Chapter Nineteen: Acquiring the Talisman Array
After the arrival of Apothecary Shen, Li Mu was gripped by an urgent sense of danger. It wasn’t just Wang Qi—the Pan Pill would likely attract others as well. He absolutely had to prepare backup plans, and now was the perfect time to purchase a few array talismans and precious artifacts.
This was a problem he’d originally intended to consider only after reaching the Spirit-Building stage, but now circumstances forced him to act sooner.
Sun Qi and his brother were already immersed in cultivation, so Li Mu took Li Ying with him and headed west to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was the largest marketplace in Deyang City. Everything sold here was the finest material, spiritual resources, and rare treasures available within the Cloud Mountain Realm—even fourth-grade materials could often be found. However, that was only impressive by Cloud Mountain standards; in this newly opened realm, the Cloud Mountain Realm was hardly wealthy, incomparable to the great realms of Heavenly Mountain or Kunlun.
This was Li Mu’s first visit to such a lavish establishment, and he knew he’d never have come unless he had at least two hundred medium-grade spirit crystals in his storage pouch. He’d never imagined that even a small place like the Wooden Jade Hall could bring in such astonishing revenue—a single Pan Pill sold for one hundred low-grade spirit crystals, and cultivators lined up to buy it. Subtracting the amount spent on cultivation, daily earnings still amounted to four medium-grade spirit crystals.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was a dark-hued building, with nothing outwardly remarkable, but four Spirit-Building stage cultivators in neat attire stood outside, which set it apart from other shops.
The pavilion was four stories high—each dedicated to artifacts, array talismans, materials, and cultivation methods.
Li Mu entered the Hundred Treasures Pavilion and glanced around; there weren’t many customers, but this establishment had never relied on crowds for profit.
“Customer, your face is unfamiliar. It’s our good fortune that you’ve come today. Tell me what you need, and I’ll explain everything clearly,” said a young man in pale robes, approaching with a smile.
He was also a Spirit-Building stage cultivator, but his words held no arrogance. He addressed Li Mu, who was still at the Qi-Condensing stage, with both warmth and propriety.
Li Mu felt a certain ease—this was indeed a grand shop, and the attitude was much like his own before. “I’d like to look at array talismans.”
Many shops in Deyang City advertised their alert arrays, but Li Mu felt those weren’t enough—they were good for warnings, but he needed something for combat as well. No one in the city dared stir trouble, but if chaos ever broke out, he’d be defenseless, and before the Jade Iron Sect’s cultivators arrived, he’d be at risk. After all, he was only a Qi-Condensing stage cultivator, but he sold the city’s only Pan Pill.
“Of course, please head to the second floor. If anything catches your eye, just say so—I’ll explain it in detail.” With that, the young man withdrew behind Li Mu, neither overly enthusiastic nor cold, demonstrating a true mastery of commerce.
Li Mu nodded with a smile and ascended to the second floor. After only a few glances, his eyes were dazzled.
Countless yellow and green array talismans were neatly arranged on the shelves, radiating a gentle glow. Beside each talisman was an embedded wall showing an image of its powers—fog, lightning, flames—flashing across the wall, leaving a deep impression.
“The Three-Day Sword Talisman features three second-grade swords at its core, supported by fire-infused rock. Once activated, those inside are enveloped in searing heat, and the three swords strike in succession. Even Vein-Refining stage cultivators would struggle to escape if they weren’t powerful sword-wielders; as for Spirit-Building stage cultivators, they’re completely trapped. Activation costs just fifty medium-grade spirit crystals each time.”
Seeing Li Mu’s gaze settle on a bright red array, the young man eagerly explained.
Li Mu glanced at the price—“one thousand medium-grade spirit crystals”—and quickly looked away. Even activating it once cost fifty medium-grade spirit crystals, which was daunting.
The young man, watching Li Mu’s movements, asked, “May I ask what purpose the array talisman is for?”
“For my shop—I want to set up a defensive array,” Li Mu replied honestly, as he hadn’t studied these items much and would likely leave it to a specialist.
“Is your shop large?”
“Small. Very small.”
The young man thought for a moment, then stepped forward and paused before a jade-white talisman.
“This one—the Wall Talisman Array—is excellent for defense. Once activated, apart from the user, all other cultivators are kept out. At the same time, it forms a barrier of true force and spiritual power. For Spirit-Building stage cultivators, such a wall is nearly unbreakable, and the user and their belongings inside are well protected. Activation costs just two medium-grade spirit crystals.”
Li Mu checked the price—one hundred and ten medium-grade spirit crystals. Though expensive, it was within reach.
“Very good, I’ll take this one.” Li Mu quickly decided; from the description, the Wall Talisman Array suited his needs perfectly. If it could handle Spirit-Building stage cultivators, he’d be satisfied—there weren’t many Vein-Refining cultivators in the city, and they likely wouldn’t trouble him.
“An excellent choice, sir. Though the Wall Talisman Array has no offensive capability and covers only a small area, its low activation cost and long duration make it a best-seller here,” the young man said with a broad smile, carefully producing the talisman and finalizing the sale.
“Is there anything else you need?” he asked politely.
“Let me see some pill recipes,” Li Mu’s heart stirred slightly. The Wooden Jade Hall couldn’t rely on Pan Pills alone—he hoped to find better formulas, so the Spirit Tower could be put to greater use.
The young man’s expression shifted. “Pill recipes? Are you an apothecary?”
Li Mu neither nodded nor shook his head. “I’m here on behalf of someone.”
The young man smiled and shook his head. “That’s unfortunate. We don’t sell ordinary pill recipes. We do have two special formulas, but the owner has ordered that only apothecaries may view them. If one meets the owner’s criteria, the recipes can even be gifted, but if not, they can’t be shown.”
Li Mu nodded. “That’s only fair. I was just hoping. But I am curious—what are the owner’s criteria for apothecaries?”
“Spirit-Building stage, capable of refining high-quality second-grade pills. If an apothecary meets these two requirements, the owner will gift them two special recipes.”
Li Mu laughed. “That’s rather difficult.”
The young man chuckled. “Indeed, it is. Generally, Spirit-Building stage cultivators don’t have great mastery of true force, and refining pills isn’t too hard, but producing high-quality ones is very challenging.”
Li Mu nodded, saying little. Still, he felt a flicker of joy—high-quality pills would be valuable to him, and with enough materials, the Spirit Tower would never fail. Once he saw those two recipes, they would soon be his.
“Are you interested in artifacts? Our pavilion has the best in the Cloud Mountain Realm.”
Li Mu asked doubtfully, “Are there artifacts suitable for Qi-Condensing stage cultivators? Aren’t artifacts generally for Spirit-Building stage and above?”
The young man showed a hint of surprise. “There are indeed. Many are consumables or storage items, but for Qi-Condensing stage cultivators, they’re quite useful.”
Li Mu nodded silently.
He hadn’t joined a sect; his cultivation knowledge came from Sun Qi and Sun Sanjiu, and he had little formal training. Clearly, he needed to study more of these miscellaneous topics.