「Several more days passed.」
A sudden, torrential rain began to fall one night, with heavy drops hammering against the roof tiles.
Things were different from a year ago when he had first awakened. Now, thanks to his skill in Talisman Making, Lü Zhong could afford to rent a brand-new little courtyard on his own. He could finally cultivate in peace in a dry, comfortable environment.
Suddenly, the door to his room burst open. Six small fireballs shot out in quick succession, exploding in midair over the empty courtyard.
"I did it! I've mastered the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique!"
Lü Zhong's face was filled with excitement.
After so much hard work, he had finally mastered this Magic Skill.
'The Qingyang Fire Rain Technique... My first mastered Secret Skill!'
Recalling the sensation, Lü Zhong formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation.
Before long, another five small fireballs coalesced.
He had successfully cast his Qingyang Fire Rain Technique again.
The number of fireballs was a little low—nowhere near the dozens Yuo Qing had unleashed that day—but Lü Zhong was already quite content.
After all, there was a vast difference in their strength, not to mention their understanding and proficiency with the Magic Skill. A gap was to be expected.
Lü Zhong estimated the casting's consumption. He figured he could use the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique three times at most before his Spiritual Power ran out.
At first glance, it might not seem like many casts.
'But then again, how many Early-stage Qi Refining cultivators could withstand three volleys of the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique?'
One had to remember that the Qingyang Fire Rain Technique was a Secret Skill—a Fire Magic skill renowned for its destructive power, no less. Its might surpassed that of the Fireball Skill, and resisting the rain of fire would be no easy feat.
Setting aside Sect Disciples and cultivators from major clans, very few Early-stage Qi Refining Loose Cultivators possessed Defensive Magical Artifacts. In fact, many were so destitute they couldn't afford one at all.
As a result, most of them focused solely on offense, neglecting defense. At best, they might carry a few Talismans, like the Arrow Avoidance Talisman.
Now, Lü Zhong had a decent chance of winning against a Loose Cultivator of the same rank.
To have made such immense progress in just one year, starting from a complete novice who knew nothing, was a tremendous achievement.
...
Walking out of the Xingwu Pavilion's main gate, Lü Zhong sighed inwardly.
It was just as he'd expected. After gaining complete control of the Talisman Paper supply channels, Xingwu Pavilion had immediately joined forces with two other Commerce Associations to lower the buyout price for finished Talismans.
Now, the buyout price for a single Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talisman was only eight talismanic coins.
Factoring in the rising cost of raw materials, his profit from a single Seven Profound Arrow Avoidance Talisman had shrunk to just five talismanic coins.
That was a loss of nearly thirty percent of his previous profit.
'Looks like I'll have to go to the Talisman Maker Mutual Aid Association meeting this afternoon after all.'
Shortly after noon, he arrived at the docks of Qingliu Square.
The docks had changed considerably. The simple jetties were gone, torn down and rebuilt. The support pillars had all been replaced with massive logs, so thick that even fully loaded carriages traveling side by side couldn't damage them.
A dozen or so boats of varying sizes were sparsely docked in the berths on either side.
Mortal laborers were busy loading and unloading heavy cargo like ore and timber.
The boat heading to Dihua Continent was docked among these massive cargo ships. Two cultivators were already on board: an old man of about sixty and a Female Cultivator in a viridian dress, a jade hairpin adorning her hair.
Lü Zhong, a frequent stall-owner himself, recognized the pair. They were fellow Loose Cultivators who also made their living through Talisman Making.
"Lü Zhong greets his two Fellow Daoists."
"Ah, Fellow Daoist Lü. No need for such formalities; we're all familiar faces here." The elderly man, commonly known as Elder Dong, looked up. Seeing it was Lü Zhong, he smiled and cupped his hands in greeting.
The Female Cultivator beside him was of average appearance, but her bearing was that of a high-born lady, and her etiquette was perfect.
They exchanged names, and Lü Zhong learned the Female Cultivator was called Huang Shuyuan.
After the exchange of pleasantries, the three of them sat in the boat's cabin and began to chat.
When the conversation turned to the upcoming meeting, Huang Shuyuan offered her opinion, making it clear she wasn't optimistic.
"We're all just Loose Cultivators, completely disorganized. I don't think this Mutual Aid Association will be able to do a thing."
She ended on a pessimistic note, predicting that the Mutual Aid Association would inevitably just become a tool for someone to line their own pockets.
Elder Dong held the opposite view. He was very optimistic about the Mutual Aid Association's future.
"What does a young woman like you know? With the Mutual Aid Association, we Independent Cultivator Talisman Makers can band together. Then we'll have the leverage to stand up to the Great Commerce Associations, and it'll be easier to fight for the profits we deserve."
The two of them argued endlessly over this, while Lü Zhong watched quietly from the side.
But since neither could convince the other, the argument eventually died down.
After a while, seeing it was almost time for the meeting and the jetty was still empty, Elder Dong shouted to the boatman, "Boatman, it looks like no one else is coming. Let's get going!"
The boat traveled upstream, reaching Dihua Continent in just under ten minutes.
A patch of verdant grass had been arranged into a meeting area, furnished with a large, solid-wood round table.
Surrounding the round table were twelve chairs.
Lü Zhong glanced around and saw that nine chairs were already taken. All the occupants were Loose Cultivators from the Workshop Market who made their living with Talisman Making.
Lü Zhong found a random seat. Chen Shaoyan immediately came over and said with a smile, "With the three of you, that just leaves Fellow Daoist Li. The meeting will start as soon as he arrives."
"Do you mean Fellow Daoist Li Dong?" Lü Zhong asked curiously.
Li Dong was a fairly well-known Talisman Master from Yanling Mountain. It stood to reason he wouldn't miss the founding of the Mutual Aid Association.
"The very same Fellow Daoist Li!" Chen Shaoyan confirmed.
Speak of the devil.
Li Dong, leading a small boy by the hand, greeted the others as he walked into the meeting area.
"Alright, since everyone is here now, let's start the meeting," Chen Shaoyan said.
As the founder of the Talisman Maker Mutual Aid Association, it was his duty to lead the meeting.
"So, how exactly are we going to 'mutually aid' each other?" Huang Shuyuan, the female Talisman Maker, asked.
"Yes, that's exactly what I was about to address." Chen Shaoyan showed no sign of displeasure at being interrupted. In fact, he seemed to agree with her.
A gesture like that naturally engendered goodwill.
Even some of the cultivators who had been skeptical of the Mutual Aid Association began to listen intently.
Chen Shaoyan's gaze swept across the crowd, his tone turning somber. "I'm sure you have all felt how severely our interests as Talisman Makers have been damaged since the three Great Commerce Associations seized control of the market. What's more, we can all foresee that they will continue to press us, step by step, until they've squeezed every last drop of profit out of us!"
His words resonated with everyone present.
Lately, many had realized that to earn the same amount of money as before, they had to spend significantly more time on Talisman Making each day. Furthermore, Replenishing Qi Pills had become a necessary expense just to restore enough Spiritual Power to keep working.
All the profit from the extra Talismans they painstakingly crafted was being effortlessly siphoned off by the Great Commerce Associations.
Anyone in their position would be filled with resentment.
Seeing the expectant looks on their faces, Chen Shaoyan slammed a fist on the table. His voice rang out, powerful and clear. "So, to reclaim the profits that are rightfully ours, are we supposed to just stay silent?"
"Of course not!" a Loose Cultivator immediately responded.
The others, Lü Zhong included, agreed that the current situation had to change.
If things went on like this, everyone present would be reduced to nothing more than a tool for the Great Commerce Associations to make money.
Sensing the tide of opinion was in his favor, Chen Shaoyan no longer held back and revealed his plan.
"I'm calling on all of you... to join me in a strike!"