According to Han Xingyan, the Talisman Alliance was purely a platform for Talisman Makers to exchange knowledge, imposing no restrictions whatsoever on its members.
Yet the implication behind his final remarks proved that this was, in fact, nothing more than empty talk.
Li Ping had always believed that, whether in his previous life or the cultivation world, organizations of any kind could only form around shared interests or the need to protect their members' interests.
The Talisman Alliance was no exception. Its loose structure somewhat resembled the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries from Li Ping's previous life.
Neither imposed many restrictions on its members, and both appeared harmless to man and beast on the surface.
But the moment their interests came under threat, they would immediately bare their fangs.
The Talisman Alliance, for instance, used its technical advantage to control the number of talismans entering the market, suppressing the upstream prices of talisman paper, talisman ink, and other raw materials while keeping downstream talisman prices fluctuating within a certain range.
This allowed them to pocket the fattest slice of profit in the talisman-making industry.
Li Ping's large-scale sales had caused spirit talisman prices to plunge while the prices of raw materials soared. This had undoubtedly harmed the Talisman Alliance's interests.
Cutting off someone's source of wealth was like murdering their parents.
Had he merely been a Qi Refining cultivator, the Talisman Alliance would probably have already struck him with an iron fist.
But he was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, strong enough to arm-wrestle the Talisman Alliance. That was why they had sent Han Xingyan to visit under the pretext of congratulating him on his breakthrough, offering courtesy before resorting to force.
Of course, if they could seize the opportunity to win Li Ping over and bring him into the Talisman Alliance, so much the better.
Once Li Ping became a member, his long-term interests would align with the alliance's. Without anyone needing to persuade him, he would voluntarily stand alongside its members and defend its interests.
They could rely on their technical advantage to keep a steady trickle flowing for years to come.
Wasn't it better to squeeze the upstream suppliers of talisman-making materials together and reap profits from the cultivators buying spirit talismans downstream?
Why compete with one another in a race to the bottom?
As these thoughts flashed through his mind and he saw through the Talisman Alliance's true nature, Li Ping lost every shred of interest in joining.
It was not that he considered himself above them. The Talisman Alliance simply offered him no help whatsoever.
He would soon become a second-tier mid-grade Talisman Maker, and after that, he would only draw second-tier talismans.
He was taking the high-end route. There was no need to get mixed up with those fellows from the Talisman Alliance.
With that in mind, Li Ping asked with a smile, "I know that Fairy Meng, Meng Qingyi of Azure Dragon Mountain, is a second-tier Talisman Maker. Is she also a member of the Talisman Alliance?"
"We did invite Fairy Meng." Han Xingyan shook his head regretfully. "Unfortunately, she declined to join."
Li Ping nodded and reached for the exquisite wooden box on the table before him, which held the second-tier lower-grade Silver Wolf Brush.
Seeing that he was willing to accept the congratulatory gift, Han Xingyan's eyes lit with a smile. Clearly, the purpose of his visit was almost fulfilled.
But Li Ping's next words left him frozen on the spot. Li Ping put the wooden box into his storage pouch, then said solemnly, "I'll accept your congratulatory gift, Fellow Daoist Han. As for joining the Talisman Alliance, however, I can only apologize. I wish to devote myself wholeheartedly to cultivation, without being troubled by worldly affairs."
Hearing this, Han Xingyan could no longer keep his composure.
Come on, man. The alliance's gift is nominally to congratulate you on reaching Foundation Establishment, but what the hell does your breakthrough have to do with us? This is really a signing bonus for joining the alliance!
And now you've taken the gift but refuse to join? Is that any way for a person to behave?
Fortunately, Li Ping soon spoke again. "But rest assured, Fellow Daoist Han. Though I won't be joining the Talisman Alliance, I wholeheartedly agree with its aims. Only by suppressing the prices of raw materials upstream and raising the prices of finished spirit talismans downstream can we Talisman Makers live comfortably."
He said gravely, "I can promise you, Fellow Daoist Han, that I will stand on the same battle line as the Talisman Alliance from now on. I will never again sell spirit talismans at low prices."
Only after hearing Li Ping's promise did Han Xingyan breathe a sigh of relief.
Before sending him to invite Li Ping, the Talisman Alliance had already prepared a contingency plan.
If Li Ping agreed to join, everyone would be happy.
But if he refused, they would have to explain the stakes to him and stop him from continuing to dump spirit talismans in bulk, disrupting the spirit talisman market in the Immortal City.
Now that he had secured Li Ping's assurance, he could at least consider the purpose of his visit more or less fulfilled.
With that thought, he smiled and cupped his hands. "You make a sound point, Fellow Daoist Li. This benefits everyone."
Han Xingyan took his leave, and Li Ping sat alone in the courtyard, toying with the talisman brush the Talisman Alliance had given him.
Even before Han Xingyan's visit, he had already decided not to continue drawing first-tier talismans in large quantities. In that sense, Han Xingyan had actually made the trip for nothing.
His gaze settled on the talisman brush in his hand. It was finely crafted, with a black shaft and a silver tip.
A second-tier lower-grade brush was worth between one hundred and two hundred spirit stones. With Li Ping's current wealth, he honestly did not care all that much about it.
He had accepted the gift out of consideration for his public image.
To outsiders, this whole affair had begun because he had drawn spirit talismans in enormous quantities and disrupted talisman prices in the Immortal City.
That had prompted the Talisman Alliance to send Han Xingyan to negotiate and apply pressure in defense of its own interests.
If Li Ping obediently stopped drawing talismans as soon as someone from the alliance came calling, without even accepting the gift, those unaware of the truth might assume he lacked confidence and feared the alliance so much that he did not dare take it.
They might label Li Ping "an honest pushover," "easy to handle," or "weak and easily bullied"... which would affect his future dealings with cultivators at the same level.
Li Ping wanted to be a cautious cultivator, not a cowardly one. Naturally, he did not want that to happen.
Conversely, accepting the alliance's gift and reaching a mutually beneficial agreement meant handling the matter with reason and restraint. Both sides would be satisfied, while a signal would be sent to the outside world.
That signal was that Li Ping could weigh interests and resolve disagreements through negotiation, rather than being a reckless cultivator who knew only fighting and killing.
Establishing such an image offered many advantages.
For example, if someone wanted something from Li Ping in the future, they would most likely first consider an exchange of benefits rather than resorting directly to violence.
Magic artifacts had no eyes, and spells knew no mercy.
With the Purple Qi Space as his cheat, Li Ping had a smooth road of cultivation ahead of him.
He did not wish to fight other cultivators frequently. If a problem could be resolved without violence, he could accept even taking a small loss.
Putting the talisman brush into his storage pouch, Li Ping rose, pushed open the courtyard gate, and headed toward the inner city.
With Fairy Meng's "original-scent talisman brush" in hand and enough spirit stones saved up, he was now off to buy second-tier mid-grade talisman ink and second-tier mid-grade spiritwood.
If everything went smoothly, he would soon become a second-tier mid-grade Talisman Maker.
When that time came, a whole new world would naturally open before him.