Before long.
Tantai Feiyue took the initiative and paid him a visit, gift basket in hand.
Lin Changheng received her warmly, but his eyes were drawn to one of the Talismans in the basket. Its calligraphic strokes were powerful and elegant, and it was brimming with Spiritual Light.
To his shock, it was a Masterpiece Ice Talisman, and his pupils instantly constricted.
"I acquired this by chance while on a venture outside," Tantai Feiyue explained with a smile, her red lips slightly parted. "So I thought I'd take the opportunity to present it to you, Brother Lin."
But how could Lin Changheng possibly take her words at face value?
'This Talisman must be her own work. She just can't say it outright. She's most likely hinting at her own value.'
'She must be like me—capable of creating a Masterpiece Talisman but not daring to reveal it to the world…'
Lin Changheng related deeply. 'What an interesting woman,' he mused.
After discussing their collaboration, the meeting concluded on a pleasant note for both parties. As he saw her off, Lin Changheng presented her with a gift in return.
...
Tantai Feiyue returned to her small courtyard, clutching two square boxes.
Remembering the look of shock on Lin Changheng's face—the way his pupils had constricted—she couldn't help but smile.
A wave of smug satisfaction washed over her.
'So you act all calm and unflappable every time we meet. I finally managed to ruffle your feathers this time, didn't I?!'
She had indeed created that Masterpiece Talisman herself, and gifting it was a deliberate move.
It was all for the sake of leverage.
In the Cultivation Realm, if a Pill Master and a Talisman Master were of the same rank, the Pill Master was naturally held in higher regard, their status subtly superior.
After all, Elixirs were inextricably linked to one's Cultivation. There was even a saying that Cultivators could not avoid two things in life: Magical Combat and consuming Elixirs.
Thus, the esteemed status of a Pill Master was plain to see.
Therefore, by revealing her Masterpiece Talisman, Tantai Feiyue intended to use her superior skill in the Talisman Dao to secure her standing and prevent Lin Changheng from completely dominating their future dealings.
Brimming with self-satisfaction, she opened one of the wooden boxes. 'Hmm, a Wood Element Pill,' she noted. 'The medicinal fragrance is overpowering... The quality is quite good!'
'His Alchemy skills really are impressive.'
This only strengthened her conviction that she had done the right thing.
She then opened the other wooden box.
'Hmm???'
Before her lay a perfectly round pill, as flawless as green jade. She took a small sniff; its medicinal aroma was crisp and pure, the fragrance condensed and lingering.
'What is this?'
'A Masterpiece Wood Element Pill?'
'He can refine Masterpiece Pills, too?!'
After confirming it again and again in disbelief, the smile on Tantai Feiyue's face froze. Her lips parted, but not a single sound came out.
Then she remembered the odd look on Lin Changheng's face when he'd given her the gift, and she finally understood. She was so furious she ground her teeth, her ample chest heaving violently, creating endless white waves in the fabric of her dress.
'Giving me a taste of my own medicine?'
'That guy... is absolutely infuriating!!'
...
「The end of the month arrived.」
The clan's internal trading meet was held on the inner bank of the Black Water River, a location that rarely ever changed.
By the time Lin Changheng arrived with Xu Fugui, many Xu Family Cultivators had already set up tables on either side of the path, arranged their stalls, and were calling out to attract customers.
Dozens of people milled about in the aisle between them, browsing and inspecting goods. It had some of the hustle and bustle of the old Purple River District.
"Brother Lin, let's set up here."
Xu Fugui had spotted an empty space between the stalls and quickly waved Lin Changheng over.
"Sounds good."
Lin Changheng readily agreed and walked over. As he did, his eyes scanned the stalls on either side. He saw they were mostly selling things the Xu Family Cultivators grew themselves—Spirit Grain, Spirit Tea, Spirit Medicine, and the like. There was also talisman paper, Talismanic Ink, and small chunks of Ore, but everything was Lower Grade and of mediocre quality.
Reaching Fugui's side, Lin Changheng took the Hammerhead Spiritual Artifact from his robes and placed it on their table.
Then, he began to wait.
"Brother Lin, this Magical Artifact…"
Xu Fugui was laying out some of his own second-hand items from his Early Stage Qi Cultivation days when he turned and saw the Hammerhead Spiritual Artifact, asking in surprise.
"I got this from that Tribulation Cultivator. It's a bit old and isn't very useful to me, so I figured I'd sell it."
He had barely finished explaining when a young Male Cultivator from the Xu Family walked over. "How much for the Magical Artifact?"
"Twenty Spirit Stones."
Lin Changheng quoted a reasonable price.
"That cheap?" The young Male Cultivator's face first lit up with joy, but then his brow furrowed as he deliberately began to find fault. "But the condition of this Magical Artifact is pretty mediocre. And look at these chips... and besides…"
"Sorry, the price is firm."
Lin Changheng knew exactly what the man was trying to do and cut off his haggling attempts with a single statement. "It's that price precisely because of those flaws. Did you expect to buy a perfect Magical Artifact for twenty Spirit Stones? How about this: I'll give you the Spirit Stones, you sell me one."
"Er…"
The young Male Cultivator gave an embarrassed laugh. Seeing that Lin Changheng was ignoring him, he fell silent. After a moment of internal debate, his expression shifting, he gritted his teeth and bought the Magical Artifact.
"Hmm?"
Lin Changheng hadn't expected his first time at a stall to result in such an easy sale. After pocketing the Spirit Stones, he said to Xu Fugui, "You hold down the fort. I'm going to go browse the other stalls."
"Alright."
He browsed as he walked.
Suddenly, Lin Changheng's nose twitched. He caught the faint scent of blood.
He glanced over and saw an Xu Clan Member at a Talisman Materials stall to his left. The man had opened the lid of a White Porcelain Bottle and was inspecting its contents.
'Talismanic Ink?'
An idea sparked in Lin Changheng's mind.
He approached the Talisman Materials stall himself, feigning great interest as he browsed and peppering the stall owner with questions.
After a bit of conversation.
A look of sudden understanding dawned in Lin Changheng's eyes.
'So it's not just Alchemy that requires Demon Beast Essence Blood, Talisman Making needs it too!'
He had been so focused on Alchemy that his perspective had been narrowed, causing him to completely overlook this fact.
For instance, the bristles of a talisman pen used to draw Talismans were typically made from the soft fur of a Demon Beast.
The talisman paper, which held the Spiritual Power, was made from Demon Beast Hide.
And Talismanic Ink was a mixture of Demon Blood, Cinnabar, and other components.
Regular-quality Talismanic Ink used ordinary Demon Blood; only Masterpiece Talismanic Ink required Demon Beast Essence Blood.
"Do you have any Masterpiece Talismanic Ink for sale?"
"We don't," the stall owner replied, shaking his head.
Lin Changheng left, but he made a mental note to ask Tantai Feiyue about it later. It might open up another channel for acquiring Essence Blood.
He returned to the stall he was sharing with Fugui.
After a moment's thought, Lin Changheng took out seven or eight Genuine Elixirs and placed them on the stall. He then settled in to wait, making small talk.
He casually brought up a point, as if it were an idle thought. Logically, with all the pioneering and beast-slaying, there should be a flood of Demon Beast materials, so why hadn't he seen any flesh or blood around the clan? He even added that he wanted to have a taste.
"Demon Beast flesh?" Xu Fugui blinked and scratched his head. "I think I heard Hanling mention something about that."
"Oh? Do tell. I'm quite curious."
Seeing the look of pure curiosity in Lin Changheng's eyes, Xu Fugui chuckled. "They say that out on the Wilderness Border, the Upper Sect set up a supply depot and a Mutual Market Point to help Cultivators liquidate their assets. They partnered with several major Noble Families and a number of Foundation Establishment Clans to buy up all the resources from the Wilderness. It saves Cultivators the trouble of having to haul their materials all over the place."
"Nowadays, that supply and Mutual Market Point has grown to a massive scale, no smaller than a proper Marketplace, and it has everything. Our clan is no different. We only bring back small quantities of resources that are in high demand. Everything else gets sold right there on the spot."