Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

At the break of dawn, just as a sliver of fish-belly white appeared in the sky, Wang Chen quietly left the alleyway.

He was clad in a cyan-grey Taoist robe, his hair and beard flecked with gray and his face gaunt, his frame thin as if he lacked the strength to even truss a chicken.

However, the high-tier Qi Cultivation aura that faintly emanated from him was not to be underestimated.

On the main street, people bustled about, and most of the shops along the street were already, or were in the process of, opening their doors.

Wang Chen, familiar with the area, made his way through the streets and alleys to reach a tea house.

This tea house served breakfast, and he found himself a seat, ordering a pot of Spiritual Tea and a basket of steamed buns.

While eating, he listened to the other patrons chitchatting about everything under the sun.

These patrons were mostly locals, and they were well-informed; many big and small incidents that happened in Ten Thousand Cultivators City were their favorite topics of conversation.

Having heard enough local gossip and tales from the Martial World, Wang Chen finished the fragrant, steaming beast meat buns along with the refreshing Spiritual Tea and then paid for his meal before leaving the tea house.

The price of the Spiritual Tea and buns here was more than double that of Dongwu Stockade.

For an ordinary Loose Cultivator looking to settle in Ten Thousand Cultivators City, it truly wasn't an easy task.

Nearby the tea house was a large marketplace.

Wang Chen had come today to set up his stall.

After paying the manager of the market the rental fee for a day, he quickly set up his stall in a corner.

There was no helping it; Wang Chen had arrived a bit late, and the good spots had all been taken by others.

There were a total of four such marketplaces in Ten Thousand Cultivators City where one could set up a stall on a first-come, first-served basis, with no restrictions on the goods sold, but the rental fees were exceedingly high.

A single day cost fifty Low Spirit!

In the matter of setting up stalls, Wang Chen could be considered a seasoned merchant.

He didn't shout loudly like other stall owners or hang eye-catching banners, but instead, arranged the Talismans he had crafted the night before by type.

Then he leaned back in a rattan chair, placed a goose feather fan on his lap, and began to close his eyes and rest.

Although Wang Chen's spot was out of the way, there were many Cultivators seeking early market deals, so it wasn't long before someone stopped in front of his stall.

"Huh?"

The visitor's gaze swept over Wang Chen's stall, revealing a surprised look.

These Talismans, categorized and displayed on the long table, glowed with inherent Spiritual Light and were nearly flawless in quality; even the most critical eye could not find any fault.

In a marketplace where fakes were commonly mixed with genuine items, Wang Chen's crafted Talismans were like gold among gravel.

Their brilliance simply could not be hidden!

"Sss~"

Upon closer inspection, the visitor couldn't help but suck in a breath of cool air, "Fellow Daoist, your prices for these Magical Talismans are steep!"

Wang Chen had divided the table he used to display his wares into three sections: low, medium, and high tier.

The low-tier Magical Talismans were marked at two Low Spirit each, medium-tier at five Spirit, and high-tier at a whopping ten Spirit!

Although the prices in Ten Thousand Cultivators City were high, the cost of Magical Talismans corresponding to the Qi Cultivation Tier was only slightly higher than in other places.

This was mainly because Talisman Crafting was easy to get into, the cost of learning considerably lower compared to Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Beast Taming, Puppetry and so on, resulting in a large number of Cultivators taking up talisman making as a side job, which led to an enormous output of first-tier Magical Talismans and thus drove down market prices.

The prices Wang Chen displayed were about 50% higher than market rates, and for high-tier Magical Talismans, even more so!

These days everyone found it hard to earn Spirit Stones, and those who came to the marketplace were mostly mid to lower-tier Cultivators from Ten Thousand Cultivators City.

Such pricing was rather discouraging indeed.

Wang Chen did not respond but simply threw out a peach wood token.

It read in nine big characters: Fixed Price, Firm Pricing Policy!

"Tsk!"

The visitor scoffed and turned to leave.

Wang Chen paid it no mind, not even bothering to spare a glance for the departing figure.

The batch of talismans he took out were all of grandmaster level; any true connoisseur would never consider them overpriced.

What is "Bie Ge"?

Bie Ge is preferring to destroy all the goods rather than offer any discount on sales.

Love to buy, buy; if not, get lost—same price for all, no matter the quantity!

Cultivators kept coming to Wang Chen's stall, yet not a single one actually made a purchase.

Some were deterred by the prices and backed off, others tried to haggle with Wang Chen and left cursing under their breath when they received no response.

There were also those who hesitated, wanting to buy but couldn't decide.

After all, a magical talisman costing three to five spirit stones was hard for an ordinary cultivator to afford.

As a result, from morning till noon, Wang Chen hadn't sold a single talisman! Stay connected through mvl

Wang Chen ignored the strange looks from the other stall owners around him as he took out a purple-wood tea table from his storage bag, set up the Calming Incense Burner and the Red Clay Tea Stove, and brewed a pot of spiritual tea for himself.

He savored the tea while browsing through a Taoist scripture.

A few days ago, when he was wandering around the city, Wang Chen had bought a number of books from a bookstore.

They could keep him occupied for quite some time.

Although Wang Chen's business was extremely bleak, his appearance, dress, and demeanor set him apart from the surrounding traders filled with a mercenary air.

He was like a lotus growing out of the mud!

By the afternoon, Wang Chen's business finally picked up.

His first customer was a middle-aged cultivator, shabbily dressed yet with sharp eyes and a bold temperament, clearly battle-hardened and probably a battle or hunter cultivator.

He picked up five Evil-Repelling Talismans and five Meteor Fire Talismans, leaving behind twenty Low Spirit Stones.

With the first deal made, Wang Chen's business suddenly started to show a positive trend. By the time he packed up in the evening, he had sold quite a few talismans in a steady stream.

Included were some higher-level magical talismans.

Like the Suppressing Evil Talisman.

His earnings exceeded three hundred Low Spirit Stones!

Wang Chen's Primary Talisman Making Skill had already reached the level of Great Perfection, and his success rate in crafting first-tier magical talismans was nearly one hundred percent. Coupled with the high selling price, his profits were quite substantial.

Wang Chen was rather satisfied with this.

It was just the beginning. Once his reputation was established, earning thirty thousand spirit stones in half a year would not be an issue.

Of course, thirty thousand spirit stones were not enough; he also had to rent a cave mansion on North Mountain for cultivation.

Plus his daily expenses for food and clothing, so no amount of spirit stones was too many.

"I have seen Brother Daoist," said a man in a fitted outfit as he appeared in front of Wang Chen, greeted him with a fist-and-palm salute, and said: "My family head wishes to speak with you, please come with me."

He had attracted attention so soon?

Wang Chen was somewhat surprised.

He knew that bringing out grandmaster-level talisman crafting skills to fish for spirit stones would likely lead to this possibility.

But he hadn't expected to attract interest on the very first day he set up his stall.

"I am used to being a carefree wanderer of the wilds," Wang Chen responded calmly, "I don't enjoy socializing and networking, please leave."

After saying that, he ignored the man and left the market on his own.

He hadn't gone far when Wang Chen keenly sensed that someone was tailing him.

Merging into the bustling crowd, he activated his Great Perfection-level Stealth Breath Technique and instantly vanished from the sight of his pursuer.

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The first update is here.