Market.
As the exploration grew nearer, the market also welcomed a rare bustling scene.
The streets were filled with cultivators peddling their goods.
"These Qi Benefiting Pills not only help regulate your breath but also enhance mana."
"A Tier One Middle Grade Golden Light Talisman, do you want to trade?"
"How is this enough... Oh, don't leave, I'll trade, isn't that enough?"
Lin Chang'an, in disguise, blended into the crowd and nodded quietly at the pills he had traded for.
With more loose cultivators around, although it gets a bit chaotic, the upside is he can take advantage of the confusion.
Or rather, he doesn't need to risk going to the black market. With so many cultivators in the market during the day, external loose cultivators abound, some merchant guilds will seize the opportunity.
These middle-grade Golden Light Talismans of his are insignificant on an individual level, but thrown into this bustling market, they barely make a ripple.
"Regardless of any conspiracies, taking advantage of the market's prosperity to clear out my stock is a must; only strengthening oneself is a true assurance of safety."
Amidst the crowd, Lin Chang'an, disguised as a loose cultivator, changed his outfit and appearance again after leaving a secluded alley.
Having lived here for twenty years, he was intimately familiar with where the alley led.
With repeated efforts, he had nearly cleared his inventory within a day.
"Tier One Middle Grade Fire Bomb Talisman, I'll trade two Golden Light Talismans for three of yours."
"Friend, are you joking?"
Finally, at a stall, Lin Chang'an revealed his true face and haggled with the foreign vendor.
They settled on a two-for-two swap, with the vendor adding a bottle of Fasting Pills.
Seemingly satisfied with this transaction, Lin Chang'an headed to a restaurant owned by the Zhou Family, leaning by the window and ordering a table full of Spirit Wine and Spirit Flesh.
As an external Talisman Master employed by the Zhou Family, he enjoyed certain discounts at their restaurant.
Not wanting to waste such benefits, Lin Chang'an traversed several streets to get here.
Inside the bustling restaurant.
"Did you hear? The Shen couple bought a Black Wind Wolf cub."
"What's the big deal about that? Although the Black Wind Wolf is a Tier One Demon Beast, it's the Flame Tiger that's ferocious. I heard several Demon Hunting Squads are preparing to team up."
"You don't know anything, take a look at how many Black Wind Wolf cubs have appeared in the market recently."
An elder bearded cultivator spoke proudly, drawing curious gazes from his fellow diners.
"You all are too young, only seeing the surface, not thinking about it. So many Black Wind Wolf cubs indicate someone's cleared out a large wolf den. Is that something a regular Demon Hunting Squad can do?
Moreover, the Beast Taming Zhou Family publicly claimed they've obtained two Tier Two Black Wind Wolf bloodline cubs. Guess what's going on."
The restaurant buzzed with envious chatter.
"The Zhou Family truly hit the jackpot this time."
"No doubt, who else but the Beast Taming Zhou Family in the whole market could pull this off?"
Lin Chang'an listened to various news, feeling a subtle alarm as he noticed irregularities. The Zhou Family must have long been aware too.
"I'm just an external Talisman Master, and if something happens, my contract only requires me to provide talisman conveniences; I'm not one of those who risk their lives."
With the mindset of letting taller people bear the brunt if something goes wrong, Lin Chang'an, after eating and drinking his fill, headed home.
He's only a small cultivator at Qi Refining Fourth Layer, worrying too much is futile; only by enhancing his strength can he truly rely on something.
...
For several days, Lin Chang'an appeared to visit the market occasionally in the eyes of outsiders and otherwise spent his time diligently cultivating or teaching apprentices,
Inside the secret chamber.
Lin Chang'an slowly opened his eyes, feeling a slight increase in mana within and couldn't help but sigh.
"What have I been living before? If only there had been spirit stones and elixirs aiding in my daily cultivation, I would have broken through long ago."
There's no comparison without contrast, now his monthly expenditure on cultivation resources exceeds what he used for half a year before.
He habitually opened the panel to check his cultivation progress.
[Name: Lin Chang'an]
[Life Span: 40/98]
[Realm: Qi Refining Fourth Layer (2/100)]
[Cultivation Technique: Chang Chun Skill (Mastery: 869/1000)]
[Skills: Golden Light Talisman (Mastery 18/1000), Divine Movement Talisman (Mastery 1/1000)]
[Spell: Fire Bomb Technique (Mastery 458/1000), Breath Concealment Technique (Mastery 219/1000), Invisibility Technique (Mastery 130/1000), Exorcism Technique (Proficient 488/500)...]
After glancing at his realm, Lin Chang'an couldn't help but smile.
"As the proficiency of the Chang Chun Skill increases, my cultivation speed has also accelerated, showing an accelerating trend."
Thanks to the notes gifted by this Little Junior Sister, his understanding of the Chang Chun Skill advanced rapidly, as these insights came from a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
However, he couldn't feel elated for long as recent market disturbances and a vague unease in his heart popped into his mind, ruining his good mood.
"At this rate, breaking through to Qi Refining Fifth Layer might take two to three years. But with exploration imminent, the market might not stay stable for long."
"I must speed up my cultivation, but currently, among Tier One Middle Grade Talismans, I only know the Golden Light Talisman. I must find a way to learn one or two more middle-grade talisman crafting methods, to quietly accumulate cultivation resources."
Having experienced the rapid cultivation with spirit stones, he naturally wouldn't want to return to slow times.
Especially at his age, he couldn't afford any delays.
With this thought, Lin Chang'an took out all the spirit stones he had traded for in recent days from his storage bag.
With a clatter, a pile of sparkling spirit stones appeared between his cross-legged thighs.
"In three months, I've earned over ninety spirit stones, not counting the elixirs for cultivation. Who would believe this if told?"
Even Lin Chang'an couldn't help but let his eyes shine brightly and felt a secret thrill seeing so many spirit stones for the first time.
Ordinary Tier One Middle Grade Talisman Masters, excluding costs, can earn about fifteen spirit stones a month, but in a locked state of talisman painting, he could earn over one hundred spirit stones a month by working full force.
"Every exploration is a rare grand occasion where normally precious and scarce magical artifacts, spirit pets, and inheritance of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation might appear, even the Foundation Establishment Pill."
This is also his opportunity.
He didn't dare to think of the Foundation Establishment Pill, but the inheritance of talisman techniques was still an aspiration.
"To be on the safe side, I must secretly learn one or two more types of Tier One Middle Grade talismans, to avoid leaving traces, as some high-level talisman masters can discern if talismans come from the same hand."
Talismans involve multiple aspects like offense, defense, and escape techniques, with different materials and methods for each type, making it hard to identify the craftsman even if made by the same person.
However, within the same type of talisman, it is easier to be discovered, so his recent trade clients have mainly been demon hunting cultivators.
Because this type of cultivator generally uses or exchanges talismans for personal use, and they're large consumers of talismans.
"At least, I must learn a couple more types of Tier One Middle Grade talismans, ensuring my cultivation isn't neglected, allowing me to net about a hundred spirit stones a month after costs."
Lin Chang'an thought deeply; his spirit root talent was poor, but he could completely compensate with spirit stones. The urgent task was to boost his cultivation level to survive in the ever-changing Immortal Cultivation Realm.
Having wasted forty years, if he didn't fight now, he might as well return to the Mortal Realm to enjoy wealth and prosperity early on.
```