Chapter 7: Beautiful Woman
Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Beautiful Woman
Li Ping worked through the night, only stopping when the sky began to brighten at dawn.
On the table before him lay a stack of more than ten Cyan Thunder Talismans, each one emitting a faint Spiritual Pressure.
After a full night of work, only his first attempt at a Cyan Thunder Talisman had failed. Every subsequent one was completed successfully, seemingly without any conscious effort on his part.
Everything flowed naturally, as if guided by a divine hand.
Theoretically, this should have been impossible. Forget Li Ping, who had just become a Tier One Upper Grade Talisman Maker; even veteran Talisman Makers who had studied the craft for decades couldn’t boast a one hundred percent success rate when creating Talismans.
Luck, one’s condition, the Talisman Brush, the Talisman Ink... all of these could affect the success rate of creation.
And yet, he had somehow achieved a one hundred percent success rate?
Li Ping pondered for a moment before his thoughts immediately turned to the ’Tree of Inheritance’ in his mind.
After examining it more closely, he finally understood. The ’Tree of Inheritance’ didn’t just absorb nourishment to grant him skills; it also locked in his proficiency, permanently maintaining him in a peak state for that skill.
The branch on the ’Tree of Inheritance’ representing Talisman Maker showed his rank as a Tier One Upper Grade Talisman Maker. This meant his skill would never regress, and he would have a one hundred percent success rate when drawing any Talisman at or below Tier One Upper Grade.
’This is actually quite reasonable. After all, once a branch has grown on a tree, it can’t just shrink back. That would go against the laws of nature.’
Once a Cultivator reached Foundation Establishment, their body had already shed its mortal coil, granting them the ability of Fasting.
Sleep had naturally become optional as well. Despite working all night, Li Ping was still full of energy.
Having discovered another wondrous use of the ’Tree of Inheritance’, he was eager to continue making Talismans, but when he reached for his materials, he found that he had run out of Talisman Paper.
Shaking his head, Li Ping left his small courtyard and headed toward the Inner City. He planned to sell these newly created Cyan Thunder Talismans, then buy more Talisman Paper to continue his work.
He had no choice. Right now, he was desperately short on Spirit Stones.
「The Inner City, Spirit Treasure Pavilion.」
Li Ping stepped into the first-floor hall, a faint Spiritual Pressure emanating from him. A Governor immediately came forward and respectfully led him to a private room on the second floor, where Spirit Tea was served.
After a short wait, a female Cultivator walked in with a smile. Her magnetic, slightly languid voice sounded in Li Ping’s ear, "My apologies for keeping you waiting, Fellow Daoist."
Li Ping looked up and got a clear view of the female Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had entered.
She was a beautiful woman in a red Magic Robe who appeared to be in her early thirties. Her features were above average, and while she wasn’t as sweet and lovely as Fairy Meng, the ample curves of her chest and her slender waist exuded the charm of a mature woman.
Li Ping couldn’t help but stare for a few extra moments.
Noticing his gaze, the beautiful woman chuckled inwardly. She took two steps to the table, sat down across from Li Ping, and watched him with a smile, saying nothing.
After a moment, the beautiful woman spoke up gracefully, introducing herself, "I am Miaorou, the humble Shopkeeper of this Spirit Treasure Tower. You seem unfamiliar, Fellow Daoist. Please forgive my poor memory, but are you new to the Immortal City? May I ask your name?"
Li Ping nodded. "My surname is Li. But you’ve guessed wrong, Shopkeeper Miao. I’ve been in the Immortal City for decades; I’m hardly new."
"So it is Fellow Daoist Li," the beautiful woman with the surname Miao said with a slight smile, though her mind was already searching for any record of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator named Li Ping in the Immortal City. "What brings you to our tower today?"
Li Ping didn’t waste words. He directly took out the dozen or so Tier One Upper Grade Cyan Thunder Talismans he had drawn the previous night from his Storage Bag. Only then did he look at the beautiful woman with a smile. "Shopkeeper Miao, I wish to sell these Talismans to your esteemed tower."
"I didn’t expect you to be a Talisman Maker, Fellow Daoist," the beautiful woman said, somewhat surprised. However, after she inspected the Cyan Thunder Talismans one by one, a hint of disappointment, almost imperceptible, flickered in her eyes.
She could see clearly that they were all Cyan Thunder Talismans, which were Tier One Upper Grade Talismans.
A Tier One Upper Grade Cyan Thunder Talisman had power equivalent to a full-force strike from a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator. Each one was only worth five or six Spirit Stones.
The disappointment in her eyes vanished as quickly as it came, replaced by a polite smile. "Thirteen Tier One Upper Grade Cyan Thunder Talismans. To round things up, our Spirit Treasure Pavilion is willing to buy them for 70 Spirit Stones. Consider it a gesture of friendship between us, Fellow Daoist."
Li Ping nodded. "Deal."
A few moments later, Li Ping appeared outside the Spirit Treasure Pavilion. The only difference was that the thick stack of Cyan Thunder Talismans in his Storage Bag had been reduced to just two, while his Spirit Stones had increased by seventy.
Li Ping had spent less than twenty Spirit Stones to buy the Talisman Ink and Talisman Paper. After turning them into Spirit Talismans, he had made a profit of several times his initial investment.
Earning so many Spirit Stones in a single night made Li Ping marvel at the exorbitant profits of talisman making.
Of course, it would be impossible for other Talisman Makers to achieve such high profits relying on Tier One Upper Grade Talismans.
They couldn’t guarantee a 100% success rate like Li Ping. With a lower success rate, once the cost of materials was factored in, they would be lucky to make a profit of one or two times their investment.
Furthermore, Li Ping was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator; he could cast the Cyan Thunder Skill more than ten times in a single night. If a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator were to cast the Cyan Thunder Skill even once, they would likely exhaust most of their Magical Power and have to stop to meditate and recover.
Under those circumstances, it was normal to take several days on average to create a single Cyan Thunder Talisman.
As such, their speed of earning Spirit Stones couldn’t possibly compare to Li Ping’s.
Casting Magic of an equivalent tier consumed a great deal of Magical Power. It was also far slower and less agile than using a Dharma Artifact. For these reasons, Cultivators rarely relied on Magic as a primary method during Magical Combat.
Unless they were dealing with mortals, they were far more likely to fight using Dharma Artifacts or Talismans.
Li Ping mulled things over as he walked toward the Outer City. He was now determined to earn enough Spirit Stones to buy a few Tier Two Dharma Artifacts as quickly as possible. Otherwise, he felt far too insecure when facing Cultivators of the same rank.
He walked toward the Outer City at a steady pace, but just as he reached the city gate, his path was blocked.
"You’re Li Ping!" a burly man with a thick beard demanded, staring at Li Ping with a hostile expression.
The burly man wore a set of cyan Daoist robes, but his muscular frame stretched the fabric taut like a form-fitting shirt. It looked as though he cultivated some kind of Body Refining Technique.
Upon sensing the bearded man’s aura, Li Ping was shocked. The man was a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Behind the burly man stood a scholarly-looking, frail man who was an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, also glaring at him with ill intent.
Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators were blocking his way, and it was clear they bore him great hostility.
Li Ping was dumbfounded.