Ding Family's shop VIP room.
"You hope to increase the procurement of the Rejuvenation Talisman?"
Upon hearing the shopkeeper Ding's request, Shen Xuan pondered seriously.
Ordinary Rejuvenation Talismans were insignificant.
He deliberately kept high-quality Rejuvenation Talismans for Zhao Chunsheng to sell, apart from personal use.
Not only did he hide his talisman-making skill, but he could also use this to make Zhao Chunsheng work for him.
After all, a late-stage Qi Cultivation demon hunter could save him lots of trouble.
"Master Shen, for the sake of our forty-year friendship, please help."
The shopkeeper Ding smiled servilely, "One high-quality talisman can count as two. With Master Shen's ability, you can always make a dozen every month."
"This is the intent of the clan elders. Without high-quality Rejuvenation Talismans, I couldn't explain to them."
The shopkeeper Ding looked helpless as he spoke.
Hearing Ding's request, Shen Xuan felt wary.
A talisman master of middle grade is akin to a money tree.
Shen Xuan purchased talisman materials in the Cyan Dragon Bay Market and sold spirit talismans.
The Ding family could earn dozens of spirit stones from him every month.
Forcing him to sell high-quality Rejuvenation Talismans would increase their exploitation of him.
He married a mortal woman from the Ding family.
Heh, a mere mortal woman wouldn't concern them at all.
Shen Xuan contemplated for a while.
In the end, he agreed to the shopkeeper Ding to sell him an additional ten high-quality Rejuvenation Talismans each month.
However.
As soon as Shen Xuan returned home, he heard some bad news.
"Friend Zhao is going to enlist for forced labor to clear land?"
"There's no choice. If I don't go, the substitute labor tax is forty spirit stones!"
Zhao Chunsheng said helplessly.
In Cyan Dragon Bay, cultivators' substitute labor taxes are based on their cultivation realm.
Early-stage Qi Cultivation is six spirit stones, middle stage is fifteen spirit stones, and late stage is forty spirit stones!
The higher the cultivation realm, the more one must enlist for labor, and the higher the substitute tax.
"This is the last batch of mantis shrimp. If more spirit fish or demon shrimp are needed, selling spirit talismans will have to wait until I return from clearing land."
"No worries."
After sending off Zhao Chunsheng, Shen Xuan looked at the mantis shrimp in the fishing bag with a heavy heart.
For some unknown reason, he felt a sense of foreboding, as if something bad was about to happen.
He married a mortal woman from the Ding family.
By agreement, he was not required to enlist for labor.
Even so, he felt uneasy.
In the practice room.
The mysterious jade talisman retracted its golden light.
All the mantis shrimp in the fishing bag floated belly up.
[Talent: Critical Strike Entry Level (2/100)]
[Dao Rhyme: 72]
[Spirit Root: Water 16/100]
This time, Shen Xuan took only half a year to seize the critical strike talent of the mantis shrimp.
Shen Xuan closed his eyes, slowly perceiving the life experience of the mantis shrimp.
There are many tier-one middle-grade water attribute demon beasts, but they are abundant and cheap; those with unique talents are rare.
Fortunately, Cyan Dragon Bay Market is established by the Longze River, ensuring a large supply of cheap spirit fish and demon shrimp.
Shen Xuan chose the mantis shrimp for its unique bloodline talents.
Mantis shrimp have a pair of gnathopods, extremely powerful, folded like a heavyweight hammer breaking armor, extended like a pointy cone piercing through.
When attacking prey, it can eject the gnathopods in a hundredth of a second, their speed several times greater than that of bullets, and the generated high temperatures can cause surrounding water to emit electric sparks, causing formidable damage.
This is in the water!
Imagine, if Shen Xuan's Condensed Water Blade Technique, augmented with Water Control talent, gains added critical strike talent of the mantis shrimp, its power would greatly increase, capable of severely damaging late-stage Qi Cultivation cultivators.
The Critical Strike talent points can be improved with diligent practice.
Shen Xuan added all 72 Dao Rhyme points to the self-healing talent.
[Talent: Self-Healing Skilled (39/200)]
His water spirit root had reached sixteen points; it was time to break through to the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.
Earlier, Shen Xuan had sensed the opportunity to break through.
It's just that, to enhance water spirit root talent, he delayed a little longer.
He attempted to operate the Divine Hidden Sea Technique, making the circulation of spiritual power through the meridians smoother.
"Sure enough, it's the spirit root talent that determines the limit of cultivation."
As long as the spirit root keeps improving, Shen Xuan can continuously break the restrictions of cultivation realm.
"It's time to break through!"
Shen Xuan stopped thinking further and started the Spirit Gathering Array.
He sat cross-legged, with full concentration, operating spiritual power to commence the breakthrough to Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer.
As the Divine Hidden Sea Technique operated, the spiritual power within him gradually accelerated after several cycles, guided by his divine thought, rushing powerfully with increasing momentum.
His spiritual power, akin to a vast ocean, surged majestically throughout his body.
This filled Shen Xuan with energy, like a tightly drawn bow.
Upon feeling the critical moment, Shen Xuan crushed two pieces of spirit stone in his hand.
Refined spiritual Qi was absorbed from his palm into the dantian, turning ferociously and filling the meridians instantly.
Time passed bit by bit.
After two hours.
The long-awaiting Shen Xuan seized the chance, broke through the limitations forcefully.
His aura surged again.
Shen Xuan slowly opened his eyes, full of joy within them.
He had broken through to Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer!
Easier than imagined.
Truly deserving of a sixteen-point water spirit root talent!
The meridians suffered no damage.
His divine sense and spiritual power increased by twenty percent!
"Sixty-five years old. Four years to break through one layer, really not easy!"
This was still under the circumstances of purchasing the Spirit Gathering Array and replenishing spirit stones every day in recent years.
Otherwise, wanting to break through to Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer would take another two years.
Thankfully, with the sixteen-point water spirit root sensitivity, the breakthrough of small barriers consumed two spirit stones and came naturally.
[Lifespan: 65/115]
[Cultivation Technique: Divine Hidden Sea Technique Mastery (132/400)]
[Realm: Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer: 1/100]
His lifespan increased by three years.
The Divine Hidden Sea Technique remained in the mastery stage.
It seems enhancing it to a small accomplishment needs waiting until breaking through to late-stage Qi Cultivation.
[Concealing Breath Technique]!
Shen Xuan concealed his aura, disguising himself as a Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer.
In the days that followed, Shen Xuan diligently made Rejuvenation Talismans to earn spirit stones.
Two months later, securing another hundred spirit stones in wealth.
Shen Xuan did not hesitate, directly seeking out the shopkeeper Ding, choosing a middle-grade magical artifact.
A pair of Water-Splitting Mount Emei Needles.
A foot long, thicker in the middle, sharp at both ends.
The tip is flat-shaped, diamond-shaped with a point.
A circle in the middle to loop around the middle finger, mobile freely.
The artifact is crafted with Profound Ice Cold Iron, suitable for battles underwater and at night.
Shen Xuan tried it out.
Unleashing his full power, the pair of Water-Splitting Mount Emei Needles seemed like part of his body, controlled effortlessly, seamlessly maneuverable.
The spiritual power of the Divine Hidden Sea Technique conducted through the Water-Splitting Mount Emei Needles without the slightest hindrance.
These needles, being water attribute artifacts, suited Shen Xuan well.
After some negotiation.
Shen Xuan finally purchased this middle-grade artifact from the shopkeeper Ding for forty spirit stones.
Late at night.
Under the Longze River.
Reaching a depth of a hundred zhang, an inscrutable pitch-black river bottom.
This is the deepest part of the Longze River, eerily cold, a domain of dead silence.
Imposing water pressure everywhere deters average cultivators.
Yet at this moment.
The silence broke.
Shen Xuan's figure darted forward swiftly, faintly emanating cyan spiritual light.
Indeed, gained from the Water Control talent of the Blue-Feather Fish.
Even at the deep river bottom, his speed reached forty meters per second.
Before him.
A group of unnamed spirit fish, sporting sharp strange teeth, half a foot long each, numbering in hundreds, was swimming at the river's bottom, hunting various aquatic creatures in a regiment-like formation.