Taoist cultivation begins with being a miner

When the eight mid-stage Qi Refining experts are together, anyone with other ideas will have to think twice.

Lu Yan also strongly agreed with this, stating that the early stage and the middle stage of Qi Refining are two different classes with a huge gap in status.

……

When Lu Yan was drawing lots, he pressed the "Demon" wheel. As the wheel stopped, seven bloodline fruits and three kinds of medicinal herbs appeared.

Having prepared mid-grade spirit stones and spirit-nourishing pills, Lu Yan began his path to breakthrough.

For a full thirty days, Lu Yan did nothing but refine the Bloodline Fruit and Spirit Nourishing Pills and absorb mid-grade spirit stones, except for eating and sleeping. He never stopped for a moment.

Until the last day of the month, the barrier of the third level of Qi Refining became increasingly loose, and Lu Yan finally broke through it in one go.

From then on, Lu Yan became a cultivator at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

A quick self-assessment reveals a significant improvement over the past, with substantial progress in physical strength, spiritual power, and mental awareness.

Lu Yan took out the Mining God's Pickaxe and swung it around in the courtyard, performing a complete set of sword and axe techniques.

His spiritual sense also increased from five zhang to seven zhang, making him no weaker than a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

After his cultivation was completely stabilized, Lu Yan began to make plans for the future, knowing that he could only explore his path slowly.

In my past life, I also enjoyed reading novels, but I wasn't interested in cultivation novels. I usually only liked reading 'Daytime' novels, otherwise I could have taken inspiration from them.

After careful consideration, the main quest is still to improve cultivation level, and there are two side quests: one is to mine to strengthen the physical body, and the other is to make talismans to earn spirit stones.

But at the same time, you also need to hunt monsters outside the city to increase your combat experience.

These few things alone are enough to keep me busy.

As for the spinning wheel, depending on your needs, prioritize monsters and ghosts, then demons, and finally humans.

……

Mid-month period, from 11 PM to 1 AM (Zi Shi).

Lu Yan activated the Ghost Character Wheel and obtained seven clusters of divine soul essence and three types of Yin attribute materials.

After a quick glance, Lu Yan fell asleep.

After a month of rigorous training, both my body and mind were already at their breaking point.

Lu Yan slept for three days before fully recovering.

Then Lu Yan went to the market to sell talismans, and during this time he accumulated more than four hundred talismans.

It took Lu Yan six days and several trips to sell all the talismans, earning him forty-five spirit stones.

My current spiritual sense and cultivation level have reached the required standard, and I can draw intermediate-level first-order talismans.

So Lu Yan went to the shops in Zhongcheng to buy the materials he needed.

"Fellow Daoist, a bottle of first-tier intermediate talisman paper costs ten spirit stones, a bottle of first-tier intermediate spirit ink costs ten spirit stones, and the talisman brush for drawing first-tier intermediate talismans is a low-grade magic tool, costing twenty spirit stones per brush."

Lu Yan fell silent upon hearing the price quoted by the shopkeeper.

No wonder there are so many first-tier low-level rune masters, while the number of mid-level rune masters has decreased sharply; the price of these materials alone makes them hesitate.

Without hesitation, Lu Yan bought a hundred talisman papers, a bottle of spirit ink, and a talisman brush, spending forty spirit stones.

The remaining five spirit stones were just enough to pay the rent.

Damn it!

Back at his residence, Lu Yan began to draw a fireball talisman. Even with the experience from the Inheritance Pearl, Lu Yan failed five times before succeeding.

It's heartbreaking to have wasted a spirit stone's worth of material.

I'm already considered lucky. Those talisman masters who learn normally all waste dozens of spirit stones to learn, some even more.

Following the Fireball Talisman are the Gale Talisman, Ice Cone Talisman, Binding Talisman, Cold Talisman, Blood Coagulation Talisman, Spirit Recovery Talisman, and Evil-Breaking Talisman, which are relatively simple among the first-tier intermediate talismans.

Lu Yan spent seven days learning these talismans, drawing each one five or six times before mastering it.

We'll leave the more difficult ones like Vajra Talisman, Rock Armor Talisman, Hallucinogenic Talisman, and Tranquilizing Talisman for now.

I'm currently severely lacking in low-grade spirit stones and need to earn some as soon as possible.

Lu Yan can now draw five or six first-level intermediate talismans every day, and it took him ten days to use up the remaining talisman paper.

In the end, fifty-six first-tier intermediate talismans were obtained, with varying quantities of each type depending on market demand.

Among them, the cold talisman was the most numerous, with eighteen drawn. There were five each of the fireball talisman, ice cone talisman, gale talisman, binding talisman, spirit return talisman, and blood clotting talisman. The evil-breaking talisman was used less often, with only two drawn as a token gesture.

Arriving at a market in the city center, I paid a spirit stone as rent and began selling talismans.

There are many vendors selling first-tier intermediate talismans in this market, but there are even more buyers, so I don't have to worry about selling my own talismans.

In the monster hunting industry in Wuyou City, there are the most cultivators at the mid-stage of Qi Refining, so there is a great demand for first-tier intermediate talismans.

He found a stall and set up his talismans. Before long, a cultivator came over to inquire about them.

Lu Yan gave him a discount of five spirit fragments for each talisman, and the man bought five in one go.

After that, Lu Yan didn't need to shout anything; cultivators came to the stall one after another to inquire and buy.

Twenty-five tickets were sold in one morning.

Lu Yan continued in the afternoon.

……

As soon as Lu Yan opened for business, he saw a group of people walking towards his stall.

There were eight men and one woman, and the eight male cultivators looked very similar, so they must have a close relationship. Their cultivation levels were all at the mid-stage of Qi Refining.

The female cultivator was exceptionally charming, with a stunning figure and makeup; she was quite beautiful.

Especially when walking, every move, word, and smile attracts everyone's attention.

"Brother Ke, how about this one?" The female cultivator said, linking arms with the leading male cultivator and pointing to Lu Yan's stall.

Her voice was soft and alluring, penetrating to the bone.

"Alright, Rong'er, I'll listen to you." The leading male cultivator replied gently, his eyes full of affection for the female cultivator.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist, you look unfamiliar. Is this your first time selling talismans in this market?" the leading male cultivator asked after seeing Lu Yan's face.

"Yes, fellow Daoist. I've been drawing some talismans to exchange for spirit stones during this time," Lu Yan nodded in reply.

"Fellow Daoist or Talisman Master?" The leading male cultivator was somewhat surprised upon hearing Lu Yan's words.

"Hmm, just a mid-level first-tier rune master, nothing to mention," Lu Yan said modestly.

"My name is Ji Danke, from the Ji family of Huzhou in the Great Yan Dynasty. This is my Daoist partner, Zhu Yuerong, and these are my cousins. May I ask your name, friend?" The leading male cultivator, having learned that Lu Yan was a talisman master, decided to befriend him and began with a self-introduction.

A first-tier intermediate talisman master is indeed nothing special to them, but Lu Yan is young and his future is bound to be limitless. It's definitely the right thing to do to befriend him now.

"So it's Fellow Daoist Ji. I am Lu Liu. As for my family background, let's not go into details. It's just a small family that Fellow Daoist Ji probably doesn't know." Seeing that the other party wanted to befriend him, Lu Yan did not refuse. It's inevitable that people of a certain strength will integrate into circles of a certain level.

The two chatted idly for a while, and Lu Yan noticed that Zhu Yuerong and Ji Danke were very close. They must have just become Daoist partners and were very much in love.

Subsequently, Ji Danke bought the remaining talismans from Lu Yan, which shows how wealthy the Ji family truly is.