Super Divine Daoist Skill-Chapter 49: Revised - Talisman Pen

Fear often came from the unknown, and after confirming the true identity of that Ghost-Nurturing Evil Cultivator, Bai Ziyue felt less uneasy than before.

During this period, he naturally inquired a bit about their situation.

He learned that Wu Hao had been apprenticed for five years. In terms of strength, he was also likely at the External Forging Level, but because he cultivated Immortal Techniques, his methods were strange and hard to defend against, making his exact strength difficult to determine.

However, although the identity of the opponent as Daoist Wutong’s disciple was unusual, he himself was a disciple of the Sect Leader at the Sunburst Gang Branch, not inferior to the other.

He was confident that on the surface, Wu Hao definitely would not dare to attack him.

So, after the banquet ended, Bai Ziyue secretly left again once he returned to the Sunburst Gang Branch with his master and others.

"Although I have now begun External Forging, I haven’t reached the Entry Level. In terms of strength, I was naturally far inferior to the opponent.

No matter whether the opponent might have concerns about my current identity shift, I still needed to enhance my strength as quickly as possible."

Bai Ziyue knew that the opponent’s malice had actually long been expressed openly.

The conflict between the two would definitely erupt one day.

Nowadays, besides continuing to cultivate External Forging, the only alternative to quickly enhance his strength involved the various peculiar talismans from the book "Hundred Talisman Atlas."

Touching the heavy silver coins in his money bag, Bai Ziyue soon entered a shop selling ink brushes.

This shop looked somewhat aged, and besides ink brushes, it also offered rice paper, incense burners, sachets, and other items, all thoroughly stocked.

At the moment, a shopkeeper was leisurely humming opera lyrics behind the counter, his face looking downright fascinated.

"Shopkeeper, do you sell wolf hair brushes here?"

Bai Ziyue finally asked after the other finished a segment of his song.

"Yes, absolutely. Not only do I have wolf hair brushes, but also sheep hair brushes, purple hair brushes, mixed hair brushes, and others. They vary in price, depending on the material chosen for the bristles. Which type do you prefer?"

The shopkeeper snapped back to reality, and seeing that although Bai Ziyue was young he was dressed impressively, he did not belittle him and quickly replied.

"Bring out a few for me to take a look at first."

Since talisman creation required the talisman pen as a crucial component, he naturally valued it and needed to see them before deciding.

"Alright." The shopkeeper responded, efficiently taking several brushes out from the cabinet. Though the shafts were roughly similar, the tips showed some subtle differences.

Bai Ziyue compared them carefully, shook his head, and said, "Do you have anything better?"

If used for ordinary writing, these pens were no issue, but for talisman creation, he needed a certain spirit.

This spirit was akin to the strands of purple qi he felt during the cultivation of the Purple Qi Divine Observation Technique, unseen and uncatchable by others, but sensed by those with keen spirit perception.

Bai Ziyue’s Spirit Attribute was around 1.8, far exceeding normal people’s, enabling him to perceive this spirit.

Unfortunately, this spirit was absent in these brushes.

Moreover, he noted that the tips of these brushes seemed not to be made from the yellow weasel tail hair required for wolf hair brushes but instead rabbit, sheep, and goose hair... they could all write well, but the price difference was significant.

"Seems like you’re quite an expert."

The shopkeeper’s face twitched uncomfortably, hurriedly pulling out a few more pens from the cabinet.

This time, Bai Ziyue’s eyes lit up.

The three brushes were distinctly more refined than those before, and he indeed sensed a sort of spirit suitable as a talisman pen from their tips.

However, this spirit was extremely faint, likely made from a mixture of yellow weasel tail hair and other ordinary hair colors.

Therefore, Bai Ziyue spoke again, "Got anything better? If not, I’ll be on my way."

"Yes, certainly. This time, I’ll have to bring out all my best stock."

The shopkeeper’s face stiffened, surprised by the sharp eyes of this youngster, and with a helpless smile, finally fetched several brushes from a high-level drawer within the cabinet.

Seeing these brushes, Bai Ziyue’s breathing clearly quickened.

There were five brushes in total, but Bai Ziyue instantly focused on the one on the left.

It was a wolf hair brush with a dark yellow barrel, its tip carrying a tinge of blue and purple.

Compared to the other wolf hair brushes, it didn’t stand out much, but the spirit within was unmatched by the others.

"How much for these wolf hair brushes?"

Bai Ziyue asked nonchalantly.

"These are the top treasures of my shop, all crafted by the esteemed pen master Dan Jie himself. You can see his name ’Dan Jie’ carved at the end of the barrels. I don’t usually present these to just anyone.

Since you recognized the value, I won’t haggle with you; they’re twenty taels each."

The shopkeeper displayed a chrysanthemum-like smile as he spoke.

"Ten taels." Bai Ziyue bargained with a blank face.

"Impossible, this is..." The shopkeeper habitually started but was abruptly cut off by Bai Ziyue’s voice.

"Nine taels!"

"No, you can’t just keep lowering the price when bargaining like that!"

"Eight taels!"

Watching the shopkeeper’s expression, Bai Ziyue was increasingly certain of the other’s bottom line and calmly stated.

"Alright, alright, you’ve got me. Ten taels then, how many do you want?"

The shopkeeper conceded with repeated gestures and a bitter face.

"Just one."

With that, Bai Ziyue swiftly picked up the one he fancied.

"Twenty taels in total."

The shopkeeper didn’t fuss, immediately fetching the paper from behind the counter, then quoted the price.

Although somewhat reluctant, Bai Ziyue still retrieved twenty taels of silver coins from his money bag and placed them on the counter.

Hundred-pleated paper, used as specialized exam paper, was soft and smooth, supposedly undergoing a hundred processes, hence its name.

A three-foot-long, two-foot-wide sheet cost one tael—which was reasonable; naturally, Bai Ziyue didn’t haggle further.

Leaving the stationery shop, Bai Ziyue pondered, quickly recalling, "Cinnabar should be available at pharmacies, just as I’ve depleted my Qi Blood Pills and only have two Qi Blood Pills left, unlikely to last long."

With his plan set, Bai Ziyue felt more determined and soon found a pharmacy to enter.

However, to remain discreet, he didn’t compile all the herbs needed for the medicinal bath formula from a single pharmacy. It took visiting three pharmacies to finally gather five sets.