Amidst green hills and rippling blue waters, Qi Yun and Ning Feng sat across from each other in an exquisite lakeside pavilion.

The aroma of tea wafted from the stone table.

Yet, the atmosphere was tense, like a business negotiation with drawn swords.

Ning Feng wore an earnest expression, his tone full of grievance. "Junior Brother, a three-seven split. That’s really my bottom line!

You have no idea. I have to open up channels in all the Marketplaces, grease palms from top to bottom, and maintain relationships. The cost and effort involved are no small matter.

And I have to bear the risk of poor sales..."

Listening to Ning Feng’s endless chatter, Qi Yun simply lifted his cup, took a sip of the fragrant Spirit Tea, and then placed the cup back on the table—not too heavily, not too lightly.

It made a soft CLICK.

"Two-eight," he said. The two words were spoken calmly but held an undeniable weight.

"Take it or leave it. I can find someone else."

The earnest look on Ning Feng’s face froze for a moment, then shifted to a trace of annoyance. He straightened his back and said with a touch of pride:

"Heh heh heh, find someone else?

It’s not that I’m boasting, but looking at all the Inner Mansion True Cultivators, when it comes to the Talisman sales pipeline—from Low Tier to Middle Tier, from common to niche—no one can match my network’s breadth, my speed, or my prices.

If you go to someone else, I’m afraid you won’t even get this price, and you’ll be waiting forever to get paid."

"Is that so?" Qi Yun lifted his gaze to Ning Feng’s prideful expression and let out a light chuckle, like splashing him with cold water.

"Then how do you know if I have any other ’goodies’ on hand besides the Thousand Crane Talismans?"

"You have others?!" The arrogance on Ning Feng’s face vanished instantly, replaced by the keen, fervent look of a merchant who has just scented a massive opportunity.

He subconsciously leaned forward, his eyes locked on Qi Yun, as if trying to read some hidden meaning on his face.

Qi Yun leisurely poured himself another cup of tea. He didn’t answer directly, instead steering the conversation back:

"Well... we can discuss that later.

First, let’s talk about the matter at hand. Two-eight. Can you do it or not?"

Ning Feng’s eyes darted back and forth rapidly, his face showing the strained expression of someone weighing pros and cons. His fingers tapped unconsciously on the stone table.

After about three breaths of silence, he abruptly slapped his thigh as if having made a monumental decision:

"Fine! Junior Brother is a straightforward person. I, Ning Feng, will consider this my way of making a friend.

I’ll take a small loss this time. Two-eight it is!"

Seeing his pained expression, as if he were cutting off a piece of his own flesh, Qi Yun couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

"You’re a Talisman broker. You just handle consignment sales. It’s a no-capital business. What losses could you possibly have?"

Hearing this, Ning Feng looked as if he had been greatly insulted and curled his lip in disdain.

"Now you’re just talking like an amateur!

Don’t I need connections to open up channels?

Don’t I need to constantly grease palms to maintain them?

Doesn’t dealing with picky buyers and shops that haggle you down take a mental toll?

I also have to bear the risk of unsold Talismans and market price fluctuations.

In the end, all I’m earning is a fee for my hard work running around."

"Alright, if you say it’s hard work, it’s hard work." Qi Yun couldn’t be bothered to argue the point. He first took out a bulging Storage Pouch and pushed it in front of Ning Feng.

"Here are the two thousand five hundred Thousand Crane Talismans I owed you from last time.

Count them. Then we’re even."

Ning Feng swept his Divine Sense over it, confirmed the quantity was correct, and a smile instantly broke out on his face. He deftly put the Talismans away.

"Even, we’re even! I knew I wasn’t wrong to trust you, Junior Brother!"

Immediately after, Qi Yun took out another, larger-looking Storage Pouch and placed it on the table.

"Inside is the first batch of Talismans for sale. The type... is a bit special.

Help me sell them off as quickly as possible at market price. I’m in urgent need of Holy Essence.

Also, I need to collect a portion of the payment upfront."

Ning Feng took the Storage Pouch, muttering out of habit:

"Payment upfront? That... That’s against the rules. Usually, I pay after the goods are sold and I’ve collected the money..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously extended his Divine Sense into the Storage Pouch.

The moment his Divine Sense perceived the mountain-like pile of Talismans within—a quantity far exceeding his expectations and emitting a... unique, cold, and sinister aura—his muttering came to an abrupt halt.

That quantity, and those unusual fluctuations of Dao Essence faintly emanating from them...

This was definitely a huge order!

The troubled look on Ning Feng’s face vanished. His expression changed in an instant. He immediately slapped his chest and declared in a decisive tone:

"Done! No problem!

Rules are made to be broken! People are flexible!

I’ll advance you a portion of the payment right now. Consider it a deposit from me."

He deftly took out his Holy Essence Jade Token, began calculating the amount to transfer, his smile so enthusiastic it was practically overflowing.

Evidently, this batch of "special" Talismans from Qi Yun, and the stable supply they potentially represented...

...had shown him a long-term profit far greater than any one-time commission split.

After seeing the utterly satisfied Ning Feng off, Qi Yun returned to his private chamber, the polite expression quickly vanishing from his face.

With a flicker of Heart Thought, his Divine Sense sank into the internal space of the Soul Refining Banner standing beside him.

Within the dim, sunless Netherworld Ghost Realm, the scene had changed dramatically.

The hundred or so Resentful Souls, which had once only shrieked, roared, and devoured one another, were now neatly organized into several small groups.

They were now holding specially-made Talisman Brushes capable of conducting Yin Qi with exceptional stability.

They dipped them into a special "Spiritual Ink"—a concoction of yin attribute Spiritual Materials and Soul Power that glowed with a faint blue light.

On sheets of blank Talisman Paper, they traced complex and uniform patterns.

They were the runes of the Profound Yin Slash Talisman!

The eyes of these Resentful Souls were still hollow and venomous.

But under the guidance of a fixed program set by Qi Yun, their movements were like the most precise machinery, repeating a single, accurate step of Talisman Painting.

Their lack of emotion and thought had, conversely, become an advantage.

Although due to individual differences and the nature of their Soul Bodies, they could currently only master the production of this one type of Talisman, and their success rate was far lower than that of an experienced Talisman Master.

But their sheer numbers and tireless nature made up for it.

After more than two months of constant debugging, failures, and optimization...

...this unique "Talisman production line" was finally up and running smoothly.

Although it was only a single product...

...at least he had moved beyond the one-man, hands-on, private workshop model.

He had taken the first step into the era of the "assembly line."

’The efficiency still isn’t high enough. The quantity and quality of the Resentful Souls are the bottleneck,’ Qi Yun thought, assessing the production scene within the banner.

’Once the first payment from Ning Feng arrives, I’ll upgrade the Soul Refining Banner again.

The Resentful Soul cap, their incubation speed, and even the control over their spiritual nature all need to be strengthened.

This Soul Refining Banner is my money tree now.

If I maintain it well, I’ll have a stable source of cultivation resources from now on and won’t have to worry about Holy Essence anymore,’ Qi Yun thought to himself.

「A few days later.」

The Taixu Jade Order at Qi Yun’s waist vibrated slightly, emitting a soft halo of light.

He sank his Divine Sense into it, and a smile of both relief and joy finally appeared on his face.

The number representing his Holy Essence reserves in the Jade Order had gained several digits.

Ning Feng’s first advance payment had arrived.

Although it was only a fraction of the total payment...

...the amount was already substantial enough to solve his pressing problems.

Looking at the replenished string of numbers, Qi Yun didn’t hesitate for a moment. He immediately operated the Jade Order and found the internal Holy Sect loan he had taken out in an emergency.

"A loan of twenty thousand Holy Essence, with a four-point interest rate, ’nine out for thirteen back’..." He muttered the harsh terms under his breath and, without hesitation, chose to repay the full amount ahead of schedule.

As the Holy Essence was transferred, the record of the loan on the Jade Order was instantly cleared.

A great weight was lifted from Qi Yun’s heart.

The Holy Sect’s loan interest was terrifyingly high.

The compounding interest on late payments could ruin an Inner Mansion True Cultivator. It was best to pay it off as soon as possible.

With this debt settled, Qi Yun began to implement the next phase of his plan: upgrading the Soul Refining Banner and expanding his Talisman production.

He once again sank his Divine Sense into the Taixu Jade Order, connecting to the Inner Mansion’s Treasure Market within the Holy Sect.

He searched for Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects to enhance the Soul Refining Banner and materials needed to incubate Resentful Souls.

Searching for these things in the outside world would often require luck and serendipity, a time-consuming and laborious process.

But within a Demon Dao behemoth like the Wuji Holy Sect, as long as you had enough Holy Essence, there were almost no cultivation resources you couldn’t buy—only prices you couldn’t afford.

Centennial Soul Nourishing Wood, Netherworld Blood Jade, Yin Condensing Grass essence, Thousand Souls Silk... He continuously purchased materials from a long list.

The amount of Holy Essence that had just been replenished began to plummet as if a floodgate had been opened.

Soon, more than half of the advance payment from Ning Feng was spent.

In exchange, several sealed Jade Boxes and pottery jars affixed with Sealing Talismans appeared in Qi Yun’s dwelling.

They contained all sorts of rare Spiritual Materials used to enhance the Soul Refining Banner’s foundation and accelerate the incubation of Resentful Souls, as well as some... ’talent’ rich with the dense aura of death and resentment, which could be used to ’feed’ or directly refine into new Resentful Souls.

Looking at these resources acquired at great expense, there was not a trace of regret in Qi Yun’s eyes, only anticipation:

"Now, it’s time to make this ’money tree’ of yours grow a little more lush."

One by one, Qi Yun took hold of the Celestial and Earthly Spiritual Objects compatible with the Soul Refining Banner and began their Refinement.

On the Magic Technique Panel, the update progress bar after "Soul Refining Banner" began to shoot up.

Watching the Spiritual Objects disappear in his hands one after another, Qi Yun couldn’t help but sigh:

’The higher the version, the more Spiritual Objects it consumes, and the higher their quality needs to be. Without a long-term source of wealth, I’ll soon be unable to afford the upkeep for these Magic Techniques alone.’

Despite his words, Qi Yun’s speed in the Refinement of the Spiritual Objects did not falter in the slightest.

Soon, the update progress for the Soul Refining Banner was complete.

[Magic Technique update complete. This was a minor version update. The effects of the Magic have been adjusted as follows:]

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