Chapter 63

Listening to the old man's narration, Qin Fengming was no longer completely in the dark about talisman making; he finally had a clue. After a moment of thought, he spoke:

"May I ask if your esteemed shop sells talisman brushes, cinnabar, talisman paper, and other materials for making talismans?"

"Hehe, our shop is called Divine Talisman Hall, and we certainly have such materials. However, since you are just starting to learn, it would be better to use ordinary, lower-grade materials."

"Um, as you say, may I ask how much the ordinary materials cost?"

"Ordinary talisman paper, fifty sheets for one low-grade spirit stone; a talisman brush for two spirit stones; a bottle of cinnabar for three spirit stones."

Qin Fengming pondered for a moment, thinking to himself that it was indeed expensive. Although fifty sheets of talisman paper cost only one spirit stone, the success rate of making talismans was very low, and a talisman brush would be worn out after drawing only a few talismans. Cinnabar was also a highly consumable material.

After some thought, he said, "Please prepare two thousand sheets of talisman paper, ten talisman brushes, and five bottles of cinnabar for me." He then added, "May I ask if you have any books on talisman spells for sale?"

"Hehe, seeing that you are indeed interested in learning talisman making, I will do you a favor and let you have my cherished book, 'Comprehensive Guide to初级 Talisman Spells.'"

"Thank you for your kindness, I will not refuse. May I ask how many spirit stones it costs?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "Including the materials and the book, you can pay one hundred and fifty spirit stones."

Qin Fengming did not haggle and then asked, "May I ask if your esteemed shop has any intermediate-level binding talismans?"

"Of course, we have Sand Flow Talisman, Locking Talisman, and Cage Talisman, but each talisman costs twenty low-grade spirit stones." The old man did not hesitate and immediately replied.

"That's fine, give me three of each."

After paying the spirit stones, Qin Fengming left the Divine Talisman Hall. The old man, with a look of regret at parting, saw him off at the door and repeatedly urged him to come back if he had any questions about talisman making.

Qin Fengming did not visit any other shops and returned directly to Immortal Guest Inn. After dinner, he began to study the 'Comprehensive Guide to初级 Talisman Spells.' This book was indeed much more detailed than the two talisman books he had before. It contained over twenty to thirty types of talismans, all recorded in great detail.

However, he could only start practicing talisman making after returning to the Luoxia Sect.

The next day, the number of cultivators in the market had more than doubled compared to the previous two days.

Although Qin Fengming was not there for the top-grade magical treasures, he did not want to miss the auction of the two top-grade magical treasures. He wanted to see for himself what made these treasures so extraordinary.

The auction of the top-grade magical treasures was scheduled for noon, so Qin Fengming was not in a hurry to go to the auction house. He first went to the exchange area. The number of cultivators setting up stalls had increased significantly compared to the previous two days, and the area had expanded considerably. The place was bustling with people.

After a quick tour, Qin Fengming stopped at a stall that was much larger than the others, with four people managing the exchanges. A young man nearby mentioned that the stall owner was from the Fang family of Spirit Medicine Mountain. The stall mainly featured spirit herbs and medicines, indicating that it belonged to a cultivation family focused on alchemy.

A sign was placed in front of the stall, listing the names of four or five types of pills.

Qin Fengming was not familiar with pills but was very curious. Soon, he saw three cultivators each buy a bottle of Qi-Benefiting Pills and leave happily. They all seemed to be at the fifth or sixth level of the Qi Gathering stage. It was clear that the Qi-Benefiting Pills were very beneficial for their current cultivation levels.

So, Qin Fengming approached and asked, "May I ask what the effects of the Qi-Benefiting Pills are and how to exchange for them?"

A young man looked up at Qin Fengming, curious that a cultivator did not know about Qi-Benefiting Pills, but still politely explained:

"Qi-Benefiting Pills are very useful for cultivators in the middle Qi Gathering stage, as they can slightly enhance their cultivation. They are not very effective for cultivators in the later stages. Each bottle costs twenty low-grade spirit stones."

Hearing this, Qin Fengming was delighted. The pills were exactly what he needed. Without hesitation, he said, "Please give me five bottles." He then took out one hundred spirit stones.

The young man was pleased to hear this. Buying five bottles at once made Qin Fengming a significant customer. He happily handed over the five bottles of pills and collected the spirit stones. Seeing Qin Fengming's generosity, he added, "We also have talismans and materials for refining magical treasures. Are you interested?"

Qin Fengming looked around but did not find the Huangjing Pills or any extraordinary items, so he shook his head and moved to another stall. There were many valuable items at this exchange area, including many rare materials for refining magical treasures, but Qin Fengming only walked around and did not make any purchases.

After a while, feeling that it was almost noon, Qin Fengming headed to the auction house.

Due to the large number of cultivators, the organizers had decided to hold the final day's auction outdoors, in the open space in front of the auction house.

The area outside the auction house was already crowded with people, with at least five to six thousand cultivators.

A platform was set up in front of the auction house, and the old man surnamed You from the previous day was hosting the auction. The first item was a second-level beast bone, and several cultivators bid on it. It was eventually sold to an old man for one hundred and thirty spirit stones.

Two more items were auctioned off and sold to cultivators.

Then, a young girl walked onto the platform, holding a jade box. The old man surnamed You cleared his throat and pointed at the box, saying, "This item is a powerful tool for talisman masters. It is a talisman brush made from the neck hair of a third-level Fire-Eyed Wolf, carefully crafted by a master brush maker, which can enhance the effectiveness of talismans."

He then opened the jade box, revealing a crystal-clear jade brush that glowed faintly.

"The starting price for this wolf-hair brush is one hundred spirit stones. Friends, you can start bidding."

"Eleven hundred spirit stones," a voice immediately called out as soon as the old man finished speaking.

"Twelve hundred spirit stones."

...

Although the talisman brush was not useful to most cultivators, the large number of people present led to many bids.

Hearing about such a good talisman brush, Qin Fengming was also intrigued. Although he knew the old man surnamed You might be exaggerating, it was definitely made from the hair of a third-level beast, and the auction house would not make such a mistake.

In just a short time, the price of the wolf-hair brush had risen to one hundred and eighty spirit stones. After a brief pause, a voice called out, "One hundred and ninety spirit stones."

The old man surnamed You smiled, not expecting the brush to reach such a high price.

Although the brush was good, it was difficult for ordinary cultivators to spend over a hundred spirit stones on a talisman brush with no offensive capabilities. Seeing no more bids, the old man was about to announce the sale when a voice called out, "Two hundred and ten spirit stones."

Everyone was stunned. Normally, only pills, rare materials for refining magical treasures, and magical treasures themselves would sell for two to three times their base price. Other items rarely reached twice their base price.

Two hundred and ten spirit stones was already twice the base price, which left everyone speechless. After a full half a cup of tea, no one bid again, and the old man surnamed You announced that the wolf-hair brush was sold for two hundred and ten spirit stones.

The final bidder, of course, was Qin Fengming.