Sect Bounty

The price increase of consigned talismans is actually good news for him!

A High-grade Spring Return Talisman that originally cost two Spirit Stones can now sell for three Spirit Stones per sheet.

For every talisman sold, Shen Xuan pays him a fifteen percent commission.

This is risk-free income with zero cost!

Just by making a few rounds, he can earn over ten Spirit Stones a month.

Where else in the world could he find such a deal?

"That's all."

Shen Xuan emptied his Storage Bag, revealing only seven or eight High-grade Spring Return Talismans.

This left Zhao Chunsheng deeply disappointed.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, rest assured. These past few days, I've been in seclusion, focusing solely on crafting [Spring Return Talismans]. Let's make a wave of Spirit Stones first!"

Originally, Shen Xuan had planned to devote time to intensive practice of the [Spring Return Talisman], raising his crafting skill to the Mastery Stage.

The [Spring Return Talisman] has a wider range of applications than the [Water Control Talisman], so there's no issue with selling it.

Moreover, he can use it himself.

Although he had plundered the [Self-Healing] talent.

That talent is troublesome to improve and is only at the Proficiency Stage.

If he uses [Spring Return Talismans] at the same time, the healing and recovery effects will certainly be better.

"But, Fellow Daoist Zhao, are those Monster Hunters reliable?"

Shen Xuan was a bit worried.

Zhao Chunsheng is not a Talisman Master.

If he suddenly sells a large number of Water Law [Spring Return Talismans] in bulk.

Anyone paying attention could trace them back to Shen Xuan.

"Reliable!"

Zhao Chunsheng waved it off dismissively.

"Besides, what's so strange about you being able to craft High-grade Spring Return Talismans? You're being too cautious!"

Among the Hundred Cultivation Arts, Talisman Crafting is less difficult than Alchemy, Array Arrangement, or Artifact Refining.

Talisman Crafting has the lowest threshold among the six foundational cultivation arts.

But that doesn't mean it's easy.

Almost all cultivators know one or two talisman crafting techniques.

Yet very few become true Talisman Masters.

Most Rogue Cultivators who reach the Late Qi Refining Stage have at least one specialized skill.

Shen Xuan has spent over forty years focusing on talisman crafting at Qinglong Bay Market.

After advancing to Mid-grade Talisman Master, being able to mass-produce High-grade Spring Return Talismans is perfectly reasonable.

In the Cultivation World, many cultivators who have accumulated slowly suddenly have a breakthrough, and their skills advance by leaps and bounds.

In Zhao Chunsheng's view, Shen Xuan has been stuck at the Early Qi Refining Stage for too long, developing an overly cautious and meticulous personality—too careful by half.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, please be careful. Same rules as before—I'll give you fifteen percent commission."

Shen Xuan thought it over and instructed Zhao Chunsheng.

Even after paying Zhao Chunsheng the commission, the selling price of High-grade Spring Return Talismans is still much higher than selling them to the Ding Family shop.

Sure enough.

When he went to the Ding Family shop to purchase materials for crafting [Spring Return Talismans], Shopkeeper Ding gave him some bad news.

"The cinnabar and Talisman Paper for [Spring Return Talismans] have gone up in price."

Originally, a bottle of cinnabar and one hundred twenty sheets of Talisman Paper cost only thirty Spirit Stones.

Now they've risen to thirty-six Spirit Stones!

Shen Xuan immediately became displeased: "Shopkeeper Ding, this is hardly fair!"

Was he trying to exploit a regular customer?

Shopkeeper Ding quickly explained: "Talisman Master Shen, calm down! In two months, Qingyun Sect will be pulling cultivators again for Wilderness Reclamation."

"[Spring Return Talisman] is a commonly used talisman. The prices of the materials we purchase are also rising."

"Talisman Master Shen, this is actually good news! When the tide rises, so do the boats—the selling price of [Spring Return Talismans] is also going up! I'll increase my purchase price for ordinary [Spring Return Talismans] by thirty percent. For High-grade ones, I'll raise it by forty percent!"

Shen Xuan knew Shopkeeper Ding was trying to show goodwill.

He was now a major customer of the Ding Family shop.

By purchasing talisman materials and selling finished talismans, the Ding Family shop could profit from both ends!

"Fine." Shen Xuan agreed.

In one go, he purchased three hundred and sixty sets of talisman crafting materials, paying one hundred and eight spirit stones. It nearly emptied his storage bag.

He planned to focus on the [Spring Return Talisman] in the near future, earning spirit stones to acquire other cultivation resources.

After advancing to Qi Refining Level 5, he needed to buy an offensive magic tool.

Moreover, he had to continue plundering monster beast talents to improve his Spirit Root Aptitude.

All of this required spirit stones.

Returning home.

He and Ding Yuyao first had a Couple Exercise Warm-up.

Having been out, and with their residence lacking privacy, they hadn't done any strenuous exercise at all.

Now, Shen Xuan gave it his all.

Letting Ding Yuyao know what it meant by Long Drought Meets Rain!

It was quite a nourishing session!

Afterward, Shen Xuan instructed his beloved wife that he would be in seclusion for talisman crafting.

Guard the home and don't go out.

Don't let anyone enter the house except Zhao Chunsheng.

Over the next month, aside from training, Shen Xuan spent his time crafting [Spring Return Talismans].

Every day, he insisted on making one dozen—twelve [Spring Return Talismans].

The three hundred and sixty sets of talisman materials were consumed within a month.

[Spring Return Talisman: Mastery (6/400)]

After a month of hard work, he finally raised his [Spring Return Talisman] skill to the Mastery Stage.

Like the [Water Control Talisman], the completion rate was around forty percent.

From three hundred and sixty sets of materials, he produced one hundred and thirty [Spring Return Talismans], thirty of which were high-grade.

"Limited by my cultivation realm, the [Spring Return Talisman] skill has temporarily hit its ceiling."

Shen Xuan thought to himself.

According to the price Shopkeeper Ding gave, these [Spring Return Talismans] could sell for two hundred and ten spirit stones.

He could earn one hundred spirit stones in a month!

His biggest expense now was the Spirit Gathering Array in the training room, costing thirty spirit stones per month.

Aside from that, his and his wife's room and board, calculated monthly, only amounted to three or five spirit stones.

"With a surplus of sixty spirit stones per month, I can plunder another monster beast's talent."

Shen Xuan divided the crafted [Spring Return Talismans] into three portions.

Ten high-grade [Spring Return Talismans] as his own backup, stored in his storage bag.

One hundred ordinary [Spring Return Talismans] to sell to the Ding family shop, in exchange for talisman materials and a few spirit stones.

Twenty high-grade [Spring Return Talismans] entrusted to Zhao Chunsheng for consignment.

According to his cultivation progress, in another half year, he would break through to Qi Refining Level 5.

By then, with a higher cultivation realm, his talisman crafting skill could also reach a new level.

After emerging from seclusion.

Shen Xuan first bathed and changed clothes, then found his beloved wife with her autumn eyes full of longing, staying up all night to complete his homework.

So, farming was this hard too!

The next day, early in the morning, he walked into the Ding family shop.

Entering, he saw that the marked prices of cultivation spirit items in the shop—spirit pills, talismans, magic tools, spirit wine—had all risen.

From memory, it seemed the increase was fiercer than in previous years.

Could it be that this time, the Qingyun Sect's wilderness expedition had hidden circumstances?

Regardless, Shen Xuan would never answer the call for Wilderness Corvée.

The Qingyun Sect had never disclosed the number of fallen cultivators.

It was said that every wilderness expedition, at least ten percent of rogue cultivators were left forever in the wilds.

Seeing Shen Xuan enter the shop, Shopkeeper Ding warmly received him, inviting him into the VIP room and personally brewing spirit tea for him.

"Tsk tsk, Talisman Master Shen lives up to his reputation! You've crafted one hundred [Spring Return Talismans] so quickly!"

He presented three hundred and sixty sets of talisman materials and twelve spirit stones.

"Talisman Master Shen, why are there no high-grade [Spring Return Talismans]?"

"By chance, I crafted a few high-grade [Spring Return Talismans] and kept them for my own backup." Shen Xuan said indifferently.

Shopkeeper Ding nodded to show he understood, and didn't bring it up again.

"Talisman Master Shen, this time the Qingyun Sect has really gone all out on the Wilderness Corvée!"

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"The Qingyun Sect is offering ten Foundation Establishment Pills as rewards for the Top Ten Contributors!"

"Ah! That's quite the generous move!"

A single Foundation Establishment Pill sold for as much as ten thousand Spirit Stones.

And pills produced by a sect came with guaranteed quality, making them hard to come by on the open market—difficult to purchase at all.

Even Shen Xuan, a cultivator who followed the Cowardly Path and prioritized safety above all, found himself somewhat moved.

For cultivators with ordinary Spirit Root Aptitude, the Foundation Establishment Pill was a necessity for breaking through to Foundation Establishment.

Some cultivators even prepared two pills.

Cautious. Safety first.

I have the Mysterious Jade Talisman. I'll cultivate steadily—no need to take risks.

Shen Xuan repeatedly warned himself in his thoughts.

Only then did he suppress the urge to join the Wilderness Corvée.

"If the Qingyun Sect is offering such heavy rewards, there must be a reason!"