A Storm Before the Last Had Passed

Jiang Yan walked towards the open space with a bitter face, and soon came the dull thuds of fists and feet hitting flesh and his exaggerated cries of pain.

The area in front of the stall fell silent for a moment.

An old man selling pills nearby had been watching them closely. Seeing Qin Wangchuan's extraordinary demeanor yet setting up a stall here, he became curious.

He strolled over, glanced at Jiang Yan who was being beaten up in the open space, and then looked at the talismans with spiritual light on Qin Wangchuan's stall. A look of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"Experience?" the old man asked bluntly, his voice low.

Qin Wangchuan raised his eyes, meeting the old man's insightful gaze, and nodded slightly. "A period of tempering."

"No wonder." The old man didn't ask any more questions. His gaze swept over the stall and he saw the price of the talismans on the banner, as well as the words "defeating this person is free". He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"This rule is quite novel."

He pointed to several talismans on the stall and said succinctly, "The items are good, but they're displayed incorrectly."

As he spoke, he casually moved several of the most potent "Gengjin Armor Breaking Talisman" to the most conspicuous position.

This is a newly learned talisman. After use, it imbues the body with Golden Qi, allowing one to break through armor with sheer force.

"Good products need to be displayed; first, grab people's attention."

Then, he picked up a relatively ordinary "Clear Wind Talisman," weighed it in his palm, and said, "These common items should either not be displayed, or they should be piled up to the side with a clear price tag of ten Spirit Stones, making people feel it's a good deal."

He speaks crisply and concisely, every word hitting the mark, clearly the result of years of hard-earned experience.

Qin Wangchuan listened attentively and nodded again. "I understand."

Seeing Qin Wangchuan listening attentively, the old man became even more enthusiastic and lowered his voice, saying, "You can't criticize young people these days, but you seem to be different."

"My surname is Sun. You can call me Old Man Sun, and I'll teach you a few more tricks."

"When you encounter those arrogant scions of powerful Aristocratic Clan or sects, you might as well double the price—they don't lack Spirit Stones, they care about face. If you price it too low, they'll feel it's not worthy of their status."

He gestured in a circle on the stall with his finger. "Rank these talismans into different grades."

"The same Gengjin talismans, these few are said to be mixed with Upper Realm Fine Gold, while those few are said to be made with Thousand Year Cold Iron as a catalyst."

"Actually, they have the same effects, but they sound like they're from a different class, and that's why the prices are so different."

A shrewd glint flashed in the old man's eyes. "In business, seven parts depend on the goods, and three parts on the sales pitch. You have to convince people that every Spirit Stone they spend is well worth the price."

"Finally, I'll teach you a trick to protect your capital."

"If someone comes to return or exchange it, just say that once the talisman is sold, its Spiritual Power is already connected to the buyer's aura, and returning or exchanging it will affect its effectiveness."

"If he insists, then give him a replacement, but keep the replacement talisman separately and sell it later—say it was used by a master and has absorbed the Dao Rhyme; that way, you can sell it for a higher price."

After listening, Qin Wangchuan couldn't help but smile to himself, thinking to himself:

What a cunning old businessman!

The old man spoke bluntly, seemingly having discerned what Qin Wangchuan was thinking:

"Young brother, the cultivation world isn't about fighting and killing; it's about human relationships and social interactions."

"These methods may not be honorable, but they'll help you avoid losses. In business, you always have to look out for yourself first."

Qin Wangchuan listened attentively, his face showing neither disdain nor agreement, but calmly cupping his hands in greeting. "Thank you for your guidance, senior."

He understood that this was the wisdom of surviving in the marketplace, and although he wouldn't follow it, he appreciated the good intentions behind it.

Seeing his calm and composed demeanor, the old man knew that he was a man of his own mind, so he said no more and strolled back to his stall with his hands behind his back.

At this moment, a skilled craftsman stopped in front of the stall, his sharp gaze landing directly on the Gengjin Armor Breaking Talisman. "How powerful are these talismans?"

Before Qin Wangchuan could answer, the cultivator noticed the words on the wooden sign beside him, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Jiang Yan, who had just been knocked down and was now grimacing as he got up in the open space. "Defeat him, and you can choose any card?"

"Yes," Qin Wangchuan replied calmly.

The burly cultivator sized up Jiang Yan a few times, sensing the Spiritual Power fluctuations of the early Eighth Realm on his body and his disheveled yet resilient aura. After a moment's thought, he tossed Qin Wangchuan fifty Spirit Stones. "In a hurry, buy one."

He picked up the talisman, sensing the invincible and sharp intent within it, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes, before turning and striding away.

This scene was witnessed by Old Man Sun, who stood nearby. He smiled knowingly, a slight upturn to his lips.

Although the young man didn't follow his instructions, he felt exceptionally comfortable at that moment.

In this world, nothing is perfect without being strong yourself.

Flashy tricks may fool people for a while, but they can't fool them forever.

This stall is clearly a ruse; the real purpose is to hone that kid's skills.

What's even more remarkable is that young people have absolute confidence in their skills and don't care about those fancy tricks.

Very good, very bad.

In the following days, people were drawn by the word "free" and went to challenge Jiang Yan.

Many people gained something, but a few were defeated by Jiang Yan.

Qin Wangchuan watched this scene unfold, thinking to himself, 'It's finally begun.'

When high pressure becomes etched into daily life, when suffering sinks into the mind and body, when fighting becomes an instinct.

That was the moment when Jiang Yan broke free from his cocoon and transformed into a dragon, rising with the wind.

Qin Wangchuan's talismans gained fame due to the personal verification by challengers, and a considerable number were sold as a result.

Old Man Sun would occasionally hand over a pot of coarse tea, and the two would drink it together, watching Jiang Yan get beaten up over in the open space, quite leisurely.

As for the task of Draw Talismans, it was temporarily handed over to Ye Jianwei.

She said she wanted to learn.

To try to understand the Talisman Dao with blind eyes is like trying to thread a needle while masked.

But Ye Jianwei simply sat there quietly, her fingertips carefully tracing the texture of the Talisman Paper, feeling the flow of spiritual ink, and capturing the fluctuations of its energy.

At first, the brushstrokes were clumsy and the lines were hesitant.

Day after day, I depict, perceive, fail, and start again.

Finally, under her pen, a crooked yet Spiritual Qi Clear Heart Talisman slowly took shape.

Qin Wangchuan ran his fingertips over the naive patterns on the talisman and nodded slightly.

"Not bad."

Upon receiving his praise, Ye Jianwei's tense shoulders instantly relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief.

For her, this was the greatest reward.

One afternoon, when business was a little quieter, Qin Wangchuan sat with Old Man Sun, holding a teapot, watching the bustling crowds on the street, and discussing the martial arts techniques passed down by the Qin Clan.

"You also like those flashy but impractical things?"

Before Qin Wangchuan could respond, Old Man Sun nodded to himself, "Indeed, although you are a seasoned person, you are still a young Prodigy at heart, so it's normal for you to like those flashy moves."

"Showy but impractical?" Qin Wangchuan raised an eyebrow.

"Otherwise what?" Old Man Sun took a sip of tea. "Isn't something that can't be used just flashy but impractical?"

He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "If you're really interested, I'll show you the way—go to the neighboring Dragon Mouth City and find an old man who was expelled from the Tongtian Family."

"Although he doesn't possess any Supreme Lore, he specializes in one thing: transforming the Qin Clan's flashy but impractical gadgets into something truly useful."

Curiosity flashed in Qin Wangchuan's eyes. "Optimize the Qin Clan Cultivation Method?"

His original intention in passing down the technique was precisely this—that everyone could learn it, and that it originated from one source.

A Great Dao, from which countless tributaries branch out, spreading throughout the heavens and carrying Qin to even more distant places.

I had thought back then that perhaps someone would refine their skills further based on that foundation.

Unexpectedly, such a talent exists in this land of Middle Thousand Provinces.

"Hehe, calling it optimization is too kind," Old Man Sun waved his hand.

"It's more like castration—replacing the core parts and splitting it into several volumes."

"That old man, relying on these abridged versions of cultivation techniques, opened the Yan Dao Heavenly Pavilion and is doing very well."

It was said unintentionally, but Qin Wangchuan's eyes darkened upon hearing it:

"The Qin Clan has explicitly forbidden the use of any Daoist scriptures that are circulated outside the family for the purpose of establishing a sect or school."