Chapter 7: Liuyunfang Market

At this moment, Zhao Di's entire belongings consisted only of a package bestowed by his family before his departure, a dozen talismans he had crafted himself, a small knife-like low-grade magical tool, and a small vial that Jin Xiner had stubbornly pressed into his hands before he left, containing seven or eight pills of Qi Gathering Powder

Regardless of the perspective, it is certain that demon beasts not only possess spiritual power akin to that of cultivators, but they can also cultivate and grow according to their instincts. Furthermore, the classification of their cultivation realms is remarkably similar to that of human cultivators

The distance from Nanhua Mountain Canyon to Liuyunfang City is over 2,000 kilometers, passing through numerous places; however, Zhao has already memorized all of these clearly.

Jian Xin'er has already reached the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage and is one of the core disciples of her family. Such low-grade spiritual herbs are no longer of use to her; it is likely that these were specially prepared for Zhao Di. Considering this, Zhao Di did not hesitate too much and accepted them.

Thus, Zhao spent more than half a year learning four or five types of foundational Qi Refinement spells that he could master, and then he began to calculate the practice of talisman crafting.

Later, Zhao Di devoted himself to his cultivation, and his interactions with the young girl became increasingly infrequent. Subsequently, Jian Xin'er, due to her excellent aptitude and rapid progress in cultivation, was specially trained as a core disciple by the elders of the Jian family. As a result, Zhao Di saw her even less often; although they were both in the same valley, it was rare for them to meet even once in a year or two.

Now he has arrived at a mountainside on the outskirts of Nanhua Mountain. At this moment, Zhao Di has been walking the mountain path for an entire day. Before him lie two paths; one is closer, and after crossing the small hill in front of him, he will enter a fairly large forest. He would need to walk for three to four days within the forest, and then cross several small hills to exit the Nanhua Mountain range. At his current pace, if he travels during the day and rests at night, it would take approximately seven to eight days.

A small portion of the monks ultimately perished at the jaws and claws of the demon beasts; of course, a greater number of low-level demon beasts lost their lives as a result. However, due to the formidable reproductive capabilities of the demon beasts, given a short period of time, they can reproduce numerous offspring.

To paint, at least three tools are required: drawing paper, brushes, and paint. Similarly, the creation of talismans also necessitates three essential tools: talisman paper, talisman brushes, and cinnabar

Jian Li almost immediately agreed without hesitation; this uncle had always doted on him the most. Moreover, what was being exchanged was merely the most basic talisman paper and cinnabar, so there would definitely be no problem. As for whether the talisman brush could be borrowed, that was uncertain.

Not only the inner elixir, but also the horns, scales, claws, and many other parts of the bodies of demonic beasts are usually incredibly hard or possess some extraordinary supernatural abilities by nature, which can be used to refine magical tools or even treasures.

However, every year many cultivators willingly take risks to venture into the hidden lairs of various demon beasts, hunting them down.

It is rumored that there are even demon beasts of level seven and above, but the records of the Jian family have never mentioned them in detail. Such high-level demon beasts are presumably beyond the reach of a small cultivation clan like the Jian family

A few days later, Jian Li took the initiative to approach Zhao Di, handing him two dozen low-grade talisman papers, a small bottle containing a small amount of cinnabar, and a seemingly ordinary talisman brush. He also mentioned that if needed, they could be exchanged again, with the next exchange still being three grains of Gathering Qi Powder.

All demon beasts above level two cultivate a substance within their bodies known as the inner elixir, which is similar to the dantian of human cultivators. It can be said that the spiritual power cultivation of demon beasts is almost entirely contained within this inner elixir. Once the inner elixir is lost, not only will the demon beast lose all its cultivation, but it is also highly likely that it will lose its life.

Liuyun Fangshi is jointly managed by the nearby Liu and Yun families, both of which are cultivation families, along with the minor sect Lihuo Sect. This market is primarily open to young cultivators in the low to mid stages of Qi Refinement, serving as a venue for trading various items. Zhao intends to produce and sell talismans there, and if there are any profits, he plans to purchase some elixirs to enhance his cultivation.

After Zhao Di became very proficient in the Fireball Technique, he once again went to the Transmission Pavilion to seek guidance from Master Li. This time, for some unknown reason, there were not many people, allowing him to consult Master Li for nearly half an afternoon, which proved to be quite fruitful. Not only did he acquire the incantation for a defensive spell—"Diamond Shield," a metal attribute spell—but he also validated some insights he had gained during his practice of the Fireball Technique. Master Li also casually explained some small techniques for using spells, which can be said to have greatly benefited Zhao Di.

It is a pity that he has not had more time to practice these two types of talismans more proficiently, as he has already reached the age limit for "external training," which is truly regrettable

Based on the strength of the spiritual power of demon beasts, they can be classified into levels one to seven. Level one demon beasts correspond to human cultivators in the Qi Refinement stage, while levels two to four correspond to cultivators in the early, middle, and late stages of Foundation Establishment. Levels five to seven correspond to human cultivators in the Core Formation stage.

Every time this little girl sees Zhao Di, she insists on pulling his arm and calling out "Wugeng Ge, Wugeng Ge" without stopping, which always brings a few warm feelings to Zhao Di, who has grown accustomed to being ridiculed by others.

Jian Xin'er praised him for his talent in talisman crafting, and there indeed seems to be some truth to this. When Zhao Di attempted to create a fireball talisman for the first time, he only failed a dozen or so times before successfully producing one. After that, his success rate never dropped below twenty percent. In the end, he managed to refine five or six fireball talismans. Later, he decided to exchange all his Qi Gathering Powder for talisman paper, continuing to practice the creation of fireball and diamond talismans. After wasting over a hundred sheets of talisman paper, he finally succeeded in making two diamond talismans and over ten fireball talismans, a result he was very satisfied with. His success rate was already significantly higher than what was rumored; it remains unclear whether the rumors were exaggerated or if he truly has some talent in talisman crafting.

In the library, there are dozens of books specifically discussing matters related to demon beasts, which illustrates the vast variety of demon beasts and the significant importance that cultivators place on them

Jian Li's uncle was living in the Jian family and held a mid-level position. This uncle had a particular fondness for crafting talismans, and he certainly possessed various low-level talisman-making tools. At present, Jian Li was at the third layer of the Qi Refining stage, which was precisely the time when he needed a substantial amount of low-level elixirs to enhance his cultivation. Zhao offered three pieces of Gathering Qi Powder as a trade condition, asking Jian Li to help him exchange for some low-level talisman paper and elixir sand, and also lent him a talisman brush for a short period.

Half a year later, on the day Zhao Di turned fifteen, he received a package as expected. Inside were two defensive Vajra talismans and three stones, each the size of an egg and of different colors. The next day, Zhao Di, along with the package, was "invited out" of the Nanhua Mountain Gorge.

It is worth mentioning that Jian Xiner truly grew up alongside her childhood friend. I remember when she was two or three years old, just sent to the Jian family, she would miss her parents every night and found it difficult to fall asleep. Fortunately, Zhao Di would tell her stories every night to help her sleep.

The origin of such terrifying creatures as demon beasts is not uniformly agreed upon in the cultivation world. Some say that ordinary wild beasts, insects, and birds, after living for an extended period in areas rich in spiritual energy, or after consuming certain spiritual herbs and items, undergo mutations and evolve into forms endowed with spiritual power

For human cultivators, this inner elixir is an extremely precious item. It can not only be used to refine magical tools and even treasures, but also serves as a primary material for concocting spiritual pills, which are important means for cultivators to enhance their cultivation or break through bottlenecks

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Ordinary paper in the secular world lacks spiritual energy and cannot withstand spiritual power, thus it cannot be used as talisman paper. Talisman paper is typically made from plants containing spiritual energy, such as Seven Star Grass.

However, this forest is not simple. In the classics of the Jian family's library, there are several mentions of this forest occasionally being inhabited by a few low-level demon beasts, and there has even been a report of a second-level demon beast, the one-horned Kui Niu, measuring seven to eight meters in length. Although over the years, the high-level cultivators of the Jian family have almost eradicated the nearby demon beasts, no one can guarantee that some low-level demon beasts do not still remain in certain areas due to the strong reproductive capabilities of these creatures.

Zhao Di did not possess any of these items; the only thing he had was a few designs of low-level talismans that he had seen in a book titled "Fragments of Basic Talismans" in the library. Zhao Di had long begun to repeatedly practice the patterns and runes of the talismans using ordinary paper and pen, and he had already mastered them thoroughly.

If it were suggested that Jian Xiner plead for him, given the affection this young girl enjoys in the Jian family, there would indeed be a significant chance for him to remain in the family for a little longer. However, Zhao Di refused to do so, as he subconsciously resisted Jian Xiner's assistance, feeling that such help rendered him useless and in need of protection from a young girl.

What drives the cultivators to disregard their own safety and continuously pursue the hunt is the immense benefits propelled by www.hetushu.com, for to the cultivators, every part of the demon beasts is a treasure

For Jian Xiner, the young man before her, who did not seem much older than herself, was able to eloquently recount many fascinating stories, such as the Yellow Emperor's battle against Chiyou, and the goddess Nüwa repairing the sky and creating humanity, all of which she had never heard before. This situation continued for more than a year, only ceasing when the two began to practice immortal techniques. In Jian Xiner's view, this "Five Roots Brother" was undoubtedly her kin. This situation continued for more than a year, only ceasing when the two began to practice immortal techniques. In Jian Xiner's view, this "Five Roots Brother" was undoubtedly her kin

There is also a faction of monks who believe that during the primordial era, when the heavens and the earth were created and chaos was in its infancy, there existed demonic beasts, even before the emergence of humanity. Moreover, these ancient demonic beasts were all exceptionally powerful, and the current demonic beasts are merely inheritors of a small fraction of the bloodline of these ancient beings

Although the intelligence of demon beasts is not as advanced as that of human cultivators, they often possess certain extraordinary innate abilities or have a robust physique akin to steel and iron, making their strength comparable to that of human cultivators of the same level. In fact, some types of demon beasts are even far more powerful than human cultivators of the same tier

His current plan is to quickly reach a gathering place for cultivators in the northern part of Gunzhou, known as "Liuyun Fangshi".

These three items are not particularly rare in the realm of cultivation; many members of the Jian family possess them. After inquiring extensively, Zhao Di set his sights on a child named Jian Li, who is around eight or nine years old.

The brush used for talisman crafting is ideally a spiritual tool, and the bristles are generally made from the mane of some spiritual beasts. As for cinnabar, it is also refined from the spiritual blood of lower-tier spiritual beasts.

Zhao could only smile bitterly in his heart. These few Qi Gathering Pills were all he had accumulated after pausing his cultivation. He could only receive one pill each month, and he had long since used up all the Qi Gathering Pills he had accumulated over the past six months. How could he possibly exchange for more now