High-quality Talismans

After breakfast, Shen Xuan couldn't wait to step into a small room in the inner courtyard.

This was his Talisman Crafting Room.

For over forty years, his life and cultivation had relied entirely on the income from talisman crafting.

He sat cross-legged, regulated his breath, calmed his mind, and adjusted his mental and physical state to the optimum.

Then, holding the talisman brush, he sat upright, focused his mind, and began crafting the [Breath Concealing Talisman].

The pure spiritual power of the [Divine Treasure Canghai Technique] flowed into the brush tip, dipped in a bit of cinnabar mixed with Mysterious Water Turtle blood, and gently traced the runes of the [Breath Concealing Talisman] on the talisman paper.

The brush moved like a dragon and snake, flowing like clouds and water, completed in one go.

A [Breath Concealing Talisman] was successfully crafted!

Shen Xuan fell into thought.

This time, crafting the talisman was much smoother than before.

He was a Low-grade Talisman Master, specializing in [Breath Concealing Talismans] and [Invisibility Talismans], with a Talisman Completion Rate exceeding thirty percent.

At his Qi Refining Level 3 Cultivation Realm, each talisman he crafted consumed a great deal of mental energy and spiritual power.

Having this completion rate was already quite good.

He could only craft one dozen—twelve pieces—per day.

Next.

Shen Xuan continued crafting [Breath Concealing Talismans].

Time slowly passed.

After two hours, a thin layer of sweat seeped out on Shen Xuan's forehead.

His mental energy and spiritual power were mostly spent, unable to continue.

He glanced at the results on the talisman table, took a deep breath, and a face full of joy spread across it.

As expected of a Mastery-level talisman crafting skill!

Out of twelve sheets of talisman paper, five talismans were successfully made—one more than before!

What made him proud was that one of them had clear rune patterns and vigorous brushstrokes; its quality was likely approaching High-quality!

The price of a High-quality Talisman was twice that of an ordinary one!

"If I can improve the Talisman Completion Rate and craft High-quality Talismans, the speed of earning Spirit Stones will increase dramatically. Then I can continue purchasing Monster Beasts, plunder talents, and form a positive cycle!"

Shen Xuan mused to himself, his eyes shining brightly, revealing anticipation and hope for the future.

In the blink of an eye, over ten days had passed.

During this time.

Shen Xuan and Ding Yuyao were deeply affectionate, and he guided her into all sorts of unimaginable positions.

At first, Ding Yuyao was a bit resistant.

Later, she became familiar with it, even turning the tables and taking the lead.

This made Shen Xuan savor the taste, finally feeling the benefits of having a Beloved Wife at home.

Whether day or night, as long as he was in the mood, he could engage in a healthy dual cultivation session for both body and mind.

Amid the tedious cultivation life, it added a bit of daily pleasure.

That day, on the Mysterious Jade Talisman.

[Breath Concealing Talisman: Mastery (32/400)]

Crafting twelve [Breath Concealing Talismans] every day only increased proficiency by one point.

The Talisman Completion Rate stabilized at over forty percent.

After more than ten days, he had crafted sixty [Breath Concealing Talismans].

Among them, ten reached High-quality.

This filled Shen Xuan with great joy.

A thirty percent completion rate barely kept him at the break-even point, with only a Slight Profit.

Now, with a forty percent completion rate and the ability to craft High-quality Talismans, it meant he could earn more Spirit Stones!

Wealth, Companions, Dharma, and Place—the Spirit Stone, ranked first, was always a cultivator's favorite.

"Yaoyao, pack up a bit. We'll go to the market shop together later."

After staying home for ten days, Shen Xuan had no choice but to go out.

His stock of [Breath Concealing Talisman] materials was nearly depleted.

He needed to sell [Breath Concealing Talismans] to exchange for Spirit Stones.

The Spirit Rice and Savage Beef at home were also almost gone.

In these past ten-plus days, he had engaged in dual cultivation a bit too much, and his appetite had increased somewhat.

Even with his daily cultivation practice, he was after all a sixty-year-old man, and his body couldn't quite keep up—he had to increase his food intake to supplement his energy.

"Ah! Husband, this concubine has to go too?"

"Your Ding family's shop—let's go take a look together!"

"Alright!"

Ding Yuyao's face was full of delight.

Shen Xuan was taking her out on his own initiative, and to the Ding family shop at that.

This made her feel that her husband valued her.

She was, after all, his lawfully wedded main wife!

"Husband, wait for me!"

With that said.

Ding Yuyao went into the bedroom to draw her brows and apply makeup.

Not only that, she tried on several dresses and had Shen Xuan judge which one looked best.

"My wife is so beautiful—no matter what dress she wears, she looks good!"

Shen Xuan perfunctorily brushed her off.

In his heart, a woman wearing no clothes at all was the best-looking.

After dawdling for a quarter of an hour, Ding Yuyao, like a cheerful little bird, took Shen Xuan's arm and headed out.

Walking once again on the main street of the market, Shen Xuan's demeanor was completely different—his back straight, his spirits high, no longer the walking corpse he had been before.

"Oh, Fellow Daoist Shen is out with his beloved wife!"

"A perfect match, a match made in heaven!"

"Fellow Daoist Shen, come take a look—this Mysterious Water Turtle is a fine one, guaranteed to keep you vigorous and hale, with music and song every night!"

The street vendors and neighbors all burst into laughter.

"Save it for me!"

Shen Xuan said loudly, his voice full of confidence.

Beside him, Ding Yuyao buried her head deeply, too shy to lift it.

As Shen Xuan walked on, he saw a male and a female cultivator approaching from the opposite direction.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao."

"Fellow Daoist Jiang."

Shen Xuan quickly stepped aside, bowing and greeting them.

These two cultivators were a couple. The male cultivator, Zhao Chunsheng, was at the Late Qi Refining Stage, and the female cultivator, Jiang Xueqi, was at the Mid Qi Refining Stage. Both were skilled and often went out hunting Monster Beasts together.

Zhao Chunsheng nodded and left with his Dao Companion.

In their eyes, Shen Xuan was merely a Low-grade Talisman Master with whom they had no dealings. The nod was purely out of neighborly courtesy.

Shen Xuan didn't mind.

Late Qi Refining Stage Monster Hunters held some status in Qinglong Bay Market.

Shen Xuan led Ding Yuyao to the Ding family shop.

"Fellow Daoist Shen has arrived!" Shopkeeper Ding gave him face and personally received him.

"So, I didn't lie to you, did I, Fellow Daoist Shen?"

"Let's handle business first." Shen Xuan took out the [Breath Concealing Talismans] he had made.

Shopkeeper Ding glanced at them and smiled. "Fifty [Breath Concealing Talismans]—do you want to exchange them for Spirit Stones or for Talisman Paper and Cinnabar?"

The two had dealt with each other for forty years and knew each other's backgrounds well.

Shen Xuan always sold the Talismans he crafted at Shopkeeper Ding's shop.

The shop's purchase price was slightly lower than the market rate.

Shen Xuan usually exchanged a small portion for Spirit Stones and used most of it to exchange for Talisman Crafting materials, and Shopkeeper Ding would give him a small discount accordingly.

This way, it was only slightly cheaper, but it saved a lot of time compared to setting up a stall, and it also avoided trouble.

"Exchange it all for [Breath Concealing Talisman] Talisman Paper and Cinnabar."

"Ah, sure thing!"

"Superior grade."

"No problem!"

Originally, he could have exchanged for one hundred and sixty sets of crafting materials, but now he only got one hundred and twenty.

Superior grade Talisman Paper and Cinnabar cost thirty percent more than good grade.

"Ten bundles of Talisman Paper, one bottle of superior Cinnabar. Fellow Daoist Shen, please take them."

Shen Xuan put the talisman crafting materials into his Storage Bag, then took out ten High-grade Breath Concealing Talismans.

"These are?"

Shopkeeper Ding's eyes flickered with disbelief.

"Test them."

Shen Xuan was a regular customer, and Shopkeeper Ding had an eagle eye for quality—the two of them never tested talismans during transactions.

But this time was an exception.

The shop had a specialized instrument for testing talisman quality, a Mirror Artifact.

By placing a talisman under the mirror's light, it would flash a corresponding score.

"Ordinary talismans score sixty points; High-quality Talismans must reach ninety."

Testing the ten High-quality Talismans took only a dozen breaths.

Every single one scored above ninety.

When Shopkeeper Ding looked at Shen Xuan again, he could barely hide his delight.

"Talisman Master Shen has real skill! Don't worry, I won't lowball you—High-quality Talismans go for double the price."

High-grade Breath Concealing Talismans were always in high demand, a staple for Monster Hunters.

"Trade for Spirit Stones."

"Right away!"

Four glistening Spirit Stones were placed into the Storage Bag.