"Thank you, seniors!"
He Pingsheng cupped his hands toward the two of them.
Why were fifth-grade talismans so scarce in the world?
The answer was easy to understand.
First, there were few talisman masters.
Under normal circumstances, anyone capable of drawing fifth-grade talismans would surely be an old immortal at the Spirit Transformation Stage.
Yet such old immortals were exceedingly rare. An entire kingdom had only twenty or so.
Few specialized in the art of talismans.
Second, materials were scarce.
Drawing talismans required talisman paper and talisman ink.
Take talisman paper, for instance. Fifth-grade talismans required fifth-grade talisman paper, but where did that paper come from?
One source was the hides of fifth-grade demon beasts.
That meant killing a Spirit Transformation Stage demon beast and using its hide as talisman paper.
Was that possible?
All one could say was that it was terribly difficult. Never mind how scarce fifth-grade demon beasts were in the Cultivation World-even if one were found, how many people could kill it?
Another method was to refine the bark of certain fifth-grade spirit herbs.
That was even harder.
As for talisman ink, it also had to be fifth-grade.
And which of the blood, Daoist Law, power of the laws, and other ingredients needed to refine fifth-grade talisman ink was easy to obtain?
To put it bluntly, this stuff required a Spirit Transformation Stage cultivator's Glazed Nascent Soul.
It was a grievous offense against Heaven.
For all these reasons, fifth-grade talismans were exceedingly scarce.
The crucial point was that talismans were not necessities. As fewer people studied them, fewer talismans were made, and the associated trades dwindled.
Caught in this vicious cycle, practically every fifth-grade talisman in the Cultivation World became a treasure passed down through generations.
Pills were different.
Some fifth-grade pills were necessities, so people