Before long.
Senior Brother Li and Zhang Jing walked into a small palace, one after the other.
Inside, two middle-aged men seemed to be arguing about something, their faces flushed with agitation.
Beside them sat an old man with graying hair, watching their argument with a smile and showing no intention of intervening.
Around the three stood bronze square tables piled with spirit paper, spirit ink, and several spirit brushes.
Tap, tap-
Senior Brother Li's and Zhang Jing's footsteps suddenly rang out.
The three instantly stopped what they were doing and turned toward the sound in unison.
The next moment.
"Greetings, Senior Brother Li!"
The old man stood at the front, leading the two behind him in greeting Senior Brother Li, who had just entered.
"No need for such formalities, junior brothers."
Zhang Jing slowed his steps.
Two middle-aged men and an old man bowed respectfully to a half-grown boy, while the boy accepted it without hesitation, his voice carrying a world-weariness at odds with his age.
The scene looked exceedingly strange to Zhang Jing, yet somehow reasonable.
This is the world of the Immortal Dao. You can't judge age by appearance alone. I must remember that! he repeatedly warned himself.
Meanwhile.
"Senior Brother, have you come today because of this junior brother?" The old man glanced at Zhang Jing behind Senior Brother Li and asked somewhat stiffly.
"Exactly."
Senior Brother Li stepped in front of Zhang Jing and introduced him. "This is Junior Brother Zhang Jing. I brought him here today to verify his success rate in making lower-grade talismans. I would like the three of you to witness it."
"Understood. Please wait a moment, Senior Brother."
The old man nodded, speaking as though he had expected this.
Then he called over the other two middle-aged men to prepare one of the bronze square tables, clearing everything off it before laying out fresh spirit paper and spirit ink.
Once everything was ready.
The old man walked straight up to Zhang Jing and said somewhat apologetically:
"Junior Brother Zhang, we're outside the Dao Academy now, and our facilities are rather simple. Please forgive us. See if there's anything else you need prepared. If there is, please speak up. A talisman master must be meticulous when making talismans."
"This is already very good. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Zhang Jing glanced at the bronze square table, looking quite satisfied.
If these facilities still counted as simple, wouldn't the conditions under which he had made talismans over the past half month have to be called atrocious?
"Then take a moment to regulate your breathing, Junior Brother, and prepare to begin afterward."
The old man shook his head, then seemed to remember something and kindly reminded him, "Don't put pressure on yourself, either. If your success rate doesn't reach thirty percent this time, you can take the test again once we return to Luodu Island."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
With that, Zhang Jing walked straight over to the bronze square table and sat down. A spirit brush suddenly appeared in his hand.
Within his sea of consciousness, the Mind's Eye Dao Seed abruptly blazed with light.
At that moment.
Inside the palace, everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhang Jing.
Senior Brother Li looked solemn and remained silent.
The other three stood together, faint fluctuations of spiritual sense emanating from them.
"Good heavens, this unfamiliar junior brother certainly has deep pockets. That's actually a middle-grade spirit brush!"
"Hiss-look at his state, you two! How did he immerse his mind so quickly? Incredible. If someone told me now that he could make talismans beside a demon, I'd believe them."
"He's moving! He's moving!"
Time slowly passed.
As he finished the final stroke, Zhang Jing put the spirit brush directly into the Spirit Pendant Space, then stood and cupped his hands.
"Senior Brother Li, senior brothers, I have fulfilled my task!"
"Excellent! Just as expected of you, Junior Brother Zhang!"
Senior Brother Li strode up to Zhang Jing, admiration in his eyes. "I'll send word back right away and instruct the squad to change your status to high-level member."
"Also," Senior Brother Li said, pointing at the old man studying Zhang Jing's talismans, "this is your Senior Brother Yan. You can collect the talisman-making materials you need from him during this period. You can also sell the talismans you make directly to him. I've already given him instructions."
"Understood. Thank you, Senior Brother."
Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Jing expressed his thanks.
"Then I'll be going. You and Junior Brother Yan's group are all talisman masters. You should exchange more of your experience."
"Take care, Senior Brother."
Only after Senior Brother Li's figure disappeared from the palace.
Did Zhang Jing walk briskly toward Senior Brother Yan and the other two, only to discover that all three were still studying the talismans he had just made.
"This makes no sense!"
One of the middle-aged men cried out in bewilderment.
"Exactly. Why are they all of higher vehicle quality?"
The other middle-aged man echoed him.
"All right, Junior Brother Zhang must simply have exceptional talent for talisman making. Otherwise, why would Senior Brother Li be so eager to bring him here personally for verification? Besides-"
The gray-haired Senior Brother Yan stopped short.
Then he recalled Senior Brother Li's instructions, and a trace of shock appeared on his aged face.
"Senior Brother Yan?" Zhang Jing called.
Hearing him, Senior Brother Yan hastily turned around and said warmly:
"Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhang, on becoming a high-level member so smoothly. With your skill in talisman making, once your cultivation breaks through to middle Qi Refining, becoming a manager will come as naturally as water flowing into a channel."
"I also have to thank you for your guidance earlier, Senior Brother."
Zhang Jing replied with a smile.
Inwardly, he kept analyzing what Senior Brother Yan had just said.
From what the other man meant, managers were one rank above high-level members. Likewise, talisman masters had a special route to promotion as managers, just as they did now.
Managers should be able to exchange for things in the resource repository at even lower prices.
Seventy percent of the price, or sixty?
Zhang Jing's eyes brightened slightly.
After a careful analysis, he realized he was actually already very close to becoming a squad manager. He did not need to worry about his talisman-making success rate, and he was not far from meeting the main cultivation requirement either.
From now on, he would print talismans at full capacity.
The squad would buy them all at market price.
Then he, Zhang Jing, would use the Dao Merit earned from selling talismans to buy various spirit pills and natural treasures from the squad's resource repository at a discount to advance his cultivation.
And as his cultivation improved and time passed, he would only have more source talismans, of ever higher grades...
A virtuous cycle?!
For a moment, a strange thought arose in Zhang Jing's mind.
If things continued this way, wouldn't he pluck the Luodu Squad's resource repository bald?
It wasn't impossible!
Just then.
Zhang Jing suddenly heard one of the middle-aged men remark, "Tsk, these higher vehicle quality defense talismans are hot commodities in Langya Commandery City's temporary markets."
He could not help turning to Senior Brother Yan.
"Senior Brother, I've only just arrived. May I ask if there are temporary markets in Langya Commandery?"
"Haha," Senior Brother Yan laughed. "Of course there are, Junior Brother Zhang. Tens of thousands of cultivators have gathered in Langya Commandery City, and temporary markets have sprung up in response. However, to prevent unrest, our Dao Academy has taken control of them."
"Business in talismans must be quite good in the markets, then?"
Zhang Jing asked, somewhat tempted.
"Naturally. Whether Dao Academy cultivators or rogue cultivators, they've hardly stopped hunting demons these past days. Their expenditure is enormous, and the supply of talismans in the markets can't meet demand."
Just as I thought!
On his way to Langya Commandery City earlier, Zhang Jing had already realized this.
Dao Academy cultivators kept streaming into Langya Commandery. Completing missions was probably incidental; their main objective should be the commandery's vast numbers of low-level demons.
How much Dao Merit did Dao Academy missions reward, anyway?
Hunting demons for materials was where the bulk of the earnings lay!
The demonic uprising in Langya Commandery was a calamity that drowned ordinary people, but for Dao Academy disciples, it was a great opportunity.
A single mission might yield enough Dao Merit for several years of cultivation.
The key was that the risk wasn't even very high!
After all, the high-level demons were facing off against the Dao Academy's senior brothers. What they faced were merely some low-level demons.
With such frequent fighting, talisman consumption was bound to be enormous.
Opposite Zhang Jing.
At the mention of this, Senior Brother Yan's smile unwittingly grew brighter.
"Haha, it looks like you've made quite a bit lately, Senior Brother," Zhang Jing teased.
"Ah, just a little Dao Merit and some demon materials. Nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning!"
Senior Brother Yan waved his hands repeatedly and spoke modestly.
If he hadn't seen the corners of the man's mouth stretching almost to his ears, Zhang Jing might actually have believed him.
"By the way, Junior Brother, are you asking because you also want to sell talismans in the market?" Senior Brother Yan caught on and immediately looked at Zhang Jing, asking with a face full of concern.
Zhang Jing nodded at his words and said frankly, "I do have that intention."
"Then that's easy."
With that, Senior Brother Yan took a bronze key from his storage bag and wrote down an address, then handed both to Zhang Jing, saying generously:
"To tell you the truth, Junior Brother, I arrived early, so I still have a few market shops on hand to use as favors. Giving one to you now is just right."
"Thank you for the gift, Senior Brother."
Without any affected refusal, Zhang Jing accepted the key and address.
Then he asked again:
"By the way, Senior Brother, Senior Brother Li said earlier that I could collect talisman-making materials from you?"
"Ah!"
Senior Brother Yan slapped his forehead in realization. "That's right! I nearly forgot about that."
As he spoke, he took a stack of spirit paper and some spirit ink from his storage bag.
"Junior Brother, according to Senior Brother Li's instructions, we can now provide you with five hundred sheets of lower-grade spirit paper and the corresponding spirit ink for free each month."
Zhang Jing accepted the spirit paper and spirit ink, picked up the talismans on the table, and took his leave.
"Thank you, Senior Brother. I'll be going now."
"Take care, Junior Brother. This is where our squad's talisman masters gather. If you'd like to stay here, you're welcome anytime."
Senior Brother Yan waved as he spoke.
"I'll remember that."
On the street.
Zhang Jing gently rubbed the bronze key in his palm with his fingertips, a thoughtful look appearing between his brows.
By now, he had made his decision.
He would no longer follow Senior Brother Ding and the others to hunt demons.
He was going to sell talismans in the temporary market.
Of course, Zhang Jing's aim was not talismans, but-demon cores!
He would trade talismans, essential consumables, for demon cores, paying a slight premium if necessary. He had Crimson Spirit Light anyway, so the demon cores' value would immediately double.
A single turnover like that would bring tens of times the profit in Dao Merit.
He would seize this opportunity and try to rake in one or two thousand Dao Merit, getting rich in one fell swoop.
At that thought.
Zhang Jing felt his heart begin racing uncontrollably.