Chapter 111: Before Departure

At the latest, I must depart for Changping in three months.

Because the disciples participating in the mission must travel in batches, missing this window would mean waiting another nine months. Furthermore, to earn the merit points required for the spirit elixir needed to breakthrough my current realm, I must stay there for at least a year. Consequently, my timeframe is extremely tight.

Three months of bitter cultivation will clearly not yield much improvement in my cultivation base; it would be better to take this opportunity to purchase necessary supplies.

"Changping is a place with barren spiritual energy. My usual speed of cultivation there will likely be less than two or three-tenths of what I have here in the sect's cave dwelling..."

"Yet, since I must stay for a full year, I cannot simply let that year of cultivation go to waste."

Song Yan pondered, feeling a slight headache.

"I need to purchase some spirit-gathering arrays and medicinal pills for cultivation."

"But I cannot spend too many spirit stones, because once I reach Changping, holding spirit stones for daily cultivation will likely become the norm..."

Previously, in order to successfully bid for the Mingjue Pill, Song Yan had already spent a significant amount of spirit stones. Between preparing the Avoidance Talisman and the Earth Escape Talisman, he was left with only three medium-grade spirit stones and two hundred and forty-two low-grade spirit stones.

Spirit stones flow away like water...

It is completely different from being within the sect. In the sect, one can leave to visit the marketplace every three to five months to replenish cultivation resources or take on sect missions to earn spirit stones and contribution points. He is by no means a high-level master who can retreat for three or five years at a time; a month-long seclusion is already considered quite lengthy for him.

Once in Changping, there is no guarantee that there will even be a marketplace for cultivators nearby. Given Song Yan’s current financial status, it is impossible to purchase a full year's worth of spiritual resources at once. Thus, he has to rack his brain to decide what to prioritize.

After organizing his thoughts, Song Yan left his cave dwelling and headed toward the center of the Lingyuanze marketplace.

As for magical artifacts, he need not worry; with his two flying swords, the "Unbound Boat" and "Lianli," he is sufficiently equipped. Regarding talismans, he did not intend to spend too many spirit stones. On one hand, his previous Earth Escape Talisman remained unused; on the other, he knew that activating talismans requires a certain amount of spiritual power.

Many cultivators in the world of immortality believe that beyond the initial burst of spiritual energy needed to trigger a talisman, no further energy is consumed. This is, in fact, a misconception.

In the "Records of Evil Cultivators," Song Yan had once read the insights of a Golden Core predecessor regarding combat. One point in particular had opened his eyes.

It turns out that the notion that operating a talisman consumes no spiritual energy is entirely false. In reality, no matter the type of talisman, once activated by a cultivator, there is always a lingering consumption of spiritual energy used to maintain the connection between the talisman and the cultivator.

It is like an imperceptible thread of spiritual power. If the activated talisman is a spell with a longer duration, it will continuously drain spiritual energy through this "thread" to maintain the cultivator’s control over it. For most Qi Refining stage cultivators, this minor drain is not intuitively felt. Moreover, most low-level talismans have short durations—they usually take effect the moment they are activated, such as the Fire Crow Talisman or the Gale Dust-Reversal Talisman.

However, for sustained talismans like the Avoidance Talisman or the Ren-Water Spirit-Transformation Talisman, one can perceive the drain if one pays close attention. Those who do not know this fail to notice it, and those who do know often consider it trivial, so no one pays much heed to it.

However, that Golden Core predecessor was entirely different. He believed that in every life-and-death struggle, every sliver of spiritual energy must be used to its greatest effect. Often, the difference in the level of spiritual energy consumption leads to entirely different outcomes in battle. Furthermore, the power of a talisman lies in "winning by surprise," not in overwhelming an opponent with a sea of spells. Therefore, when it comes to talismans, quality is more important than quantity.

Since he already possessed an escape talisman, perhaps purchasing one or two others with unique functions would suffice. The remaining spirit stones should be reserved for cultivation resources like medicinal pills and spirit-gathering arrays.

"It really is strange."

His current wealth is far greater than when he first entered the sect, yet he still needs to calculate every expense.

Walking along the streets of the marketplace, most of the passing cultivators are outer-sect disciples in gray robes; inner-sect disciples are actually quite rare. He used to think there were many inner-sect disciples here, but perhaps that was only because at the time, only inner-sect disciples could catch his attention.

Along the way, several unfamiliar outer-sect disciples greeted him, respectfully calling him "Senior Brother." At first, Song Yan tried to rack his brain to identify them, only to realize he truly did not know them.

"I still haven't adapted to this new status..."

In the center of the marketplace sat the Treasure Gathering Pavilion. It was an old two-story shop with a large footprint and a good reputation among the disciples. It offered a wide range of spiritual resources, from items commonly used by Qi Refining stage cultivators to those suitable for Foundation Establishment masters, covering pills, arrays, talismans, and artifacts.

Stepping inside, he saw many cultivators. Some were in small groups, while others were browsing alone, with shop assistants nearby offering introductions and sales pitches. One of the idle assistants saw him enter and took the initiative to approach.

Seeing that the newcomer was a very young inner-sect disciple, the assistant’s attitude became even more respectful, not daring to be the least bit negligent.

"Senior, what can I help you find today?"

It was the first time in his life he had been called "Senior." If he didn't know the other party was just being polite, Song Yan might have felt his head swell.

"I want to buy a few sets of Small Spirit-Gathering Arrays, and some medicinal pills for cultivation."

In truth, if he went to the pill workshops and array pavilions separately, he might be able to find cheaper deals. This was a small trick he had learned for saving spirit stones. However, since the spirit-gathering array discs were the primary expense this time, that method was not suitable. Because he was heading to Ghost Mountain, durability was the most critical factor. Those "cheap" goods were usually flawed, and if they broke after a few days, he wouldn't be able to find anyone to repair them out there.

The staircase leading to the second floor was extremely luxurious, presumably intended for Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Currently, the most cost-effective cultivation pill was the Yellow Bud Pill. Considering its long-lasting and robust spiritual effect, ten spirit stones per bottle was a very fair price. As the mainstream pill with the highest consumption for Qi Refining disciples, the price of Yellow Bud Pills had always remained stable.

He purchased ten full bottles of Yellow Bud Pills and selected the array discs for the Small Spirit-Gathering Arrays. He had already spent over two hundred spirit stones. Only then did he start looking at the talismans.

Having spent several hundred spirit stones in one go, he was considered a major client for the day. The assistant beamed, explaining the talismans in great detail, even revealing the approximate time they had been crafted.

However, Song Yan, having already made up his mind, had no interest in these common talismans. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed a special gray talisman placed separately in the corner of the display case.

This talisman had no ancient inscriptions or characters; instead, it featured three circular, pearl-like patterns.

"What is this talisman?"