In the evening, Zhou Shu opened the door and headed towards Qingxia Market.
The market was ablaze with lights, the bustling scene at its peak.
Merchants, eager to attract customers, displayed their unique skills. Besides the ceaseless shouting of hawkers, many used incantations to create bizarre ice and sand sculptures to attract spectators.
Outside one elixir shop, a cultivator even slashed himself bloodily with a knife before demonstrating the healing effects of elixirs, leaving the crowd stunned.
However, the elixir failed to work; after swallowing three in a row, the bleeding continued. The cultivator's face turned pale with anxiety, drawing laughter from the crowd.
Zhou Shu, curious on his first visit to the market, looked around without stopping.
Soon, he found what he was looking for: a talisman shop.
Hanging in front of the door were the ancient characters "Sanyuanzhai." The doorposts were mottled and had a yellowish, aged look, revealing their age.
Upon entering, the air was filled with a light, soothing aroma of wood. A blue-shirted clerk approached, smiling and greeting. "Sir, are you looking for anything related to talismans? We have everything."
Zhou Shu nodded slightly. "Let me see the talisman materials."
"Sir, are you a talisman master?" The clerk's eyes lit up, and his attitude became even more respectful.
Talisman masters, like alchemists and weapon masters, are considered a unique profession in the world of immortal cultivation.
Talisman masters craft talismans, alchemists refine elixirs, and weapon masters refine weapons... Each has its own strengths and is highly sought after, holding a higher status than ordinary cultivators. However, achieving these professions is not easy; both talent and financial resources are essential.
Zhou Shu's expression was expressionless. "I just wanted to try my hand. I'm not a talisman master yet."
The clerk's eyes tinged with disappointment. "Oh,"
Zhou Shu smiled calmly and waved his hand. Having been a
genius for so long, even if he knew nothing, his every move carried a faint sense of confidence.
Looking at Zhou Shu's confident expression, the waiter felt warm in his heart and said unconsciously, "It seems that you are confident, sir! If you become a talisman master, our store can provide you with materials at a discount. Just sell the talismans to us first."
Zhou Shu smiled and said, "No problem, no problem."
The waiter made a gesture and led Zhou Shu into the store.
He whispered a few words to the shopkeeper, who quickly came over and bowed to Zhou Shu, "I'm Hua Ruoan, the shopkeeper of Sanyuanzhai. Little brother, you look unfamiliar, are you new to Qingxia Market?"
The shopkeeper in front of him was actually a cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm. Zhou Shu raised his hand in return, "My name is Zhou Shu, and it's indeed my first time here."
"Judging from your cultivation level, you must have become a cultivator not long ago, right?"
Hua Ruoan glanced at him and smiled, "You've just started cultivating immortals, and you already have the path of ambition talismans. You're quite ambitious, little brother. I'm optimistic about you."
Zhou Shu looked indifferent, "I'm just trying it out. I'm sorry to embarrass you, Shopkeeper Hua."
Hua Ruoan shook his head with a bit of sincerity on his face, "No, no, I'm sincere. Recently, Qingxia Market is in short supply of talismans. Brother Zhou, if you succeed in drawing a talisman, you must sell it to our shop."
He was telling the truth.
Qingxia Market is nestled against the Qingyuan Mountains, where most cultivators rely on hunting demonic beasts to sustain their training. Talismans are in short supply, but talisman masters are becoming increasingly rare, and those who do appear are often poached by sects. Many talisman shops are unable to find masters to maintain their business, and some even go bankrupt.
As the owner of a talisman shop, it's imperative to court any cultivator seeking talisman crafting, regardless of their level. This is simply business ethics.
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and nodded slightly, "I'll do my best."
Hua Ruo smiled reassuringly, "Haha, that's best. Hey, take Brother Zhou to look at the talisman materials."
The clerk led Zhou Shu inside the shop.
The shop was much larger than Zhou Shu had imagined. In addition to the dedicated talisman section, the talisman materials section was divided into three sections, each filled to the brim with a variety of materials.
"Sir, please take a look at the talisman pen first. As the saying goes, the beginning of the art of talismans begins with the talisman pen. A good talisman pen is the most basic condition for drawing talismans."
The waiter pointed to the talisman pen on the wooden stand in front of him and boasted excitedly, "This talisman pen is called the 'Calmness Pen'. You must have taken a good look at it. The pen body is made of second-level Huinan wood, which is perfectly compatible with the spiritual power of the cultivator and will never feel obscure. The pen tip is made of the fur of the first-level monster Moon Velvet Rabbit. That is a Moon Velvet Rabbit cub that has just turned one month old. It is soft, strong, tough, and pliable, and it has all the four elements of a talisman pen. In addition, it has been carefully refined by the weapon refining master Bu Shiren, and it also comes with the rare talisman array of 'Calmness'. Using it to draw talismans is absolutely comfortable and natural, and you can get twice the result with half the effort!"
"It is indeed a good pen."
Zhou Shu waited for the waiter to finish speaking and praised it, "But how many spirit stones does the cheapest talisman pen here cost? You don't need such a good one."
"This is the cheapest talisman pen, a must-have for beginners," the clerk nodded quickly. "Sir, it's only four hundred mid-grade spirit stones, not expensive at all."
Zhou Shu was startled, feeling as if he'd heard something unexpected. He feigned composure and said, "Hey... clerk, are all talisman pens this expensive?"
The clerk froze, his face turning pale. "A talisman pen isn't just any first-tier magical weapon. It's extremely difficult to refine. A talisman master must rely on it to perfectly communicate and direct spiritual energy for precise talisman drawing. Can you just use any brush to draw talismans? Would the talisman you draw be useful? Sir, you're kidding."
"Oh,"
Zhou Shu nodded, pondering.
That was his original thought: that any brush could draw talismans, and talisman pens wouldn't even be within his reach. But now it seemed otherwise.
If talisman pens were this expensive, then they were a bit too much for him right now.
Four hundred mid-grade spirit stones, and that's the cheapest one. A talisman pen is truly no ordinary magical weapon. One mid-grade spirit stone is equivalent to one hundred low-grade spirit stones. He simply couldn't possibly have that many. Unless he could... Touching the storage bag at his waist, he shook his head again. He wouldn't sell it until it was completely worthless.
The clerk next to him was also pondering, as if something strange was roaring in his heart, "Could it be that this guest knows nothing and wants to draw talismans without any preparation?... It's so depressing. My previous kindness was in vain. I was so lucky to report to the shopkeeper that I had discovered a future talisman master. Now the reward is gone, and I will be laughed at by others."
Zhou Shu paused. "Let me see the talisman paper and ink first. We'll talk about the talisman brush later."
He certainly couldn't afford a talisman brush right now, but he couldn't give up just yet.
The waiter's previous joy had mostly faded, and he said weakly, "Okay."
"Sir, this is the talisman paper section. You're here to practice, so just use the simplest ones. Sunflower paper, made from first-grade sunflower grass, costs five sheets for one low-grade spirit stone. It doesn't contain much spiritual power, but it can adapt to most talisman inks..."
Zhou Shu nodded. "That's it, ten sheets."
"Okay, ten sheets of sunflower paper..." The waiter drawled, taking out the talisman paper and wrapping it up.
"This is the talisman ink section. As you probably know, talisman ink holds a vast amount of spiritual energy and is the most crucial component of a talisman. First-time talismans are usually drawn with the divine movement talisman, so use this talisman ink made with wind-inducing grass juice and cinnabar."
After the clerk finished speaking, Zhou Shu shook his head and said, "No, I want thunder-type talisman ink."
As soon as he finished speaking, not only was the clerk stunned, but even the guests in the nearby talisman section turned their gazes in that direction.
Zhou Shu quickly added, "Talisman ink made from the Thunder Attracting Fruit is best."
The two talisman techniques he knew were both thunder-type talismans: the Thunderstorm Talisman and the Thunder Spear Talisman. They were marked on the back, indicating that thunder-type talisman ink made from the Thunder Attracting Fruit was best.
This time, even the shopkeeper, Hua Ruoan, was startled and made his way over.
The attendant beside him was completely paralyzed, a voice inside him screaming, "You're a newbie, and you're trying to draw a lightning talisman? Are you sure you're not trying to tease me?"
Thunder talismans are incredibly powerful, but they're also among the top five most difficult to draw, with a high failure rate. Most talisman masters wouldn't dare attempt one.
Zhou Shu, a novice who had never drawn a talisman before and didn't even know what a talisman pen was, was demanding lightning talisman ink, even going so far as to ask for ink made from lightning fruit. This left the attendant completely speechless.