Take out a loan to buy instruments and materials

Shen Fan was utterly confused by what he heard; it sounded like a good deal, but he felt as if he had been tricked.

"Five hundred Spirit Stones might seem like a lot, but think about it, you'll earn it back in a year or so. I've calculated the interest clearly for you, it's only about fifty per year, very cost-effective!"

Meng Bufan patted his chest, looking as if he was truly considering Shen Fan's best interests.

"Think about it, with this Magic Treasure ink brush, drawing Talismans will be incredibly smooth, and your mood will improve. Once you successfully draw a Talismans and sell it, you'll get your capital back in two or three months, how easy is that!"

"And, Junior Brother, I'll tell you a secret: if you repay within one month, there's zero interest!"

"Also, our Seal Script Peak has a recycling policy. We accept all Talismans drawn by our Disciples. A regular Level One Talisman sells for ten Spirit Stones, while auxiliary ones are slightly cheaper at five!"

"Do the math, easily draw a few dozen, and your loan will be repaid, won't it?"

As Shen Fan listened, the flickering flame in his heart burned brighter and brighter.

But his rationality told him to consider his own safety.

Directly pulling out five hundred Spirit Stones would be too conspicuous and could attract unnecessary trouble.

Buying on loan, however, was a safe and proper method.

"Alright! I'll buy it!" Shen Fan gritted his teeth and made his decision.

"Junior Brother is truly magnanimous, I admire you!"

A glint of triumph flashed in Meng Bufan's eyes, and an almost imperceptible smile played on the corner of his lips.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother, an ink brush alone isn't enough; drawing Materials are also crucial."

Meng Bufan changed the subject, throwing out a new problem.

Shen Fan's heart tightened upon hearing this. After a month of learning, he deeply understood the importance of Materials.

Talismans drawn on ordinary hemp paper would suffer severe loss of spiritual power, essentially becoming ineffective within a day.

"This is the issue with Materials."

Meng Bufan explained, "The cinnabar mixed with spiritual power you're currently using is too common. We Talisman Cultivators consume a lot of Materials, spending money like water, so you need to be mentally prepared."

"Take the Level One Blazing Talisman, for example. It requires cinnabar and the blood of fire-attribute Yao Beasts, such as Molten Fire Lizards or Earth Fire Flying Wolves. The blood of different Yao Beasts will have slightly different effects. To increase its power, you can also add sulfur fire stone powder to expand the explosion range."

"Or take the Ice Shield Talisman, for instance. It requires cold pond profound water plus the blood of ice-attribute Yao Beasts, or other ice-attribute substances. Adding Snow Demon Tears can even achieve instant activation!"

Shen Fan's head began to ache as he listened. Drawing Talismans was surprisingly complex, requiring so many strange and varied Materials, and all of them were expensive.

He had always thought that drawing Talismans was like what those great Cultivators did: a flick of the ink brush, and a Talisman would form in the Void Realm.

But the reality was that even the drawing of basic Talismans was so intricate.

At this moment, Shen Fan even felt like giving up.

Meng Bufan seemed to have seen through his thoughts and quickly tried to persuade him: "Junior Brother, are you already finding it troublesome now? But think, if you face an enemy with higher cultivation than you, just two or three Talismans can kill him. How exhilarating would that feeling be!"

"If you're worried about Materials, there's no need. Our Seal Script Peak has a complete stock of Materials. If you need them, we'll sell them to you at a 10% discount. If you don't have money, you can put it on tab and settle it later."

"Senior Brother, you truly are a good person!"

Shen Fan immediately felt a sense of closeness, and his hesitation vanished like smoke.

"Senior Brother, I won't thank you enough for your great kindness. Let's sign the Spirit Contract!" Shen Fan said gratefully.

"Alright!" Meng Bufan readily agreed.

They signed and sealed the agreement, with five hundred Spirit Stones recorded.

Shen Fan successfully acquired the Magical Artifact named "Lead World Brush."

Afterward, he used the Spirit Stones he had to purchase some Materials for drawing Level One Talismans, such as Blazing Talismans and Ice Shield Talismans, and began to practice.

With the enhancement of the Lead World Brush, combined with the spiritual ink made from special mixed Materials, Shen Fan's drawing was incredibly smooth this time. His first attempt at a Blazing Talisman actually succeeded.

"This Blazing Talisman sells for fifteen Spirit Stones outside, and the Materials combined cost less than one Spirit Stone. The profit is simply unbeatable!" Shen Fan thought to himself, secretly delighted.

However, the success rate of his subsequent drawings was almost zero.

Only then did Shen Fan understand why the external selling price was so high. With his current success rate, he could only succeed once in ten attempts.

Moreover, the Material cost for ten drawings was as much as ten Spirit Stones.

"Talisman Cultivators really earn their money through hard work!" Shen Fan chuckled bitterly, sighing with emotion.

Meanwhile, Meng Bufan, seeing Shen Fan already engrossed in the fervor of Talisman drawing, curved his lips into a wicked smile: "Alright! Another fish has taken the bait! These five hundred Spirit Stones are definitely earned!"

After saying that, he took out a sound transmission Talisman, activated it, and said, "Outer Sect Disciple from the Waste Pill Room, took out a loan of five hundred Spirit Stones to buy a Low Grade Magical Artifact, the 'Lead World Brush.' Remember, don't kill him; just grab the item and run. Otherwise, if no one repays the loan, you few will have to work for me!"

Immediately, the sound transmission Talisman rippled, and a teasing voice emerged from it: "Senior Brother, don't worry, it's not the first time we've done this kind of thing. We won't disgrace our Heaven and Earth Society!"

Human hearts are truly unfathomable!

If Shen Fan were to hear this, he would surely be utterly disappointed in the Tianxuan Sect!

After leaving Seal Script Peak, Shen Fan did not return directly to the Waste Pill Room but instead headed down the mountain.

Talisman Materials were too expensive; he wanted to see if there were cheaper ones in the market at the foot of the mountain.

Additionally, those corpses had been in his qiankun bag for a month; it was time to start refining them.

Shen Fan gathered his Qi and activated the Wind Control Technique, disappearing into the wilderness with a few leaps.

It had to be said, this Wind Control Technique was truly useful, much more convenient than the common martial arts of the secular world.

He only needed to gather a breath of spiritual power to ascend mountains or descend into the sea, and occasionally, he could even achieve brief flight by utilizing slopes.

Before long, Shen Fan arrived at the market town at the foot of the mountain.

After the undercover public display incident last month, the market seemed to have not yet recovered from its apprehension.

The stall area and shantytown were almost empty, and passersby hurried along, buying things and quickly leaving.

The Materials for refining corpses were quite sensitive, and Shen Fan had no acquaintances, so he could only go back to the shop operated by the Tianxuan Sect last time.

"Senior Brother?"

Shen Fan tentatively called out, and the fat man directly tumbled off his reclining chair.

"What the hell, it's midday, can't a man get some sleep?" The fat man rubbed his eyes, grumbling discontentedly.

"Senior Brother, it's me!" Shen Fan walked over with a smile.

"You are...?" The fat man met too many customers daily and couldn't recall him for a moment.

"I'm the fool who exchanged spiritual rice for Spirit Stones!" Shen Fan said playfully.

"Oh—? It's you!" At that, the fat man immediately remembered.

"What do you want today?" He remembered that last time Shen Fan had even exchanged a high-grade Qi Induction Pill for Spirit Stones.

"Junior Brother has been studying the Four Arts of Cultivation recently and needs some Talisman Materials and Alchemy Materials. Do you have these things here?"

Shen Fan said, taking out a list and handing it over.

The fat man glanced at it, his brows furrowing: "Some I have, some I don't. If you're not in a hurry, I'll have my subordinates find them for you. Come back in an hour, and whatever I paid for them, you can have them for the same price!"

"Alright!" Shen Fan immediately handed over the list.

There were too many and too varied items on it, hundreds of them, so he wasn't worried that anyone would notice anything amiss.