Chapter 46: Spiritual Sense Reaches a Hundred Feet!

Three types of Heart-Calming Jade.

This was something that caught Shen Lian by surprise. Truly worthy of the World Tower—its depths were filled with treasures.

A moment later, Sun Daoli placed three jades before Shen Lian, each radiating a distinct hue: azure, yellow, and gold.

He showed no concern that Shen Lian might snatch them away; he allowed him to examine and take as he pleased.

Shen Lian first picked up the Wood Jade. A gentle, nourishing aura emerged in his hand. The jade resembled a slingshot frame, crafted of spirit wood with a lustrous finish.

Seeing this, Shen Lian realized his own narrow-mindedness; he had assumed jade must be square and stone-like.

The earth-colored jade was a fist-sized stone, pitted on the surface, yet in the hand it felt weighty and steadfast.

The gold jade was shaped like a sword, containing a sharp, restrained brilliance that stirred his spirit.

“How much for these two jades?” Shen Lian selected the Wood and Earth jades.

Sun Daoli glanced at them and replied, “The Wood Jade costs fourteen hundred spirit stones, and the Earth Jade twelve hundred.”

Shen Lian paid decisively.

A second-grade, low-quality magical artifact needed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator typically cost eight to nine hundred spirit stones, while better ones ranged from one to two thousand.

Heart-Calming Jade was not considered an artifact but a rare treasure, used to aid cultivation. The price was reasonable.

“Do you have any top-grade first-tier elemental items?”

Sun Daoli said no more; with a wave of his hand, jade boxes flew onto the table before Shen Lian.

“Top-grade first-tier Fire Spirit Stone, three hundred and twenty spirit stones.”

“Top-grade first-tier Golden Sun Fruit, two hundred and thirty spirit stones.”

“Hundred Marsh Wood, two hundred and ten spirit stones.”

“Spirit Mussel Pearl, one hundred and eighty spirit stones.”

“Earth Spirit Sand, two hundred and fifty spirit stones.”

...

“Deep Sea Fish Tongue Bone, one hundred and fifty spirit stones.”

Shen Lian carefully examined each elemental item. He had thought the Five Qi Returning to Origin technique was particular, requiring cultivators in the late Qi Refining stage to begin condensing the five elemental energies within the chest.

Now he saw that the predecessors who created this method were indeed insightful; early and mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators were impoverished, only in the late stage could they earn spirit stones quickly.

Cultivation required gradual progress; refining higher-grade items was not necessarily better. Otherwise, powerful cultivators could simply seize high-grade materials for their juniors, which would be chaos.

After careful selection, Shen Lian picked two of each item, spending a total of two thousand three hundred and eighty spirit stones.

Including the two jades earlier, his seven thousand spirit stones were now down to two thousand and twenty.

He needed these remaining stones to buy talisman-making materials.

Though he had finished shopping, Shen Lian did not leave; he planned to inquire about other items.

“Do you have any disguise techniques?”

“Yes.”

With a wave, Sun Daoli produced three jade slips before Shen Lian.

Shen Lian picked them up and sensed them with his spiritual consciousness. Due to the restrictions within, he could only perceive the names and opening lines of the techniques.

The three jade slips contained “Thousand Illusions True Form,” “Jade Face True Appearance Technique,” and “Bone Transformation Derivation Technique.”

Among these, the Bone Transformation Derivation Technique was the best, capable of blocking a cultivator from a major realm from seeing through the disguise, usable up to the peak of Foundation Establishment, and able to thwart even false Core cultivators’ scrutiny.

Unsurprisingly, the price was steep: twenty thousand spirit stones.

The cheapest, Thousand Illusions True Form, was only three thousand stones, but its effect was barely stronger than using a disguise talisman.

Helpless, Shen Lian could only give up.

He then inquired about magical artifacts and breath-concealing techniques.

Half an hour later, as Shen Lian left the World Tower, he had his plans set.

Since beginning his cultivation, he had never acquired a proper magical artifact.

He had his eye on a second-grade sword at the World Tower, priced at two thousand and three spirit stones.

He also fancied a second-grade, low-quality talisman array disk, priced at three thousand.

Choosing these was not overreaching; with the support of two Heart-Calming Jades, his spiritual sense could break past a hundred feet, making mastery of second-grade, low-quality artifacts feasible.

With spiritual sense rivaling Foundation Establishment, he could control such artifacts.

As for second-grade, mid-quality artifacts, they were beyond him; even with spiritual sense over a hundred feet, he was still far from mastery.

Rather than overburdening himself, he preferred to refine artifacts suited to his current level.

Breath-concealing techniques were no cheaper than high-grade disguise techniques.

For the time being, Shen Lian couldn’t gather enough stones to buy them.

After wandering the market, he purchased talisman materials and returned to the Tranquil Heart Pavilion.

Back at his residence, Shen Lian rested for a night before resuming his talisman-making endeavors.

An interesting episode occurred midway.

On the third day, the communication talisman given by Wu Xiang, manager of Hundredfold Pavilion, lit up.

“If Fellow Daoist Shen wishes to explore Ninefold Immortal City, my Wu family has clansmen here who could guide you.”

Since failing to receive communication from Weng Xia at the market, Shen Lian had stopped keeping his communication talisman in his storage pouch.

Unexpectedly, he now received a message.

He politely declined Wu Xiang’s offer.

“Very well. If Talisman Master Shen needs anything, feel free to contact me. If I can assist, I certainly will.”

With that, the talisman’s spiritual light dimmed.

Shen Lian withdrew his attention and resumed making talismans.

Half a month later—

This time, he crafted a hundred and twenty top-grade Thunderfire Talismans. After putting away the talismans and dismantling the three arrays he had previously set up, he headed for Wu family’s Hundredfold Pavilion.

He sold them for a total of three thousand nine hundred spirit stones. The cost was one thousand five hundred and sixty stones, netting a profit of two thousand four hundred.

He purchased two hundred more batches of talisman materials in the city, spending two thousand one hundred stones.

He also bought ten top-grade, first-tier demonic beasts from various sellers.

Once finished, Shen Lian left Ninefold Immortal City, used a disguise talisman to change his appearance, and traveled a thousand miles away, finding a place where spiritual energy was scarce. He released Dahei and its offspring.

Soon enough, Dahei and its brood discovered a subterranean cavern deep beneath the earth.

Activating an Earth Escape Talisman, Shen Lian burrowed into the cavern.

As usual, he set up three grand arrays and had Dahei and its offspring guard outside.

Seated in the heart of the array, Shen Lian took out the two Heart-Calming Jades, placing the slingshot-shaped Wood Jade into the hair bun atop his skull.

He tucked the Earth Jade into his chest.

Finally, he affixed several Heart-Calming Talismans, previously drawn, to his head and waist.

Everything was ready.

This time, he would not leave until his spiritual sense broke a hundred feet.

He began with a top-grade, first-tier black velvet sable, which he eagerly stroked.

Such smooth fur.

Soon, blood light welled up from the sable’s fur, gathering into his palm.

The blood light crept up his arm, reaching his skull.

Buzz—

The slingshot-shaped Wood Jade in his hair bun glowed with brilliant green light, radiating cool, gentle energy that instantly cleared Shen Lian’s mind.

The Earth Jade at his chest emanated a thick, wild earth-yellow spiritual light, making him feel much more stable.

By comparison, the glow of the Heart-Calming Talismans was utterly suppressed by the two jades.

Indeed, thirty stones could not compare to two thousand six hundred.

Crackling—

After half an hour, the black velvet sable shrank into a ball, and a clear, crystalline blood bead formed at Shen Lian’s heart.

A day later, after refining all the demonic beasts into his body, Shen Lian’s spiritual sense began to increase significantly.

Blood streaks appeared in his eyes, but with the two jades suppressing it, his gaze remained clear and sharp.

“Ninety-two feet and one inch... ninety-three... ninety-five…”

“Ninety-nine…”

“One hundred feet!”

Yet, the growth of his spiritual sense did not halt—it continued to rise.