Talisman Master Certification

The guards of Bashui Immortal City questioned Zhou Er carefully about his identity. After confirming he had come from Jiaolu Market, they did not let him through right away. Instead, they explained the city's rules in detail and inspected him with a special artifact.

Only after confirming that Zhou Er carried nothing dangerous besides a White-tailed Rat with a severed tail did they collect the ten-Spirit-Stone entrance fee and give him a temporary Identity Token.

To obtain a Permanent Identity Token for Bashui Immortal City, Zhou Er would have to apply at the appropriate place inside the city.

"Ten Spirit Stones only let you stay in the Immortal City for half a month."

Zhou Er was a little speechless.

Within half a month, he had to find a source of income in the city, or he would be kicked out.

Fortunately, he could now make talismans and had a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation. Earning Spirit Stones should be relatively easy from here on.

The Spirit Qi Concentration in the Immortal City was indeed much higher than in Jiaolu Market, even a little higher than it had been in the Outer Sect of Xiayun Sect.

And Bashui Immortal City had plenty of Spirit Fish.

Zhou Er found a restaurant that served Spirit Meals and ordered a whole spread of Spirit Fish for just two Low-grade Spirit Stones.

After the fish feast, Zhou Er checked the solidification progress of the Taotie Attribute.

[Taotie (white): Hollow Abdomen, Greatly Increased Appetite, and the ability to Get stronger by eating.]

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

After more than two years of effort, Zhou Er was close to solidifying the Taotie Attribute.

He needed only another twenty days or so to finish.

"For now, I should find somewhere to stay."

With that in mind, Zhou Er went to a rental agency, which was essentially a broker.

The agent showed him several rooms. Some were detached, while others were in small courtyards shared with other people.

A Detached Courtyard was very expensive, costing thirty to one hundred Spirit Stones a month.

The shared courtyard cost only ten Spirit Stones a month, and each room had a ward that prevented others from disturbing its occupant once activated.

After thinking it over, Zhou Er chose to share a small courtyard.

He completed the paperwork that day and moved in.

When the agent saw that Zhou Er had only a temporary identity, he said after they signed the contract,

"Fellow Daoist Cang, make sure you extend your stay in time. If your status expires and you have no choice but to leave Bashui Immortal City, we won't refund your Spirit Stones even if you've only stayed in the room for half a month."

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

Zhou Er asked.

"Get a job, or earn certification as an alchemist, Artifact Refiner, Talisman Master, or the like. Any of those will do."

The agent replied.

Zhou Er nodded, deciding to look into it the next day.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist, would you like a Calm-spirit Cushion?"

The agent took a special cushion from his Storage Bag.

[Calm-spirit Cushion: A cushion woven from Calm-spirit Grass. It calms the mind and aids cultivation.]

[Equipped Attribute: Mind Stabilization.]

[Mind Stabilization: Stabilizes the Spiritual Soul and increases Spiritual Sense Strength by one-tenth.]

[Solidification Condition: Meditate in cultivation for one thousand hours.]

[Equip?]

Seeing that the cushion's attribute could increase his Spiritual Sense Strength, Zhou Er was immediately tempted.

After all, during Qi Refining, Spiritual Sense was still in its exploratory stage and was not cultivated deliberately.

Only after reaching Foundation Establishment could cultivators begin training their fragile Spiritual Soul.

"How many Spirit Stones?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Not expensive. Only ten Spirit Stones."

The agent replied.

"Could you make it a little cheaper?"

Zhou Er tried to bargain.

"Fellow Daoist Cang, I'm only working for someone else."

The agent shook his head helplessly. Zhou Er realized there was no room to negotiate, so he could only take out another ten Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Back in his room, Zhou Er activated the ward and counted his remaining Spirit Stones.

The boat had cost one, the entrance fee ten, the meal two, and rent had cost twenty for the deposit and first month. The cushion had cost another ten.

He had only fifty-seven Low-grade Spirit Stones left.

Fortunately, the Calm-spirit Cushion's effect was quite good. Once his Spiritual Sense Strength increased, Zhou Er immediately felt much more alert.

With his Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, as long as he did not overwork himself making talismans and deplete too much of his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he generally needed only two hours of sleep a day.

If making talismans took too much out of him, he needed to catch up on sleep with another half an hour.

Now that his Spiritual Sense Strength had increased by one-tenth, Zhou Er could save another quarter of an hour each day.

After cultivating for a little over two hours, Zhou Er grew tired and fell into a deep sleep. By the time he woke, it was nearly dawn.

Zhou Er opened his door and stepped outside the courtyard, where he saw one of his neighbors emerging from the room in the middle.

The neighbor was dressed with exquisite care, with flawless features and a graceful figure.

"Are you the new neighbor?"

The woman smiled warmly when she saw Zhou Er.

"That's right."

Zhou Er nodded.

"My name is Xu Jiayun. I live in the middle room, and I play the pipa at a Tea House in the south of the city. Come by sometime to listen, and I'll charge you half price."

With that, Xu Jiayun hurried off.

Zhou Er did not pay her much attention. He had to take care of his Talisman Master Certification today.

Bashui Immortal City had a place that managed its Talisman Masters. It cost five Spirit Stones to register, and the assessment would be arranged a few days later.

Zhou Er paid the fee and returned to his rented room to wait.

After that, Zhou Er went to check every day to see when the assessment would be scheduled.

Once the date was set, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The First-tier Talisman Master assessment was very simple: he only had to make three kinds of talismans within the allotted time.

They had a full two hours, which was plenty.

Zhou Er took only half an hour to draw a Fireball Talisman, a Godspeed Talisman, and an Immobilization Talisman.

After a day of review, Zhou Er received Bashui Immortal City's First-tier Talisman Master Certification.

With this certification, he could extend his temporary status for a year.

After that, he could renew it for free.

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

But with the certification, he could set up his own stall to sell talismans or find a shop that sold them and supply it with stock.

Zhou Er had seen Wanbao Pavilion in the city.

Wanbao Pavilion sold talismans, so he decided to ask whether they would buy his.

"Fellow Daoist, I'm a First-tier Talisman Master. I'd like to sell talismans through your shop. Would you buy them?"

Zhou Er asked.

"We do, but we'll need to discuss the price in detail."

The cultivator in charge of talismans at Wanbao Pavilion replied.

Zhou Er understood. He followed the man to a room in the pavilion to discuss the matter.

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

"We can offer you one Spirit Stone for every five talismans."

"Isn't that a little too low?"

The price was even lower than what Zhou Er had received at Xiayun Sect.

"If you supply us with more talismans, we can raise the price by another five percent. Two Spirit Stones for nine First-grade Talismans. How does that sound?"

The Wanbao Pavilion cultivator lowered the price a little.

"Fine."

Zhou Er nodded. He understood that Wanbao Pavilion would not offer any more.

After all, he had left Xiayun Sect and could no longer judge things by the standards there.

Back at Xiayun Sect, Fu Qiu had been willing to give him a better deal because he thought Zhou Er had powerful connections.

In truth, he did not.

Now, Zhou Er was simply back to the normal going rate.

Of course, Zhou Er could sell the talismans himself, but he had neither Connections nor experience.

If he tried to sell them on his own, he might not sell many and could even get taken for a ride.

"Then let's work well together."

After they reached an agreement, the Wanbao Pavilion cultivator held out his hand.

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

Seeing the talismans, Zhang Chang of Wanbao Pavilion was a little surprised.

"How do you have so many?"

"I stockpiled them before I left."

Zhou Er replied.

Back when he was in Jiaolu Market, Lu Tong had been willing to exchange three talismans for one Spirit Stone.

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

Besides, Lu Tong had only exchanged a hundred Spirit Stones' worth before refusing to trade any more.

If Zhou Er wanted to sell a large quantity, he had no choice but to accept a lower price.

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

After checking all two thousand and confirming that none were defective, he said,

"That's two thousand talismans in total. I'll give you four hundred and forty-five Spirit Stones."

"That's right."

Zhou Er nodded. Zhang Chang had given him one extra, but neither of them quibbled over a Spirit Stone or two with so many talismans involved. They treated it as a little bonus.

With a large bag of Spirit Stones in hand, Zhou Er felt at ease.

He had finally settled down in Bashui Immortal City.

From now on, he only needed to cultivate at his own pace, slowly accumulate Spirit Stones, and seek an opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment.

Zhou Er returned to the courtyard. Xu Jiayun had just come back as well, and she greeted him warmly when she saw him.

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

"Nothing much. I just sold some talismans."

Zhou Er figured it was only a matter of time before people learned he was a Talisman Master, so he saw no need to hide it.

He had already completed his certification and had nothing to conceal.

"So Fellow Daoist Cang is a Talisman Master?"

After learning that Zhou Er was a Talisman Master, Xu Jiayun immediately became even more enthusiastic toward him.

"Fellow Daoist Xu is a Music Master. You're far more impressive than a Talisman Master like me, who only knows how to make a few kinds of talismans."

Zhou Er replied modestly.

"I'm just there to amuse people!"

Xu Jiayun knew exactly where she stood: she was there to entertain others.

If she did not need to make a living, who would want to go out and smile for a living?

After listening to Xu Jiayun complain for a bit, Zhou Er returned to his room and activated the ward to keep others from disturbing him.

Besides Xu Jiayun, another cultivator lived in the Right Wing Room across from Zhou Er.

But Zhou Er had never run into that cultivator or had any dealings with him.

Still, Zhou Er did not care. They were only neighbors and had no particular ties to each other.

Wanbao Pavilion did not supply Zhou Er with Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, or other Raw Materials for making talismans, so he had to buy them himself.

Fortunately, Zhou Er now had a Storage Bag with a capacity of one and a half cubic meters, so he could carry a large load of materials in one trip.

The next morning, Zhou Er woke up.

[Taotie (white): Hollow Abdomen, Greatly Increased Appetite, and the ability to Get stronger by eating.]

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

The Taotie Attribute needed only four more points of progress to solidify. After thinking it over, Zhou Er decided to treat himself to another good meal rather than get by on Bigu Pills.

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

After his Spirit Meal, Zhou Er went to buy Raw Materials for making talismans.

Passing an Artifact Shop called Hualin Artifact Shop, Zhou Er remembered that his Storage Bag still held an Antler Bow and Deerhide Armor, taking up space.

So he went into the shop, intending to sell both items and recoup some of his costs.

"Fellow Daoist, the owner of our Artifact Shop is Xiao Hualin, a certified second-tier Artifact Refiner. You can trust the quality of everything here."

As soon as Zhou Er entered, a Late-stage Qi Refining cultivator came over to promote the shop.

"Fellow Daoist, I'm not here to buy anything. I'd like to sell these two items."

Zhou Er took the Antler Bow and Deerhide Armor out of his Storage Bag.

The person in charge of the Artifact Shop examined them carefully. After checking the details, he said,

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

"That works too!"

Although it was far less than what he'd paid for them, Zhou Er could accept the price.

After all, he'd already gained the attributes from both pieces of equipment, so they'd lost their value to him. Getting some of his money back was good enough.

He took the Spirit Stones and was about to leave when he suddenly spotted a turtle shell about the size of a head.

[Turtle Shell Shield: Made from the shell of a Mystic Water Turtle. It can unleash a Water Attribute Shield capable of blocking a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.]

[Equipped Attributes: Defensive Guard.]

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

[Solidification Condition: Refine the Turtle Shell Shield.]

[Equip?]

As he read the description of the Turtle Shell Shield, thoughts raced through Zhou Er's mind.

It could block a full-strength strike from a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator.

For Zhou Er as he was now, that was as good as gaining another half a life.

What was more, with the Defensive Guard attribute, he could benefit from the Turtle Shell Shield's protection without even taking it out.

Zhou Er was determined to get his hands on this lifesaving tool.

"Fellow Daoist, this Turtle Shell Shield looks interesting. How many Spirit Stones are you asking for?"

Zhou Er asked.

"Fellow Daoist, it's only a mid-grade artifact. You can have it for just two hundred and forty Spirit Stones."

The Artifact Shop's manager said with a smile.

Zhou Er haggled with him, and they settled on a price of two hundred and thirty Spirit Stones.

After all, it was a lifesaving tool, and the method for solidifying its attribute was simple.

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

The first thing he did after returning was check his status panel.

[Name: Zhou Er]

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

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

[Unsolidified Attributes: Mind Stabilization, Size Manipulation.]

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

The Taotie attribute had already been solidified, so he could remove it from his equipment slot.

Then Zhou Er equipped the Turtle Shell Shield in his equipment slot and began refining it.

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

[Solidification Condition: Refine the Turtle Shell Shield.]