Chapter 526

After the Tower Master of the Treasure Pavilion made his formal announcement, Lu Qing's status was officially established before the Pavilion’s upper ranks.

Everything that followed became much simpler.

Even if anyone harbored other thoughts, none dared reveal them in the Tower Master’s presence.

Thus, the banquet proceeded in harmony. Many high-ranking members offered congratulations to Lu Qing, eager to form ties with him.

Even Master Qiu, after adjusting his mindset, calmed down and—at least on the surface—acted as if nothing had happened, also extending his congratulations to Lu Qing.

Not long after, the banquet came to an end amidst the cheerful atmosphere.

Lu Qing, led by a maid, arrived at his assigned cultivation cave.

“Senior Lu, this is your cultivation cave. If you find anything lacking, please let us know and we’ll make the necessary arrangements,” the maid said respectfully.

Lu Qing nodded. “Very well, you may leave.”

Once the maid left, Lu Qing activated the array formation of the cave and began inspecting his new abode.

Xiaoli and Wuxing crawled out from within his robes.

There had been too many eyes at the banquet, so Lu Qing hadn’t let them show themselves earlier.

Besides, with the concealment talismans he had crafted for them and his own aura shielding them, even an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator wouldn’t have been able to detect them unless actively searching.

Of course, Lu Qing was well aware that the fact he kept two Golden Core-level spirit beasts with him wouldn’t escape the notice of truly observant individuals.

After all, Xiaoli and Wuxing had made brief appearances when he had first used the teleportation platform.

“Ah Qing, so this is the cultivation cave the Treasure Pavilion prepared for you? The spiritual energy here is so much richer than the upper rooms of that inn!”

Xiaoli leapt out and, after sensing the environment, exclaimed in shock.

Wuxing reacted similarly, already darting excitedly about the cave.

“Not bad at all.”

Lu Qing was quite pleased.

The upper room at the inn had already been good enough to ease his bottleneck.

This cave was several times better in terms of cultivation environment.

With this, the time it would take him to break through to the Fourth Transformation of the Golden Core Realm would be significantly shortened.

This alone made him feel that his decision to join the Treasure Pavilion had been well worth it.

After all, what he lacked most at present was a good place to cultivate.

“Still, since I’ve received such benefits, it’s time I showed some value of my own.”

Lu Qing was not the type to take without giving back.

Given how generously the Tower Master had treated him, he naturally intended to repay that kindness.

Leaving Xiaoli and Wuxing to cultivate in the cave, Lu Qing stepped out and went to pay his respects to the Tower Master.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, did you say you want to begin crafting talismans?”

The Tower Master looked surprised.

When she saw Lu Qing coming, she had assumed he had some request.

She hadn’t expected that he would ask to begin talisman crafting immediately.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, isn’t that a bit hasty? You’ve only just arrived. You could take a few days to acclimate.”

But Lu Qing shook his head. “No need. I’ve never been one to delay when I set my mind to something.

Since Tower Master has treated me with such generosity, I’d like to ease your burdens as soon as possible.

By the way, Tower Master, what types of talismans does our Treasure Pavilion primarily sell these days?”

“One moment, I’ll have someone come and explain it to you.”

The Tower Master sent out a mental command, and before long, a young woman in a violet short robe entered.

It was the same alluring woman who had once received Lu Qing.

“Ziyuan is quite familiar with our talisman sales. She can explain everything to you,” the Tower Master said.

“Thank you, Miss Ziyuan,” Lu Qing said courteously.

“No need for such formality. May I ask what exactly you wish to know, my lord?” Ziyuan responded quickly.

“I’d like to know which of our talismans sell best, which tier is most popular, and what the profit margins are like.”

Ziyuan paused to recall.

“The most popular talismans at the Treasure Pavilion are those related to healing and defense.

Among these, Foundation Establishment-level talismans are the top sellers.

That’s primarily because Foundation Establishment cultivators have the greatest demand for talismans.

Also, Master Wang and the others are particularly skilled at crafting that tier.

As for talismans above the Golden Core level, we have very few talisman masters capable of making them, the cost is high, and the production rate is low. ȐÅNՕꞖĚs

This makes our high-tier talismans more expensive.

So for high-tier talismans, most cultivators choose to buy from Myriad Phenomena Pavilion or Thousand Mechanism Workshop instead.”

Ziyuan explained it all clearly.

“That’s because both Myriad Phenomena Pavilion and Thousand Mechanism Workshop have resident talisman masters. Their high-level talismans are not only of excellent quality but also cheaper to produce, allowing for more competitive pricing,” the Tower Master added.

This was one of the reasons she valued Lu Qing so highly.

High-grade talisman masters were incredibly rare in the Xiao Cang Realm—true talisman masters were practically one in a million.

“I see...” Lu Qing mused.

“Do you have any thoughts, Fellow Daoist Lu?” the Tower Master asked.

Lu Qing considered for a moment, then said, “To be honest, my talisman inheritance is rather unique.

My crafting focuses more on the inscribing of rune arrays, so the quality of the talisman material doesn’t need to be particularly high.

As a result, the cost of my talismans tends to be lower. Perhaps we can work with that?”

“You’re serious?” The Tower Master stood up suddenly.

Lu Qing nodded. “I wouldn’t joke about this.”

“I never imagined your talisman skills would be this profound!”

The Tower Master was truly delighted.

She had originally assumed that Lu Qing’s expertise was limited to the Thunderclap Talisman.

It was normal for a talisman master to specialize in a few types of talismans.

But it now appeared that Lu Qing could craft a wide range of talismans with such efficiency.

That was enormous news for the Treasure Pavilion.

“This opens up so many possibilities. I need to start planning right away!”

The Tower Master began pacing with excitement, countless plans forming in her mind.

After a while, she turned back to Lu Qing. “By the way, Fellow Daoist Lu, what types of talismans are you best at crafting?”

“I’ve dabbled in quite a few. I can craft most types of talismans.

But due to limitations in my cultivation, I can currently only craft up to the Golden Core level.”

Lu Qing responded after some thought.

“You can craft most types of talismans?”

The Tower Master was once again shocked.

Then her heart filled with joy.

The surprises Lu Qing brought her just kept getting better.

“This is something we’ll need to plan out carefully! But for now, Fellow Daoist Lu, could you begin preparations by crafting some talismans in advance?”

“Of course. However, if I’m to craft in large quantities, I may not have enough spirit jade.”

“That’s simple. I’ll have Ziyuan bring a batch of spirit jade to your cave.

If you need any other materials, just tell Ziyuan directly.

Oh, and Ziyuan, from now on, your only duty is to serve Fellow Daoist Lu. You no longer need to work at the front hall.”

“Yes, Tower Master!”

Ziyuan was overjoyed.

Anyone with eyes could see that Lu Qing was now the Tower Master's most favored.

Following someone like him was far more promising than staying at the front hall to greet customers.

“Miss Ziyuan, I’ll be relying on your assistance from now on,” Lu Qing said courteously.

“I wouldn’t dare, my lord. If you need anything in the future, just give the word,” Ziyuan quickly replied.

“Then I won’t trouble the Tower Master further—I’ll take my leave.”

Seeing the Tower Master still buzzing with enthusiasm, Lu Qing guessed she had a slew of plans yet to arrange. Sensibly, he took his leave.

Ziyuan followed him out.

“Senior Lu, I’ll head to the treasure vault now and fetch the spirit jade you need.”

“Alright,” Lu Qing nodded, then added, “Don’t bother bringing high-grade spirit jade. Just some lower and middle-grade jade will suffice.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ziyuan responded swiftly.

Inwardly, she couldn’t help but think how different Senior Lu was from others.

Most talisman craftsmen in the Pavilion couldn’t wait to requisition all the high-grade materials they could get their hands on when crafting talismans.

There were often instances of people lining their own pockets under such pretenses.

If it weren’t for the strict rules the Tower Master had put in place, the treasure vault would’ve long been picked clean.

But Lu Qing? Despite being someone the Tower Master clearly favored—and who could probably get away with requesting any rare material he wanted—he asked only for lower and mid-grade spirit jade.

This made Ziyuan regard Lu Qing with newfound admiration.

Lu Qing, for his part, didn’t know about the petty schemes and internal politics of the Treasure Pavilion.

And even if he did, he wouldn’t be interested.

By his nature, he wasn’t the type to exploit others while accepting their offerings.

“Senior Lu, I’ve brought the spirit jade. Please have a look.”

Before long, Ziyuan returned from the treasure vault and handed over a storage pouch.

“So much?” Lu Qing was taken aback.

He used his spiritual sense to inspect the pouch and was surprised to find over a dozen units of spirit jade inside.

All were refined to a high standard. Even the lower-grade jade was of better quality than what he usually used.

This amount of jade alone was worth a small fortune.

“Lower and mid-grade spirit jade isn’t in high demand among our talisman craftsmen.

Master Qiu and the others usually use high-grade jade to craft their talismans.

Only their disciples or apprentices use lower-grade jade for practice.

So the treasure vault has quite a stockpile of the lower and mid-grade varieties. I brought them all,” Ziyuan explained.

“They really live extravagantly,” Lu Qing muttered, once again marveling at the wealth of the Treasure Pavilion.

Back in his home world, the spirit jade he used was already considered high quality.

But here, lower-grade spirit jade was relegated to the hands of apprentices for practice.

The disparity was staggering.

No wonder Master Wang and the others were shocked that the Thunderclap Talisman had been crafted with low-grade spirit jade.

Perhaps it was precisely because this world had so many quality resources to squander that its craftsmen had grown dependent on material quality, paying less attention to refining rune arrays for optimal effect.

“In the end, poverty breeds progress,” Lu Qing couldn’t help but muse to himself.

“Senior Lu, is there anything else you’d like me to do?” Ziyuan asked.

“Not for now. If I need something, I’ll find you. Oh, here—take these two jade talismans.”

Lu Qing handed over two jade tokens.

Ziyuan received them and saw that one was a communication talisman, while the other was—surprisingly—a Golden Core-level Thunderclap Talisman!

“Senior Lu, this is...?”

Ziyuan held the jade talismans with both hands, slightly bewildered.

“Just keep them. The communication talisman is for me to contact you in the future. The Thunderclap Talisman is for your protection,” Lu Qing explained.

“But this is too valuable!” Ziyuan’s hands trembled.

A Thunderclap Talisman was incredibly valuable—worth many months of her stipend.

Even after working in the Treasure Pavilion for so long, she’d never been willing to buy a Golden Core-level talisman for self-defense.

“It’s no trouble. Crafting these little things doesn’t take much effort for me. Just take it,” Lu Qing said casually, waving his hand.

After Ziyuan left, still dazed, Lu Qing returned to his cave and activated all the defensive formations to prevent any interruptions.

He focused his spiritual sense on the storage pouch and pulled out several pieces of low-grade spirit jade.

“Let’s start by refining a batch of talismans as a test run. I can also try out that move…”

Feeling the spiritual resonance within the jade, Lu Qing’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

He tossed three pieces of low-grade spirit jade into the air. They hovered before him.

Then, focusing his mind, his fingers wove through a series of hand seals.

Numerous runes materialized in midair, flying like birds into the jade.

Had Master Wang or the others seen this, they would’ve been stunned.

Lu Qing was crafting three talismans simultaneously!

And judging from the runes he was inscribing, they were none other than the Golden Core-level Thunderclap Talismans!

Yet despite crafting three talismans at once, his speed hadn’t slowed by much.

In less than fifteen minutes, all three Thunderclap Talismans were complete and fell neatly into his hands.

Sensing their inner structure and finding no flaws, Lu Qing nodded in satisfaction.

“Excellent. The Art of Soul Division really is profound. It allows me to divide my mind and attention without any interference—even for the intricate work of talisman crafting.”

Indeed, Lu Qing’s ability to simultaneously craft three talismans was thanks to the Art of Soul Division, a secret technique from the Puppet Sect that he had obtained from the Third Holy Lord.

Not only could it cultivate Soul Seeds and create spiritual avatars, but it also allowed one’s mind and will to split into multiple streams, multitasking without any disruption.

This was Lu Qing’s first time applying it to talisman crafting.

And the result exceeded expectations.

With this technique, his talisman crafting efficiency could now skyrocket.

Heart stirred, Lu Qing once again pulled out more pieces of spirit jade.

This time, there weren’t just three.

There were nine.