Mind Adept!

Mind Adept! Ever since discovering that Eagle Eye could improve his success rate in talisman drawing, Chen Wang had specifically asked Gao Yanan to keep an eye out for Gene Serums in that area.

He had also spent a fortune to purchase the relatively rare Tier 1 Gene Serum: Mind Adept. It could enhance a person's mental power, allowing them to accomplish things ordinary people could not through mental power.

Gene Serums were a field that ordinary people found difficult to access. In the Great Winter World, Gene Serums like Marksman and Rage were comparatively easier to get hold of.

But a Mind Adept was a rare type.

Still, there was no helping it. Chen Wang had money!

Thus, he injected himself with the Mind Adept Gene Serum. Now a Tier 2 warrior, he still found it somewhat strenuous to withstand the side effects of the Tier 1 Mind Adept serum. However, by circulating the Red Cloud Qi Refining Art he cultivated, he gradually repaired his Meridians and eliminated the hidden injuries within his body.

Cultivation techniques did not greatly improve one's physical constitution. They did not offer much of a boost to reaction speed, strength, speed, or defense either.

But they had one advantage: they could enhance a person's life functions and the vitality of their internal organs. Put simply, they increased one's life force. Therefore, Chen Wang had now completely resolved the side effects of injecting Mind Adept.

The benefits that followed even delighted Chen Wang somewhat. A Tier 1 Mind Adept could use mental power to influence others and implant psychological suggestions. It could also move small objects with mental power, such as teacups and knives. This could already be considered stepping into the realm of cultivation.

Cultivating the Object Manipulation Technique required an enormous expenditure of spiritual power, which was a major drain on Chen Wang. At present, he could only control a sharp little knife, using it to catch people off guard and bully Great Winter natives who had never seen cultivation arts—provided their physical constitutions were not too monstrous.

Tier 1 Gene Warriors like Diamond and Earth Mutant could both ignore the damage from ordinary knives. They were extremely monstrous.

After injecting the Tier 1 Mind Adept Gene Serum, Chen Wang felt that his mind had become clearer and far more powerful, while his perception of his surroundings had grown increasingly keen. Of course, the most obvious change for Chen Wang at present was that his success rate in talisman drawing had risen once more.

Talisman drawing was an exceptionally profound cultivation skill. Steady hands and excellent eyesight were both supporting conditions. More importantly, it required control over one's spiritual power, an understanding of Talismanship, and the use of Divine Sense, the most important faculty of a cultivator.

The slightest discrepancy would not do, or a talisman would be ruined.

Of course, for a cultivator like Chen Wang in Early Stage Qi Refining, Divine Sense was essentially not even a concept yet. He could not use it at present.

He could only cultivate continuously, raise his cultivation, and strengthen his soul. Only upon reaching Late-Stage Qi Refining could some exceptionally talented cultivators faintly sense Divine Sense and make basic use of it. Yet Chen Wang had now used the Tier 1 Mind Adept Gene Serum to achieve the basic applications only possible at Late-Stage Qi Refining. Though it was not much help in combat, its benefits during talisman drawing were immense. Therefore, during the time Chen Wang had been back, his success rate at drawing Wind Riding Talismans had risen dramatically, reaching a terrifying seventy percent! Before injecting the Gene Serum, his success rate had only been between twenty and thirty percent.

"First, set a small goal."

Chen Wang thought.

Wind Riding Talismans were consumable, supportive low-grade beginner talismans, and their price was extremely low. Though he could not become rich in a short time by relying on Wind Riding Talismans, his life had already undergone an earth-shaking transformation compared to when he had been unemployed. Simply put, the Spirit Stones he earned now were already equivalent to what he had earned back when he was tending horses for that Qi Refining Stage 9 expert.

Isn't this so much better than working? The hours are flexible.

Why would I keep working? I'm cultivating now. I'll never work for someone else again!

Chen Wang decided to strive and improve himself.

With money, his thoughts naturally became more lively, and he would always crave beautiful things.

A Female Cultivator by the roadside leaned against her doorway. Her clothing was scant and cool, and pale, smooth skin showed faintly through her neckline. This was one of the good things about cultivators. Perhaps not every one of them was a handsome man or beautiful woman, but their skin received a special enhancement, and their bearing differed from that of ordinary people.

The Female Cultivator leaned against the doorway with a seductive smile. Upon seeing Chen Wang, she smiled sweetly. "Chen Wang, why haven't you come to patronize your sister's business yet? Your sister misses you so much."

Chen Wang sighed. "Sigh, no money."

The Female Cultivator blinked and said with a coquettish laugh, "Why does it seem to me that you've been coming to the Market more often? You've made some money drawing talismans lately, haven't you?"

Chen Wang said, "What money? I'm only earning hardship money. It looks like I'm busy, but in reality... sigh, there's no profit."

The Female Cultivator covered her mouth and laughed softly. "You weren't like this before. You were full of fire, like a little bull calf. Is your sister no longer enough to satisfy you?"

Chen Wang smiled. "Another day, another day. Next time for sure."

His lively thoughts were not on these seductive and alluring Female Cultivators, but on the other stalls in the Market.

Last time, Chen Wang had bought a mid-grade beginner Golden Bell Talisman. He had kept it on him without using it. Furthermore, he had not used that low-grade Tier 1 Spring Return Talisman either.

Chen Wang sensed a feeling of danger in both worlds.

There was no need to mention the Great Winter World, which was filled with violence and chaos. But when had the cultivation world ever been calm and peaceful?

It was said that several people had died in the tomb of Green Crane True Immortal.

One cultivator had explored the great tomb and appeared perfectly normal, yet that very night, he hanged himself from a roof beam!...

Chen Wang had noticed that many unfamiliar faces had recently been lingering around the Market. They bought nothing and merely wandered nearby, which made Chen Wang deeply wary.

If they had truly come for the tomb of Green Crane True Immortal, then what was their purpose in wandering around the Market? Or had these people truly set their sights on the Red Cloud Sect? On the surface, they were merely wandering about, but in truth, they were observing some of the Red Cloud Sect's arrangements.

What a headache. I have to arm myself to the teeth!

Chen Wang thought.

He came to the stall of the bald old man and said with a soft smile, "Senior Zhou, you look very well today!"

The bald old man's surname was Zhou, and his name was Zhou Xian.

Chen Wang often came to wander around the Market. Sometimes, when he came without buying anything, he would chat with the bald old man. The two had gradually become familiar with each other.

The bald old man was a Talisman Master with a stiff manner, but he could not bring himself to ignore a warm and cheerful young man like Chen Wang. "How could I compare to you, brat? The Female Cultivators in the Pleasure House have exceptionally smooth skin, yet you can hold yourself back. Are you planning to cultivate in bitter seclusion?"

The bald old man had clearly noticed Chen Wang's conversation with that Female Cultivator.