Chapter 104: Chapter 104: The First Day of Magic Duel_l
Translator: 549690339
Chen Mobai picked up the phone and dialed a number.
“Mom, how much is your factory selling a piece of Rank-2 talisman paper now?”
“35 Good Deed Points for a large sheet. Why, do you want to earn some pocket money again? You should focus on your entrance exam at the moment. If you’re short on money, tell me. Although we’re having financial difficulties and still owe the bank a loan for your dad’s Foundation Establishment…”
Avoiding to hear any more lecturing, Chen Mobai hurriedly asked the question he most wanted to know and interrupted his mom’s tirade.
“The machine your workshop uses to mix talisman ink, which spiritual instrument manufacturer did you order it from? It seems all you have to do is put the raw materials in, and the talisman ink that comes out is not only clean and tidy but also evenly colored and in good quality.”
“Zhou’s Sixth Factory. That machine wasn’t cheap, it was a whopping 200,000 Good Deed Points. However, we got it customized only because the boss bears good relations with them…”
Listening to Tang Panchui go on and on, Chen Mobai finally managed to hang up the phone.
200,000 Good Deed Points for one, that’s too expensive.
So, he checked on the Immortal Gate Network to see if there were alternatives. He actually found several merchants specializing in custom-made machines and decided to inquire from the background. The prices varied, but even the cheapest demanded to start from 100,000 Good Deed Points to take the order. Disheartened, Chen Mobai checked his account balance and clicked out of the web page.
However, he thought of the Wood Spiritual charm shop that he often bought from.
Considering such a significant number of charms were produced in a short period, it was impossible for everything to be handcrafted. Yet, from the few conversations he had with the shopkeeper, he realized the owner wasn’t a wealthy man. So, how did he solve this problem?
After typing and sending a series of texts, the shopkeeper of the Wood Spiritual charm shop responded immediately.
After all, he was a valued customer.
The shopkeeper sent him several links.
Chen Mobai clicked the first link and found it was a small crusher.
The shopkeeper told him how he bought this kind of crusher to crush cinnabar. The cheapest model costs only 3,000 Good Deed Points per piece, but it can only crush up to a particle fineness of 100 mesh.
However, it’s sufficient to prepare for creating Rank-1 talismans.
Not knowing the particle fineness required by the Divine Wood Sect’s Cinnabarite Institute, Chen Mobai simply added it to his shopping cart.
Moving on to other links, they were respectively mini temperature pots for boiling the talisman ink, spiritual energy jars for fire creation, filters and glass bottles, and at the end, standardized small aluminum tubes that were used to store semi-solid talisman ink in Di Yuan Star.
Unable to afford one large machine combining all functions costing 200,000 Good Deed Points, the individual components came down to less than 10,000 Good Deed Points.
Chen Mobai sent a thumbs-up emoji to the shopkeeper, and then ordered some charms in his shop.
As his account balance was running low, Chen Mobai could only add items introduced by the shopkeeper to his shopping cart.
After all, he was primarily focusing on the entrance exam magic duel.
He would leave the charm creation to practice slowly after he entered college. As he walked downstairs, he saw several parcels on the coffee table.
They were the Quicksand Talismans, Golden Light Talismans, Wind Blade Talismans, he had purchased. After unwrapping all the packages, he pocketed a few of each.
Leaving his house, he headed to the cultivation gym where he had previously spent time with Yan Bingxuan, rented a Spells Chamber for an hour to practice, used one of each charm to confirm the feel and functions, and then left satisfied.
Next, he took the bus to the Cinnabarite Institute to scout out the battlefield.
“It’s quite a spectacle.”
The Cinnabarite Institute is located in Danxia Mountain, where fortress-like peaks and clusters of peaks loom. The landscape is filled with oddly-shaped rocks, stone bridges, and stone caves, all red color from the layers of sandstone reaching into the clouds.
And their magic duel platform was located atop these towering peaks.
Once he rode the special cable car to the top of the peak, Chen Mobai looked at the expansive scenery below and could not help but feel like he was on top of the world.
“Over here.”
At this time, Chan Si who had been waiting at a snack bar at the peak, waved at Chen Mobai who had just arrived.
“Hello, Teacher Chan.”
Before coming, Chen Mobai had contacted Chan Si, who had helped him a lot, even buying his Spirit Ascension Powder. This really gave him his startup capital, and he had been wanting to find an opportunity to express his thanks properly.
So he planned to treat her to a meal today.
“Is this the student you mentioned?”
Sitting beside Chan Si was a sister with a very generous smile.
After being introduced, Chen Mobai understood that she was the one who had bought the Spirit Ascension Powder. Her name was Shen Juanxiu.
So, this meal was covered by this well-off sister student. When they heard that he was participating in the entrance examination of the Daoist Academy, both ladies promised to come and cheer him on.
“Goodbye, Teacher Chan, Sister Shen.”
Having enjoyed a meal, and toured all the arenas, visited all the essential spots under their guidance, Chen Mobai was ready to leave. But he was stopped by the two ladies.
“You will have the magic duel tomorrow, don’t go home. Rest well here tonight so you won’t be exhausted from travelling tomorrow.”
“True, there are many hotels near the school gate. I can cover the room cost. With so many students coming tomorrow, traffic might be densely packed in Red Sandstone City. If you’re late and deemed a no-show, wouldn’t you regret it for the rest of your life?”
After listening to the suggestion from Chan Si and Shen Juanxiu, Chen Mobai found their words to be reasonable.
However, he wouldn’t dare to let Shen Juanxiu pay for his hotel room. Seeing him firmly refuse, both ladies couldn’t help but giggle. After encouraging him to do his best, they left together.
That night, even with Chen Mobai’s state of mind, he felt somewhat anxious and hopeful.
In the realm of immortals, qualifying for a good university represented the greatest chance of changing one’s fate.
At four in the morning, he woke up, rearranged the talismans in his backpack, and ultimately selected the combination he was most confident in.
After all, Qiao Xingwen was said to be quite skilled, according to Xu Yuan and the rest.
If his boat capsized in the gutter, there wouldn’t be a chance for a rematch.
A Rank-1 high-grade Crimson Flame Sword Talisman.
A Rank-1 intermediate-grade Green Arrow Talisman and Water Sword Talisman.
A Rank-1 lower-grade Coiling Talisman, Wooden Shield charm, Wood Prison Talisman, Water Storage Talisman.
Before dawn, Chen Mobai ate a bowl of hot and sour noodles at the school gate, then arrived at his own arena. He sat on a long stone bench at the edge of the peak, watching the distant clouds rolling and the rising sun, with the sunlight shining brightly.
It wasn’t just him; several students who had arrived even earlier were walking around restlessly.
One moment they would take out their prepared talismans to check, and the next they would swap a couple of talismans and re-establish a set.
“This mentality isn’t right, getting on the stage with this mindset is like delivering victory to the opponent.”
Seeing these people, Chen Mobai could only shake his head quietly.
He felt like he could defeat ten of such players easily.
“Eh, you’re here so early.”
The one speaking was his schoolmate, Shi Jingjing. Beside her was Cao Yaling, who was also due for the magic duel on this platform. They too seemed to have stayed nearby last night. Seeing Chen Mobai sitting unmoving, they walked over hand in hand.
“Don’t be too nervous, just express yourself. It’s not a big deal if you lose, after all, your opponent is Qiao Xingwen, he’s in the top hundred in terms of odds.” “There are only around 280 people in total.”
Shi Jingjing’s words made Chen Mobai couldn’t help but retort..