Chapter 2: The Female Cultivator Next Door

Staring at the Equipment Slot Panel before him, Xiao Zhangqing's heartbeat seemed to pause for a beat, then throbed violently again.

"Equipment Slot Panel?"

"Symbol Master's Handbook?"

"Six Basic Talismans Minor Completion?"

Xiao Zhangqing finally understood—this was his golden finger finally paying off!

His golden finger was like the equipment interface from his past life's game: as long as you equip items that meet the conditions, you can gain some skill or attribute.

Which specific items met the equipment conditions, Xiao Zhangqing did not yet know.

The booklet "Qi Refining Realm Six Basic Talismans Production Method" was, as the system's appraisal said, street‑market junk in the Cultivation World—worth nothing, and buying one on the market would probably cost less than a Low-grade Spirit Stone.

It originally shouldn't have met the system's equipment criteria either.

It was because the shopkeeper where Xiao Zhangqing worked, an old Symbol Master, casually recorded some of his own talisman‑making insights on it, that the booklet gained extra value.

"Six Basic Talismans Minor Completion!"

Xiao Zhangqing's eyes lit up.

These days, he had already flipped through the booklet until it was thoroughly familiar; not that he could recite it verbatim, but he remembered the materials, common knowledge, and techniques of the six talismans very clearly.

But when he tried to draw talismans himself, he instantly understood what it meant to overestimate oneself.

Drawing talismans demands innate talent, almost like a spirit‑root attribute, a hard prerequisite.

Without this talent, no amount of effort or sweat will make it work.

Xiao Zhangqing had worked so hard, yet he still couldn't even grasp the basics.

This is why Zhou Yun'e mocked him when he said he would become a Symbol Master and establish himself in the Cultivation World.

"It's different! Now it's completely different!"

Xiao Zhangqing didn't know whether he now possessed Symbol Master Talent, but he could certainly feel that his understanding of drawing talismans had become entirely different.

How to describe it? It's like being drenched in enlightenment! Before, when he read the booklet—even the shopkeeper's annotations about drawing talismans—Xiao Zhangqing thought he understood with his eyes and mind, that he could do it. Yet once he tried to actually draw, his hands and body would tell him, "No, you can't!" But now, Xiao Zhangqing can clearly know that he can.

It's not rote memorization, but integration, with mind, body, and hand in harmony! "Can't wait, can't delay. Right now, must do it!"

A strong urge to draw talismans made him immediately rummage through boxes, pulling out the talisman‑making materials he had bought earlier but not used.

Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, Zhibi… laid out one by one.

Although they were all rather low‑quality materials, Xiao Zhangqing didn't intend to draw high‑difficulty talismans; he prepared to draw the simplest "Cleanse Talisman" to test the effect.

Focus the heart, calm the Qi.

Xiao Zhangqing leaned over the desk, his spiritual energy flowing like water into the Zhibi stained with Spirit Ink, applying a moderate and steady force; his arm did not tremble at all, showing no clumsiness.

It seemed instinctual, the basic skill he had trained for over a dozen years, without the slightest pause.

In one breath, it was completed! When the final stroke fell, Xiao Zhangqing lifted the pen, ending the work; the Spirit Light on the Talisman Paper flickered then settled, but a slight nudge of spiritual energy would produce a marvelous effect.

"Cleanse Talisman, complete!" "It's real! Not an illusion!"

"This golden finger really lives up to its power!"

Xiao Zhangqing felt excited and invigorated, instantly harboring beautiful fantasies and expectations for the future.

Putting aside everything else, having this Six Basic Talismans Minor Completion not only lets him establish a foothold in Nanshan Fang, but also live comfortably!

At the very least, becoming a regular at Lingbao Pavilion would be no problem, with income multiplying tenfold! If he had this skill a day earlier, Zhou Yun'e would never have been willing to leave him.

Xiao Zhangqing felt extreme satisfaction; his previous plan to leave the Cultivation World and return to the Mortal World to be king and tyrant now seemed irrelevant.

With such a golden finger at his side, of course he would stay and make a name for himself in the Cultivation World.

Wandering the Mortal World, no matter how lavish or wealthy, you become dust in just a few decades; where is the path to immortality, becoming a saint and ancestor, that brings true joy? As for avenging Zhou Yun'e, making her regret pleading for mercy, that is necessary but secondary.

"Stay calm, I must plan my future development carefully," Xiao Zhangqing took a deep breath, silently admonishing himself to settle down.

The golden finger is strong enough, but it cannot be denied that he is currently weak, only at Qi Refining Second Layer; in the Cultivation World he is like a low‑level ant, and a slightly larger opponent could easily crush him.

Just like Zhou Yun'e's paramour, the Hu Male Cultivator, who also seemed only at Qi Refining Fourth Level, could have killed his original body with a single hand movement, causing his transmigration.

"First, subtly reveal that I can draw talismans, masquerade as a 'Symbol Path Genius'? Then become a regular at Lingfu Pavilion, perhaps even join the sect behind Lingfu Pavilion!"

Lingfu Pavilion is Nanshan Fang's largest talisman shop, encompassing all basic talismans of the Qi Refining Realm; most First-Grade Talismans are stocked, and there are even a few Second-rank Treasure Talismans as the shop's treasures.

Therefore, working at Lingfu Pavilion and becoming a regular is equivalent to establishing a foothold in Nanshan Fang.

If he wishes to go further and become Lingfu Pavilion's exclusive Symbol Master, he must join the backing sect behind Lingfu Pavilion, the Luoxia Sect, which enjoys considerable reputation in Da Yu's cultivation circles. Once he joins Luoxia Sect and becomes Lingfu Pavilion's exclusive Symbol Master, he can basically walk anywhere in Nanshan Fang.

Even when facing a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage cultivator, he can remain neither servile nor arrogant, and the other will grant him some face.

Even with equipment bonuses, Xiao Zhangqing's Qi Refining Realm Six Basic Talismans Minor Completion is far from the standard required for Luoxia Sect to recruit him as Lingfu Pavilion's exclusive Symbol Master.

He must at least be able to draw truly advanced talismans.

"Second, acquire Spirit Stones! With Spirit Stones, I can move out of this low‑Qi Peng Hu Qu, eat Spirit Rice each meal, take a Gathering Spirit Pill weekly, and boost my cultivation! The goal isn't high; first raise to Qi Refining Fourth Level."

That is the life Zhou Yun'e has always dreamed of.

Now that she's gone, Xiao Zhangqing must make sure he lives well himself!

"Of course, most importantly... find ways to get more equipment!"

A single street‑market talisman handbook, worth less than a Low-grade Spirit Stone, can be equipped simply because the shopkeeper annotated some talisman‑making insights on it.

It seems the equipment conditions shouldn't be especially stringent.

Bang! Bang! Bang! As Xiao Zhangqing was planning his future, the door was suddenly knocked.

"Could it be Zhou Yun'e? Coming back to pack up?"

Xiao Zhangqing furrowed his brows.

Having been in Nanshan Fang for more than ten years, hustling daily for Spirit Stones, he recalled that his former self had few friends.

Although betrayal and being beaten to a dead dog were experiences of his former self, his heart still felt resentful, and he would definitely reclaim his place if the chance arose.

However now, if it were Zhou Yun'e and that Hu Male Cultivator, he would no longer act impulsively as his former self did; he would temporarily endure.

He opened the door.

Outside the door was a female cultivator, lovely and graceful, with a delicate oval face and bright, large eyes, but she was not Zhou Yun'e.

Compared to Zhou Yun'e's aloof and arrogant demeanor, this female cultivator appeared far more intellectual.

Could it be that all women in the Cultivation World are this beautiful? Xiao Zhangqing muttered to himself.

Zhou Yun'e, however, he in the Mortal World's jianghu, was called the number one beauty on the Martial World Beauty Rankings.

As it turned out, a random female cultivator who came out was not much inferior to Zhou Yun'e.

"You are……"

Xiao Zhangqing asked tentatively.

"Stop pretending! You want to feign amnesia and not know me?"

The female cultivator looked quite intellectual and reasonable in manner, but her speech retained a sharp edge, bearing an air of haughtiness.

"How come, hearing that you were beaten up and nearly lost your life, you really lost your memory? You don't even recognize the neighbor who's lived next door for several years?"

The female cultivator looked at Xiao Zhangqing's bewildered appearance and asked somewhat suspiciously.

But then she coldly snorted: "I don't care whether you have amnesia or not, but you owe me two low-grade spirit stones, and it's time to pay up!"

~（Newbie begging for collections and follows! ）(End of chapter)