Time flew by, and seven days passed.
In the spirit field, Li Mu had planted five acres of Wind Spirit Grass, one acre of Spirit Rice, which had already sprouted, and another acre of Cui Ling Fruit was growing vigorously under his meticulous care.
Li Mu performed the Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill several times to replenish the water for the seven acres of spirit fields.
"Red Wolf, I'm going out for a bit, I'll be right back. Guard the house well, and don't let the spirit chickens peck at the rice seedlings," Li Mu instructed the Red Wolf puppy.
"Woof woof!" Red Wolf wagged its short tail vigorously, barking twice at Li Mu, as if to say it understood.
"Haha, I'll reward you with a big bone when I get back." Li Mu laughed heartily, lifted off with his sword, and flew towards Qing'an Town, intending to sell the spirit talismans he had drawn over the past few days and buy some daily necessities.
Qing'an Town, Liu's Spirit Talisman Store.
"Fellow Daoist Li, you're here, please come in, please come in. I just brewed some spirit tea, let me pour you a cup to try." Shopkeeper Liu of the Spirit Talisman Store greeted Li Mu warmly upon his arrival, a stark contrast to the cold reception of the past.
The last batch of spirit talismans, infused with strong Five Elements Spiritual Power, had long since sold out, receiving positive feedback from customers. Shopkeeper Liu wished he could keep Li Mu as a long-term supplier.
"No need for tea, I have other matters to attend to, let's trade the spirit talismans first!" Li Mu waved his hand, taking out four stacks of spirit talismans from a beast hide bag.
Shopkeeper Liu was more than happy to comply, reaching out to accept and carefully count the talismans.
"A total of 120 pieces, all Five Elements Spirit Talismans, I owe you twelve Middle Spirit Stones," Shopkeeper Liu said excitedly.
"Hmm, Shopkeeper Liu, do you have any Tier Two Talisman Books for sale?" Li Mu nodded, asking with interest.
Compared to drawing Tier One Spirit Talismans, Tier Two Spirit Talismans yield higher profits and serve as protection. However, Tier Two Talisman Books are pricey and not easy to come by.
"Tier Two Talisman Books need to be exchanged from the sects or you might try your luck at the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion," Shopkeeper Liu said apologetically as he handed a spirit stone cloth bag to Li Mu.
Li Mu nodded, accepted the spirit stone bag, and checked with his divine sense to ensure it contained twelve Middle-grade Spirit Stones.
"Fellow Daoist Li, do you not need talisman paper or spiritual ink this time? I've just received a batch of high-quality talisman paper," Shopkeeper Liu enthusiastically offered.
"No need, the ones I bought last time are still unused. I'll take my leave now and come by next time! Farewell, Shopkeeper Liu." Li Mu politely declined with a smile, then bid farewell.
"Alright, alright, I'll see you out." Shopkeeper Liu enthusiastically escorted Li Mu out of the store.
Li Mu strolled around the Independent Cultivator Market, buying some demon beast meat and daily tools.
Suddenly, Li Mu stopped in his tracks, his attention caught by a stall belonging to a loose cultivator, the same old daoist selling cultivation techniques.
The old daoist also noticed Li Mu, and a hint of unease flashed across his face despite his surprise.
Li Mu smiled slightly, pretending not to notice, and nonchalantly walked toward the old daoist's stall, "Boss, got any cultivation techniques for concealing breath? I'd like one."
"Yes, yes!" The old daoist hurriedly brought out several Concealing Breath Techniques.
"Hidden Breath Technique", "Profound Turtle Breathing Method", "Illusion Breathing Technique", "Turtle Breathing Technique"...,
Goodness, this guy really had a comprehensive collection of techniques! Just in terms of concealment techniques, there were seven books, and Li Mu was momentarily dazzled, unsure which spell to choose.
"How much do they cost, and which one is the best at concealing breath?" Li Mu directly posed the question to the old daoist.
"Each Concealing Breath Technique has distinct features. The Hidden Breath Technique excels at concealing breath, lowering presence to avoid detection by demon beasts. The Profound Turtle Breathing Method imitates the breathing of the Black Tortoise, reducing breath and extending lifespan... Meanwhile, the Illusion Breathing Technique focuses on adjusting the breath, achieving a deep cultivation that can transform and disguise one's cultivation breath..." The old daoist passionately introduced the different features of several techniques.
Li Mu's interest was piqued by the "Illusion Breathing Technique," as his purpose for purchasing a Concealing Breath Technique was to mask his upcoming abnormal surge in cultivation.
Previously, Old Man Zhang and Xu Lijin had noticed the anomaly in his cultivation; it wouldn't be so easy to brush it off next time.
"Let me take a look at 'Illusion Breathing Technique'." Li Mu directly requested.
"As per our old rule, you can only look at the first three pages," the old daoist said as he handed over the "Illusion Breathing Technique" to Li Mu.
Li Mu took the "Illusion Breathing Technique", dutifully flipped through the first three pages, confirming the legitimacy of the technique, "What's the price?"
"200 Lower Spirit Stones, these cultivation technique books were acquired from the Inference Sect and weren't cheap," the old daoist rambled on, trying to preempt any haggling.
Li Mu glanced at the old daoist, fished out two Middle Spirit Stones from his spirit stone bag, and tossed them to him, "I'll take it."
After the payment was settled, Li Mu didn't give the old daoist a chance to tamper with it, quickly leaving with the "Illusion Breathing Technique".
Watching Li Mu's departing figure, the old daoist stood there in a daze, staring blankly at the two Middle-grade Spirit Stones in his hand, looking complex.
That kid isn't simple!
Previously, he was so broke he only had 15 Lower Spirit Stones, yet now he spent two Middle Spirit Stones without batting an eyelid. Did he realize the tracking powder I scattered on him? The old daoist hesitated but eventually decided to let it go.
On the other side, after a thorough inspection of his body to ensure no trickery from the old daoist, Li Mu headed straight to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion.
"Welcome to Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, please come in, young master." The two hostesses greeted Li Mu in unison with a salute.
Li Mu walked straight into the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion, heading towards the counter managed by Lin Huirong.
"Mr. Li, welcome, you're here to pick up the Spiritual Peach Wood, right?" Lin Huirong greeted enthusiastically upon seeing Li Mu.
"Yes, I'd like to buy two more pieces of Spiritual Peach Wood, and do you have any Tier Two Talisman Books for sale?" Li Mu asked with interest.
Lin Huirong was slightly taken aback and quickly replied, "Yes, we do. However, the Talisman Book we sell is relatively complete, involving high-level talisman inheritance, and is quite valuable, priced at 500 Middle Spirit Stones."
500 Middle Spirit Stones, Li Mu was startled by the quote, blinking his eyes rapidly, "Miss Lin, pretend I didn't ask! I can't afford it."
"Haha, Mr. Li, you're joking. If you're looking for something cheaper, then it's just a fragmentary copy of a Tier Two Talisman Book." Lin Huirong quickly explained.
Upon hearing this, Li Mu's eyes lit up. A fragment would do as well.
As long as it's entered into the panel, I'm not afraid of a fragment. Once the talisman formulas are learned, I can use skill points to level up, and the fragment's knowledge will be completely restored as the level increases.
"How much for the talisman fragment? If it's affordable, I'd like to buy a few to give as gifts." Li Mu quickly asked.
"There aren't many Tier Two Talisman Fragments. I think there might be one in the storage. Let me get it for you, please wait a moment." Lin Huirong smiled slightly, signaling to Li Mu.
Li Mu nodded, watching her go to fetch the talisman fragment.
Not long after, Lin Huirong returned with a Tier Two Talisman Fragment and introduced it to Li Mu, "Mr. Li, this Tier Two Metal Element Talisman Strategy is called 'Golden Talisman Strategy'. It contains three Tier Two Metal Element Spirit Talisman formulas: Golden Sword Talisman, Golden Armor Talisman, and Golden Essence Talisman. However, some talisman knowledge is missing, making it difficult to draw them into talismans. Are you sure you want to buy it?"
"Hmm, how severe is the missing knowledge in the spirit talisman formulas? What's the price?" Li Mu asked with interest.
"The knowledge missing in the Golden Essence Talisman is quite significant. The price for this talisman strategy is 20 Middle Spirit Stones." Lin Huirong explained with a smile.
Li Mu frowned as he considered how to obtain this Talisman Fragment.