Starting as a Talisman Master

Lu Chi exhaled a breath of stale air, suppressing the melancholy of being alone in a foreign land on his birthday, and his mind returned to clarity.

He took out the storage bag embroidered with water and cloud patterns that Yunzhi had given him before they parted from his sleeve.

As he probed into the space with his divine sense and glanced around, a strange light flashed in Lu Chi's eyes.

The "little things for self-defense" that Yunzhi mentioned were actually surprisingly generous.

Besides the pills and magical artifacts, there were also three hundred low-grade spirit stones neatly stacked in one corner of the storage bag.

She deliberately didn't mention the spirit stones, clearly out of consideration for his background as a rogue cultivator, and fearing he might refuse, she silently left him some travel expenses.

Three hundred spirit stones is equivalent to ten months' worth of the usual allowance for an outer disciple, which shows how considerate they are.

Lu Chi flicked his sleeve and took out all the items from the bag, placing them on the wooden table.

First came three exquisite jade bottles. He uncorked each one and poured out the pills. Instantly, the room was filled with a wonderful fragrance, and faint halos appeared on the pills.

"They're all top-grade elixirs..." Lu Chi's gaze narrowed slightly.

These three bottles of pills are categorized in great detail, showing meticulous care.

One bottle contains "Qi Gathering Pills," which are pure magical power and aid in daily cultivation; another bottle contains "Rejuvenation Pills," which promote tissue regeneration and blood production, and are used to prolong life after serious injuries; the last bottle, exuding a faint aura of violence, is none other than "Spirit Explosion Pills," which can temporarily boost magical power and unleash potential in combat.

After putting away the pills, Lu Chi's gaze fell on the three magical artifacts on the table.

On the far left is a warm, lustrous white jade pendant shaped like two fish, which feels warm to the touch.

With a slight activation, one immediately felt a clear mind, and the surrounding wandering spiritual energy gathered together, clearly indicating that it was a rare treasure that could calm the mind and aid in breathing exercises.

In the middle is a long, crimson rope that coils like a serpent.

This rope is neither silk nor hemp, and there is a faint glow of fire flowing within it.

Lu Chi probed into the magic power and knew that this was not only a magic weapon that could unleash fire energy to injure enemies, but also had an extremely tough binding effect, which could be used for both offense and defense.

What caught Lu Chi's attention the most was the bead on the far right, no bigger than a longan, with a faint purple glow throughout.

Purple Thunder Pearl.

The surface of this bead is engraved with dense lightning patterns, and within it lurks a destructive and violent aura.

Lu Chi had seen records of such objects in ancient books. This was by no means an ordinary magical artifact, but a one-time killing treasure!

In the world of cultivation, the forging of ordinary magical artifacts emphasizes "continuous life".

The weapon refiner needs to imprint stable array patterns inside the spiritual material, using the cultivator's own magical power as the source, circulating repeatedly, so that it can be repeatedly activated and controlled at will.

However, the forging principle of this one-time use magic weapon, the Purple Thunder Pearl, is completely opposite, emphasizing "instantaneous explosion".

To refine this item, a high-level cultivator must use immense supernatural powers to forcibly compress and seal extremely violent heavenly lightning power or high-level spells within a very special spiritual material.

Its internal array patterns resemble layers of taut, precarious walls, always in an extremely fragile state of equilibrium.

This is why the failure rate of forging one-time magic artifacts is extremely high. If one is not careful, the artifact will explode in the furnace and backfire on the forger.

But once it is successfully refined, its power is terrifying.

When facing an enemy, one only needs to invest a sliver of magic power to detonate it, instantly releasing the destructive power sealed within.

Once this small Purple Lightning Bead is unleashed, it is enough to unleash a full-force attack comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

For a Qi Refining stage cultivator, this is not some kind of defensive magic weapon, but clearly a life-saving trump card that can reverse life and death in desperate situations and even kill someone of a higher level.

Lu Chi gazed at the precious treasures on the table, remaining silent for a long time. The remains of Senior Yun Chen had been exchanged for Yun Zhi's generous gift; this cause and effect, this good fortune, was truly profound.

He carefully collected everything on the table and looked at the suddenly full storage bag. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself, thinking to himself that it was no wonder that in the cultivation world, many low-level cultivators would go to great lengths to attach themselves to high-level female cultivators.

Such a shortcut, relying on a powerful backer, can indeed save one from decades of arduous training and hardship.

No wonder Tao Feng was unusually enthusiastic along the way, trying every means to inquire about his relationship with Yun Zhi. He probably really thought of him as a lucky guy who had climbed up the social ladder of Shuiyun Peak.

However, Lu Chi knew in his heart that Yun Zhi's parting words, "If you have any difficulties, you can come to me," were just empty words to fulfill the debt of gratitude for sending her bones away.

Such favors are the most easily exhausted. If one were to shamelessly beg for help in a truly hopeless situation, one could only do so once at most, after which the karmic debt would be completely settled. To expect this Uncle Shuiyunfeng to be one's long-term support within the sect is nothing short of a pipe dream.

To forge iron, one must be strong oneself; the greatest truth lies within oneself.

Lu Chi shook his head to clear his mind of distractions, his expression returning to its usual cold indifference.

Now that he had settled down at Baicao Peak of Taiqing Palace, he needed to rethink his future cultivation path. With a slight thought, the [Profession Panel] appeared before his eyes.

As Lu Chi scanned the progress charts on his career panel from top to bottom, he gradually formed a plan in his mind.

Currently residing on Hundred Herbs Peak and solely managing two acres of second-tier spirit fields, the role of [Spirit Farmer] is naturally paramount. As long as these second-tier spirit seeds are planted systematically, the experience gain in the future will undoubtedly be the most rapid.

Secondly, there are the alchemists. They spend their days dealing with the spiritual herbs and medicines in this garden. It is only natural for them to open a furnace and refine pills under the guise of spiritual farmers, which is a great way to cover their tracks.

As for other professions, they must go into hiding and study quietly in their own private courtyard.

Although Old Man Gu and his uncle from the Foreign Affairs Pavilion did not delve into his background when he entered the sect today, it is hard to guarantee that the sect will not secretly send people to Dongyue County to investigate his past.

Before that, it's best to keep a low profile and avoid taking any drastic measures.

His gaze traveled downwards, finally settling on the [Array Master] section at the bottom of the panel. Looking at the unchanging "0" experience points, Lu Chi frowned slightly, feeling rather perplexed.

He has yet to figure out the path to advancement in this profession.

Logically speaking, the way of a formation master should be to gain experience by setting up formations.

Since unlocking this profession, he has personally set up many basic warning and isolation formations, both overtly and covertly, but the progress bar has remained unchanged, like a stone sinking into the sea.

"Could it be that those array plates are of too low grade, or that the method of setting up the array is incorrect, failing to meet the panel's judgment threshold?"

Lu Chi pondered to himself, but had no clue whatsoever. He could only suppress his helplessness for the time being: "Forget it, the Dao of Arrays is vast and cannot be rushed. The Taiqing Palace's Scripture Pavilion has profound knowledge. I will find an opportunity to borrow a few volumes of high-level array diagrams in the future and then verify them slowly."

In the path of cultivation, time knows no bounds; seasons may pass quickly. Half a year has quietly slipped by in the daily cycle of breathing exercises and tending to the spiritual field.

For the past six months, Lu Chi has been adept at concealing his talents and keeping a low profile, and has been honestly and dutifully staying in the No. 7 courtyard of the Jiazi building to farm and cultivate himself.

Aside from going to the Foreign Affairs Office to collect his monthly allowance, he rarely went out.

In his spare time, he would also brew tea and discuss herbs with Tao Feng and a few other disciples of Baicao Peak, who were very familiar with each other, and exchange information about the properties of spiritual herbs. He naturally integrated into the circle of outer disciples without attracting any attention.

In the blink of an eye, another winter has arrived.

The north wind howled through the Taiqing Mountains, and heavy snow blocked the mountain passes.

As the year draws to a close in the mortal world, every household is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.

Logically speaking, immortals should be pure and detached from worldly affairs, but within the Taiqing Palace, there is a subtle hint of human warmth and custom, catering to festival traditions.

The Foreign Affairs Pavilion not only hung up crimson lanterns to ward off the cold and provide light throughout the peaks, but also made an exception by giving the outer disciples two extra bottles of spirit wine and several kilograms of dried first-tier spirit beast meat as a token of respect, which caused a burst of joy among many hardworking lower-level disciples.

On this day, dark clouds covered the sky, and the first snow had just stopped.

Suddenly, the array barrier outside Courtyard No. 7 rippled, as Old Man Gu, with his hands behind his back, strolled into the courtyard, stepping on the remaining snow.

Today, while inspecting various independent spiritual fields, he happened to come across Lu Chi and wanted to see how this newcomer had fared over the past six months.

Upon hearing the commotion, Lu Chi immediately pushed open the door to greet them, and with the respect due to a junior, led them to the front of the spirit field in the backyard.

Old Gu's expression was calm at first, but when his gaze pierced through the spirit-gathering array and landed on the two acres of second-tier spirit fields, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, and a bright light suddenly flashed in his cloudy old eyes.

Within the formation, it was warm as spring, and spiritual energy swirled into mist.

Those dozen or so originally delicate and difficult-to-care-for second-tier spiritual plants were not only unaffected by the harsh winter outside, but each one had a solid foundation and its branches and leaves were spreading out.

Whether it's the shade-loving "Purple Sun Ginseng" or the fire-loving "Red Essence Ganoderma," the spiritual energy of each plant flows perfectly, without any impurities or stagnation. They are truly well-cared for and full of vitality.

Even the seasoned farmers on the peak who have been tending the spirit fields for over a decade might not be able to grasp such growth and quality with such precision!

"Good, good, really good!"

Old Gu stroked his long, white beard, nodding repeatedly. A smile of extreme satisfaction appeared on his stern and austere face.