[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-treasure-immortal-basin":3,"chapter-the-treasure-immortal-basin-the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-62":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Treasure Immortal Basin",{"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},2355245,4608,"Chapter 62: Second Rank","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-62",62,"\u003Cp>But for He Pingsheng, these were not problems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they could be strengthened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much?” He Pingsheng asked. “These talismans!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sixty-five spirit stones each!” the Daoist nun smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng nodded; the price here was higher than what he’d paid for talismans in his sect’s Treasure Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the Treasure Hall, they cost only sixty spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, after his last purchase and the subsequent sect inspection, He Pingsheng always felt buying from the Treasure Hall was unsafe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if it cost more, wasn’t it far more convenient to buy at Mount Matou?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defensive talismans cost more—one hundred fifty spirit stones each!” The nun picked up another talisman and placed it before He Pingsheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng asked curiously, “What kind of talisman is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, if it’s shattered, it becomes a single-use item!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Young brother, in the Cuiping Mountain trial, besides disciples from various sects, the realm itself holds many beasts. Carrying a defensive talisman is ideal!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng nodded and asked, “Do you have second-rank talismans?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second-rank talismans were meant for Foundation Establishment disciples.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nun sighed and shook her head. “Sorry, we don’t have any.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just a Qi Refining disciple—I can’t make second-rank talismans. Besides, you won’t need them for Cuiping Mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you really want to buy, ask at the guild over there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright,” He Pingsheng said. “Give me two [Ice Needle Talismans], two [Lightning Talismans], and one of this [Earth Shield Talisman].”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course!” The woman beamed. “Four hundred ten spirit stones total. Give me four hundred—round it down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng took the talismans and pulled four hundred spirit stones from his Hundred Treasures Bag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The spirit stones in the Hundred Treasures Bag had been placed there in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The talismans in his hand were also secretly slipped into his Storage Bag, leaving no trace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these talismans, He Pingsheng felt considerably more at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least now he wouldn’t worry during the Cuiping Mountain trial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he truly wanted to buy a second-rank talisman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Yu De.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu De and he had a father’s murder between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if one day Yu De discovered He Pingsheng’s true identity—would he act early to eliminate the threat?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remember, Yu De was Foundation Establishment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Foundation Establishment expert’s strike could easily crush a Qi Refining insect—no defensive treasure would help then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t harbor ill will, but never let your guard down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Go ask!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng hurried past countless stalls until he reached the shop district at the back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, too, it was packed shoulder to shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the shop, the counter was empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shopkeeper was overwhelmed, rushing about to serve customers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng greeted him and began browsing on his own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, prices here had risen significantly compared to before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this applied only to low-tier items usable by Qi Refining disciples—slightly higher-grade goods hadn’t increased much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, Storage Bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each basic Storage Bag still cost over two thousand spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But almost no one bought them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng passed through the crowd until he reached the talisman section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Talismans here were even pricier—one lower-grade [Fireball Talisman], [Ice Needle Talisman], or [Lightning Talisman] cost seventy spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for second-rank talismans!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were far fewer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely speaking, only one type sat before He Pingsheng: [Flame Talisman].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew this item.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Long ago, he’d helped True Person Ku Mu gather pollen from [Sunfire Flowers] in the Grand Void Gate’s Spirit Herb Valley.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pollen, when ground, could be mixed into talisman ink to paint the [Flame Talisman].\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng glanced—the [Flame Talisman] had no price tag.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he walked over to the shopkeeper. “Elder, may I ask—what’s the price of this [Flame Talisman]?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, He Pingsheng was just asking out of curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng replied seriously, “What’s the price?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine,” the shopkeeper said. “This [Flame Talisman] is lower-grade. Price: one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you have one thousand eight hundred spirit stones, I’ll sell it to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hiss…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thousand eight!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng’s body trembled in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was too expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was a second-rank item really this much pricier than a first-rank one?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng thought six or seven hundred spirit stones was already outrageous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never expected it to be this high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Want it?” The shopkeeper watched him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng blushed. “Too expensive—I won’t take it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hehehe…” The shopkeeper chuckled, swept his sleeve, and walked off, mockery clear on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Pingsheng slunk out of the shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t have one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After his last big sale at Mount Matou and buying a Storage Bag, he’d had about one thousand nine hundred left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since then, he’d spent two hundred strengthening items, and just now four hundred on first-rank talismans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So now he had only one thousand three or four hundred spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he had plenty of mid-grade ones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he couldn’t show those.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Try another shop—maybe this old man was just fooling me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He checked another shop: [Flame Talisman], one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third shop: one thousand eight hundred spirit stones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fourth shop: same—still one thousand eight hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed he wasn’t being lied to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He simply couldn’t afford it.\u003C\u002Fp>",1044,"2026-06-21T04:08:57.694Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","da34dd97fc9358bd9f0356b49c77f11be6b9e46e91c76e104b2e23b661e055ed","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-63","the-treasure-immortal-basin-chapter-61",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-treasure-immortal-basin-cover.jpg"]