Junior sister, I really need to control you.

Early in the morning, Li Yinsheng walked out of Uncle Jiang's bedroom.

He didn't go straight to Mu Xiaoyu's bedroom as usual to get her out of bed and start cultivating.

Because he was planning to give Mu Xiaoyu a day off.

Firstly, she hadn't had a break for a month straight.

Although with the profound mysteries of the Qingxuan True Scripture, coupled with the nourishing pills and the Qingxuan Divine Light, her body will not have any problems, but her mind may indeed need to relax a little.

Even for a high school senior in his previous life, it was rare to go a whole month without a break.

Secondly, Li Yinsheng planned to go directly to Baoguang Temple today to find a Taoist temple that was skilled in array formations and set up a small spirit refining array on this Xuanzhen Peak.

Although the production of special spiritual essence is extremely limited, my uncle doesn't need it. He mainly relies on his cave heaven for cultivation and doesn't really require it.

If it's only used to supply my junior sister, a small array can easily provide it continuously for twelve hours a day.

This treatment is, in some ways, equivalent to that of a Taoist master in another Taoist temple.

However, other Taoist temples use large-scale spirit-refining formations, which cover a very large area and produce more and purer special spiritual essences, which is difficult for small formations to achieve.

However, this treatment is certainly unmatched by disciples from other Taoist temples.

Of course, he didn't tell his Uncle Jiang about this.

After all, he hadn't found an opportunity to reveal his current cultivation level to his martial uncle. If he dared to say that he planned to borrow 100,000 talismans to build a spirit refining array, his martial uncle would really fight to the death to stop him from doing something foolish.

Fortunately, he had been taking care of his uncle for over a decade and was always reliable, never doing anything outrageous.

Therefore, after suspecting that he might be building the formation on credit, his uncle didn't even need him to deny it; his uncle quickly shook his head and denied the possibility.

After all, in his uncle's memory, he was someone who wouldn't waste a single talisman coin, let alone go on credit for 100,000 talisman coins.

But Li Yinsheng did intend to borrow a set of formations.

With his current cultivation level, even if he used the most basic method—searching for medicinal herbs in the Hundred Thousand Mountains or hunting demonic beasts—earning 100,000 talisman coins would only take a few months.

Although making money first and then paying in full to build the formation can avoid the interest on credit.

However, the Taoist temples that built the formations were not loan sharks; if they only borrowed for a few months, the interest wouldn't be much.

The sooner you use formations, the sooner you'll enjoy them.

There's only a little over a year and a half until the next Shaoyang Dao Examination. He doesn't want to delay for a few months just to save on the interest on some talisman coins; that would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

With a flick of his wrist, Li Yinsheng soared into the air and flew towards Baoguang Temple.

Previously, when he used the Wind-Soaring Technique to fly, he needed the support of pure spiritual energy to barely manage it.

But now, not only can he easily take off using only his own cultivation, but he can also do so much faster than before.

……

In the morning, at Baoguang Temple.

Li Yinsheng, dressed in a simple black Taoist robe and wearing the same bamboo hat he wore last time, walked on the bluestone path between the shops.

At the roadside stalls, there were many cultivators practicing alchemy, weapon crafting, or talisman drawing, selling their practice works.

Although these skills are all different, they are all quite expensive to learn, so selling one's own works to make money is the choice of most cultivators.

However, the construction of formations is not included.

Permanent formations, not to mention how difficult they are to create, just the material costs alone are beyond the reach of individual formation masters who need to set up stalls.

A formation master who can accumulate such capital must be quite skilled in formations and must be a person of high status in the Taoist temple, either a direct disciple or a steward.

Why would someone like that set up a stall? Wouldn't it be better to just take orders at the shop in their own Taoist temple?

Temporary formations used for fighting enemies are not that expensive, and individual formation masters can barely afford them.

Along the way, Li Yinsheng encountered several stalls selling temporary formations, but unfortunately, most of them were of questionable quality.

"Sigh..." Li Yinsheng shook his head and muttered to himself, "It seems that buying formations still requires going to a Taoist temple; it's impossible to rely on street vendors."

He was just talking to himself, but a middle-aged cultivator selling talismans at a stall next to him took the initiative to chat with him in a very familiar way.

"This fellow Daoist is right!" The middle-aged cultivator stroked his beard. "Back then, I didn't understand this principle and bought a low-grade formation by the roadside, almost losing my life to the demons."

Li Yinsheng looked at the person who spoke, a middle-aged cultivator with a square face, wide mouth, thick eyebrows, and big eyes.

This is considered quite old among the cultivators who set up stalls.

Those who usually set up stalls are young disciples who haven't been practicing for very long and whose skills are not yet proficient.

He looked down at the talismans for sale on the other person's table and couldn't help but twitch his lips.

What the hell is this drawing?!

Do you hold the pen in your mouth when you draw talismans?

This is not even as good as someone who has "taught talisman drawing for three years on their own".

Your talisman is in such a mess, the base, the opening, and the base are all mixed up, how can it still be used?

And did you write your name in the corner of the talisman? Do you think it's a signature? Can a talisman like that even work?

Adhering to the principle of not wanting to offend anyone unnecessarily, Li Yinsheng only complained in his heart and did not speak out.

However, the middle-aged man seemed to know his own limitations. Seeing Li Yinsheng staring at the table for a long time without saying a word, he understood what Li Yinsheng was thinking.

"Heh..." The middle-aged man chuckled憨厚ly, "Fellow Daoist, laugh if you want to, no need to hold it in."

"I was never a talisman master. My job in the temple was to protect the people and subdue demons. Drawing talismans was just a hobby, something I did for fun."

Li Yinsheng did not laugh.

Sometimes, when faced with something that's too abstract, it's hard for people to laugh immediately.

Seeing that no laughter came from under Li Yinsheng's straw hat, the middle-aged man's goodwill towards him increased greatly, and he couldn't help but nod and say:

"Fellow Daoist is the only one who didn't laugh at me today. It seems you are an honest and kind person."

Li Yinsheng thought to himself that it seemed the people who passed by today all had good taste.

"Since you are so kind, fellow Daoist, I will return the favor and tell you some useful information." The middle-aged Daoist lowered his voice, "Are you looking for a suitable array master?"

Li Yinsheng suspected that the other party was either a shady intermediary or a shill for some kind of magic formation stall.

But the other person's next words dispelled his idea.

"Fellow Daoist, are you familiar with the Jade Altar Temple?"

This sentence confirmed to Li Yinsheng that this person was not a accomplice.

Yutan Temple doesn't need to rely on others to do business in formations.

Yutan Temple is recognized as the Taoist temple most skilled in formations under the Zhengyang lineage.

In the art of array formations, the Jade Altar Temple holds a similar position to the Forging Furnace Temple, which he visited previously.

The difference is that although Zhulu Temple is recognized as the best Taoist temple for weapon crafting under the lineage, Bifeng Temple is still slightly inferior in weapon crafting and relentlessly pursues it.

Yutan Temple holds an unparalleled position in the field of formations.

If the Seven Star Temple, second only to the most skilled in formations, is a fierce tiger, then the Jade Altar Temple is a Tiger tank.

It is said that when the Zhengyang lineage fought against a certain demonic sect in the past, the formations of the Jade Altar Temple were repeatedly successful. Even the True Persons of the demonic sect had been trapped and killed in succession, and countless demonic sons and grandsons died in the process.

However, unlike the Zhulu Temple which opens its doors to business, the Yutan Temple does not receive all guests.

Yutan Temple, adhering to the principle of striving for excellence, has a small number of disciples, but their mastery of formations is superb, so they receive far fewer orders than other Taoist temples specializing in formations.

Many people want to buy or customize formations from Yutan Temple, but without an introduction from an acquaintance, Yutan Temple basically does not accept orders.

Their reasons are also quite valid—

I'm sorry, our Taoist temple is small and we have few disciples. It's not that we don't want to do business with you, it's just that we're really too busy.

Upon hearing the middle-aged cultivator mention the Jade Altar Temple, Li Yinsheng immediately perked up and cupped his hands, saying, "The name of the Jade Altar Temple is known to few in the Zhengyang lineage. Fellow Daoist, do you have any inside information to share?"

"It seems this young fellow Daoist is aware of the reputation and style of the Jade Altar Temple, so I won't waste any more words."

The middle-aged cultivator walked from behind the table to Li Yinsheng's side, looked around, and made sure there were no other cultivators nearby before speaking in a low voice.

"Those aloof array masters at Yutan Temple seem to be short of money lately. They'll take any order from anyone who comes to their shop to buy arrays, regardless of whether they have an acquaintance or not."

"Those array masters inside, who used to only want to finish one array and then rest for a month, are now working non-stop, taking on the next job as soon as they finish one!"

"Is...is this really true?"

Li Yinsheng was taken aback, his first reaction being disbelief: "If this is true, why hasn't it spread yet?"

"Sigh, we have to thank the people of Yutan Temple for being so aloof. Although they secretly lifted the rule of not accepting orders without a referral, they are unwilling to promote it actively, probably because they think it would lower their status."

"Over the years, the rules and aloofness of the Jade Altar Temple have become well-known. No one would go looking for trouble without an introduction," the middle-aged cultivator said with a smile.

"However, there are advantages to being aloof. Although they have opened up to accepting orders, the quality of their formations remains as good as ever, without any decline, and they haven't raised prices either."

"Has this matter not spread yet?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Hehe, with such a good opportunity to take advantage, who would actively spread the word? By then, the threshold of Yutan Temple will be worn down, and we won't be able to buy the formation anymore, will we?"

The middle-aged cultivator said, "If I hadn't seen you as an honest and kind person, I would never have told you this."

"However, nothing stays hidden forever. I reckon that given enough time, the news will eventually spread. If you want to buy an array, you'd better go soon."

Li Yinsheng cupped his hands again: "Thank you for telling me, fellow Daoist. I will remember this favor."

He didn't completely believe what the other person said, but going to the shop at Yutan Temple was free.

At most, you'll just be played for a fool, and they still won't take your order.

After exchanging a few more words, Li Yinsheng, with his mind focused on the formation, took his leave.

The middle-aged cultivator didn't insist on keeping him, but simply told Li Yinsheng that he was a Taoist priest from Huangzhu Temple named Qi Jiushan, and that he could come back to see his talismans when he had time, as he guaranteed they would be better than what he was drawing now.

Li Yinsheng muttered "definitely, definitely," then bowed and left.

Even as he left, he couldn't bring himself to tell the middle-aged Taoist priest one thing.

He always felt that those talismans looked like children's comic books.

……

After bidding farewell to the overly familiar middle-aged Taoist priest, Li Yinsheng arrived at the shop of Yutan Temple.

Looking at the shop in front of him, Li Yinsheng adjusted his straw hat.

It was completely different from the shop at the casting furnace temple.

The shops at Yutan Temple were completely undecorated, consisting of nothing more than plain wooden walls and doors.

The plaque is a wooden board that looks like a floorboard cut off, and the words on it are not even carved, but written with a large brush: "Yutan Temple".

However, at least the handwriting is strong and elegant.

Moreover, unlike the female manager of the Zhulu Temple who would come to greet guests at the door as soon as they saw them.

Although the shop at Yutan Temple was open, and there were groups of young cultivators inside chatting, meditating, or studying array diagrams, none of them paid any attention to Li Yinsheng at the door.

It was as if there was no one at the door at all.

Li Yinsheng thought to himself, "This is ridiculous."

The fact that their business is still thriving at this level shows how incredibly skilled these people are.

He stepped into the shop, but no one paid him any attention. Only the female shopkeeper, who was sitting behind the counter looking at the array diagrams, looked up at him.

The shopkeeper looked to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with fair skin, a long neck, and a delicate face without makeup or expression.

"Shopkeeper, I'll take care of it..." Li Yinsheng said, bowing slightly.

"Go to the shelf on the left to buy formations," the female shopkeeper interrupted rudely. "We have all the common formations, and the prices are uniformly 20% to 30% higher than at Seven Star Temple, but it's worth the extra cost. Take it or leave it..."

Li Yinsheng's brows furrowed slightly beneath his straw hat—no matter how skilled he was, he couldn't do business with this kind of attitude, could he?

"The same formation will be at least 50% more effective than the Seven Star Temple formation. If it's less than 50%, we'll refund the money you paid for the formation. We'll only refund the money; you can keep the formation yourself."

"If it is found that the array materials are not the best materials available on the market for arrays of the same specifications, or if any inferior materials are used, we will replace the array free of charge and compensate you with double the amount of the talisman."

"If the formation develops problems within twenty years without being damaged in combat, we will replace it with a new formation free of charge and compensate you with five times the amount of the talisman money."

"If any undisclosed flaws are discovered in the formation itself, we will compensate you ten times the price of the talisman, and you can choose any three formations from all the formations on the shelf."

The female shopkeeper, with a cold face, finished speaking the rest of the content in rapid succession.

Li Yinsheng's furrowed brows quietly relaxed.

That's how business is done!

"Ahem, shopkeeper," Li Yinsheng took a few steps closer and said, "I don't want to buy an array, I want to have a small spirit refining array custom-made."

Upon hearing that they had come to order a custom magic array, the female shopkeeper's usually indifferent expression finally softened slightly.

"Custom-made small-scale spirit refining arrays have varying prices depending on the type of special spirit essence they produce. What type of special spirit essence do you want?"

"The best cultivation methods to accelerate progress are those that are balanced and harmonious," Li Yinsheng said.

"Then let's use the Transparent Spirit Refining Array," the female shopkeeper said without hesitation.

"The spiritual energy refined in this array is called 'Clarity Spiritual Energy,' which is most suitable for assisting in the cultivation of balanced and peaceful techniques. It can also clear the mind and slightly reduce mental strain during cultivation."

Li Yinsheng nodded: "Then the price and the time required to build the formation..."

"It will take seven days. Including the cost of materials and the array master's fee, it will cost a total of 120,000 talismans. If you pay on credit, the interest will be 1,000 talismans per month," the female shopkeeper said.

"120,000 is indeed quite fair, given the reputation of Yutan Temple," Li Yinsheng nodded.

"Hmm." The female shopkeeper nodded indifferently, acknowledging Li Yinsheng's statement. "On credit or full payment? When will it be built? Where will it be built?"

"If it's on credit, do I need to pay a deposit? How much is the deposit?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Thirty thousand talisman coins," the female shopkeeper said.

Li Yinsheng walked to the counter and tried to make his voice as sincere as possible: "Shopkeeper, I don't have that much deposit on hand right now. Could you lower the deposit amount? Of course, the total price will remain the same."

"No reduction." The female shopkeeper coldly refused. "If you don't have the money, come back when you've gathered it."

Li Yinsheng sighed.

Judging from the other party's attitude, it seems that negotiations will indeed be difficult.

The shops at Yutan Temple don't look like places for business at all.

Moreover, for such indifferent people, it would probably be ineffective to try to reason with the shopkeeper with sincerity, as was done at the Forging Furnace Temple before.

Fortunately, the deposit was only 20,000 talismans short, which wasn't too difficult to obtain and wouldn't take much time.

Thinking this through, Li Yinsheng decided not to waste any more time: "Then I'll take my leave."

"Wait a minute." The female shopkeeper called to Li Yinsheng, who was about to turn around, and took out a stack of water chestnut cakes, a pot of tea, and an empty cup from under the counter.

She filled a cup with tea and pushed it, along with the stack of pastries, towards Li Yinsheng: "Please enjoy."

Li Yinsheng was stunned: "Shopkeeper, what's going on? I don't have any money to place an order today."

"The shop's new rule is that we must serve tea and snacks to all customers, regardless of whether they place an order or not," the female shopkeeper explained in a businesslike manner.

"Why didn't you give it to me when I first arrived? I'm leaving now!" Li Yinsheng said.

"I forgot," the female shopkeeper said.

Li Yinsheng remained silent for a long time.

Well, it's free tea and snacks, might as well drink it.

He took off his straw hat and placed it on the counter, then picked up a simple piece of water chestnut cake and put it in his mouth.

A refreshing aroma immediately filled his sense of smell, and a sweetness that seemed to originate spontaneously from the tip of his tongue spread in his mouth without any cloying sweetness.

Wait... do these people even use the finest ingredients to make tea and snacks?

This round must have almost ten talisman coins, right?

I should have brought Junior Sister Mu with me.

Li Yinsheng shifted his gaze from the seemingly ordinary plate of water chestnut cakes and looked at the female shopkeeper, wanting to ask if he could pack the rest to take home.

Then he saw the female shopkeeper staring straight at him.

"The shopkeeper? The shopkeeper?" Li Yinsheng asked.

At Li Yinsheng's call, the female shopkeeper suddenly woke up, her gaze abruptly shifting from Li Yinsheng's face: "Wh...what is it?"

"This water chestnut cake is good. Can I take the rest home?" Li Yinsheng asked.

"Y-yes," the female shopkeeper took a soft breath, touching her earlobe, "I have some more here, do you want more?"

"No need," Li Yinsheng shook his head. "I haven't placed an order yet, just one plate is fine."

The female shopkeeper glanced around, then lowered her voice and said, "If you're placing an order, the deposit... can be a little lower..."

"Lowering the price won't help. I only have 10,000 talisman coins right now, and I can't even afford to pay in half." Li Yinsheng put the water chestnut cake into his Qiankun bag. "But I'll be able to get some talisman coins soon..."

"A deposit of ten thousand is acceptable." The female shopkeeper picked up a calligraphy brush and stroked the brush handle with her slender fingers as she spoke.

"Huh?" Li Yinsheng was stunned.

"However... there's a condition," the female shopkeeper took another light breath, "you must let me take this order, and I can waive the deposit..."

"This...isn't that a bad idea?" Li Yinsheng hesitated.

He's a little worried that the other party might be trying to take a kickback—the order should be taken by a skilled array master, but what if she's not skilled enough and wants to snatch the order with a discount?

Since he chose Yutan Temple, his primary concern must be quality!

To compromise quality just to save money is putting the cart before the horse.

Wait, that's not right.

At Yutan Temple, it seems they'll compensate you if the quality is poor...

"If you specify the formation, the total price can be cheaper."

The female shopkeeper spoke again, interrupting Li Yinsheng's train of thought, her eyes fixed on his face as she spoke.

Li Yinsheng felt even more uncertain.

After hesitating for a moment, he said tactfully, "Shopkeeper, I'm just short of money right now, and the money for setting up the formation isn't actually that much for me."

"Therefore, rather than whether it saves money or not, I actually care more about the quality of the formation after it is completed..."

The female shopkeeper pursed her lips and spoke again.

"The stewards only take orders within the temple; the array masters in the shop are all direct disciples and true disciples of the stewards."

She took out a jade scroll that shimmered with precious light and pointed it at herself.

"I am the direct disciple of the abbot."

"I'm placing my order."

Li Yinsheng answered without hesitation.