The back hall was spacious, nearly a hundred feet long. It was hard to imagine how Sanyuanzhai managed to occupy such a large area in the city where every inch of land was valuable.
Hua Ruoan pointed casually, "We've set up several spirit-isolating formations here. Don't worry about hurting anyone, Brother Zhou, feel free to experiment."
Zhou Shu thanked him and slowly walked over.
Sun Hedao suddenly said, "Wait."
"What's the matter? You're always so nosy."
"It's neither good to try nor not to try?"
The female cultivators stared at Sun Hedao, complaining indignantly.
Sun Hedao snorted, "What if it's an illusion? Who knows if this talisman is truly powerful or just a deception?"
Zhou Shu smiled, "You've thought a lot about it. What do you think?"
"Try it on me!"
Without waiting for Zhou Shu to reply, Sun Hedao walked a few steps to the center of the experimental field, facing the crowd, head held high and chest puffed out, like a proud rooster.
Zhou Shu nodded gently. "That's fine. Don't blame me if there's any damage."
Sun Hedao didn't even look at Zhou Shu. "How ridiculous! Your talisman can't even touch my clothes, and you're still going to hurt me?"
Hua Ruoan looked at the two of them, shaking his head slightly, as if lost in thought.
Snap!
The talisman was unleashed, a flash of lightning flashed, and an explosive light burst out, covering an area of more than two meters.
A closer look revealed over twenty bolts of lightning pounding back and forth, the sound growing in momentum.
Everyone was horrified.
It was clear that this thunderstorm talisman was not only of mid-grade quality, but also not far from top-grade.
"Wow, what a powerful talisman! It's definitely enough for us to complete the mission!"
"Yes, if we complete this mission well, Senior Sister Yan will have a chance of entering the Inner Gate!"
The female cultivator cheered, and Yan Yue was even more excited, her fair face flushing slightly. The power of this talisman was even greater than she had hoped, and there was a good chance of completing the mission.
Hua Ruoan was much calmer, but his mind was swirling with thoughts, and his gaze towards Zhou Shu grew increasingly complex.
The lightning dissipated, and Sun Hedao emerged, his face livid.
"Hey, Senior Brother Sun, why is a piece of your hair broken off..."
"Your clothes are torn too..."
"Shut up!"
Sun Hedao glared at the female cultivator, his frustration indescribable.
Confident that as a Foundation Establishment disciple, he knew that even a mid-grade Thunderstorm Talisman wouldn't be able to harm him, so he didn't employ any protective spells, simply channeling some spiritual energy to resist. Who knew the Thunderstorm Talisman would be so powerful beyond his imagination? The lightning, upon impact, singed off half of his hair and blackened his clothes. He quickly threw up a protective shield to avoid further embarrassment.
Zhou Shu said calmly, "Senior Brother Sun, this Thunderstorm Talisman should be considered mid-grade."
"Hmph!"
Sun Hedao snorted, then turned and walked away without a word.
"Wait a minute, where are the spirit stones you promised?"
Sun Hedao's eyebrows knitted together, and he shouted, "Poor people only care about spirit stones, just tell me how much you want!"
Zhou Shu looked at Hua Ruoan, "Shopkeeper Hua, how many spirit stones are a mid-grade thunderstorm talisman worth?"
Hua Ruoan pondered for a moment and said slowly, "A low-grade thunderstorm talisman costs ten low-grade spirit stones, and a mid-grade one should be around fifty. But talismans are in short supply now, so the price may be several times higher. Even if you buy three mid-grade ones, it's worth it."
Sun Hedao was stunned, "Five mid-grade ones for a first-level talisman?"
"I haven't finished yet," Hua Ruoan shook his head and said seriously, "The thunderstorm talismans that Brother Zhou brought are much better than ordinary mid-grade ones. Even if they cost five mid-grade spirit stones each, we at Sanyuanzhai will be happy to accept them."
"What?"
Yan Yue chimed in, "Give me this talisman, and I'll give you five mid-grade spirit stones."
Yang Mei followed suit, "Forget five, even ten would be worth it."
Sun Hedao's face paled. Five mid-grade spirit stones for a first-grade talisman was completely unexpected. Even a typical first-grade magical weapon cost only a hundred mid-grade spirit stones. Even though he was an inner disciple, his monthly supply of spirit stones was limited to one mid-grade, and since he also needed to cultivate, he couldn't save much.
Zhou Shu knew Yan Yue and Hua Ruoan were helping him, and a mid-grade thunderstorm talisman wasn't worth five mid-grade spirit stones, so he smiled at them.
"Five mid-grade spirit stones—aren't they a lot for an inner disciple like Senior Brother Sun?"
"Five, then!"
Sun Hedao gritted his teeth, pulled out his storage bag, counted out five spirit stones, and tossed them to Zhou Shu. "It's just spirit stones
, isn't it?" Zhou Shu reached out to take them, his brows raised slightly. "Remember Senior Brother Sun said he'd give me double?"
Sun Hedao faltered. "Boy, don't push your luck."
He certainly remembered what he'd said. It was only ten mid-grade spirit stones; he really couldn't produce them right now. He tried to get away with it, but he was caught off guard.
"If Senior Brother Sun doesn't have the guts to take his word for it, then so be it." Zhou Shu smiled and ignored him.
Several female cultivators glanced at him, their eyes etched with disdain.
Sun Hedao trembled with anger. He had come to the market today hoping to win Yan Yue's heart, perhaps even the task she was assigned, only to lose face in front of these fellow female cultivators, lose control of his emotions, and offend Sanyuanzhai. He blamed Zhou Shu for all of this.
"Okay! Five mid-grade pills, kid. I'll give them to you next time. Just wait!"
Sun Hedao said harshly, turning and walking away.
The threat in his words was obvious, but Zhou Shu let it go without worrying too much.
Yan Yue watched Sun Hedao leave, a hint of a smile on her lips, feeling relieved.
She had always disliked Sun Hedao, but due to their status as fellow disciples, she couldn't directly refuse his entanglement. Now she felt much relieved. After completing the mission, she had a high probability of becoming an inner disciple, and she would no longer have to care about him at all.
Zhou Shu took out the remaining thunderstorm talisman and handed it to Yan Yue. "Senior Sister Yan, this is the only one I have. I hope it can help you."
"Thank you, Junior Brother Zhou, for today."
Yan Yue took the talisman and put it away with great respect. Then she pulled out her storage bag. "Here are the spirit stones."
Zhou Shu declined. "No, five is too many. Just one."
Yan Yue shook her head and stuffed the spirit stone directly into his hand. "No. I was planning to give you this much anyway. You must accept these spirit stones. We may need your help in the future."
She was decisive and cautious, unlike Sun Hedao's ignorance. Zhou Shu was only at the first level of Qi Refining Realm, yet he had already obtained a mid-grade thunderstorm talisman that could not be found in the market. Regardless of whether he had drawn it himself, his skill was considerable. Spending a few more spirit stones now would help him establish a good relationship that would benefit him in the future.
Seeing Yan Yue's sincere smile, Zhou Shu said no more, "Thank you, Senior Sister Yan. Please take care of me in the future."
As a casual cultivator, it is not a bad thing to make friends with disciples of the sect with good character.
Seeing Zhou Shu accept the spirit stone, Yan Yue smiled with satisfaction, "Junior Brother Zhou, goodbye."
Several female cultivators greeted Zhou Shu and left.
Looking at Hua Ruoan, who had been silent the whole time, Zhou Shu bowed and said, "Manager Hua, thank you very much for today. I have something I want to trouble
you with." A strange smile flashed across Hua Ruoan's face, "Haha, Brother Zhou, what are you talking about? I also have something I want to tell you."
"That's perfect."
The two looked at each other and walked towards the front hall tacitly.