Certified Talisman Master

The guards of Bashui Immortal City carefully questioned Zhou Er's identity. After confirming he was from Jiaolu Market, they didn't immediately let him pass. Instead, they explained the rules of Bashui Immortal City and conducted an inspection with a special artifact.

After determining that Zhou Er was only carrying a white-tailed rat with a broken tail and posed no danger, they collected the ten spirit stones entry fee and gave Zhou Er a temporary identity token.

If Zhou Er wanted a permanent identity token for Bashui Immortal City, he would need to apply at the relevant place within the city himself.

"Ten spirit stones can only allow you to stay in the immortal city for half a month."

Zhou Er was a little speechless.

Within half a month, he had to secure a source of income within the immortal city, or he would be driven out.

Fortunately, he could now make talismans and had a late-stage Qi Refining cultivation. Earning spirit stones in the future would be relatively simple.

However, the spirit qi concentration in Bashui Immortal City was indeed much stronger than in Jiaolu Market, even stronger than when Zhou Er was in the Outer Sect of Xiayun Sect.

Moreover, there were many spirit fish in Bashui Immortal City.

Zhou Er found a restaurant that made spirit meals and ordered many spirit fish, spending only two low-grade spirit stones.

After the whole fish banquet, Zhou Er checked the solidification progress of his Taotie attribute.

[Taotie (White): Hollow Abdomen, Greatly Increased Appetite, Get stronger by eating.]

[Solidification Condition: Eat and digest ten thousand jin of food. (9765/10000)]

With Zhou Er's efforts for over two years, the Taotie attribute was close to solidifying.

It would only take about twenty more days to complete the solidification.

"For now, I should find a place to stay first."

Thinking this, Zhou Er found a brokerage, which was equivalent to an intermediary.

The broker from the brokerage showed Zhou Er several rooms, some were detached courtyards, and some were small courtyards shared with others.

Detached courtyards were very expensive, costing thirty to one hundred spirit stones per month.

The shared courtyard only cost ten spirit stones per month, and the room had a restriction. Once the restriction was activated, others could not disturb him.

After some thought, Zhou Er chose to share a small courtyard with others.

He completed the procedures that day and moved into the courtyard.

The broker saw that Zhou Er had a temporary identity and said after signing the contract:

"Fellow Daoist Cang, you must extend your stay duration in time. If your identity expires and you are forced to leave Bashui Immortal City, we will not refund the spirit stones even if you only stayed in the room for half a month."

"Fellow Daoist, I understand. How do I extend my stay duration?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Finding a job, or getting certified as an Alchemist, Artifact Refiner, or Talisman Master, can all extend it."

The broker said.

Zhou Er nodded, deciding to go take a look tomorrow.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist, do you need a Calm-spirit Cushion?"

The broker took out a special cushion from his storage bag.

[Calm-spirit Cushion: A cushion woven from Calm-spirit Grass, capable of calming the spirit and quieting the mind, assisting cultivation.]

[Equipped Attributes: Mind Stabilization.]

[Mind Stabilization: Stabilizes the soul, spiritual sense strength increases by 10%.]

[Solidification Condition: Meditate and cultivate for one thousand hours.]

[Equip?]

Seeing that the cushion's attributes could actually increase spiritual sense strength, Zhou Er was immediately tempted.

One had to know, during Qi Refining cultivation, spiritual sense was only in the exploration stage, not deliberately cultivated.

Only after reaching Foundation Establishment could practitioners begin to cultivate their fragile souls.

"How many Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Not expensive, only ten Spirit Stones."

The broker said.

"Can it be cheaper?"

Zhou Er attempted to bargain.

"Fellow Daoist Cang, I'm just doing my job."

The broker shook his head helplessly. Zhou Er knew there was no room for discussion, so he could only take out another ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Returning to his room, Zhou Er activated the restriction and counted the Spirit Stones in his hand.

One for the boat, ten for the city entrance fee, two for food, rent paid one month in advance and one month in arrears, costing another twenty, and ten more for the cushion.

Now he only had fifty-seven Low-grade Spirit Stones left.

Fortunately, the Calm-spirit Cushion's equipment effect was good. After his Spiritual Sense strength increased, Zhou Er immediately felt much more refreshed.

With his current Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, as long as he didn't over-consume Essence, Qi, and Spirit by making too many talismans, he basically only needed to sleep for two hours a day.

If making talismans consumed too much mental energy, he would need to Catch Up on Sleep for another half an hour.

Now, with a 10% increase in Spiritual Sense strength, Zhou Er could save the time of one incense stick every day.

After cultivating for more than two hours, feeling tired, Zhou Er fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up, it was almost dawn.

Zhou Er opened his door and came out to the courtyard. He saw one of his neighbors walking out of the middle room.

This neighbor was dressed exquisitely, with a Flawless Complexion and a Graceful Figure.

"Are you the new neighbor?"

The person saw Zhou Er and gave a Sweet Smile.

"That's right."

Zhou Er nodded.

"My name is Xu Jiayun. I live in the middle room. I play the Pipa at the tea house in the south of the city. If you have time, you can come listen to music, and I'll give you half price."

After speaking, Xu Jiayun left in a hurry.

Zhou Er didn't pay much attention to her. Today, he still had to be busy with his Talisman Master Certification.

In Bashui Immortal City, there was a Talisman Master Management Area. After paying five Spirit Stones to Register, an assessment would be arranged in a few days.

Zhou Er paid the Spirit Stones and returned to his Rented House to wait.

After that, every day, Zhou Er would check when the assessment time would be Confirmed.

Only after it was Confirmed did Zhou Er breathe a sigh of relief.

The First-tier Talisman Master assessment was very Simple. It was just to draw Three Types of Talismans within the Specified Time.

They had a full two hours, which was very ample time.

Zhou Er only spent half an hour to draw the Fireball Talisman, Godspeed Talisman, and Immobilization Talisman.

After one day of Review, Zhou Er obtained his First-tier Talisman Master Certification in Bashui Immortal City.

With this certification, he could extend his temporary status for up to One Year.

After one year, he could also get a Free Renewal.

Of course, this Talisman Master Certification was only valid in Bashui Immortal City. Whether other forces would recognize it was another matter.

But with the Talisman Master Certification, he could set up a stall to sell talismans himself, or find a shop that sells talismans and supply them with goods.

Zhou Er had seen Wanbao Pavilion in the city before.

Wanbao Pavilion had a place that sold talismans, so he wanted to ask if Wanbao Pavilion would buy his talismans.

"Fellow Daoist, I am a First-tier Talisman Master. I want to sell talismans here. Do you accept them?"

Zhou Er asked.

"We do accept them, but the price still needs to be discussed in detail."

The cultivator from Wanbao Pavilion who was in charge of talismans said.

Zhou Er naturally understood and followed the cultivator to a room inside the pavilion to discuss the matter.

The Wanbao Pavilion cultivator first glanced at Zhou Er's Talisman Master Certification. After confirming it, he said:

"We are willing to offer you a recycling price of one Spirit Stone for five talismans."

"Isn't this a bit too low?"

This price was even lower than what he got at Xiayun Sect.

"If you supply more talismans, we can give you another half-percent discount. Two Spirit Stones for nine First-grade Talismans, how about that?"

The Wanbao Pavilion cultivator lowered the price slightly.

"Alright."

Zhou Er nodded. He understood that Wanbao Pavilion would not lower the price further.

After all, he had already left Xiayun Sect and could no longer view his current situation through the lens of his time at Xiayun Sect.

Back then, at Xiayun Sect, Fu Qiu was willing to give concessions because he thought Zhou Er had a background.

In reality, he didn't.

Now, it was just returning to Normal Level.

Of course, Zhou Er could sell them himself, but he had neither Connections nor Experience.

If he tried to sell them himself, he wouldn't sell much and might even Fall into a Trap.

"Then, Pleasant Cooperation."

After reaching an agreement, the Wanbao Pavilion cultivator extended his hand.

Afterward, the two signed a contract, and Zhou Er took out the two thousand talismans he had accumulated in one go.

Seeing these talismans, Zhang Chang of Wanbao Pavilion was somewhat surprised:

"Why so many?"

"I accumulated them while I was out before."

Zhou Er said.

When he was at Jiaolu Market, Lu Tong was willing to exchange one Spirit Stone for three talismans.

But that was because Spirit Stones were scarce, and talismans could be used like Spirit Stones.

Moreover, Lu Tong only exchanged one hundred Spirit Stones with him and then stopped.

If Zhou Er wanted to sell in large quantities, he had to accept a lower price.

Although Zhang Chang was surprised, he still calmed down and inspected Zhou Er's talismans one by one.

After inspecting all two thousand, he confirmed there were no Defective Products and said:

"A total of two thousand. I'll give you four hundred and forty-five Spirit Stones!"

"That's right."

Zhou Er nodded. Zhang Chang gave him one extra, but with so many talismans, neither of them dwelled on one or two Spirit Stones, considering it a Good Luck Token.

After receiving a Large Bag of Spirit Stones, Zhou Er felt at ease.

He had finally settled down in Bashui Immortal City.

Next, he only needed to cultivate slowly, accumulate Spirit Stones slowly, and Seek a Foundation Establishment Opportunity.

Zhou Er returned to his Courtyard, and Xu Jiayun had just returned as well. Seeing Zhou Er, she greeted him enthusiastically:

"Fellow Daoist Cang, what have you been busy with these past few days?"

"Nothing much, just sold some talismans."

Zhou Er thought that his identity as a Talisman Master would be exposed sooner or later, so he didn't hide it.

Anyway, he had already completed his identity verification and didn't need to be secretive at all.

"Fellow Daoist Cang is actually a Talisman Master?"

Upon hearing that Zhou Er was a Talisman Master, Xu Jiayun's attitude towards him immediately became even more enthusiastic.

"Fellow Daoist Xu is a Music Master, much stronger than me, a Talisman Master who can only craft a few types of talismans."

Zhou Er said humbly.

"It's just to amuse people!"

Xu Jiayun knew her position clearly: to provide entertainment.

If it weren't for survival, who would go out to force a smile and perform.

After listening to Xu Jiayun grumble a few times, Zhou Er returned to his room and activated the restriction to avoid disturbing others.

Besides Xu Jiayun, there was another cultivator living in the right wing room opposite Zhou Er.

However, Zhou Er had never met this cultivator and hadn't interacted with him yet.

But Zhou Er didn't care. They were just neighbors, and there wasn't much connection.

Since Wanbao Pavilion didn't provide Zhou Er with raw materials like talisman paper and spirit ink for making talismans, he had to buy them himself.

Fortunately, Zhou Er now had a storage bag with a volume of half a cubic meter, allowing him to carry a large pile of materials at once.

The next morning, Zhou Er woke up.

[Taotie (White): Hollow abdomen, greatly increased appetite, can get stronger by eating.]

[Solidification Condition: Eat and digest ten thousand jin of food. (9996/10000)]

The Taotie attribute was only four points away from solidification. After much thought, Zhou Er decided to have another good meal and stop making do with Bigu Pills.

Coincidentally, he had nearly five hundred Spirit Stones on hand, so he could spend a little.

After eating the Spirit Meal, Zhou Er went to buy raw materials for making talismans.

Passing by an artifact shop, Hualin Artifact Shop, Zhou Er remembered that he had an Antler Bow and Deerhide Armor in his storage bag that were taking up space.

So he walked into the artifact shop, intending to sell both items to get some of his money back.

"Fellow Daoist, the boss of our artifact shop is Xiao Hualin, a certified second-tier Artifact Refiner. Everything here is guaranteed."

As soon as Zhou Er entered, a cultivator in the late-stage Qi Refining stage stepped forward to promote their wares.

"Fellow Daoist, I don't intend to buy anything. I want to sell these two items."

Zhou Er took out the Antler Bow and Deerhide Armor from his storage bag.

The Person in Charge of the artifact shop examined them carefully. After confirming the details, he said:

"These are good materials. I'm willing to buy them back for twenty Spirit Stones."

"That's acceptable!"

Although it was less than half the price he would have paid to buy it himself, Zhou Er could still accept it.

After all, he had also obtained the attributes of these two pieces of equipment, rendering them meaningless. It was good enough to get some money back.

Taking the Spirit Stones, Zhou Er was about to leave when he suddenly saw a turtle shell the size of a head.

[Turtle Shell Shield: Made from the shell of a Mystic Water Turtle. Can release a Water Attribute Shield that blocks the full power strike of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.]

[Equipped Attributes: Defensive Guard.]

[Defensive Guard: When taking damage, the damage is first transferred to the Turtle Shell Shield.]

[Solidification Condition: Refine Turtle Shell Shield.]

[Equip?]

Looking at the description of the Turtle Shell Shield, Zhou Er's mind raced.

It could block the full power strike of a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage.

For Zhou Er now, it was no different from having half a life.

Moreover, with this Defensive Guard attribute, he could enjoy the shield's defense without even taking it out.

For this life-saving method, Zhou Er was determined to obtain it.

"Fellow Daoist, this Turtle Shell Shield is quite interesting. How many Spirit Stones does it cost?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Fellow Daoist, this is just a Mid-grade Artifact. It only costs two hundred and forty Spirit Stones."

The person in charge of the Artifact Shop said with a smile.

After some bargaining, Zhou Er closed the deal for two hundred and thirty Spirit Stones.

After all, it was a life-saving tool, and the Method to Solidify Attributes was simple.

Afterward, Zhou Er bought twenty Spirit Stones worth of talisman-making raw materials and returned to his rented courtyard.

The first thing Zhou Er did upon returning was to check his panel.

[Name: Zhou Er]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Ninth Layer (9.89%)]

[Equipment Slots (3/3): Calm-spirit Cushion, Ruyi Ring, Bigu Pill.]

[Unsolidified Attributes: Mind Stabilization, Size Manipulation.]

[Solidified Attributes: Taotie (White), Tough Skin, Arm Strength Doubling, Mana Abundance (White), Beast Language Mastery, Refining (White), Spirit Gathering (White), Rune Mastery (Tier 1), Self-Healing (White), High-speed Reaction, Wondrous Brush (White), Fire Attribute Amplification (White), Spirit Qi Purification (White), Qi Induction, Five Animals Health Technique (Mastered), Longevity, Strength Increase (White).]

The Taotie attribute has been solidified and can be removed from the equipment slot.

Afterward, Zhou Er equipped the Turtle Shell Shield to an equipment slot and began refining it.

[Defensive Guard: When taking damage, the damage can be transferred to the Turtle Shell Shield first.]

[Solidification Condition: Refine Turtle Shell Shield.]