Golden Armor Talismans and Sword Qi Talismans

The Golden Armor Talismans and Sword Qi Talismans were all from the same seller, priced at just ten Spirit Coins apiece. Good quality at a low price.

On the official website of Taiqing Talisman-Making Technical College, both types sold for fifty Spirit Coins. Yet on the Secondhand Market, these talismans were listed for just ten Spirit Coins, with a note saying the price was negotiable.

"So cheap? What if they work one moment and fail the next, right when I need them?"

Chen Zhuo rubbed his chin, seized by a huge case of "you get what you pay for" anxiety.

He couldn't help it. Chen Zhuo was an ordinary person pulled in two directions.

If something was expensive, he thought it was absurdly overpriced, as if the seller were out to rob him.

If it was cheap, he worried that you got what you paid for.

Especially when something originally cost fifty but now went for ten, with room to haggle.

Could these really be secondhand talismans?

Weren't talismans single-use? How could there be secondhand ones?

Had someone burned half a talisman and left the other half?

Still, Chen Zhuo decided to ask. The price was tempting.

He immediately opened the seller's contact page and sent a message through his Spirit Message Jade Slip: "Hi, fellow student. I saw your Golden Armor Talismans and Sword Qi Talismans listed on the Secondhand Market. Is there anything wrong with them? Why are they so cheap?"

Straight to the point. Just ask!

Something originally worth fifty selling for ten had to have a catch.

The reply came not long after he sent the message.

The seller's name was displayed as "Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning," and their avatar was a cartoon figure drawing a talisman.

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: Good afternoon, dear customer! I drew these talismans myself, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with them.

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: It's just that they have a teensy quality issue. They're discarded versions of my in-class assignments for the monthly exam, which the college marked as substandard. But their quality is actually okay. They work. The college's standards are so-so anyway. What the hell do they know?

Chen Zhuo: ?

So they were the equivalent of answers from a book of mistakes?

Fine. A book of mistakes it was.

As long as they worked.

They were cheap, after all.

Chen Zhuo asked at once, "Can you be more specific? How are they different from the standard versions?"

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: Umm, the Sword Qi Talismans aren't powerful enough. They have about half the power of the standard version. The Golden Armor Talismans are worse at defense, with only a quarter of the standard version's strength.

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: But I promise they all work! They're just a little less effective.

At that, Chen Zhuo understood.

They were assignments that had failed the exam.

No wonder they were so cheap.

But after another thought, Chen Zhuo felt this was a good opportunity.

He was only at the second level of Qi Refinement, and the Leopard Demon Beast he needed to face was equivalent to just the first level.

Even if the talismans had only half or a quarter of their standard power, they would be enough.

Most importantly, they were cheap!

A standard talisman cost fifty Spirit Coins. Chen Zhuo's entire fortune amounted to just forty-nine, not even enough for one.

These defective ones cost only ten apiece, and he could haggle.

Running the numbers in his head, Chen Zhuo typed rapidly on his jade slip.

"Since they're substandard, could you lower the price a little more? They're so much weaker that ten Spirit Coins each still seems a bit steep."

Chen Zhuo typed, "I'm buying in bulk. Give me a twenty percent discount and let's be friends. I'm from the Alchemy College, so I can sell you failed pills cheaply in the future."

The other party fell into a long silence, apparently thinking it over.

No one was buying these things, after all.

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: Eight Spirit Coins each.

Eight Spirit Coins...

Chen Zhuo considered it for a moment. He wanted to ask for half price—five Spirit Coins each—but that clearly wasn't realistic.

The scattered costs of the materials alone came to more than that.

Selling these defective talismans would barely recoup the guy's material costs.

If Chen Zhuo offered five Spirit Coins, the seller would probably shut him down and keep them for personal use.

Having made up his mind, Chen Zhuo said, "Three Golden Armor Talismans and two Sword Qi Talismans!"

There was no reply for quite a while.

The seller was probably trying to decide whether five talismans counted as "bulk."

Chen Zhuo was bleeding money this time.

Five times eight made forty!

A moment later, a message arrived.

[Talk Someone into Making Talismans, Get Struck by Lightning]: I'm in the college dormitory. You can order directly through the Spirit Message Platform, fellow Daoist. I'll ship them out, and a local courier can deliver them within half an hour.

Chen Zhuo hesitated no longer. He found the seller's shop on the Spirit Message Platform and ordered three Golden Armor Talismans and two Sword Qi Talismans.

Watching his balance drop from 48.83 Spirit Coins to 8.83 as he paid made his heart ache.

That was his entire Immortal Dao Potential!

But on second thought, if he could deal with the leopard in the Spirit Pearl World, he could cultivate there in peace. He might even open up a new way to earn money. It wouldn't be a loss.

With all that abundant Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Pearl World, his Cultivation speed would soar. Would earning Spirit Coins still be a problem then?

At the thought, Chen Zhuo felt better again.

So he closed his Spirit Message Jade Slip and hurried to cultivate while he waited for the delivery.

Not a single second could be wasted!

As he cultivated, Chen Zhuo also planned things out in his head.

With these talismans, dealing with the leopard shouldn't be much trouble.

He would use the Sword Qi Talismans to attack and the Golden Armor Talismans to defend.

Although their power was reduced, using both Sword Qi Talismans together should make up for it.

As for the Golden Armor Talismans, even at only a third of the standard version's defensive strength, they should be more than enough to withstand attacks from a first-level Qi Refinement demon beast.

The leopard was only a low-level demon beast, equivalent to a cultivator at the first level of Qi Refinement.

He was already at the second level, and with talismans to help him, his odds were excellent!

Chen Zhuo had bought three Golden Armor Talismans so he could test one as soon as they arrived and see how it worked.

"Once I kill that leopard and remove the danger, I can focus on cultivating. Then I'll 'advance steadily,' make more medicine, and break through. Reaching the third level of Qi Refinement shouldn't be hard."

The more Chen Zhuo thought about it, the brighter his future looked.

He might be up to his neck in debt now, but with the Spirit Pearl World as his cheat, paying it off was only a matter of time!

He might even save enough Spirit Coins to get himself a better Spiritual Root!

His inferior, low-grade single Spiritual Root made Cultivation painfully slow.

If he could switch to a mid-grade or even Upper-Grade Spiritual Root, then his Cultivation speed...

As Chen Zhuo was thinking, his Spirit Message Jade Slip suddenly vibrated.

He looked down. It was a delivery notification.

[Spiritlink Express: Your package has arrived. Please sign for it promptly!]

Chen Zhuo perked up at once and went to the entrance of his Cave Abode.

A Paper Crane arrived at his door, dropped off the package, and waited for Chen Zhuo to sign.

This was a courier from the Immortal Estate. Strictly speaking, it was a Magical Artifact, though aside from finding its way automatically, it had no other functions.

Chen Zhuo took the package and signed for it. The Paper Crane then headed straight back.

"That senior from the Talisman-Making College is a good guy. He didn't even make me pay for shipping on delivery!"

Chen Zhuo was surprised. He had assumed that in this shitty world, everyone would seize any chance to take advantage of others. Yet this senior hadn't, which genuinely caught him off guard.

There was still real warmth and real kindness in the world!

Chen Zhuo shut the door and eagerly opened the package.

Inside the wrapping lay five talismans.

They were ugly as sin, like scribbles made by ghosts. Still, he had to admit they were at least fully drawn. There was nothing wrong with how complete they were.

"Nice. They practically radiate power! If talismans are this impressive, how powerful must the chips that replaced them be?"

Chen Zhuo sighed inwardly, then picked up a Sword Qi Talisman and examined it closely.

The talisman paper was unremarkable. It was probably Spirit Bamboo Paper, which sold for two Spirit Coins a sheet at the mall.

Chen Zhuo wasn't trained in this field, so he couldn't tell whether the drawing had any flaws.

But its Spiritual Qi content was noticeably low.

"Defective, just as expected..."

Chen Zhuo shook his head, but thinking of the price put him at ease.

At eight Spirit Coins each, what more could he ask for?

Time to test them!