Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

While wandering around the market, he spotted several talisman shops that were doing brisk business.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Li entered a shop called Qianfu Pavilion.

"What kind of talisman does this fellow Daoist wish to purchase? Would you be so kind as to recommend one?"

As soon as I entered, a Qi Refining Level 1 employee dressed in gray clothes came to greet me.

Zhang Li's gaze quickly swept over the two outermost rows of shelves, where common fireball talismans, wind blade talismans, and water arrow talismans were neatly categorized and stacked on the shelves.

"I'll take a look around by myself first, and I'll call you if I need anything," Zhang Li said casually, walking around the shelves in the store.

Upon hearing this, the waiter wisely stepped aside and stopped bothering Zhang Li, but occasionally glanced up to keep an eye on Zhang Li's movements, afraid of missing this potential customer.

The name "Thousand Talisman Pavilion" is indeed fitting. The shop offers a wide variety of talismans, encompassing almost all the spiritual talismans that Qi Refining cultivators can use. The higher the grade of the talismans, the further down the shelf you go.

Since the minor study has already chosen to focus on alchemy, the other skills can only be pursued with the pursuit of "refinement".

The key to spiritual talismans is quality, not quantity. There's no need to hoard a large number of low-level, common talismans. Just choose those that are highly practical and can be used as a last resort for survival.

He only glanced at the fireball and wind blade talismans on the outer shelves. These talismans were of average power, and cultivators of the same level could easily withstand them by circulating their magic power to protect themselves. It was good to keep some of these talismans on hand, but in critical moments, one must have a trump card that could make the final decision.

With that in mind, I headed straight for the innermost row of shelves.

With just a quick glance, Zhang Li immediately took a liking to one of the superior-grade spirit talismans—the Thunderclap Talisman.

The power of thunder is so great that even cultivators would find it difficult to withstand. Since this Thunderclap Talisman contains the word "thunder," its power should not be underestimated.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight!"

Seeing Zhang Li lingering in front of the Thunderclap Talisman for a long time, the gray-clad waiter finally stepped forward, his face bearing a polite smile and his tone full of flattery and praise.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight. This Thunderclap Talisman is the most powerful talisman in our Thousand Talisman Pavilion. It was made by a senior talisman master in the pavilion. Few talismans of the same level can compare to it. Once activated, even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator will have to avoid its edge."

"How much does it cost?" Zhang Li asked, turning his gaze away.

"This talisman is of superior quality and unparalleled power. It is priced at fifty low-grade spirit stones." The shopkeeper quoted the price truthfully, and then quickly added, "Fellow Daoist, rest assured, our Thousand Talisman Pavilion has clearly marked prices and is honest and fair to all, young and old. This price is the fairest in the entire market. Other shops will charge at least fifty-five spirit stones for the same quality Thunderclap Talisman."

Fifty spirit stones.

This price is definitely a huge sum of money for an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator.

It should be noted that ordinary fireball talismans and wind blade talismans cost only one or two spirit stones each, and even mid-grade spirit talismans cost at most a dozen spirit stones each.

The price of a top-grade Thunderclap Talisman is almost three times that of other talismans of the same grade.

But Zhang Li was completely unfazed, and even felt that it was worth more than the price.

He specializes in alchemy, and the profits he makes from refining pills far exceed those of ordinary cultivators, making him quite wealthy.

More importantly, for cultivators, wealth, methods, companions, and land are all indispensable. Spirit stones are external things that are spent, but what they bring in is a trump card to protect one's life. No matter how you look at it, this deal is never a loss.

No matter how many low-level talismans you have, they are just a drop in the ocean when facing a powerful enemy. Only a trump card with extremely high destructive power can protect your life in a critical moment.

"I'll take this Thunderclap Talisman." Zhang Li nodded, without haggling.

The waiter's eyes lit up at the suggestion, and he quickly replied with a smile, "Alright! Fellow Daoist, you're truly straightforward!"

As he spoke, he deftly took the talisman from the shelf and carefully packed it into a specially made brocade box.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Li asked for a few more Wind Control Talismans and one Vajra Talisman.

The shopkeeper quickly responded and brought out the two kinds of talismans, placing them together in the brocade box. He then smiled and announced the bill: "The Wind-Riding Talisman costs seven spirit stones, the Vajra Talisman costs twenty-five spirit stones, and with the Thunderclap Talisman, the total is eighty-six spirit stones."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li took out the spirit stones. The shop assistant carefully counted them, and after confirming that everything was correct, he respectfully handed the brocade box to Zhang Li with both hands: "The spirit stones are correct! Please keep the talisman safe! If you need to buy talismans in the future, please feel free to come back to our Thousand Talisman Pavilion. Regular customers will always receive a discount!"

……

After leaving the Thousand Talisman Pavilion, Zhang Li strolled around the streets of Luoxia Market as usual, picking up several packets of spirit seeds for cultivating spirit herbs along the way.

With everything prepared, he was already planning to return to the Qingxuan Sect.

Having made up his mind, Zhang Li slowly and leisurely left Luoxia Market.

What Zhang Li didn't notice was that in the free trading area, at one of the stalls selling pills, a seemingly ordinary middle-aged rogue cultivator dressed in gray linen clothes suddenly raised his gaze from the stall, his eyes filled with resentment and venom, and fixed his departing figure on the ground.

"Zhang Li!"

The middle-aged rogue cultivator's voice was almost inaudible, but it contained a deep-seated hatred that was about to overflow.

As soon as he left Luoxia Market, Zhang Li plunged into the dense forests and sped towards Qingxuan Sect.

He didn't stop at all along the way, running for dozens of miles without resting for a moment.

When Zhang Li's mana in his dantian was almost half depleted, he stopped and sat cross-legged on a tree trunk. He swallowed a Qi-Nourishing Pill and began to recover his depleted mana and physical strength.

at this time.

Several miles away in the dense forest, a middle-aged monk was panting as he hurried toward Zhang Li.

"Zhang Liren, no matter how fast you run, once you're hit by my Soul-Chasing Powder, you'll never escape my pursuit."

The cool moonlight shone down all around, and apart from the chirping of insects, there was no other sound in the forest.

The tranquil night provided the best cover, completely concealing all traces of the middle-aged hermit.

He slowly steadied his breathing, suppressing the churning blood in his chest, and, using the dappled moonlight filtering through the branches and leaves, precisely locked onto the figure sitting cross-legged atop a tall tree.

Confirming that Zhang Li remained with his eyes closed, meditating and completely unaware, the middle-aged rogue cultivator's murderous intent erupted completely.

With a flick of his finger, a jet-black, bone-piercing poison needle gleaming with a chilling light quietly appeared.

The needles are coated with a secret, insidious poison powder. Once inside the body, the poison instantly rushes into the meridians, sealing off magical power and paralyzing the physical body.

At that time, no matter what methods Zhang Li uses, he will be at Zhang Li's mercy.

The middle-aged rogue cultivator held his breath and concentrated, but it was of no use whatsoever. Relying solely on his own strength, he aimed at Zhang Li, who was sitting cross-legged on the tree trunk, and suddenly flicked his finger.

call out!

A faint, almost imperceptible sound pierced the air, completely drowned out by the chirping of insects in the forest.

In a flash, Zhang Li suddenly opened his eyes, nimbly flipped over, and landed gracefully from the thick tree trunk.

The jet-black, bone-piercing poison needle grazed his shoulder before plunging deep into the trunk of the ancient tree behind him, the tip of the needle disappearing more than halfway into the ground.

Looking in the direction from which the flying needles were shot, Zhang Li's face was gloomy, and the Vajra Talisman hidden on his back was ready to be used.