Mythical Cultivation

After choosing the talisman brush, Wu Ming asked the waiter, "Where can I buy cinnabar and talisman paper?"

Upon hearing this, the waiter took Wu Ming to the counter for cinnabar and talisman paper. "Level one cinnabar is made from the blood of level one monsters and starlight sand, and costs thirty spirit stones per can. Level two cinnabar is made from the blood of level two monsters and starlight sand, and costs eighty spirit stones per can. There are two types of talisman paper. One is made from the bark of the white spirit fir, and costs twenty spirit stones per stack. The other is made from the rhizome of the spirit valley, and costs ten spirit stones per stack. Which one would you like to buy, sir?"

Wu Ming thought for a moment and asked, "How long can a can of cinnabar last? How many pieces of talisman paper are there in a stack?"

"A jar of cinnabar can generally be used to draw at least 500 talismans, and a stack of talisman paper has 50 sheets," the waiter replied.

"How much is a first-level talisman worth?" Wu Ming wanted to understand the market situation first, so he asked.

"Sir, a low-level first-grade talisman usually costs five to eight spirit stones, and a high-level first-grade talisman usually costs ten to fifteen spirit stones." The waiter replied.

Wu Ming also asked about the prices of the Qi Gathering Pill and the Qi Invigorating Pill, but then he realized that he had less than 400 spirit stones left and had to save some just in case, so he didn't buy the pills. Instead, he chose the talisman pen that cost 125 spirit stones, a can of first-grade cinnabar, and four stacks of talisman paper made of spirit grain.

The final settlement totaled 195 spirit stones, with a discount of two spirit stones. Wu Ming spent 193 spirit stones, leaving less than 200 spirit stones.

After leaving Baiyun Pavilion, Wu Ming looked around for street vendors. He found one selling talisman paper and cinnabar, and inquired about the prices. A stack of talisman paper made from spiritual grains cost eight spirit stones, and a can of cinnabar cost twenty-five spirit stones. He then found a stall selling talisman pens, and after asking, he learned that a low-grade pen only cost one hundred and ten spirit stones. He then inquired about the prices of elixirs, and found that they were all slightly cheaper than at Baiyun Pavilion. Fortunately, he hadn't bought elixirs there to save spirit stones. But even for the talisman pens, the talisman paper, and cinnabar, he'd still lost dozens of spirit stones. It was a rip-off. Wu Ming decided to compare prices at three different vendors next time he bought something, to avoid being ripped off. He could also consider street vendors, but the quality wasn't guaranteed, and they were more susceptible to scams. After thinking about it, he decided against it. At most, he could only use them to compare prices.

While street vendors are certainly cheaper than those in stores, since they aren't in fixed locations, it's inevitable that unscrupulous vendors will pass off inferior goods as genuine goods, or even fakes as genuine goods. Those with poor eyesight or lack of experience can easily be ripped off, often spending money on inferior or counterfeit goods. These vendors are generally chosen by small sects, family cultivators, or independent cultivators. Of course, if disciples from various sects or large families set up stalls, there's no need to worry, as they won't tarnish their reputation for a few spirit stones.

After leaving Qingyun Market, Wu Ming flew back to the sect on his flying sword, arriving over half an hour later. His sword-flying skills had become increasingly proficient. After returning to his residence, Wu Ming began to recall the several low-level first-level talismans he had learned in the Rookie Academy: the Fireball Talisman, the Earth Wall Talisman, the Water Shield Talisman, the Giant Strength Talisman, the Healing Talisman, the Speed ​​Talisman, the Water Arrow Talisman, and so on. Wu Ming took out the talisman brush, talisman paper, and cinnabar, and following the talisman-making instructions, he began to create the simplest fireball talisman. He dipped the brush into the cinnabar, channeled a trace of true energy into it, and began to draw on the talisman paper. However, he made a mistake right at the start, and the talisman paper turned to ash, a complete waste of paper. Only then did Wu Ming realize that talismans weren't so easy to create.

Wu Ming thought that while talisman paper was cheap, he couldn't afford to waste it, considering he had no income. So he started drawing with ordinary paper and a pen. After dozens of repetitions, Wu Ming was now confident. He then began drawing with a talisman brush, but failed again before he was halfway through. This time, the reason for the failure was that he had input a little too much True Energy into the brush. The amount of True Energy input into the brush was fixed; neither more nor less would result in failure.

Having learned his lesson, Wu Ming adjusted his true energy and continued to make the talismans. He stopped only when his true energy was almost exhausted. He saw that forty talisman papers were gone, and not a single one was successful. The best time he did was to complete most of it, but he still failed in the end.

As Wu Ming recovered his vital energy, he recalled the differences between his own talisman-making and what he had learned previously. He had been controlling his vital energy and drawing continuously according to the method he had learned. There was no difference, so why was it still not working? After his vital energy was restored, Wu Ming did not force it, but instead began practicing the Controlling Weapon Technique, preparing to start making talismans again tomorrow.

The next day, after breakfast, he ran into Zhao Xiaohai and his group. They agreed to study together at Zhao Xiaohai's residence the day after tomorrow. Wu Ming returned and continued his talisman-drawing journey. Qi training cultivators couldn't practice fasting yet, so they still had to eat whole grains. However, these weren't ordinary whole grains. Eating whole grains required a large amount of food per meal to fill their stomachs, and they also produced a lot of impurities, making the results less effective. Therefore, they could only eat spiritual grains cultivated by the cultivators.

Spiritual grain is a food that contains the vital energy of heaven and earth. A meal of spiritual grain can sustain a day, filling the stomach while also absorbing a certain amount of vital energy from heaven and earth. A meal of spiritual grain can sustain a day, requiring minimal excretion of impurities. The rhizomes of spiritual grain can be used to feed vegetarian spiritual beasts and to make talisman paper. The talisman paper Wu Ming purchased was made from the rhizomes of spiritual grain. Spiritual grain is full of treasures, and the main ingredient of fasting pills is spiritual grain, which is why a large amount of spiritual grain is cultivated within the Qingyun Sect.

The Qingyun Sect has its own dining hall. Basic Spiritual Grain Meals are free, and most outer disciples receive one free meal daily. If they want something better, they need to spend additional Spiritual Stones to purchase it. The upgraded Spiritual Grain Meals, however, contain a rich supply of demon beast meat. Not only are they delicious, they also contain a significant amount of celestial energy, making them far more palatable than the tasteless Fasting Pills. Many inner disciples and some deacons frequently visit the dining hall to purchase these upgraded Spiritual Grain Meals. Sometimes even True Disciples and Elders come along. This suggests that someone has hunted high-level demon beasts and brought them to the dining hall, though it's a rare occurrence. Wu Ming actually wanted to try a better meal, but after looking at the price and his storage bag, he decided against it, deciding to splurge later when he had more money.

Another frustrating day. Despite Wu Ming's tireless efforts, over thirty more sheets of talisman paper were wasted, and ultimately, not a single one was successful. He'd already used up nearly half of the blank talisman paper he'd bought over the past two days, and still, not a single talisman had been made. Isn't talisman making supposedly a simple, low-cost method of cultivating immortality? This doesn't seem to be the case. Wu Ming was beginning to doubt his own abilities, perhaps not suited to this path. Should he try a different one? Still feeling a bit reluctant, he decided to try again in a couple of days. Perhaps his luck hadn't been good lately.

Forget it, cultivation is more important first. Wu Ming continued to cultivate, but looking at the Qi-boosting Pills in his storage bag, except for the three bottles left to him by his grandfather, the bottle issued by the sect was about to be used up. However, only twenty days had passed this month, and there were still ten days until the next month. It seemed that he had to earn spirit stones as soon as possible, otherwise he would have to cultivate slowly after the resources at hand were used up, and who knows how slow it would be.