Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

Yunhe Mountain Market, outskirts, southwest hut.

The sun had just risen, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated.

Li Shen, however, had already sat down at his desk with a pen in hand.

It was already late autumn, but his forehead was still covered in sweat.

Sweat beads slid down the bridge of his nose and gathered at the tip.

Li Shen's expression immediately tightened, trying not to let the drop of sweat fall, lest it ruin everything.

Drawing talismans requires a single, continuous stroke, and one must not be disturbed by external factors.

He gripped the pen with great force, yet the pen moved with remarkable lightness.

The remaining writing patterns shimmered faintly with a pale blue light.

Before long, Li Shen's pen tip had reached the bottom of the talisman paper.

Li Shen's heart raced as he nearly failed several times in the final stages.

But after months of summarizing and reflecting, he had a feeling that success was not far away.

Maybe today!

Li Shen's mind was firm. He paused heavily with the tip of his pen, as if embedding the last piece of the puzzle. The faint blue light on the entire surface of the talisman suddenly solidified.

"It's done!"

Li Shen was overjoyed. He casually wiped the sweat from his face, picked up the first ice cone talisman he had drawn since transmigrating, and probed it with spiritual power to examine it carefully.

Although this is only a low-grade first-level talisman, it means that Li Shen has finally stepped into the threshold of the talisman path through his own perseverance and hard work, and has acquired a skill.

Early morning is the best time to draw talismans.

Li Shen's joy didn't last long. He prepared to memorize this feeling, and immediately took out a blank talisman and began to redraw it.

As the brushstrokes flowed like dragons and snakes, the sun gradually rose higher in the sky.

Li Shen slumped in the wooden chair, panting heavily, feeling completely drained, both physically and mentally.

After concentrating on drawing talismans for so long, even though he had cultivated the "Evergreen Technique," which primarily enhances spiritual awareness, he could no longer squeeze out a single drop of energy.

Fortunately, hard work pays off.

Although he used up all his talisman paper reserves, he still managed to draw eight first-tier ice cone talismans.

Eight!

A single Tier 1 Ice Cone Talisman is worth one low-grade spirit stone. If there is a good quality one, it can be worth an extra one or two spirit stones.

Li Shenmei thought to himself with delight, feeling that a prosperous new life was beckoning to him.

He calmed down for a while and resisted the urge to use the spirit sand to restore his spiritual power.

Back in bed, I obediently sat cross-legged and began practicing my exercises.

After more than half an hour, Li Shen finally regained his composure. He changed into a faded gray robe, carefully concealed the talismans on his body, and carrying dozens of spirit sands as his belongings, he pushed open the door and went out.

Today we also have a very important goal: the inheritance of ancient talismanic arts!

After Li Shen awakened his memories of his past life, he gained an intelligence cheat, which provided him with a piece of information precisely at midnight every day.

Its value is uncertain, but it has been an important means for him to survive to this day.

Just last night at midnight, Li Shen obtained some very useful information.

In the market of independent cultivators within the town, an old talisman master in gray robes, at the fourth level of Qi Refining, decides to return to the mortal realm. Among the items he sells is an old animal hide, interspersed with a tattered fragment of an ancient talismanic inheritance.

Before receiving this information, the old animal hide must not have been sold yet, but according to the information, the old talisman master should have sold everything he wanted to sell today. We must find him as soon as possible to avoid any unforeseen circumstances.

However, before that, Li Shen believed he needed to sell some of the Ice Spike Talismans to give himself enough financial resources to buy the roll of animal hide.

He quickly weaved through the crowd and soon arrived at the market for independent cultivators.

The sounds of hawking and bargaining filled the air.

Without hesitation, Li Shen walked towards the northeast corner and arrived at a fixed stall.

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with a full beard and a burly build named Shi Yong. He was a Qi Refining Level 6 cultivator and a middleman, but his prices were relatively fair, making him a trusted trading partner for many low-level cultivators.

It is said to have some connection with the Jade Sword Sect, one of the three sects of Yunhe Mountain.

"Brother Shi."

Li Shen greeted him in a low voice.

He obtained his book on talisman drawing, "A Brief Explanation of the Basics of Talismans," and the cheap talisman paper he used for practice from here.

Shi Yong, who was wiping a short knife with his head down, looked up and saw that it was Li Shen. A smile appeared on his rugged face.

"Hey! Young Li, you look great today. Here to buy talismans again?"

Li Shen shook his head, lowered his voice, and asked directly:

"Brother Shi, I recently drew a few ice cone talismans. Could you take a look and tell me how well they're done?"

Shi Yong's eyes lit up. He put down the dagger and rubbed his hands together.

"Take it out and let us see."

Li Shen casually took out three ice cone talismans from his pocket and handed them over.

Shi Yong took them and, without any hesitation, began to examine each one carefully.

A faint golden light flashed at his fingertips, as if he were sensing the spiritual energy structure and stability within the talisman.

"Hmm...not bad, kid. It seems you have some talent in drawing talismans. The spiritual energy flows smoothly, and the coldness is contained within, especially this one..."

Shi Yong pondered for a moment, then pulled out the ice cone talisman from the middle and exclaimed in surprise:

"The quality is close to mid-grade. Kid, tell me honestly, is this really your first time drawing a talisman?"

Upon hearing this, Li Shen was secretly pleased, but maintained a calm demeanor.

"Brother Shi, please stop teasing me. To be honest, you were the one who showed me how to draw talismans."

Shi Yong grinned, returned the talisman to Li Shen, and after a moment's thought, said:

"You know the rules. A low-grade first-tier attack talisman costs one low-grade spirit stone on the market. One of your three is close to mid-grade, so I can give you an extra half a spirit stone. How about it?"

Li Shen nodded; the price was within expectations.

He didn't respond immediately, but lowered his voice, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Brother Shi, actually I have three more."

As he spoke, Li Shen took out three more ice cone talismans from his pocket and handed them to Shi Yong.

Shi Yong was slightly surprised. After studying him for a moment, he slowly raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Li Shen's face:

"Well, kid, still trying to hide your talents from me? Looks like you've actually found something useful out of that lousy book of mine."

A moment later, Shi Yong gave a quote:

"These six cards of yours, four are low-grade and two are close to mid-grade, I'll give them to you for seven and a half low-grade spirit stones, how about that?"

Why is there an extra half piece?

Li Shen was puzzled, but before he could ask, Shi Yong gestured for him to come closer.

Li Shen leaned forward and listened to Shi Yong's low explanation:

"Young Li, the Demon Hunting Tournament is about to begin. In a few days, when the notices are posted, commonly used attack talismans like these will soon see a surge in price. This will be an opportunity for both of us."

Li Shen nodded in realization; it seemed that the extra half piece was the olive branch extended by Shi Yong.

Li Shen had also heard about the Demon Hunting Tournament.

Led by disciples from the three sects of Yunhe Mountain, the exploration of Laoshan was essentially aimed at eliminating the demonic beasts that had not yet posed a threat, ensuring that the demonic beasts of Laoshan would not threaten Yunhe Mountain.

Perhaps the old talisman master's sale of his belongings and return to the mortal world was partly due to this reason. Before the Demon Hunting Conference began, the rogue cultivators only had two choices: either participate in the demon hunt or pay a hefty demon hunting tax, which was essentially a protection fee.

Li Shen pondered the matter, and the thought of the demon-hunting tax gave him a headache.

It's said that last time they charged 20 spirit stones per person, I wonder how much they'll charge this time.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Shi."

Li Shen bowed and thanked him.

Shi Yong waved his hand, took out seven and a half low-grade spirit stones from his dusty storage bag at his waist, and handed them to Li Shen.

"Your cultivation is still shallow. I'm telling you this to advise you to draw more talismans before the notice is issued, and save up enough spirit stones to pay the tax. I'm not trying to discourage you, but with your cultivation level, you'd be in grave danger if you really went to hunt demons. We rogue cultivators are the ones who are at the forefront, and those sect disciples won't take care of you much."

Li Shenshen agreed and solemnly said:

"I understand, thank you, Brother Shi."

He put away the spirit stones and was about to take his leave when Shi Yong called him back.

"Young Li, there are a few rogue cultivators over there who are preparing to sell their belongings and return to the mortal world. I went to take a look, but I didn't see anything particularly suitable. But you can go and have a look; you might find something you need."

Shi Yong gestured with his chin in a certain direction, "Especially there's an old man with a stall who's a talisman master; you might be able to find something there."

Upon hearing the word "old man," Li Shen was overjoyed. Although the market for scattered cultivators was not large, it would still take some time to accurately locate a single person.

I was worried about how to find him, but now it's such a coincidence!

Li Shen bowed again to express his gratitude and then walked in the direction Shi Yong pointed.