Chapter 118: High-Grade Talismans and Ruby Berries

"Truly, you are a straightforward fellow, so I shall not stand on ceremony either. These are twenty-six offensive talismans in total, along with four defensive ones. Each offensive talisman is one hundred and fifty spirit stones, and the defensive ones are two hundred and eighty each... Tell you what, I will take the liberty of rounding it down for you. Five thousand spirit stones, and all these talismans shall be yours, miss."

The young clerk was overjoyed. Securing this deal meant a handsome commission for him, and to win over Chu Xin'er's favor, he had readily shaved twenty spirit stones off the price.

Spirit stones were not blown in by the wind, and one should save where one could. Chu Xin'er naturally had no objections, and once she produced the stones, the transaction was quickly completed.

"Wait a moment, friend. Did you not wish to purchase high-grade talismans?"

Seeing her collect the talismans and prepare to leave, the clerk hurried to intercept her. His words caused Chu Xin'er to knit her brows slightly. If this fellow had high-grade talismans, why had he not brought them out together? Did he perhaps still doubt she had sufficient spirit stones?

"Do not be angry, friend. It is not that I am unwilling to bring out the high-grade talismans; I simply do not have the authorization. If you wish to purchase high-grade talismans, you must go to the third floor and speak with our proprietor directly."

The clerk was a polished and observant individual; he immediately sensed Chu Xin'er's thoughts and explained with a helpless shrug.

"Oh, is that so? Lead the way."

In the cultivation world, talismans were roughly divided into three tiers—Mortal, Spirit, and Immortal—based on the power they contained. The fundamental Mortal-tier talismans were further categorized into low, middle, high, and the most powerful, supreme grades.

The talismans Chu Xin'er had previously encountered were all common Mortal-tier. A middle-grade talisman was equivalent to the offensive spell of a Foundation Establishment initiate, while a high-grade talisman possessed the power of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Although such attacks were static—once released, they could not be controlled and lasted for only a fleeting moment—a single strike from a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, if used wisely, could certainly severely injure or even slay an opponent at the early stage.

To Chu Xin'er, high-grade talismans were rare life-saving trump cards. Therefore, upon hearing that the Spirit Talisman Pavilion truly possessed them, she did not hesitate to proceed with the purchase.

"No problem, this way, please!"

The clerk smiled as he led the way, guiding Chu Xin'er to the entrance of a luxuriously decorated parlor on the third floor.

"Enter."

As if they had been discovered long ago, the parlor door swung open automatically, and a woman's soft voice drifted from within. The clerk gestured for her to enter, and once Chu Xin'er stepped inside, he bowed respectfully to the woman within before turning to depart.

"Greetings, senior."

Inside the elegant and antique parlor sat a woman in her thirties wearing a blue dress. She was beautiful, with a graceful figure. However, as a woman herself, Chu Xin'er was unmoved by her charms. What made her wary was that she could not perceive the woman's cultivation level at all, so she naturally behaved with the respect due to a senior.

"You are a guest from afar, little friend; there is no need for such formality. Please, take a seat!"

The woman in blue glanced at Chu Xin'er, then withdrew her gaze and smiled faintly, her voice filled with softness. After Chu Xin'er sat down as instructed, the woman waved her hand, producing a dozen talismans of various colors, and continued:

"These are all high-grade. Each offensive high-grade talisman is fifteen hundred spirit stones, while the defensive and short-range random teleportation talismans are two thousand two hundred and three thousand respectively. Please, make your own selection."

Judging by her tone, the woman's spiritual sense must be extremely powerful, as she had clearly observed the entire transaction with the clerk. As for Xiao Wenzhi inside the spirit beast pouch at Chu Xin'er's waist, he surely could not have escaped her notice either, though the woman simply did not seem to care.

This was hardly surprising; before entering the Yunfeng Market, Chu Xin'er had already instructed Xiao Wenzhi. He had long ceased his cultivation and now lay quietly in the pouch like an ordinary spirit-pet mosquito. It was somewhat strange for a pretty girl to keep a mosquito as a pet, but the world of cultivation was full of wonders and absurdities. Since Chu Xin'er was a paying customer, the woman in blue chose not to make an issue of it.

"Senior, may I ask if artifacts or spirit herbs can be used to offset the cost of the spirit stones?"

Though the woman in blue appeared cold, Chu Xin'er sensed no malice from her, so she intended to sell off the artifacts and spirit herbs she had no use for in exchange for the talismans. Both the defensive and the short-range teleportation talismans were items she dreamed of possessing. However, a single offensive high-grade talisman cost fifteen hundred spirit stones; even if she emptied her entire fortune, she could not hope to buy all the talismans the woman had brought out.

"You may," the woman in blue nodded, signaling for Chu Xin'er to display the artifacts she wished to sell.

"Senior, please take a look."

As she spoke, Chu Xin'er produced several artifacts and a pile of jade boxes containing spirit herbs.

"Hmm... this short dagger and the mace are both middle-grade artifacts. Adding these ordinary flying swords and long sabers, I can exchange them for three offensive talismans, or two defensive ones... Wait, is this a spirit fruit used for refining Jade Foundation Pills? Not bad, the age is just right. It is a pity there is only one. Tell me, little friend, do you happen to have more?"

Talismans were convenient; even if one’s cultivation level was insufficient, one could inject a small amount of spiritual power to trigger them instantly. They were the best treasures for combat and survival, though their drawback was their high cost.

To purchase the talismans she desired, Chu Xin'er had taken out the artifacts obtained from the Zhang siblings, as well as the mace from Liu Kui and the items from Ah Yao, Cheng Hai, and the others. Additionally, she would not need the Red Jade Berry until she reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and since a teleportation talisman could save her life in danger, she offered one. As for the extra herbs for refining Foundation Establishment pills, she kept most of them, not wishing to be suspected of possessing finished pills, and only brought out a small portion.

She had not expected the woman in blue to ignore the artifacts entirely, focusing instead on the Red Jade Berry. Could there be some hidden story behind it?

"Replying to senior, this Red Jade Berry was obtained by chance while I was part of a group. Although we picked five at the time, my abilities were limited, and I only received this one as my share."

Although she did not understand why the woman valued the berry so highly, Chu Xin'er knew it must be quite valuable and certainly would not reveal the remaining ones. She gave a reply that was half-truth and half-fabrication.

Her words were over eighty percent true; the berry had indeed been harvested after she and the Pan siblings killed the wolf-headed leopard, and there had indeed been five in the valley.

Seeing her sincere and calm expression, the woman in blue found nothing amiss. Sighing inwardly, she smiled on the surface and said, "Little friend, I have a presumptuous request. Would you be willing to tell me who the other fellow cultivators were who obtained the remaining fruits? Of course, I will not let you suffer a loss. This random teleportation talisman, the high-grade earth-elemental defensive talisman, and the remaining offensive talismans—I shall trade them all to you for it."