Chapter 13: A Big Win

During the life-and-death duel between the two, the Wanshu Trading Company's casino opened a betting line, and almost everyone bet on Fan Heng's victory. However, the odds were pitifully low, and only Zhao Cheng bet all his assets on himself before he stepped onto the stage.

The outcome of the battle was far beyond everyone's expectations. At the beginning, Zhao Cheng was indeed being overpowered by Fan Heng, but in the end, he used a spirit talisman, and his strength suddenly doubled.

Fan Heng, who was confident of his victory, had already relaxed his guard against Zhao Cheng. Caught off guard, he was severely injured by Zhao Cheng in one blow.

Although Fan Heng was stronger than Zhao Cheng, he was not strong enough to double his strength. Moreover, he suffered such a sudden and severe blow. The subsequent battle was no longer in doubt. Zhao Cheng launched a counterattack from a desperate situation and ultimately defeated his mortal enemy.

This outcome was unacceptable to many, as most had bet on Fan Heng's victory, causing them significant financial losses.

However, Zhao Cheng made a fortune from this battle, as the casinos had offered odds of 1 to 50.

This battle left many gamblers in disarray, and naturally, many were curious about how Zhao Cheng had suddenly doubled his strength.

After much inquiry, the secret of the strength-enhancing talisman that could double one's strength was finally revealed.

A talisman that could double one's strength was something that could be used as a last resort to save one's life.

Zhao Cheng's experience was a vivid example. Without the strength-enhancing talisman, he would have been killed by Fan Heng long ago. How could he have avenged his mortal enemy and made a fortune at the same time?

Usually, martial artists were not too interested in strength-enhancing talismans, as most could only increase strength by 20-30%. Only a few could increase strength by 50%.

A 20-30% increase in strength had some effect, but in a life-or-death situation, it was not very useful.

However, a talisman that could double one's strength was enough to completely reverse the tide of battle. Sometimes, this single talisman could mean the difference between life and death.

When Chu Jianqiu heard the odds of 1 to 50, his eyes instantly turned red. If he had placed a bet just now, the money he would have earned would have been enough for him to break through to the ninth level of Body Tempering. He wouldn't have to work so hard selling talismans now.

However, Chu Jianqiu only thought about it and didn't take it too seriously. Without knowing the strengths of Zhao Cheng and Fan Heng, even if he had confidence in his spirit talismans, he might not have won the bet.

Chu Jianqiu had not made many spirit talismans, and the dozen or so strength-enhancing talismans were sold out in an instant.

Those who didn't get the strength-enhancing talismans immediately regretted it, wishing they had moved faster to secure them.

"Sir Chu, do you have any more strength-enhancing talismans? I can pay double the price!"

"I can pay triple the price!"

"I can pay quadruple!"

...

The scene immediately became chaotic.

In their view, Chu Jianqiu's spirit talismans were already cheap. A talisman with such an effect could easily be worth two to three times the price.

Chu Jianqiu happily collected the spirit stones he had earned. In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, he had made over 400 spirit stones. 400 spirit stones were equivalent to 400 Body Tempering Pills, enough to help him open another meridian.

Being a talisman master is really profitable! Chu Jianqiu sighed with satisfaction.

"Cough, cough, everyone, please don't argue. I still have some stock of strength-enhancing talismans. As long as you have the money, the talismans are not a problem." Chu Jianqiu cleared his throat and said calmly.

"Everyone, go back and prepare the money. You can come back at the same time tomorrow!"

Chu Jianqiu packed up his stall and left with a large bag of spirit stones. He still needed to exchange these spirit stones for talisman materials and Body Tempering Pills.

When those people heard that Chu Jianqiu still had stock of strength-enhancing talismans, they were overjoyed and hurriedly went to prepare the money. They planned to buy as many strength-enhancing talismans as possible the next day.

Who wouldn't want more of something that could save their life?

Who knew when Chu Jianqiu would be able to produce more strength-enhancing talismans after this batch?

Talisman masters don't always succeed in making spirit talismans, and it takes a lot of time and effort. If they were slow, who knew how long they would have to wait for the next batch.

Chu Jianqiu bought materials for 100 strength-enhancing talismans at the Spirit Talisman Pavilion and then went to the Pill Pavilion of the Wanshu Trading Company to buy over 300 Body Tempering Pills.

Back at his residence, Chu Jianqiu began to work day and night, frantically making spirit talismans.

Failure rate? That was not a concept that existed for him.

For other talisman masters, even the most skilled could not guarantee a 100% success rate in making spirit talismans.

But for Chu Jianqiu, who had inherited the Wanshoudao Talisman Array, after a few initial failures, he never failed again.

As the number of spirit talismans he made increased, his talisman-making skills improved at a visible rate, and his speed of making talismans also increased rapidly.

However, after making 50 strength-enhancing talismans, Chu Jianqiu suddenly realized something was amiss.

With his increasingly skilled technique, every strength-enhancing talisman he made now reached the level of an exquisite talisman core. These talismans increased strength by far more than just double. The best ones, Chu Jianqiu estimated, could increase strength by three to four times.

A strength-enhancing talisman that doubled one's strength was already astonishing. If he were to release talismans that could increase strength by three to four times, it would not just cause shock but also suspicion.

Talismans that far exceeded the normal level would inevitably raise doubts.

Being one level above the norm could be explained by talent, but if it was far beyond the normal range, it would inevitably lead to suspicion and covetousness. People would suspect that he had obtained some extraordinary treasure or inheritance.

In the long history of the Tianwu Continent, many martial artists who had gained great fortune and soared to prominence had also fallen during their rise, their inheritances stolen and becoming others' fortune.

Those who fell halfway were often those who, in their early stages, did not know how to hide their sharpness and were too shocking, leading to the discovery of their great fortune and subsequent downfall.

After some consideration, Chu Jianqiu hid the exquisite talisman cores and, in the subsequent production, controlled the quality of the strength-enhancing talismans to the upper-grade level.

After a day and night of non-stop work, Chu Jianqiu finally completed the 100 strength-enhancing talismans.

This speed of making spirit talismans was enough to outshine all the talisman masters of the Dagan Dynasty. Even the recognized Talisman King of the Dagan Dynasty's talisman array world could not match Chu Jianqiu in terms of speed and success rate.