Trading Talismans

In the Waste Pill Room, Su Shi'er had no idea that while he hadn't been discovered by the Man in Black, he had instead been targeted by his own fellow disciples.

A conspiracy aimed at him was quietly unfolding.

After driving off those two servant disciples, he continued his bitter cultivation in the Waste Pill Room.

Aside from the monthly deliveries of waste pills from disciples of various peaks, he barely left his quarters.

Occasionally, demon beasts would intrude into his territory, but relying on his two Mortal Combat Skills and a High-grade Magical Artifact in hand, he could easily slay them.

Time passed like flowing water; years slipped by like a shuttle.

In the blink of an eye, four years had gone by.

One early morning, on Yi Huan Mountain, a lean youth of sixteen or seventeen, with skin tanned dark by the sun and wearing a Yun Ge Sect Disciple Robe, slowly walked to the trading square at the mountain's summit.

The square was perfectly square, covering over ten acres of land. Laid out in a 'well' shape, it divided into four main streets and nine zones. Each zone was further split by cross-shaped paths.

Roads crisscrossed in a patchwork pattern, lined with stalls run by cultivators. Whether vendors or shoppers, everyone wore Disciple Robes.

People came and went, bustling and lively—a truly vibrant scene!

The youth mingled in the crowd, carrying a beast-hide sword pouch on his back. With an ordinary face, plain and unremarkable, he looked around here and there but wasn't in a hurry to buy anything.

This youth was Su Shi'er, who had spent four years in bitter cultivation at the Waste Pill Room on Cuihuan Mountain.

Four years of hard work, aided by a large supply of top-grade Qi Gathering Pills, had steadily pushed his cultivation forward.

A day ago, through his unrelenting refinement of Qi, the true essence within his body had finally grown to the size of a fist, allowing him to successfully step into the threshold of the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.

Such a cultivation speed was enough to rival an ordinary minor genius.

Now, with less than half a year left until the Newcomer Trial, he knew that in such a short time, he couldn't possibly break through to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer. After careful thought, he decided to come to the trading square to buy some items to boost his strength for the upcoming trial.

After a full round of browsing, Su Shi'er hadn't bought anything, but he had gained a general understanding of the trading square.

The goods sold here were a mixed bag—medicinal herbs, iron and stone, beast hides and bones, pills, talismans, magical artifacts, cultivation techniques... all sorts of things.

The currency used for trade wasn't fixed either. The most common was the Foundation Cultivation Pill, followed by gold, silver, and treasures, with occasional direct bartering.

Walking through it all, Su Shi'er's eyes were opened wide, and he felt a burning desire for many things.

Among them, at an inconspicuous stall, he spotted a talisman identical to the one the Sword-Bearing Youth had used to flee four years ago.

A Level 1 Low-grade Escape Light Talisman, priced at three high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills.

Su Shi'er glanced at it but didn't make a trade.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped, his gaze fixed on a stall not far away.

That stall was surrounded by five or six cultivators. On the counter were many good items—quite a few talismans and blank talisman paper, along with a dozen or so Talisman Manuals.

What drew everyone's attention was a Sandalwood Box in the center, containing a talisman that emitted a faint earthy-yellow glow.

Beside it, a small wooden board bore a line of large characters: Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman: three low-grade Qi Gathering Pills.

Below that were a few lines of smaller text: Level 1 Low-grade Spirit Talisman: three high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills. Level 1 Mid-grade Spirit Talisman: ten high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills. Talisman Manuals: fifty Foundation Cultivation Pills each.

"A Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman?"

Su Shi'er's pupils contracted. After half a day of browsing, the highest he'd seen were Level 1 Mid-grade talismans. This was the first top-grade one he'd encountered. And it was a defense talisman—the most precious type among offensive and defensive talismans.

His eyes darted as he began to examine it closely. He could clearly feel that this spirit talisman was surrounded by dense earthy-yellow Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, giving it a heavy, mountain-like sensation.

The spiritual power contained within made his heart pound—it was something ordinary spirit talismans could never match.

"Indeed, if you never leave home, you never know how big the world is. Once this talisman is activated, forget about me—even a Qi Refining Seventh or Eighth Layer cultivator might not be able to shatter it!"

Su Shi'er's eyes burned with desire, and he felt a deep awe.

Just then, among the onlookers, a handsome young man in a silk scarf, holding a sword in both arms, spoke up: "This Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman—I'll offer three hundred high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills. Will you sell it or not?"

"Not selling! This top-grade defense talisman, I only trade for Qi Gathering Pills." The stall owner, a female cultivator in her twenties wearing a yellow dress, shook her head firmly without hesitation.

"Four hundred high-grade Foundation Cultivation Pills! Senior Sister Chu, one low-grade Qi Gathering Pill is worth at most a hundred Foundation Cultivation Pills. At this price, you'd be making a huge profit." The young man in the silk scarf pressed on.

The female cultivator surnamed Chu raised a delicate finger, rolled her eyes coquettishly, and said, "Oh, cut it out! Low-grade Qi Gathering Pills are hard to come by even at a price. If you really want it, bring Qi Gathering Pills to trade."

The young man in the silk scarf pouted, turned around with a frustrated look, and left.

Seeing this, the others also shook their heads and dispersed.

Among these people, the highest cultivation was that young man in the silk scarf, at the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.

None of them had Qi Gathering Pills, and even if they did, they used them for their own cultivation—no one would easily trade them away.

Soon, the stall was left empty.

Seeing this, Su Shi'er hesitated, glanced left and right to make sure no one was watching, and then stepped forward.

"Boss, this Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman..."

Before Su Shi'er could finish, the female cultivator surnamed Chu glanced at him and said coldly, "Brother, this Level 1 Top-grade Defense Talisman, I only trade for Qi Gathering Pills."

"I know. Can you take a look at this?" Su Shi'er nodded, pulling a medicine bottle from his bosom and handing it to her.

The female cultivator surnamed Chu furrowed her brow tightly, opening the bottle with a careless air. Su Shi'er seemed utterly unremarkable, nothing like someone with money.

She held almost no hope for Su Shi'er.

But the moment the bottle opened, lying inside was a round Qi Gathering Pill with a faint pill halo.

Her pupils contracted, and a startled cry escaped her: "A Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill?!!"

She swallowed the rest of the cry before it fully left her lips.

Her gaze swept over Su Shi'er, the heat in her eyes quickly suppressed. She grinned and said, "Big brother, this pill of yours isn't bad, but one Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill is worth at most two Low-grade ones. How about this—you take out another one, and I'll throw in an extra fifteen First-grade Mid-grade Talismans. What do you say?"

"I only have this one Qi Gathering Pill. You should know these pills are in high demand but short supply. One Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill for your talismans isn't a loss, is it?" Su Shi'er shook his head decisively.

His gaze swept quickly over the other items on the stall—both the other talismans and those few books tempted him.

But he knew that pulling out this one pill was already a risk; there was no way he could produce another.

"Really only one?" The female cultivator surnamed Chu studied Su Shi'er, then smiled and threw him a flirtatious glance. Her captivating look nearly made Su Shi'er lose his composure.

"Of course! Are you trading or not? If not, pretend I said nothing!" Su Shi'er insisted, reaching out to take back his Qi Gathering Pill.

If he could help it, he wouldn't have used a Mid-grade Qi Gathering Pill for this trade. It drew far too much attention!

But he had no choice. That mysterious Pill Furnace was too powerful—toss in a waste Qi Gathering Pill, and in a few breaths, it would refine into a top-grade one.

He'd tried no fewer than twenty times and only managed to refine two.