Chapter 48: Wood Spirit Talisman Shop

Elixirs could not be sold. As for what could be bought and sold, cultivation methods were restricted by 'Dao Heart' limitations, and formations were too high-end; typically, only large companies would purchase entire sets. For magic artifacts, he lacked sufficient starting capital. Therefore, only talismans remained.

The Immortal Sect's development of talismans could be described as reaching its pinnacle, applied to all aspects of society. This was because within the Immortal Sect, many people, to focus on cultivation, would not distract themselves with minor life spells like cleansing spells or healing spells. Talismans, in essence, were solidified spells. The talisman factory where Chen Mobai's mother worked had its largest annual income from "flying talismans." Flight was a dream for every human, but Qi Cultivators could not master flying spells, so this talisman became the product with the highest purchase rate. In the Immortal Sect, everyday talismans like flying talismans, cleansing talismans, and guidance talismans were the best sellers. In contrast, talismans like the Wood Armor Talisman and Green Arrow Talisman, which Chen Mobai always bought, were niche products because conflicts were rare in the Immortal Sect. Due to low demand, their prices never increased.

But the Sky River Realm was different. Guidance talismans, cleansing talismans, and any non-combat talismans were considered useless. This was the business opportunity Chen Mobai had identified.

He stocked up at the Wood Spirit Talisman shop where he had previously made purchases. The shop owner seemed to be a talisman master specializing in wood-element talismans. The shop offered low-grade Tier 1 talismans: Poison Talismans, Entanglement Talismans, Wood Shield Talismans, Wood Prison Talismans, and Detoxification Talismans, all priced at 15 Good Deeds each. Before Chen Mobai obtained the turtle shell opportunity, he earned pocket money by cutting talisman paper. A bundle of cut small talisman papers, which were the raw materials for these low-grade Tier 1 talismans, he could only sell for 2 Good Deeds. However, one couldn't call the merchants exploitative. After all, the main consumption for talismans was "ink." Different talismans required specially formulated inks to be drawn successfully, and the process was very complicated. If one wasn't careful, the entire effort could be wasted, requiring reformulation. Of course, the ink required for mid-to-low grade talismans could largely be mass-produced on factory assembly lines, but the ink for high-grade talismans still needed to be personally mixed by talisman masters. It was precisely for this reason that the lowest price for a high-grade Tier 1 talisman had soared to 500 Good Deeds per piece.

Chen Mobai looked at the only four high-grade Tier 1 talismans available in this shop: the Revival Talisman, Wood House Talisman, Wood Spirit Talisman, and Grass and Trees are Soldiers Talisman. Among these, the Revival Talisman was equivalent to an enhanced version of the Spirit Recovery Water, capable of restoring depleted spiritual power. Moreover, during recovery, it would eliminate all negative conditions from the body, restoring one to peak condition in a very short time. It was priced at 500 Good Deeds per piece. The Wood House Talisman was the best-selling everyday talisman. When activated during an outing in the wilderness, a habitable wooden house would instantly appear. It could also be customized during its creation to have one room, one room and one living room, two rooms and one living room, three rooms and one living room, or even come with a large courtyard, depending on demand. The price was customized according to requirements, starting at 1000 Good Deeds for a single room. Chen Mobai had never heard of the Wood Spirit Talisman. He looked at its description and couldn't help but marvel. Once activated, it allowed the wearer to experience the cultivation speed of a Wood Heavenly Spiritual Root while cultivating. Unfortunately, its effect only lasted for one hour, and the talisman's price soared to 5000 Good Deeds. The final talisman, the Grass and Trees are Soldiers Talisman, was the only offensive talisman, and its price was comparatively lower, only 3000 Good Deeds.

In addition to these four high-grade Tier 1 talismans, there was also a low-grade Tier 2 treasure of the shop: the Yi Wood Divine Thunder Talisman. It was also an offensive talisman, with a slightly lower price of only 50,000 Good Deeds. In Nanxi Market, Chen Mobai had inquired about the price of such talismans; they generally started at fifty spirit stones. He was tempted to buy a Wood House Talisman to develop the barren mountains in the Sky River Realm into his second base, besides the Water Manor, but the Wood House Talisman was simply too expensive, so he had to give up on it for now. Chen Mobai bought 20 of each of the five types of low-grade Tier 1 talismans, and finally, he bought 1 Revival Talisman, which totaled 2000 Good Deeds. Seeing the sharp drop in his card balance, he felt a unique sense of satisfaction after spending the money. Reselling these items in the Sky River Realm would essentially yield a tenfold profit margin.

Carrying dreams of getting rich, Chen Mobai spent a long time calming his mind, entering meditation, and nourishing his thoughts to forge his spirit.

The next day, after returning from school, Chen Mobai first visited the Changqing Pharmacy. All the medicinal ingredients were ready, and Qing Nv began to show off her skills. He didn't disturb her much and left immediately. Since the talismans were purchased online, it would take some time for them to be delivered, so Chen Mobai could only do some preliminary preparations for setting up a stall today. At the same time, he also took the opportunity to dispose of the tattered items on his person.

At Nanxi Market, this time, he didn't see the linen-clad youth surnamed Liu, who must have gotten some business. However, the other guide boy from last time was there. His eyes lit up when he saw Chen Mobai, but then he seemed to remember something and didn't dare approach. But Chen Mobai needed his help, so he waved to him.

"Senior, you're looking for me." With a hesitant heart, Qi Er walked over and first bowed to Chen Mobai.

"I have some miscellaneous items I want to sell, but setting up a stall would be too slow. Do you have any channels?"

"Senior, would you prefer a quick sale or a slower one?"

"What's the difference between quick and slow?" Chen Mobai asked further, his interest piqued.

"For a quick sale, you can, of course, directly sell to the twenty-six shops in Nanxi Market. As long as the items' origins are legitimate, they will accept all comers. For a slower sale, you hand them over to a 'stall head' and consign them there. The stall head will give you half of the spirit stones upfront based on the item's value, and then, after the consigned items are sold, they will take a ten percent commission before settling the remaining half with you." These so-called 'stall heads' were the most reputable individuals among the stallholders in Nanxi Market. In reality, these individuals were all disciples or affiliates of the six major powers, allowing them to manage the entire upper and lower markets of Nanxi Market. Qi Er explained these intricacies to Chen Mobai.

"Which are these six major powers?" If it were before, Chen Mobai definitely wouldn't have asked such a common knowledge question, but during his last visit, he had learned that cultivators from other countries frequently came to this market, and pretending to be an outsider wouldn't attract attention.

"You might not be familiar with the four local Foundation Establishment families of our Yun Kingdom, Senior, but you must know the Five Elements Sect and the Divine Wood Sect." Chen Mobai indeed knew them; they were mentioned in the "Introduction to the Great Sects of the Eastern Barrens" as two of the Seven Great Sects. The Divine Wood Sect had even split from the Five Elements Sect, and disciples from both factions would almost always engage in a fight if they met.

"Good. Take this short blade. I have a Qi cultivation method and a few bottles of elixirs I need to deal with. Their origins are certainly legitimate. Do you think those large shops would take them?" Qi Er accepted the short blade Chen Mobai gave him, his eyes slightly brightening. Although the item wasn't worth ten taels of gold, if he could help the senior conclude a successful transaction, the senior might bestow even more rewards when pleased. Thus, he began to offer advice with full motivation.