Chapter 111: The Spirit Talisman Pavilion

Only when truly pressed for time would He Song send the spirit talismans to the Spirit Talisman Pavilion for sale. Whenever he had a moment to spare, he preferred to set up his own stall and sell the talismans himself, fetching a slightly better price than sending them to the pavilion.

However, despite being a talisman master, He Song lacked confidence in producing high-grade spirit talismans successfully. Moreover, with time running short and an urgent need for superior talismans and life-preserving talismans for protection, it was naturally best to purchase directly from the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

The pavilion was not far from the Artifact Hall. Thus, after leaving the Artifact Hall, He Song soon arrived at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

No sooner had he stepped inside than a voice greeted him.

“It’s been a long time. Yue’er congratulates Senior He on the great progress in cultivation, breaking through to the seventh layer of Qi Refining. The Foundation Establishment stage is now within reach.”

At the same time, a petite figure appeared beside He Song, bowing respectfully.

She was a beautiful young girl named Su Yue, a sixth-layer Qi Refining cultivator and one of the managers of the Spirit Talisman Pavilion.

He Song had occasionally interacted with her during his visits to sell talismans at the pavilion, making her a semi-acquaintance.

“Just lucky, Su Yue. You’re still young; breaking through to the late Qi Refining stage is surely just a matter of time,” He Song said encouragingly, showing no airs with her.

It wasn’t because she was a woman but because, despite her youth, she had already reached the sixth layer of Qi Refining. In a few years, she might well break through to the late Qi Refining stage and perhaps even challenge the Foundation Establishment realm.

Facing someone with a genuine chance of reaching Foundation Establishment, He Song naturally treated her with respect, even though that probability was slim.

Since it cost nothing to offer a few encouraging words, He Song was not stingy.

“Senior He flatters me. Yue’er is of slow aptitude and will likely need a long time,” Su Yue said modestly as she led him into the VIP lounge.

He Song paid no heed to her humility and remained silent until they entered the lounge. After Su Yue personally brewed a pot of tea for him, He Song took a sip and felt a slight boost in his cultivation. Satisfied, he nodded and began.

“Friend Su Yue, today I need to purchase some high-grade spirit talismans and several life-preserving ones. Please help me fetch them—I need to make a selection.”

Having spent over twenty years in the Immortal Workshop, He Song was well acquainted with its customs.

Ordinary customers were received directly in the main hall, and the tea served was of common quality.

Only those with cultivation at the late Qi Refining stage or those purchasing goods worth over a hundred spirit stones were invited into the VIP lounge.

Within the VIP lounge, the tea served was the Jade Immortal Spirit Tea, known to aid cultivation—though only slightly.

Still, one tael cost ten spirit stones, making it very expensive and reserved exclusively for esteemed guests.

Moreover, only a small amount was served each time, mostly as a gesture of respect.

He Song kept some of this tea at home; sipping it in leisure granted a small boost to his cultivation.

“Please wait a moment, Senior He. I will fetch them right away,” Su Yue said before swiftly disappearing.

As expected, another beautiful young girl soon entered the VIP lounge to take over Su Yue’s duties of serving tea.

This new girl, however, was only a first-layer Qi Refining cultivator.

He Song merely glanced at her and settled down to wait quietly.

He was not kept waiting long.

Soon, as he finished two cups of tea, Su Yue returned to the lounge, having dismissed the other girl.

She then laid out a series of talismans before him and began explaining gently.

“This is a high-grade Thick Earth Talisman, capable of withstanding several blows from a late Qi Refining cultivator. It costs eighty spirit stones each.”

“This is a high-grade Golden Light Talisman, which can deliver a strike equivalent to that of a late Qi Refining cultivator. Also priced at eighty spirit stones per talisman.”

“This is a high-grade Divine Movement Talisman; when used, it grants an extremely swift speed boost, valued at eighty spirit stones each.”

“This is a high-grade Earth Escape Talisman, allowing instantaneous underground travel to a point ten miles away. It costs two hundred spirit stones per talisman.”

“This is a high-grade Flying Talisman, enabling rapid flight to a destination ten miles distant. Also priced at two hundred spirit stones each.”

As Su Yue continued, He Song’s gaze swept over the talismans with a trace of helplessness.

Indeed, the talisman master’s path was harsh.

High-grade talismans cost eighty spirit stones each, while high-grade life-preserving talismans demanded two hundred spirit stones apiece.

At such prices, the profit margins were already thin.

Compared to realms like alchemy, artifact forging, or beast taming and formation arts, talisman masters truly earned their money through hard labor.

Take formation arts, for example. Though He Song was only a novice, he could earn over two thousand spirit stones annually.

If he could secure some land to open spiritual fields, his income would likely rise further.

But talisman masters?

They toiled endlessly crafting talismans, with a success rate below fifty percent, often resulting in losses.

Yet they had no choice but to keep drawing talismans.

Without continuous practice, their success rate wouldn’t improve, and without improvement, they couldn’t earn more spirit stones.

This cycle meant that although talisman masters seemed to earn a fair amount, most of their income was reinvested into mastering more advanced talisman crafting.

It was a profession that appeared glamorous but was extremely time-consuming and spirit stone-intensive.

As daily talisman crafting time increased, it inevitably encroached upon cultivation time.

Less cultivation meant slower progress.

This was the common affliction of most talisman masters—their cultivation advanced more slowly than ordinary cultivators.

In effect, they traded cultivation for spirit stones.

Fortunately, He Song did not rely on his identity as a talisman master to earn spirit stones.

The title was merely a front, a means of laundering spirit stones.

If he had attained even the initial understanding of formation arts, he would not waste so much time on talisman crafting—it was unnecessary and uneconomical.

With a flash of reflection, He Song calculated briefly and soon decided what to purchase.

“Bring me two high-grade Earth Escape Talismans and four high-grade Thick Earth Talismans.”

Speaking, he produced a batch of mid-grade talismans from his storage pouch.

These mid-grade talismans had been bought earlier for self-defense but were now redundant since his cultivation had reached the late Qi Refining stage.

“Have a look at these mid-grade talismans and see how much spirit stone value they cover. If insufficient, I will pay the rest in spirit stones.”

He Song pushed the talismans toward Su Yue and raised his cup for another sip.

This batch of mid-grade talismans was likely worth a considerable sum, and he had never used them.

Seeing this, Su Yue promptly began counting.

(End of chapter)