Chapter 7: Selling Talismans

  After resting for a short while, Yuan Tian finally stood up again. There were still three talismans left unused, so he took advantage of the momentum to make them into spirit talismans. Whether it was for keeping his life safe or exchanging them for spirit stones, both options were not bad choices.

  Just now, I was so tired from drawing, carving and printing that I sat on the stool to rest for a while. Only after starting to print the talismans did I feel less tired. After three infusions of spiritual energy, three golden talismans were finally made.

  Yuán Tiān eagerly wanted to go to the Tiān Yuán trading market, to the bookstore to find Mr. Dōng Guō and see what level this spirit symbol was at. Also, he had to go to Qī Qiǎo Gé miscellaneous goods store to buy more talisman paper. It would be best to ask them by the way, how much they were buying spirit symbols for.

  Thinking of this, he hastily swept away the things on the table with one hand, closed the door and rushed to the Tianyuan Trading Market.

  This road, the small paper boat only carried Yuan Tian, a thin man, no 800-jin Pig Brother, plus it was downhill, and the speed wasn't slow at all.

  In less than an hour, they arrived at the market. Jumping off the paper boat, it was folded up with a wave of his hand. Then he rushed into the bookstore and dashed straight to the counter.

  "Boss, you're not busy now, are you?" Yuan Tian looked at the bookstore owner with eager eyes.

  As a shopkeeper, it's not necessarily the owner of this store. Of course, some shops are run by the boss and the shopkeeper at the same time, but Yuan Tian has always been called "boss".

  Seeing Yuan Tian's anxious appearance, Dong Guo was taken aback. What's going on? Has the talisman paper run out? If it has run out, shouldn't you go to Qi Qiao Pavilion to buy some? Or is it that you've obtained a spiritual stone and want to buy a symbol to break the seal?

  "Ah! Young friend, is there something on your mind?" Mr. Dongguo, after all, was a businessman and couldn't directly ask Yuantian if he had used the talisman paper for this matter.

  Yuán Tiān directly took out four printed spirit symbols and placed them on the counter.

  Before he could even open his mouth, the bookstore owner directly picked up a sheet and placed it in his hand, carefully examining it.

  "Is this talisman drawn by you?" Mr. Dongguo found that the talisman was very familiar, with strokes and structure similar to his own drawings. If it weren't for the different spiritual power fluctuations, he would have thought it was one of his own talismans that he had sent out.

  "It's the talisman I made, sir. Take a look and see if it meets your requirements?" What Yuantian said was not wrong, he didn't paint it himself, but he did make it. Painting talismans is such a hassle, with this seal, it's done in one go.

  The strokes are even and powerful, the size of the characters is standard, and the distribution of spiritual energy is also very even. The only drawback is that the quality of the infused spiritual energy is not high, although the quantity is abundant, it is only at the level of practicing Qi in three layers.

  Can't be uniform? Even if the strokes are even, there is no seal that can be printed evenly. The spiritual power is also directly infused through the entire seal, and the natural distribution is extremely uniform. When infusing, you don't need to control the spiritual power while writing like when drawing talismans. Through the seal's fierce infusion, the spiritual power is naturally very abundant.

  Excellent! The brushwork is mature and skilled. Could it be that this miscellaneous disciple of the Tianyuan Sword Sect actually has a talent for creating talismans?

  "May I ask, young friend, have you ever studied talismans or practiced calligraphy before?" Seeing the strokes of the mysterious symbol so masterful, Mr. Dongguo stroked his chin whiskers and asked the question.

  "Seal script, this is just the beginning of my exploration, I used to practice calligraphy." Yuan Tian indeed remembered that he seemed to have practiced calligraphy before, but forgot when he started practicing it, definitely not during his three years in the Tianyuan Sword Sect.

  "No wonder, Xiao You's talisman is already very well done, except for the shallow spiritual power level, there are no problems in other aspects." Mr. Dong Guo gave a fair evaluation.

  "How much can a talisman of this level be sold for?" This was what Yuan Tian was most interested in.

  "The talismans made by Xiao You, although the level of spiritual power is not high, have an advantage in quantity and the strokes of the characters are very standard. If we refer to the price of a standard Golden Canopy Talisman, your talismans should be worth around half a low-grade spirit stone." Mr. Dong Guo thought for a moment before giving an estimate.

  Half a low-grade spirit stone, Yuan Tianxin made a small calculation in his heart. Five talismans are equivalent to one low-grade spirit stone, plus the cost of cinnabar and wolf hair brush is not included. About four Vajra talismans are equivalent to the cost of one low-grade spirit stone. Being able to sell for half the price of a spirit stone, doubling it would be pretty good.

  Mr. Dongguo gave a valuation of half a low-grade spirit stone because the source of Tian's talisman was indeed very standardized, and his technique was extremely skilled. The uniformity was surprisingly beyond the level of this old hand.

  Evenness is a relatively important aspect in the application of defensive talismans. Some cultivators who have practiced qigong for six or seven layers also make low-quality defensive talismans. Although the defensive talismans made are of high spiritual level, the energy infused into them is not even. When fighting against others, the defensive shield that pops up is also uneven. Some places can withstand strong attacks, while others are fragile. If the enemy happens to attack the weak spot, it's going to be a disaster.

  The golden canopy seal that Yu Tianyin brought out, although it can't withstand the full force of a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator's attack. However, withstanding the attacks of a third-layer Qi Refining cultivator is still no problem after ten or so exchanges.

  A standard Golden Lotus Shield can withstand a full-force strike from a cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining. A head-on full-force strike can only be withstood once, but some side attacks or sneak attacks can be withstood several times. If allowed to be attacked recklessly by a cultivator at the third layer of Qi Refining, it will basically collapse after more than ten strikes.

  The defensive ability of a defense card is mainly determined by the level of the card itself. The level of spiritual power and the regularity of the symbol are some secondary conditions.

  Now that he knew the price of printing talismans, Yuan Tian didn't linger any longer and hurried to buy paper was the priority: "Thank you boss, I'll come back to buy 'Talisman Making for Beginners' when I've saved up enough money."

  "Hold on! If you're really interested in the art of seal carving, take a look at this book I've written first. It's not like it's going to cost you anything, so don't worry about the money." As he spoke, Mr. Dongguo pulled out a thick blue-bound book from his desk drawer, its edges sewn together with thread.

  The owner of the bookstore had long seen that Yuan Tian was very stingy, so he said first that this book doesn't cost any money, otherwise this kid would definitely think that he is being sold a book.

  Yuan Tian took the book handed over by Mr. Dong Guo and flipped through it a few times. The dark blue cover had no title, only four small characters "Written by Dong Guo" in the lower right corner.

  Roughly looking at the content of the book, most of it is text, and there are also some illustrations.

  The things recorded on the jade slip, as long as it is stuck to the forehead for a while, the information inside will enter the sea of recognition. There is no need to read and memorize word by word, after mastering it, what's left is just a matter of proficiency. Books are different, they require careful reading and memorization, and also need to be understood bit by bit.

  He had made a profit of one book, and Yuan Tian's heart was filled with joy. He revealed his signature bright smile, thanked Mr. Dongguo, and hastily left the bookstore.

  Qiqiao Pavilion, don't just look at it as a general store. The scale is quite large, not only in quantity but also in variety. All kinds of goods can be wholesaled and retailed. Not only can talismans be bought here, but some spiritual symbols can also be purchased. In terms of price, it's similar to specialty spiritual symbol stores, and some daily spiritual symbols are even a bit cheaper, just because the manufacturer is different.

  The talismans in the talisman shop are generally made by the symbol master. The talismans in Qiǎo Gé miscellaneous goods store are varied and diverse. Some were consigned for sale, some were made by apprentices practicing their skills, and some were pawned.

  Yuantian came today, besides buying talismans. There are two things to do, one is to sell two self-made golden talismans, see how much money they can sell for. Two is to buy an attack-type spirit talisman and go back to continue imitation.

  "Boss, give me twenty sheets of talisman paper." Yuan Tian always addressed others as boss, but in fact, how could the boss of such a large store possibly be standing at the counter himself?

  "Hey! Young man, don't call me boss, I'm just a shop assistant. Are you here to make talismans? If you have too many on hand, you can also sell them to our store." This assistant was quite thin, second only to Mashangyuan Tian. But he was not as tall as Yuantian, and had the habit of lowering his head, so he looked even more compact.

  "Yes, I'm studying the Dao of Symbols. Take a look at this symbol and see how much it's worth?" As he spoke, Yuan Tian handed over four low-grade spirit stones and two self-made Golden Canopy Symbols.

  If he only sells without buying, Yuan Tian always feels that it's not authentic enough. So he hands over the money for buying symbolic paper together, first to get familiar with each other's face.

  The shop assistant picked up the talisman and took a look, and his eyes lit up in front of him. The style of this talisman is very similar to that old fox Dongguo, could it be his new apprentice? He looked up at the customer, who was roughly the same height as a hemp rod. In his left hand, he was holding a book, which was the "Talisman Experience" written by Dongguo Cang.

  Yuan Tian didn't know that he had been misunderstood, nor did he know what identity the shop assistant was, whether he was a friend or an enemy of Dong Guo. What he cared about most now was how much money his self-made Vajra talisman could sell for.

  "This talisman is not bad, but unfortunately the spiritual power level is not enough. In that case, two talismans for one low-grade spirit stone, and I'll throw in two more talismans as a bonus." The shop assistant's eyes rolled over once, and the deal was settled.

  "Alright! I don't need the spirit stones, just give me 27 talismans directly." Four low-grade spirit stones can buy 20 talismans, plus the one spirit stone that bought five earlier and the two given for free, exactly 27 talismans. This kind of small calculation didn't require Yuan Tian to think at all, it came naturally.

  After receiving the twenty-seven talismans, Yuan Tian did not rush to leave. He leaned in close to the shop assistant and asked, "I wonder which type of low-grade spirit talisman has the strongest attacking power?"

  Didn't Dongguo teach him? Isn't he his apprentice? The shop assistant's thoughts were racing, but his face didn't show any changes: "Among the low-level attack talismans, the flame talisman has the strongest attacking power. However, its consumption is also the fastest. One flame talisman can only be used for a full-force strike before it becomes useless. Unlike entwining talismans or stone spear talismans that can be used multiple times."

  "Your Flame Symbol, I'd like to ask the young man to recommend it." This shop assistant, who is about as thin as himself, gave a very detailed explanation. The business quality is really high, and it's no wonder that this big store is so good. At this moment, Yuan Tian feels that he looks even more handsome than before.