[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma":3,"chapter-immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-chapter-7":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Immortal Cultivation Begins with Drawing Talismans",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1581128,2045,"Chapter 7 : Local Cultivators Cheat, Swindle, and Deceive","immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-chapter-7",7,"\u003Cp>Chapter 7: Local Cultivators Cheat, Swindle, and Deceive\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Erniu’s meaning was almost obvious: the Zhou family of beast tamers had a talisman-crafting inheritance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But, thinking about it, it made sense—after all, the Zhou family of beast tamers had centuries of foundation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the night outside, Lin Chang’an frowned, then finally let out a wave of emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t expect that just half a year ago I was still running around for spirit crystals, and now I’m already planning for mid-grade first-level talisman techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, human nature is greedy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chang’an shook his head with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A low-grade first-level talisman spanned from spirit crystals to spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the span for a mid-grade first-level talisman would be even larger—starting at three spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But it’s not that they don’t exist outside, it’s just that very few cultivators have mastery of them, and occasionally they show up at auctions.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the downside of joining a cultivation clan is the lack of freedom. With this grand marketplace pioneering operation, it probably won’t settle down for the next two or three years. At such a time, the terms offered by the major families should be more generous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chang’an analyzed this internally, and his hands weren’t idle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept manipulating the Green Bamboo Sword, continuously taking it in and out of his storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until the night deepened and the marketplace fell silent, Lin Chang’an finally lifted his head to look outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“First, let me go to the black market—try my luck, and more importantly, exchange for some spirit crystals.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lin Chang’an placed the thick stack of low-grade first-level Swift Talismans he had drawn into his storage pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also stored the Green Bamboo Sword in the pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His constant practice manipulating the artifact in and out of storage during his free time wasn’t merely out of novelty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was to master finding the optimal position, so he could swiftly retrieve the artifact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m going to sell some low-grade first-level talismans to the poor—who the hell, a mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivator, would want these? Unless they’re madly poor.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Staring into the mirror, Lin Chang’an smiled, but the next moment the muscles in his face began to twitch, and even his body changed a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A face full of rugged flesh, a grim visage emerged, looking entirely different from his original appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After using a skill he hadn’t used in a long time, Lin Chang’an wore a satisfied smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This way, going to the black market is much safer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before entering the cultivation world, he had been practicing martial arts in the mortal realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they say, mastering both literature and martial arts grants access to riches and nobility—he chose to go to the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, by chance, inside the prince’s mansion he met Elder Lu, Master Lu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s how he came to have the subsequent twenty years of cultivation experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I still can’t be careless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After using the mastery-level Breath Concealment Technique, he lowered his aura to the second level of Qi Refinement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this skill, Lin Chang’an was confident that unless someone was at sixth level Qi Refinement or above, ordinary fourth- or fifth-level Qi cultivators couldn’t detect him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his disguised appearance, Lin Chang’an nodded in satisfaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed into a black robe and bamboo hat; before heading out, he also grabbed an ordinary-world treasure sword he had purchased earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>---\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the night sky, many figures were already present in a shantytown on the outskirts of the marketplace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the so-called black market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides goods that couldn’t be openly displayed or were feared to be coveted, there was another important point: stall fees here were extremely low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beast-beast meat, talismans, elixirs, and even artifacts could all be found here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>People who came here were in a hurry, heads down, silently snapping up what they wanted and leaving immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, extremely low stall fees implied relative insecurity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So everyone here tried hard to hide their identities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black market only existed for two hours each night; once dawn broke, it would be deserted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no hawkers—only stall signs stood in front of each stall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Beast-beast meat: 12 catties for one spirit crystal】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Fireball Talisman: two spirit crystals per piece; six pieces for ten spirit crystals】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chang’an, who was familiar with the black market, handed over a spirit crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under his bamboo hat, his grim visage made many lower their heads.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his stall, he had placed a sign:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Low-grade first-level Swift Talisman: two spirit crystals per piece; six pieces for ten spirit crystals】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talismans were consumables—especially high-mobility ones like Swift and defensive types that enhance survival chances—always in short supply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six pieces!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chang’an had barely finished setting up when a hooded figure approached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, they tossed down ten spirit crystals in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Chang’an silently took out six Swift Talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first transaction was completed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew that if he offered seven talismans for ten spirit crystals, they’d all sell out quickly—but that would draw too much attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To stand out is admirable only if you have the ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you lack that ability, blending in is the path to survival.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure enough, many people have come into the marketplace recently.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While selling at his stall, Lin Chang’an was also observing the people around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having once lived here for five years before moving out, he was quite familiar with this place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was obvious that the marketplace’s pioneering operation had attracted many drifting cultivators; the population had increased at least threefold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This caused the outermost goods to sell particularly fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within half an hour, Lin Chang’an’s Swift Talismans were all sold out, but he didn’t feel relieved—instead, he felt some worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The increase in cultivators meant goods were selling, but it also meant more outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outsiders posed the biggest problem: they didn’t follow rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I hope this time there’s no major unrest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having lived around here for twenty years and having experienced such events multiple times, Lin Chang’an considered himself somewhat of an elder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He secretly shook his head—fortunately, he no longer lived on the outskirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then packed up his stall and headed deeper into the black market to try his luck—see if he could find any genuine mid-grade first-level talisman handbooks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After wandering around, Lin Chang’an’s mouth twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, he'd been too optimistic—it wasn’t that there weren’t any, but there were too many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talisman handbooks, alchemy formulas, even artifact refinement manuals and formation diagrams—they were all here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the prices were absurd—from a few spirit crystals to over a dozen spirit stones for the priciest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sure enough, with more outsiders, the old-timers in the marketplace started setting traps.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you said outsiders didn’t observe rules, local cultivators scammed at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would dare buy that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody could guarantee it was real—and this was the black market: once scammed, you couldn’t find anyone to hold accountable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, experienced people could recognize fakes just from glimpsed content.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the danger lies in those more professional: they show you a genuine piece, then the rest is fake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the black market—anything is possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite that, countless new cultivators entered the cultivation world every year, dreaming of riding flying swords across the sky and becoming foundation-establishing masters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looked through a bunch—just fakes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoping to rely on his experience to sniff out a bargain, Lin Chang’an shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it turned out, those tales of great deals only existed in stories.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Genuine mid-grade first-level talisman handbooks really are scarce.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unwilling to give up, he circled one more time, but in the end Lin Chang’an resigned himself and gave up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he couldn’t pick up a bargain, there were still illicit goods occasionally appearing in the black market—perhaps from a hapless talisman master or their descendants being gutted; their dark items would surface here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sadly, Lin Chang’an didn’t have that kind of luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before dawn, he shook his head and left the black market.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Best to stick to solid work.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Lin Chang’an left the marketplace, he was spotted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the night sky, three figures walked out of the black market—one ahead, two behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, this is the guy—I've been watching him for a long time. He circled around three times and didn’t buy anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three nodded in the dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one wanders the black market without purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buying nothing meant one thing: his pockets were empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Empty pockets meant a poor ghost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A poor ghost meant low cultivation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Low cultivation meant easy to bully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They can fleece him!\u003C\u002Fp>",1425,"2026-06-06T08:45:32.624Z",1,"novelbin.me","03096231a00bb5fd3a99bf21acf7bbb0b4930686e57b716f527db584b221b606","immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-chapter-8","immortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-chapter-6",242,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-cultivation-begins-with-drawing-talisma-cover.jpg"]