Cultivation: I can see the proficiency level

As the saying goes, "A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative." With each visit, conversations increased, and after living in Qiulong City for several months, Wang Mian gradually became familiar with his neighbors on both sides.

The cultivator surnamed Yang on the left makes a living by hunting demonic beasts. He is a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and is burly and fierce, with a murderous aura surrounding him. One can tell from his appearance that he is not a kind person.

The cultivator surnamed Liu on the right makes a living by cutting down spirit trees. He is a fifth-level Qi Refining cultivator, strong and honest-looking, always smiling and greeting everyone he meets, making him very easy to get along with.

Further away, Wang Mian only heard that some cultivators made a living by raising insects, some by processing leather, and some by concocting medicine; each had their own way of making a living.

In this Dragon City, there are chaotic alleys, small buildings, courtyards, and cave dwellings. The spiritual energy is uneven, and the rent varies. Tens of thousands of cultivators have been squeezed in, ranging from the early to the late stages of Qi Refining.

As a talisman master, Wang Mian was quite popular among his neighbors.

In particular, the two neighboring families would often prepare some spiritual food and tea and invite him to banquets and small gatherings. The neighbors were very hospitable, and Wang Mian could not refuse every time, so he accepted a few times by giving them spiritual talismans as gifts.

Living in the city is different from living in the mountains; people come and go more frequently.

The two families' children often came to visit Wang Mian, bringing him fruits and melons from time to time. Wang Mian knew why they did this; it was simply because the inheritance of the talismanic arts was so attractive that they befriended them in hopes of becoming his disciples.

Unfortunately, he had no such intention.

For Wang Mian, his disciple was no different from a son than a disciple, and he did not want to get involved in such karma, lest he bring trouble upon himself.

Wang Mian's neighboring courtyard.

At the age of thirteen or fourteen, Yang Qingzhuang, who only had the first level of Qi Refining cultivation, wielded a sharp butcher's knife and dismembered the demonic beasts his father had brought back with extremely skillful movements.

On the other side was Yang Hen, holding a teacup.

Seeing his son cut off several pieces of tender meat, he said, "Rest now. Take these pieces of pork belly to Master Wang next door."

Upon hearing this, the boy's face fell.

Even a teenager can read people's expressions. He felt that Master Wang next door thought he was dull-witted. Despite knowing him for so long and often giving him gifts, he was unwilling to pass on his skills.

Not only him, but Liu Mang, who was just as filial, also received no reply whatsoever.

"Father, this meat is too expensive!"

"It's precisely because of its high price that it's suitable as a gift." Yang Hen looked at his son: "I know what you're thinking. You just need to know that the talisman master next door is no less than a great opportunity for young cultivators like you, understand?"

The boy sighed.

He also knew this was an opportunity. The talisman master next door was about thirty years old, with outstanding cultivation and a demonic beast by his side. If he formed a karmic bond with him, the master would undoubtedly become a powerful figure in the future.

That's why he competed with the boy next door for so long, but the other boy had no intention of taking him on as a disciple. He was already preparing to follow in his father's footsteps and learn the skill of slaying demons.

In the end, at Yang Hen's prompting, he obediently went to deliver the meat.

"Did you send the child to deliver gifts again?" The nun asked softly as she stepped out of the house.

Yang Hen nodded.

Demon hunters are people who live on the edge, facing certain death and rarely meeting a good end. He doesn't want his child to follow this path, and now he's just sending his child to scout ahead.

He also prepared a separate apprenticeship gift, hoping to impress the talisman master Wang Zhi next door.

"Learning one or two talismans to build a foundation and be able to make a living is a good thing. At least you won't have to live like me, risking your life and licking blood from the blade." Yang Hen's exposed arm was covered with scars.

The female cultivator sighed; she also longed for her child to live a peaceful life and learn various skills to support himself.

Difficult, difficult, difficult!

In the neighboring courtyard.

Bai Jiuniang opened the courtyard gate and saw two young cultivators standing at the bottom of the steps, one carrying meat and the other holding melons and fruits. They both bowed to her and addressed her as Senior Bai.

It couldn't help but feel a little helpless. Ever since the cultivator next door saw Wang Mian selling talismans, the two families had been frequently sending gifts. These two lads addressed it as "senior" in every word, showing utmost respect, and would often buy pastries in an attempt to win it over.

If it didn't know that Wang Mian wouldn't stay here for long, it would have already gone for a walk.

"Senior Bai, we just slaughtered a spirit deer today. We'd like to bring some meat to Senior Wang."

"Senior Bai, this junior is just bringing some spiritual fruits to Senior Wang to quench his thirst."

Bai Jiuniang reluctantly stepped aside, gesturing for the two to enter the courtyard. She accepted the spirit fruit and fresh meat, and led them into the main hall of the house. As soon as the two stepped across the threshold, they saw Wang Mian drawing talismans.

The talisman brush moved with effortless grace, shimmering with spiritual light. What seemed to them to be incredibly complex lines appeared on a small piece of talisman paper with such ease and skill.

The two of them didn't get close to look, but only observed from a distance.

His face showed both admiration and longing, as well as disappointment and regret.

After a long while, Wang Mian finally put away the completed talisman. When he looked up, he saw the two boys from the neighboring families stand up and bow. They both said in unison, "Senior Wang."

Eighteen-year-old Wang Mian was called "senior" by two thirteen-year-old boys. After being called that so many times, he gradually got used to it.

After exchanging pleasantries, he gave them two low-grade talismans of equal value and then sent them away.

He did not want to take on disciples, nor did he want to take advantage of others. The two seemed to have persisted for a long time and were full of sincerity, but they did not know that in the world of cultivation, inheritance is rare.

Some people kneel and beg for three years but are not taught; some people are filial for ten years but only receive a superficial understanding; some people serve others until they die before they receive the complete teachings.

The Way should not be sold cheaply, and skills should not be passed on lightly.

Another three months of cultivation, totaling four months of cultivation, costing over a thousand spirit stones. Fortunately, I have now broken through to the mid-grade talisman master level, and my skills have improved, so my income has increased, which has offset the cost.

However, the consumption of pills is rapid. Bai Jiuniang can now swallow a bottle of pills every few days. Over the past few months, she has consumed more than twenty bottles of pills alone.

His cultivation level had increased considerably, but it hadn't surged dramatically.

Eighty or ninety percent of the elixirs I obtained from the storage bag have been used up, leaving only a few bottles. The rest are all healing, poison-avoiding, mind-clearing, and spirit-strengthening pills.

"Is there still no news about the elixir?" Bai Jiuniang asked, her words forming a divination mark.

Wang Mian shook his head.

He also realized that the higher one's cultivation level, the rarer the spiritual medicines required. The Nourishing Spirit Mushroom from last time and the Hundred-Year Stone Spirit Milk from this time are both rare and hard-to-find spiritual medicines.

While the herbal mushroom is not selling well, this century-old stone spirit milk is a much better-selling product.

Wang Mian leaned back in his wooden chair, closing his eyes and concentrating.

[Low-grade Qi Refining Method: Diligently practice 1,800 times until the practice is perfected, and you can enter the sixth level of Qi Refining]

[Introduction to the Middle Volume of the Nine Talismans Scripture: Drawing 700 mid-grade talismans is sufficient for mastery, with a success rate of 66%]

His cultivation progressed steadily, and his talisman-making progressed slowly, but now it was enough to sustain his cultivation. The more his cultivation advanced, the more Wang Mian wanted to find that Hundred-Year Stone Spirit Milk.

Unfortunately, this medicine grows in deep caves and is nourished by spiritual veins, making it difficult to find.

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On Qiulong Peak.

The handsome, non-masculine-looking young man put down the communication talisman, a knowing glint in his eyes, then picked up another talisman and listened carefully.

"This person actually escaped into my Dragon City?" He tapped the table, never expecting that after several months of seclusion, the person would actually run into his city.

The monk with his head bowed answered yes.

The Wang clan of immortals offered numerous sacrifices, each with their own strengths. They used a variety of methods, including divination and fortune-telling, to finally find the person the young clan leader had mentioned.

After that, he sent people to secretly keep an eye on them, and they are still in Qiulong City to this day.

"What does he want that century-old stone spirit milk for?" the handsome young man asked.

The monk at the lower seat shook his head.

Those spiritual herbs are mostly used by disciples of the immortal race to build their foundation. Since this person is already in the mid-stage of Qi Refining, why would he need that hundred-year-old stone spirit milk? The group discussed it but could not figure out the reason.

"There must be a hundred-year-old stone spirit milk in the Human Intestine Cave, right?" Seeing the cultivator below nod, he said, "Secretly send out the message, and send a few men to capture the person as a bargaining chip."

Since the Lu family is still painstakingly pursuing the matter and has spent a huge amount of money without giving up, he decided to take a chance and see if there was any hope.

Let's bring them back first.

If the matter is of great importance, whether to keep or kill the person depends on whether they are pragmatic. If it is of little importance, one can exchange some property and spirit stones with the Lü family to reduce their assets.

"You obey the young clan leader's command!" The cultivator bowed in response.