Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

The market was as bustling as ever.

Li Shen walked through the crowd and arrived at the place where the results were posted.

A large crowd had already gathered there, and Li Shen had to squeeze his way to the front for quite a while before he finally made it.

As soon as I looked up, I saw my name and the number on my ID card prominently displayed at the top of the list.

Li Shen, Bing 13, 186 points.

He glanced down and saw that the second place was Song Mu from the Song family, with eighty points, less than half of his own.

Further on, the Zhou family, the Tang family, the Zhao family... apart from him, all the families within the first ten miles were disciples of Foundation Establishment families.

Li Shen felt a chill run down his spine, and his desire to go into seclusion reached its peak.

Just as he was feeling uneasy, a young cultivator beside him suddenly spoke, his tone filled with undisguised admiration:

"Just who is this Li Shen? He actually managed to overpower the four Foundation Establishment families. He really made us rogue cultivators proud!"

No, you don't actually want to know.

Li Shen silently looked away, hoping that no one would recognize him.

But the young cultivator was a very outgoing person. He nudged him lightly with his elbow and turned to ask:

"Fellow Daoist, don't you agree?"

Li Shen's lips twitched slightly, and he replied in a low, perfunctory voice:

"Perhaps I was just lucky."

He secretly rejoiced that there was only one name on the list, and since he rarely interacted with people, not many people recognized his face.

"luck?"

The young monk shook his head in disapproval:

"Fellow Daoist, you are mistaken! The contribution points are all real, 186 points, more than double that of the second place!"

The surrounding independent cultivators, upon hearing this, all echoed its sentiments.

Someone added, with a hint of regret:

"I heard he also slew a late-stage, peak-level first-tier demonic beast. It's a pity I wasn't there at the time, otherwise I would definitely have made the acquaintance!"

Who spread this rumor?! I didn't kill them!

Li Shen's eyelids twitched as he listened, but he could only keep a straight face and remain silent.

Hearing so many voices of agreement, the young cultivator sighed deeply, his voice filled with a touch of fervor:

"We, the independent cultivators, should emulate Li Shen!"

These words seemed to awaken the lofty ambitions of many independent cultivators, igniting their passion.

As they chatted back and forth, Li Shen seemed to hear someone suggesting the formation of a gang and supporting him as its leader.

This gave Li Shen a headache, and he couldn't help but ask the person who had started it all:

"Fellow Daoist, what is your name?"

"My surname is Ye, and my given name is Fan."

As soon as the young cultivator finished speaking, he was drawn to the conversation of two fellow cultivators on the other side and excitedly joined their discussion.

Li Shen silently memorized the name, then turned around, quietly squeezed out of the crowd, and quickly left this place of trouble.

He then went to the market for wandering monks.

At this moment, the market was deserted because most of the independent cultivators had gone to set up stalls on the outskirts of Laoshan.

He tried to exchange some spirit stones at Shi Yong's regular stall as usual, but he didn't find him.

It's likely that Shi Yong used that Lingzhi mushroom with its dark leaves to refine pills.

Li Shen didn't linger and turned to walk towards the street where talisman shops were concentrated.

The shop wasn't large, but it was well-organized. Most of the talismans on the shelves had already been sold, making it look rather empty.

Upon seeing a customer enter, the shop assistant immediately greeted them with a smile:

"What kind of talismans do you need, fellow Daoist? Our shop has all kinds of basic talismans. Although we don't have many left due to the demon hunting incident, the quality is absolutely guaranteed."

"I have some talismans that I want to sell."

Li Shen got straight to the point, speaking in a calm tone.

The waiter was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and his gaze immediately became more scrutinizing.

Nowadays, talismans are in short supply, and most experienced talisman masters sell them on their own.

This fellow Daoist looks quite young, and his cultivation level is only at the fourth level of Qi Refining. He must have just entered the Dao of Talismans and wants to exchange some spirit stones, but he can't find a good way to do so.

Based on his years of experience, the shop assistant made a judgment, but his tone was not condescending. After all, the way of talismans is mysterious and profound. If the other party really has any talent, he might turn to another shop because of my bad attitude.

He didn't want to lose his job if the shopkeeper blamed him.

Thinking of this, the waiter's smile remained unchanged, and his attitude was respectful:

"So you're a talisman master, fellow Daoist. My apologies for my rudeness. May I take a look at the types of talismans you intend to sell?"

Li Shen nodded slightly, took out a blue talisman from his storage bag, and handed it to the other party.

The shop assistant took it, examined it from left to right, and his brows gradually furrowed.

He considered himself to have a solid foundation in first-order talismans, but the rune patterns on the talisman in front of him were completely unheard of. He could only preliminarily determine that it was a low-grade talisman, and he could not identify any of its other characteristics.

He couldn't help but look up at Li Shen, and quickly said:

"Fellow Daoist, this talisman is profound, and my eyesight is poor. I would like to ask the shopkeeper to take a look. Please wait a moment."

After saying that, he returned the talisman to Li Shen and hurriedly went into the back hall.

Li Shen looked at the low-grade first-tier concealment talisman in his hand and began to plan how to respond to the shopkeeper later.

He didn't want to sell the Concealing Breath Talisman now, after all, it was one of the few trump cards he could use.

But now that he's in such a high position, if someone is determined to investigate, they'll eventually discover that he's hiding something.

Moreover, he does indeed urgently need spirit stones at the moment.

Even if one were to produce a mid-grade first-tier ice cone talisman, it would still be a common mid-grade talisman with a clear profit ceiling, at most earning a market premium.

This move is somewhat risky, but if used properly, the problem of spirit stones can be solved.

At that time, with spirit insects and soul slaves in hand, if anyone harbors ill intentions, they may come to my Yin Soul Banner for a talk!

Just then, an elderly man in a blue robe with a gaunt face came out with the shop assistant. His eyes lit up when they fell on the talisman in Li Shen's hand.

"Young friend, may I examine this talisman closely?"

The old man's voice was gentle, yet tinged with urgency.

Li Shen nodded slightly and handed over the concealment talisman.

The shopkeeper took the talisman, closed his eyes slightly, and slowly channeled his spiritual energy into it.

After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them, which then turned into a meaningful scrutiny.

"Young friend, did you create this talisman?"

"It is indeed I, the junior."

Li Shen's voice was steady, and his expression was calm.

The old man stroked his beard in silence, carefully sensing the sensation for a moment before slowly speaking:

"Young friend, this place is not very convenient. Why don't you come with me to the back room?"

After saying this, the shopkeeper instructed his assistant to temporarily close the shop and brew a pot of the finest spiritual tea for himself and his young friend.

He then led Li Shen into a private room in the back hall.

As soon as you enter, a faint scent of ink wafts into your nostrils.

Although the interior was simply furnished, Li Shen could tell with a slight probe of his divine sense that a soundproof barrier had been set up to isolate the noise from the outside world.

The shopkeeper gestured for Li Shen to sit down, and then sat opposite him, continuing to study the talisman in his hand.

He put down the talisman only after the shop assistant brought him tea.

"Young friend, this is a fine cloud and mist spirit tea, brewed from tender leaves that are fifty years old. You may try it; it has a very good calming effect."

Li Shen thanked him, but did not rush to drink. He calmly looked at the other person, waiting for him to continue.