Headless Spirit Fish

In the training room.

Shen Xuan looked at the Spirit Gathering Array Banners before him, a wave of emotion washing over him.

The effect of the Spirit Gathering Array was excellent, but it was just too expensive in Spirit Stones.

One Spirit Stone a day amounted to three hundred and sixty-five in a year.

Ordinary cultivators simply couldn't afford it.

The stipends for cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage of cultivation families weren't even three hundred Spirit Stones.

They still had to pay for food, cultivation, and purchase Magic Tools, Spirit Pills, Talismans, and other expenses.

Some even had to raise their children.

Therefore, many cultivators at the peak of Qi Refining had to scrape together funds just to barely afford a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Some even gave up the opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment.

All just to leave a little more Spirit Stones for their family members.

Take Zhao Chunsheng next door, for instance. To support his two sons, he hadn't moved out of this low-grade residence even after breaking through to the late Qi Refining stage.

However, he had also found a new source of income.

That was helping Shen Xuan procure Yao Beasts and sell Talismans.

Shen Xuan's high-quality Water Control Talismans were all sold by Zhao Chunsheng.

For this, he paid Zhao Chunsheng a commission of fifteen percent.

This price was quite fair to Zhao Chunsheng.

He was a cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage and a Monster Hunter, with considerable strength.

He had plenty of connections and resources to sell those high-quality Water Control Talismans.

Besides gratitude, Zhao Chunsheng also realized that Shen Xuan's Talisman-making skills likely surpassed most people's understanding.

As they interacted more, their relationship also grew closer.

Zhao Chunsheng's wife, Jiang Xueqi, would often visit with gifts and address Ding Yuyao as her sister, becoming close friends.

She was a cultivator in the mid Qi Refining stage, and it was rare for her to treat Ding Yuyao, who had a mortal body, in such a manner.

Ding Yuyao knew clearly that Jiang Xueqi's attitude was entirely due to her husband, Shen Xuan.

Having strength was the key to earning respect from others!

Her husband's strength was unfathomable!

Ding Yuyao had personal experience of this.

She felt her husband was getting stronger and stronger.

The duration of their sparring sessions was getting longer.

Moreover, the techniques were becoming more varied.

Thinking of those strange and wonderful positions, Ding Yuyao's ears turned red, and she felt shyly flushed.

At this moment, in the training room.

Shen Xuan slowly finished his cultivation.

[Talent: Water Control Mastery (2/400)]

[Water Condensation Edge Shaping Art]: Mastery (5/400)]

Looking at the mess in the training room.

Just like the Water Control Talisman skill, once it reached the mastery stage, the proficiency was difficult to increase.

"It's still the limitation of my Cultivation Realm!"

Shen Xuan knew this clearly.

Whether it was Cultivation Techniques, Talents, Talisman-making, or Spell Techniques, they were all limited by his own Cultivation Realm.

With his current Cultivation Realm of Qi Refining Level 4, reaching the mastery stage in Cultivation Techniques, Talents, Talisman-making, and Spell Techniques was about his limit.

Therefore, a cultivator's Cultivation Realm was the foundation of cultivation.

"I still need to find a way to plunder Yao Beast bloodline talents and improve my Spirit Root aptitude!"

"It's a pity my current Cultivation Realm isn't high enough, otherwise, the first choice would be the Water Escape Talisman."

The Water Escape Talisman was one of the Five Elements Escape Talismans, of high grade.

Talisman Masters could only have a chance of successfully crafting it when they reached the late Qi Refining stage.

Shen Xuan pondered repeatedly and decided to craft a mid-grade Talisman, the Spring Return Talisman.

As the name suggests, the greatest use of the Spring Return Talisman was to heal injuries and restore spiritual energy.

There were two types of Spring Return Talismans.

The most widely used was the Wood Attribute Spring Return Talisman, which focused on restoring spiritual energy.

Another type is the Water Attribute [Spring Return Talisman], which restores spiritual energy while also having excellent healing effects for injuries.

Relatively speaking, the Water Method [Spring Return Talisman] uses beast blood and cinnabar, which are more expensive and more complicated to make.

"Headless Fish?"

Hearing Shen Xuan's request for proxy purchasing, Zhao Chunsheng did not immediately agree.

"Talisman Master Shen, these Headless Fish are rare in the depths of the Longze River, and they are more expensive than Green Feather Fish!"

"What's the market price?"

"Three Spirit Stones per jin."

"Alright. Please help me purchase them, Fellow Daoist Zhao. I won't have you working for nothing."

"No problem!"

"And please keep this a secret, Fellow Daoist Zhao!"

"What are you saying! Don't worry, Talisman Master Shen! I may not have many other skills, but I can certainly keep my mouth shut."

"That's good!"

With the [Water Control Technique] applied, the [Water Condensation Edge Shaping Art] is powerful enough to threaten cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage.

Coupled with the mid-grade defensive Magic Tool, the Water Cloud Shield, Shen Xuan's sense of security greatly increased.

Even when facing a cultivator in the late Qi Refining stage, he would have the strength to fight.

However, Shen Xuan was a cautious person.

Safety first, cultivating in low profile, and trying not to attract attention was the right path.

A month later, Zhao Chunsheng arrived carrying a fishing bag.

Inside were several Headless Fish, estimated to weigh about three jin.

"How many Spirit Stones?"

"Let's say nine Spirit Stones."

"Okay!"

Shen Xuan didn't say much more and directly gave him ten Spirit Stones.

After taking the Spirit Stones, Zhao Chunsheng asked, "Do you want more?"

"What's up?"

Zhao Chunsheng said with a smile, "I got lucky and found a channel. I can get six or seven jin every month. I wonder if Talisman Master Shen can handle it?"

"So much!"

Shen Xuan deliberately put on a troubled expression.

With his current mastery of [Water Control Talisman] crafting at the proficient stage, his success rate was forty percent, earning him seventy Spirit Stones per month!

After deducting the spirit gathering array in the Training Room and living expenses, he could save thirty Spirit Stones a month.

Do not reveal wealth, do not show off.

Shen Xuan had always been careful, only letting Zhao Chunsheng sell a portion of his top-quality [Water Control Talismans].

"I'll definitely buy them. However, for such a large quantity, I don't have enough Spirit Stones to pay immediately."

"It's okay! You can owe me!"

Zhao Chunsheng said generously.

"I might not trust others, but I trust you, Talisman Master Shen!"

"Then I'll trouble you, Fellow Daoist Zhao. I'll pay half the Spirit Stones, and the rest can be settled with the top-quality [Water Control Talismans] I make. How about that?"

"Fine!"

After sending Zhao Chunsheng off, Shen Xuan carried the fishing bag into the Training Room.

First, according to the Cultivation Technique jade slip, he made [Spring Return Talismans] himself.

After consuming twelve sets of materials, the [Spring Return Talismans] reached the introductory level.

Then, he used the Mysterious Jade Talisman to plunder the Headless Fish's talent from the fishing bag.

After a flash of golden light.

[Talent: Self-Healing (6/100)]

[Spring Return Talisman: Introductory (9/100)]

[Dao Charm: 12]

Shen Xuan observed for a while.

Headless Fish of the same weight had a similar effect to Green Feather Fish.

It took Shen Xuan a full year and a half to plunder the Water Control talent from the Green Feather Fish.

Now that Zhao Chunsheng had found a supply channel for Headless Fish, with large quantities and sufficient supply, the process was much faster than with the Green Feather Fish.

About every half a month, they would visit once, taking three to four jin of Headless Fish.

Each time, Shen Xuan would pay half the Spirit Stones, and the other half with premium Water Control Talismans.

Occasionally, he would exchange them for premium Spring Return Talismans.

Eight months later.

[Talent: Self-Healing (96/100)]

In the Training Room, Shen Xuan suppressed his excitement and began the final talent plunder of the Headless Fish.

Success or failure would be decided today!

The Mysterious Jade Talisman did not disappoint Shen Xuan.

After a golden light, the bloodline talents of the few Headless Fish in the fishing bag were completely absorbed.

Shen Xuan felt a moment of dizziness.

A completely new life experience transformed into specks of spiritual light and flowed into his sea of consciousness.

Living without a head or heart, deep within the great river, surviving tenaciously in a harsh environment lacking nutrients and oxygen until the body completely decomposed.

When suffering external damage, the body could quickly seal wounds and repair damaged parts, thereby restoring bodily functions.

Even if completely cut in half, each half of the Headless Fish could self-repair and survive independently with great hardship.