Qing'an Town, Liu's Spirit Talisman Shop.
Shopkeeper Liu's eyes lit up as he stared at the two stacks of highly spiritual Talismans in Li Mu's hand, excitedly asking, "Are all these Talismans drawn by you?"
Shopkeeper Liu had a deep impression of this young man; he was a regular customer of the Spirit Talisman Shop, often coming to buy Talisman paper and Talisman ink, and then selling some Low Grade Exorcism Talismans he had refined himself.
The Spirit Stones Shopkeeper Liu earned from him were a bit small, but it was a steady stream.
Shopkeeper Liu had never asked this young man's name because, in his opinion, such a small Loose Cultivator was not worth his excessive effort.
Talisman Making, Artifact Refining, and Alchemy are among the lowest-threshold and most common of the Hundred Arts of Cultivation; ninety percent of Loose Cultivators will try one or two to gain a stable means of livelihood; however, very few genuinely succeed and achieve something in the Hundred Arts of Cultivation.
A Talisman Maker who can refine High Grade First-Order Talismans is considered a successful person in the Talisman Making Domain; they can earn Spirit Stones with this skill, thereby achieving a virtuous cycle and gaining the Foundation to advance to a Second-Order Talisman Maker.
These highly skilled Talisman Makers are either descendants of a Cultivation Family or offerings from some influential organization; it is very rare for a wild High Grade First-Order Talisman Maker to suddenly appear.
The Spirit Talisman Shop - Shopkeeper Liu paid special attention, scrutinizing Li Mu intently, hoping to establish close cooperation with this 'wild' Talisman Maker.
His face was tender, his downy mustache sparse, his appearance handsome, yet his demeanor was steady; he was probably only sixteen or seventeen years old, but the Spiritual Pressure emanating from him was quite profound, his Cultivation not weaker than his, and he wore a somewhat shabby uniform robe of a Qingxuan Sect Utility Disciple.
However, such a poor young man could produce two stacks of High Grade First-Order Talismans for sale, which was truly perplexing.
Meeting Shopkeeper Liu's scrutinizing gaze, Li Mu smiled calmly, "Shopkeeper Liu, you must be joking. How could I possibly draw High Grade First-Order Talismans? At most, I can only draw some Low Grade Exorcism Talismans, you know that!"
"Hmm! Then who drew these Talismans?" Shopkeeper Liu immediately felt relieved and asked inquisitively.
"My father drew them. Does your shop want them? If not, I'll take them to Wanbao Pavilion to sell!" Li Mu casually made up an excuse and replied.
"Haha! What kind of place is Wanbao Pavilion? They only care about Second-Order Talismans! Sell these Talismans to me! I'll take them." Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily and quickly spoke to retain him.
"Hmm, how will you buy them? If the price is right, I'll bring more to sell in the future." Li Mu quickly reminded, implying that they could have a long-term partnership and the price shouldn't be too low.
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu was overjoyed, "No problem! I'll buy them at the highest price. I'll buy Fireball Amulets, Fire-Igniting Talismans, Wood-Binding Talismans, ..., these Five Elements Talismans at a price of 10 lower spirit stones per Talisman. The remaining Talismans will be bought at 8 lower spirit stones per Talisman. How does this price sound to you?"
"Okay! I'll sell them all to you at that price. Also, please get me ten stacks of Talisman paper." Li Mu thought for a moment, nodded in agreement, and handed over the two stacks of Talismans.
"No problem. A total of 60 Talismans, 38 Five Elements Talismans, and 22 other Talismans, totaling: 556 lower spirit stones. Ten stacks of Five Elements Talisman paper, 300 sheets, calculated at 0.8 lower spirit stones per sheet, totaling 240 lower spirit stones, ..." Shopkeeper Liu quickly calculated the accounts.
Soon after, Shopkeeper Liu packed the ten stacks of Talisman paper and the remaining Spirit Stones and handed them to Li Mu.
"The numbers are correct. I'll come again next time." Li Mu smiled as he took the items and bid farewell with satisfaction.
"Alright! You're always welcome. Oh, by the way, what's your last name, young man? I forgot to ask." Shopkeeper Liu enthusiastically escorted Li Mu to the door and asked inquisitively.
"My surname is Li. Shopkeeper Liu, no need to be polite, no need to see me off!" Li Mu responded, unable to bear Shopkeeper Liu's enthusiasm, and quickly left the Spirit Talisman Shop.
After leaving the Spirit Talisman Shop, Li Mu found an unoccupied corner and put the ten stacks of Talisman paper into his storage compartment to save space.
After storing his items, Li Mu walked out of the alley and continued to browse the Loose Cultivator market in Qing'an Town, looking for Materials suitable for refining Puppets.
After browsing the Loose Cultivator market, Li Mu did not see the stall of the old Daoist selling Cultivation Techniques, nor did he find Materials suitable for refining Puppets.
Li Mu frowned, looking at the most luxuriously decorated Wanbao Pavilion on the main street. Since he couldn't find it in the Loose Cultivator market, he could only go to this place where only 'tycoons' could afford to shop.
With his Symbol Making Art ability, Li Mu finally felt confident enough to enter a high-end shop.
Before Li Mu even walked into Wanbao Pavilion, two female Cultivator greeters, lightly dressed and well-figured, bowed gracefully at the entrance: "Welcome to Wanbao Pavilion, Young Master, please come in."
Under the call of the two female Cultivator greeters, Li Mu stepped into Wanbao Pavilion, and the next second, a refreshing Spiritual Qi wafted over him.
Wanbao Pavilion's spacious, luxuriously decorated hall featured a Gathering Spirit Formation; the Spiritual Qi within the hall was several times denser than outside. Above the ceiling, a Spiritual Artifact lamp emitted a bright and warm light, dispelling evil Qi, fatigue, and a series of negative states, while also illuminating the hall.
As expected of Wanbao Pavilion, even having seen many high-end decorations in his original world, Li Mu was still amazed by Wanbao Pavilion's luxurious decor.
The two-zhang-high hall was filled with several rosewood counters, each displaying various precious Spiritual Objects, Spiritual Artifacts, swords, sabers, shields, refined wheels, ..., various Spirit Pills, Spiritual Fruits, and there was even a counter specifically selling Spiritual Pet cubs. The surrounding walls were adorned with various Spiritual Qi-filled rare picture albums, ..., everywhere he looked was a Spiritual Object.
With his Heavenly Talent - Identifying Myriad Spirits ability, Li Mu saw more rare Spiritual Objects in Wanbao Pavilion than other customers.
"Esteemed guest, what kind of Spiritual Object would you like to buy? My name is Lin Huirong, and I can introduce Spiritual Objects to you." A female Cultivator in a pink long dress walked up to Li Mu and greeted him with a smile.
"Hmm, I want to buy a few Spiritual Woods. Does your pavilion sell Spiritual Wood?" Li Mu nodded and asked with concern.
"Uh! Of course, our pavilion has Spiritual Wood, but esteemed guest, could you please tell me the purpose of the Spiritual Wood you wish to purchase? Spiritual Wood comes in many varieties, with different material properties; some are suitable for Artifact Refining, some for building Spirit Boats, and some for refining Puppets." Lin Huirong looked at Li Mu strangely and explained with a smile.
Li Mu was not old, around seventeen or eighteen, and Lin Huirong thought he had come to buy self-defense Spiritual Artifacts, or supplementary Spirit Pills, or defensive Talismans, but to her surprise, he had come to buy Spiritual Wood, which made her a little astonished.
"For refining Puppets. Spiritual Pomelo Wood, Profound Iron Wood, or even Spiritual Banana Wood would work. Do you have them here?" Li Mu explained and asked.
"Yes, esteemed guest. Cultivators skilled in refining Puppets are quite rare, so Puppet Materials are stored in the side hall warehouse. Please follow me." Lin Huirong gestured for Li Mu to follow her and explained.
Li Mu nodded and followed Lin Huirong to the side hall, a warehouse filled with various Spiritual Wood Materials.