Chapter 111: Before Departure
At the latest, he had to go to Changping within three months. The disciples participating in the mission needed to travel in batches.
If he waited any longer, he would have to wait another nine months.
And to earn the merit points needed for the Boundary-Breaking Spirit Pill, he had to stay for at least a year.
This made the timeline extremely tight.
In three months, bitter cultivation alone would not improve his cultivation much. He might as well take this opportunity to purchase some necessary supplies.
“Changping is spiritually barren. The normal cultivation speed there would be no more than two or three tenths of what it is in the sect’s cave abode…”
“But staying for a year means I can’t just waste a whole year of cultivation time.”
“…”
Song Yan pondered, feeling a slight headache.
“I need to buy some Spirit Gathering Arrays and pills for cultivation.”
“But I can’t spend too many spirit stones, because once I’m in Changping, using spirit stones for daily cultivation will likely become the norm…”
Previously, to bid for the Awakening Spirit Pill, Song Yan had already spent quite a few spirit stones.
Between the Misfortune-Avoidance Talisman and the Earth Escape Talisman preparations, he now only had three mid-grade spirit stones and two hundred and forty-two low-grade spirit stones left.
Spending spirit stones like water…
This was completely different from life within the sect.
In the sect, he could go out once every three to five months.
He could visit the market to replenish cultivation resources, or take on sect missions to earn spirit stones and contribution points.
He was not some high-ranking cultivator who went into seclusion for three to five years at the drop of a hat. One month of seclusion was already considered quite long.
And going to Changping, there was no guarantee that a cultivator’s market existed nearby.
But with Song Yan’s current finances, he could not possibly afford to buy a full year’s worth of spiritual supplies in one go.
That was why he now had to rack his brains to figure out his priorities.
After sorting things out briefly, Song Yan left his cave abode and walked toward the center of the Spirit Source Marsh market.
He did not need to worry about magical artifacts. With the Untethered Vessel and Lianli, his two flying swords, he had enough.
For talismans, he also did not plan to spend too many spirit stones.
On one hand, the Earth Escape Talisman he had prepared earlier had not been used. On the other hand, activating talismans actually required a certain amount of spiritual energy.
Many cultivators in the cultivation world believed that when activating talismans, apart from the spiritual energy needed to trigger the talisman, no further spiritual energy was consumed.
This was not the case.
Song Yan had read about the combat insights of that Golden Core senior in the “Records of Heterodox Cultivation.”
One point in particular had opened his eyes.
The belief that operating talismans consumed no spiritual energy was entirely a misconception.
In truth, regardless of what kind of talisman it was, once a cultivator activated it, there was always a trace of spiritual energy consumed to maintain the connection between the talisman and the cultivator.
It was like an imperceptible thread of spiritual energy.
If the talisman a cultivator activated belonged to a spell with a relatively long duration, then this “spiritual energy thread” would continuously drain spiritual energy to maintain the cultivator’s control over the talisman.
For most Qi Refining Stage cultivators, this tiny amount of spiritual energy loss could not be felt directly.
Moreover, the duration of most low-grade talismans was short.
Usually, they took effect the moment they were activated, such as the Fire Crow Talisman or the Storm Reversal Talisman.
But for talismans like the Misfortune-Avoidance Talisman or the Ren Water Spirit Transformation Talisman, which had sustained effects, the spiritual energy consumption could only be detected upon careful observation.
This information was something that those who did not know could not perceive, and those who did know considered it trivial, so no one paid much attention to it.
However, this Golden Core senior was completely different. He believed that in every life-and-death battle, every bit of spiritual energy needed to be used where it mattered most.
Many times, the degree of spiritual energy consumption changed the course and outcome of a battle entirely.
Furthermore, the strength of talismans lay in achieving surprise victories, not in overwhelming opponents with a massive number of spells.
Therefore, when it came to talismans, quality mattered more than quantity.
He already had escape talismans. Perhaps buying one or two more talismans with special effects would be sufficient.
The remaining spirit stones should be saved for cultivation resources like pills and Spirit Gathering Arrays. “How strange.”
His current wealth was already far greater than when he had first entered the sect, yet he still had to count every penny.
Splitting a single spirit stone in half to spend.
Walking through the market streets, most of the passing cultivators wore the gray robes of outer disciples. Inner disciples were actually quite rare.
He had always thought there were many inner disciples here. Perhaps it was because only inner disciples had caught his attention before.
Along the way, outer disciples he had never seen before frequently greeted him, respectfully calling him “Senior Brother.”
At first, Song Yan had to think for a moment about who each person was, but later he realized he truly did not know them.
“I still haven’t adapted to this new identity…”
In the central area of the market stood the Treasured Pavilion.
It was a two-story old shop with a large footprint and a good reputation among the disciples.
Moreover, the range of spiritual supplies it offered was extensive, from those commonly used by Qi Refining Stage cultivators to those usable by Foundation Establishment cultivators. Pills, arrays, talismans, and artifacts—it dealt in all of them.
Stepping inside, there were quite a few cultivators present.
Some browsed in small groups, while others selected items alone. Shop assistants stood nearby, occasionally saying a few words—perhaps making introductions to promote sales.
One idle shop assistant saw someone enter and promptly came forward to greet them.
Seeing that the newcomer was an extremely young inner disciple, his attitude became even more respectful, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
“Senior, what would you like to purchase?”
It was the first time in his life someone had called him “Senior.”
If he did not know the other party was just being polite, Song Yan truly would have let it go to his head.
“I’d like to buy a few sets of small Spirit Gathering Arrays and some pills needed for cultivation.”
Actually, if he went to the pill shops and array pavilions separately to buy these items, he might find some bargains.
This was one of his small spirit-stone-saving tricks.
However, this time, the Spirit Gathering Array plates were the biggest expense, so that method was not quite suitable.
Because for this trip to Ghost Mountain, durability had become the most important factor.
Those “cheap” goods usually had some flaws. If they broke after a few days, there would be no one to repair them there.
The passage to the second floor was extremely luxurious, clearly prepared for Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Currently, the most cost-effective cultivation pill was the Yellow Sprout Pill.
Compared to its long-lasting and potent spiritual energy effects, ten spirit stones per bottle was quite a bargain.
As the mainstream pill consumed most heavily by Qi Refining Stage cultivators for refining spiritual energy, the price of Yellow Sprout Pill had always been relatively stable.
He purchased a full ten bottles of Yellow Sprout Pills and selected the array plates needed for the small Spirit Gathering Arrays.
Over two hundred spirit stones were spent.
Only then did he look at the talismans.
Having spent several hundred spirit stones in one go, he was considered a big customer for the day.
The shop assistant beamed with joy and began introducing the talismans in great detail, even informing him of the approximate dates of their creation.
But Song Yan, who had already made up his mind, had no interest in these spell talismans whatsoever.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, he noticed a special gray talisman placed separately at one corner of the counter.
This talisman bore no ancient inscriptions. Instead, it depicted three pearl-like jade spheres.
“What kind of talisman is this?”