Talisman Master

However, selling to the Fu family had its advantages. They had deep pockets and could pay on the spot.

After leaving the Fu Family Talisman Shop, Zhou Er had to admit that the Fu family really were a bunch of profiteers.

One Spirit Stone could buy twenty-five sheets of Raw Materials talisman paper.

Drawing on those twenty-five sheets required at least one or two taels of Spirit Ink.

That meant the cost of twenty-five talismans alone, not counting wear and tear on the Talisman Brush, came to two Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Even if every single talisman met their standards, selling them to the Fu family would only earn him five Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Besides, even the most top-notch Talisman Master couldn't make talismans without any losses.

The break-even point was a forty-percent success rate, which was difficult for beginners to achieve.

Fortunately, Zhou Er could equip the Wondrous Brush Attribute and start with a thirty-percent success rate. With Rune Mastery on top of that, his success rate would be at least forty percent.

He should be able to break even, at least. The only question was how much he could earn.

[Name: Zhou Er]

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

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

[Unsolidified Attributes: Spirit Gathering (white), Five Animals Health Technique (perfected), 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 checked his panel. He removed the Spirit Gathering Pill and Bigu Pill, then equipped the Wolf Hair Brush he used for making talismans.

This would let him benefit from Rune Mastery and Wondrous Brush, increasing his success rate.

Of course, Rune Mastery was essential. Without it, forget making talismans—Zhou Er didn't even recognize most runes.

[Rune Mastery (First-tier): Proficient in most first-tier runes.]

[Wondrous Brush (white): Increases the success rate of first-tier talismans by thirty percent.]

After equipping the attributes, Zhou Er poured out some Spirit Ink and was about to put brush to paper.

I should cut the talisman paper first. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, I'll ruin an entire sheet.

Thinking this, Zhou Er began carefully cutting the paper.

Perhaps it was because he had equipped Talisman Making Insights. As he cut, Zhou Er worked like a seasoned master, and in the end, he produced twenty-eight sheets of talisman paper that matched the template.

Then Zhou Er poured out a little Spirit Ink.

All the preparations were complete. He could begin making talismans.

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

Zhou Er mentally ran through the Fireball Technique, then matched each detail of the technique to a rune.

Once he was reasonably confident, Zhou Er dipped his brush in ink and began to draw.

Making a talisman required one smooth, uninterrupted motion. Any hesitation would ruin the entire thing.

With Rune Mastery and Wondrous Brush bolstering him, Zhou Er was also being extremely careful.

After the time it took to brew a pot of tea, he successfully completed his first Fireball Talisman, storing the Fireball Technique inside it.

However, Zhou Er didn't have much mana. Making just one Fireball Talisman consumed a third of it.

He carefully placed the finished Fireball Talisman in a wooden box and started on the next one.

One succeeded, one failed.

Zhou Er's mana ran dry.

He was only at Qi Refining Second Layer and could cast at most three Fireball Techniques. Likewise, he could only make three Fireball Talismans.

After failing to make the third Fireball Talisman, Zhou Er stopped in time. Otherwise, he might have caused an explosion.

A ruined talisman was completely useless. It could only be destroyed or sold back to the Fu family for recycling.

The rate was about one Spirit Stone for every hundred scraps.

It was better than nothing.

With his mana exhausted, Zhou Er sat cross-legged on his bed and began circulating the Qi Gathering Technique to restore his Spirit Energy, cultivating as he did.

Once his mana had recovered, Zhou Er went back to drawing talismans, then rested.

Zhou Er kept cycling through the same three things—making talismans, cultivating, and resting—and before he knew it, five days had passed.

He had used up all twenty-eight blank sheets of talisman paper and more than one tael of Spirit Ink, successfully making eighteen Fireball Talismans.

[Wondrous Brush (white): Increases the success rate of first-tier talismans by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Successfully make three hundred first-tier talismans. (18/300)]

His success rate was over sixty percent, which was excellent. The Wondrous Brush solidification progress had also advanced by eighteen.

As for the income, after selling the talismans, he would probably take in three Spirit Stones. After deducting costs, he had made a net profit of one Low-grade Spirit Stone.

I'm still in the startup phase. It's understandable. Everyone else is losing money at this point.

Zhou Er consoled himself.

The main reason was that his cultivation was still too weak, leaving him with too little mana. After making two or three talismans, he had to stop and restore his Spirit Energy.

Cultivation really was the foundation of everything. Without a high enough cultivation level, even making talismans was difficult.

Still, Zhou Er had made all these talismans in his spare time. As long as he could sell them for Spirit Stones, earning a little was good enough.

As for selling them himself, Zhou Er had neither the time nor the energy. Besides, there was no guarantee he could sell them, so there was no need to go through all that trouble for a bit of extra profit.

Carrying the talismans he'd made, Zhou Er returned to the Fu Family Talisman Shop. Xiao You wasn't there this time; instead, he met another Servant Disciple.

"Is Xiao You not here?"

Zhou Er asked.

"He's off today. What can I do for you, Senior Brother?"

The Servant Disciple who had stayed behind in the shop replied.

"I'd like to sell some talismans."

Zhou Er took out a stack of Fireball Talismans and showed him.

After seeing that the Fireball Talismans were decent quality, the Servant Disciple led Zhou Er to a Senior Brother in his middle years, then excused himself and left.

The Senior Brother was at Late-stage Qi Refining. He was round-faced and gave off an honest, dependable air.

"I am Fu Qiu. May I ask your name, Junior Brother?"

Fu Qiu sat in his seat, polite in word but nonchalant in manner.

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

Zhou Er stepped forward and handed Fu Qiu the talismans.

"So you're Junior Brother Zhou. I've heard about you from that kid Zhu Shunyang. He often praises your determination in cultivation, saying you keep to yourself every day and cultivate diligently."

Fu Qiu accepted the talismans Zhou Er handed him with both hands, his face breaking into a bright smile.

Master Jide was the youngest Golden Core True Person in the Xiayun Sect, only a little over sixty.

With a background like that, Fu Qiu couldn't help being wary. He didn't dare offend him.

"I didn't know you knew Senior Brother Zhu!"

Zhou Er was a little surprised.

"We're old friends."

Fu Qiu explained,

"We see each other often, after all."

"That's true."

Zhou Er figured the Talisman Master circle was small. If he stuck around for a few years, he might end up knowing everyone in it.

"How are you settling in at Wutong District, Junior Brother Zhou? Have you gotten used to it?"

Fu Qiu asked with concern.

"I'm living quite well. I've gotten used to it."

Zhou Er answered. He was a little puzzled by Fu Qiu's warmth. Just a moment ago, he'd seemed as cold as ice.

Fu Qiu kept chatting with Zhou Er but never brought up the talismans.

Zhou Er had come to sell talismans, not to chat. He had no choice but to awkwardly cut in.

"Senior Brother Fu, could you take a look at the quality of my talismans?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Right, right! The talismans, the talismans."

Fu Qiu quickly picked up the talismans Zhou Er had given him and swiftly ran his hand over the stack.

"Junior Brother Zhou, these talismans are a little lacking in power."

Fu Qiu frowned as he spoke.

At that, Zhou Er's heart gave a lurch.

He was only at Qi Refining Second Layer. Though he had been eager to make talismans and had put his heart into it, his talismans were still a little weaker than those made by Talisman Masters at Late-stage Qi Refining.

Just then, Fu Qiu changed tack.

"Still, the quality of your talismans is excellent, which makes up for that shortcoming. I'll take all eighteen Fireball Talismans and give you four Low-grade Spirit Stones."

Zhou Er's heart leapt with joy.

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Don't say that, Junior Brother. If your talisman-making skills weren't good, I couldn't buy them! If anything, we're the ones making a profit."

Fu Qiu said with a hearty laugh.

Though it was flattery, Zhou Er was very pleased to hear it. After all, he'd poured his heart into drawing every single one.

His effort had been recognized, and he felt a little more warmly toward Senior Brother Fu.

What a good person!

"Senior Brother, you're too kind. I'm just a beginner."

Zhou Er rubbed the back of his head and replied modestly.

"Gifted, truly gifted! You can make talismans of this quality right off the bat. If that isn't talent, what is?"

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

Zhou Er had only recently begun making talismans. Being able to produce them successfully at all was already good, and with such a high success rate, he really was gifted.

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

Zhou Er laughed awkwardly.

Fu Qiu laughed along with him, then said,

"Junior Brother Zhou, I mean every word. Here's what we'll do: from now on, we'll pay you a bonus for your talismans. We'll buy them back at four to a Spirit Stone, and I'll arrange for someone to come to your little courtyard to collect them, so you won't have to make the trip."

"That's too much trouble for you."

Zhou Er could plainly feel Fu Qiu treating him preferentially.

"Our Fu family has always respected talented Talisman Masters. In the future, we can even exchange Talisman Making Insights."

Fu Qiu said. He was also a Talisman Master. His skill wasn't particularly high, but he could still talk about it at length.

Zhou Er didn't know how to respond.

"Junior Brother, don't turn me down. Zhu Shunyang gets the same treatment."

"Senior Brother Zhu is practically my master. How could I compare myself to him?"

Zhou Er was a little overwhelmed. He was a complete beginner and naturally didn't dare put himself on a level with an old hand like Zhu Shunyang.

Of course, Zhou Er had made his own comparisons in his heart.

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

"All right, Junior Brother. If you keep refusing, you'll be saying you don't consider me a friend."

Fu Qiu said.

Seeing this, Zhou Er could only accept.

The two agreed that every ten days, Fu Qiu would send a Servant Disciple to Zhou Er's little courtyard to collect his talismans and deliver materials for making them.

Fu Qiu even gave Zhou Er considerable permission to buy on credit.

In other words, Zhou Er could take the materials for free first, then pay with the talismans he'd made and keep whatever earnings were left over.

This saved Zhou Er a lot of trouble.

Even if he ran out of Spirit Stones, he would still have Raw Materials to make talismans.

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

Of course, Zhou Er wasn't naive enough to truly think the Fu family were being nice to him out of the goodness of their hearts. They were simply wary of Elder Jide backing him.

People with powerful connections were all good people.

Without connections, the Fu family's pressure alone would be enough to make Zhou Er suffer.

However, Zhou Er knew that Master Jide wasn't truly someone he could rely on. He had to improve his strength as quickly as possible.

Everything he had right now was an illusion.

Only power in his own hands was real.

After returning to his little courtyard, Zhou Er went back to his old routine, day after day.

Two months later, Zhou Er broke through to Qi Refining Third Layer, and he had nearly thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones saved up.

[Wondrous Brush (white): Increases the success rate of first-tier talismans by thirty percent.]

[Solidification Condition: Successfully make three hundred first-tier talismans. (259/300)]

The Wondrous Brush only needs a little over thirty more talismans before it can be solidified, but I have something more important to do now.

After checking the Wondrous Brush Attribute's progress, Zhou Er removed it and equipped the Taotie Attribute instead.

He also replaced Rune Mastery with Spirit Gathering to maximize the effects of his attributes.

Once he was done, 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, so she hadn't disturbed him or urged him to repay the Spirit Stones.

Lin Shiyu hadn't asked, but Zhou Er couldn't leave the debt unpaid.

As soon as he'd saved up thirty Spirit Stones, Zhou Er had gone straight to Lin Shiyu to repay what he owed, with interest.

Of course, repaying her Spirit Stones wasn't enough to repay all the help Lin Shiyu had given him. Once he earned more Spirit Stones in the future, he would buy a Purple Cloud Furnace to repay her kindness.

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.

At Zhou Er's most crucial moment, Lin Shiyu had given him the help he needed most. No matter how he repaid her, it wouldn't be too much.

"Junior Sister, I heard the Spirit Restaurant just added a new dish to the menu—the Spirit Snake Soup Dumpling. Let's go try it together!"

Zhou Er said.

Perfect. He could repay her in Spirit Stones while they ate.

"Sure!"

Lin Shiyu nodded with a smile. They'd gone out to eat together many times, so it had long since become second nature. There was no need to be formal.