Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Mid-rank Talisman Master
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“Fourteen years. Not too bad.”
A satisfied smile appeared on Chen Jianghe's face.
The power unleashed by the Water Arrow Talisman had reached the level of a full-force magical attack from a sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
At the age of forty-seven, his talisman-crafting skills had finally advanced to the first-tier mid-rank, making him a mid-rank Talisman Master.
If he so wished, he could now resign from his position as a senior Fishery Farmer and become one of the Yun Clan's Hundred Arts Guest Elders.
Fourteen years to go from a low-rank to a mid-rank Talisman Master was slow for a cultivator with exceptional talent in the art.
But for a cultivator with average talent, the speed of Chen Jianghe's improvement was not slow at all.
He decided to strike while the iron was hot, continuing to draw mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans to solidify his first-tier mid-rank skills.
Suppressing his excitement, he cleared his mind of stray thoughts, focused his spirit, picked up the wolf-hair talisman brush, dipped it in spirit ink, and began to draw on the spirit beast hide.
To create mid-rank spirit talismans, a low-rank peachwood brush was no longer suitable; a mid-rank wolf-hair talisman brush was required.
Furthermore, the medium for the talisman could no longer be fine yellow paper, as it couldn't withstand the power of a mid-stage Qi Refining spell.
Special spirit beast hides or spirit tree bark soaked in spirit blood were needed.
Chen Jianghe had chosen black pigskin, which came from a large, tusked black pig with a second-tier low-grade bloodline.
Of course, not the entire hide could be used for talismans—only the skin from the belly and back would work, as other parts could not hold the imprint of a magical seal.
A single sheet of black pigskin was worth ten spirit stones and could be cut into thirty pieces.
The spirit ink, however, did not need to be changed. The mixture of Green Scale Fish blood and cinnabar was still sufficient for drawing mid-rank talismans.
It was just that one box, which used to last for fifty uses, now only lasted for thirty.
In fact, in the second year after his dealings with Talisman Master Chu Lang had ended, Chen Jianghe had already purchased the necessary supplies for creating mid-rank talismans.
In the final year of his arrangement with Talisman Master Chu Lang.
Chen Jianghe had created thirty-eight Five Elements Escape Talismans. After deducting costs, they each received forty-five spirit stones.
From the eleven spirit stones given to Talisman Master Chu Lang in the first year to the forty-five in the last.
Over the ten-year period of their deal, Chen Jianghe had given Talisman Master Chu Lang a total of three hundred and thirty spirit stones.
This fell squarely within the fluctuating price range for a talisman-crafting inheritance in the Immortal Sect Market City.
Neither party had lost out; it was a win-win situation.
When Chen Jianghe delivered the final profit share, Talisman Master Chu Lang had also made it clear that even though their deal was over, Chen Jianghe would receive a ten percent discount on any high-rank spirit talismans he purchased in the future.
Thus, the end of their business relationship didn't lead to animosity; they had even become friends.
Chen Jianghe was very satisfied with this.
On New Year's Eve of that same year, Chen Jianghe received a letter from Gao Peiyao. She understood his and Yu Daniu's situation and wasn't angry that they hadn't been able to meet her.
The letter stated that they would meet again when the opportunity arose.
After the new year, Chen Jianghe stopped making Five Elements Escape Talismans and switched to Protection Talismans instead.
He successfully created forty-seven Protection Talismans.
After selling them at the Mirror Moon Pavilion, he earned ninety-four spirit stones. After deducting costs, he was left with eighty-eight.
This was all his, with no need to split the profits.
The following year, he began to draw all types of low-rank talismans, focusing on offensive ones. By the beginning of the year, he had finally raised his success rate for offensive talismans to seventy percent.
His profits from talisman crafting reached ninety-one spirit stones.
Afterward, he spent twenty-five spirit stones on a mid-rank wolf-hair talisman brush and twenty spirit stones on two whole sheets of black pigskin.
He began attempting to create mid-rank talismans, finally succeeding with a mid-rank Water Arrow Talisman in July of this year.
Compared to low-rank talismans, mid-rank talismans were much more expensive.
But the difficulty of creating them had also increased.
The consumption of spiritual power and mental energy had multiplied.
Chen Jianghe could only make seven attempts in a month. As for how many would succeed, that remained to be seen.
Time passed in a flash, and several months went by.
As New Year's Eve approached, the Yun Clan's large boat arrived to collect the fish.
Chen Jianghe's cultivation waters only held two little green fish, and they were eight taels underweight on average.
Logically, this was somewhat below standard. The current regulations for the inner waters required senior Fishery Farmers to raise three little green fish each cycle.
With the growing prosperity of Mirror Moon Lake Market City, the demand for little green fish that had become spirit beasts clearly outstripped the supply.
And then there were the egrets, which the Yun Clan now had people specifically assigned to raise.
The signature dishes of the Mirror Moon Celestial Pavilion were Green Scale Fish and egrets.
But given Chen Jianghe's relationship with Yu Daniu, the manager of the collection boat naturally didn't dare to be strict.
He smiled and chatted amicably the entire time, and in the end, even rounded up the payment, giving him three spirit stones.
“One hundred and seventy-three spirit stones. Without having to share profits with Talisman Master Chu Lang, the speed at which I'm accumulating spirit stones has increased quite a bit.”
The profits from talisman crafting over these years, plus six spirit stones for the fish farming salary, minus the cost of the wolf-hair brush, black pigskin, spirit ink, and another four Spirit Nurturing Flowers for Xiao Hei.
He now had one hundred and seventy-three spirit stones on hand.
However, he still had six unsold mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans.
This year's talisman-crafting results amounted to these six mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans, which had consumed two whole sheets of black pigskin and two boxes of spirit ink.
The success rate was a pitiful ten percent or so.
A mid-rank Water Arrow Talisman was worth five spirit stones. The buyback price was eighty-five percent, which came to four spirit stones and twenty-five spirit sand.
The six mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans together would fetch twenty-five spirit stones and fifty spirit sand.
Factoring in the wear and tear on the wolf-hair brush, one could say he had just broken even this year.
He hadn't earned a single coin.
It couldn't be helped. Talisman crafting was a process; he couldn't expect to reach a fifty percent success rate right after becoming a mid-rank Talisman Master.
However, Chen Jianghe didn't plan to continue making mid-rank talismans.
He prepared to go back to making low-rank talismans, especially the Five Elements Escape Talismans. Only by doing so could he maximize his profits in the short term.
This would allow him to quickly accumulate the resources needed to leave Mirror Moon Lake.
As for creating mid-rank talismans to improve his skills, that could wait until after he left Mirror Moon Lake and found a new place to settle.
Right now, what he needed were spirit stones.
Buying a Spirit Beast Ring, magical artifacts, high-rank spirit talismans—all of these required spirit stones.
In a few days, he would be forty-eight. Cultivators his age were already starting to get wrinkles.
Sitting at the bow of his boat, he looked at his reflection on the lake's surface.
His face, while not exceptionally handsome, was smooth and delicate, without a single wrinkle.
It might not attract attention for the next couple of years, but what about after a few more?
Someone observant would definitely notice the anomaly.
He had never left Mirror Moon Lake, so it was impossible for him to have bought a Beauty-Retaining Pill. Besides, it wasn't something a low-level rogue cultivator could afford.
“It's been almost two years since I reached the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining, but the bottleneck to the late stage is still like a solid rock, unbreakable.”
“Do I have no choice but to use a Calamity Dispelling Pill to break through?”
If he had used a Calamity Dispelling Pill, Chen Jianghe could have broken through to the seventh level of Qi Refining two years ago.
He had learned about the side effects of the Calamity Dispelling Pill from Gao Peiyao and naturally didn't dare to gamble with his future Foundation Establishment.
He would rather grind away for a few more years than diminish his chances of successful Foundation Establishment in the future.
“Five years, then.”
“If I can't break through to the seventh level of Qi Refining in five years, I'll have no choice but to take the Calamity Dispelling Pill.”
Although taking the pill would affect his chances of Foundation Establishment, if he stayed in Mirror Moon Lake, he was afraid he'd never even reach the point of attempting it.
The reason for waiting five years was also to give himself time to earn more spirit stones.
His thoughts settled.
Chen Jianghe had Xiao Hei hide deep within the gravel at the bottom of the lake, then headed for Mirror Moon Lake Market City.
Seventeen years ago, Xiao Hei broke through to the first-tier mid-stage. Over the years, he had eaten thirty-eight of Chen Jianghe's Spirit Nurturing Flowers, one braised Green Scale Fish, and one whole roasted egret.
That was nearly one hundred and sixty spirit stones worth of resources.
That was enough for a low-level cultivator to reach the late stage of Qi Refining, with some to spare.
Fortunately, Xiao Hei was finally showing signs of a breakthrough. Otherwise, after sinking so many resources into him without even a ripple, Chen Jianghe would truly go mad.
He estimated that Xiao Hei would definitely be able to break through to the first-tier late-stage after consuming at most ten more Spirit Nurturing Flowers.
As long as Xiao Hei could break through, his departure from Mirror Moon Lake would be much more secure.
Upon arriving at Mirror Moon Lake Market City, he first sold the mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans he had, receiving twenty-five spirit stones and fifty spirit sand.
Then he bought a brand new low-rank peachwood talisman brush, twenty boxes of spirit ink, and two hundred and fifty sheets of fine yellow paper.
He bought five years' worth of talisman-crafting materials all at once.
For him now, the fewer trips he made to Mirror Moon Lake Market City, the better.
Too many visits, and his unchanging appearance would arouse suspicion.
The talisman materials cost him thirty-four spirit stones and fifty spirit sand. Then he spent another forty spirit stones on ten Spirit Nurturing Flowers.
He had run out of Spirit Accumulating Pills a year and a half ago.
But he didn't buy any more. He was already at the peak of the sixth level of Qi Refining; there was no need to take Spirit Accumulating Pills.
His main focus now was to grind down the bottleneck and strive for an early breakthrough.
Spirit Accumulating Pills only increased spiritual power, which was useless to him at his current stage.
Walking out of the Mirror Moon Pavilion, Chen Jianghe glanced in the direction of the Yun Clan's estate.
“Daniu told me to prepare spirit stones. Right now, I only have one hundred and twenty-four. I'm afraid that's far from enough.”
Yu Daniu had been away from the Lakeheart Island for over four years, searching for traces of Wang Kui within the eighteen-hundred-li radius of Mirror Moon Lake.
Just as Chen Jianghe had said.
It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. The Yun Clan was only doing this to give the Tiannan Sect an explanation and to show their reverence.
After pausing for a moment, he left Mirror Moon Lake Market City.
In the time that followed, he would focus on cultivation to wear down the bottleneck, and do his utmost to create talismans to increase his spirit stone savings.
——
Just after Chen Jianghe left the Mirror Moon Pavilion.
The third-level Qi Refining girl from the talisman counter also left, but she headed in the direction of the Yun Clan's estate.
Blessed Gate Residence, Courtyard Number Two.
It covered a large area and had seven rooms, as well as a rockery and a small garden, making it much more luxurious and exquisite than the other courtyards.
The third-level Qi Refining girl arrived at the gate of Courtyard Number Two and knocked. Before long, Yun Xiaoniu opened the door.
“Cousin Suxin?”
Yun Xiaoniu looked at the visitor, puzzled.
“Cousin, is Aunt home?”
“She is.”
“Quick, take me to see her.”
“Uh… alright.”
Though confused, Yun Xiaoniu led Yun Suxin into the courtyard and to the guest hall, where he saw Yun Huizhen chatting and laughing with her younger sister, Yun Huixiang.
“Greetings, Aunt.”
“Aunt Huixiang is here too!”
Although Yun Huizhen and Yun Huixiang were biological sisters, because Yun Huizhen's husband, Yu Daniu, was a clan Deacon, Yun Suxin had to address Yun Huizhen simply as 'Aunt' to show respect.
As for Yun Huixiang?
Although she was also the daughter of the Ninth Elder, Yun Xiaoqian, she was an unmarried woman over forty, and her cultivation was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Without the family's support, she had no hope of reaching the late stage of Qi Refining.
Therefore, Yun Suxin added her name when addressing her as 'Aunt'.
“Suxin, what brings you to your aunt's place? Come, sit.”
Yun Huizhen smiled and beckoned to Yun Suxin.
She warmly invited her to sit by her side.
Because all the children she'd had with Yu Daniu were sons, she was quite fond of this clever, though average-talented, niece.
“Aunt, I was on duty at the Mirror Moon Pavilion today and saw Uncle's sworn brother,” Yun Suxin said obediently, sitting beside Yun Huizhen.
“Brother Jianghe? What about him?” Yun Huizhen asked.
Hearing Chen Jianghe's name, Yun Huixiang also leaned in to listen.
“I heard from you, Aunt, that he was a low-rank Talisman Master, but today he sold six mid-rank Water Arrow Talismans. He must have just become a mid-rank Talisman Master.”
Yun Suxin had barely finished speaking when, before Yun Huizhen could say anything.
Yun Huixiang shot to her feet, her expression changing in shock as she looked at Yun Suxin in disbelief.
“What did you say? He became a mid-rank Talisman Master!”