Chapter 59: Divine Wood Sect

One thousand taels of gold.

Chen Mobai had researched prices in the market. First-grade, low-quality talismans typically sold for 100 taels of gold, mid-grade for 1,000 taels of gold, and high-grade for one spirit stone. So, he subconsciously quoted an average price. After speaking, he realized why he hadn't had any customers before: he hadn't marked the prices, forcing people to ask. Naturally, business wouldn't be good.

"I'll buy however many you have." The woman in yellow robes' eyes lit up upon hearing this. She pointed to the "Azure Arrow Talisman" Chen Mobai had laid out on his stall.

Chen Mobai still had six of them, but her words made him suspicious, so he didn't dare sell them all. "Only two left."

"Here, these are gold notes." The woman in yellow robes took out two large-denomination notes from her satchel. Chen Mobai hesitated, but since he had already spoken and set up his stall, he naturally couldn't go back on his word. He discreetly took out one more from his bag and, along with the one on the blanket, handed both to her.

"My name is Zhuo Ming, and I'm a talisman maker. We can exchange ideas more often in the future." After saying this, the woman in yellow robes took the two Azure Arrow Talismans, packed up her own stall, and left with her belongings. Chen Mobai was completely baffled.

Just then, another slender young man with a long beard approached. He squatted by Chen Mobai's stall, picking through the remaining first-grade, low-quality talismans.

"That Azure Arrow Talisman you sold? If she resells it, it'll probably fetch two or three thousand per talisman." The long-bearded young man suddenly spoke. Chen Mobai stroked his chin, completely unaware of what had happened. "A few days ago, that guy Qi Er went with a group of rogue cultivators to Yunmeng Marsh to hunt snow rhinoceroses. He used a mid-grade talisman to sever the beast's legs, earning significant merit."

After he finished speaking, Chen Mobai finally understood what was going on. It turned out it was because of the Azure Arrow Talisman he had given to Qi Er. So, when Zhuo Ming saw him finally setting up a stall, she couldn't resist acting quickly to snatch up a bargain.

"How many more do you have? Pack them all for me." The long-bearded young man first explained everything to Chen Mobai, then smiled and pointed to the five first-grade, low-quality talismans on the blanket.

Chen Mobai hesitated. According to his original pricing, each should be 100 taels, but it seemed his talismans had gained a reputation through Qi Er. Should he raise the price? "May I ask your name, fellow cultivator?"

"Lu Shu." The long-bearded young man waved his hand and stated his name.

"To be honest, I have no idea how to price my talismans in this market. Could you offer some guidance, fellow cultivator? Consider these five talismans as payment for your consultation."

Lu Shu clearly hadn't expected Chen Mobai to have such an idea. He paused, then clicked his tongue in surprise. "Where exactly are you from, rogue cultivator? Your cultivation seems quite good. A cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Condensation should be well-versed in these matters."

"When I was young, I accidentally found cultivation techniques carved on a cave wall. I've been cultivating by chance ever since, and only recently found this Nanxi Market. It's quite embarrassing to admit, but I didn't even know spirit stones existed until now."

Chen Mobai's words made Lu Shu nod gently. Then, without further ado, he picked up the five first-grade, low-quality talismans from the blanket, asking about each one's effect and power, and began to price them.

"This one is an Entanglement Talisman..." The two conversed, with questions and answers, for nearly half an hour.

"I've certainly profited from this. If these five talismans were sold on an island in Yunmeng Marsh, they'd be worth at least one thousand gold. Take this book as my return gift." Lu Shu took a book from his own blanket and tossed it to Chen Mobai. The latter caught it and saw its title: 'Shenmu Sect Talisman Crafting Insights'.

"Judging by your talismans' style, you likely have a wood spiritual root. The Shenmu Sect is a top-tier talisman crafting sect in the Eastern Desolate region. They recruit a batch of disciples every ten years. With your cultivation at the sixth level of Qi Condensation at such a young age, if you master these talisman crafting insights beforehand, you might very well be able to join the Shenmu Sect and obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill."

Chen Mobai had initially thought the book would be useless to him, as he intended to focus on the crafting techniques of his home planet, Earth. However, after hearing Lu Shu's words, his eyes widened in disbelief. "Foundation Establishment Pills? Does the Shenmu Sect really give Foundation Establishment Pills to its disciples?"

"Of course! How else could they be a major sect in the Eastern Desolate? They have a Golden Core ancestor presiding over them, allowing the third-rank alchemist from Rejuvenation Valley to distribute the Foundation Establishment Pills they refine to them!" Lu Shu misunderstood Chen Mobai's meaning. Chen Mobai was thinking: wouldn't it be better to use the main ingredients of the Foundation Establishment Pill to refine Golden Core elixirs, making better use of the resources? How could refining Foundation Establishment Pills be so wasteful?

But Chen Mobai quickly came to his senses. Wouldn't that be even better! This Heavenly River Realm isn't Earth. Perhaps resources and spiritual herbs are abundant here, and they simply can afford to be wasteful! He immediately picked up 'Shenmu Sect Talisman Crafting Insights' and simultaneously asked Lu Shu when their next disciple recruitment would be.

"If it's every ten years, it should be next year." Lu Shu wasn't certain, as he planned to join Six Armor Mountain to learn puppetry, selling talismans merely to make a living.

"Thank you." Chen Mobai stood up and thanked Lu Shu. The latter found his solemnity a bit odd but nodded, accepting his gratitude.

After getting five talismans for free with a used book, Lu Shu also packed up his stall, saying he was going to Yunmeng Marsh to try his luck hunting some demonic beasts. Compared to selling goods in the market, hunting demonic beasts was the proper way for Heavenly River Realm cultivators to acquire resources. Entry-level spiritual beasts, if their meat was well-preserved, would fetch at least one spirit stone when sold at the Heavenly Feast Pavilion. It was precisely for this reason that Qi Er, using an Azure Arrow Talisman, earned two spirit stones after joining a team to hunt a snow rhinoceros. It was truly a windfall, a massive profit.

After Zhuo Ming and Lu Shu left, Chen Mobai continued to man his stall for a while. Soon, cultivators from the market who had heard the news rushed over, quickly buying up the nearly hundred remaining first-grade, low-quality talismans. Following Lu Shu's guidance, Chen Mobai had raised the price of each talisman to 200 taels of gold.

After selling everything, including the gold notes Zhuo Ming had given him, he went to the Five Elements Sect's silver exchange and converted them into two spirit stones. Leaving the market with a great haul, Chen Mobai returned to his Water Mansion. He took out the compendium of major Eastern Desolate sects he had previously purchased and carefully read the section on the Shenmu Sect.

The Shenmu Sect, a branch of the Five Elements Sect's Wood Vein, split off from the Five Elements Sect fifty years ago when Patriarch Hunyuan passed away. Its sect residence is located in Giant Wood Ridge, which boasts a fourth-grade high-quality spiritual vein. Its ultimate technique is the 'Everlasting Life Scripture,' which grants an additional sixty years of life with each major breakthrough in cultivation. This cultivation technique is good; it extends life.