Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Three Months of Cultivation

Thinking about continuing the subscription, this made Li Jizhou have to re-evaluate his financial resources.

Seven and a half years in Inverted Mountain, after subtracting daily expenses, intensive talisman crafting, medical poison training, and other costs like building his hidden card library, ultimately he saved only three hundred Spirit Stones.

The main issue was the poor initial talisman skills, low success rate, poor quality of talismans, and small profits, while he never skimped on cultivation resources, with no shortage of Spirit Rice or Spiritual Flesh. In the first few years, he was practically living paycheck to paycheck, without saving any Spirit Stones.

It was only in the last two years, especially after joining the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, that he began to have surplus. By then, he was already a Tier One Middle-Level Talisman Master, with improved success rates, plus the Honored Guest Elder benefits from Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion, the recovery price increased by ten percent, boosting profits significantly.

Moreover, being in the chaotic place like Inverted Mountain, he accumulated quite a few hidden cards. Now, in his storage bag, there are still thirty Tier One Advanced-Level talismans, over thirty mid-level high-quality talismans, and over fifty talismans mixed with Spirit-Transforming Powder and Soul-Devouring Incense, with a total value exceeding one hundred Spirit Stones.

Overall, in the last two years at Inverted Mountain, the actual monthly income approached thirty Spirit Stones. The spending on Spirit Rice and Spiritual Flesh was around eight Spirit Stones, and the subscription cost was thirty taels of Spiritual Sand, while the discarded talisman paper and wasted Spiritual Ink were within fifty taels of Spiritual Sand.

Each month, the surplus was around twenty Spirit Stones.

Now arriving at the Spirit Pearl Mountain marketplace, just the rent costs twenty Spirit Stones per month, and the prices for essential goods like Spirit Rice and Spiritual Flesh have doubled, also costing around twenty Spirit Stones, plus the energy cost for maintaining the house-defense array, fifty taels of Spiritual Sand per month, and subscription…

Conservatively speaking, if he doesn’t earn forty-five Spirit Stones monthly, he can’t sustain!

Relying solely on crafting and selling talismans, only being able to sell below mid-level top-grade talismans, is completely insufficient.

Currently, he spends three hundred Spirit Stones to rent a house and sixty Spirit Stones on arrays, leaving only two hundred twenty-three.

Fortunately, the three raiders’ storage bags provided one hundred Spirit Stones, and the eight receptions totaled thirty Spirit Stones.

In total, three hundred fifty-three Spirit Stones, that’s his entire fortune.

“Life is never easy!”

“Had I not inherited the Tier Two Pill Master’s memory from my past life, and already practiced ’Flame Phosphorus Skill’ to condense a thread of Pill Fire, ensuring I could earn more from alchemy within a year than from talisman crafting, I wouldn’t dare live in such a separate courtyard.”

“If other loose cultivators come here newly, they might only be able to squeeze into a small loft outside the marketplace, avoiding generous meals, living frugally, and cutting expenses everywhere!”

With clarity in mind, Li Jizhou cleared his distractions and started cultivating.

Three months swiftly passed.

“Knock knock knock~”

On this day, as Li Jizhou just finished his cultivation, retracting the light blue flame from his palm, a knock sounded at the door outside the courtyard.

His Divine Sense swept over, spotting a middle-aged man in Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion’s steward robe standing quietly at the door, appearing quite respectful.

Li Jizhou was slightly curious,

Upon arriving at the Spirit Pearl Mountain marketplace, he hadn’t first visited the Ten Thousand Talisman Pavilion branch to show himself, intending to wait until the guest elder task was due in three more months.

Unexpectedly, they came looking for him instead.

Opening the door to welcome the guest.

“Spirit Pearl Mountain branch steward greets Honored Guest Elder Li!” The steward saluted with clasped fists as soon as the door was opened.

“No need for formalities, my friend.” Li Jizhou nodded in return.

“Sorry for the intrusion, however, yesterday Shopkeeper Qi was drinking with the marketplace manager and inadvertently heard about your rental here. By the rules, when an Honored Guest Elder settles in a place with a branch, our division should welcome you.”

“Hence Shopkeeper Qi instructed me to send the invitation today!” The steward explained concisely, addressing all of Li Jizhou’s questions in a few sentences.

“Thank you for your hard work, my friend!” Li Jizhou took the invitation and casually handed over a mid-level lower-grade talisman.

“Honored Guest Elder Li is too kind.” The steward accepted the talisman, his face brightening with joy.

Then he stepped forward, quietly reminding, “Honored Guest Elder Li might be too focused on talisman crafting, or previous branch friends didn’t convey certain rules. Typically, tri-tier honored guests settling in a location with a branch should report to the local branch first, as your future task submissions are assessed by the local branch shopkeeper.”

Upon hearing this, Li Jizhou remained composed outwardly, but he understood inwardly.

“Thank you for the reminder, my friend!”

He truly was unaware of this rule.

Perhaps back at Inverted Mountain, Lu Zhenhua hadn’t anticipated Li Jizhou’s departure, thus hadn’t had the chance to inform him.

Judging by the steward’s veiled suggestion, Shopkeeper Qi seems slightly displeased.

Smiling and shaking his head, Li Jizhou wasn’t particularly concerned.

After all, he doesn’t care about the honored guest elder status which others covet.

Since most earnings in the future will come from the Alchemy Dao.

After sending off the steward, Li Jizhou once more felt the Pill Fire in his palm.

“Barely reaching the lower-grade Pill Fire level!”

“With my Alchemy Dao skills and precise control over temperature, timing, and proportions, even with only lower-grade Pill Fire, crafting Tier One Junior Level high-quality pills should be well within reach!”

Pills differ somewhat from talismans.

Low-level talismans, like the Tier One Junior Level ones Li Jizhou initially crafted, despite high quality, are limited by tier regarding their potency and effects, possessing little value and earning little Spirit Stones.

But pills are different.

The function of talismans lies in their power.

Whereas pills serve as supplements to cultivation.

The Early Stage of Qi Cultivation tier always constitutes the largest group, making up eighty percent of the cultivation world.

They can barely activate mid-level talismans, thus demand for Tier One Junior Level talismans isn’t strong, especially since at the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation phase, most cultivators focus on realm enhancement, having little need for talismans that don’t aid in cultivation.

However, pills are their most coveted items.

When standing at the bottom, everyone hopes to quickly surpass the phase where everyone calls each other ’senior’.

Not to mention a popular saying in the cultivation world: The Immortal Path favors competition!

The earlier you break through major levels, the further you can go.

Foundation Establishment before thirty, Nascent Soul is achievable.

Foundation Establishment by fifty, Core Formation is promising.

Foundation Establishment at seventy, the Immortal Dao stops there.

Hence young cultivators who just entered Qi Cultivation wish they could consume pills daily to aid cultivation.

Some junior-level pills, like Qi Condensing Pill, Qi Replenishing Pill, Blood Transformation Pill, which enhance cultivation speed, are quite pricey, costing more than ten times the equivalent tier talismans.

This refers to those of middle-grade quality, with slight pill toxicity and some drug resistance, needing time to digest after consuming one.

If it’s top-grade, even high-quality, exceptional pills free from pill toxicity and with minimal drug resistance, prices exceed a hundred times.

“The Pill Fire barely suffices; next is the Pill Furnace!”

The Pill Furnace borrowed from Pharmacist Zheng before was only suitable for medicinal preparation, not genuine alchemy.

The Pill Furnace greatly affects the quality of the pills.

Especially when aiming for high-quality pills, the Pill Furnace must be of excellent quality.

The other factor is the medicinal materials,

Due to high demand and profit from pills, the price of medicinal materials is high, which was one reason Li Jizhou didn’t choose the Alchemy Dao immediately back at Inverted Mountain.

However, this is no longer an issue.

Though expensive, medicinal materials still hold profit margins.

He can craft above-top-grade pills and ensure a decent yield rate, boosting profits even further.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep