Chapter 479 - 478: Cultivation Methods, Small Advantages

Without explaining too much to the Star Puller, Li Jing went straight with him to a market for cultivators, located deep within Phoenix Sun County.

The so-called market for cultivators is largely the same concept as the Spirit Item Trading Market.

Of course, the differences are not minor either.

The Spirit Item Trading Market is a legitimate establishment, while the market is mostly about individual sellers setting up their own stalls.

To put it bluntly.

The market is full of hagglers.

Anything you can think of is there, but whether the items are good or bad depends on luck and the sellers’ trustworthiness is also key.

Business qualifications and the origins of the goods.

These things are completely disregarded here.

Even stolen items can show up from time to time.

To buy items of guaranteed quality and legal origin, a better choice would be the large trading houses or the individual shops in the city that won’t just pack up and leave at a moment’s notice.

In comparison to trading houses and individual shops, the market’s advantage lies in it being more economical, convenient and full of opportunities.

Items of the same quality tend to be around 30% cheaper here, or even more.

To break it down, the prices here are more pleasing.

In terms of convenience.

To set up a stall in the market, you don’t need any qualifications. Paying a small deposit to the market administrator is enough to start doing business.

Because of its convenience, various ghosts and monsters often gather in the market.

There aren’t many cases of rip-offs.

But the items in their hands are usually either flashy on the outside with questionable quality on the inside, of dubious origin, or items they know nothing about and have simply put up for sale.

Pulling the first two factors aside, the third one often leads to the appearance of some wondrous things and rare treasures in the market, which are taken away for a song because even the stall owners don’t know their worth.

This is the opportunity provided by the market.

Of course.

To seize such opportunities, you must possess a discerning eye.

After all, the market is full of items and the traders often come from all corners of the world, disappearing overnight, with only a rare few local regulars providing any guarantee.

The probability of blindly picking out a good item from the chaotic market is extremely low.

Li Jing does not claim to have a keen eye.

But he has the Eye of True Vision, enabling him to see through the nature of all things and gain a certain understanding of their properties.

The market for cultivators is a superb shopping spot for him.

Of course, his main reason for choosing the market for cultivators is his lack of money.

He has no choice.

If he tries to shop at a trading house or individual shop with the two thousand low-grade Immortal Crystals that the Star Puller gave him, he might not even be able to afford the items necessary for drawing talismans.

...

Before entering the market.

To avoid arousing suspicion among the merchants and unnecessary trouble, Li Jing conjured up a thought in his mind and turned both his eyes golden. The Eye of True Vision was activated.

The Star Putter didn’t think much upon seeing this.

Occult vision.

It’s not uncommon for cultivators to possess it.

Even the merchants with stalls in the market often try to judge the quality of goods using their different occult visions.

But occult vision is not omnipotent.

Items that can be easily discerned as good quality generally will not appear in the market.

Merchants can sell such items directly to trading houses or individual shops, which yield higher profits than peddling them in the market.

Everyone wants more Immortal Crystals.

Who doesn’t want to sell more?

Once in the market, Li Jing really got to see the "chaos" within.

The stall setup in the market is very casual.

There are those who set up tents by the roadside, and those who set up proper shelves.

But most of them just lay out a sheet on the ground and start selling.

The variety of things they sell is wide.

With the Eye of True Vision, he could see at a glance many items deemed taboo in the secular world and only sold on the dark web or black market.

Meanwhile, most of the items here are of dubious quality.

A lot of items seem pretty decent on the outside, but the actual inner utility is less than a tenth of what is expected.

One could get a "genuine" item from a proper trading house instead of buying ten items here...

This.

To be frank, it’s quite outrageous.

There are indeed good items with full functionality in the market, but they are pitifully few compared to defective ones.

After wandering around the market with the Star Putter, Li Jing finally stopped in front of a stall run by a skinny old man.

Just like in the secular world.

Materials needed for drawing talismans are basic supplies, relatively cheap and commonly found in the market.

For these materials, there’s not much to fuss about their quality.

Making talismans.

The materials do matter, but the most important thing is always the skill of the Talisman Master.

Li Jing and the Star Puller looked around and saw quite a few items that could be used for making talismans. However, the quality of those on this stall was better than the rest.

Seeing Li Jing and the Star Puller arrive, the sleepy old stall owner perked up and stood up enthusiastically.

"Welcome, sirs. What would you like?"

"Cinnabar, yellow paper and spiritual blood, what are your prices for these items?"

Li Jing took the lead, then casually picked up a spiritual pen made of Six Realm spiritual beast fur, as seen by the Eye of True Vision.

"And what’s the price of this spiritual pen?"

Hearing that Li Jing wanted items for drawing talismans, the old man looked somewhat disheartened.

Cinnabar, yellow paper, and spiritual blood are the cheapest items no matter where you go.

Even if he wanted to be greedy, he wouldn’t be able to get much for them. Basically, he could only make a small profit.

Being able to make money, of course, no one would refuse it.

But having waited for a good while for a customer who only wanted these basic supplies for drawing talismans, it was hard for him to stay motivated.

Seeing Li Jing suddenly ask about the spiritual pen, the old man instantly perked up, and said while rubbing his hands together and bowing,

"Sir, you have an excellent taste. Of all the spiritual pens I have here, the one you’re holding is of the best quality and is made of impeccable material."

As the words were barely uttered, Star Picking Elder on one side scoffed.

"Better save it, mister. From what I see, this Spiritual Pen is just a common good. Neither its appearance nor quality can compete with those sold in regular shops. We’re not fools, you better not try to test us, unless you have no intention of continuing business."

At these words, the old man’s facial expression turned awkward, and he hastily spoke.

"My dear guest, you are overreacting. Who wouldn’t want to do a business deal if it could succeed?"

While speaking, he turned his gaze to Li Jing.

"You can take this Spiritual Pen in your hand for a hundred low-grade Immortal Crystals. As for this Cinnabar, yellow paper, and Spiritual Blood, I sell them as a set. Each set, which can be used to create a talisman, costs ten low-grade Immortal Crystals. This price is far cheaper than what the shops charge. If you want more, I can offer you an even lower price."

Testing to see if the customers are suckers is the standard procedure in the marketplace.

Everyone follows this process.

And how to deal with it, the merchants have their own routines.

With the "assist" of Star Picking Elder, a "veteran" in the Immortal Realm, the price given by the peddler was indeed very attractive.

Li Jing, not knowing the market price in the Immortal Realm, glanced at Star Picking Elder. Seeing the latter nodding his approval, he nonchalantly put down the Spiritual Pen in his hand and picked another one from the pile on the stall.

"One Spiritual Pen, plus one hundred and ninety sets of talisman-making materials."

Upon hearing his words, Star Picking Elder’s eyes bulged wide open.

Li Jing was...

Spending all his money!

One hundred and ninety sets of talisman-making materials, was there a need for so many?

Creating talismans did wear down materials, but compared to the materials, the key limitation was personal mental energy.

No one could possibly sketch one hundred and ninety talismans in a short span.

The higher the quality of the talisman, the more mental energy it consumed.

If Li Jing were to craft a Tenth Realm True Immortal grade talisman, he could only realistically create around ten in one go, successful or not, before not being able to use his hand anymore. So why the need to buy so many?

If you say that Li Jing bought more to have some in reserve, there would be no problem.

But weren’t they heading to Ningluo Province next?

They needed some coin for the road, didn’t they?

What if something happened?

Not having time to think further, Star Picking Elder quickly pulled Li Jing aside and whispered.

"Immortal Lord, there’s no need to buy so many at once, these things can be found everywhere. How about we buy fewer?"

"It’s too much hassle to buy them somewhere else."

Li Jing shook his head and took out an Enclosed Crystal Ring with two thousand low-grade Immortal Crystals in it.

Initially, the old man at the stall was somewhat interested in Li Jing’s act of switching pens, but his attention was soon diverted by the contrast between one being miserly and the other generous. When he saw Li Jing lavishly take out two thousand low-grade Immortal Crystals, his eyes nearly popped out.

Two thousand low-grade Immortal Crystals.

For a peddler like him, this was a big deal.

In ordinary situations, there wouldn’t be so many talisman-making materials to sell at once.

Seeing Star Picking Elder anxiously trying to stop Li Jing from his "impulsive spending", the old man’s eyes flashed brightly. He decisively took all the Immortal Crystals and quickly picked out one hundred and ninety sets of talisman-making materials.

"Sir, these are the materials you requested. Please check if the quantity is right."

"No need."

Li Jing calmly responded. He casually waved his hand, put all the materials into his Little Universe, played with the Spiritual Pen in his hand, and turned to walk away.

Upon seeing this, Star Picking Elder’s mouth twitched. He glanced helplessly at the old peddler who was making a living, nicely profitable, and had no choice but to follow Li Jing.

...

With all of his Immortal Crystals spent, Li Jing naturally didn’t plan on wandering around the marketplace anymore.

Even if he stumbled upon something extremely rare and cheap, he wouldn’t be able to afford it. It would only add to his annoyance.

On the way out of the Cultivation Market, Star Picking Elder remained gloomily silent.

Seeing this, Li Jing thought he was silently dissatisfied with him for spending all his possessions at once. He looked back and saw that they were already far from the stall, smiled faintly without truly meaning it, and turned back.

"Star Picking Fellow Daoist, don’t look so upset. When I have finished drawing the talismans and sell them in Beilang City in Ningluo Realm, I will repay you your Immortal Crystals in full, I guarantee no default."

After hearing this, Star Picking Elder first opened his mouth in silence, then gave a bitter smile.

"Immortal Lord, I’m not worried about you not repaying me. I’m concerned about our travel expenses to the Ningluo Realm, which are also included in the loan..."

"...."

Li Jing paused and said speechlessly,

"Why didn’t you mention such an important matter earlier?"

"I wanted to, but you never gave me the opportunity!"

Tears were streaming down Star Picking Elder’s face; he then awkwardly added,

"And earlier, in front of the vendor, I was too embarrassed to say it out loud."

Li Jing was silent.

Star Picking Elder was indeed a face-saving person, suffering unnecessarily.

Travel expenses were included in his loan of two thousand low-grade Immortal Crystals...

This was something he should have mentioned right from the start.

Had he mentioned it earlier, Li Jing would certainly have left enough for travel expenses, right?

Exhaling slightly, Li Jing said,

"This isn’t unsolvable. Let’s first find a quiet place where I can draw Talismans. After I get a finished product, we can send it to a regular shop for evaluation and sell one to get some money. Although the price will be significantly lower than that at an auction, we cannot travel without money."

Hearing Li Jing’s words, Star Picking Elder’s spirits lifted some.

Tenth Realm True Immortal Character Talismans were of extremely high value.

In fact,

Even in the Immortal Realm, such high grade symbols were quite rare.

Key point being,

In order to create Tenth Realm True Immortal Character Talismans, you had to have the strength of Eleven Realms asking the heavens.

Talisman Masters were not uncommon in the Immortal Realm.

Some people even made a living from talismans, using them one after another in combat, and their combat power was outstanding.

However, those of the Eleven Realms asking the heavens level were extremely rare.

Like in the mortal world.

In industries like artifact refinement, pill refining, and talisman making, one often needed to devote a lot of energy to study, and only by doing so could one attain higher achievements.

If one’s energy was used to study, how much could be put into cultivation?

No matter where, the path of cultivation is never easy. Even though the cultivation environment in the Immortal realm was excellent, progress couldn’t be made without tireless hard work and some rare personal opportunities.

Although Li Jing didn’t explain why he, being at Tenth Realm, could draw talismans of the same realm, Star Picking Elder believed if Li Jing said he could, then he definitely could.

It wasn’t that Star Picking Elder blindly trusted Li Jing.

It was because he had seen too much impossibility in Li Jing.

Assured of his fare, Old Man Zhaixing looked curiously at the Spiritual Pen that Li Jing was toying with in his hand.

"Immortal Lord, does this Spiritual Pen in your hand have any unusual attributes?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jing raised an eyebrow.

"You actually noticed it?"

With such a response, Old Man Zhaixing chuckled.

"Immortal Lord, you belittle me too much. How can I get by in the Immortal Realm if I’m not shrewd? Although my post as guide in the Immortal Realm is a ’secure job’ and life isn’t as pressured as everyday people, I also started from nothing."

As he spoke, he chuckled and gently stroked his beard.

"To be honest, I was just doing my best to cooperate with the Immortal Lord for his performance."

Li Jing was left speechless.

Just now at the stall, Old Man Zhaixing didn’t seem to be pretending, he actually seemed a bit flustered.

However, he had to admit that he underestimated this old Taoist.

Old Man Zhaixing was right.

No matter where one is.

If you want to make a name for yourself, you must be more cunning than others.

In a place like the Immortal Realm.

The difficulty of making a name for oneself is far from ordinary.

Old Man Zhaixing could become a guide for the Immortal realm, he certainly had his extraordinary aspects, not merely being favored by Eastern Emperor Donghua.

Without squabbling with Old Man Zhaixing over whether he was really cooperating with his acting just now, Li Jing spoke.

"The Spiritual Pens at the stall earlier were all of similar quality, made by an unknown person, but their materials varied in grades. The items were haphazardly piled together, presumably the works of an apprentice Artefact Refiner, possibly consigned to the stall owner or purchased by the stall owner himself. The stall owner himself probably only saw the quality and not the intrinsic material."

As he spoke, Li Jing handed the Spiritual Pen over.

"This Spiritual Pen is of a standard quality and ranks at Spirit Device Level 8, but the material used for the tip is much superior to the other Spiritual Pens at the stall. It’s refined from the hair of a Tenth Realm Spiritual Beast."

"Tenth Realm Spiritual Beast?!"

OId Man Zhaixing widened his eyes, took the Spiritual Pen to examine it closely, but found that he couldn’t figure it out and had no choice but to give up.

If it was a single material, its grade could be easily discerned.

But when it comes to refined materials, it’s hard to tell from the surface.

Mainly because after refining, it becomes one with the refined item.

Looking solely at the quality, what you see is the quality of the refined item, not the material itself.

With great care, Old Man Zhaixing returned the Spiritual Pen to Li Jing.

"Immortal Lord, you’ve really stumbled upon a good deal. The quality of something like a Spiritual Pen usually isn’t high as it’s not only a consumable but also lacks spirituality when it’s refined. Whether it’s a Spirit Weapon or an Immortal Item, it will gradually wear out during the Talisman creation process until it becomes unusable. What affects the value of a Spiritual Pen the most is undoubtedly the material of the pen tip."

He then sighed with emotion.

"Although this Spiritual Pen is only ranked Spirit Device Level 8, the fact that the pen tip itself is refined from the hair of a Tenth Realm Spiritual Beast significantly increases its value in the hands of a Talisman Master. It’s worth more than just two thousand lower-grade Immortal Crystals, at least four to five thousand."

"It’s just a small bargain, lower-grade Immortal Crystals aren’t much."

Li Jing laughed, not minding it much.

This matter really isn’t worth his consideration.

If he wants to make money in the Immortal Realm, his thoughts are clear.

Without encountering a benefactor, he has to rely on his own skills to make money.

Refining artifacts, making talismans, these are the quick ways to make money.

With his full proficiency in these skills, he ensured his path to wealth from the very beginning.

Even without a boundary breakthrough in the Zhou Tian Talisman method, there isn’t a big problem in making a living thanks to his full proficiency.

The key.

The important thing in making talismans is not the method, but the inherent ability and accomplishment of the Talisman Master.

The method, materials, they only play a supporting role.

...

Drawing talismans requires a relatively calm environment free from disturbances.

Since they had no money in their pockets, Li Jing and Old Man Zhaixing could only choose to walk out of Phoenix Sun County and find a quiet place outside the city.

Having chosen the location, Li Jing put down a desk, casually arranged a Seven-Star Formation with stones, and immediately began crafting the talisman.

Old Man Zhaixing was also quite understanding.

He kept quiet and watched, observing Li Jing while keeping an eye on the surroundings.

The cinnabar and yellow paper in the Immortal Realm were much better in quality than those on Blue Star.

Spiritual Blood was not much different.

Li Jing contemplated the set of materials he brought, set aside the Spiritual Blood separately, and took out a bucket of blood left from killing two Ninth Realm Jiao Dragons from his Little Universe.

The quality of the basic materials has a significant effect on the drawing of talismans.

The spiritual blood provided by the stall owner was around the Six Realm.

This was a bit unsatisfactory.

Since he had better ones, he should use the better ones of course.

After careful inspection, Li Jing was basically sure that the yellow paper in the Immortal Realm had enough endurance to withstand the drawing with Ninth Realm’s Spiritual Blood.

Using his own blood was definitely out of the question now.

His physical body was too overpowering.

Impacted by the Symbiotic Contract with Ling Ling, his blood could even be extracted and used as a vitality-nourishing medicine on its own.

In order to bear the power in his blood, materials of several grades higher were needed.

With everything prepared, Li Jing silently activated his cultivation method.

He was now quite proficient in the cultivation for the Thousand Thunder Attraction.

As soon as he began cultivation, there was a shift in the Heavenly Phenomenon, attracting a large abundance of thick clouds.

Countless thunderbolt spiritual qi, attracted by Li Jing, gathered.

Old Man Zhaixing, who had seen such a phenomenon before, didn’t find it strange.

In the Immortal Realm, it was common for cultivation exercises to cause changes in the heavens and earth, often resulting in disturbances to the outside world. Therefore, cultivators who practice such exercises usually choose quiet places to avoid disturbing others or being disturbed themselves.

It was also fortunate that the Immortal Realm was vast and sparsely populated.

If it was as crowded as everywhere else, cultivators who practice such exercises would hardly have a peaceful place.

On this end,

Li Jing took a sheet of yellow paper, tossed it so that it hung in front of him, then picked up the pen, dipped it in Spiritual Blood and cinnabar, and started writing on the paper.

Just as he put the pen to paper, the yellow paper "bang" exploded into pieces.

???

Old Man Zhaixing, who was about to observe Li Jing’s "performance".

What’s going on with Li Jing...

Can he do it or not?

The yellow paper exploded as soon as the pen touched it?

If he really had the capability to depict the Tenth Realm True Immortal Character Talisman, even if failure was highly likely, it shouldn’t have exploded so easily.

Li Jing, however, was used to this.

Drawing talisman, huh!

An explosion is quite normal, it doesn’t feel right without an explosion.

He is a bit greedy this time, going straight for depicting the Body of Thunder Punishment in All Worlds.

Although he had known in advance that it would be difficult to depict the forbidden skill that had gone through a second boundary breakthrough into a talisman, how could he know if he could draw it without trying?

After this explosion, Li Jing confirmed.

This could not be drawn.

It was not that his talisman-making proficiency was not enough, nor were the basic materials insufficient, but the Body of Thunder Punishment in All Worlds, after its second boundary breakthrough, was too superior to be depicted as a talisman.

Taking out another yellow paper, Li Jing started to write again.

This time, he successfully made two strokes.

"Bang!"

The yellow paper exploded again.

"..."

Old man Star Picker.

Li Jing attempted twice.

The paper exploded as soon as he put his pen down, and then again after two strokes.

This made him feel uneasy.

Keep in mind.

The exploding yellow paper in front of him represented ten pieces of lower-grade Immortal Crystals!

Li Jing’s eyes lit up slightly as he exploded the talisman again.

This time, what he was drawing was the Wind Thunder Domain.

Practice leads to real knowledge.

The Wind Thunder Field, with its integrated attack and defense, the "anti-reflection" effect, and its inherent vanishing ability, could be depicted.

Without hesitation, Li Jing picked up another piece of talisman paper.

A stroke.

"Bang!"

He took out another yellow paper again.

Four strokes.

"Bang!"

Continue.

Two strokes.

"Bang!"

...

In less than half an hour, Li Jing drew more than twenty times, and each time the talisman exploded.

The old man Star Picker on the side was completely numb from the explosions.

More than two hundred lower-grade Immortal Crystals were gone like this.

The most Li Jing could draw was seven strokes...

This joke was getting a bit out of hand.

Old man Star Picker didn’t know what kind of talisman Li Jing wanted to depict, but a Tenth Realm True Immortal Character Talisman usually had at least several dozen strokes.

Was he really capable?

Since Li Jing kept on trying, the old man Star Picker didn’t dare to interrupt.

What he found incredible was.

Li Jing had exploded more than twenty times, but he didn’t see any signs of stopping.

A normal talisman master would have been unable to continue long ago.

Although the initial explosion of the talisman consumed less mental power, the greatest consumption occurred at the moment the pen touched the paper.

After more than twenty times, Li Jing’s face remained unchanged...

This kid, could he be a monster?

Just as he was surprised, Li Jing exploded the talisman again, then quickly picked up another piece of yellow paper. As his pen fell, a massive phantom suddenly appeared behind him.

???

Old man Star Picker looked up in surprise.

This...

Primordial Spirit Method?

Has Li Jing become desperate in his talisman drawing?

Even the Primordial Spirit Method has been used?

Having said that.

Why can his Primordial Spirit Method be so powerful?

The Primordial Spirit Method serves multiple purposes and is mostly used for enhancement.

The strength of the method is closely related to the strength of one’s own primordial spirit.

Old man Star Picker looked at the scene. The power of the primordial spirit concealed in Li Jing’s method was even greater than that of his own late Eleven realms!

Freak.

Too freakish!

If a Tenth Realm primordial spirit could be this strong, Li Jing’s mental level skills when applied would be no less than the question of the sky in Eleven realms.

The most horrifying thing is.

The Primordial Spirit Method can only represent about sixty percent of the strength of the primordial soul.

That is to say.

Li Jing’s actual Primordial Soul Strength is higher than what we see now!

While Old man Star Picker was surprised, the talisman successfully completed after the spontaneous display of Li Jing’s primordial soul method, which unexpectedly went smoothly and quickly finished drawing a talisman of the Wind Thunder Domain in one go.

Done with the talisman, and he stopped.

There was a sudden thunderous boom in the sky, and a thunderbolt fell.

???

Old man Star Picker.