Lu Chi and Liu Qing stepped side by side into the front hall of Moon?Veil Pavilion.

  The hall was faintly scented with sandalwood, and candlelight flickered, making the spiritual light on the talismans displayed on the shelves shimmer intermittently.

  From the direction of the inner chambers came steady footsteps, and a burly figure strode out—it was Cao Zhen.

  Dressed in black martial attire, broad?shouldered and stout, he swept a glance across the hall and said in a clear voice, "The two Talisman Masters, Sect Master Qin is waiting in the inner chamber. Please follow me."

  He had clearly sensed their arrival.

  This Cao fellow is here day in and day out… Has he completely thrown in his lot with the Dusk?Mist Sect, abandoning farming to become a full?time gatekeeper?A thought flashed through Lu Chi's mind as he proceeded directly forward.

  Liu Qing followed closely behind, snorting coldly inwardly: Today, we'll see who garners more favor.

  In the inner hall, Qin Suniang sat in the host's seat, dressed in a moon?white gauze gown, her features picturesque, her aura gentle yet carrying the authority of a sect master.

  Seeing the two enter, she rose with a light smile, first looking at Lu Chi, her voice soft: "Talisman Master Lu, congratulations on breaking through to the fourth layer of Qi Refinement.

  The path ahead is promising, and Foundation Establishment is within hope."

  Lu Chi cupped his hands in return, his tone calm: "Thank you for your auspicious words, Sect Master. I have come today only to deliver, as agreed, the talismans I have drawn over the past few days."

  A glimmer of light shone in Qin Suniang's beautiful eyes as she nodded. "Talisman Master Lu is most considerate."

  Her gaze turned to Liu Qing, her smile undiminished: "Young Master Liu Qing has also come."

  Liu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly, a note of urgency and dissatisfaction in his tone: "Sister Qin, your younger brother has also come to deliver talismans today! Why ask him first and not me?"

  Qin Suniang covered her lips with a light laugh, her voice gentle: "Not at all. Seeing the two of you arrive together, I knew today would surely yield results. Please, both of you, have a seat."

  With a graceful lift of her hand, she gestured for them to be seated.

  "Talisman Master Lu, Young Master Liu Qing, your timing is perfect. Business at the pavilion has been fair these past few days, and we are short on talismans."

  "Previously, we spoke of profit?sharing based on sales. Now, I have another proposal. For the talismans you deliver, we will first pay the full price in spirit stones. If they sell well later, we will naturally make an additional payment; if they are not sold out immediately, we will simply request more talismans."

  "What do you think?"

  Lu Chi nodded without hesitation. For his current, nearly empty purse, getting spirit stones upfront was the best possible outcome.

  "Sister Qin's proposal is reasonable. This younger brother will naturally follow sister's lead."

  Liu Qing also offered no objection—who would argue with spirit stones?

  Qin Suniang gave a faint smile and said, "In that case, please, both of you, take out your talismans and let me have a look."

  Liu Qing immediately stood up, declaring arrogantly, "Sister Qin, your younger brother will make the first, humble offering."

  With a light flick of his sleeve, a flash of spiritual light appeared as he retrieved two stacks of talismans from his storage pouch. First, he gently shook out one stack; sixteen talisman papers fanned out like a folding screen, suspended half a foot above the table.

  The paper was slightly yellowish, the patterns simple yet even, with a faint flow of spiritual intent, carrying the plain, steady quality of ordinary lower?grade talismans.

  Immediately after, he shook out the other—six mid?grade talismans hung in the air, their paper appearing more substantial, the ink deep and profound.

  The interwoven talisman patterns held a restrained radiance; each sheet carried a greater sense of condensation than the lower?grade ones. The spiritual intent was no longer shallow but flowed slowly across the surface like a fine stream, faintly suggestive of a protective aura.

  A spark of interest lit in Qin Suniang's beautiful eyes. She delicately lifted her hand, drawing the nearest mid?grade talisman into her palm. After examining it carefully for a moment, she nodded. "The quality is stable, the brushwork coherent. Young Master Liu Qing has indeed been diligent these past few days."

  Liu Qing felt a twinge of pride inwardly but maintained a composed expression. His gaze then shifted: "Sister Qin flatters me. However, I am also quite curious to see Brother Lu's results."

  Qin Suniang also turned her eyes to Lu Chi, a hint of anticipation in her gaze.

  Lu Chi's expression remained impassive. With a flick of his sleeve, spiritual light flashed from his storage pouch, like a clear spring being stirred. Eleven talismans flew out quietly,

  suspending themselves in mid?air one after another, their spiritual intents intertwining yet each holding its own position.

  Not a single one was lower?grade.

  All ten were first?rank, mid?grade talismans. The paper was substantial, the ink deep and profound, the patterns clear and fluid like fine silk threads. The spiritual intent was restrained, not overt, each sheet like a pool of still water, containing a sharp edge ready to erupt at any moment.

  But the one at the very center was different.

  The talisman's surface shimmered with a faint, icy blue halo, as if intangible frost were slowly crystallizing on the paper. The talisman patterns intersected like countless tiny ice spikes.

  The beginning and end connected, and the three converging cold rays at the talisman's foot were piercingly sharp, faintly carrying the sound of tearing through the air from within the talisman, the chill penetrating straight to the heart.

  That aura was condensed and profound, far surpassing ordinary Mid?Grade talismans—it had already stepped into First?Rank, Superior?Grade territory!

  A Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talisman!

  This talisman was the very first Lu Chi had completed after unlocking the [Talisman Master]? profession.

  Being well?suited to his own spiritual root, his proficiency had steadily climbed, making it the most advanced among all his talismans—it had long since reached the Skilled level.

  Once he reached Skilled, the panel provided its own guidance.

  From then on, even without relying on external aid, he could steadily draw Lower?Grade Ice Arrow Talismans.

  If he activated [Fiery Will], he could even attempt Mid?Grade ones.

  In recent days, he had also gained [Dual Brushes].

  His spiritual soul had grown stronger, and his confidence had swelled.

  In a moment of fervor, fueled by [Fiery Will], he had actually pushed toward Superior?Grade.

  The gap between Superior?Grade and Mid?Grade was a solid threshold.

  Not only in effectiveness, but even more so in difficulty.

  He failed several times in a row, leaving him utterly drained afterward.

  Fortunately, he barely managed to complete a few in the end—this talisman was one of them.

  The candlelight in the hall seemed to waver under the pressure of that chilling aura, flickering and casting Qin Suniang’s and Liu Qing’s faces into shifting light and shadow.

  A sudden gleam lit Qin Suniang’s beautiful eyes.

  Her slender hand lifted gently, drawing that Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talisman into her palm.

  As her fingertips touched the talisman’s surface, an involuntary chill spread through her palm.

  She murmured softly, “Superior?Grade… It truly is a Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talisman.”

  Liu Qing stood to the side.

  His pupils contracted sharply, and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.

  Impossible!

  This guy must have bought it from somewhere else and is pretending he drew it himself!

  After all, in the two stacks of talismans he had just delivered, sixteen were Lower?Grade and six were Mid?Grade—that was already his limit.

  If he hadn’t secretly dipped into his own funds to buy a few Mid?Grade talismans from the Luo Family Talisman Shop at a low price and mixed them in, he probably wouldn’t have even been able to meet that number.

  He had intended to use this batch to restore his pride, but who could have imagined…

  Yet when he forcibly suppressed his emotions and carefully compared Lu Chi’s batch of talismans, it felt like a thunderbolt had struck him.

  The talisman paper was identical—the density of the grain, the depth of ink absorption was similar.

  The color of the talisman ink was consistent… They clearly came from the same source!

  Impossible!

  Liu Qing’s throat went dry.

  He screamed inwardly, but the words never left his lips.

  Qin Suniang steadied her emotions.

  With a graceful lift of her slender hand, she drew the two batches of talismans from the table into her palm—first storing Liu Qing’s two stacks in her sleeve’s storage pouch, then carefully putting away Lu Chi’s eleven talismans.

  Her movements carried a hint of solemnity.

  She turned, retrieved thirty sparkling Low?Grade Spirit Stones from another small brocade pouch at her waist, and with a faint flash of spiritual light, pushed them toward Liu Qing.

  “Young Master Liu Qing, these thirty spirit stones are the advance payment for this batch of your talismans.

  You have worked diligently these past few days—as your sister, I cannot treat you unfairly.”

  Liu Qing reached out to take them.

  His fingertips touched the cool spirit stones, yet his heart felt even colder.

  He looked down at the stones in his palm and forced a faint smile. “Thank you, Sister.”

  Qin Suniang’s gaze was gentle yet carried a trace of undeniable resolve.

  “Take them for now. In a moment, your sister has some words to speak with you alone. But for now… would you mind stepping outside briefly?”

  How could Liu Qing not hear the subtext?

  Qin Suniang was avoiding awkwardness—the content of the deal she wished to discuss with Lu Chi was not for his ears.

  I was the one who came first…

  His throat tightened.

  His lips moved as if to say something, but in the end, he swallowed the words.

  Without looking back, he walked out.

  The candlelight flickered gently, casting Qin Suniang’s features into even softer relief.

  She turned, her gaze settling on Lu Chi.

  Her voice was low and gentle, yet carried a thread of genuine delight and anticipation:

  “Talisman Master Lu, this Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talisman of yours has truly surprised this humble one.

  From now on, Moon?Veil Pavilion’s talisman affairs could rely on you alone.

  However…”

  She paused briefly.

  A flicker of deeper meaning passed through her beautiful eyes as her slender hand lightly brushed the Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talisman on the table.

  Her voice held a note of probing:

  “Could Talisman Master Lu tell this humble one: how many of these Superior?Grade talismans have you drawn recently?

  And how many could you produce each month going forward?

  If there is a reliable estimate, this humble one can make arrangements accordingly.”

  Lu Chi pondered slightly.

  “Superior?Grade talismans… I have only occasionally captured the right momentum for them.

  I can complete them only when my condition is optimal, with perhaps one success in ten attempts.

  In the future, I might manage only one or two per month.

  If I forced myself to produce more, I fear it would deplete my mental energy and damage my foundation.”

  This, of course, was a lie.

  Given his current gradually strengthening spiritual soul and increasing proficiency with [Fiery Will], by his estimate, producing ten Superior?Grade Ice Arrow Talismans a month was no longer difficult.

  But this number is too astonishing—ordinary first?rank talisman masters might spend their entire lives without producing even a single top?grade talisman. Even if a second?rank talisman master were to personally step in, producing ten top?grade talismans per month would be considered an extraordinary and rare feat.

  At present, even though his performance far exceeds that of an ordinary Qi?Refinement talisman master, it can still be attributed to reasons like "obtaining some ancient, fragmented scroll," "stumbling upon a rare opportunity," or "possessing a natural affinity for the talisman arts"—it would not immediately attract excessive attention. Better to be safe and steady.

  A flicker of understanding passed through Qin Suniang's beautiful eyes, but she showed no disappointment. Instead, she gave a slight nod, seemingly relieved.

  After a moment of thought, she lifted a delicate hand and retrieved another brocade pouch from her storage bag. With a faint flash of spiritual light, over a hundred low?grade spirit stones were neatly stacked before them—at least a hundred and twenty in total. Their spiritual energy swirled densely, making even the candlelight in the hall appear brighter.

  Lu Chi’s gaze shifted, and his heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

  He had long expected that the value of a top?grade talisman would far exceed that of a mid?grade one—by several times, or even tenfold.

  But when this hundred and twenty spirit stones were truly laid out before him, that tangible, weighty reality still stirred a faint surge of emotion within him.

  After all, he had once been nothing more than a destitute, wandering cultivator.

  He cupped his hands and accepted the pouch. "Thank you, Sect Master."

  "You are too courteous, Talisman Master Lu. Since you are willing to contribute to Moon?Veil Pavilion, these few spirit stones are merely what you deserve."

  Qin Suniang offered a faint smile, but her gaze suddenly turned serious, her voice lowering slightly:

  "However... from now on, it would be best if Talisman Master Lu does not leave the market district lightly. Your reputation is growing, and if you travel alone outside, unexpected trouble may arise."

  Lu Chi's expression remained unchanged, yet he couldn't help but press further: "Why does the Sect Master say this? Could it be that the three troublemakers from that day... have already revealed the mastermind behind them?"

  A flash of coldness passed through Qin Suniang's beautiful eyes, but it was quickly concealed. Her voice remained soft and low:

  "Talisman Master Lu is indeed sharp. Those three were indeed sent by someone, with the intention of tarnishing the reputation of my Moon?Veil Pavilion. This humble one already has some clues about the mastermind—it is an old enemy of our sect... the Xuan Yin Valley."

  Xuan Yin Valley? Lu Chi pondered for a moment.

  Well, at least it's not called Xuan Yin Island.