spirit Plants whose uses have yet to be discovered. If you buy it, perhaps it will appreciate in value someday."

Believe you me, I will!

Li Xiuchang pouted, "Five Spirit Stones."

The boss also pouted proudly, "Five it is!"

Two straightforward people, and the deal was struck just as quickly.

With only eight Spirit Stones left in his pocket, Li Xiuchang strutted through the various high-end shops, gaining knowledge for free. Satisfied, he returned to the stall area and finally found a small piece of Demonic Beast Meat at a rogue cultivator's stall.

"This is Tier 1 Rabbit Demon meat. There's only this much left. If you want it, I'll give it to you for two Spirit Stones," the stall owner said, picking his teeth.

Although there was only a small piece of meat left, it was genuine Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat. Two Spirit Stones was indeed not expensive, even a bit cheap.

However, Li Xiuchang could smell the fishy, gamey odor from two meters away. He knew in his heart that this was likely not Rabbit Demon meat.

It was probably meat from less desirable Demonic Beasts like Rat Demons. These Demonic Beast Meats were mainly unpalatable or had unpleasant odors, hence their low price.

Li Xiuchang didn't mind. He intended to use it for practice, to see if his charcoal-attribute Mana could smoke Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat.

After some haggling, he secured the piece of Demonic Beast Meat for one Spirit Stone.

With that, Li Xiuchang's procurement plan was complete. He went outside the market to wait for Wang Long to pick him up.

"Junior Brother, I've arranged for all the manpower and furnace artifacts!" Wang Long exclaimed excitedly, full of vigor. "I've already resigned from my post at the Reception Area."

Li Xiuchang was very satisfied with Senior Brother Wang Long's efficiency, feeling he had chosen the right person. He immediately returned to the Inner Sect with Wang Long.

"I've rented a total of thirty low-grade artifact furnaces and hired three Tier 1 Talisman Masters. Each of them is in the Late Qi Condensation stage and can easily maintain ten furnaces simultaneously!"

"For the thirty furnace artifacts, I only rented them for one month, costing three Spirit Stones in total. If you need to continue using them, you can extend the lease."

"For the three Talisman Masters, one Spirit Stone per person per day will suffice."

"Where should we set up the venue?"

After a few moments of thought, Li Xiuchang said, "How about at my place in the Eastern Geng District? It's less crowded and quieter there."

"Alright, I'll take you back first, and then I'll bring those three guys over later."

"No need to rush. Let's wait until tomorrow. The spirit meat still needs a day to marinate."

"Okay."

Wang Long escorted Li Xiuchang back to the Eastern Geng District and handed over the thirty rented furnace magic treasures to him before leaving.

Li Xiuchang returned to his residence, divided the thirty furnaces into three groups, and arranged them in circles of ten.

He then took out the spirit meat he had just bought and began to marinate it.

He had bought a large quantity of spirit meat this time, and it took Li Xiuchang half a day to finish marinating it.

During this process, Li Xiuchang's length value also increased slowly. Marinating spirit meat was also a part of practicing Spirit Chef skills.

Li Xiuchang also took the opportunity to marinate the Tier 1 Demonic Beast Meat along with it.

Once everything was done, Li Xiuchang rested while taking out the book "Introduction to Alchemy" and began to read it carefully.

The book had annotations for difficult parts, so understanding it was not a problem. He just had to pause occasionally to think.

His mind gradually sank into it, and he lost track of time.

It wasn't until he heard a knock on the door that he was interrupted.

Li Xiuchang looked up and realized it was already noon the next day.

He heard Senior Brother Wang Long's voice outside the courtyard gate. When he opened the door, he saw a very excited Senior Brother Wang Long and the three Talisman Masters behind him.

One of them was a familiar face.