Chapter 6
Beep.
[With the Foundation Establishment exam just over a month away, more than two million Qi Refining cultivators have registered for this year's exam, shattering last year's record by a wide margin……]
Beep.
[As the Golden Core sect Scientific Cultivation Advancement Sect (科學修仙利門) begins recruiting new disciples, the dropout rate among university students on the front lines is surging.
In particular, this year's entry requirement is reaching 4-Star Qi Refining before age twenty, making the criteria considerably stricter than in previous years……]
Beep.
“Yaaawn….”
The languid feeling of morning brought a yawn to her lips.
Nine flicked through the TV channels with the remote.
The documentary she always watched at dawn had ended, and this was the brief break that followed.
[With the 199th Second Selection approaching, the declining elimination rate has become a point of debate.
Last year, a total of 460,000 people were eliminated, 20,000 fewer than the year before.
As dramatic improvements in cultivation technology have directly led to fewer dropouts, some in academia and the sects are arguing that the selection criteria themselves should be raised substantially to better distinguish candidates……]
“Heh.”
Ordinarily, she'd have hated this news and changed the channel.
Just hearing about things like that would have filled her with inferiority.
But Nine smiled, intoxicated by her sense of victory.
Then she leisurely stroked Pou floating beside her.
“Aww, my adorable Pou.”
Flutter!
Pou smacked Nine's hand away in disgust.
Nine didn't care and grabbed Pou by one end.
“Prrrrr!”
The smooth texture of paper touched her lips.
Nine held Pou tightly in both hands and blew raspberries on it.
Thwack, thwack!
The scroll, which had been spread flat, rolled itself up with a rustle.
In payment for blowing raspberries on it, Nine got smacked a few times by Pou.
“Ah, heehee!”
It felt like playing with an adorable pet.
Nine, who'd never interacted with an animal in her life, found the feeling strange.
Pou sulked and zipped off into the room.
Beep.
Nine turned off the TV too and headed for the bedroom.
She'd rested enough, so it was time to resume cultivation.
She picked up Pou, who was whimpering beneath the bed covers, and carried it into the cultivation room.
[User: Eun (銀) Nine (羅引/Nine)]
[Talent: Five Spiritual Roots 2 / 10000]
[Constitution: Talisman Dao Sacred Body (符道聖體) Rank 1 0 / 10000]
[Arts: Lifespan-Severing Art 8-Star 2/15000 / Introductory Talisman Dao Art (符道入門訣) 7-Star 1400/15000 / Body Tempering Art—12th Revision 3-Star 50/200]
[Current Realm: Lifespan-Severing Stage 85%]
“Heh….”
Nine's mouth hung open, and she nearly drooled.
The Status Window was that incredible.
First, the numbers for Five Spiritual Roots and Lifespan-Severing Art had both increased by two.
Simply absorbing spiritual energy and storing it in the body raised proficiency in one's spiritual roots.
Refining the spiritual energy within the body into spiritual power by applying the mysteries of a cultivation art raised proficiency in that art.
“On top of that, my Talisman Dao Sacred Body ranked up, and I made five percent progress in Lifespan-Severing Stage cultivation.”
Nine looked at the talismans displayed in a row on the cultivation room wall.
Every talisman held a faint green glow.
“They're all lowest-grade talismans, and completing one raised my Introductory Talisman Dao Art proficiency by ten, right?”
Nine held Pou, which was fidgeting, and fell into thought.
‘How can I cultivate efficiently?’
Pou—the magic artifact with an inexplicable true name—was overpowered.
It was such an incredible boon that even a brainless monkey could enter the path of cultivation if it were given one.
“As expected, breaking through to Qi Refining should be my priority for now, right?”
For a cultivator, one's realm was the foundation.
An incredible talent, a mountain of gold and silver so huge it could bury your entire body, a magic artifact gifted by the clan's ancestor.
Even if you had all that, it would be useless without a realm to back it up.
Once Nine had sorted out her thoughts, her mind went in another direction.
Not a particularly good direction.
The harsh reality came crashing down on Nine.
“…I’m short on money.”
Nine checked her account.
[0 credits]
It wasn't just a little; she had none.
Her credits had completely run out.
Her bewildered gaze swept over the hologram displaying her credits.
Usually, one lowest-grade spirit stone cost 100 credits, and one low-grade spirit stone cost 8,000 credits.
Nine absolutely needed low-grade spirit stones to advance beyond Lifespan-Severing Stage.
The Spirit-Gathering Formation was nearly useless since it only consumed electricity.
“Hmm….”
Nine crossed her arms and thought for a moment, then suddenly looked toward the talismans on the wall.
Her gaze swept over the green talismans and lit up.
“Right! Why didn’t I think of that!”
Had she gotten stupid after becoming a woman?
Had her comprehension gotten worse even though her talent had improved?
Obviously, the answer was the talismans!
“I can just make talismans and sell them!”
Heh heh heh.
She was no longer the cultivation failure she'd been before.
She was a talisman maker (製符師) who could produce low-grade talismans, after all.
Nine did the math.
“Paper costs 1,000 credits for a hundred sheets, and ink usually costs 1,000 credits for a hundred uses….”
Ordinary lowest-grade talismans.
Those talismans, which gave off a murky gray light, had almost no value.
They were the most basic grade talismanists made.
And yet, a talisman was still a talisman.
Talismans in particular were consumables, so demand for them was high.
“Let’s see….”
Nine tapped her wrist terminal and connected to the network.
The place she went was a pan-universal community, on a whole different level from the old Commoner Forum.
[Talisman Gallery]
Talisman making, the most populous of the Four Arts of Cultivation (修仙四藝).
This was where most of its practitioners gathered.
[What's the going price for Tier 1, lowest-grade talismans these days?]
[A Study of the Five Paths (五路) of the Great Dao of Talismans]
[They're saying talismanists make up 1% of this year's Foundation Establishment exam. Are we fucked?]
[Talismans should be kicked out of the Four Arts! One of the Four Arts should be Sword Dao!]
[Cultivation is enlightenment……]
[Upvote if you're a talisman hack who thinks they won't pass the Second Selection this time lol]
[Complete Price Guide to Talismans by Grade, December, Year 469 of the Immortal Dao]
[♿♿♿ Ah❗+ja❗+ja❗+jat, insanely hot smooth❗+sword❗+pic incoming❗❗❗]
The chaotic state of the gallery unfolded before Nine as a hologram.
Posts scrolled past so quickly they were impossible to follow with the eye.
Nine managed to click on a post that seemed close to the information she was looking for.
[What's the going price for Tier 1, lowest-grade talismans these days?]
Fellow Daoist (123.456)
I've been in seclusion for five years, so I'm totally out of the loop
Last I checked, they were about 50 credits each. Is that right?
- Talisman prices have fallen like crazy in the past five years. They're about 5 credits a sheet now.
ㄴFellow Daoist (123.456)
? No, what the fuck, the price got cut to a tenth?
ㄴㄴ Lowest-grade talismans are made by factories now. Guess this guy really was in seclusion.
ㄴㄴㄴFellow Daoist (123.456)
What. It costs 2,000 to 3,000 credits to draw a hundred talismans, and I only make 500 credits?
ㄴㄴㄴㄴ Yeah, lowest-grade talismans are worth squat now. If you want to make a living off talismans, you have to draw at least low-grade ones. You're better off getting a job at a factory that makes the lowest-grade stuff.
[A Study of the Five Paths (五路) of the Great Dao of Talismans]
Talisman Master
Some say the Great Dao is a single broad road, yet the path of life is not a single track.
There must be narrow branches, and in talismanism there are five paths. Having examined their principles, I shall discuss them as follows.
So, let us consider the following…….
“Oh, this is a bit much….”
Nine quickly scrolled past the post, which looked like it had been written by some fossilized Qi Refining cultivator.
[They're saying talismanists make up 1% of this year's Foundation Establishment exam. Are we fucked?]
Fellow Daoist (413.356)
Fuck, two million people applied, and only 20,000 of them are talismanistsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
We're seriously fucked.
- 'We'? You look like a low-realm Qi Refining cultivator. You should be devoting yourself to cultivation instead of wasting your time here.
ㄴ Fellow Daoist (413.356)
What the hell, I'm literally one of the exam candidates. I'm telling you, I can feel how screwed we are.
ㄴㄴ Then you should devote yourself even more to cultivation. Tsk, wasting the time you should be working hardest…
ㄴㄴㄴ Fellow Daoist (413.356)
Ah, fuck, I can smell a fossil. Get lost.
“Pfft.”
The nostalgic atmosphere of the community made Nine want to keep browsing.
But now was the time to focus on cultivation.
She put her regret aside and opened the post she'd just noticed.
[Complete Price Guide to Talismans by Grade, December, Year 469 of the Immortal Dao]
TalismanLover
First, I've compressed the guide for our Foundation Establishment seniors using divine sense, so click [link] to view it.
“Hee.”
Nine's mouth fell slightly open at the professional-looking introduction.
It seemed she'd found exactly the post she was looking for.
Nine started reading again.
The government has made lowest-grade talismans completely worthless, so I'll skip over them.
However, the price of the Power Talisman, one of the basic talismans, has actually risen due to demand from outer star systems, so I've included it.
Tier 1, lowest-grade
Power Talisman - 60 credits
Tier 1, low-grade
Power Talisman - 300 credits
Fireball Talisman - 200 credits
Waterball Talisman - 230 credits
.
.
.
Nine silently turned to look at the talismans on the wall.
The Power Talismans she'd drawn, each boasting a fresh, lively green glow.
“So, those are….”
One, two, ten in total.
“3,000 credits?”
On top of that, she had ninety sheets of talisman paper left, and enough ink to draw plenty more.
If she drew them all as low-grade talismans, she'd make 30,000 credits in total.
The materials cost 2,000 credits, and the ten lowest-grade spirit stones needed to run the Spirit-Gathering Formation brought the total to 3,000 credits.
30,000 - 5,000 = 25,000.
A total of 25,000 credits.
Enough to buy a whopping 250 lowest-grade spirit stones or three low-grade spirit stones!
Nine covered her mouth and smacked her own cheek with a trembling hand.
She was checking whether this was reality or a dream.
Smack, smack.
When her soft cheek turned red and her hand started hurting more instead,
Nine finally realized this was reality.
“Wawawawaw!”
Ignoring the uncouth sound that burst from her mouth, Nine cried out in delight.
“I'm rich now!”