Chapter 662: The Way to Make a Fortune (3800 Added)

"This Great Qian Cultivation World is truly cutthroat..."

Walking out of a small shop selling talismans, Aaron shook his head and sighed.

He had spent these past few days in the market, inquiring about the market rates for purchasing talismans, and the results were not optimistic.

Perhaps because there were too many Second-tier Talisman Masters in Qianyang City, the price of talismans had been suppressed to a miserable level.

The shop's purchase price was too low, and with too many people selling, Spirit Talismans were being pushed down to nearly cost price.

'Given my success rate, this price isn't impossible to survive on in Qianyang City... but wanting to accumulate two or three hundred thousand Spirit Stones in a few decades is just a pipe dream.'

Aaron set a small goal for himself: earn ten thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones in a year!

"I'll base it on the Lure Demon Manual, and the fish bait I create shall be called—'Lure Fish Pill'..."

Su Cao put his arm around Hua Sanniang's waist and extended an invitation.

"This Qianyang City is truly an eye-opener... Now that this Taoist has come, I don't intend to leave. Perhaps here, there really is hope for my Taoist path!"

Aaron continued to craft talismans daily as usual, taking them to be sold at low prices to maintain a meager profit, appearing exceptionally hardworking.

Sure enough, seeing this, although Hua Sanniang remained all smiles, she distanced herself slightly during their conversation.

Bang! Bang!

After all, he had seen and heard enough of fellow countrymen stabbing each other in the back.

Su Cao boasted, looking as proud as if he were not a Disciple of the Haoran Sect, but someone from the Shushan Sword Pavilion!

Alas, the other party had a high cultivation level; he couldn't afford to provoke them...

"The Lure Demon Manual circulates in the Far West... perhaps it exists here too!"

'The Lure Demon Manual hasn't spread in Great Gan yet? Could it be that the copy in that rogue cultivator's hands was a unique edition?'

"Sword Cultivator, Invisible Sword... this is the true style of a carefree Sword Immortal."

The fragrance of Spirit Tea drifted as a group of Foundation Establishment cultivators sat together, chatting away.

Moreover, the hearts of people in the Immortal Cultivation World are treacherous, and he was a stranger here; he had no intention of stepping outside the gates of Qianyang City until he had laid low for a few years and figured out the situation!

Isn't it just a few hundred Spirit Stones a year for accommodation fees?

He could afford it!

In Qianyang City, those Loose Cultivators who were not proficient in the Four Arts of Cultivation had the option of becoming mercenaries and taking on tasks.

Shopkeeper Hao's eyes lit up when he saw Aaron arrive.

'It seems... the identity of Shen Fei as a Second-tier Talisman Master can't earn that much money... Is it time to bring out other personas? My Artifact Refining methods based on the Black Sun Demon Fire are unique here; occupying some market share shouldn't be a problem... Besides, if I expose my Third-tier Alchemy, I could certainly gain quite a few offers...'

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Shen..."

"The situation with Spirit Fish is the same..."

He continued to search for Monster Beast-related tasks, his eyes growing brighter:

【Long-term acquisition of 'Three Green Pattern Fish' and 'Tiger Tooth Fish' from Ten Thousand Demon Lake... Prices are favorable!】

'Can be raised into a Second-tier Monster Beast in a few decades? Although its combat power is a bit trashy, it has some skill in running away... but in the Far West, those families would fight tooth and nail for it!'

"Indeed, it is a pity that living in Qianyang is not easy..."

Hundred Flowers Pavilion.

Even though he knew that once his Sea Gathering Secret Art was unleashed, Ten Thousand Demon Lake would be a gold mine of Spirit Stones!

'No, no, it's too dangerous. I'd better sell talismans for a few years and establish a firm foothold first...'

Aaron felt hope reignite in his heart; he asked about the prices of various Lure Monster Pills, and his heart immediately settled.

He had seen cutthroat competition, but never anything this cutthroat!

"Sigh... there is no help for it, but I see that you are a dragon among men, Fellow Daoist; there will surely be a day when you soar." Shopkeeper Hao spoke flowery words, while secretly guarding against Aaron asking to borrow Spirit Stones.

Alchemy is always on the upper layer of the contempt chain; furthermore, a Third-tier Alchemist is already much rarer than those at the First or Second tier.

Aaron muttered a complaint and began browsing the tasks.

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist..."

Furthermore, they like to gnaw on spirit grain and have strong reproductive capabilities.

"Fellow Daoist Shen... could it be that you have another batch of Spirit Herbs for sale?"

"Ten Thousand Demon Lake... located on the border of 'Shu Province' where the Shushan Sword Pavilion resides, adjacent to the 'Ten Thousand Mountains'... It is said that Fourth-Rank Beasts at the Nascent Soul level exist within the Ten Thousand Mountains... and deep in Ten Thousand Demon Lake, Third-tier Demon Kings are common, making it a Forbidden Zone for cultivators... On the outskirts, there are also quite a few Loose Cultivators who make a living by catching demon fish..."

The sources of these tasks were very complex, issued by cultivation families, shops, individuals, and even sects, with deposits paid in advance to Qianyang City.

Qianyang City guaranteed these and paid the rewards to the cultivators who completed the tasks.

But Aaron still suppressed his impulses.

Taoist Qingfeng sighed with emotion.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he saw a task description.

Hua Sanniang smiled: "Only Fellow Daoist Su Cao has seen it once, right?"

And a Spirit Treasure is a terrifying existence even above a Dharma Treasure; it is said that they have already developed Spirituality, and the best among them can even take human form!

Such a treasure is enough to become an object that suppresses the Qi Luck of the Ten Great Sects of Great Gan, possessing the power to burn mountains and boil seas!

After walking out of the teahouse, Aaron headed straight for the center of Qianyang City.

"A Spirit Treasure—the 'Invisible Sword'?" A look of longing also appeared on Aaron's face.

"Killing monsters is one thing, but the most important thing is to grasp the traces of the monsters..." Aaron chuckled inwardly, putting on a troubled expression: "That is why I came to ask, are there any pills or scented baits specifically for luring Drilling Mice or Spirit Fish?"

For an Immortal Cultivation city, nine years is like nine days in the mortal world; it seems that compared to yesterday, nothing has changed in the slightest.

It seems that after so many days of observation, she had finally chosen Su Cao from among the many sycophants and was prepared to increase her investment.

Aaron sighed in coordination, putting on a miserable and down-and-out appearance.

"Wait a little longer, look a little more..."

But Aaron felt that this mouse smelled so fragrant!

"Oh? I would like to hear the details!" Aaron felt regret in his heart, but his eyes lit up.

Even after an Immortal Cultivator's Divine Sense connects with this jade wall, one can still perform searches, browse, turn pages...

Yet he put on a look of regret and disappointment on his face and walked out.

In the center of Qianyang City, there is a huge jade wall; on the jade wall, countless golden glowing characters constitute a large amount of information.

"By the way... we fellow Daoists who arrived together are planning to have a small gathering at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion three days from now. Fellow Daoist Shen, please be sure to grace us with your presence."

'It really is like a mercenary guild...'

This face, if one says they won't give it, then they won't give it.

"But the casualty rate for Immortal Cultivator fishermen is even higher than that of mortals... it's too dangerous."

"This..." Shopkeeper Hao, hearing that it wasn't about borrowing Spirit Stones, immediately felt settled in his heart and shook his head as he said: "There actually is one!"

At the very least, that Wei Family had no other way and had to post a bounty.

Below, there was also a description of the Monster Beast 'Drilling Mouse'; this spirit mouse is a Qi Refining Monster Beast from birth, grows extremely fast, and can advance to the Second-tier in a few decades, becoming a Foundation Establishment stage Monster Beast.

Even among local Foundation Establishment Immortal Cultivators, very few look favorably upon the Drilling Mouse or sign a Contract to keep one as a Spirit Beast.

After all, fishermen, fishing souls, if you don't cast a net, you're not a man!

As fellow Immortal Cultivators, everyone's style has already begun to go astray.

Aaron hurriedly waved his hands: "I find it very difficult to live in Qianyang, which is why I went to the Heaven and Earth Jade Wall to find some ways to earn Spirit Stones... but alas, I have no special skills, so I can only go kill monsters."

"Fellow Daoist Su is already at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, he is helping us out," Hua Sanniang also chimed in from the side.

Spirit Treasure!

Yuanjue Heshang pressed his palms together and said.

'Compared to the Drilling Mouse, the Longevity Turtle can be thrown away...'

"Amitabha, this old monk is focused on cultivation, so I will not participate..."

Aaron was startled, then immediately cupped his hands: "I will definitely arrive on time!"

Aaron also feigned a look of deep thought, though he had actually made up his mind to refuse.

When Aaron saw the title, his eyes lit up; he had just thought of the Lure Demon Manual that had long been gathering dust among his skills!

"In the Lure Demon Manual, there is a method for making fragrant oil specifically to lure rodent Monster Beasts... but in the Far West, Monster Beasts are scarce, making it a useless item, simply a chicken-rib dragon-slaying technique! But in Great Gan... it seems there are many Monster Beasts!"

After chatting about what they had seen and heard, Su Cao smiled and said: "I see that it is very difficult for you to make a living selling Talismans, Fellow Daoist. Why don't we form a team and go accept bounty missions?"

"Qianyang City is like this, I wonder what kind of scenery is atop the Shushan Sword Pavilion? It's a pity... the Spirit Stone expenses are just too high, leaving one's pockets empty..." Yuanjue Heshang let out a sigh.

"But I do not suggest you do this, Fellow Daoist, because this medicinal pill is not cheap... for example, the Rat Catching Pill to lure the 'Drilling Mouse' is not only troublesome to make, but because it is quite obscure, if you want it, you must first pay the Spirit Stones, then we will collect the medicinal herbs and have an alchemist refine a batch... this cost is astronomical; even if you get the bounty, the loss will outweigh the gain..."

Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment use Magic Tools; Golden Core and Nascent Soul use Dharma Treasures.

Several Qi Refining stage Talisman Masters nearby immediately glared at Aaron.

Time is like water, the years pass like a shuttle.

"The Shushan Sword Pavilion is one of the Ten Great Sects of Great Gan... naturally, it is no small matter." Su Cao enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention: "This sect is dominated by Sword Cultivators... in Great Gan, Sword Cultivators are an extremely orthodox and powerful path of Immortal Cultivation, with the reputation of 'One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Laws'... It is rumored that within the Shushan Sword Pavilion, there is a sect-protecting Spirit Treasure—the 'Invisible Sword'. This sword was passed down from the Ancient era and possesses unfathomable power. Held in the hands of the Sword Pavilion Master, killing Nascent Soul old monsters is as easy as reaching into a bag!"

He didn't care about the ugly expressions on Su Cao and Hua Sanniang's faces and just left the teahouse like that.

He continued reading and discovered that this Drilling Mouse is very cunning and extremely skilled at earth-burrowing; even for Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, catching them is not an easy task.

Seeing that there was someone to take the lead, Aaron immediately stood up: "I still have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now!"

【The Immortal Cultivation family Wei Family's Spirit Field is suffering from the infestation of the Monster Beast 'Drilling Mouse'... A bounty of two thousand Spirit Stones is offered to capture the 'Drilling Mouse' Monster Beast within the territory... Those interested may go to Black Wind Ridge to negotiate with the Wei Family...】

"Lady Sanniang, why not take a look at this Talisman shop..." Just at this moment, Su Cao brought Hua Sanniang inside and saw Aaron; both were startled.

Furthermore, many fellow cultivators were truly somewhat moved.

Inside a private room.

As for combat power, aside from being very skilled at the earth-burrowing technique, the rest is not worth mentioning.

It must be said, although Su Cao's suggestion was terrible, it did serve as a reminder to him.

At the very least, he must wait until he has figured out the operational patterns of Qianyang City before he can implement his money-making plan.

Subsequently, he arrived at the 'Heavenly Pill Tower' and found 'Shopkeeper Hao', who was also a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Su Cao looked at the promotional Talisman Paper in Aaron's hand, a confident smile appearing on his face: "I have long heard that Fellow Daoist Shen is a Second-tier Talisman Master... are you going to continue making a living by Talisman Making?"

"That is exactly so... A true True Disciple of the Shushan Sword Pavilion must refine an 'Invisible Sword' as their Natal Magical Treasure after reaching the Golden Core stage... This 'Invisible Sword' is modeled after a Spirit Treasure, sharp and shadowless, with unparalleled escape speed, capable of killing people in the blink of an eye... If combined with the Shushan Sword Pavilion's 'Taiqing Formless Sword Art' divine ability, it is even more capable of killing gods if gods block, and killing Buddhas if Buddhas block! Once, a Golden Core early-stage Sword Cultivator counter-killed a Golden Core perfection-stage Demon from the Black Demon Sect! Killing until the demons were terrified and thousands of cultivators bowed their heads... The reputation of this number one orthodox Sword Immortal sect was all earned through killing!"

This is another major feature of Qianyang City—the Heaven and Earth Jade Wall!

On the jade wall, there are all kinds of missions.

He almost wanted to return to his old profession.

Inside the Cave Abode's alchemy room.

Three days later.

Thinking of this, Aaron forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and left the Heaven and Earth Jade Wall without changing his expression.

"Fellow Daoist, this is..."

Aaron withdrew his Innate True Fire and patted the three-legged, two-eared purple gold copper cauldron in front of him.

"Not to mention a Spirit Treasure, even an Invisible Sword at the Dharma Treasure level is rarely seen..."

One by one, pills as white as jade fell into his hand.

This day.

The group of people sighed incessantly, only able to secretly lament that people have different fates.

'Besides... this Su Cao and Hua Sanniang really don't look like kind people...'

Once his Divine Sense landed on this mission, more information emerged:

As the years passed, and the fellow Foundation Establishment villagers who followed Su Cao suffered heavy casualties, everyone saw clearly what kind of people Su Cao and the other were, and gradually distanced themselves from them.

Aaron decided to go back and continue being a down-and-out Talisman Master.

Once in Qianyang City, what did a mere Haoran Sect even amount to?

"No matter what... I have a feeling that the scented bait made according to the Secret recipe in my hands has great potential..."

"But I can't sell it immediately; I'll wait a bit longer, look a bit more... Anyway, there are so many Monster Beasts, they aren't going anywhere!"

Looking at the relevant introduction, Aaron was even more tempted.

With this thought in mind, when Aaron went to another talisman shop to discuss business, he took the initiative to start a price war: "Fellow Daoist... I will sell these Talismans of mine at cost price; as long as you provide me with the spirit sand and Talisman Paper, I will take another ten percent off..."

However, due to bloodline shackles, they would likely remain at the Second-tier for life; a Third-tier rat king was extremely rare.

During this period, Su Cao and Hua Sanniang had also invited him many times to go on missions together, with very generous rewards, but Aaron refused without the slightest hesitation.

The cost of this pill was no more than a few dozen Low-grade Spirit Stones, and Aaron even spent the most effort on concealing the raw materials.

That's right!

He did not intend to hunt the monsters himself, but was prepared to be a service provider...!

He had long known the case of gold miners versus the service industry by heart.

You might make a profit, but I will definitely not lose!

(End of this chapter)