Li An immediately took out twenty spiritual stones from his bundle and handed them to Wang Dazhu, along with an extra ten fire talismans, saying, "Dazhu, a little token of appreciation, please pass it on to Master Yu for me."
Wang Dazhu grinned, "Alright, Brother An, Master Yu said, if you have any requests in the future, just let him know."
Over the past two years, Li An had repeatedly gone to the Artifact Refining Hall to privately buy iron sand for body refining. Each time he bought it at a low price, he would also give some talismans to Wang Dazhu to present to Master Yu.
So he gained Master Yu's favor.
After all, bypassing the sect, Li An bought cheaply, and Master Yu sold at a good price.
No middlemen earned a profit margin.
Such a thing was, of course, clearly forbidden by the sect, but privately turning a blind eye to these dealings was common practice.
Mainly because such situations wouldn't become rampant, usually only trusted acquaintances dared to conduct such trades, and minor matters like these wouldn't affect the overall interests of the Profound Yang Sect.
...
After fastening the storage pouch, Li An felt much more comfortable and finally didn't have to carry a bundle everywhere.
The Starmark Dagger, several bags of spirit rice on him, dozens of first-grade low-tier fire talismans, earth shield talismans, cold wind talismans, and three swift movement talismans were all placed in the storage pouch.
...
With the storage pouch, in the following days, Li An continued to buy three hundred sheets of talisman paper at the Talisman Hall's trading place, spending as much as twelve spiritual stones!
His frenzied actions naturally drew the attention of others in the Talisman Hall.
But on the seventh day, when Li An, with sunken eyes and a face full of dejection, was selling the remaining thirty-one high-quality talisman papers at a low price in the trading area, everyone laughed.
This situation was very common; there were always those disciples who were too ambitious, thinking they were geniuses and could achieve success all at once.
But only after spending a lot of spiritual stones and effort did they come to realize themselves.
Clearly, Li An was such a person.
"Haven't been sleeping well lately?"
That day, after finishing her lecture, Tan Qingxue frowned and looked at Li An, "I've already told you, it's too soon for you to be drawing middle-grade first-tier runes."
She had also heard about Li An's situation and couldn't help but sigh in her heart, starting to doubt Xu Qiuhui's evaluation of Li An back then. How could Sister Xu, who was so smart, have misjudged someone?
Li An was in such a rush to advance; he didn't look like someone with a steady mind.
"Senior sister is right... Li An was too greedy and didn't expect it would turn out this way."
Li An also sighed.
"Take a good rest today, tomorrow morning, off to the Spirit Beast Mountain Range!"
Tan Qingxue advised, but in her heart, she slightly doubted her decision, perhaps she shouldn't have called Li An along?
...
The next morning.
Li An got up early and waited at the gate to gather.
Soon, Tan Qingxue came with a man and a woman.
The female disciple was Cao Zhirou, who had guided Li An one-on-one when he first entered the Talisman Hall. The male, whom Li An also knew, was named Jiang You, also part of Tan Qingxue's group.
Tan Qingxue had talent in the Talisman Dao, but her personality was relatively simple. Her social maneuvering was noticeably inferior to Sun Lin's.
Among the sect's seven first-tier middle-grade talisman masters, five were closer to Sun Lin.
"Qingxue, maybe Li An doesn't need to go?"
Upon seeing Li An, Jiang You's brow slightly furrowed.
He and Cao Zhirou were both at the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation and were first-tier middle-grade talisman masters, while Li An?
He was at the third layer of Qi Cultivation and a first-tier low-grade talisman master...
He was quite behind in the team.
Li An also hoped Tan Qingxue would immediately agree; he couldn't help but appreciate how considerate Jiang You was.
Previously, Tan Qingxue had been uncertain if including Li An would be useful.
But a few days ago, she had written to Xu Qiuhui, explaining her decision to go to the Spirit Beast Mountain Range to search for Second Grade spirit medicine, and she received Xu Qiuhui's reply last night.
In the letter, Xu Qiuhui agreed with her inclusion of Li An, praising her for finally growing up, maturing, and being considerate...
Furthermore, she advised in the letter that if they encountered danger, she must listen to Li An's opinion... Clearly, Xu Qiuhui still didn't trust her.
This made Tan Qingxue somewhat self-doubtful.
Was it her judgment that was problematic, or was Li An hiding his skills in front of her?
"It's okay, more people mean more strength, let's go!"
She decided to observe carefully!
Li An: "..."
Thus, the four left the Talisman Hall.
Exiting through the outer gate, they headed north. Beyond the North Mountain Sect lay a lush mountain range.
The mountains were majestic, vast, and unending.
It's said that even Core Formation Level exotic beasts might grow in these mountains, but they are generally deep within the mountains, rarely seen by anyone.
Disciples of the Profound Yang Sect usually only train in the more peripheral areas, where the spirit beasts are generally at the Qi Cultivation Stage, making them manageable.
Following the rugged mountain path, they soon entered the dense woods, with the air faintly carrying the scent of decayed leaves and bird and beast droppings. As the four passed by, wild rabbits dashed out from the forest, and birds took flight from treetops.
"According to received information, in the Northwest part of the mountains, a Tier One Perfection Black Needle Giant Ape has been seen several times. Black Needle Giant Apes exhibit great spirituality and typically grow alongside Tier Two spirit medicine, advancing by devouring the medicine once they reach Tier One Perfection."
Tan Qingxue introduced, "Let's first investigate the few places where the Black Needle Giant Ape has been sighted."
Upon hearing this, Li An couldn't help but frown secretly.
Tier One Perfection corresponded to the human Peak of Qi Refining. A spirit beast of this level would require at least Foundation Establishment Stage practitioners to handle. Tan Qingxue was only at the sixth layer of Qi Cultivation, so what made her confident?
Could it be that she had another trick up her sleeve?