The Li Siblings

Chen Zhuo took careful notes.

This was his assignment, after all.

It would determine whether he could graduate, so it mattered.

A moment later, the young man opened his eyes and clenched his fists in excitement!

Qi Refining Second Layer!

The moment he opened his eyes, he said, "Senior, the quality of your pill is incredible! After taking it, I feel clear-headed and comfortable, and my cultivation has soared!"

"This is good enough to be called mid-grade!"

The young man was so excited he was nearly in tears of gratitude to Chen Zhuo!

He had assumed that, since he was testing a pill, it could not be very good. He had expected to lie in bed for ten days or half a month before he could move again.

But never in his wildest dreams had he expected to need only half a day's rest.

This could hardly be called a low-grade Qi Condensation Pill.

It had to be a mid-grade Qi Condensation Pill!

At Jishi Hall, it would sell for at least thirty Spirit Stones!

And he had bought such a fine pill for just eight Spirit Stones.

Was this senior here to do charity?

Chen Zhuo: ???

Chen Zhuo fell silent.

What the hell?

Wasn't that a Waste Pill?

After a moment's silence, understanding dawned on Chen Zhuo.

In the Immortal Estate World, a pill containing pill toxin really was a waste pill through and through.

But in the Ancient Immortal Realm, this was everyday fare!

After another moment of silence, Chen Zhuo asked, "After you took it, did you notice anything unusual?"

"Senior, nothing unusual happened."

The young man cupped his hands respectfully. "It was rich in Spiritual Qi, with a sweet aftertaste. Truly top-grade."

Hearing that left Chen Zhuo feeling weary.

Damn it. By the young man's standards, everything had gone normally. Of course he had noticed nothing unusual.

Chen Zhuo fell silent for a moment, then said, "Tell me everything you experienced after taking the pill."

There was no helping it. Chen Zhuo would have to make a second set of notes based on the young man's account.

The young man immediately replied with respect, "After taking it, I first felt heat spreading through my whole body..."

Chen Zhuo made revisions as he recorded the young man's account, completing his notes for the test.

When he finished writing, Chen Zhuo let out a long sigh.

He had no idea whether it would pass.

At that thought, Chen Zhuo asked offhandedly, "What's your name?"

The young man hurriedly cupped his hands. "I'm Li Changqing, and this is my younger sister, Li Yao."

With that, Li Changqing beckoned to the timid little girl.

Only then did the little girl dare lean most of the way out and bow shyly to Chen Zhuo. "Li Yao greets you, Senior."

Chen Zhuo: ...

What a classic name.

Could this be one of those so-called children of destiny?

Chen Zhuo wondered to himself. Then again, meeting him did count as a stroke of destiny!

"All right. Next time I need a pill tested, I'll come find you here."

Chen Zhuo waved a hand, said no more, and turned to leave the Wooden House. "Remember to save up enough Spirit Stones."

With that, Chen Zhuo stepped outside.

The ordinary martial artists outside who were close to Li Changqing breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Chen Zhuo emerge and parted to let him through.

Chen Zhuo had no intention of lingering. He headed straight for the Shantytown.

With his assignment taken care of, it was time to buy some things and see whether he could bring them back to the Immortal Estate to resell.

The roadside stalls in the Shantytown were an eye-opener for Chen Zhuo.

Their wares were not especially rare, but cultivators in the Immortal Estate world seldom saw them.

There were intact Demon Beast pelts, for instance, and century-old Spirit Plants.

Chen Zhuo had seen products made from such things on shopping websites, but never the raw materials themselves.

It really opened his eyes.

Before long, Chen Zhuo spotted a stall selling Talisman Paper.

An idea stirred, and he went over.

"Looking for talisman paper, fellow Daoist? You've come to the right place. Mine's top quality—five sheets for one Spirit Stone!"

The stallholder was an old man at Qi Refining Third Layer. Seeing Chen Zhuo approach, he added, "If you want paper made from three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo, it's one Spirit Stone per sheet!"

Chen Zhuo picked up a sheet and examined it.

The material was good, but the workmanship was crude, nowhere near the Talisman Paper made in the Immortal Estate World.

But this texture really was excellent, far better than the Talisman Paper from the Immortal Estate World!

More than enough to make up for its lack of refinement.

As everyone knew, Talisman Paper was made from Spirit Bamboo, Spirit Cotton, and Spiritwood through a complex process.

In the Immortal Estate World, Spiritual Qi was waning.

As a result, the Immortal Estate World had few areas with surplus Spiritual Qi for growing Spirit Plants, making Talisman Paper expensive. Most Talisman Paper sold day to day was made from Spirit Bamboo and Spiritwood forced to mature in three to five years.

The Talisman Paper sold at roadside stalls in the Ancient Immortal Realm was made from Spirit Bamboo at least fifty years old.

And the prices were different, too.

In the Immortal Estate World, a single sheet cost twenty or thirty Spirit Coins—equivalent to two or three Spirit Stones!

But here...

Five sheets for one physical Spirit Stone might be of middling quality, but paper made from three-hundred-year-old Spirit Bamboo at one Spirit Stone a sheet was more than good enough!

Though sorely tempted, Chen Zhuo gave nothing away. He merely asked, "What about Cinnabar?"

"I have Cinnabar too. Three Spirit Stones a bottle."

The old man pointed to several small porcelain bottles nearby.

Chen Zhuo calculated that if he bought Talisman Paper here and sold it in the Immortal Estate World, he might make a tidy profit on the difference.

Raw materials such as Iron Ore were worth even more.

But he had no way to sell those.

After all, he could trade Talisman Paper privately and have an excuse if anyone found out. Privately trading controlled goods, though, crossed a line. He could easily be charged with "selling Immortal Estate-controlled materials" and sent to mine ore in the mountains.

Alas. I've stumbled onto a mountain of treasure, but all I can do is dig up grass around its edges. What a waste.

Chen Zhuo sighed inwardly and continued browsing.

He needed to compare prices.

He could also look for other basic materials that would let him make a decent living as a trader.

With limited funds, Chen Zhuo had to watch every Spirit Stone and choose materials that offered good value.

Slow and steady was the way to go.

After making a circuit, however, Chen Zhuo found that with the funds he had now, Talisman Paper offered the best value.

He could double his money outright.

Besides, he had an online friend who made talismans and had a way to sell them.

Still, he should not buy too much the first time, in case his friend did not need it.

With that in mind, Chen Zhuo stopped before the stallholder from earlier and asked with a cool expression, "How much for the Talisman Paper?"