The squad spent another day resting in the market, everyone heading out together to buy supplies.
Ji An soon learned that certain things like insect-repelling powders and standard talismans counted as team expenses. No one had to pay spirit stones out of pocket for them.
Of course, each member would also buy a few extra talismans on their own, just in case the shared stockpile wasn't enough. If someone ended up using their private talismans on a mission, the squad would reimburse them afterward at market price.
As they walked out of a talisman shop, Chen Moxuan sighed softly:
"Junior Brother Ji, the two types of talismans you make aren't exactly the squad's top choices.
For defense, everyone prefers Golden Armor Talismans; they last longer, so you don't have to stay tense, waiting for the exact right moment to activate them.
And for offense, Explosive Flame Talismans are the first pick. Most beasts naturally fear fire.
If not for the massive demand right now, your talismans wouldn't be easy to sell."
He had felt it was a pity yesterday when he learned what talismans Ji An was skilled at producing. They weren't what the squad needed most. Otherwise, they could have purchased directly from him, no discount required, just to guarantee enough supply.
At present, the demand for talismans is sky-high. The most popular kinds vanished from shop shelves in just a few days.
Ji An spread his hands helplessly.
"A person's energy is limited. I can only focus on the talismans I can study and refine to a deeper level."
He would have loved to work on Explosive Flame Talismans, too, but he lacked the Fire Qi resonance to refine them. His only option was to slowly comprehend the spell over time. That made fire techniques a lower priority than his metal-element arts.
"Every talisman has its uses," Jiang Qiuyue said with a smile. "Yours just happen to be a little more specialized.
But if the quality is high enough, even 'niche' talismans sell, most people will still keep one or two as backups.
Captain, did you forget? Two months ago, we tried to buy mid-grade Golden Armor Talismans, but every store in town was out of mid-grade defensive talismans. We had no choice but to grab two mid-grade Water Curtain Talismans from a stall to make do.
If not for those two talismans, our squad might've suffered casualties."
The squad nodded. No one had expected those Water Curtain Talismans to be so strong or that their protection would last so long.
During their effect, the defense they offered was noticeably better than mid-grade Golden Armor Talismans.
"Talismans of that quality are top-of-the-line rare treasures among mid-grade charms," Chen Moxuan admitted. "They can't be counted on. Did you ever find that stall again?"
"We did," Jiang Qiuyue sighed, "but there were no talismans left.
The vendor said his supply comes from within the sect. Recently, he hasn't been able to get many, and whatever few he gets are all pre-ordered by regular customers."
"Did you try to place an order?"
"I wanted to," Jiang Qiuyue said with a helpless breath, "but he told me he won't have stock for at least two months. Even pre-orders wouldn't arrive until the third month."
Ji An scratched his head. Could it be… were those talismans mine?
From what Wei Songnian had said, very few talisman makers in the sect could draw mid-grade Water Curtain Talismans. And Wei mostly sold them to small vendors like that one. Unless it was bulk trading, he rarely sold to shops; shops always drove the price down.
Jiang Qiuyue turned to him.
"By the way, Junior Brother, we haven't asked yet what talismans you bring with you, and how many?"
"Hmm… twenty mid-grade Water Curtain Talismans, and twenty mid-grade Geng Metal Talismans."
The others exchanged stunned looks. Their entire squad's talisman stockpile barely reached thirty in total, split evenly between offense and defense.
Chen Moxuan let out a low whistle.
"Yesterday, you said you were aiming to earn spirit stones quickly for a Foundation Establishment Pill. I believe you now."
The group finished their shopping and rented a few cave dwellings to rest.
The veteran members gave Ji An plenty of reminders about what to watch out for. He listened intently, committing each point to memory.
After discussing their monster-hunting plan, everyone retired for the night.
Nothing happened until morning.
The next day, when the sun was already high, the squad left the market town.
On the road, they passed several other teams, and Chen Moxuan exchanged greetings with acquaintances.
Mounting their spirit birds, the group flew toward the distant mountains. Bit by bit, the teams scattered, vanishing into the vast green wilderness.
The morning fog between the peaks had only just lifted, leaving the air cool and fresh. Ji An could clearly feel that the concentration of wood-element qi here was denser than around the spirit fields by Bihai Lake.
The Ten-Thousand Mountains contained countless tiny spirit veins just barely reaching "spirit-grade." Their range was small, but perfect for nurturing certain spirit herbs.
"When we strike it rich one day, we have to buy a small flying boat," Tian Yulei grumbled. "These spirit birds are just too slow."
He also owned a spirit-seeking rat, but without any beast-taming methods, his rat was clumsy and dull-witted.
Among rodent-type monsters, the spirit-seeking rat was weak. They often interbred with other spirit rats, making pureblood specimens exceedingly rare.
"Controlling a flying boat takes a massive amount of qi if you want real speed," Chen Moxuan shook his head. "Even at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement, you'd be lucky to keep it going at full speed for a quarter of an hour.
And if you just creep along, it's barely faster than these birds unless you feed it spirit stones.
How many stones do we even earn in a month? After expenses for cultivation, what's left?"
He sighed again. A small flying boat costs three to four hundred spirit stones. He couldn't bring himself to spend that much. He had already saved up half the cost of a Foundation Establishment Pill, and if he pushed himself, he still had hope of establishing his foundation before sixty!
By midday, a chilling cry split the skies, a shrill, mournful ape's call. Soon, more howls followed, echoing one after another.
"Careful, we're close to Cangyun Ridge. Fly lower," Chen Moxuan ordered in a low voice.
Cangyun Ridge was their first target, decided during last night's planning. A troop of over thirty Greenwood Apes lived there, guarding several Jade Spirit Fruit Trees.
The Jade Spirit Fruit was an auxiliary ingredient for Foundation Establishment Pills, rich with wood-element qi. The squad had scouted the area and learned the fruits were just about to ripen.
The troop was led by an ape king on the verge of breaking into Foundation Establishment, along with a mate at the ninth level of Qi Refinement.
There was one at the eighth level, four at the seventh, sixteen mid-stage apes, and several juveniles still in the early stages.
Ji An followed the others in lowering altitude. Their spirit birds skimmed just above the treetops.
He felt a trace of nervousness, but even stronger was the thrill of anticipation.
The squad shifted into formation: Chen Moxuan at the front, Jiang Qiuyue and Chu He flanking left and right, Tian Yulei bringing up the rear. Together, they formed a tilted square.
Ji An flew in the center, about four zhang from each teammate.
"Stay sharp," Chu He warned softly. "Some serpent-type beasts coil in the treetops to snatch birds from the air."
"Don't worry, I won't be careless," Ji An answered, already holding the Stone Turtle Shield in hand, ready to trigger it at a moment's notice.
They arrived without incident and landed near the ridge.
Chen Moxuan lowered his voice:
"We've studied the Greenwood Apes' habits. We plan to lure out a few first and kill them.
The ape king will soon sense something wrong and send several high-level apes with a band of lesser ones to investigate.
That's when we bypass them, rush in, and grab the Jade Spirit Fruit.
Remember, our goal is only the fruit. Don't get greedy. Once we have it, cover each other, mount the birds, and escape."
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