Rich

Ji Yuan first sailed to the Fish Pen and sold the Spirit Fish, making another small profit of eighteen Spirit Stones.

Next, he had to deal with these thirty-two Water-Repelling Talismans. Naturally, the most profitable way was to set up a small stall in Zengtou City and open a little shop from scratch.

Produce and sell them himself.

That way, he could sell them for two Spirit Stones each and reap sixty-four Spirit Stones.

But the drawback was that it took time. Who knew how long it would take to sell thirty-two Water-Repelling Talismans? And at the same price, people would certainly rather buy from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.

After all, that was a major establishment, with guaranteed quality.

The other method was to sell them in bulk to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion or another shop. Naturally, he would not get sixty-four Spirit Stones that way, since they needed to make money too.

The advantage was that it saved trouble and would not delay his own time.

Ji Yuan naturally chose to sell them in bulk. He did not have that much time to stand guard over a stall.

With the time spent tending a stall, he could earn even more Spirit Stones by drawing talismans.

Selling them to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion was the most convenient option as well. So when he arrived at this familiar place and took the thirty-two Water-Repelling Talismans from his Storage Bag, the Water Dragon Sect cultivator on duty gave him an extra look.

"Did you draw these yourself?"

"Indeed." Ji Yuan admitted it openly.

The Water Dragon Sect cultivator on duty flipped through them. "I haven't seen you before. I reckon you've only just started learning. With this success rate and this quality, you've got talent."

"When the Water Dragon Sect holds its selection next year, remember to try out through the Talisman Way branch. You might even become our junior brother."

The moment those words were spoken, several other cultivators on duty nearby turned to look as well.

Ji Yuan had not expected such a thing. Just as he was about to say, "You flatter me," he heard a familiar laugh behind him.

"I wonder which outstanding talent has emerged from our Zengtou City to earn such praise from Senior Brother Liu."

The newcomer was... Wu Yan. Ji Yuan had been thinking how small Zengtou City was, that he could run into him even here.

Just as he was considering how to brush him off, he heard another lively cry. "Ji Yuan!"

Lu Wan had come too.

With that, he had no choice but to turn around. He clasped his hands toward the two of them and smiled. "Greetings, Sister Lu. Fellow Daoist Wu."

"So it's you!"

Once Wu Yan saw Ji Yuan clearly, the smile on his face froze.

It could not be helped. Ji Yuan had left far too deep an impression on him last time... not because of the Spirit Awakening matter, but because of the "younger brother" matter.

But after thinking it over carefully afterward, he understood.

Ji Yuan probably had no such intentions toward Lu Wan.

If he had, at his age, there was no way he could have done something like that. Let alone admit he was Lu Wan's younger brother—he would have been impatient to call himself her Dao companion.

So Wu Yan knew that he had overreacted.

"It's me. I still have to thank Fellow Daoist Wu for your guidance last time. Otherwise, I might still be trapped in it now." Ji Yuan smiled.

Senior Brother Liu of the Water Dragon Sect behind him also laughed. "You know each other? Don't tell me this fellow is another disciple Old Wu has taken in."

Old Wu naturally referred to Wu Wenbin.

The reason Senior Brother Liu was so familiar with Wu Yan was naturally because Wu Yan joining the Water Dragon Sect was already as certain as a nail driven into a board.

Lu Wan was much the same.

So to these cultivators on duty, the two of them were not much different from junior brother and junior sister.

Moreover, Wu Yan had a wealthy father. Getting on good terms with him in advance was naturally not a bad thing for them.

"Unfortunately, not yet. I wonder if Fellow Daoist Ji has any interest?" Wu Yan looked at Ji Yuan, and a hint of a smile reappeared on his face.

"I'm afraid Master Wu would not think much of me." Ji Yuan sighed.

Truthfully, he had no particular thoughts about taking a master.

With a Level One [Talisman Room], he did not need any master.

After all, once he took a master, he would be burdened with many karmic ties. Besides, Ji Yuan had no intention of taking a Qi Refining Stage cultivator as his master.

"Whether it works out or not, my father will have to take a look first. How about this—when Fellow Daoist Ji comes next time, I'll have my father examine your aptitude."

"Then I'll thank Brother Wu in advance."

Ji Yuan made up his mind that he absolutely could not go to the Wu Family again.

"Alright, lad. These are your Spirit Stones. Take them. If you have any more gains in the future, you can bring them all to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion."

Senior Brother Liu behind him spoke. Ji Yuan turned around and stared at the little mountain of Spirit Stones piled atop the counter, somewhat dumbfounded.

He quickly came to his senses. With a casual gesture, he activated the Object Manipulation Technique and stored them in his Storage Bag.

At the same time, he counted them. There were a full sixty.

For a giant like the Hundred Treasures Pavilion, taking only four Spirit Stones as a handling fee was already a high price. Ji Yuan therefore clasped his hands toward Senior Brother Liu again.

"Thank you for looking after this junior, Senior. This junior will return and practice diligently."

After saying that, Ji Yuan said goodbye to Lu Wan and Wu Yan as well, then hurriedly took his leave.

Lu Wan turned to watch his receding figure, lost in a daze... The Ji Yuan from before did not seem to avoid her like this. And he did not seem to have been so strong either.

After returning that day, Lu Song had told Lu Wan that Ji Yuan had already reached the Middle Qi Refining Stage.

And today, she saw that he even possessed such talent for drawing talismans.

Wu Yan noticed this as well. He stepped forward to chat with Senior Brother Liu for a few moments, after which Senior Brother Liu took out a Water-Repelling Talisman drawn by Ji Yuan.

Wu Yan received it with both hands. Lu Wan walked over as well and lowered her head to examine it.

"His talisman strokes are ordinary enough. It's just this success rate... Senior Brother Liu said he sold thirty-two Water-Repelling Talismans in one go. It's only been a few days?"

"His success rate is probably around two or three in ten. And he has only just started."

Just starting out, and already two or three in ten—his talent might even rival Lu Wan's.

After all, for ordinary cultivators who had just begun drawing talismans, let alone two or three in ten, being able to successfully produce two or three out of fifty sheets of Talisman Paper was already considered good.

Once he realized this, Wu Yan felt a touch of pressure in his heart.

His gaze inadvertently swept over Lu Wan... When the time came, he feared it would be the man without love, the woman with affection.

Not to mention that Ji Yuan was so handsome, and his talent was not bad either. Wasn't he exactly the sort those female cultivators held dear to their hearts...

Ji Yuan naturally knew nothing of their little thoughts.

Walking through the streets of Zengtou City, his entire mind was immersed in his Storage Bag.

It could not be helped. He had been poor for too long!

He had never seen so many Spirit Stones before, so he counted them over and over with great care.

Ninety-eight!

A full ninety-eight. With just two more Low-Grade Spirit Stones, he would have enough to exchange for one Middle-Grade Spirit Stone!

Now that he had so many Spirit Stones, how should he spend them?

What Ji Yuan most looked forward to was naturally continuing to upgrade his buildings. Everything he had now came from building upgrades.

Only by continuing to upgrade the buildings could he gain even greater improvement.

But as for the buildings, it was either the [Fish Pond] or the [Pigsty]. He had enough Spirit Stones for both, but the other two conditions were difficult to fulfill.

If those two were difficult to manage, then perhaps he could imitate the [Talisman Room] and first create an [Alchemy Room] and an [Artifact Refining Room]?

Upgrading to Level Two was difficult, but Level One should not be a problem.

It was just that, if he did so, he would have to develop steadily for another period of time.

In a daze, a flash of insight suddenly struck Ji Yuan's mind, as though he had figured something out.

Hadn't he gone to such lengths to upgrade buildings in order to improve his strength?

Now that he had these ninety-eight Spirit Stones, if he wanted to break through to the Fifth Layer of Qi Refinement... let alone the fact that he was at least a Four-Spirit Root, even if he possessed a Five-Spirit Root complete with all five poisons, it would still be enough.

Since that was the case, what was he waiting for?

A bird in the hand was worth more than ten thousand birds in the forest. He would raise his realm first!