Spread out on the table were all of Qi Yun's belongings, which he had purchased for the immense sum of one hundred Holy Essence.
A piece of Tough Gold, larger than his last; a strange, thin vine, about half a foot long and black as ink, with a small cluster of tender, golden buds stubbornly sprouting from its tip—the Zhiwu Vine; two Dharma Transmission Jade Talismans; and more than ten books of various thicknesses.
The Tough Gold and the Zhiwu Vine, both Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects, were meant for the Magic Technique Panel's Refinement, to advance its automatic update progress.
The stack of books consisted of lore he had carefully selected: common knowledge about the Cultivation Realm, secret histories, taboos, and even some basic illustrated guides to flora and minerals.
'The greatest difference between Outer Mansion Disciples like me, who have no backing, and people like Shen Fan is the information gap created by our family backgrounds.'
'While this knowledge and lore can't be directly converted into combat strength, it's the intangible foundation for survival and for walking further down the cultivation path in the future.'
'Besides, this stuff was absurdly cheap. A single Holy Essence bought all dozen-plus books; it was practically a giveaway.'
Gazing at the books, Qi Yun let out a small sigh before neatly stacking them and setting them aside.
He reached out and picked up one of the Jade Talismans.
This Jade Talisman felt warm and smooth to the touch. A colorful, iridescent light seemed to flow within it, making it appear far more extraordinary than the other.
The two Spiritual Objects and the books had only cost him twenty-one Holy Essence.
He had staked the entire remaining sum—a full eighty Holy Essence—on these two Jade Talismans.
*Innate Qi Heart Method*
Condensing a faint wisp of True Qi at his fingertip, he slowly infused it into the Jade Talisman.
In an instant, the Jade Talisman flared with brilliant light. Text, diagrams, and chanting voices surged out like a torrential spring, threatening to fill the entire room.
Gazing up at the contents of the *Innate Qi Heart Method* floating in the air, Qi Yun nodded in satisfaction.
He had only settled on this particular Qi Refining Heart Method after repeated comparisons and careful selection within the Infinite Treasure Market.
Back on Ling Family Mountain, the so-called Qi Refining Method they had been taught was nothing more than a Qi Forging Skill, stripped of its core essence and pared down to a mere skeleton.
The technique was crude and simplistic, its only purpose to quickly weed out the untalented "rejects."
Thus, the first order of business for nearly every new disciple in the Outer Mansion was to desperately save up money to switch to a Qi Refining Heart Method that could actually support their path of cultivation.
'A Qi Refining Heart Method determines one's future path. Most cultivators choose a single discipline and devote all their energy to mastering it, striving for perfection.'
'If I didn't have the Magic Technique Panel, I would have to do the same.'
'But things are different now. The Magic Technique Panel relieves me of the pressure of having to study techniques, and it grants all my Magic limitless potential.'
'If I were to stick to just one, it would be a terrible waste of this gift.'
'So, I have no choice... I'll take them all!'
Having experienced the miraculous transformations after his Magic updated, Qi Yun already had a clear blueprint for his future path.
To be all-embracing, to master the Ten Thousand Laws!
Otherwise, he wouldn't have spent two whole days searching for a Heart Skill that was right for him.
*Innate Qi Heart Method*
Among the vast, fathomless collection of the Infinite Treasure Market, this Qi Refining Heart Method could only be considered average.
There were countless Heart Skills that were far more profound and powerful.
He chose this particular Qi Refining Heart Method because the Innate True Qi it cultivated was compatible with virtually all forms of Magic.
However, this very characteristic was also the reason why others had little interest in the Heart Skill.
Its compatibility with all Magic meant the Innate True Qi itself had no natural affinity for any particular Dao.
It also meant the Innate True Qi wouldn't provide the slightest boost to any type of Magic.
Pure, like a blank sheet of paper.
A jack-of-all-trades Qi Refining Heart Method like this might sound powerful, but in practice, no one would train in too many different types of Magic.
For one, it was mentally and spiritually exhausting. For another, practicing too wide an array of Magic wasn't necessarily a good thing.
Compared to cultivators who purely focused on a single discipline in pursuit of perfection, one might even end up far inferior.
After weighing the pros and cons, the Heart Skill's value for money was considered quite low.
But that was precisely why Qi Yun was able to purchase the Qi Refining Realm portion of the Heart Skill for just eighty Holy Essence.
'In the Infinite Treasure Market, the price of a Qi Refining Heart Method is much lower than that of an equivalent Magic.'
'After all, Magic is in high demand, and techniques are constantly being replaced as one's Realm advances.'
'But a Heart Skill isn't something one can just swap out. Once chosen, it's rarely ever changed.'
'This is probably the main reason why Heart Skills are cheaper.'
With a thought, Qi Yun put away the Jade Talisman containing the *Innate Qi Heart Method* and picked up the other one.
'After selling the *Basic Sword Skill*, I have nothing left to sell besides that bottle of Treasure Pill with its unknown effects.'
'Under normal circumstances, my next step would be to earn Holy Essence by slaving away like those disciples doing pickups and deliveries.'
'Or I'd have to take on one of those Sect missions—the kind that are described in glowing terms but are actually deathtraps full of pitfalls.'
'The problem is, I don't want to slave away, but I still want the Holy Essence.'
'My only hope lies with this scroll—*Secret Seal Collection Annotation (Three)*.'
'The art of Talisman Painting is a type of Talismanic Technique. Once I learn it, I can paint Talismans to sell and earn Holy Essence.'
He had spent the last few days immersed in the Infinite Treasure Market and had already figured out how things worked.
Elixirs and Talismans were the two biggest-selling, highest-volume commodities!
'The investment for Alchemy is too high. A Pill Furnace, an Earth Fire source, a constant supply of ingredients... with my meager savings, I can't even afford the leg of a furnace.'
He decisively dismissed the idea of Alchemy.
'Although the profit margin on a single Talisman is thin, the advantage lies in the low initial investment.'
'A sheet of Talisman Paper, a Talisman Brush, a little Spiritual Ink... if I succeed, the payoff will absolutely dwarf what I'd make slaving away or being a test subject.'
At this thought, he hesitated no longer. Once again, he infused a stream of True Qi from his fingertip into the Jade Talisman.
The Jade Talisman lit up in response, and a stream of information flowed out: seals, brushstroke techniques, secrets of Spiritual Power circulation, and more.
This volume of *Secret Seal Collection Annotation (Three)* only contained instructions for two types of Talismans.
One for Exorcism, one for Breaking Fiend.
Demon Sect cultivators frequently came into contact with malevolent and resentful Evil Qi. As the saying goes, walk by the river long enough, and your shoes are bound to get wet.
Not every Demon Sect cultivator practiced a Heart Skill that granted immunity to such things.
Thus, they were two of the most commonly used Talismans within the Sect.
If he could produce them reliably and in bulk…
The business opportunities were endless!
Gazing at the items laid out neatly on the table, a vision of his future path began to unfold before Qi Yun's eyes.
'First, I'll perform the Refinement on these two Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects and see if I can trigger another update for the Clear Wind Technique and Basic Sword Qi.'
With a single thought, Qi Yun picked up the piece of Tough Gold, which was the size of a washbasin. This piece was a full two sizes larger than his previous one, with much more of the gold at its center exposed.
'Its effect on advancing the progress should be much stronger as well.'
The moment the Tough Gold was in his hand, his Magic Technique Panel immediately reacted.
The panel seized it, refining it in an instant!
...