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Chapter 8: The First Sale
Chapter 8: The First Sale
Chapter 8: Chapter 8: The First Sale
Such a price for Clear Heart Talismans was something Fang Ling had never seen before in her life.
"Could it be that Brother Lu has gone mad for spirit stones?"
Ying Chang was drawn over by her reaction and, seeing the price, was also taken aback but quickly realized something was off.
"Hmm, this is..."
"Mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans!"
"Brother Lu, did you make these?"
Lu An nodded and modestly said:
"I've been studying for a long time and managed to create these talismans by chance."
Upon confirmation, Ying Chang was even more shocked. He had just learned that Lu An was only sixteen years old this year.
At such a young age, being able to make mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans was truly exceptional talent.
"With Brother Lu's skills, passing the talisman master certification should be easy. Why haven't you obtained the certificate?"
"I was planning to take the test, but the test was advanced due to an important visitor in Yongning County, so I missed it. I'll have to wait until next year."
When Yongning City was mentioned, Ying Chang glanced at Fang Ling and said no more.
He was also a casual cultivator and knew very well the status of casual cultivators in this world.
He deeply empathized with Lu An's situation.
But Fang Ling wasn't aware of this. She was from a major cultivation family, and when they fell in love, they did not receive approval from Fang's family.
Instead, they faced numerous difficulties, and Fang Ling's family even tried to eliminate Ying Chang.
Fortunately, Ying Chang's cultivation had already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining, and he was not far from the Foundation Establishment stage. Fang Ling had remained by his side, and they had eloped together, making a modest living in Guguan County through small businesses.
Fang Ling's business did not make much profit, but she enjoyed it, so Ying Chang indulged her. To make a living, Ying Chang went out every night to hunt beasts and sold his catches at the market during the day. As a result, he had little time to groom his beard.
Lu An was unaware of their situation. Seeing that both of them had returned to their stalls, he closed his eyes and continued practicing talisman-making in his mind.
Just as he was deeply focused, a voice pulled him back to reality.
"Friend, this Clear Heart Talisman is priced at only three spirit stones. Is that true?"
Lu An opened his eyes and, upon seeing the visitor, nodded.
The visitor showed a hint of delight and continued to ask:
"May I see it?"
"Of course. Please feel free."
The visitor picked up the talisman and examined it carefully for a long time before confirming there were no issues.
"I'll take it."
With that, he handed over three spirit stones to Lu An and quickly turned to leave, as if afraid of being noticed.
Lu An found it amusing. For a mere lower-grade Clear Heart Talisman, such urgency seemed unnecessary.
Ignoring the visitor, he closed his eyes again and resumed practicing talisman-making.
For the next few days, things remained the same. The location was too remote, and not many people came by. Even those who did were scared off by the "Twenty Spirit Stones" price tag and didn't realize that the talisman was actually mid-grade.
Lu An enjoyed the peace and quiet, spending his days practicing talisman-making in his mind and reading Fang Ling's books when he was tired.
The only awkwardness was that the couple often exchanged sweet words in front of him. Sometimes, even he, with his exposure to foreign cultures, felt embarrassed by their affection.
Nevertheless, Fang Ling's books were fascinating and greatly expanded his knowledge. Among them, he liked "Master Li's Travels in Pinghu" the most. Master Li was also a talisman master and was said to have reached the fourth rank, though the authenticity was unknown.
But this did not stop Lu An from enjoying the book, which contained many interesting tales of talisman-making and applications, broadening his horizons.
"A fourth-rank talisman master is akin to a Nascent Soul ancestor, a peak existence in the Mangcang Continent. I wonder when I will reach that level."
The Nascent Soul stage typically represented the supreme elders of major sects, a realm still far beyond his reach. As for the legendary Transformation stage practitioners, whether they even existed was still unknown.
One day, a familiar face appeared at Lu An's stall.
"Doing well, I see. You've become your own boss. My grandfather asked me to come and see you."
The visitor was Gu Yuer from Juyuan Studio. She had investigated for several days before finding Lu An's location.
"You've really gone to the trouble of finding me here."
Gu Yuer smiled slightly, looking at the talismans on the table with surprise.
"Mid-grade Clear Heart Talismans!"
However, she soon noticed the price and furrowed her brows slightly.
Lu An was not bothered. As expected of someone from Juyuan Studio, she recognized the talisman at a glance.
"Is there something you need from me?"
He asked.
Gu Yuer refocused her attention. She originally had no specific business but now did.
"Lu An, tell me honestly, can you create top-grade Clear Heart Talismans?"
Lu An shook his head.
"No, I can't."
Gu Yuer looked disappointed but then heard him continue.
"But I can get close."
"How soon?"
She asked eagerly.
Lu An thought for a moment and slowly replied:
"In half a month."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yuer almost jumped up.
"That's great! I'll go back and tell my grandfather right away."
With that, she dashed off, leaving Lu An puzzled.
Just as he thought this matter would be settled, the next day, Gu Chuanfei came in person.
"Young friend Lu, is what Yuer said true?"
Lu An understood what he was referring to and nodded.
Seeing this, Gu Chuanfei's face showed great joy, and he began to transmit a message.
"To be honest, I would like to buy a few top-grade Clear Heart Talismans. If you have the best ones, that would be even better. As for the price, don't worry; I'll make sure you're satisfied."
"I'm afraid I won't be able to master top-grade ones in the short term. However, making top-grade ones is not a problem. May I ask what you need them for?"
Gu Chuanfei hesitated for a moment before slowly saying:
"I'm looking to break through to the Core Formation stage."
Lu An was surprised. The Core Formation stage? Could a first-grade Clear Heart Talisman be effective for that?
"Why not go to the Divine Talisman Pavilion or the Talisman Hall to buy some high-grade second-tier Tranquil Heart Talismans? They should be more effective."
Gu Chuanfei sighed helplessly:
"Ah... Do you think second-tier talismans are easy to make? Just because you want to buy them, doesn't mean you can get them easily."
"To my knowledge, in the entire Guguan County, only the head of the Divine Talisman Pavilion and Elder Zhang from the Talisman Hall can make second-tier talismans."
"And the second-tier talismans they master are all attack types; Tranquil Heart Talismans are not among them."
Lu An nodded. Given this situation, the first-grade Clear Heart Talismans were indeed the best choice.
When breaking through realms, mental instability is most detrimental, and the Clear Heart Talisman could effectively address this issue.
However...
For breaking through to the Core Formation stage, even top-grade Clear Heart Talismans might have minimal effect.
After thinking for a moment, he looked up and said:
"Senior, if you are not in a hurry, you can wait for a while. Within two months, I can make a few top-grade Clear Heart Talismans for you. How does that sound?"
Gu Chuanfei was momentarily stunned, then showed an expression of incredulity.
"Two months is feasible. Do you have confidence?"
Lu An nodded solemnly.
Gu Chuanfei saw this and burst into hearty laughter.
"Young friend Lu, you are truly my lucky star. If I can successfully break through, I will definitely reward you handsomely in the future."
The reason he was so anxious was that a position had recently opened up at the headquarters in Yongning City. However, his cultivation was slightly lacking, making it difficult for him to compete. With top-grade Clear Heart Talismans, his chances would be greatly improved. If he were to secure the position, he could also pass the business in Guguan County to his granddaughter, achieving a win-win situation.
They agreed that in two months, Lu An would provide the top-grade Clear Heart Talismans.
Just as Gu Chuanfei was about to leave, a group of people approached from the distance.
"Did you say his Clear Heart Talismans are only priced at three spirit stones? Is that true?"
"Master Lei, I wouldn't dare lie to you!"
"That's best. I've been quite irritable lately. If you're deceiving me, I will make you regret it."
Since the Zhao family incident, he had sent people to investigate, and the news he received only fueled his anger. It turned out that Juyuan Studio had not added any new stewards. He suspected that there couldn't possibly be such a young steward, and now he believed he had been tricked.
In response, he immediately arranged for his men to find Lu An's residence. Once the news came back, he planned to take action against Lu An and make sure he knew there were some people he shouldn't provoke.
As Lu An was about to send Gu Chuanfei off, he suddenly saw Lei Er's figure and a strange expression crossed his face.
"Lei Er? Just in time!"