"Senior Brother? Are you here in Little Liang Mountain looking for me?" Li Mu arrived via sword control and asked cautiously, staring directly at the other person.
Just while Li Mu was checking the trade with Zhang Baiping for Wind Spirit Grass and Spirit Chicken chicks, Zhang Baiping quietly informed him that someone nearby was secretly watching him.
Li Mu's heart sank. After sending Zhang Baiping away, his divine sense scanned the watcher hidden in a grassy knoll and immediately flew over to confront him.
"No, no, I wasn't! I took the wrong path!" Caught off guard, Zhou Guangzhi responded flusteredly.
"Hmm! Let me escort Senior Brother down the mountain! Little Liang Mountain lacks resources; there's not much worth visiting here." Li Mu glanced meaningfully at Zhou Guangzhi.
"No need, farewell." Seeing his plan foiled, Zhou Guangzhi regained composure, rose via sword control, and headed towards Qing'an Town.
Senior Brother Xu made an error!
That guy wasn't Qi Refining Fifth Layer; he was clearly Qi Refining Seventh Layer, with strong spiritual pressure. If they fight, the outcome would be uncertain!
Zhou Guangzhi was anxious to report this news to Xu Lijin, wondering if they could strive further for the Middle Grade Spirit Field worth twenty to thirty thousand Lower Spirit Stones.
Watching the other's figure departing via sword control, Li Mu furrowed his brows, sensing a familiarity as if he had seen him somewhere before.
Besides that old man selling cultivation techniques, Li Mu acted very discreetly, convinced he hadn't offended anyone, except...
Li Mu looked at the five acres of new Spirit Field nearly ready for cultivation, gradually gaining insight.
It seemed like he had seen that person at the sect's residence. Could Senior Brother Xu have sent him, but why? Li Mu considered the matter but couldn't comprehend Senior Brother Xu's motives.
Without any cause, he hadn't offended Senior Brother Xu at all?
Li Mu sighed, deciding not to dwell on what he couldn't understand, reminding himself to stay vigilant at all times. This discovery of being watched was thanks to Zhang Baiping's warning; he did not possess such acute wariness himself.
Li Mu decided to earn some Spirit Stones through Talisman Making and first create a batch of surveillance puppets to safeguard the surroundings.
After determining the solution, Li Mu walked to the Spirit Field, casting Clear Wind Rain Summoning Skill to irrigate the fields; then, he tended the Spirit Rice Field, Cui Ling Fruit Field, weeding and fertilizing, busily engaging in agricultural tasks.
Qing'an Town, Qing Xuan Sect residence.
Upon meeting Zhou Guangzhi and hearing his report, Xu Lijin was somewhat stunned.
"Junior Brother Zhou, could you have misseen it? He clearly only has Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivation, how could his cultivation leap two layers in just a few days?" Xu Lijin frowned, distrustfully questioning.
"Senior Brother, I'm really not lying. The spiritual pressure and aura emitted from that kid were not at all weaker than yours. I swear by my Dao Heart, guaranteeing there's no falsehood." Zhou Guangzhi hastily raised his palm to swear solemnly.
"Junior Brother Zhou, no need for such serious oaths!" Xu Lijin hurriedly spoke to reassure Zhou Guangzhi, as his firm assertion made disbelief impossible.
"That's strange indeed, I'll personally check it out in a few days!" A hint of curiosity flashed in Xu Lijin's eyes.
————
Under the night curtain, the chilly weather changed in an instant.
In the pitch-black night sky, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared without any forewarning, "Boom, boom..." accompanied by bursts of thunder.
Soon, the pouring rain swiftly fell, "Splash, splash."
At the foot of Little Liang Mountain, a solitary courtyard still had a candlelight stubbornly shining, appearing especially forlorn.
Inside the room, Li Mu sat at the table, holding a talisman brush, fully focused on drawing a Spirit Talisman, while the thunder and rain sounds outside disturbed him not.
Li Mu's wolf hair talisman brush glided across the thin talisman paper, with spiritual power continuously infused into the talisman brush, stable and precise, integrating into the spiritual ink mixed with demon beast blood, drawing talisman patterns onto the talisman paper.
Soon, Li Mu, as if inspired, completed drawing a complex and complete talisman pattern in one go.
The talisman paper flashed with spirit light, forming a Tier One Top Grade Binding Vine Talisman full of spiritual power, flickering with pale green spirit light.
With the creation of the Basic Wood-Binding Spirit Talisman, it signaled Li Mu's successful mastery of the ten basic spirit talismans recorded in "Basic Talisman": Fire Bomb Talisman, Clear Wind Talisman, Light Body Talisman, Protective Talisman, Exorcism Talisman, Fire-igniting Talisman, Water Gathering Talisman, Mud Transformation Talisman, Golden Light Talisman, a total of ten spirit talismans.
With the experience gained from Level 4 Talisman Making Technique and the powerful role of divine sense, along with the understanding of Five Elements Spiritual Power, the spirit talismans Li Mu drew all reached Tier One Top Grade.
If the quality of talisman paper, spiritual ink, and talisman brush were slightly upgraded, Li Mu was confident he could create Tier One Top Grade spirit talismans.
Li Mu calculated the profits: Tier One Lower Grade spirit talismans are worth 4-5 Lower Spirit Stones, with quality rising by one grade, the power increases by three to four layers, and value rises by 2-4 Lower Spirit Stones. Top-Grade spirit talismans sell for at least 10 Lower Spirit Stones, while the cost for making Tier One spirit talismans is only one Lower Spirit Stone, nearly ten times the profit.
Li Mu boasts a 100% success rate in drawing Tier One spirit talismans, able to draw sixty to seventy Top-Grade spirit talismans in one night, earning five hundred Lower Spirit Stones a day, undoubtedly tremendous profit.
"Great! Once this batch of spirit talismans is sold, I won't have to be poor anymore." Li Mu was overjoyed; such earnings were previously unimaginable for him.
If he were to draw Tier Two spirit talismans, the success rate might drop somewhat, but the potential earnings are higher; unfortunately, Li Mu doesn't possess the formula for Tier Two spirit talisman patterns yet.
Li Mu drew another Wood-Binding Spirit Talisman and continued drawing more, intending to fill all remaining blank talisman papers.
...
The next day.
The bright sun rose in the east, the sound of chirping birds was crisp.
Dazzling sunlight slanted through the window, Li Mu suddenly opened his eyes, waking from sleep, and stretched comfortably.
Getting out of bed, washing up, Li Mu walked to the stove to prepare breakfast.
"Woof woof!" A strong bark sounded at his feet, soon followed by a wet sensation. A fluffy red little creature was licking his foot.
"Little guy, hungry? Don't worry, I'm getting you something to eat!" Li Mu smiled down, picking up the young pup.
Li Mu used Spirit Rice, adding minced Spirit Deer meat, to cook a pot of meat porridge, eating a bit himself and feeding the rest to the pup.
"Little guy, I haven't named you yet! What should I call you? Red fur?" Li Mu smiled and asked the pup.
As Li Mu looked at it, the pup's attribute information appeared in a virtual frame.
[Red Shepherd Spirit Dog (Juvenile Stage)]
[Grade: Mortal-level Spirit Dog]
[Attributes: Carnivorous, Fire Spirit Affinity, Ancestral Return]
[Carries a portion of Red-eyed Wolf's bloodline. Dislikes: None. Traits: Loyal, intelligent, easy to train, keen sense of smell, featuring bloodline traits of ancestral return with the potential to advance and obtain partial bloodline inheritance upon growth.]
"Your bloodline isn't bad at all; you need a more powerful name, so let's call you Red Wolf!" Li Mu decided.
Soon, the Spirit Rice porridge was ready, filled with tantalizing aroma.
Li Mu found a wooden bowl to serve a portion for Red Wolf, watching it devour its meal.
After a simple breakfast, Li Mu tidied up, then went to work in the Spirit Field.
Last night's heavy rain did significant damage to the Cui Ling Fruit Seedlings. Li Mu used his divine sense projection to stabilize the Cui Ling Seedlings, using Wood Attribute Spiritual Qi to tend to the plants and save the loss.
After doing all this, Li Mu locked the courtyard gate, controlling his sword, headed towards Qing'an Town to deal with the spirit talismans he had drawn last night.