After putting the completed Fire Rain Talisman into his Storage Bag, Li Ping briefly sensed the changes in his body and could not help frowning again.
Casting just one second-tier lower-grade Fire Rain Technique had consumed roughly a third of his Foundation Establishment early stage magical power.
Although this was partly because he had yet to practice a high-tier cultivation method and his magical power was therefore less pure, it still showed just how demanding second-tier spells were.
This also left Li Ping sighing inwardly. No wonder cultivators preferred using magic artifacts to spells in battle. Perhaps part of the reason was that spells were slow to cast and could not match the speed of magic artifacts.
But the excessive mana consumption of spells was probably another important reason cultivators abandoned them.
I can draw at most two second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans in a row before I have to stop and meditate to recover my magical power, Li Ping calculated silently. If I draw a second-tier mid-grade talisman, a single attempt will consume over eighty percent of my magical power. As for second-tier upper-grade talismans, even if I have the corresponding craft inheritance, I can't draw them at all without sufficient cultivation and magical power.
Once my magical power runs dry, I have no choice but to stop and meditate to recover.
The severe mana drain also affected Li Ping's talisman-making efficiency.
By his preliminary calculations, if he stopped cultivating and devoted himself entirely to making talismans, then, including the time spent meditating to recover his magical power and with the Inheritance Tree's "one hundred percent talisman-making success rate" buff, he could draw around ten second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans or five second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans each month.
If he moved to second-tier Spirit Land to cultivate, his magical power would recover faster during meditation, further improving his efficiency.
Assuming he sold all those spirit talismans, his monthly income would be around five hundred spirit stones, with a net profit of at least four hundred.
A year's net profit would amount to four thousand eight hundred spirit stones, enough to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill and still have some left over.
His rate of earning spirit stones would even rival that of a Core Formation cultivator.
Of course, other second-tier lower-grade talisman makers could fail when making talismans, so their earning efficiency fell far short of Li Ping's.
But Li Ping would never be foolish enough to spend all his time making talismans.
A cultivator's own cultivation was what mattered most. Spirit stones were merely worldly possessions; having enough was all that mattered.
Once he bought a suitable cultivation method, he would devote the vast majority of his time to cultivation instead, spending little time or effort on talisman-making.
Drawing a few dozen second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans each year and earning enough resources to sustain his cultivation would suffice.
Many people in the Immortal City know I'm quite accomplished at talisman-making and close to becoming a second-tier lower-grade talisman maker, Li Ping mused. So drawing second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans would be a natural progression. No one would find it strange. But I shouldn't bring out second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans, or I'll easily invite scrutiny from people with ulterior motives.
To outsiders, Li Ping's talisman-making skills might already have reached first-tier upper-grade before he attained Foundation Establishment.
After he successfully attained Foundation Establishment, his magical power and divine sense had both increased more than tenfold, and talisman-making demanded a great deal of both.
With magical power and divine sense more than ten times stronger than before, it would be nothing unusual for his talisman-making skills to improve and for him to break through to become a second-tier lower-grade talisman maker in one leap.
A breakthrough in a cultivator's cultivation would spur improvements in their crafts. This was common knowledge in the cultivation world.
So if Li Ping publicly displayed the skills of a second-tier lower-grade talisman maker, no one would pay much attention. At most, they would make a few admiring remarks.
But if other cultivators learned that he had crossed two successive levels in a short time and that his talisman-making skills had actually reached second-tier mid-grade, it would most likely attract considerable attention.
Many people in the cultivation world had fortuitous encounters. He might be considered one of them, and someone might try to investigate his encounter and seize its benefits by force.
Although Li Ping was not afraid, he did not want to invite too much trouble.
Besides, the income from second-tier lower-grade talismans was already enough to support his cultivation.
And since he had resolved to become a cautious, low-profile cultivator, Li Ping felt it was essential to prepare some means beyond his own cultivation realm.
Therefore, Li Ping did not intend to reveal his true talisman-making ability. From then on, he would sell only second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans.
He would also draw some second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans, but he would keep them solely as his hidden trump cards.
If he hurled seven or eight second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans at once in battle, even a Foundation Establishment late stage cultivator would have to retreat for the moment. A Foundation Establishment middle stage cultivator who failed to dodge in time would be severely injured outright and might even perish.
If anyone takes me for an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator, heh heh...
A month later, after Li Ping's sleepless "007" overtime grind, his Storage Bag held six assorted second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans and two second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans.
The second-tier mid-grade spirit talismans were for his own protection, while the second-tier lower-grade ones were to be sold for spirit stones.
Before this, he had visited several large shops throughout the inner city in search of second-tier mid-grade spiritwood, but not one of them had shown him any consideration.
Although Li Ping had said, "I understand, I understand," he had actually been left with quite a few knots in his heart.
Besides, second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans were firmly in a seller's market. Demand exceeded supply, and as soon as they went on the shelves, cultivators who came rushing at the news would sweep them clean.
So Li Ping had no need to let those large shops take a cut anymore.
He planned to price all the second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans he made at fifty spirit stones each and sell them through his third brother Gu Musheng's little shop.
As for Gu Musheng's fee, since he wanted to look after his own brother, he tentatively set it at one spirit stone per talisman.
Of course, this was not a fee Li Ping would pay Gu Musheng, but one Gu Musheng would pay him.
A steady stream of second-tier lower-grade spirit talismans on the shelves would bring tremendous customer traffic to Gu Musheng's little shop. When those cultivators scrambled to buy spirit talismans, they would very likely pick up some other supplies along the way, boosting sales of other low-tier magic artifacts and spirit talismans.
That would bring Gu Musheng a considerable profit.
One spirit stone was the customer-referral fee Gu Musheng would pay him.
This way, he could earn fifty-one spirit stones per talisman. Before long, he would have enough spirit stones for a high-tier cultivation method.
When he thought about how he had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator for over half a year, yet still lived on a first-tier spirit vein in the outer city, did not even have a high-tier cultivation method, and had yet to undertake a single proper cultivation session, he could not help dwelling on it.
Li Ping shook his head and sighed.
Still pondering, Li Ping stepped into his third brother's little Green Bamboo shop.
Li Ping's arrival immediately alerted Gu Musheng, who was meditating behind the counter. Seeing that it was Li Ping, his face lit up with delight. "Big Brother, what brings you here? I was just about to go looking for you."
"Looking for me? Huh!" Li Ping was somewhat puzzled, but he soon noticed the change in Gu Musheng's aura.
Seventh level of Qi Refining!
At some point, Gu Musheng had actually broken through to the late stage of Qi Refining.
After furtively closing the shop door, Gu Musheng approached Li Ping with a mysterious look. "Big Brother, I have a lead here in the Immortal City on that high-tier cultivation method you want. It's a little risky, but the price is very low."
As Li Ping listened, his initial confusion gave way to surprise, and finally, a smile appeared on his face without his realizing it.
He kept nodding inwardly. This kid really does have a few tricks up his sleeve. You've earned some credit this time, so I won't charge you the customer-referral fee!