I Can See Through Everything-Chapter 527

Crash!

Another nine pieces of Spiritual Jade were successfully refined into talismans and fell into Lu Qing's hands.

However, this time he was no longer crafting Thunderclap Talismans, but a Foundation Establishment-grade wood-element talisman.

It was called the Vitality Talisman, capable of replenishing a cultivator’s life force—a rather good healing talisman.

After all, Ziyuan had said that on the talisman market, Qi Refinement and Foundation Establishment-grade talismans were in the highest demand.

For Lu Qing, crafting Qi Refinement-grade talismans was simply a waste of his abilities.

Therefore, aside from Golden Core-grade talismans, he also crafted a batch of Foundation Establishment-grade ones.

Upon inspection, he found no flaws in the newly refined talismans, so he casually set them aside.

The talismans clattered as they fell, landing atop a small pile beside him.

A rough glance showed there were at least several hundred of them.

If the Treasure Pavilion Master were to see this, she would no doubt be astonished once more.

After all, Lu Qing's crafting efficiency was simply too terrifying. It hadn’t been that long, yet he had already crafted so many talismans.

Thankfully, the spiritual energy within the cultivation cave was abundant enough. Otherwise, such high-intensity crafting would’ve been unsustainable.

Looking at the pile of talismans beside him, Lu Qing fell into thought.

The Pavilion Master had instructed him to first produce a batch—this should be enough for now, right?

After all, it remained to be seen how well this batch would sell.

If they didn’t move, it would be a waste of materials.

After a moment's consideration, Lu Qing decided to stop for now.

Foundation Establishment and initial Golden Core-grade talismans were simple enough for him to craft.

If they ran short later, he could always make more.

With that decided, Lu Qing gathered all the talismans and stored them away.

He then closed his eyes and prepared to regulate his breathing and cultivate.

Crafting talismans was merely a means for him to accumulate Spirit Stones.

His ultimate goal was still to strengthen his cultivation.

Thus, Lu Qing only planned to dedicate two to three hours a day to crafting talismans.

The rest of the time would be spent in seclusion cultivating.

After all, he was now quite close to a breakthrough.

As he cultivated, the spiritual energy within the cave was rapidly devoured, then refined through the Five Elements Gourd into his own pure magical power.

Fortunately, the cultivation cave prepared by the Treasure Pavilion was indeed formidable.

Even with two high-grade demonic beast cores and Lu Qing’s unique Perfect Golden Core devouring spiritual energy at full capacity, the cave’s supply held steady.

But Lu Qing wasn’t surprised.

According to the Pavilion, the chief talisman master’s cultivation cave had originally been prepared for a Nascent Soul True Being.

If it could sustain a Nascent Soul cultivator, then no matter how much the three of them consumed, they wouldn’t pose a problem—for now.

Time always flew by during cultivation.

He didn’t know how long he had been at it when a ripple of formation power suddenly roused Lu Qing from his meditation.

He slowly withdrew his power and found someone calling from outside the cave.

He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he first checked his own internal condition.

As he sensed inward, joy sprang into his heart.

This session of deep cultivation had greatly advanced his cultivation level.

He was now very close to a breakthrough.

At this rate, it would take no more than ten days before he officially stepped into the Golden Core Fourth Transformation.

At that point, his strength would surge once again.

It was known that the leap from the third to fourth transformation marked a threshold—

—from the early stage to the mid-stage of the Golden Core Realm.

For any Golden Core cultivator, crossing this barrier was a metamorphosis.

Given Lu Qing’s Perfect Golden Core, once he crossed over, the resulting improvement would be monstrous.

He was already looking forward to that day.

Just then, the formation ripple outside his cave came again.

Lu Qing calmed his mind, opened the defensive formation, and stepped out.

“Senior Lu, I hope I didn’t disturb your cultivation?”

The one calling from outside was none other than Ziyuan.

“No bother. Has the Pavilion Master summoned me?” Lu Qing asked.

“The Pavilion Master invites Senior Lu to the quiet chamber to discuss important matters.”

“I’ll head there now.”

Lu Qing nodded, shut the cave behind him, and followed Ziyuan to the quiet chamber where the Treasure Pavilion Master awaited.

Along the way, Lu Qing realized that his entire session of talisman crafting and cultivation had only taken a single day.

“Fellow Daoist Lu, please, have a seat.”

Inside the quiet chamber, the Pavilion Master smiled as she welcomed him.

“I wonder why the Pavilion Master summoned me?” Lu Qing asked.

“It’s like this: I gave it some thought yesterday and already have a rough plan in mind. I’d like to discuss it with you.”

“That was quick.”

“It’s actually quite simple. I plan to engage the other major merchant guilds in a talisman price war.”

“Talisman price war?” Lu Qing raised an eyebrow.

“That’s right. Our greatest advantage right now lies in the talismans crafted by Fellow Daoist Lu—low cost, yet just as powerful.

Even if we lower the price, there will still be a decent profit margin.

So we must leverage this to the fullest, push these low-cost talismans into the market en masse, and seize market share.”

“A brilliant plan.”

This wasn’t beyond Lu Qing’s expectations.

In fact, the reason he had approached the Treasure Pavilion in the first place was precisely to mass-sell talismans.

Using his cost advantage to quickly amass Spirit Stones.

He simply hadn’t expected things to progress this smoothly.

“However, this approach requires a massive stock of talismans.

That puts a great deal of pressure on you, Fellow Daoist Lu. I wonder, how much time do you need to prepare?”

“A large stock, huh...”

Lu Qing paused for a moment and pulled out a storage pouch from his robes.

“Pavilion Master, I returned yesterday and crafted a batch of talismans. Please take a look and see if they’re sufficient for now.”

“Oh? You already made some? Fellow Daoist Lu, you are indeed diligent. How many did you manage to make?”

The Pavilion Master was pleasantly surprised as she accepted the pouch and probed it with her divine sense.

A moment later, she froze completely.

Just then, Lu Qing added:

“Not too many. About a hundred Golden Core-grade talismans and over three hundred Foundation Establishment-grade ones.

Each one can be activated at least ten times. As for their power, you needn’t worry.”

“A—a hundred Golden Core talismans, and over three hundred Foundation Establishment talismans?”

The Pavilion Master was filled with disbelief.

Reason told her this was impossible.

Yet her divine sense confirmed beyond a doubt—those several hundred talismans were indeed in her hand.

“Fellow Daoist Lu... You crafted all these talismans yesterday?”

She stared wide-eyed at Lu Qing.

“That’s right. Since the Pavilion Master instructed me to prepare early, I refined a batch first.”

“In just one day... you crafted several hundred talismans, including a hundred Golden Core-grade ones...”

The Pavilion Master was utterly stunned.

The way she looked at Lu Qing now was as if she were staring at a monster.

Ziyuan, standing to the side, also gaped in shock.

Had she heard that right? Senior Lu had refined several hundred talismans in just one day!

She knew full well that for Master Qiu and the others, even the fastest talisman crafting took several days per piece.

Compared to that, the difference was simply beyond words.

No wonder Senior Lu had casually remarked, when handing her that Thunderclap Talisman yesterday, that it was just a trifle he made on a whim.

At the time, Ziyuan had assumed he was simply saying that to put her at ease.

But now, she realized—Senior Lu had meant it quite literally.

A Golden Core-grade talisman really was something he could craft effortlessly.

The Treasure Pavilion Master stared blankly at Lu Qing for a while. When she finally recovered, a surge of delight welled up in her heart.

“Excellent! Simply excellent! I never imagined Fellow Daoist Lu’s talisman crafting efficiency was so high. I'm afraid even true talisman masters couldn't hold a candle to you!”

This wasn’t mere flattery.

Though there were no true talisman masters stationed at the Treasure Pavilion, it didn’t mean she hadn’t seen one before.

Back when she lived in the Tianyuan Great World, her family estate had employed a talisman master in residence.

So she knew all too well—even genuine talisman masters couldn’t match Lu Qing’s speed.

“You flatter me. It’s just that the cultivation method I practice is somewhat unique, and I happen to have a bit of talent, so I can craft talismans more quickly than others,” Lu Qing replied modestly.

His astonishing speed was entirely thanks to his Perfect Golden Core.

His divine soul was far stronger than that of ordinary Golden Core cultivators.

Even among peerless talents with Superior Golden Cores and innate Dao bodies, none could compare.

With his Perfect Golden Core, Lu Qing could control his power with absolute precision, allowing him to craft talismans with almost no errors.

Coupled with his mastery of the Puppet Sect’s Soul Division Technique, which he had cultivated to the highest level, he could focus on nine different things simultaneously.

All these factors together enabled his unbelievably high efficiency in crafting talismans.

“Pavilion Master, are these talismans sufficient? If not, I can return and refine more,” Lu Qing asked.

“They’re more than enough! This batch is completely sufficient for the first phase of our plan!” the Pavilion Master quickly replied.

Originally, she’d only asked Lu Qing to prepare a few dozen talismans in advance.

She had even planned to give him half a month to do so.

After all, crafting talismans was mentally exhausting.

Even if Lu Qing was fast, by common sense, he couldn’t make that many in a single day.

Who would’ve guessed that the Pavilion’s newly appointed Chief Talisman Master was so heaven-defying?

In just one day, he had crafted several hundred top-quality talismans.

She couldn’t even imagine how his divine soul could withstand the strain.

If not for the fact that Lu Qing lacked the distinctive aura of a Nascent Soul expert, and her own secret techniques offered no warning signs...

The Pavilion Master might have suspected that Lu Qing was an ancient Nascent Soul monster in disguise.

Even so...

She clutched the storage pouch tightly.

Lu Qing had truly given her an enormous surprise this time.

With these talismans, her plan could not only be implemented perfectly but also ahead of schedule.

Indeed, her Fate Divination Ability had reacted for a reason.

This young Golden Core cultivator before her really could change her destiny!

“That’s good, then. If you ever need more talismans, just say the word. I can craft them at any time,” Lu Qing said.

“I’m not well-versed in business matters. All I have is this meager talisman-crafting skill to offer as support.”

“You mustn’t say that. Our Treasure Pavilion is relying entirely on you this time, Fellow Daoist Lu.”

After handing over the talismans to the Pavilion Master, Lu Qing took his leave.

Though he valued Spirit Stones highly, he also believed in letting professionals handle professional matters.

In terms of selling talismans, the Treasure Pavilion was far more capable than he was.

All he needed to do was ensure a steady supply. He had no interest in meddling with the rest.

What he wanted now—especially after feeling the progress in his cultivation last night—was to return to seclusion and continue cultivating.

He was eager to break through to the Golden Core Fourth Transformation as soon as possible.

Back in his cultivation cave, Lu Qing hung a No Visitors sign.

Then he activated the cave’s defensive formation and entered seclusion.

This time, he intended to remain in closed-door cultivation until his breakthrough was complete—unless something urgent occurred.

Meanwhile, the Treasure Pavilion began making moves.

First, all the talismans previously on sale in the Pavilion were taken down and replaced with those crafted by Lu Qing.

Some of the talismans were also sent to branch locations in other districts for trial sales.

Now, all they had to do was wait for customers to arrive.

However, a small commotion occurred when the old talismans were removed.

The talisman crafters whose products were pulled from the shelves came one after another to inquire about the situation.

Among them, Master Qiu was the most agitated.

“Ziyuan! What’s going on? Why did the front hall remove all of my talismans from the shelves?!”

Master Qiu stormed straight to Ziyuan—the one now overseeing the front hall under the Pavilion Master’s promotion—and questioned her aggressively.

“Please calm yourself, Master Qiu. This was the Pavilion Master’s decision. We’re about to launch a new line of talismans in the Pavilion,” Ziyuan replied with a gentle smile.

“As such, the old talismans will be temporarily pulled from the shelves.

Once the new talismans gain popularity and their sales stabilize, the old ones will gradually return.”

“A new line of talismans? You mean the ones crafted by that Chief Talisman Master?” Master Qiu’s expression darkened.

“Yes, the talismans were refined by Senior Lu,” Ziyuan nodded.

Master Qiu fell silent for a moment.

But soon enough, his indignation flared again. “Even if we’re introducing Lu Daoist’s talismans, that’s no reason to remove ours!

Do you have any idea? My talismans are among the highest-quality and best-selling ones in the entire Pavilion!”

“This is the Pavilion Master’s direct order. I’m simply following instructions,” Ziyuan said, smiling with perfect patience despite Master Qiu’s overbearing attitude.

But inwardly, she sneered.

This old fox still had the nerve to talk big.

He always demanded the rarest and most expensive materials for crafting talismans.

Naturally, the quality turned out decent.

But the cost was sky-high. Even when the Pavilion managed to sell his talismans, they barely made any profit.

Meanwhile, Master Qiu, who took a cut of the sales, had been profiting handsomely.

What was worse—he wasn’t the only one. His disciples and apprentices followed suit.

They liked to use premium materials, wasted them freely, and even skimmed off resources for themselves.

In the past, the Pavilion Master had tolerated this due to the lack of skilled talisman crafters.

But now that they had Senior Lu?

Master Qiu’s comfortable days were over.

Ziyuan understood the internal politics all too well, but she had no intention of warning Master Qiu.

Instead, she deflected with polite excuses, attributing everything to the Pavilion Master’s orders.

Bottom line: Master Qiu’s talismans were being pulled from the shelves—period.

As for when they might return to sale?

That was still to be determined.

Eventually, frustrated by Ziyuan’s roundabout answers and getting nowhere, Master Qiu lost his patience.

He flicked his sleeves and barked, “I can’t get through to you. I’ll take it up with the Pavilion Master myself!”