The other, more common method involves using something called “spirit stones” as currency for buying and selling items among cultivators.
As the name suggests, spirit stones are rocks filled with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. The spiritual energy they contain is highly nourishing for cultivators.
During meditation and cultivation, absorbing the energy from spirit stones can dramatically accelerate a cultivator’s progress. After all, there’s a world of difference between a cultivator slowly gathering and refining scattered spiritual energy on their own and having pure, concentrated energy right at their fingertips, ready to be absorbed at will.
But the greatest function of spirit stones lies elsewhere. Their primary use is in the consumption required for setting up spell formations and casting spells.
The success and effectiveness of a high-level spell formation often depend on the quality of spirit stones used. Good spirit stones not only ensure the formation’s success but can also significantly enhance its power.
The consumption of spirit stones in spellcasting far exceeds that in formation applications. Generally, the level and effectiveness of spells a cultivator can cast are determined by their own cultivation base. It’s nearly impossible to cast spells beyond one’s level relying solely on personal power, making spirit stones the best amplification tool.
If a cultivator holds a spirit stone while casting a powerful spell, the energy within the stone continuously replenishes the expended magic power, enabling the caster to forcibly execute spells that would otherwise be beyond their capability.
Thus, spirit stones become excellent tools for cultivators to compete fiercely, allowing the weak to overcome the strong. They also serve as the best supplement for quickly restoring strength after significant magical depletion, greatly enhancing survival chances in conflicts.
With so many practical and incredible effects, it’s natural that the value of spirit stones has soared.
However, with massive consumption, excessive mining, and increasingly scarce spirit stone veins, in today’s cultivation world, spirit stones have gradually become precious luxuries. They serve as the best guarantee for transactions among cultivators, functioning as their unique circulating currency. Detailed specifications and grade classifications have been jointly established for spirit stones.
Based on their spiritual energy content, spirit stones are divided into four grades: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade spirit stones. According to the attributes of spiritual energy they contain, they can also be classified into five elemental types: metal, wood, water, earth, and fire spirit stones. There are also some rare attribute spirit stones like wind and thunder spirit stones, though these are even scarcer.
Despite being such valuable items, Han Li didn’t have a single piece.
Knowing he had nothing to trade, he initially just wanted to broaden his horizons, casually looking around as he wandered through the market.
Though Han Li appeared calm and composed, many items on these stalls made him envious and deeply tempted.
Not to mention other things, just the stacks of blank talisman paper available at every stall – while quite ordinary, these were among the items Han Li needed most currently.
Though Han Li didn’t yet understand what the different grades and levels of talisman paper meant or their specific differences, he knew that with his current cultivation level, the lowest-grade primary talisman paper would be sufficient for him to use the “Mind Stabilization Technique.”
So if he could obtain some talisman paper, he could immediately have another spell at his disposal, instantly boosting his strength by a margin.
Besides talisman paper, various spirit talismans like “Thunderfire Talisman,” “Fire Dragon Talisman,” and “Great Strength Talisman” also greatly tempted Han Li.
He even saw at an inconspicuous stall a talisman identical to his golden shield-producing one. The price tag clearly read: “Diamond Talisman, metal-attribute primary mid-grade defensive spirit talisman, value nine low-grade spirit stones.”
Having browsed so many stalls, Han Li had gained some understanding of talisman prices. A stack of primary low-grade blank talisman paper could be bought for one low-grade spirit stone, while completed primary low-grade talismans sold for one to two low-grade spirit stones depending on the spell type.
As for primary mid-grade spirit talismans, the price jumped severalfold to six to ten spirit stones, with defensive talismans being somewhat more expensive than offensive ones.
Since he possessed a similar item, Han Li naturally paid closer attention.
After carefully examining the Diamond Talisman on the stall, he found its spiritual energy much more abundant than the one in his possession, clearly unused and new. He estimated his worn-out talisman might fetch at most one-third of the price.
Reaching this conclusion, Han Li smiled wryly. It seemed among these cultivators, he was truly poor. He unconsciously touched his belongings and suddenly had an idea, remembering the talisman with the small sword design in his possession.
Though he didn’t know its name yet, Han Li believed this talisman must be more valuable than the Diamond Talisman.
Thinking this, Han Li began paying attention to various stalls, looking for any talismans similar to the one with the small sword design.
Unfortunately, after checking multiple stalls, he still hadn’t seen anything similar. However, at one spot surrounded by five or six cultivators, he found someone selling a primary high-grade spirit talisman.
The sign next to it read: “Sky Soaring Talisman” – wind-attribute primary high-grade flight-type spirit talisman, value thirty low-grade spirit stones, or exchange for elixirs of equivalent value that consolidate foundation and nourish essence.
Seeing this sign, Han Li was taken aback.
After visiting so many stalls, this was the first high-grade primary spirit talisman he’d seen. He examined it carefully and indeed, the spiritual energy concentrated on this talisman was astonishing, far beyond what he’d seen in low or mid-grade talismans.
“Twenty spirit stones, will you trade?” a barefooted man with a horse-like face among the spectators couldn’t help asking.
The stall owner, a capable-looking young man wearing a straw hat, pointed at the sign and ignored him.
“It’s just a flight talisman, not an offensive or defensive one. Twenty is more than enough!” the horse-faced man persisted unwillingly.
“Hmph! If it were an offensive or defensive talisman, would I only ask for thirty? Without fifty, I wouldn’t even let you look! If you want to take advantage, go elsewhere. You’re not welcome here,” the young man finally spoke coldly, his words making the man flush with anger.
“Fine, kid! I, Ye Bao from Qin Ye Ridge, will remember you. If you have the guts, let’s have a proper match after the convention,” the horse-faced man said furiously.
“Qin Ye Ridge” – Han Li, who had been watching amusedly, was startled upon hearing this name.
“Wasn’t that where the dwarf I killed said he was from? Whether that dwarf was telling the truth or not, since this man claims to be from the Ye family, I’d better be careful.”
Thinking this, Han Li instinctively stepped back and quietly left the area, moving to the next stall. However, the mention of exchanging for foundation-consolidating and essence-nourishing elixirs stuck in his mind.
He remembered he still had many unused “Yellow Dragon Pills” and “Golden Marrow Pills.” He wondered if they would meet the young man’s requirements. He decided to ask when there were fewer people around. If successful, he would have some capital to exchange for needed items.
As Han Li considered this, he glanced back at the young man’s stall and noticed Ye Bao was no longer there, having gone somewhere else. Among the remaining few, one person took out a bottle and handed it to the young man.
The young man opened it, sniffed, then gently shook his head and returned it. The bottle’s owner left looking disappointed, followed by his companions, leaving the stall empty.
Seeing this, Han Li felt secretly pleased and slowly walked back to the young man’s stall. The young man seemed slightly surprised to see Han Li, apparently recognizing him from earlier.
Unbothered, Han Li smiled and said, “I have two types of medicine. Would you see if they meet your requirements?”
With that, he produced two small porcelain bottles, one blue and one green, and placed them before the young man.
Without wasting words, the young man picked up both bottles, opened them one by one, brought his nose close to the openings, took strong sniffs, and showed a thoughtful expression.
After pondering for a moment, instead of responding immediately, he gently placed the bottles back in front of Han Li.
“Well?” Han Li blinked and asked.
“To be honest, the elixirs in these two bottles are somewhat better than what others showed me earlier, but they’re still not quite sufficient for my needs,” the young man hesitated before shaking his head in refusal.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage