I Can See Through Everything-Chapter 533

"Fellow Daoist Lu, here is your share of spirit stones for the month."

The master of the Treasure Pavilion handed a small storage pouch to Lu Qing.

"So soon? Hasn't it been less than a full month?" Lu Qing asked in surprise.

"Our Treasure Pavilion distributes spirit stones regularly at the start of each month, and today just happens to be the day," the pavilion master explained.

"I see."

Lu Qing nodded in understanding and accepted the pouch.

"In just over half a month, we’ve sold more than ten thousand talismans in total. Among them were two thousand Golden Core-grade talismans and over eight thousand Foundation Establishment-grade ones. According to our previous agreement, you receive fifty percent of the profit.

"That comes to roughly two hundred and fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones.

"Since you're a cultivator in the Golden Core Realm and lower-grade stones are of little use to you, I took the liberty of converting the entire amount into middle-grade spirit stones for convenience—an even two thousand five hundred pieces. Please verify them."

The pavilion master offered this explanation.

"Two thousand five hundred middle-grade spirit stones?"

Lu Qing was stunned when he heard the number.

He probed the storage pouch with his divine soul, and when he saw the pile of spirit stones radiating with dense spiritual essence, his eyes widened slightly.

"The amount is slightly less than we initially projected. I hope you won’t mind, Fellow Daoist Lu," the pavilion master added apologetically.

"To be honest, I’m not disappointed at all. In fact, the amount far exceeded my expectations."

Lu Qing was being sincere—he truly hadn’t anticipated this windfall.

After thinking it over, it began to make sense.

For the past few weeks, he had been diligently crafting talismans every single day.

Five hundred talismans per day: one hundred Golden Core-grade and four hundred Foundation Establishment-grade. Altogether, that added up to over ten thousand talismans, with more than two thousand being Golden Core-grade.

He was well aware of the Treasure Pavilion’s pricing: Golden Core-grade talismans sold for two hundred lower-grade spirit stones each, equivalent to two middle-grade spirit stones. Foundation Establishment-grade ones went for twenty lower-grade spirit stones apiece.

Per their agreement, he received fifty percent of each sale. That meant one middle-grade spirit stone per Golden Core talisman sold, and ten lower-grade stones per Foundation Establishment talisman.

Now that he thought about it, the bulk of the two thousand five hundred middle-grade stones clearly came from the Golden Core talismans.

"The cultivators in Canglan City are surprisingly wealthy," Lu Qing couldn't help but marvel.

"You underestimate yourself, Fellow Daoist," the pavilion master said with a smile. "Your talismans are of excellent quality and reasonably priced—rare treasures indeed.

"Every cultivator desires life-saving measures. In the past, the price of high-quality talismans in Canglan City had always been prohibitive. Most ordinary cultivators wanted them but couldn’t afford them.

"But then your talismans burst onto the scene, boasting both exceptional quality and affordability. Once word spread, cultivators flocked to buy them. Canglan City houses tens of thousands of cultivators, so this level of sales is hardly surprising.

"Once news spreads to larger cities, even higher demand would not be unexpected."

Lu Qing finally understood, though he still felt shaken.

Not long ago, he was penniless, worrying about even affording a stay at an inn.

And now, all of a sudden, he had received two thousand five hundred middle-grade spirit stones—equivalent to two hundred fifty thousand lower-grade stones.

This was the very definition of sudden wealth.

He also realized now why the other merchant guilds in the city had been growing restless.

Essentially, the entire talisman market in Canglan City had been monopolized by the Treasure Pavilion.

Cutting off someone’s fortune was akin to killing their kin—no wonder the other businesses were so anxious.

Thinking of this, Lu Qing asked, "Pavilion Master, I heard from Miss Ziyuan a few days ago that other merchants in the city seem to be targeting the Treasure Pavilion. Is there any danger?"

"It's nothing more than petty tricks, nothing worth worrying about," the pavilion master replied nonchalantly. "I have some ties with the City Lord of Canglan City. He would never allow anyone to cross the line.

"What we’re doing—selling talismans—is just regular business. No matter how angry those merchants are, there's nothing they can do."

"Still, it’s best to be cautious," Lu Qing advised, despite the other’s confident tone.

Money stirs the hearts of men. They had disrupted too many people’s interests; it was hard to guarantee no one would resort to reckless actions.

"Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist. I know what I’m doing."

The pavilion master remained confidently composed.

After a bit more small talk, the pavilion master took her leave.

Thanks to Lu Qing's talismans, the Treasure Pavilion had reaped enormous profits this month. Even sales of magical artifacts and pills had risen across the board, so she had plenty to keep her busy.

"Who would have thought that in such a prosperous place, spirit stones could be earned so easily? With this, I can finally set out for the Tianyuan Great World at any time."

Once the pavilion master left, Lu Qing returned to his cultivation cave. As he looked at the spirit stones in the pouch, he couldn’t contain his excitement.

Indeed, with this income, he and Xiaoli now had enough to enter the Tianyuan Great World.

Based on what Lu Qing had previously learned, any foreign cultivator seeking residency in the Tianyuan Great World had to pay one upper-grade spirit stone per person—that was a hundred middle-grade spirit stones.

He’d originally thought it would take a long time to gather enough stones. Yet in under a month, he had not only met but far surpassed that goal.

Thankfully, he had decided to cooperate with the Treasure Pavilion.

If he had tried selling talismans alone, it would’ve been risky and time-consuming.

"Ah Qing, what are you looking at? You look so happy."

Xiaoli noticed the uncontrollable smile on Lu Qing’s face and couldn’t help but ask.

"Xiaoli, we’ve gathered enough spirit stones to enter the Tianyuan Great World."

"So soon?" Xiaoli’s eyes widened.

It knew very well that entering the Tianyuan Great World required a hundred middle-grade spirit stones per person.

And that was only the basic entry cost.

There would surely be additional expenses once they got there.

Wuxing’s eyes widened as well.

"The pavilion master just came by and delivered our talisman profits from last month," Lu Qing said. "Guess how many spirit stones we earned?"

In high spirits, he decided to tease Xiaoli.

"How many? Could it be tens of thousands of lower-grade spirit stones?" Xiaoli’s eyes sparkled.

It and Wuxing had been in closed-door cultivation this whole time, so they knew little about the outside world.

All they knew was that Lu Qing had been diligently making talismans every day.

Given his mood, they must have made a tidy profit.

"Two hundred fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones," Lu Qing slowly said.

At those words, Xiaoli was utterly stunned.

Wuxing was no different—the tip of its tail, which had been gently swaying, froze in place.

"Ah—Ah Qing, what did you say? T-Two hundred fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones?"

It was a long while before Xiaoli recovered from the shock. With wide, incredulous eyes, it stammered, “T-Two hundred fifty thousand lower-grade spirit stones?”

“That’s right. Two hundred fifty thousand, which converts to two thousand five hundred middle-grade spirit stones,” Lu Qing confirmed with a nod.

Xiaoli froze again.

Its eyes bulged, and its mouth fell wide open.

After a moment of stunned silence, it suddenly leapt with excitement. “Two hundred fifty thousand! That means... we can enter the Tianyuan Great World anytime?”

“Exactly. I originally thought it would take quite some time to gather enough spirit stones, but I didn’t expect to collect them so soon.”

“To earn that much in under a month... Ah Qing, you're amazing! And the cultivators in Canglan City are just too rich!”

“They really are,” Lu Qing agreed with a nod.

He thought back to the scarcity of spirit stones in his home world. During the ancient cultivation era, most sects treated spirit stones as strategic resources—rarely used unless absolutely necessary.

Only top-tier powerhouses like Nascent Soul cultivators could afford to use them for cultivation.

But here in the Xiao Cang Realm, even Qi Refinement cultivators—so long as they weren’t utterly destitute—likely had a few spirit stones on hand.

No wonder it was called the prosperous core of the Great Yuan Immortal Domain. Compared to this place, his home world didn’t even qualify as a backwater.

“Ah Qing, so when are we setting off for the Tianyuan Great World?” Xiaoli asked.

“I’ve been considering that,” Lu Qing replied with some hesitation.

“How about we delay our departure a little?” Xiaoli suggested. “You’re earning so many spirit stones with your talisman crafting—it’d be a shame not to take advantage of that while we can. Who knows if such a good opportunity will come again?”

Lu Qing’s hesitation stemmed from that very thought.

His original plan had been to enter the Tianyuan Great World as soon as he had enough spirit stones.

That, after all, was the purpose of this entire journey.

Moreover, he could faintly sense that Canglan City was becoming unsettled.

He had stirred up too many interests this time.

There were likely many out there now who wished him dead.

The safest course of action would be to leave early.

Yet, he hadn’t expected his talismans to be this popular—so popular that he had casually accumulated a fortune previously unimaginable.

And because of that, he found himself wavering.

“So it’s true. Wealth moves the heart. Even my Dao heart wavers in the face of such temptation,” Lu Qing sighed.

He had once believed his Dao heart to be unshakably firm.

But now he realized that had only been because he had never faced temptation of this magnitude.

Now that he was staring at hundreds of thousands—possibly millions—of spirit stones, he found himself swayed.

“No. There’s no end to earning spirit stones. A gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. If Canglan City is growing restless, then we should leave sooner rather than later.”

This internal struggle, rather than weakening Lu Qing’s will, sharpened his awareness and helped him make his decision.

He already had over two thousand middle-grade spirit stones on hand—enough to last him a very long time.

Even if he used them solely for cultivation, it would likely be enough to push his cultivation to the late Golden Core stage.

Having made up his mind, Lu Qing shook his head. “No. We should prepare to leave.”

“We’re really leaving?” Xiaoli looked around, a bit reluctant.

It and Wuxing had been cultivating diligently in this cave, and their progress had been impressive.

Xiaoli was already nearing perfection in the first transformation of the Golden Core Realm.

If they left Canglan City, who knew if they would find such good cultivation conditions again?

Although everyone said the Tianyuan Great World was stronger than the Xiao Cang Realm, until they actually entered, who could say for sure?

“Men die for wealth, birds die for food. Greed can easily cost you your life.

"I can feel it—the appearance of the new talismans has already stirred waves in Canglan City.

“If the major powers start clashing, we won’t be able to withstand the consequences.

“So leaving early is our best choice.”

Lu Qing spoke with resolute calm.

“Alright. I’ll do as you say, Ah Qing.”

Though reluctant, Xiaoli knew better than to doubt Lu Qing’s judgment.

It was a lesson hard-earned from all they had endured together.

“So are we leaving right away?”

“No need to be that hasty. If we disappear now, it would be hard to explain to the pavilion master.

“Let’s wait a few more days. I’ll focus on refining more talismans for the Treasure Pavilion—at least I can leave on good terms.”

Though he had decided to leave, Lu Qing wasn’t going to vanish without a word.

First, he had sworn a soul oath and signed a contract with the Treasure Pavilion’s master. That wasn’t something he could just walk away from.

Second, if he vanished without warning, he’d leave the Treasure Pavilion in a tight spot.

He had worked well with the pavilion master these past weeks, and it wouldn’t sit right to leave her with a mess.

“That’s fine. I’ve felt something stirring during cultivation lately. With a few more days, I might just reach the perfection stage of the first transformation,” Xiaoli said with delight.

“Perfect. Once you reach that milestone, we’ll set off,” Lu Qing said.

…

While Lu Qing was preparing to leave after receiving a vast fortune…

Elsewhere, in another cultivation cave, Master Qiu was far from pleased.

“Master, our profits dropped drastically last month—by more than half—because the pavilion master pulled our talismans from the shelves,” a disciple reported.

“More than half, hmm…”

Master Qiu’s expression darkened.

“Yes. And that was only because the release of new talismans brought in more customers overall. Some of them still bought our magical artifacts. Otherwise, our earnings would’ve plummeted even further.”

“So you’re saying I should thank that little bastard?” Master Qiu’s voice was cold.

“N-no, disciple wouldn’t dare!”

The disciple trembled at his master’s tone and immediately knelt in fear.

Master Qiu ignored the cowering disciple, his face clouded and unreadable as he sank into thought.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly. “You wretched woman. Since you’ve burned this bridge completely, don’t blame me for forgetting our years of camaraderie.”

With that, he pulled something from his storage pouch.

It was a black formation disk, sealed and covered in eerie, twisted runes. A foreboding aura radiated from it.

As he stared at the disk, Master Qiu’s eyes deepened with dark thoughts—his mind drifting back to the mysterious figure he had met just days before.