Chapter 84: A Burden Only the Wealthy Can Bear

“Has my spiritual power increased again?”

The next day.

The moment Zhou Changwang awoke, he sensed the change in his spiritual power.

It had indeed grown stronger.

Compared to before he fell asleep, it was now slightly more potent.

Even though the increase was minimal—almost imperceptible without deliberate observation—it was, after all, spiritual power.

For ordinary cultivators, enhancing their spiritual power was extraordinarily difficult. Aside from diligent cultivation, depending on advancement in their realm to drive spiritual improvement, there were essentially no other methods.

Spiritual pills? Rare treasures? Specialized techniques for training spiritual power?

These were things low-level cultivators could not hope to touch.

Such treasures were priceless. Even the relatively affordable spiritual pills cost dozens or hundreds of lower-grade spirit stones apiece.

As for their effectiveness, that varied greatly.

Only the wealthy could afford them.

But now, Zhou Changwang could slowly improve his spiritual power with the help of the Taiyi Record—how could he not be overjoyed?

“If a day brings a slight increase, then what about two days, three days, a month, half a year, a year?

Given time, these small increments will accumulate, and how strong will my spiritual power become then?”

With a sense of awe, Zhou Changwang recalled what his father had mentioned: the previous owner of the Taiyi Record, Zhang Fenghua, possessed formidable strength and mastery in the art of talisman arrays.

The so-called art of talisman arrays involved arranging talismans in formation, using their complementary powers to unleash force far greater than a single talisman—or even the practitioner’s own strength.

Achieving this was no easy feat.

It required not only knowledge of array formations but also powerful spiritual force.

Only through the control of spiritual power could the talismans cooperate, forming an array, and upon activation, unleash immense destructive power—enabling the weak to overcome the strong, or the few to defeat the many.

Previously, Zhou Changwang had little concept of this.

He simply thought Zhang Fenghua was strong, but, after all, just a cultivator of the fifth stage of Qi Refining, who ultimately could not escape the schemes of his father, an innate martial artist. He thought little of it.

Now, with a basic understanding of array formations and some success in crafting talismans, he realized the difficulty involved.

That Zhang Fenghua was able to accomplish such feats was undoubtedly due to the Taiyi Record.

Only with the spiritual power-enhancing properties of the Taiyi Record could he master arrays, arrange talisman formations, and, with the cultivation of Qi Refining stage five, wield power comparable to the foremost practitioners of stage six—enough to repel the two-headed Ice-Fire Wolf.

“But the Taiyi Record has one drawback: after exhausting my spiritual power, I fall into a deep sleep for several hours…”

Zhou Changwang shook his head with a helpless smile, but he would never give up using the Taiyi Record because of this.

At most, it was a happy inconvenience, hardly worth mentioning.

At least, the courtyard was quite safe.

Exiting the cultivation chamber, he found daylight already flooding the outside; the sun was high in the sky.

After completing two sets of the Tianyuan Eight Forms as usual, he hurried to the backyard.

Growth Spell, Spirit Rain, Thousand Thunder Flash…

He cast spell after spell, rotating them, and the spiritual plants grew vigorously in response.

Then, he returned once more to the pavilion beside the pond, to study the way of arrays.

…

Time slipped by in the blink of an eye.

Walking along the bustling street, Zhou Changwang silently activated the Concealment Technique to minimize his presence.

Trust between people was now virtually nonexistent.

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On his way, every person he saw appeared wary, as if ready to defend themselves from any sudden attack.

Fortunately, everyone acted this way—not just toward him.

“Master Zhou, you’ve arrived.”

Soon, he reached his destination: Talisman Fate House.

As soon as he entered, the owner, Wei Xingyuan, greeted him with a smile.

“Boss Wei.

What’s happening outside? The atmosphere feels so tense.”

Zhou Changwang couldn’t help but ask.

“What else could it be? The Tiger Shark Gang and the Rakshasa Gang are fighting.

At first, it was just at the fringes of the market, causing little damage.

Three days ago, two members from each gang couldn’t hold back and started fighting inside the market, alarming the market guards. Both were detained.

But the next day, both gang leaders visited the guardhouse, and the two men were released.

Yesterday alone, there were five more altercations in the market, including casualties.

Today, at the rogue cultivator bazaar, a massive brawl broke out—countless wounded and dead.

Naturally, everyone outside is now on guard, as if expecting danger at every turn.

It looks like the market is about to descend into chaos again.”

As he spoke, Wei Xingyuan’s face betrayed a hint of helplessness.

For those who owned small shops like him, chaos in the market was disastrous.

Once turmoil erupted, their shops became targets for looting.

During the last upheaval, he only avoided heavy losses by quickly hiding his goods and taking shelter.

“Does the market master just let it happen?”

Zhou Changwang was incredulous.

“Not exactly. It’s just that the market master happens to be away right now.

That’s why such incidents are cropping up.

But don’t worry—while minor disturbances are inevitable, a major riot like last time shouldn’t happen.

Just wait and see. Small shops like mine are relatively safe, but the large stores in the market are backed by powerful figures.

Some even belong to sects. The chaos last time already annoyed those powers, and now that unrest is rising again, someone will surely step in.”

Wei Xingyuan’s voice grew softer, clearly hinting at inside information.

Zhou Changwang nodded. He knew, for example, that Watercloud Pavilion belonged to the Watercloud Immortal Sect, while Spirit Herb Hall and Beast Tamer’s Workshop were assets of the Clear Source Sect. These two major sects would never allow their interests to suffer.

Before such giants, the feud between two cultivation clans had to be kept within bounds.

Minor disturbances might be tolerated, but major chaos was absolutely forbidden.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t affect us.”

Zhou Changwang sighed.

“Yes.”

Wei Xingyuan nodded; he shared these worries. But soon, he changed the subject and asked, “What brings Master Zhou here today?”

“Didn’t we agree last time? I’d sell a batch of talismans.

Here are my gains from the past half month. Please appraise them, Daoist Wei.”

Zhou Changwang smiled.

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He took several stacks of talismans from his pouch, maintaining the usual ratio: one or two premium talismans for every ten ordinary ones.

“Master Zhou’s skill in crafting talismans has never disappointed me—each is of exceptional quality.

Here are your spirit stones: sixty-five lower-grade stones in total. Please accept them.”

Wei Xingyuan quickly counted, then handed over the spirit stones.

“Why is the price higher than last time?”

Zhou Changwang asked, puzzled.

He had provided roughly the same quantity as before, but the payment was noticeably greater.

“With all the turmoil in the market, talisman prices have risen again.

Since we’re partners, I naturally give you a better rate.”

Wei Xingyuan smiled, then hesitated before saying, “Given the ongoing chaos, if you want to make some profit, I suggest crafting more attack talismans—like Lightning Talisman, Earth Arrow Talisman. Prices are higher; even ordinary ones sell for two lower-grade spirit stones, and premium ones go for five.

But the most sought-after are mid-grade first-level defense talismans: Golden Shield Talisman, Green Wood Shield Talisman. They’re easier to craft than attack talismans, yet fetch at least ten lower-grade spirit stones apiece.”

“How much for the method to craft Golden Shield Talismans?”

Zhou Changwang asked after a brief hesitation.

He remembered buying a Golden Shield Talisman before at the Six Directions Pavilion for just five lower-grade spirit stones. It had proven invaluable in his battle with Wang Chang.

Now, the price had soared to ten or more, and he was tempted.

Moreover, to improve his talisman-making skills, he needed to practice with more types.

He believed that, given his current abilities, mid-grade first-level talismans would be no challenge to learn.

“Fifteen lower-grade spirit stones. Would Master Zhou like to buy it?”

Wei Xingyuan replied promptly.

Zhou Changwang nodded. “And I’ll take a new talisman brush—a mid-grade first-level Golden Fine Brush. You said it was forty lower-grade spirit stones last time.”

His previous brush was a second-hand, low-grade one from a rogue cultivator, with split bristles. While it didn’t affect his success rate, it did reduce the chance of premium talismans.

So, he intended to upgrade to a mid-grade brush for better results.

As for high-grade brushes—he felt he didn’t need them yet, and besides, they were expensive.

…

Leaving Talisman Fate House, Zhou Changwang soon arrived at another shop.

Watercloud Pavilion.

He had heard from Qian Xiaoyue that she would soon be working there, preparing for the sect entrance exam a year hence.

His mother, barring unforeseen circumstances, could have joined the Watercloud Immortal Sect as an inner disciple, so he naturally felt some affinity for the sect.

But today, he wasn’t here to see Qian Xiaoyue.

He came to buy Clear Sight Spirit Solution.

Notably, this solution was a specialty of Watercloud Pavilion.

Other shops might sell it, but in smaller quantities and at higher prices. He wouldn’t go elsewhere.

On entering Watercloud Pavilion, he found that Qian Xiaoyue was not present. She specialized in crafting talisman paper and controlling fire fans—not suitable for shop work.

He didn’t mind. He simply approached an attendant and inquired about the Clear Sight Spirit Solution.

(End of chapter)

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