Free Web NovelChapter 19: Chapter 19: Talisman Dao
Having just gotten the Storage Bag, Jiang Xu was having a blast playing with it.
By channeling just a sliver of Magical Power into the Storage Bag, he could store anything he touched inside it with a single thought.
In a playful mood, Jiang Xu packed everything on his person into the Storage Bag, then took it all out and put it back in again, amusing himself for quite some time.
Even though Jiang Xu was playing with the Storage Bag, he was discreet about it, making sure not to cause a commotion.
At the same time, he wandered through the trading market—which was significantly larger than he remembered—searching for something that caught his eye.
After walking for a while, Jiang Xu finally spotted his destination.
It was the same stall from his last visit, the one selling handwritten copies of Techniques and Cultivation Methods.
The spell he bought last time had been more useful than he ever imagined. Now, with forty Spirit Stones in his possession, he planned to buy a few more.
...
Arriving at the stall, Jiang Xu noticed that besides the spells he’d seen last time, there were now many other miscellaneous books.
For example, *Array Dao Introduction (Upper Volume)*, *Talisman Dao Introduction (Upper Volume)*, *Artifact Dao Introduction (Upper Volume)*, *Pill Dao Introduction (Upper Volume)*, *Beast Taming Beginner*, *Qi Cultivation Puppet Manual (Manufacturing Chapter)*...
’These are all part of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation... Why didn’t I see them last time? Could they be new stock?’
Puzzled, Jiang Xu first picked out the spells he had already decided to buy this time.
Golden Light Spell, Spiritual Eye Technique, Healing Technique, and Giant Strength Technique.
Jiang Xu had wanted to buy the Golden Light Spell last time. It could use Magical Power to conjure a shield for self-defense and also had some deterrent effect against evil spirits.
The Spiritual Eye Technique was an investigation-type spell. It could be used to see other Cultivators’ Cultivation levels without being detected by them.
Spiritual Eye Technique and the Concealing Breath Spell somewhat countered each other.
If a target had already cast the Concealing Breath Spell, the Spiritual Eye Technique wouldn’t be able to reveal their Cultivation level.
However, if the level of the Concealing Breath Spell was lower than the Spiritual Eye Technique, the latter could still see through to the target’s true Cultivation.
Besides seeing a Cultivator’s Cultivation, it also offered other minor enhancements, like seeing farther and discerning faint traces of Magical Power, but these were better than nothing.
The Healing Technique could treat a Cultivator’s injuries—not just one’s own, but others’ as well. It was considered a top-grade support spell.
There wasn’t much to say about the Giant Strength Technique. It increased one’s physical strength and could complement Jiang Xu’s Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill, helping him become an all-around warrior.
After all, one had to eliminate all weaknesses to ensure survival.
...
"The Golden Light Spell and Healing Technique are three Spirit Stones each. The Spiritual Eye Technique and Giant Strength Technique are two each. That’ll be ten Spirit Stones in total!"
The stall owner handed Jiang Xu the four spellbooks with a wide smile.
Jiang Xu didn’t take them right away. Instead, he turned and asked the stall owner:
"Fellow Daoist, when I was here last time, I don’t recall seeing these books on the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Why are there so many now?"
Seeing that the person before him was a big customer about to spend ten Spirit Stones at once, the stall owner was naturally happy to share everything he knew.
"You may not be aware, but the five-year term for Servant Disciples is approaching. Many of them will be promoted to the Outer Sect."
"Getting promoted to the Outer Sect seems like a huge leap compared to being a Servant Disciple, but in the end, there isn’t much difference."
"If you want to go further, you must join the Sect’s ’Hundred Arts Pavilion’—that is, one of the various branches like the Alchemy Pavilion, the Artifact Dao Pavilion, or the Scripture Pavilion."
"But to enter the ’Hundred Arts Pavilion,’ you have to master one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation to a beginner level. Only then do you have a chance."
"So, hehe, aren’t I just giving all my fellow sect members a chance?"
Realization dawned on Jiang Xu. ’So that’s how it is.’
’From the sound of it, if I don’t join the Sect’s "Hundred Arts Pavilion," I’ll basically be a Loose Cultivator within the Sect. There’d be no real future in that.’
’I have to learn one of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation to be considered a true Outer Disciple.’
’But how could the Hundred Skills of Cultivation be so easy to learn?’
Jiang Xu knew full well how difficult they were. None of the skills were easy to master.
If they were easy, professions like Alchemists and Array Masters wouldn’t be so respected and sought after.
However, Jiang Xu now had his panel. ’Perhaps I can master them more easily than an ordinary person.’
He was tempted.
Jiang Xu had been wanting to learn a trade anyway, and now was the perfect time.
’But what should I choose? Array Dao, Alchemy Dao, Talisman Dao, Artifact Dao... they’re all in high demand...’
’It seems having too many choices isn’t a good thing. This is a really tough decision.’
Jiang Xu began to analyze the pros and cons of each.
With his current financial resources, he could only afford to specialize in one.
Therefore, his choice had to be profitable enough, with a large market and no shortage of buyers.
It also had to enhance his own strength. Ideally, it would be easy to learn, require few initial resources, have a low cost for trial and error, and need minimal investment...
Array Dao. In terms of complexity, it was among the top of the Hundred Skills of Cultivation, rivaling even the Celestial Secret Art.
The status of an Array Master was also subtly a tier higher than that of Artifact Refiners, Talisman Makers, and the like.
However, becoming an Array Master was incredibly difficult in the early stages. To set up an Array, one needed the corresponding Array Map, Array Plate, and Array Flags, all of which required a ton of Spirit Stones.
Alchemy Dao required a large amount of Spirit Medicine for practice—medicine that had to be bought with Spirit Stones. It also required a specialized Magical Artifact, an Alchemy Furnace.
Jiang Xu’s panel increased his Skill Level bit by bit. Before his Skill Level was high enough, he knew his success rate would be abysmal. This meant he wouldn’t be able to recoup his costs in the early stages and would need a certain amount of startup capital.
But Jiang Xu had so few Spirit Stones; he definitely couldn’t meet those requirements. freewebnoveℓ.com
It was the same for Artifact Dao, which also required a lot of startup capital.
As for the others like Beast Taming, Puppetry, and Spirit Cooking, they were more niche. Even if some were decent, they couldn’t compare to another option—Talisman Dao. freewёbnoνel.com
Talisman Dao was one of the less difficult skills among the Hundred Skills of Cultivation. Many Cultivators knew a few simple Talisman Making techniques and could draw two or three basic Talismans.
But Talisman Dao was easy to start and difficult to master. Perfecting it was no simple task.
But Jiang Xu didn’t care if it was easy at first or hard later. As long as the startup cost was low and he could afford to get started in Talisman Dao with his remaining Spirit Stones, that was enough.
Then he could build it up step by step.
Moreover, Talisman Dao could also enhance his own strength, and selling Talismans wouldn’t be difficult.
He had considered all this in less than a minute of real time.
The stall owner across from him didn’t rush him. He knew that only those who were actually thinking of buying would hesitate like this. Those who weren’t interested wouldn’t even give the items a second glance.
"I’ll take that *Talisman Dao Introduction (Upper Volume)*."
"Excellent! That’ll be ten Spirit Stones!"
The stall owner handed the book to Jiang Xu with an ’I knew it’ expression.
"Ten..."
Jiang Xu’s scalp tingled. That brought the total to twenty Spirit Stones. Half of his entire fortune was about to be wiped out.
"Oh, right. One more thing." The smile on the stall owner’s face grew even wider.
"You can’t succeed at Talisman Making just by reading a book. I have a top-quality Talisman Brush here, made from the tail bristles of a Tier One Fiery-tailed Fox. The handle is made of Spirit Pattern Wood, which conducts Magical Power smoothly and will greatly increase your success rate. Fellow Daoist, how about it?"
Looking at the beaming stall owner, the corner of Jiang Xu’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch.
