Hundred Treasures Pavilion
"Old Mo, as long as you join the Wondrous Talisman Studio, I can promise you a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object on behalf of the Song Household. What do you say?" Song Xuan said solemnly.
Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects were naturally occurring spiritual objects that had special effects for cultivators. Not only were they scarce, but they were also extremely difficult to obtain. The Fire Element Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object known as the Baleful Fire Profound Pearl, for instance, could only be found deep within perilous earthfire veins.
Each type of Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object could increase a Qi Refining Peak cultivator's chance of Foundation Establishment by up to ten percent, but their effects could not be stacked. For most Rogue Cultivators who could not obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill, having a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object to assist them was a fairly good option.
Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects were not terribly expensive, costing around two thousand Spirit Stones apiece. But such spiritual objects, which were so helpful for Foundation Establishment, were always priced but unavailable on the market. They could only be obtained through special channels.
The Song Household has connections like that? Mo Wen was startled. He looked at his old friend Song Xuan and, for a moment, did not know what to say.
In all fairness, old Song was truly a good friend to him! Information about Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects would surely be considered a secret in the Song Household, yet Song Xuan had revealed it without hesitation.
Although Mo Wen reckoned he probably would not need a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, he was still a little touched. Whatever else might be said, Song Xuan had taken a great risk!
"Old Song, don't say any more! I can supply the Wondrous Talisman Studio with mid-grade talismans, but I won't join the Song Household!" Mo Wen said decisively.
Song Xuan sighed in disappointment and looked at Mo Wen pitifully. "Whether I make my fortune all depends on you!"
"Stop pretending! You think I don't know you? Get on with it!" Mo Wen said with a laugh.
"Thirty a month, at least!" Song Xuan opened his lion's maw wide.
"Impossible. I still have to cultivate. I don't have that much time!"
"Then twenty-five?"
"Don't even think about it!"
"Then surely twenty will do?"
"..."
After Song Xuan shamelessly badgered him, Mo Wen finally agreed to supply the Wondrous Talisman Studio with twelve mid-grade talismans a month.
In truth, with Mo Wen's current attainments in the Dao of talismans, drawing a few dozen mid-grade talismans a month was easy enough. But he earned Spirit Stones to cultivate; he could not put the cart before the horse and spend too much time making talismans.
Song Xuan had no idea what Mo Wen was really capable of. He thought that Mo Wen had only just advanced to become a mid-grade talisman master, so his success rate was bound to be pitifully low. If Mo Wen could give him three or five a month, he would already be a very good friend!
To his surprise, Mo Wen had agreed to supply the Wondrous Talisman Studio with twelve mid-grade talismans every month. It was as though joy had fallen from the sky!
Delighted and surprised, Song Xuan also showed the greatest sincerity he could, offering to buy Mo Wen's Wood Armor Talismans for twenty-five Spirit Stones apiece. That price was already very close to the market price, leaving almost no profit.
Mo Wen did not stand on ceremony. He sold all seventeen Wood Armor Talismans to the Wondrous Talisman Studio in exchange for three hundred Spirit Stones and a large quantity of talisman-making materials.
Once the transaction was complete, Mo Wen left the Wondrous Talisman Studio and headed for the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was the largest and most upscale merchant establishment in the Red Leaf Market. It sold a wide variety of reliable goods and had only one flaw: it was expensive! Every item inside cost ten percent more than comparable goods elsewhere!
Mo Wen went to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to buy a Cultivation Method that could change his Qi.
When Qi Refining cultivators identified someone, they mainly relied on their Spiritual Sense to observe that person's cultivation and Qi, paying less attention to appearance. After a cultivator reached Foundation Establishment, their Spiritual Sense would evolve into Divine Sense, making their ability to identify others even stronger.
Without a way to change one's Qi, even altering one's appearance beyond recognition would not prevent others from easily recognizing one's true identity. Thus, to completely conceal his identity, he had to cultivate a Cultivation Method that could change his Qi.
Cultivation Methods with such special effects were extremely rare, and ordinary merchant establishments would not sell them even if they had them in stock. Mo Wen now had deep pockets, so he came straight to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to look for one.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was the tallest and most imposing building in the Red Leaf Market. Its main structure was built from a spiritual material called Lapis Lazuli, which had excellent Spiritual Qi conductivity and could support second-tier runic restrictions. That meant it could easily withstand the full-force attack of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Although the Hundred Treasures Pavilion's threshold was a little high, its standard of service was indeed far above that of ordinary merchant establishments. Every customer who came through its doors felt comfortably at home.
As soon as Mo Wen entered, a young female cultivator with skin as white as snow and a graceful figure welcomed him inside.
The female cultivator was young, but she had already reached Qi Refinement Fifth Layer. She did not look down on an old cultivator like Mo Wen and asked softly what he needed.
When she heard that Mo Wen needed a Cultivation Method to change his Qi, the smiling attendant immediately fetched a booklet and turned to the descriptions of three Cultivation Methods.
Each of the three Cultivation Methods had its own distinctive features, and even the cheapest cost more than two hundred Spirit Stones.
The Conceal Form and Hide Aura Instruction sold for two hundred and twenty Spirit Stones. It was a Cultivation Method for stealth and concealment that could suppress the cultivator's Qi until it was almost undetectable. Paired with a magic robe that concealed the wearer's figure, it could hide one's true identity without leaving the slightest gap.
The Hundred Transformations Heart Scripture Qi Refining Chapter sold for two hundred and eighty Spirit Stones. It was an unusual Cultivation Method that led directly to Golden Core, but unfortunately, it contained only the Qi Refining Realm portion. Cultivating it to completion would allow one to fool the Divine Sense of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
The Three-Transformation Form-Changing Instruction sold for five hundred Spirit Stones. It was a Body Refining Cultivation Method with three levels. Each level mastered allowed the cultivator to assume a new identity, with an appearance and Qi utterly different from the original. Yet each was a flawless true body, and even a Nascent Soul True Lord could not tell which was real and which was false. However, the Cultivation Method was extremely difficult to cultivate; only those with extraordinary talent could even get started.
Although Mo Wen preferred the Three-Transformation Form-Changing Instruction, his purse was too light, so he had to settle for the Hundred Transformations Heart Scripture Qi Refining Chapter. He also held out hope that he could find the subsequent chapters of the Hundred Transformations Heart Sutra in the future.
After paying the Spirit Stones, Mo Wen dared not linger. He quickly left the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and returned home.
In truth, Mo Wen did not want to shut himself away at home and cultivate arduously all the time. But whenever he thought about how he had gradually grown old in his previous life, he gained a more tangible understanding of "longevity."
In his previous life, he had had no choice but to follow the laws of nature. In this life, he would continue to seek the immortal path and taste what longevity was really like.
In the days that followed, Mo Wen spent all his time cultivating, apart from occasionally taking a break to relax his mind.
The Sun Essence and Moon Radiance Life-Praying Technique, the Azure Wood Instruction, and the Hundred Transformations Heart Scripture Qi Refining Chapter were the Cultivation Methods he valued most at present, and he practiced each of them several times a day. As for talisman-making, he only did it once every five or six days. Even so, he could produce more than twenty talismans in a month, enough to meet the Wondrous Talisman Studio's needs for two months.