Safety First

After the transaction was complete, Shopkeeper Ding warmly invited Shen Xuan and his wife to sit in the rest room and personally brewed spirit tea for him.

"Yaoyao, I told you, Talisman Master Shen is an excellent son-in-law! See, he can already craft high-quality talismans—good days are still ahead!"

"Thank you, Grandpa Qingtao."

Shen Xuan finished his spirit tea and spent one spirit stone to purchase an ungraded jade hairpin artifact.

The Water Phoenix Hairpin could gather faint water spiritual qi, aiding cultivation.

When attacked at close range, it could automatically trigger a layer of Water Shield, providing weak defensive effects.

For this, Shen Xuan also had Shopkeeper Ding gift him a superior internal cultivation technique.

The Jade Maiden True Scripture was a female internal technique passed down from secular Daoist sects, emphasizing gentle, tranquil movements, balancing internal and external cultivation, harmonizing qi and blood, and offering unique effects for women's body cultivation and health preservation.

Ding Yuyao was merely a mortal woman, yet Shen Xuan was willing to spend spirit stones to buy her an artifact and an internal cultivation technique.

Shopkeeper Ding watched and nodded to himself.

This matchmaking had not been a mistake.

A talisman master who could craft high-quality talismans—the future was promising!

Only, his age was a bit advanced—sixty years old!

Otherwise, even in a Foundation Establishment cultivation family, he would be a key training target.

Shen Xuan didn't think that far.

After a brief chat, he took his beloved wife and left the Ding family shop.

Only five spirit stones remained in his storage bag.

He went to the rice shop and the meat shop, spending two spirit stones to buy twenty jin of spirit rice, sixty jin of refined rice, and ten jin of savage beef.

On the way back, the vendor had indeed saved the Mysterious Water Turtle for him.

This Mysterious Water Turtle was also a juvenile body, but a bit larger.

Shen Xuan haggled and finally spent two spirit stones and five spirit pearls to take it.

The savings in his storage bag were nearly depleted, leaving only five spirit pearls.

Yet Shen Xuan was full of confidence.

That evening.

Ding Yuyao prepared a sumptuous dinner.

"Husband, you've worked hard! Eat more, replenish your body."

Ding Yuyao said with a sweet smile.

Over the past ten-plus days, under Shen Xuan's guidance, she had finally come to appreciate the pleasures of fish and water.

Several cultivations a day, nourished and especially lively.

She worried that her husband's body might not be able to handle it, affecting his cultivation.

After all, her husband was a sixty-year-old elder.

"Alright. You should also eat some spirit rice and savage beef. I'll teach you to cultivate the internal technique and refine it."

After the meal, Shen Xuan brought out the Jade Maiden True Scripture.

"Yaoyao, this is a female Dao technique. It can nourish the body and strengthen it. If you break through to Xiantian, it can also extend your life."

Ding Yuyao took the Jade Maiden True Scripture, a hint of sadness in her heart.

She had no spiritual root and could not cultivate.

A mortal body, living in the market district, nourished by spiritual qi, would age slower than in the secular world.

After forty, her face would begin to age, and perhaps her husband would no longer cherish her so tenderly.

Fortunately, her husband's aptitude was poor, with no hope of breaking through in this life.

Perhaps the two could still walk hand in hand, white hair together, spending this life side by side.

After the meal, Shen Xuan went to the training room.

This time, familiar with the process, he smoothly plundered the Mysterious Water Turtle's talent.

On the mysterious jade talisman, the ancient golden small characters shone once more.

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[Talent: Breath Concealment (8/100)]

[Dao Rhyme: 3]

[Breath Concealing Talisman: Mastery (42/400)]

The Breath Concealment talent had been plundered by 5 points, Dao Rhyme increased by 2 points, and the proficiency of [Breath Concealing Talisman] increased by 10 points.

Shen Xuan was overjoyed.

This was far faster than cultivating on his own.

If the plundered talent reached 100, what kind of harvest would that bring?

Shen Xuan's heart was filled with motivation.

He adjusted his daily schedule.

Cultivation, talisman crafting, sleep, eating, and finally, couple exercise.

No choice.

His beloved wife Ding Yuyao clearly couldn't handle his high-frequency pace.

"Pink skeleton, white bones and flesh, form is emptiness, emptiness is form!"

"Can't indulge in female charms; cultivating the mind and nature is the true path to longevity!"

Shen Xuan silently warned himself.

Over the next ten days, all one hundred and twenty sets of Breath Concealing Talisman materials were used up.

As his proficiency increased, and with the use of Premium Materials, the Talisman Completion Rate steadily rose, and the premium rate grew higher as well.

A fifty percent completion rate, with a twenty-five percent premium rate.

Ten Spirit Stones in cost produced sixty talismans, fifteen of which were premium.

Shen Xuan did a rough calculation.

Excluding brush wear, he could earn five Spirit Stones in ten days!

Fifteen a month, one hundred and eighty a year!

Shen Xuan was startled!

This income was something he'd never dared imagine before!

But he quickly came back to his senses.

Must not be careless!

Safety first!

This was only Gross Income.

If he wanted to continue cultivating, he'd need to pour resources in endlessly.

That Juvenile Body Mysterious Water Turtle alone was no small expense.

Shen Xuan repeatedly reminded himself: lying low was the way.

It had been Over forty years since he achieved Qi Induction.

Now past sixty, he didn't own a single magic tool!

Hole up in Qinglong Bay Market, never go out, and never fought another cultivator.

He even used Spirit Stones to substitute for Corvée Labor, let alone Secret Realm Exploration or Wild Monster Hunting.

"When it comes to combat, no one's more pathetic than me," Shen Xuan mused to himself.

He sold the finished talismans to the Ding Family shop, exchanging them for talisman materials and Spirit Stones.

Then he bought a Juvenile Body Mysterious Water Turtle from a street vendor, plundering its breath-concealing talent.

After deducting food and living expenses, he could still save seven or eight Spirit Stones a month as backup.

Time Flies.

Soon, half a year passed.

Every ten days, Shen Xuan sold talismans once, bought one Juvenile Body Mysterious Water Turtle, and plundered its breath-concealing talent.

That day, inside the Mysterious Jade Talisman.

[Talent: Breath Concealment (98/100)]

[Dao Rhyme: 36]

[Breath Concealing Talisman: Mastery (396/400)]

His crafting proficiency for Breath Concealing Talismans kept increasing, and both the completion rate and premium rate steadily improved.

Now, with one hundred and twenty sets of Premium Materials, he could successfully produce seventy Breath Concealing Talismans, twenty of them premium.

Shen Xuan remained cautious.

Each time he sold, he kept it to sixty Breath Concealing Talismans, ten of them premium.

The rest he stored away.

He earned eighteen Spirit Stones a month.

He could have bought more Juvenile Body Mysterious Water Turtles.

But to avoid arousing suspicion, he stuck to the rhythm of one purchase every ten days.

Even so, the neighbors in the market had given him a rather flattering nickname.

Turtle Talisman Master!

To this, Shen Xuan just smiled faintly, unconcerned.

This day was a special one.

Shen Xuan became unusually excited.

For that reason, he deliberately pulled his beloved wife into a fierce friendly match under broad daylight.

After a good, sound sleep, he rose, bathed, changed clothes, burned incense, and cleansed his hands.

He faintly sensed that this time, Talent Plunder would carry great significance.

His Spirit Root Aptitude had limited his cultivation ceiling.

Not only in terms of Cultivation Realm, but also in Talisman Crafting.

Now, half a year had passed, and his skill was very close to that of a Mid-grade Talisman Master.

All of this was the effect of the Mysterious Jade Talisman!

His savings had also accumulated to sixty Spirit Stones.

Along with sixty High-grade Breath Concealing Talismans.

In the past, such a speed of earning Spirit Stones would have been utterly unimaginable!

Among the Hundred Cultivation Arts—Alchemy, Arrays, Artifacts, Talismans—each one, if cultivated to mastery, could rapidly earn Spirit Stones.

"Pity, my Cultivation Realm still can't advance!"

For these six months, Shen Xuan had persisted in practicing the Divine Treasure Canghai Technique for two Hours daily, yet he still hadn't sensed a breakthrough opportunity.

The Mysterious Jade Talisman displayed it clearly.

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[Cultivation Method: Divine Treasure Canghai Technique - Mastery (200/200)]
[Realm: Qi Refining Level 3 - 100/100]