Immortality begins with equipping a worn-out talisman pen.

Heishifang City is located on the shore of Lumian Lake, on the edge of the Heishi Mountains.

Lumian Lake is a famous large lake in the Yue Kingdom, with a lake area stretching for thousands of miles, rich in spiritual energy and abundant in aquatic products.

The lake is rich in various spiritual fish and shellfish, and there are also many natural spiritual veins around it, which has attracted a large number of independent cultivators, demon hunters and immortal cultivation families to gather here.

As the true overlord of this region, the Qingxuan Sect has been operating here for hundreds of years.

Under the suppression of the Qingxuan Sect, most of the evil cultivators and robbers near Black Stone Market have disappeared. Ordinary cultivators, as long as they abide by the rules, do not need to worry about their lives.

To facilitate communication and trade among cultivators in the surrounding area, the Qingxuan Sect has also established a monthly market fair.

On the day the grand market opens, cultivators from hundreds of miles around will flock there upon hearing the news.

The usually quiet Black Stone Market will become bustling and lively as a result.

Li Mufeng had never participated in the market fair before.

It's not that he didn't want to come.

Rather, he simply didn't have many spirit stones on him.

For him in the past, he would have loved to break every talisman in half to use it, let alone spend spirit stones to buy those unattainable cultivation resources.

Now that I've become a first-tier low-grade talisman master, everything has finally changed.

As soon as Li Mufeng entered the market area, he sensed an atmosphere that was completely different from usual.

Both sides of the street were already filled with all kinds of stalls.

The air was filled with the aroma of medicinal pills, the stench of demonic beasts' blood and flesh, and the unique scents emanating from various spiritual materials.

Looking around, one sees a dense crowd.

Early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators are everywhere, and occasionally you can see a few late-stage Qi Refining cultivators with powerful auras moving around, attracting the attention of the surrounding rogue cultivators.

At the entrance to the market, Qingxuan Sect disciples maintained order.

Beneath the massive archway, a large area was specially designated as a temporary trading zone.

For just one spirit stone, you can obtain the right to set up a stall for one day.

Various shouts and calls rose and fell, almost forming a continuous chorus.

"The Crimson Flame Grass, freshly harvested from the depths of the Blackrock Mountains, is an essential elixir for refining Qi-restoring pills. There's only one left!"

"The Ironclad Bear, a Tier 1 demonic beast, left behind demonic bones. Attention, weapon refiners!"

"A top-grade magical artifact passed down from my ancestors, personally refined by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, but I'm reluctantly selling it due to my family's decline!"

"Fire Dog Pills for enhancing male virility and kidney health! One pill is effective, two pills give you boundless energy, and three pills will make you feel eighteen again!"

"Golden marrow ore! Genuine golden marrow ore! An excellent material for forging flying swords!"

"A fragmented ancient cultivation inheritance jade slip, only ten spirit stones! Buying it is a steal!"

The sounds of hawking, bargaining, and arguing mingled together, making the entire market exceptionally noisy.

However, Li Mufeng simply walked and observed, without rushing to make a move.

Because he knew very well that although the market was lively, there were very few truly good things there.

The independent repair stalls, in particular, are a mixed bag.

Some magical artifacts may appear to be radiant, but in reality, they are just using illusions to conceal damaged restrictions.

Some so-called ancient cultivation jade slips contain nothing more than common, basic cultivation techniques.

There are even quite a few people who specialize in collecting scrap metal and disguising it as ancient treasures to deceive newcomers.

Along the way, he secretly observed many stalls.

If it really is some kind of treasure, your equipment system will at least give you some kind of notification.

But nothing happened.

Clearly, the vast majority of them are all show and no substance.

After taking a quick look around, Li Mufeng didn't linger. Instead, he headed straight for the largest shop in the center of the market—Jubao Pavilion.

As soon as I entered, a young girl in a light blue dress came to greet me.

The girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features. Although she was just an ordinary person, she behaved properly and had obviously received special training.

"Greetings, senior. I am Hongyu. How may I be of service to you?"

Li Mufeng took out the first-grade low-rank talisman master jade talisman issued by the Qingxuan Sect.

Upon seeing the jade talisman, Hongyu's eyes immediately showed more respect.

Although talisman masters may not have profound cultivation, their status is far higher than that of ordinary rogue cultivators.

In particular, those who are certified by the Qingxuan Sect are considered to have truly stable talisman-drawing abilities.

"So you are Master Talisman, please follow me."

Hongyu immediately led the way, taking Li Mufeng to the area specifically responsible for purchasing talismans.

An elderly man with gray hair and beard sat behind the counter.

The old man's name was Zhou Dehai, and he was at the sixth level of Qi Refining. He had been in charge of appraising talismans at the Treasure Pavilion for more than 30 years.

When he saw someone approaching, he simply glanced up as was his habit.

Upon discovering that the newcomer was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, his expression relaxed somewhat.

Over the years, he had seen too many newly promoted first-tier low-grade talisman masters, most of whom were as young as Li Mufeng.

The quality of the talismans drawn by many people varies greatly; it is already good if they can meet the qualified standard.

"What kind of talismans would you like to sell, fellow Daoist?"

Zhou Dehai spoke with a smile.

"Since you possess the jade talisman certified by the Qingxuan Sect, my Jubao Pavilion will naturally offer a fair price."

Without wasting any words, Li Mufeng placed a thick stack of water arrow talismans on the table.

Zhou Dehai picked up a card at random.

His previously nonchalant expression paused slightly.

Then he picked up the second one.

The third one.

The fourth one.

As he continued to flip through the pages, the relaxed look on his face gradually disappeared.

Although talismans are all water arrow talismans, their quality varies.

Those with complete spiritual patterns and smooth spiritual energy flow are considered superior.

Those with minor flaws in their spirit runes, but whose power is not affected, are classified as medium.

If the spirit rune has obvious flaws and its power is severely weakened, it can only be considered inferior.

The vast majority of the talismans in front of us are of superior quality.

A few of the less impressive ones are still firmly in the middle range.

Most importantly, the style of the spirit patterns on each talisman is almost identical.

This indicates that it was made by the same person.

The young talisman master before me has clearly mastered the essence of the Water Arrow Talisman.

When Zhou Dehai put down the last talisman and looked at Li Mufeng again, his gaze was much more serious.

"Fellow Daoist, this batch of talismans is truly excellent."

"I have been in charge of appraising talismans for many years, and there are very few low-grade talisman masters who can consistently draw water arrow talismans of this quality."

Li Mufeng smiled but did not reply.

Zhou Dehai continued:

"A water arrow talisman costs one spirit stone per piece."

"However, this batch of talismans from you is of excellent quality and you also possess a jade talisman certified by our sect."

"I've decided to purchase them at one and two spirit stones each. What do you think, fellow Daoist?"

Li Mufeng felt a slight joy in his heart.

He would have been satisfied if he could have sold it for the original price.

Now that there's an extra 20% profit, they certainly wouldn't refuse.

"Can."

The transaction was completed quickly.

One hundred and fifty water arrow talismans were sold for a total of one hundred and eighty spirit stones.

After Li Mufeng left, Zhou Dehai did not put the talismans into the storeroom as usual.

Instead, it attracted Hongyu.

"Place these water arrow talismans separately."

Hongyu was slightly taken aback.

"Mr. Zhou, should we put some items in the premium section?"

Zhou Dehai shook his head.

"It's not quite at the level of a high-quality product yet."

"However, the quality already far surpasses that of ordinary low-grade talisman masters."

"Place it in the most prominent position next to the premium section, and recommend it to demon hunters and late-stage Qi Refining customers. The price will be two spirit stones."

At this point, Zhou Dehai couldn't help but glance again in the direction Li Mufeng had left.

"This Master Li is not old, but his foundation in talismanic arts is quite solid."

"If we continue to improve, it probably won't be long before the managers upstairs get involved."

Hongyu was also somewhat surprised to hear this.

It's rare to find someone who can elicit such an evaluation from Mr. Zhou.

On the other side...

After receiving an extra 180 spirit stones in his storage pouch, Li Mufeng felt much more relaxed.

Looking at the bustling market before him, he felt for the first time that he was truly integrated into the world of cultivation.

Now, he finally has the right to compete for his own opportunities in this market.