"Fellow Daoist, there shouldn't be any problem with your Talisman, right?" the Black-robed Youth asked, his gaze carrying a hint of suspicion as he scrutinized Fang Hong, his tone cautious.
"Of course. These are genuine, Elementary high-grade Talismans, and they are offensive Talismans. They are essential items for combat!" Fang Hong chuckled confidently.
"Uh… could you make it a bit cheaper? Twenty Spirit Stones for one?" The Black-robed Youth looked at Fang Hong with anticipation.
Fang Hong immediately shook his head, sighed softly, and showed a helpless expression: "I can't lower the price any further. If you buy these high-grade Talismans in a store, they would cost at least sixty Spirit Stones. My price is already a conscience price; I really can't go any lower."
"Furthermore, high-grade Talismans are not easy to come by. It would be difficult for you to find such affordable Talismans elsewhere," Fang Hong said earnestly, his face not flushing as he lied.
He knew best that drawing these Talismans didn't take much effort, but at this moment, he had to pretend that Talismans were hard to come by…
Hearing this, the Black-robed Youth nodded slightly, falling silent. A hint of hesitation appeared in his eyes, his brows furrowed tightly as he struggled internally.
Seeing the Black-robed Youth's interest, Fang Hong was delighted and decided to continue enticing him: "I guess Fellow Daoist is here to participate in the Ascension Gathering, right?"
"Think about it, at the Ascension Gathering, experts are as numerous as clouds, and the competition is fierce. With this high-grade Talisman, even a Qi Refining thirteenth-level Cultivator would probably have to retreat three paces!"
"Perhaps because of this Talisman, Fellow Daoist could achieve good results at the gathering and join a major Cultivation sect!"
"At that time, Cultivation resources, Cultivation Technique Secret Manuals, wouldn't they all be readily available? They are far more valuable than these mere dozens of Spirit Stones."
Hearing Fang Hong's enticement, the Black-robed Youth's eyes lit up again. Clearly, Fang Hong had guessed his thoughts; he was indeed here to participate in the Ascension Gathering.
He came to the Ascension Gathering hoping to stand out, join a major Cultivation sect, and change his fate. This Talisman truly seemed like it could be his aid.
"Hmm… alright then! Thirty Spirit Stones it is. I'll buy one Wind Blade Talisman!" The Black-robed Youth struggled internally for a while before finally making up his mind.
He bit his lip slightly, a pained expression on his face.
After speaking, the Black-robed Youth slowly opened his satchel, carefully took out thirty Spirit Stones, counted them one by one, his eyes full of reluctance, and finally handed them to Fang Hong.
"Good! Then I wish Fellow Daoist all the best at the Ascension Gathering!" Fang Hong took the Spirit Stones, his face immediately showing joy.
He had finally made a deal. These thirty Spirit Stones were a good omen.
"I'll take your auspicious words. I hope so," the Black-robed Youth carefully put away the Talisman, placing it in the innermost layer of his satchel.
After that, he turned and quickly left, his steps a bit hurried, wanting to leave quickly.
...
Fang Hong's Talisman business had been incredibly smooth and successful lately, with a constant stream of customers at his stall.
The reason for this was likely his very affordable prices, which held immense appeal for the numerous Qi Refinement Stage Loose Cultivators.
Most of these Loose Cultivators did not have abundant Family wealth and had to meticulously plan every Spirit Stone they spent. Fang Hong's Talismans offered excellent value, so they were naturally very popular.
Every day, Fang Hong's Talisman sales consistently stayed around twenty sheets.
Moreover, Fang Hong keenly noticed that as the date of the Ascension Gathering drew nearer, the number of Cultivators in Nanyang City increased.
Cultivators in various attire, radiating spiritual fluctuations, could be seen from time to time in the streets and alleys, which was undoubtedly excellent news for him.
Sure enough, his Talisman sales soared, from an initial twenty sheets a day, to thirty, then forty, sometimes even reaching over fifty sheets...
Just like that, a month passed quietly amidst busyness and harvest.
During this month, Fang Hong's Talisman business was booming.
After careful inventory, he found that he had sold a total of 1,125 Talismans. At a price of thirty Spirit Stones per Talisman, he had earned over 33,700 Spirit Stones.
After deducting the cost of purchasing blank Talisman paper and the Materials consumed for daily Talisman drawing, he still had over 30,000 Spirit Stones in his possession.
Compared to other Loose Cultivators, his wealth could be described as substantial; it was no exaggeration to call him a tycoon.
At this moment, Fang Hong was still sitting in front of his stall as usual, but unlike before, his face was full of worry, and he seemed a little unhappy.
Although he had reaped a considerable harvest from his Talisman business and earned many Spirit Stones, his heart was always troubled by one thing.
During this time, Fang Hong had almost visited all the Cultivation shops in Nanyang City, eager to purchase a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique, but he returned disappointed every time.
Whenever he asked the shopkeepers with anticipation, the replies he received were surprisingly consistent.
The shopkeepers all regretfully told him that Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Techniques were precious resources, rarely appearing in public, with only one or two occasionally surfacing.
These precious Cultivation Techniques were often firmly controlled by major Cultivation Schools and Cultivation Families, serving as their core Legacies, making them generally inaccessible to Loose Cultivators.
Only then did Fang Hong finally understand why those Loose Cultivators desperately wanted to join Cultivation Sects.
Take the search for a Cultivation Technique, for example; the time and effort expended were immeasurable.
The Immortal Realm is vast and boundless. If one had to rush around everywhere just to find a Cultivation Technique, where would there be time to calm down and Cultivate peacefully?
Faced with this thorny problem, Fang Hong had no choice but to seriously reconsider the Ascension Gathering. After all, this was not only a way to join a Sect but also an important opportunity to acquire a Cultivation Technique.
He had originally thought that with the demon gourd in hand, he could be a free and easy Loose Cultivator, Cultivating steadily.
But now it seemed that without the assistance of a suitable Cultivation Technique, even if the demon gourd could refine many Spirit Pills, his Cultivation would likely find it difficult to make significant Breakthroughs.
If Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Techniques were so precious and rare, wouldn't more Advanced Core Formation Stage and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivation Techniques be even harder to obtain?
Fang Hong thought it over and over, increasingly feeling that joining a Sect was very necessary. Within a Sect, there were ready-made Cultivation Techniques available for Cultivation, so he wouldn't have to rack his brains and hit dead ends everywhere just for a Cultivation Technique, as he did now.
"Dong dong dong…"
Just as Fang Hong was deep in thought, several loud bell tolls suddenly rang out in the city.
The bell sounds were deep and powerful, reverberating continuously in the air and traveling very far.
Fang Hong suddenly snapped back to reality. He was surprised to find that many Cultivators who were setting up stalls nearby were hurriedly packing up their stalls and rushing towards a certain direction with hurried expressions.
"Uh, Fellow Daoist, has something happened in the city?" Fang Hong quickly stood up and reached out to stop a Cultivator who was passing by.
That Cultivator was in a hurry, and a hint of impatience flashed across his face when Fang Hong stopped him, but he still briefly replied, "Oh, the bells are ringing in the city. It should be the start of registration for the Ascension Gathering."
After speaking, he quickly left.
"So, registration has started…" Fang Hong suddenly realized. No wonder he felt that there were significantly fewer customers today; it turned out everyone had rushed to register for the Ascension Gathering.
Fang Hong sat back down in his chair and fell into thought.
Participating in the Ascension Gathering meant competing with many Cultivators, among whom there were powerful opponents.
But if he didn't participate, he would find it difficult to acquire a Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation Technique, and his Cultivation advancement would be limited.
After a moment, Fang Hong seemed to have made up his mind and quickly packed up his stall.
He decided to go and see what this so-called Ascension Gathering was all about. With his current Cultivation at Qi Refinement Perfection, he was considered a minor expert among Qi Refinement Stage Loose Cultivators.
If this Ascension Gathering was relatively easy to pass, participating would not be a problem.
Fang Hong followed several other Cultivators who were also heading in the same direction and arrived at Nanyang City's East Plaza.
As he approached, he saw that the spacious plaza was already bustling with people, the dense crowd making the entire plaza particularly crowded.
Fang Hong estimated that at least a thousand Cultivators had gathered here, all of them young Qi Refinement Stage Cultivators, not very old.
In the plaza, many Cultivators were consciously lining up, quietly waiting to register, with a hint of confidence and anticipation on their faces.
There were also some Cultivators gathered in a corner of the plaza, pointing and discussing a red announcement.
Fang Hong did not go directly to queue but followed the crowd to the red announcement, wanting to understand the situation first. He stared intently at the announcement, carefully examining it...
The writing on the announcement was neat and exuded a serious aura.
It turned out that this red announcement detailed some important matters regarding the Ascension Gathering, including the format, rules, and rewards of the gathering.
Fang Hong read it word by word, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed.
After reading it, a faint smile slowly appeared at the corner of his mouth!
The format of this Ascension Gathering had actually changed to killing Demonic Beasts? It was no longer the original one-on-one arena combat.
The gathering location was set at the "Nanyang Ancient Forest," twenty miles west of Nanyang City. All participating Cultivators needed to rank by killing Demonic Beasts.
Moreover, there were no restrictions on the combat format for this gathering; one could fight alone or form a team with multiple people.
As long as one's final ranking was within the top 150, one could join one of the Cultivation Schools: "Danxian Valley," "Taiyi Sect," or "Yu Shou Sect."
The participation requirements were a Cultivation of Qi Refining Level 7 and above, and the age must not exceed fifty years.
As for the rewards of the gathering, they were limited to the top ten. Anyone who ranked in the top ten would receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward...