The next day, at dawn.
Gu Shengtian woke up early and carefully packed his Bigu Pills into small portions—ten per bottle, neatly placing them into five jade containers.
He put on the only low-grade robe he owned, strapped a low-grade flying sword to his waist, and stepped out of his wooden house, moving swiftly.
If he didn't enter the city early, by the time the sun rose, all the better stalls in the casual cultivator's market would already be taken.
After the heavy rain from the day before, the outer city's roads were still thick with mud. As Gu Shengtian made his way through, the closer he got to the city center, the more intense the smell became—a foul mixture of human and beast scents, damp earth, medicinal herbs, and the pungent stench of waste.
Even so, he had long since grown used to it.
An hour later, he arrived at the inner city gates.
The moment he stepped inside, he took a deep breath.
The air here was so much fresher.
"I heard the inner city is built atop a first-tier spiritual vein, which helps cultivators during the Qi Refining stage progress faster. No wonder the air feels different here."
Gu Shengtian's gaze lingered on the elegant stone houses lining the streets, their spiritual arrays glowing faintly in the morning light.
"If I ever make enough money, I must buy a house here."
Suppressing that thought, he hurried toward the Sanxiu Market in the southwestern district.
---
The market was already bustling by the time he arrived.
On a wide bluestone slab, talisman papers and beast hides were spread out in an organized fashion, with an old man busily tending to them.
As the elderly cultivator stretched his back, he noticed Gu Shengtian approaching and chuckled.
"Gu Daoyou, you're later than me this time."
This old man was Chen Xiuping, a Qi Refining sixth-layer cultivator who had lived in Dahefang City for decades.
He made a living crafting and selling talisman seals, and his skills in processing talisman skins were well-known.
With his level of income, he could afford to rent a house in the inner city, but he was a notoriously stingy man.
Rather than spending ten times the price for a stone house inside the city walls, he preferred to rent a wooden shack for just one low-grade spirit stone a month in the outer city.
Even when setting up his stall, he counted every expense down to the last spirit stone.
In Sanxiu Market, renting a vendor's stall from the city officials cost one spirit stone per month.
But Chen Xiuping, unwilling to pay the full price, found a loophole—he squeezed his stall to half its original size, just enough to fit his talisman seals and beast hides.
The remaining half a square meter?
He leased it to Gu Shengtian, splitting the rent between them.
Was Gu Shengtian being taken advantage of?
Not exactly. If he rented a separate stall, he'd have to pay a whole spirit stone per month.
Moreover, most cultivators preferred buying from familiar vendors, so it wasn't a terrible deal.
Still, one thing was certain—Chen Xiuping definitely made a profit!
---
Gu Shengtian gave a brief greeting before setting up his wares.
Twenty bottles of Bigu Pills.
Seeing the amount, Chen Xiuping raised his brows in surprise.
"Gu Daoyou, your alchemy skills have improved again, haven't they?"
He had good reason to say that.
Gu Shengtian usually set up his stall once every seven days, selling around fifteen or sixteen bottles each time.
But today, he had twenty bottles!
Clearly, his refining success rate had increased.
And indeed, it had.
In a week, Gu Shengtian spent one day setting up his stall and another buying materials. That left six days—half for material processing, half for alchemy.
Which meant he only had three days to refine pills.
Previously, he managed to refine two batches per day, yielding around five bottles per batch—but the loss rate was high.
However, yesterday, his Bigu Powder refining skill had advanced from Perfected to Grandmaster Level.
His final batch?
Five bottles in a single furnace!
With fewer wasted materials and improved efficiency, he had twenty bottles ready this time.
---
"Ah, nothing special. Just a matter of practice," Gu Shengtian replied humbly.
Though his words were modest, a hint of pride gleamed in his eyes.
Reaching Grandmaster-level proficiency in Bigu Powder refining was no small feat.
Chen Xiuping shook his head. "There are other cultivators selling Bigu Pills here, but none of them can refine twenty bottles in five days like you."
As he spoke, he reached for one of the jade bottles.
"You didn't just mix flour into these to fill the count, did you?" he joked. "As an elder, I should inspect them for you—wouldn't want our stall's reputation ruined."
Gu Shengtian's expression didn't change, but his hand moved swiftly, picking up a red-lined talisman seal from Chen Xiuping's side of the stall.
"I heard someone bought one of your Qi Containment Talismans last time, and it didn't activate properly. The poor guy got his rear bitten by a demon beast instead," Gu Shengtian smirked.
"How about I take this talisman back for research? We wouldn't want to ruin our stall's reputation, now would we?"
Chen Xiuping's face twisted in panic, instantly releasing the jade bottle and snatching his talisman back.
"You little brat! You sell five bottles of Bigu Pills for one spirit stone, and you have the nerve to trade for my three-spirit-stone talisman? Give it back! Give it back!"
Gu Shengtian grinned, setting the talisman back in its most visible spot.
The Qi Containment Talisman was Chen Xiuping's flagship product—one of the most expensive lower-grade talismans, with a starting price of three spirit stones.
And for good reason.
To demon hunters, it was invaluable. It concealed a cultivator's spiritual energy and blood scent for an hour, making it as precious as any defensive talisman.
Gu Shengtian had to admit, he was a little envious of Chen Xiuping.
Selling just one talisman earned him at least a full spirit stone. His monthly profit easily exceeded a hundred stones!
Meanwhile, Gu Shengtian's entire month of work barely brought in twelve spirit stones. After deducting costs?
He was left with six or seven spirit stones.
Subtract rent, stall fees, and daily expenses, and he barely had four or five spirit stones left at the end of the month.
He had been in this world for a year, painstakingly saving every bit.
He couldn't even imagine how miserable the original Gu Shengtian had lived.
Still, envy was fleeting.
He knew well that each of the four main cultivation professions had its difficulties.
Alchemy had high material costs, and it took countless failed furnaces before one reached true proficiency.
Talisman crafting required precise concentration, with even the smallest error resulting in a wasted talisman.
And talisman craftsmen? They rarely lived long.
Even though Chen Xiuping looked ancient, he was only in his mid-sixties.
In theory, a Qi Refining cultivator could live past 120, but talisman makers often didn't.
Gu Shengtian sighed.
"Alchemy is better… just making round little pills."
Besides, now that his Bigu Powder refining skill had reached Grandmaster Level, his income would double.
Ten spirit stones per month still wasn't enough to fund proper cultivation…
But at least he was moving in the right direction.
And more importantly—
It was time to start a new project.
Just as he was lost in thought, Chen Xiuping nudged his sleeve.
"Business is coming."