Chapter 62: Second Rank

But for He Pingsheng, these were not problems.

Because they could be strengthened.

“How much?” He Pingsheng asked. “These talismans!”

“Sixty-five spirit stones each!” the Daoist nun smiled.

He Pingsheng nodded; the price here was higher than what he’d paid for talismans in his sect’s Treasure Hall.

At the Treasure Hall, they cost only sixty spirit stones.

Of course, that was before—now, the Cuiping Mountain trial was about to begin, and rumors said the Treasure Hall had raised its prices too.

Besides, after his last purchase and the subsequent sect inspection, He Pingsheng always felt buying from the Treasure Hall was unsafe.

Even if it cost more, wasn’t it far more convenient to buy at Mount Matou?

“Defensive talismans cost more—one hundred fifty spirit stones each!” The nun picked up another talisman and placed it before He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng asked curiously, “What kind of talisman is this?”

The nun said, “It’s a [Earth Shield Talisman]. When activated, it forms a soil-element barrier around your body, capable of blocking one strike from a Qi Refining disciple. If the strike doesn’t break it, the talisman can still be reused—it can be activated three times total!”

“Of course, if it’s shattered, it becomes a single-use item!”

“Young brother, in the Cuiping Mountain trial, besides disciples from various sects, the realm itself holds many beasts. Carrying a defensive talisman is ideal!”

He Pingsheng nodded and asked, “Do you have second-rank talismans?”

Second-rank talismans were meant for Foundation Establishment disciples.

The nun sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, we don’t have any.”

“I’m just a Qi Refining disciple—I can’t make second-rank talismans. Besides, you won’t need them for Cuiping Mountain.”

“If you really want to buy, ask at the guild over there!”

“Alright,” He Pingsheng said. “Give me two [Ice Needle Talismans], two [Lightning Talismans], and one of this [Earth Shield Talisman].”

“Of course!” The woman beamed. “Four hundred ten spirit stones total. Give me four hundred—round it down!”

He Pingsheng took the talismans and pulled four hundred spirit stones from his Hundred Treasures Bag.

The spirit stones in the Hundred Treasures Bag had been placed there in advance.

Of course, his Storage Bag was invisible, hidden beneath his clothes—he could secretly transfer spirit stones from it into the Hundred Treasures Bag anytime.

The talismans in his hand were also secretly slipped into his Storage Bag, leaving no trace.

With these talismans, He Pingsheng felt considerably more at ease.

At least now he wouldn’t worry during the Cuiping Mountain trial.

Still, he truly wanted to buy a second-rank talisman.

Why?

Because Yu De.

Yu De and he had a father’s murder between them.

What if one day Yu De discovered He Pingsheng’s true identity—would he act early to eliminate the threat?

Remember, Yu De was Foundation Establishment.

A Foundation Establishment expert’s strike could easily crush a Qi Refining insect—no defensive treasure would help then.

Don’t harbor ill will, but never let your guard down.

If he had a second-rank talisman, he could strengthen it later with the [Treasure Basin]. If the day came when he faced Yu De, he could pull out the talisman and send him straight to death, wouldn’t he?

Hmm…

Go ask!

He Pingsheng hurried past countless stalls until he reached the shop district at the back.

Here, too, it was packed shoulder to shoulder.

He’d previously sold items at [Shunhe Hall] and [Fenghe Manor], so to avoid being recognized, he avoided those shops this time and chose another.

Inside the shop, the counter was empty.

The shopkeeper was overwhelmed, rushing about to serve customers.

He Pingsheng greeted him and began browsing on his own.

Yes, prices here had risen significantly compared to before.

Of course, this applied only to low-tier items usable by Qi Refining disciples—slightly higher-grade goods hadn’t increased much.

For example, Storage Bags.

Each basic Storage Bag still cost over two thousand spirit stones.

But almost no one bought them.

He Pingsheng passed through the crowd until he reached the talisman section.

Talismans here were even pricier—one lower-grade [Fireball Talisman], [Ice Needle Talisman], or [Lightning Talisman] cost seventy spirit stones.

As for second-rank talismans!

There were far fewer.

Precisely speaking, only one type sat before He Pingsheng: [Flame Talisman].

He knew this item.

Long ago, he’d helped True Person Ku Mu gather pollen from [Sunfire Flowers] in the Grand Void Gate’s Spirit Herb Valley.

The pollen, when ground, could be mixed into talisman ink to paint the [Flame Talisman].

He Pingsheng glanced—the [Flame Talisman] had no price tag.

So he walked over to the shopkeeper. “Elder, may I ask—what’s the price of this [Flame Talisman]?”

“Flame Talisman?” The shopkeeper frowned slightly, looked at He Pingsheng, then sneered. “Young brother, you won’t use this. It’s a second-rank talisman—for Foundation Establishment disciples!”

In his eyes, He Pingsheng was just asking out of curiosity.

He Pingsheng replied seriously, “What’s the price?”

“Fine,” the shopkeeper said. “This [Flame Talisman] is lower-grade. Price: one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.”

“If you have one thousand eight hundred spirit stones, I’ll sell it to you.”

Hiss…

One thousand eight!

He Pingsheng’s body trembled in shock.

This was too expensive.

Was a second-rank item really this much pricier than a first-rank one?

He Pingsheng thought six or seven hundred spirit stones was already outrageous.

He never expected it to be this high.

“Want it?” The shopkeeper watched him.

He Pingsheng blushed. “Too expensive—I won’t take it.”

“Hehehe…” The shopkeeper chuckled, swept his sleeve, and walked off, mockery clear on his face.

He Pingsheng slunk out of the shop.

He didn’t have one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.

After his last big sale at Mount Matou and buying a Storage Bag, he’d had about one thousand nine hundred left.

Since then, he’d spent two hundred strengthening items, and just now four hundred on first-rank talismans.

So now he had only one thousand three or four hundred spirit stones.

Of course, he had plenty of mid-grade ones.

But he couldn’t show those.

Hmm…

Try another shop—maybe this old man was just fooling me.

He checked another shop: [Flame Talisman], one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.

Third shop: one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.

Fourth shop: same—still one thousand eight hundred.

It seemed he wasn’t being lied to.

He simply couldn’t afford it.