Even though Ye Chen had expected it, he was still taken aback when Sun Ye spoke.

  "Five medium-grade spirit stones for the copy."

  Ye Chen: ???

  Five medium-grade spirit stones?

  You might as well just rob me.

  This guy really thinks I'm a fool.

  Ye Chen immediately lost interest.

  Sun Ye noticed Ye Chen's displeasure and quickly said, "Don't think I'm ripping you off."

  "My master is an elder of the Qingyun Sect, a peak second-grade talisman crafter, and could break through to the third grade at any time."

  "You should know, in the Qingyun Sect, there's only one third-grade talisman crafter."

  "Seeing the words is like seeing the person. Having the crafting notes of such a figure, for just five low-grade spirit stones, is like learning talisman crafting by their side, an opportunity many would kill for."

  "You won't regret buying it!"

  A peak second-grade talisman crafter?

  Hearing this, Ye Chen raised an eyebrow.

  It seemed a bit intriguing.

  But five medium-grade spirit stones were still too expensive.

  In the end, Ye Chen haggled it down to three medium-grade spirit stones.

  However, Ye Chen didn't pay immediately, ciming he needed to get money from home and would come back to buy it tomorrow.

  He didn't want to appear too wealthy.

  Sun Ye was so greedy; what if he decided robbing was faster than teaching?

  Sun Ye, satisfied with the deal, smiled.

  The talisman crafting notes were indeed genuine and could inspire talisman crafters, but they weren't that miraculous.

  Selling them for three medium-grade spirit stones was definitely profitable.

  Most importantly, if Ye Chen bought the notes, he would likely continue attending csses.

  The higher the sunk cost, the less likely Ye Chen would quit halfway.

  So, this was a huge win.

  ...

  Meanwhile, Ye Chen, after making Sun Ye wait anxiously, worried that the Ye family wouldn't want to be the fool, returned to Qingyun Workshop.

  He took out three medium-grade spirit stones and purchased the copy.

  The copy had an interesting name: "Linxi Talisman Talks."

  Sun Ye, who had been waiting for a long time, was all smiles upon receiving the spirit stones.

  He even suggested Ye Chen pay the tuition at the same time.

  But Ye Chen refused.

  He wanted to give it to Lu Jing first.

  If the feedback was useful and could improve his talisman crafting skills, then he'd pay for the csses. If not, then forget it.

  He'd find another opportunity to approach Sun Ruoxin ter.

  Not receiving Ye Chen's tuition made Sun Ye smack his lips in disappointment.

  But looking at the pile of low-grade spirit stones in his hand, Sun Ye's smile returned.

  ...

  "Ye Daoist, you're here, come and eat!"

  "This is snow spirit deer meat. Snow spirit deer only appear in winter and are extremely fast, making them hard to catch even for te-stage Qi Refining cultivators, so they're very rare..."

  "But snow spirit deer meat is great for enhancing a cultivator's physical constitution!"

  "Dig in!"

  In the room, Lu Jing enthusiastically prepared utensils for Ye Chen.

  The aroma of the deer meat whetted Ye Chen's appetite.

  However, he was more concerned about whether the talisman crafting notes from Sun Ye's master would be helpful to him.

  So, Ye Chen didn't start eating immediately.

  Instead, he took out the "Linxi Talisman Talks" he had just acquired: "This is the talisman crafting notes of a peak second-grade talisman crafter from the Qingyun Sect. I saw it at Qingyun Workshop and thought of Fairy Lu."

  "Since you're also learning talisman crafting, this should help you, so I bought it for you."

  "Please accept it, Fairy Lu!"

  Upon hearing this, Lu Jing's eyes lit up.

  The talisman crafting notes of a peak second-grade talisman crafter?

  This was extremely valuable to any talisman crafter.

  Ye Chen must have spent a lot of spirit stones on this.

  But most importantly, it was Ye Chen's thoughtfulness.

  To be honest, Lu Jing was starting to have feelings for Ye Chen.

  After all, Ye Chen wasn't bad.

  He was at the fifth yer of Qi Refining.

  And he was an alchemist.

  Plus, he came from a good family, backed by a Qi Refining family, and seemed well-favored, receiving ample resources.

  Most importantly, Ye Chen genuinely cared about her.

  He had given her so many things, yet never acted superior or arrogant.

  These things truly moved Lu Jing.

  Living a lifetime with such a Daoist partner might not be bad, right?

  But what Lu Jing couldn't accept about Ye Chen was his fickleness.

  He was attentive to her and also to Lin Ke'er.

  Lu Jing made up her mind that if Ye Chen ever firmly chose her and stopped entangling with Lin Ke'er, she would agree to become his Daoist partner.

  "Thank you, Ye Daoist, this means a lot to me!"

  Lu Jing's eyes sparkled with joy.

  Seeing her accept the gift, Ye Chen also smiled with satisfaction.

  And the system's notification sounded.

  Ye Chen immediately wanted to check what reward he had received.

  But at that moment, he accidentally touched the snow spirit deer meat Lu Jing had picked up, getting his hands covered in the broth.

  Ye Chen was about to wipe his hands clean.

  But Lu Jing grabbed his hand: "The broth of snow spirit deer meat is the most precious because all the effects are in it."

  "Wiping it off would be such a waste, let me eat it!"

  Ye Chen was stunned.

  Eat?

  How?

  And soon, Ye Chen found out how.

  The sensation on his fingers made Ye Chen feel like he was floating!

  ...

  It was too hot.

  Even after leaving Lu Jing's pce, Ye Chen was still savoring the experience.

  The associations were too strong.

  If just a finger felt this good, what about other pces?

  He didn't dare to think about it.

  Back in his room, Ye Chen calmed himself for a long time.

  Only then did he have time to check the system notification.

  "Gift successfully given!"

  "The gift is 'Linxi Talisman Talks.'"

  "Feedback in progress..."

  "Tenfold feedback, reward: 'Heavenly Master's Introductory Talisman Talks.'"

  "It has been detected that the gift given by the host is extremely important to the recipient and exceeded their expectations, causing a significant emotional fluctuation, triggering a critical reward!"

  "Reward: One-day projection of the founding Heavenly Master of the Heavenly Master Sect, avaible for consultation on talisman crafting methods."

  Reading the description, Ye Chen's eyes lit up.

  Heavenly Master Sect?

  Ye Chen had heard of this sect.

  It was a top-tier sect, far superior to the Qingyun Sect.

  They were renowned for their talisman crafting.

  And now, he had received a talisman crafting book from a Heavenly Master?

  And a chance to be guided by the founding Heavenly Master?

  This was incredible!

  A huge win.

  Immediately, Ye Chen took out the "Heavenly Master's Introductory Talisman Talks" and began studying.

  This book was on a whole new level, expining all the key points of talisman crafting in a clear and detailed manner.

  Many things he couldn't understand while learning from Sun Ye were effortlessly crified by this book.

  The author's understanding of talisman crafting was truly profound.

  And for issues that couldn't be resolved by reading, Ye Chen could directly consult the projection of the founding master.

  In just one night, Ye Chen's talisman crafting skills improved by leaps and bounds.

  ...

  The next day.

  Ye Chen confidently went to pay for the csses.

  Sun Ye was shocked by Ye Chen's performance that day.

  Ye Chen had successfully drawn a dust-removal talisman.

  Though it was just the most basic entry-level rune, it was a big deal for Ye Chen.

  It was as if Ye Chen had suddenly had an epiphany...

  What on earth happened?

  CPDD