He had been out for less than half an hour.
Shen Ping returned home early, mainly because his purse was light and he dared not linger outside.
Pushing open the door, he saw the joy on his wife's face and smiled. The death of Wang Yun's father on a journey had left a shadow on her heart, which was why she worried so much about his safety.
Yet Red Willow Alley was not too far from the Cultivation Market. As long as one did not flaunt wealth and remained cautious, bandits would generally not be encountered.
Besides, the news that his body was damaged, requiring daily suppression of the poison, and that his cultivation had stagnated had long spread through the surrounding alleys. Most cultivators knew he was a pauper with few savings, and taking the risk to ambush him was simply unrewarding and troublesome.
That very evening, his wife prepared a sumptuous meal.
"Husband has been working hard day after day; you must nourish yourself well."
Wang Yun's face flushed. Newly married, though the joys of husband and wife were somewhat frequent, having tasted the sweetness of it, she actually took pleasure in it herself, only fearing that it would affect her husband's cultivation.
Smiling, Shen Ping took a book from his Storage Bag.
"Yun'er, this is a martial arts manual. It has the effect of preserving health and strengthening the body. Since you have no Spiritual Root, you can practice this kind of mortal technique. If you can break through to the Xiantian realm, you might even prolong your life a little in the future."
Wang Yun nodded, taking the martial arts manual to glance at it. In her heart, a sense of desolation stirred. Without a Spiritual Root, she could not cultivate; once she passed fifty, her youthful looks would wither away, and by then her husband would no longer care for her with such meticulous attention. Fortunately, her husband's aptitude was ordinary, and he was likely to have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime. Perhaps they could still walk hand in hand through the rest of their lives.
That night, after eating the nourishing meal, Shen Ping was full of vigor and vitality, continuously gaining experience in the Talisman Dao.
Yet after this night, he changed his plan, reducing the five daily sessions of Dual Cultivation to three. Although this would decrease his acquisition of experience, he had to do it to avoid damaging his Dao foundation, and his wife's mental state also had to be considered.
*"Once my savings are abundant, I must purchase a suitable Dual Cultivation secret technique to assist my cultivation!"*
Shen Ping pondered inwardly.
His Goldfinger was related to Dual Cultivation, making a Dual Cultivation secret technique an absolute necessity. Only then could he gain experience in a healthy and sustainable way without harming his vital essence.
Next came crafting talismans, Dual Cultivation, and suppressing the poison.
The days passed in a fulfilling and blissful manner.
Especially with the continuous increase in his Talisman Dao experience, his success rate in crafting Protection Talismans rose once again, to the point where he could successfully craft one out of almost every two sets of materials.
Ten days later.
A knock sounded outside the door.
Shen Ping opened the door and saw an unfamiliar cultivator, feeling a sudden surge of vigilance.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, I am He Qin, a cultivator who has just moved nearby. I've come specially to pay a visit, and this is just a small token of my regard. Please kindly accept it."
As he spoke, this cultivator surnamed He handed over an exquisite jade bottle.
Shen Ping glanced at it, a look of surprise crossing his face. "Fellow Daoist He is an alchemist?"
Inside the exquisite jade bottle were Qi Condensation Pills. Although this kind of pill was of a low grade, it was not cheap, costing two Low-Grade Spiritual Stones each. With three pills inside, it was worth six Low-Grade Spiritual Stones.
To offer such a gesture merely as a housewarming gift—doubtless, the He Qin before him was most likely an alchemist.
"I am indeed an alchemist, though I can only refine low-grade pills."
He Qin smiled, a trace of pride evident in his tone.
Among the Hundred Arts of Immortal Cultivation—alchemy, artifact forging, talismans, and formations—the status of an alchemist was higher than that of artifact makers, talisman masters, and formation masters.
After all, pills were extremely important resources for cultivators, capable of rapidly increasing one's realm and Dharmic power.
Meanwhile, Dharma Artifacts, talismans, and formations were merely auxiliary means used to enhance a cultivator's combat power in defending their Dao.
"Pardon my ignorance! Please come inside, Fellow Daoist He, and let us chat."
Shen Ping said with a polite attitude.
With an air of a guest taking things as they naturally should be, He Qin stepped through the doorway.
"This is my wife."
Shen Ping introduced Wang Yun.
Learning that Wang Yun had no Spiritual Root, He Qin did not let his gaze linger on her for even a fraction of a second. To a mortal, even a face that could topple cities could not draw the slightest attention from a cultivator; unable to cultivate and attain longevity, after a hundred years they were nothing more than a pink skeleton.
Pouring a cup of clear tea, the two men began to chat. Before long, He Qin rose to take his leave.
Shen Ping saw him out the door, gifting him a Protection Talisman. The reason it was a mid-grade talisman was primarily to display a bit of his own strength, so that if the other party ever advanced to a middle-grade alchemist in the future, it would be convenient to request pills to be refined.
"Yun'er, how is your practice with the manual going?"
Closing the door, Shen Ping asked.
Wang Yun replied, "I've already cultivated internal Qi."
"Not bad, progress is quite fast. Once Yun'er breaks through to the first-rate level, we can continue to work hard and strive to bring forth more offspring and bloodline heirs!"
Shen Ping teased with a smile.
Wang Yun's cheeks blushed. "This wife will listen to Husband and will practice hard so that I may break through to the first-rate level as soon as possible."
He Qin's visit was merely a small interlude.
Shen Ping quickly returned to his fulfilling life of cultivation.
Another ten days passed.
He grew increasingly skilled at crafting Protection Talismans, speeding up his efficiency. In a mere twenty days, he completely exhausted the sixty sets of talisman-making materials he had purchased.
"Thirty-six Protection Talismans!"
"My wife is truly my blessing!"
His mood was exceptionally good.
Ordinarily, based on his previous success rate, crafting twenty-four or twenty-five Protection Talismans from the purchased materials would have been considered quite good. Now, having ten extra meant his income increased additionally.
Without hesitation, after finishing lunch that very noon, Shen Ping went out and headed to the Cultivation Market once more.
Xiuchun Pavilion.
It was still the same shop from before. The name sounded rather delicate, leading one to think that the owner behind it was most likely a powerful female cultivator.
The manager, surnamed Chen, wore a standard smile upon seeing Shen Ping.
Shen Ping did not dawdle; he directly took out fifteen Protection Talismans and handed them to the manager.
Though he had crafted thirty-six Protection Talismans, the other party knew how many sets of materials he had purchased. A simple calculation would reveal his success rate, and such a high success rate would inevitably give rise to ulterior motives—whether through trying to rope him in or otherwise, Shen Ping wanted no trouble.
Fifteen talismans, however, were not overly conspicuous.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, the usual rules: here are ninety Low-Grade Spiritual Stones. If you have any material needs, you are welcome to buy them in our little shop."
Manager Chen smiled warmly while inwardly raising his evaluation of the low-level Qi Refining Shen Ping standing before him. Being able to continuously produce Protection Talismans meant the other party should be a Middle-Grade Talisman Master.
"I need materials for Flame Talismans, Earth Sinking Talismans, Light Body Talismans..."
Shen Ping rattled off his material requirements for several middle-grade talismans; he was preparing to try crafting other types of talismans.
Soon, he had spent the ninety Low-Grade Spiritual Stones he had just acquired.
With an enthusiastic attitude, Manager Chen saw Shen Ping out of the shop.
Afterwards, Shen Ping visited two other shops, selling off the remaining twenty-imensional Protection Talismans separately. The spiritual stones he earned were used only to buy some food ingredients, while the rest remained tucked in his Storage Bag.
Days flowed by.
Maintaining the routine of three Dual Cultivation sessions per day, his Talisman Dao experience rose steadily, and his proficiency in crafting talismans continually increased. Aside from Protection Talismans, his success rates for other talismans like Flame Talismans and Light Body Talismans gradually improved.
Yet Shen Ping deeply understood the importance of caution. If he went out too frequently, there was no guarantee he wouldn't be noticed by neighbors or cultivators living in other alleys. Therefore, even when he used up his talisman-making materials, he restrained himself from going out to sell them, waiting instead until his household food ingredients were exhausted before heading out to buy groceries, secretly slipping into the shops to sell them along the way.
Half a year later.
[Current Wife's Favorability: 100]
[Dual Cultivation Bonus: 4]
[Talisman Master: Rank One Mid-Grade (5455/10000)]
Looking at the virtual panel, a wave of excitement welled up naturally in Shen Ping's heart.
Normally, if he wanted to rely on continuous talisman crafting to accumulate enough for a breakthrough, it would take at least several decades.
Yet now, it had taken only a little over half a year.
He was even not too far from becoming a High-Grade Talisman Master.
Such was the terrifying power of having a Goldfinger!
Aside from the increase in his Talisman Dao experience, his personal wealth had accumulated to over five hundred Low-Grade Spiritual Stones—equivalent to five Medium-Grade Spiritual Stones. Such an accumulation speed was simply unimaginable in the past.
Yet Shen Ping knew clearly that for a talisman master approaching the high grade, this kind of money-making speed was nothing extraordinary.
*"At this rate of improvement, my cultivation realm will soon become my limiting factor!"*
Through Dual Cultivation with his wife over the past half-year, his Talisman Dao experience had soared rapidly, and his success rate in crafting various middle-grade talismans grew day by day. Even some middle-grade talisman masters backed by cultivation families could not compare to him.
However, crafting middle-grade talismans at the 3rd Layer of Qi Refining was already the limit. To craft high-grade talismans, there were requirements on spiritual power cultivation; at the very least, one had to reach the Mid Qi Refining stage.
*"A bottle of high-grade Detoxification Pills costs twenty Medium-Grade Spiritual Stones... It's getting close. Just a couple more years of hard work, and I'll be able to save enough!"*