The next day, just as Chu Ning expected, Zhuang Yunde appeared punctually outside the courtyard.
"Junior Brother Chu, I'm here to collect the Ink Spirit Bamboo."
"Please come in, Senior Brother Zhuang!"
Chu Ning led him into the courtyard to the spot where he had stacked the Ink Spirit Bamboo.
Senior Brother Zhuang looked at the Ink Spirit Bamboo in the courtyard, and the smile on his face widened.
"It seems Junior Brother has already sorted out the amount to hand over to the Sect.
To be able to cultivate such high-quality Ink Spirit Bamboo in the first year of entering the Sect, Junior Brother indeed has quite a talent for Spirit Plant cultivation."
Zhuang Yunde's smile was indeed sincere.
After all, seeing this pile of Ink Spirit Bamboo, he seemed to see another tenth entering his own pocket.
Chu Ning knew exactly what lay behind Zhuang Yunde's smile, and while the other was in a good mood, he cautiously shared his thoughts.
"Senior Brother Zhuang, I wonder if there's any flexibility in the Sect's requirement for handing over Ink Spirit Bamboo, like submitting them as Talisman Paper instead."
"Hmm?" Zhuang Yunde, originally full of smiles, was a bit stunned upon hearing this, and looked at Chu Ning.
"What do you mean, Junior Brother Chu? Could it be that you want to turn all this Ink Spirit Bamboo into Talisman Paper before handing it over to the Sect?"
Chu Ning nodded slightly, "That is exactly my intention."
Having expected Zhuang Yunde's question, Chu Ning presented the explanation he had prepared in advance.
"To be honest, Senior Brother, I do want to try my hand at the art of making Talisman Paper.
However, if I only use the remaining bamboo I have, and subtract the losses from practice, I'm afraid the actual Talisman Paper I can produce won't be much.
But if I can use all this Ink Spirit Bamboo for making Talisman Paper, it would be different.
As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. I believe that later on, my Talisman Paper crafting will be more refined, with a higher success rate."
Zhuang Yunde understood Chu Ning's intention; Chu Ning wanted to use more practice to offset the early losses.
After contemplating for a while, he seriously said:
"Junior Brother Chu, your idea is indeed good, but the premise is that you truly master the art of making Talisman Paper and produce enough of it.
The Sect will not consider your failures. If you can't submit enough Talisman Paper on time, next year's harvest will require at least two additional portions."
Hearing this, Chu Ning realized that this was likely achievable.
Having known one's own strengths, what Zhuang Yunde mentioned didn't concern him at all.
Thus, while internally overjoyed, Chu Ning outwardly showed a troubled expression.
After dithering for quite a while, Chu Ning gritted his teeth and nodded:
"Senior Brother Zhuang, I still want to try. If I don't make more, my season's Ink Spirit Bamboo cultivation would be in vain."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yunde did not elaborate further. He calmly began calculating for Chu Ning.
"If we consider the quantity of Ink Spirit Bamboo to be handed over to the Sect and convert it into Talisman Paper, the ideal situation can produce about 5000 sheets of Talisman Paper.
But even the Hundred Arts Hall cannot avoid some mishaps when crafting Talisman Paper; so usually, around seventy to eighty percent is considered efficient.
Being a newcomer with such ambition, I can apply to the Sect to see if we can charge it at seventy percent."
Overjoyed by this, Chu Ning expressed his gratitude profusely.
By now, he knew Zhuang Yunde well enough to understand that he wouldn't make false promises if he wasn't confident.
As for the common price of Talisman Paper, Chu Ning had already researched it.
Currently, the market price is about one Spirit Stone for every 50 sheets of Talisman Paper.
Of course, if you sell them to the Market, it might not be as high, likely needing 55 to 60 sheets per Spirit Stone.
But no matter the case, if Zhuang Yunde could actually apply successfully, Chu Ning could undoubtedly earn an additional 10 or so Spirit Stones by avoiding an extra tenth.
Keeping the trade with Zhuang Yunde in mind, Chu Ning casually inquired:
"Senior Brother Zhuang, I wonder if you prefer the Ink Spirit Bamboo or Talisman Paper?"
Zhuang Yunde, who had not yet discussed the transaction, was instantly pleased when Chu Ning proactively raised it.
This Junior Brother certainly had a keen sense.
"Lately, my Storage Bag seems somewhat insufficient. If it's Ink Spirit Bamboo, it might not fit. Talisman Paper would be preferable."
Upon hearing this, Chu Ning immediately promised:
"Rest assured, Senior Brother Zhuang, I'll reserve 550 sheets of Talisman Paper for you."
Seeing Chu Ning not only refrained from reducing the quantity submitted to the Sect but even increased it by another tenth based on 500, Zhuang Yunde was naturally further satisfied.
"No worries, Junior Brother. I'll do my best to negotiate a delay in handing over the harvest with the Sect, so you can confidently attempt more."
With this, Zhuang Yunde took his leave.
After sending Zhuang Yunde off, Chu Ning returned to the courtyard with a bright smile on his face.
Zhuang Yunde assumed that, as a novice, Chu Ning would need practice and experience heavy losses in making Talisman Paper.
Unbeknownst to him, Chu Ning had already mastered the crafting of Talisman Paper, and with the bonus of Talismanic Spirit Body, his success rate far exceeded the ordinary.
Thus, by using this pile of Ink Spirit Bamboo, Chu Ning would inevitably produce more than eighty percent.
One day later, Chu Ning received a Sound Transmission Talisman from Zhuang Yunde; the Sect had agreed he could consign the Ink Spirit Bamboo as Talisman Paper at seventy percent.
With his mind at ease, Chu Ning plunged into the task of crafting Talisman Paper.
He divided his Ink Spirit Bamboo into two groups: one designed for submission to the Sect.
This category saw less use of the Cyan Wood Spring Blossom Skill, containing more impurities and yielding less pulp.
The other category was meant for his personal Talisman Paper crafting.
This section, having fewer impurities, provided more pulp and consequently more Talisman Paper.
After immersing himself in crafting Talisman Paper for about 20 days, Chu Ning looked at the piles and piles of Talisman Paper filling his room, his face lit with joy from the results.
Though minor mishaps occurred during those days, with the Talismanic Spirit Body's assistance, Chu Ning's success rate remained astonishingly high.
From the Ink Spirit Bamboo portion meant for the Sect, Chu Ning managed to generate 4800 sheets of Talisman Paper.
And from the higher-quality Ink Spirit Bamboo, Chu Ning crafted up to 6000 sheets of Talisman Paper.
Combined, over ten thousand sheets of Talisman Paper lay before Chu Ning!
Subtracting the 3500 sheets for the Sect and the 550 sheets earmarked for Zhuang Yunde,
Chu Ning still had 6750 sheets of Talisman Paper left on his hands.
These translated to over a hundred Lower Grade Spirit Stones, unprecedented wealth for Chu Ning.
With that in mind, Chu Ning immediately pulled out a Spirit Stone.
Including the Spirit Stones received from Old Man Sun and those taken from the Tribulation Cultivator, Chu Ning had 3 Lower Grade Spirit Stones unused.
Chu Ning, having previously refrained from cultivation due to being short on Spirit Stones, now decided to splurge a bit.
[Cyan Wood Evergreen Technique (Yellow Tier Lower Grade), Second Layer (198/900)]
[Nine Derivations Body Refining Technique, Volume One, Immortal Hide 133/300]
Glimpsing at his progress, Chu Ning clasped the Spirit Stone and closed his eyes to start cultivating.
Although his proficiency in the Second Layer of the Cyan Wood Evergreen Technique was 198, Chu Ning sensed that his Qi Cultivation of the Fourth Layer had reached its peak.
If his guess was right, increasing his proficiency to 200 might elevate him to the Qi Refining Fifth Layer.