The First Pot of Gold

Zhou Xuan watched Wang Teng's departing back with a blank expression, though his heart was ice-cold.

Damn it!

He had miscalculated!

He had underestimated the arrogance and shamelessness of these inner sect disciples, and overestimated his own current ability to endure.

An innocent man is innocent, but holding a treasure is a crime.

As a mere handyman disciple, bringing out a defensive magic tool in such pristine condition to sell was simply too eye-catching.

In the eyes of those who held themselves in high regard, he was nothing more than a fat sheep, voluntarily stretching its neck under the butcher's knife.

It would be a miracle if he wasn't targeted!

It seemed that until he possessed sufficient strength, he could no longer bring out such high-value items.

Thinking of this, Zhou Xuan did not hesitate and immediately retracted the Black Iron Shield back into his Universe Bag.

This thing would be his trump card for survival from now on; he would never sell it again!

But if the shield wasn't for sale, what about the other goods?

Zhou Xuan's gaze fell upon the Green Edge Sword and the Sharp Metal Talisman.

Although these items were also decent, their value was far inferior to the Black Iron Shield, so they shouldn't attract such trouble again.

He sat before his stall, his mind racing at high speed.

The path of recycling waste might be profitable, but the risks were too high, and the supply was unstable. He couldn't always rely on Zhang Ling, that Explosion Fairy, to blow up her furnace, could he?

He needed a safer, more low-key, and more profitable method!

What on earth should he do?

Suddenly, his gaze landed on the repaired Sharp Metal Talisman.

Talismans!

A thought, like a bolt of lightning, violently tore through the fog in his mind!

That's right!

Talismans!

Among the major production industries in the cultivation world—alchemy, artifact refining, talisman making, and array formation—what had the lowest barrier to entry, the most practitioners, and the most common products?

It was talismans!

What was the cost of a lowest-grade first-tier talisman?

A blank piece of talisman paper and a bit of cinnabar mixed with monster blood—together, they didn't even cost half a Low-grade Spirit Stone!

Moreover, the spiritual energy contained in such things was pitifully small.

Did that mean...

Zhou Xuan's heart began to beat wildly and uncontrollably.

He didn't need to go to the trash heap to find broken talismans to repair at all!

He could draw them himself!

With the soul power of someone who had lived two lifetimes, combined with the comprehension ability of a transmigrator, it shouldn't be difficult to copy the runes of some basic talismans, right?

Even if he drew them like chicken scratches and they couldn't trigger the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, what did it matter?

He had a system!

As long as the talisman paper he drew was stained with even a tiny bit of cinnabar containing spiritual energy, couldn't the system classify it as an item that could be touched with gold?

When the time came, he could draw any trash talisman, spend one or two points of Gold Touch Value, and directly transform it into a perfect, spirit-rich boutique talisman!

This was the true definition of a business with a massive return on investment!

This was truly getting something for nothing!

The more Zhou Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became, and the more feasible it seemed!

He could already see countless points of Gold Touch Value waving frantically at him!

"Hehe..."

He sat at his stall, his heart filled with joy.

The disciples passing by, seeing his expression, looked at him as if he were a fool and gave him a wide berth.

"Senior Brother, how much for this Green Edge Sword?"

A timid voice interrupted Zhou Xuan's dream of getting rich.

Zhou Xuan looked up and saw a young man wearing the same handyman attire as him, looking at the long sword on the ground with eyes full of longing.

Zhou-the-profiteer-Xuan instantly wiped the silly grin off his face and replaced it with a kind and amiable expression.

"Is Junior Brother also here to browse the market? You want this sword? It's not expensive. Since we're all brothers here, take it for four Low-grade Spirit Stones!"

Having learned his lesson, no other short-sighted fellows came to cause trouble at Zhou Xuan's stall.

The refurbished goods in his hands, while not of a high grade, had the advantage of being in excellent condition and reasonably priced.

For those bottom-tier disciples who were strapped for cash, they were simply rare treasures.

In less than half an hour.

The Green Edge Sword, the Sharp Metal Talisman, and those few scattered small magical artifacts were all snapped up.

Zhou Xuan packed up his stall with satisfaction, ducked into a corner, and secretly counted his earnings.

One, two, three...

A total of thirty-three Low-grade Spirit Stones!

I'm rich!

Zhou Xuan was so excited his hands were shaking!

Thirty-three Low-grade Spirit Stones—this sum of money was enough to kickstart his talisman-printing money machine plan!

He carefully tucked all the spirit stones into his Universe Bag and, without a moment's delay, headed straight toward the shop district in the marketplace.

His goal was clear.

The general store!

Talisman paper, cinnabar, wolf-hair brushes!

And most importantly, monster cores!

Here I come!

Zhou Xuan wound his way through the chaotic area on the outskirts of the marketplace and soon found a shop that looked completely unremarkable.

The shop's storefront was small, and the plaque bore the three characters for Myriad Things Pavilion. The calligraphy was ordinary—neither imposing nor profound—but it had the advantage of a complete inventory.

Zhou Xuan poked his head inside to take a look. The shelves were packed with everything from low-grade spirit herbs and ores to blank talisman paper and pill bottles, and even the fur and bones of spirit beasts; it was a dazzling array of goods.

This was exactly the kind of place where low-level cultivators like him went to hunt for treasures.

He took a deep breath, suppressed the excitement in his heart, and stepped inside.

"Customer, what would you like to buy?"

Behind the counter, a middle-aged shopkeeper with a goatee was lazily clicking an abacus. Hearing the movement, he asked without even raising his head.

When he caught a glimpse of the washed-out gray servant robes on Zhou Xuan out of the corner of his eye, the last shred of warmth in his eyes quickly vanished.

Another poor wretch who only looks and doesn't buy.

Zhou Xuan took all of this in, laughing inwardly, but he didn't point it out.

He walked straight to the counter, his voice not loud, but clear as he said, "Shopkeeper, how much for a first-rank monster core?"

The shopkeeper's fingers, which had been fiddling with the abacus, paused. He finally deigned to look up and give Zhou Xuan a proper look.

"First-rank monster core, one Low-grade Spirit Stone each, no bargaining."

His tone remained indifferent; clearly, he didn't believe a servant disciple could afford more than a few.

Monster cores were among the most basic and cheapest materials in the cultivation world.

Although the spiritual energy contained within them was violent and impure, making it impossible for cultivators to absorb and refine directly, they were essential auxiliary materials for crafting pills and magical artifacts.

A single low-level first-rank pill, such as the Qi Gathering Pill Zhou Xuan had previously received from Zhang Ling, could sell for at least three Low-grade Spirit Stones in the marketplace.

As one of the raw materials, the price of a first-rank monster core was naturally much cheaper.

This price was about the same as what Zhou Xuan had inquired about.

He nodded, and without the slightest hesitation, he held up two fingers.

"Give me twenty."

"How many?"

The goatee-wearing shopkeeper was stunned for a moment, and his abacus nearly fell to the floor.

He jerked his head up and began to look Zhou Xuan over again, carefully and thoroughly, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.

Twenty?

That was twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones!

Where would a servant disciple get such a huge sum of money?

He had been running this shop for over a dozen years and had seen at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, servant disciples; the vast majority couldn't even produce a single complete Low-grade Spirit Stone.

This kid in front of him looked perfectly ordinary, yet he opened his mouth and asked for twenty monster cores?

"Customer, you aren't joking, are you?"

There was a hint of uncertainty in the shopkeeper's voice.

Zhou Xuan couldn't be bothered to waste words with him. With a thought, he poured a small pile of crystal-clear Low-grade Spirit Stones out of his Universe Bag and onto the counter with a clatter.

"Shopkeeper, count them. There are twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones here. Is that enough?"