Talisman Master

However, there were benefits to selling to the Fu family, as they had deep pockets and could pay on the spot.

Leaving the Fu family's talisman shop, Zhou Er had to admit the Fu family was truly greedy.

One spirit stone only bought twenty-five sheets of raw talisman paper.

After drawing on these twenty-five sheets of talisman paper, at least one to two taels of spirit ink would be needed.

This way, just the cost, not counting the wear and tear on the talisman brush, for twenty-five talismans would be two low-grade spirit stones.

And even if all these talismans were compliant, selling them to the Fu family would only yield five low-grade spirit stones.

Moreover, even the most skilled talisman masters couldn't avoid losses when making talismans.

The break-even point for talisman making was a 40% success rate, which was difficult for beginners to achieve.

Fortunately, Zhou Er could equip the Wondrous Brush attribute, giving him a 30% success rate from the start. Combined with Rune Mastery, the success rate would be at least over 40%.

Breaking even should be possible, it was just a matter of how much profit he could make.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Second Layer (42.67%)]

[Equipment Slots (3/3): Five Animals Health Technique, Spirit Gathering Pill, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Spirit Gathering (White), Five Animals Health Technique (Mastered), Longevity, Taotie (White).]

[Solidified Attributes: Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Strength Increase (White).]

Before preparing to make talismans, Zhou Er looked at his panel and removed the Spirit Gathering Pill and Bigu Pill, equipping the Wolf Hair Brush for talisman making.

This way, he could gain the attribute bonuses from Rune Mastery and Wondrous Brush, increasing his talisman-making success rate.

Of course, Rune Mastery was essential. Without Rune Mastery, let alone making talismans, Zhou Er wouldn't even recognize most runes.

[Rune Mastery (Tier 1): Mastered most Tier 1 runes.]

[Wondrous Brush (White): Increases the success rate of Tier 1 talismans by 30%.]

After equipping the attributes, Zhou Er poured out the spirit ink and was about to start drawing.

"I should cut the talisman paper first, otherwise, if something goes wrong, the entire sheet will be ruined."

Zhou Er thought, then began to patiently cut the talisman paper.

Perhaps it was because he had equipped the Talisman Making Insights, but as Zhou Er cut, he was like an old master of many years, ultimately cutting out twenty-eight sheets of talisman paper that met the template.

Then, Zhou Er poured out a little spirit ink.

All preparations were complete, and Zhou Er could begin crafting talismans.

He took out a sheet of talisman paper and spread it on the table.

Zhou Er mentally rehearsed the Fireball Technique, then meticulously translated its details into corresponding runes.

Feeling confident, Zhou Er began to ink his brush and put it to paper.

Talisman crafting required a smooth, unbroken flow; any hesitation would ruin the entire talisman.

With the blessings of Rune Mastery and the Wondrous Brush attribute, Zhou Er was also exceedingly careful.

In the time it took to brew a cup of tea, the first Fireball Talisman was successfully crafted and stored in Zhou Er's repertoire of Fireball Techniques.

However, Zhou Er's magical power was limited. Crafting just one Fireball Talisman consumed one-third of his magical power.

He carefully placed the finished Fireball Talisman in a wooden box and began crafting the next one.

One success, one failure.

Zhou Er's magical power was depleted.

He was only at the Qi Refining Second Layer, capable of casting at most three Fireball Techniques. Similarly, he could only craft three Fireball Talismans.

After failing to craft the third Fireball Talisman, Zhou Er stopped in time, lest he accidentally cause an explosion.

Scrapped talismans were useless and could only be destroyed or sold back to the Fu family for recycling.

The recycling price was roughly one Spirit Stone for a hundred scrapped talismans.

It was better than nothing, he supposed.

With his magical power exhausted, Zhou Er sat cross-legged on his bed and began circulating the Qi Gathering Technique to recover his spiritual energy, also using the time for cultivation.

Once his magical power was restored, Zhou Er continued drawing talismans, followed by rest.

Zhou Er repeated the cycle of crafting talismans, cultivating, and resting. In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

All twenty-eight blank talisman papers were used up, along with a little over an ounce of Spirit Ink. Zhou Er successfully crafted eighteen Fireball Talismans.

[Wondrous Brush (White): Increases the success rate of Tier 1 talismans by 30%.]

[Solidification Condition: Successfully craft 300 Tier 1 talismans. (18/300)]

The success rate was over sixty percent, which was quite good. The Wondrous Brush's solidification condition had also progressed by 18 talismans.

As for income, selling the talisman papers would likely yield about three Spirit Stones. After deducting costs, that left a net profit of one Low-grade Spirit Stone.

"It's the startup phase, understandable. Most people are still losing money at this point."

Zhou Er comforted himself.

The biggest reason was that Zhou Er's cultivation was still too weak, with too little magical power, requiring him to recover spiritual energy after making two or three talismans.

As expected, cultivation was the foundation of everything. Without enough cultivation, it was difficult to even make talismans.

However, fortunately, these were made by Zhou Er in his spare time. As long as they could be sold for Spirit Stones and bring in some income, it would be good enough.

As for selling them himself, Zhou Er had neither the time nor the energy, and it wasn't guaranteed they would sell anyway. There was no need to go to all this trouble for a small price difference.

Zhou Er, carrying the talismans he had made, returned to the Fu Family Talisman Shop. This time, he didn't see Xiao You. Instead, he met another Servant Disciple.

"Is Xiao You not here?"

Zhou Er asked.

"He's off today. Senior Brother, what do you need? I can help you."

The Servant Disciple who remained in the shop said.

"I want to sell talismans."

Zhou Er took out a stack of Fireball Talismans and said.

Seeing the decent quality Fireball Talismans, the Servant Disciple brought Zhou Er to a middle-aged Senior Brother, then excused himself and left.

The Senior Brother had Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation. He was plump, giving off a honest and sincere impression.

"I am Fu Qiu. What is your name, Junior Brother?"

Fu Qiu sat in his seat, speaking politely but acting carelessly.

"Senior Brother Fu, my name is Zhou Er."

Zhou Er stepped forward and handed the talismans in his hand to Fu Qiu.

"So you are Junior Brother Zhou. I've heard of you from that kid Zhu Shunyang. He often praises your firm Dao heart, saying you stay secluded and cultivate diligently every day."

Fu Qiu took the talismans Zhou Er handed him with both hands, a bright smile appearing on his face.

Master Jide was currently the youngest Golden Core True Master in the Xiayun Sect, only in his sixties.

With such a background, he had to be wary and not dare to offend him.

"So Senior Brother Fu knows Senior Brother Zhu!"

Zhou Er was a little surprised.

"Old friends."

Fu Qiu explained:

"After all, we interact often."

"That's true."

Zhou Er thought about how small the circle of Talisman Masters was. If he stayed for a few years, he might get to know everyone in that circle.

"Junior Brother Zhou, how are you settling into the Wutong District? Are you accustomed to it?"

Fu Qiu asked with concern.

"I'm living very well, I've gotten used to it already."

Zhou Er replied, feeling a bit strange. Why was Senior Brother Fu being so enthusiastic? He had seemed so cold just moments ago.

Fu Qiu and Zhou Er chatted back and forth, but never mentioned the Talismans.

Zhou Er was here to sell Talismans, not to chat. He had to brace himself and interrupt:

"Senior Brother Fu, what do you think of the quality of the Talismans?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Right, right! Talismans, Talismans."

Fu Qiu quickly picked up the Talismans Zhou Er gave him, his hand swiftly stroking over them.

"Junior Brother Zhou, the power of these Talismans is slightly lacking!"

Fu Qiu said with a frown.

Hearing this, Zhou Er's heart sank.

He was only at Late-stage Qi Refining Layer Two right now. He had been in a hurry to make the Talismans. Although he had put a lot of effort into them, their power was still somewhat inferior to Talismans made by Talisman Masters in the Late-stage Qi Refining realm.

Unexpectedly, Fu Qiu's tone shifted, and he said:

"However, the quality of the Talismans you made is good, which compensates for that minor flaw. I'll take all eighteen of these Fireball Talismans and give you four Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Seeing this, Zhou Er was overjoyed and said:

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"You say that, Junior Brother. If it weren't for your high level of Talisman-making skill, I wouldn't be able to accept them! It's actually us who profited."

Fu Qiu said with a chuckle.

Although these were flattering words, Zhou Er found them very pleasing, as he had indeed poured his heart and soul into drawing each one.

His efforts were recognized, and Zhou Er felt a bit more favorably towards Senior Brother Fu.

What a good person!

"Senior Brother, you flatter me. I'm just a newcomer."

Zhou Er rubbed the back of his head and said humbly.

"Exceptional talent, exceptional talent! Junior Brother can produce talismans of this caliber on his first try. If that's not exceptional talent, what is?"

Although Fu Qiu was exaggerating, what he said wasn't entirely wrong.

Zhou Er had only recently started making talismans. It was already good that he could successfully produce them, and with such a high success rate, he was naturally exceptionally talented.

"Senior Brother Fu, you're making me blush."

Zhou Er chuckled awkwardly.

Fu Qiu also laughed along, then said:

"Junior Brother Zhou, what I said is true. How about this, from now on, we'll subsidize you when we purchase your talismans. We'll buy your talismans back at a rate of four for one Spirit Stone, and I'll arrange for someone to come to your Courtyard to collect them, saving you an extra trip."

"That's too kind of you."

Zhou Er could plainly feel Fu Qiu's preferential treatment towards him.

"We, the Fu family, have always held excellent Talisman Masters in high regard. We can even exchange Talisman Making Insights together in the future."

Fu Qiu said. He was also a Talisman Master, though not very skilled, he could talk eloquently.

Zhou Er didn't know how to respond.

"Junior Brother, don't refuse. Zhu Shunyang receives the same treatment."

"Senior Brother Zhu is half my master. How can I compare myself to Senior Brother Zhu?"

Zhou Er was somewhat overwhelmed. As a complete novice, he naturally wouldn't dare to compare himself casually to an old hand like Zhu Shunyang.

Of course, Zhou Er also had his own comparisons in mind.

He had also considered how many days it would take him to catch up to Zhu Shunyang.

"Alright, Junior Brother, if you refuse again, you won't consider me, Fu, a friend."

Fu Qiu said.

Seeing this, Zhou Er had no choice but to agree.

They agreed that from then on, every ten days, Fu Qiu would send Servant Disciples to Zhou Er's Courtyard to collect talismans and deliver talisman-making materials.

Even then, Fu Qiu gave Zhou Er a lot of credit.

This meant Zhou Er could take materials for free first, and after making the talismans, he could use them to settle the debt and share the remaining profits.

This saved Zhou Er a lot of trouble.

From now on, even without spirit stones, he would have raw materials to make talismans.

Walking out of the Fu Family Talisman Shop, Zhou Er realized that the Fu family members were actually good people!

Of course, Zhou Er wasn't so naive as to believe the Fu family was genuinely good to him. It was merely because they were wary of Elder Jide behind him.

With backing, everyone was a good person.

Without backing, the Fu family's oppression alone would have been a handful for Zhou Er.

However, Zhou Er knew that Master Jide was ultimately not his true backer. He had to improve his own strength as quickly as possible.

Everything he had now was an illusion.

Only when true power resided within himself would it be most real.

Returning to his courtyard, Zhou Er resumed his previous life, day after day.

Two months later, Zhou Er's cultivation broke through to the Qi Refining Third Layer, and he had accumulated nearly thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones.

[Wondrous Brush (White): Increases the success rate of Tier 1 talismans by 30%.]

[Solidification Condition: Successfully craft 300 Tier 1 talismans. (259/300)]

"The Wondrous Brush is only thirty-odd talismans away from solidification. But I have more pressing matters now."

After checking the progress of the Wondrous Brush's attribute, Zhou Er removed it and replaced it with the Taotie attribute.

He also switched the Rune Mastery attribute to Spirit Gathering to maximize the effect of his attributes.

Having done all this, Zhou Er knocked on Lin Shiyu's door. He knew she had the day off.

"Senior Brother?"

Lin Shiyu wondered why Zhou Er had time to visit her.

She knew Zhou Er had been very busy lately and hadn't bothered him, nor had she urged him to repay the spirit stones.

Although Lin Shiyu didn't rush him, Zhou Er couldn't not repay her.

Once he had saved up thirty spirit stones, Zhou Er immediately found Lin Shiyu and repaid his debt, with interest.

Of course, Lin Shiyu's help couldn't be easily repaid with just spirit stones. When he earned more spirit stones in the future, he would definitely buy a Purple Cloud Furnace to repay her past kindness.

A drop of kindness deserves a gushing spring in return.

When Zhou Er was at his most critical juncture, Lin Shiyu had given him the most important help, and no amount of repayment would be excessive.

"Junior Sister, I heard that the Spirit Restaurant recently launched a new Spirit Snake Soup Dumpling. Let's go eat it together!"

Zhou Er said.

Perfect, he could repay the Spirit Stones while they ate.

"Okay!"

Lin Shiyu smiled and nodded. They had gone out to eat many times before, and were already accustomed to it, so there was no need to be polite.

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