Lü Zhong heard this and shook his head.
"Since I don't have enough Spirit Stones, I'll just buy the Basic Skills."
In response, Steward Qin could only offer a regretful smile.
On his way back, he saw a cultivator at a stall selling Talisman Paper. The quality looked decent, so he bought a stack as he passed by.
As he walked into the alley where his little hovel was located, Lü Zhong suddenly remembered that he seemed to have forgotten to buy food.
He wasn't as strapped for cash as before, so he no longer had to eat Mortal Rice.
Besides, now that he had bought the Basic Skills, it was time to get some Spirit Rice to aid his cultivation.
Otherwise, just by relying on absorbing the Spiritual Qi from the Qingliu Ruins, he feared he wouldn't reach the Qi Refining Ninth Layer before the age of sixty.
So, Lü Zhong turned around, walked to a rice shop on the street, and spent one Spirit Stone to buy ten jin of Cyan Rice Spirit Rice.
This type of Spirit Rice didn't taste very good, but it contained just as much Spiritual Qi as any other, making it perfect for him while he was on a tight budget. It wouldn't be too late to worry about the flavor of his food once he had more Spirit Stones.
As he started a fire to cook, Lü Zhong looked around his worm-eaten, moldy hovel and had the idea of repairing it.
However, the hovel nominally belonged to the Qingyang Sect, so any repairs had to be reported to the managing disciple first. Otherwise, he would be accused of destroying Qingyang Sect property, and the punishment would be severe enough to skin him alive, if not kill him outright.
Thanks to this process, even if he used Mortal Craftsmen and ordinary bricks and wood, it would still cost one Spirit Stone to repair the hovel.
"'This money really doesn't go very far!' Lü Zhong sighed in frustration.
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, nearly half a month had passed.
After the craftsmen's repairs, the hovel didn't look brand new, but at least it was no longer worm-eaten and moldy. Leaks and drafts were a thing of the past, and it could finally be called a proper dwelling.
As for Talisman Making, Lü Zhong continued to practice day and night.
His proficiency at drawing Cleaning Talismans was getting higher and higher, and his success rate rose accordingly, slowly increasing to forty percent.
Under normal circumstances, it would take a novice Talisman Maker two to three years to achieve such a high success rate. Even with guidance from a Talisman Master, it would take at least half a year to a year.
The reason Lü Zhong could progress so miraculously fast was mainly thanks to that mysterious Gray Mist Space.
He had also discovered a clever little trick for using this Gray Mist Space that could replay memories.
By comparing his own daily memories of Talisman Making with the memory of the old man who sold the book drawing the Cleaning Talisman, he could correct his mistakes in real time, allowing for a near-perfect practice routine.
This was equivalent to having a Talisman Making expert guiding him every day.
He was far more fortunate than those novice Talisman Makers who had found a master. After all, a Talisman Master's guidance couldn't possibly be a daily occurrence. Often, one had to spend a period of time painstakingly currying favor. Only after an apprentice had served their master to their satisfaction would the master be willing to teach them something real.
It was precisely because he had discovered this clever use of the Gray Mist Space that Lü Zhong's progress was so abnormally fast.
A forty-percent success rate with Cleaning Talismans was enough for him to cover his basic living expenses. To outsiders, he could be considered a qualified Talisman Maker.
Inside his room, illuminated by the dim firelight, Lü Zhong gazed at his empty rice jar. Remembering that the Ruins Market would be open tomorrow, he decided to take the thirty-two Cleaning Talismans he had just drawn to sell and, at the same time, buy more Spirit Rice to aid his cultivation.
He hadn't expected that in just twelve short days, he would have developed the habit of cultivating by eating Spirit Rice every day.
Going back to eating Mortal Rice was probably impossible now.
Thanks to those ten jin of Cyan Rice Spirit Rice, Lü Zhong's progress in his cultivation was not small in the slightest.
The Water and Wood Sword Mantra lived up to its reputation as a Basic Skill that was easy to learn but difficult to master. In less than half a month, it had allowed his cultivation to grow significantly. His total Spiritual Power had also increased from being enough to draw twenty Cleaning Talismans per day to his current thirty.
He had a premonition that as long as he kept up his daily routine of cultivating with Spirit Rice, he could break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer in less than half a year.
...
「The next day.」
The sky was still somewhat dark when Lü Zhong woke up early.
After washing up, he left with all the Cleaning Talismans he had drawn.
Since he had arrived early, Lü Zhong was able to find a good spot.
Before long, he had successfully sold five Cleaning Talismans, thinking it was a good start.
But just as he accepted the talismanic coins, Lü Zhong felt them and suddenly realized something was wrong.
When he channeled Spiritual Power into them, he was instantly dumbfounded.
"What? Fake talismanic coins!"
The process of making Talisman Paper is extremely complex, involving over a hundred different procedures. The goal is to make the paper capable of conducting Spiritual Qi; only then can the final product be considered true Talisman Paper.
The five pieces of paper he now held looked exactly like Talisman Paper, and based on their texture, they were likely made from Talisman Grass, but their ability to conduct Spiritual Qi was practically nonexistent.
Paper like this was useless as Talisman Paper; it could only be called Yellow Paper.
Lü Zhong was instantly dejected, knowing his earlier excitement had been for nothing.
"'That damn swindler! Don't let me ever see you again!'"
Fortunately, he had only been scammed out of five Cleaning Talismans, so the loss wasn't devastating. The Law Enforcement Team of the Qingliu Ruins was famous for only caring about money—you even had to pay to file a report—so there was no hope of them finding the swindler.
All he could do was take it as a lesson learned.
It would serve as a sharp reminder for the future.
As the sun rose, the crowds on the streets grew larger.
To Lü Zhong's pleasant surprise, he discovered an unusual number of cultivators in the Qingliu Ruins today.
The talismans he was selling were in high demand; he sold them almost as fast as he could put them out.
An idea struck him, and Lü Zhong raised the price of his Cleaning Talismans to five talismanic coins.
But even so, all of his Cleaning Talismans still sold out.
After a quick calculation, he had pocketed one hundred and thirty-five talismanic coins for the day.
Overjoyed, Lü Zhong asked the person at the next stall, only to learn that it was the once-a-decade celebration of Ancestor Qingyang's birth.
"'That's right, how could I have forgotten!'"
He slapped his forehead, finally remembering that today was an extremely special day.
"'This won't do. I have to hurry to the end of the street, or it'll be too late!'"
Ancestor Qingyang's birthday was extremely important to the Qingyang Sect, and it was also a great day for the Loose Cultivators under their rule. Following the tradition of years past, the Qingyang Sect would hold a Preaching Conference in various places at this time.
The Qingliu Ruins was naturally no exception. A Qingyang Sect disciple would appear to impart Cultivation Insights to the attending cultivators and would also select one or two lucky people to answer the questions they had about their cultivation.
For the crowd of Loose Cultivators, this was an incredible blessing, like a pie falling from the sky.
The Qingyang Sect disciples giving the sermon would have a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivation at minimum. Their Cultivation Insights were of immense use to the Loose Cultivators, who were almost all in the Early-stage Qi Refining.
At this thought, Lü Zhong was filled with regret.
But there was no medicine for regret in the Cultivation Realm. He could only sprint with all his might, hoping to secure a spot at the Preaching Conference.
When he reached the end of the street, the area was, as expected, already overflowing with people.
Near the pier, a thirty-foot-high square platform had been erected. On it sat a large, red-lacquered table, complete with the three sacrificial animals and nine different plates of offerings.
Because he had arrived late, all the cushions on the ground were already taken.
Lü Zhong didn't mind, however, and just found an empty space to sit down.