The Golden Sun Sect's pioneered Cloudy Mountain Swamp was located in the western region of the Wei Kingdom. It was extremely cold here every winter, and snow would fall for dozens of days in a month. However, the harsh weather was still unable to stop the bustling market.
After all, when a cultivator reached the middle and late stages of Qi Refinement, they would basically be immune to cold and heat. Although the spiritual energy in a low-stage cultivator's body could not resist the cold, they could buy a cold-repelling talisman and stick it on their body. Those who were slightly rich could buy a robe and were not afraid of the cold at all.
On this day, snowflakes fluttered outside the house. Shen Ping went out again and brought the mid-grade talismans that he had made along the winding alley to the Spring Embroidery Pavilion in the market.
"Fellow Daoist Shen is here!" Shopkeeper Chen greeted him with a smile.
In the past six months, Shen Ping did not go to the shop many times. However, cultivators had a very good memory. Moreover, Fellow Daoist Shen's number of amulets was constantly increasing. Occasionally, he would sell Fire Talismans and Light Body Talismans. Clearly, he was already a more proficient and stable mid-grade Level One Talisman Master.
Maintaining a good relationship with a mid-grade Talisman Master was a compulsory course as a shopkeeper.
Shen Ping nodded and took out twenty five amulets and six fire talismans from his storage bag. He handed them to the shopkeeper and said, "As usual, sixty sets of amulet's materials, thirty sets of fire talisman's materials, and twenty sets of light body's materials."
The price of the materials he needed happened to be the income from selling the amulets and fire talismans. It was the same every time. He almost did not earn many spirit stones from the Spring Embroidery Pavilion.
However, Shopkeeper Chen said, "Fellow Cultivator Shen, the price of these materials is 214 low-grade spirit stones. You still need to pay an additional forty low-grade spirit stones!"
Shen Ping frowned. "Shopkeeper Chen, what do you mean?" Was he going to rip off his regular customers?
Shopkeeper Chen hurriedly explained, "It's like this. Recently, the price of talisman ingredients has increased slightly. However, Fellow Daoist Shen, you don't have to worry. In a few days, the price of various talismans will also increase. If you don't want to sell them this time, you can store them in my shop first. When the next price increases, I will settle the price according to the increase. As for the ingredients, you can use them first. Treat the talismans as collateral. What do you think?"
Shen Ping thought for a moment and knew that Shopkeeper Chen was expressing goodwill.
"Sure." He agreed. When Shopkeeper Chen took out the ingredients, he asked calmly, "Shopkeeper Chen, the price of the talisman has always been stable. Why did it suddenly increase? Did something happen?"
Shopkeeper Chen handed the ingredients to Shen Ping and looked outside the shop. He said in a low voice, "Recently, the Golden Sun Sect has accidentally discovered a huge mineral vein in the depths of the Cloudy Mountain Swamp. It's not a spirit stone mine, but a flame gold mine that refines dharma artifacts and dharma treasures. There are also other derivative ores.
"The terrain in the depths of the Cloudy Mountain Swamp is complicated. There are many demonic beasts and poisonous fog that blocks one's divine sense all year round. Therefore, the Golden Sun Sect needs a large number of cultivators to open up a path."
Shen Ping immediately understood.
No wonder the price of talisman materials and talismans had increased. Back then, when he came here to explore, he was inexperienced and did not prepare a large number of talismans. That was why he was accidentally corroded by the venom of a demon beast.
Now that a mineral vein had been discovered in the depths of the Cloudy Mountain Swamp, the Golden Sun Sect would definitely allow freelance cultivators to explore it with great interest, paving the way for the mining of the mineral vein.
If nothing unexpected happens, the price of medicinal pills, dharma artifacts, and other materials would also rise. In particular, cultivators would definitely fight to buy a necessary item like the Poison Dispelling Pill.
And the high-grade Level One Poison Dispelling Pill was the most effective. It could remove more than seventy percent of the venom of demonic beasts in Cloud Mountain Swamp. The effects of middle-grade were average and the price was also cheap. He hurriedly asked Shopkeeper Chen.
Indeed, the price of the high-grade Poison Dispelling Pill had also increased. One bottle had increased to twenty five medium-grade spirit stones!
This was obviously not good news for Shen Ping. However, the increase in the price of the talisman could be considered a consolation. If the increase was relatively large, it would still be beneficial overall.
It was a pity that his wealth was too low. Otherwise, he could rely on this news to buy medicinal pills, talismans, dharma artifacts, and so on. He could sell them after the price rose and earn a huge difference.
However, since Shopkeeper Chen was able to tell this news, the entire market probably knew about it. He left the Spring Embroidery Pavilion. He did not go to other shops to sell them. After all, the price of talismans would increase in the future. It would be a loss to sell them now.
He bought spirit rice, meat, and other ingredients, and returned to Red Willow Alley.
At night, there was a knock on the door. He opened it warily. He was surprised to see that it was Fellow Daoist Gong. This was a rare guest among rare guests.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, I heard from Fellow Daoist He that you can make mid-grade talismans?" Fellow Daoist Gong went straight to the point.
Shen Ping hesitated for a moment and said with a smile, "That's right. I was lucky to have some comprehension in the Dao of Talismans and broke through to become a mid-grade Talisman Master."
Fellow Daoist Gong was overjoyed and said gently, "It's like this. Next month, I have a lot of requirements for mid-grade talismans such as amulets, fire talismans, and freezing talismans. Therefore, I hope that Fellow Daoist Shen can help me make some. Don't worry, I'll buy them at the market price!"
Shen Ping hesitated and said, "Fellow Daoist Gong, I heard that the price of talismans will increase next month…"
Fellow Daoist Gong was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but size up Shen Ping. Although this news had almost spread throughout the market, the people who knew were basically all late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators and some mid-stage Qi Refinement cultivators with wide connections.
He did not expect a low-level cultivator like Shen Ping to know about it. It seemed that the other party had broken through to become a mid-grade Talisman Master earlier than he had imagined.
"Fellow Daoist Shen is quite well-informed. The price of talismans will indeed increase next month. At that time, I will buy them at the price of the market. What do you think?" Fellow Daoist Gong said slowly.
Shen Ping readily agreed. After all, he was the only late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator in Red Willow Alley. If he rejected him, it would be an invisible offense. He might not be able to survive in Red Willow Alley in the future.
...
At the end of the month, most of the cultivators in the market and the periphery knew about the news.
The prices of medicinal pills, talismans, and dharma artifacts began to rise, especially the Poison Dispelling Pill, which was affected the most. It could be said to have soared like a rocket. Even the price of the mid-grade Poison Dispelling Pill kept increasing, making Shen Ping feel a toothache.
However, there was nothing he could do.
More than half of the demonic beasts in Cloud Mountain Swamp were poisonous. Fortunately, they were scattered, and the demonic beasts in the depths might not be strong. Therefore, if they formed a team at the mid-state of Qi Refinement, they could take the risk.
As a result, the number of cultivators who came to Red Willow Alley to pray for the amulets gradually increased. Everyone knew that in a few days, the supply of amulets in the marketplace would definitely not be able to meet the demand.
Fortunately, these cultivators were only at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement. Shen Ping directly said that he had already promised Fellow Daoist Gong, which could be considered as blocking them.
In the blink of an eye, twenty days passed.
The price of the amulet had risen to twelve low-grade spirit stones, and the Fire Talisman had also risen to eight low-grade spirit stones. All the shops in the market were out of stock. Shopkeeper Chen had sent a message to Shen Ping, saying that he had already sold the amulets that he had stored and would settle the bill at the current price.
At the same time, Shopkeeper Chen expressed his desire to buy it. Shen Ping expressed that he couldn't help even if he wanted to, and he told him about Fellow Daoist Gong's visit.
Shopkeeper Chen understood and did not mention it again.
At this moment, the Golden Sun Sect officially announced the discovery of a large-scale Flame Gold Mine in the Cloud Mountain Swamp. At the same time, they gathered a large number of cultivators to explore the area. They gave a lot of benefits and stimulation. Among them, the Foundation Establishment Pill was the most attractive to cultivators.
Shen Ping was a little tempted. For cultivators with ordinary spiritual roots, Foundation Establishment Pills were almost a must for them to break through to Foundation Establishment.
"Be careful, I must be careful. Now that I have a golden finger, I don't have to take the risk." He kept shouting in his heart, only then did he suppress this urge.
The next day, Fellow Daoist Gong came again.
"Here are twenty amulets and ten fire talismans. They're all I have."
Fellow Daoist Gong smiled. "That's enough!"
After the transaction was done, Shen Ping received more than three hundred spirit stones. In the afternoon, there was a knock on the door just as he was about to bury his head in making the talismans.
"Fellow Cultivator Shen, congratulations on becoming a mid-grade Talisman Master."