"How much for this?"
Li Chang'an walked up to the stall and casually picked up a badly damaged Magical Artifact.
The stall owner glanced over.
"Five Spirit Stones."
Hearing this, Li Chang'an thought for a moment before putting the Magical Artifact down.
He then asked about a few other items.
The stall owner was quite patient.
After all, it wasn't easy to save up Spirit Stones, and most Cultivators just asked questions without buying anything. He was used to it.
Just then, a familiar voice called out from nearby.
"Eh? Daoist Li, are you here for some Treasure Hunting too?"
Liu Yue approached, her figure graceful and a bright smile on her pretty face.
Li Chang'an clasped his hands in greeting.
"Daoist Liu, I'm just browsing."
"Me too."
Liu Yue chuckled softly.
After that exchange between fellow daoists, although Li Chang'an hadn't gone back, he still occasionally ran into Liu Yue and the others at the Marketplace.
Over time, they had become quite familiar with each other.
After a brief chat, Li Chang'an went back to pretending to browse, asking the prices of a few more items as if he couldn't make up his mind.
Finally, his gaze shifted, and he pointed to the Spirit Beast Statue at the center of the stall.
"How much for this one?"
"This thing..."
The stall owner hesitated for a moment, not giving a price right away.
He reached out and tapped the statue firmly.
The sound wasn't muffled; on the contrary, it was somewhat hollow.
"This statue is hollow and protected by a restriction. I suspect there's a Treasure sealed inside."
"Oh? So, this is like a Secret Realm Treasure Chest?"
Liu Yue smiled, her interest seemingly piqued.
The stall owner nodded slightly.
"You could say that. I've never opened it myself. Daoist, feel free to inspect it."
With that, he picked up the statue.
He handed it to Li Chang'an.
Li Chang'an took it. It felt a little heavy in his hands.
The restriction on the statue's surface carried an aura of decay and age, and there were no signs it had ever been opened.
Of course, some scammers could fake that aura of decay.
But Li Chang'an had his Divination to guide him, so he wasn't worried.
"Just give me a price. I'll take it."
"Alright..."
The stall owner hesitated for a moment, just about to speak.
Just then, a strange fluctuation of Spiritual Power suddenly emanated from another stall nearby, drawing the attention of the group.
A young Cultivator was standing in front of that stall.
He had just bought an unopened Bronze Cauldron and was eagerly opening it, hoping to find a Treasure sealed inside.
But suddenly, the Bronze Cauldron began to tremble violently.
Then it abruptly shattered.
BOOM!
The young Cultivator had no time to dodge and was instantly blown to a bloody pulp!
Countless sharp, deadly glints of cold light shot out in all directions.
"Shield!"
Li Chang'an's reflexes were lightning-fast. In an instant, he threw out more than ten High-quality Spirit Shield Talismans.
The Talismans flashed, and Spiritual Qi solidified into shields.
In total, more than ten layers of shields stacked one in front of the other.
They firmly protected him and the area immediately around him.
「A moment later.」
The sound of wailing filled the air.
Dozens of people hadn't reacted in time and were struck by fragments of the Bronze Cauldron.
"That was close!"
The stall owner was terrified.
He hadn't been able to react either. Fortunately, Li Chang'an's Talismans had protected him as well.
Otherwise, even if he hadn't died, he would have been severely injured!
"Thank you, Daoist!"
He said immediately, his face full of gratitude.
Li Chang'an waved his hand dismissively.
"It's nothing."
Nearby, Liu Yue was also stunned.
What shocked her wasn't just Li Chang'an's reaction speed, but also the dozen or so High-quality Talismans shimmering before them.
"Daoist Li, you... you can already create High-quality Talismans?"
Her lovely mouth fell slightly open, and a trace of disbelief flashed in her almond-shaped eyes.
'You have to understand, she had always considered herself a genius. It had taken her only three years to successfully create a High-quality Talisman. But how long had Li Chang'an been practicing Talisman Painting? It seemed like it had only been a little over a year!'
Li Chang'an's expression remained unchanged as he said in a serious voice, "I concealed some things from you before, Daoist Liu. The truth is, I am not a newcomer to the Talisman Dao. I have been practicing Talisman Painting for many years, but I've always kept it quiet. It was only recently that I got lucky and managed to create a High-quality Talisman."
"Many years?"
Hearing this, Liu Yue felt a little more at ease.
'That made more sense. After all, creating a High-quality Talisman in just over a year was simply too astonishing. And there was nothing wrong with Li Chang'an's explanation either. He was naturally low-key, never one to show off. It was perfectly normal for someone like him to be hiding his mastery of High-quality Talisman Art.'
"Daoist Li, you really hide your talents well. You're clearly an old hand at being a Talisman Master, yet you pretended to be a novice in front of me."
Liu Yue shot him a look, feigning annoyance.
Whether intentionally or not, she subtly moved a little closer, the sense of distance she had previously maintained now gone.
Unperturbed, Li Chang'an looked toward the site of the explosion.
The Bronze Cauldron was completely shattered.
There was nothing left.
"This kind of thing has happened before."
"They're ancient relics, after all. They might contain a great opportunity, or they might contain danger. No one can say for sure."
The stall owner explained.
It wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this, but it was the first time he'd been so close to it.
「Before long.」
The Zheng Family patrol team arrived, cleaned up the scene, and sent the injured away.
Cultivators were highly resilient.
Soon, the Marketplace returned to its previous bustling state.
Holding the statue, Li Chang'an asked the stall owner,
"Daoist, you still haven't told me the price of this statue."
"What's there to talk about prices for?"
The stall owner shook his head and said, "Daoist, you saved my life. A life is worth far more than this statue. Just take it! If there's anything else on the stall you fancy, take it as well!"
"Very well."
Li Chang'an didn't refuse. Spirit Stones were precious, and it was best to save them when he could.
He immediately placed the statue into his Storage Pouch.
'The purpose of this trip to the Marketplace has been achieved.'
He was just about to head back.
Suddenly, Liu Yue spoke, her tone especially gentle.
"Daoist Li, since we can both create High-quality Talismans, we should find some time to sit and discuss the Dao, to have an exchange. What do you think?"
She stood very close, and a delicate fragrance drifted to his nose.
"I've been a bit busy lately. Let's talk about it some other time."
Li Chang'an was very polite but hurried away, giving her no chance to speak again.
Watching his retreating figure,
Liu Yue bit her lip, slightly annoyed.
'This Li Chang'an is so dense! I invited him personally, and he actually turned me down!'
...
「A few days later.」
A meeting for fellow daoists was held as scheduled.
As always, the attendees sometimes discussed their Skills and sometimes flattered their elders.
During the gathering, Liu Yue brought up what had happened at the Marketplace.
"Daoist Liu, can that Li Chang'an really create High-quality Talismans now?"
"That's right."
Upon learning this, everyone was astonished.
Luo Kun's brow furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure on his face.
Someone quickly caught on.
"So what? He can't compare to Elder Luo in the end!"
"Elder Luo was willing to guide him, but he didn't even show up. He wasted Elder Luo's good intentions!"
Several Low Grade Talisman Masters chimed in, with Luo Kun's name in every other sentence.
The stream of compliments was music to Luo Kun's ears.
As for Li Chang'an,
He didn't have a Middle Grade lineage, after all. He was only temporarily one step ahead and wasn't worth fawning over.
The Low Grade Talisman Masters present were all confident that they, too, would one day be able to create High-quality Talismans.