After telling Second Junior Sister that he was going down the mountain, Dongfang Xiaotian left his own residence.
No sooner had he stepped out than he encountered a tide of people.
The disciples of Four Sages Academy were moving in groups of twos and threes, heading toward the disciples’ residential area, some toward the practice rooms, all engaged in lively discussions.
Dongfang Xiaotian had excellent hearing and quickly realized there were two main topics of conversation.
The first was the aftermath of the recent upheaval at the Shen Dai Ruins—rumor had it that the sect was now strictly investigating for traitors within.
This, Dongfang Xiaotian could readily understand.
After all, given the magnitude of the incident, if Four Sages Academy hadn’t yet realized there was a mole on their side, then they might as well give up on further development here.
The second topic was the new immortal art they had learned today.
It was only now that Dongfang Xiaotian realized he’d overslept today.
Right now, it was likely just after the Teaching Office’s morning classes for the outer sect elders had ended.
Normally, morning classes concluded at three quarters past the hour of Si, which was about eleven-thirty. Clearly, he was still too tired.
Just as he was about to avoid the surging crowd—lest he get swept away—he spotted a petite figure waving at him.
Su Xiaoyun had just finished morning classes.
Seeing her Eldest Senior Brother, she immediately waved joyfully and ran over. However, knowing her senior brother disliked standing out in crowded places, and was aware that he wasn’t well liked among the higher-ups in the sect, she restrained her urge to shout, “Senior Brother, I’m over here!”
She dashed toward Dongfang Xiaotian in large strides, but had barely taken two steps before her toe caught on a small pebble, causing her to tumble directly to the ground, landing right at Dongfang Xiaotian’s feet.
Dongfang Xiaotian watched as Su Xiaoyun executed the legendary heroine’s flat-ground stumble skill and sighed helplessly, “Watch where you’re going. Are you alright?”
“Hehe, I’m fine, I’ll be more careful next time.”
Little Junior Sister clumsily got up, rubbing her nose. Cultivators had spiritual energy protecting their bodies, and while they were still rather fragile, that was only in comparison to other cultivators.
Little Junior Sister asked curiously, “Senior Brother, where are you headed? Didn’t you just go out a few days ago?”
Normally, Senior Brother was the type who’d rather stay holed up at home every day. She hadn’t expected him to have left for several days not long ago, and now he was heading out again so soon.
“No choice, I have to provide for you Junior Brothers and Sisters, don’t I?”
Dongfang Xiaotian sighed helplessly. “Your Spirit Gathering Array needs spirit stones to run, doesn’t it?”
The Spirit Gathering Array, in essence, was an environment buff that boosted cultivation efficiency. It worked well, but spiritual energy couldn’t appear out of thin air.
Absorbing ambient spiritual energy was limited; the best way was to supply enough spirit stones to keep the array running and simulate a high-concentration energy environment.
To train Little Junior Brother, Dongfang Xiaotian naturally gave him the best.
As for Second Junior Sister… She and Little Junior Sister shared the same Spirit Gathering Array—the one in Dongfang Xiaotian’s courtyard.
Speaking of the array, Dongfang Xiaotian now remembered: since returning from the ruins, he hadn’t yet set up a new Spirit Gathering Array for Little Junior Brother. Looks like he had his hands full.
“Sorry, Senior Brother…”
As soon as spirit stones were mentioned, Little Junior Sister immediately wilted.
She wasn’t working in Senior Brother’s residence for material gain, but out of gratitude. Even so, she enjoyed privileges most outer sect disciples didn’t have.
In that instant, Su Xiaoyun felt a wave of inferiority. Her small hands fiddled with her skirt, feeling awkward and embarrassed.
Dongfang Xiaotian looked at the bowed Little Junior Sister and couldn’t help sighing, rubbing her head. “Relax. You’re definitely not the biggest spirit stone spender. Trust me.”
“Senior Brother, I—I’ll train hard and repay you in the future!”
Hearing Dongfang Xiaotian’s words, which didn’t sound much like comfort, she could only muster this reply.
Hiss… Those words really shouldn’t be said.
Seeing Little Junior Sister looking so easy to bully, Dongfang Xiaotian suddenly felt amused. “Then let me ask, what immortal art did the Teaching Office teach today? How did you do?”
Little Junior Sister immediately responded, “Today, the Teaching Office taught the Yellow-grade low-tier ‘Moving Clouds’. But there are still a lot of things I don’t understand—I can barely manage to use it.”
As a benefit of joining Four Sages Academy, the academy always taught some simple and practical low-level immortal arts.
Many new disciples, or those without many Contribution Points, would attend these classes.
Except for some.
Of course, there were those wealthy scions like Tushan Bingxian, or Dongfang Xiaotian, who was forced to restart his cultivation, and Little Junior Brother, who had Dongfang Xiaotian’s backing.
Cultivation techniques and immortal arts were divided from high to low into Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow grades, each split into high, mid, and low subgrades.
For example, the basic Breathing Technique and Basic Sword Formula were the lowest, Yellow-grade low-tier immortal arts.
Dongfang Xiaotian had long wanted to complain about how blatantly copied this grading system seemed, but unfortunately, no one in this world got his jokes.
He didn’t even have an idiot AI system to talk to.
Dongfang Xiaotian ruffled Little Junior Sister’s hair again. “Not bad. For a first lesson, that’s already pretty good. Keep it up.”
These cultivation techniques were just like advanced mathematics—the higher the grade, the harder to learn. Yellow-grade low-tier techniques were the easiest, but that didn’t mean they could be learned effortlessly.
Most outer sect disciples only managed to use them by the second or third lesson. Her achievement was quite rare.
Of course, compared to Second Junior Sister, who could defeat Foundation Establishment cultivators above her rank, and Little Junior Brother, who was clearly the protagonist, she was still far behind—even Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t match them, since he had the Great Dream Heart Sutra as his cheat.
“Mm! I’ll definitely work hard at cultivation!”
After being encouraged, Little Junior Sister nodded vigorously, determined to repay Senior Brother for all his kindness these past six months.
“Mm, just keep working at it. By the way, don’t compare yourself with your Second Senior Sister, that spoiled rich girl, or Little Junior Brother, the genius. For us, cultivating at our own pace is best.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded, worried she’d feel inferior before those two prodigies and get stuck in a rut. “Not everyone is a monster talent, after all. Just let things happen naturally.”
He understood this deeply—against true prodigies and the truly wealthy, even being reborn didn’t count for much.
“Oh.” Little Junior Sister thought Senior Brother’s gaze was a bit odd, but still nodded.
Seeing she had taken his words to heart, Dongfang Xiaotian patted her on the shoulder. “Alright, you keep working hard. I’m heading down the mountain.”
“Oh, right. Do you still want me to pick up your stipend for today, Senior Brother?”
Since Senior Brother had come out, Little Junior Sister wasn’t sure if he wanted her to collect his stipend and rewards for him.
After all, during the Shen Dai Ruins incident, even though Senior Brother hadn’t performed as dazzlingly as Second Senior Sister or Little Junior Brother, he had still risked his life to deliver crucial information, and his reward could be claimed at any time.
“Same as before, just pick it up for me.”
Dongfang Xiaotian replied casually, then headed down the mountain himself.
Before leaving, he seemed to sense several unfriendly gazes directed at him. But when he looked over, those stares had already vanished into the crowd.
Dongfang Xiaotian sighed helplessly. It seemed his actions still drew too much resentment, but honestly, it didn’t matter. So what if they looked at him a couple times? It wasn’t as if he’d lose a piece of flesh.
As he always said—who can guarantee that everyone will like them? Living well was the best counterattack.
With that, Dongfang Xiaotian tossed these matters aside and continued down the mountain to handle his business.
The simplest way to acquire materials for crafting spirit talismans was, of course, to make a purchase at the Talisman Masters’ Guild.
Buy on site, make on site, and sell on site—all in one go.
“So many people today…”
Dongfang Xiaotian noticed that, in contrast to usual, a crowd had gathered in front of the Talisman Masters’ Guild.
Talismans were always in demand, but they were also a luxury item for cultivators, and talisman masters fought battles with their wallets.
In a remote place like Lingtian City, the wealthy were few and far between.
Yet today, the front of the guild was packed with people, piquing Dongfang Xiaotian’s curiosity. He squeezed closer to see what was going on.
He casually picked a passerby and asked, “Fellow Daoist, why is there such a crowd here all of a sudden?”
Usually, if you didn’t know the reason for a crowd, asking these “NPCs” never failed. The man looked Dongfang Xiaotian over. “You’re a Four Sages Academy disciple, right? You don’t know about this?”
“So it’s something everyone’s talking about.”
Dongfang Xiaotian didn’t mind. He took out a spirit stone and said, “Fellow Daoist, please enlighten me. Consider this a little token to buy you a cup of tea.”
Gossip was one of life’s great pleasures—as long as you weren’t the one being talked about. Dongfang Xiaotian was always willing to pay a small fee for a bit of drama.
Seeing Dongfang Xiaotian’s generosity, the man accepted the spirit stone without batting an eye and smiled, “Ahem~ I feel a kinship with you at first sight, Fellow Daoist. I am Li Yuanzhe, but you can also call me Daoist Yuanzhe.”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded. “Dongfang Xiaotian.”
“So it’s Brother Dongfang—your reputation precedes you.”
After some polite small talk, Li Yuanzhe said, “Do you see those two talisman masters guarding the entrance?”
“Mm,” Dongfang Xiaotian nodded. There was a middle-aged man and a young girl, both at the seventh level of Qi Refinement.
The girl looked about his age, so her cultivation speed was merely average. The middle-aged man looked forty-six or so and had reached the tenth level of Qi Refinement.
It seemed he’d be stuck at that level for life.
Daoist Yuanzhe went on, “See that old man? He’s no ordinary figure—he’s the second-ranked talisman master in Lingtian City, Zhou Wanshan, a top-tier second-rank talisman master! His skills rival the elders of the Xiao Sect and Four Sages Academy.”
A talisman master’s strength mostly depended on the level of talismans they could craft.
A second-rank talisman master, for example, could create second-rank talismans—each one carrying the might of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With enough talismans, one could arm a team capable of taking on an entire sect.
That’s why talisman masters were often as highly regarded as spiritual cultivators.
Dongfang Xiaotian became more interested. “And that young lady? Why is she standing with such a famed talisman master?”
“She’s even more impressive.”
Daoist Yuanzhe’s gaze lingered on her.
“Her name is Zhou Fufu. She became a second-rank talisman master at sixteen. She’s the most gifted talent in Lingtian City. More importantly, she doesn’t have a Dao companion yet!”
“Fellow Daoist, you must know what a talisman master fears most, right?”
“Hmm? What?”
Dongfang Xiaotian was genuinely curious. He’d been a talisman master for over three years, but had never actually fought relying solely on talismans. This was the first he’d heard of their “fears.”
“One look at you and I can tell you’re not fond of fighting,”
Daoist Yuanzhe explained, “Before a talisman master uses their talismans, their personal combat strength is often much weaker than what they can unleash after preparation. In other words, they’re easily subdued in close combat, so most talisman masters pair up with a partner who can protect them.”
“And since they need a partner, it’s best to pick a trustworthy Dao companion. Zhou Fufu doesn’t have one yet.”
“Oh.”
Dongfang Xiaotian understood at once. Most talisman masters were like spellcasters—fragile before casting, poor at sensing danger, and prone to assassination.
That’s why they needed a strong cultivator as backup.
But with a foundation in body cultivation and innate eye techniques, Dongfang Xiaotian could easily compensate for those weaknesses.
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded. “Indeed, a talisman master who can’t fight up close isn’t a good talisman master.”
“Fellow Daoist, that’s where you’re mistaken.”
Daoist Yuanzhe spoke earnestly, “As the saying goes, ‘Each field has its master.’ Talisman masters may be weak in close combat, but their real strength is in quickly equipping a whole army after preparation.”
“There are pros and cons to everything—otherwise, talisman masters would be way too overpowered, right?”
Dongfang Xiaotian agreed. Sometimes he handed talismans to Little Junior Brother and Little Junior Sister as well.
Most of the time, Little Junior Sister accepted them nervously.
Jiang Li, however, practiced a sword technique that required his full devotion to the sword path, so he rarely accepted Dongfang Xiaotian’s talismans.
Dongfang Xiaotian also realized that his own approach as a talisman master was rather unorthodox.
Looking at the girl about the same age as Second Junior Sister, Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help asking, “These two are so renowned—why are they standing guard here?”
“Oh, it’s normal you haven’t heard. Isn’t there an auction for a Golden Core realm spirit beast’s core in Lingtian City soon?”
Daoist Yuanzhe explained, “That’s attracted a Three-Star Talisman Master! With proper preparation, a Three-Star Talisman Master can fight on par with Golden Core cultivators. Naturally, father and daughter are here to greet her with the utmost respect.”
“A Three-Star Talisman Master…”
The ranking system was simple—if you could produce three different kinds of third-rank talismans, you were a Three-Star Talisman Master.
The same logic applied for first, second, fourth, and fifth ranks, though there were differences between talisman masters.
In a field where knowledge was power, the more talismans you mastered, the stronger you became.
As for why three different talismans were required, it was straightforward—if you only knew one kind, you’d be easily countered. Only by having a variety of options could you handle enemies of your rank.
For example, if Dongfang Xiaotian had been able to pull out even a single third-rank Attack Talisman against Xiao Yuanqing, he wouldn’t have been so passive.
Dongfang Xiaotian couldn’t help sighing—this really was the protagonist’s city. Just as one big event ended, now another top powerhouse on par with a Golden Core cultivator had arrived.
No doubt something major was brewing.
That’s the protagonist for you—one wave after another of incidents.
Seeing Dongfang Xiaotian lost in thought, Daoist Yuanzhe couldn’t help but ask, “Fellow Daoist, surely you didn’t come to the Talisman Masters’ Guild just to watch the show?”
Dongfang Xiaotian nodded. He hadn’t expected that one spirit beast core to attract a Three-Star Talisman Master. Better to hurry up and make some talismans to sell for profit.
Looking at Daoist Yuanzhe, Dongfang Xiaotian said, “I’m here to buy some materials. But with the front door blocked, where should I go?”
“What a coincidence—I’m here to buy talismans too.”
Daoist Yuanzhe replied, “Come with me.”