A Scalper Between Two Realms

"Two sheets of premium talisman paper." Chen Zhuo spoke coldly, his words sparing. In front of strangers in the ancient cultivation world, he disliked saying much, always maintaining an icy, distant demeanor. His accent had noticeable quirks, after all. Though he tried his best to imitate the local speech, habits built up over more than a decade of his life were difficult to break overnight. Whenever he could avoid speaking, he stayed silent. Seeing that Chen Zhuo had a clear objective, the vendor did not press further. He deftly drew out two sheets of talisman paper and offered them, saying, "Much obliged for your patronage!" Without a word, Chen Zhuo tapped his storage bag and smoothly retrieved two spirit stones. He examined the two sheets of talisman paper closely, and after confirming there were no issues, he turned on his heel and headed out of the shantytown. Once clear of the shantytown, Chen Zhuo tapped his storage bag again and released the Dharma-Control Scout Drone. "Set altitude to three hundred meters. Halt cruising, lock position on site." Operating the drone, Chen Zhuo felt a wave of relief only after verifying that the perimeter around his departure point was completely within the drone's surveillance range. If anyone followed him out of the shantytown, the drone would instantly pick up their trail. In the ancient cultivation world, one could never be too cautious! Especially when he had revealed his wealth. It was not about buying talisman paper, but rather about having sold a Qi Condensation Pill at a dirt-cheap price to Li Changqing at that impoverished household on the edge of the settlement! That was a major taboo. Although it was unlikely Li Changqing would blab, given that he had a little sister to protect, it was always better to be safe than sorry. *If Li Changqing really dares to sell me out...* Chen Zhuo gave a cold snort. The unspoken implications were obvious enough. Immediately, he channeled the Boundary-Breaking Bead. The next instant, black light enveloped him, and he vanished from among the verdant hills and clear waters. *** Immortal Mansion, Taiqing City Unified Basic Cultivation Apartment Cave Dwelling No. 2501. With a flash of black light, Chen Zhuo reappeared in his bedroom. "Phew..." He let out a long breath, changed out of his ancient-style robes, and took out the two sheets of talisman paper he had just purchased to examine them carefully. The sheets were pale yellow and brimmed with rich spiritual energy. Compared to the talisman paper in the Immortal Mansion world made from spirit bamboo force-grown for a mere three to five years, this was vastly superior. However, the craftsmanship of the processing was undeniably crude, dragging down the overall product. Not that this mattered to Chen Zhuo. He retrieved his spiritual communication jade slip and located the contact details for "Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike." [Default Nickname 9527]: Good day, fellow Daoist, and may your immortal path be clear. Pardon the disturbance once again. Shortly after sending the message, a reply came back. [Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike]: Good day, fellow Daoist, and may your immortal path be clear. Are you looking to buy talismans again, classmate? I'm out of stock for now. I haven't finished drawing this batch yet, and besides, they won't necessarily fail inspection this time! Looking at the screen, Chen Zhuo could not help but smile. Clearly, this classmate was still agonizing over her pass rate. Back in the ancient cultivation world, her skills would already have qualified her as a first- or second-rank talisman master, raking in serious cash. Yet here in the Immortal Mansion, she was merely a miserable student plagued by low pass rates. *Ah, the cursed Immortal Mansion!* [Default Nickname 9527]: You misunderstand, classmate. I'm not here to buy talismans. Instead, I have two sheets of ancestral talisman paper and wondered if you'd be interested in taking a look. After sending the message, the other side went silent for a moment. Chen Zhuo was in no hurry and waited patiently. Sure enough, a reply arrived before long. [Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike]: Ancestral talisman paper? Could you share some details, classmate? Chen Zhuo's heart stirred. The bait had been taken. [Default Nickname 9527]: These two sheets were left behind by my grandfather when he crafted talismans back in the day. Word is they're made from three-hundred-year-old spirit bamboo, quite decent in quality. I'm in urgent need of money right now, so I'd like to let them go at a low price to get some spirit coins for an emergency. *Talisman paper made from three-hundred-year-old spirit bamboo!* Reading the message, the eyes of "Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike" instantly lit up. As a student of the talisman-crafting academy, she knew all too well how much the quality of paper affected the success rate of finished talismans. Spiritual energy was now depleted in the Immortal Mansion world. Most of the spirit bamboo used to produce talisman paper was only three to five years old, lacking sufficient spiritual reserves, which frequently resulted in uneven spiritual energy distribution during drawing. The moment spiritual energy flowed unevenly, failure followed almost inevitably! Paper made from three-hundred-year-old spirit bamboo, on the other hand, was rich and uniform in spiritual energy, which would boost the talisman-drawing success rate by at least twenty percent! If it was true as Chen Zhuo claimed, and these two sheets really were ancestral paper made from three-hundred-year-old spirit bamboo, it would be nothing short of a godsend for her! The assignment for this term's final exam required students to independently craft a first-rank peak-grade Fire Snake Talisman. If she could use talisman paper of a higher age, her odds of passing the exam would increase dramatically! She had already failed a course once; she could not afford another failure! She had no desire to retake the class! With that in mind, "Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike" replied hurriedly. [Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike]: Tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock, the southeast corner of the Taiqing City University Town Public Cultivation Square. We trade in person! [Default Nickname 9527]: Understood. The conversation ended. Chen Zhuo stowed the spiritual communication jade slip and nodded slightly to himself. If this deal went smoothly, he would not only make a profit on the price difference, but also establish a connection with the talisman-crafting academy, paving the way for his future scalping business. After all, crafting talismans required vast quantities of paper and materials. If he could supply them reliably, it would become a steady, long-term source of income! *Aha, takeoff!* Putting the thought aside, Chen Zhuo opened his spiritual communication jade slip and began looking up the market prices of basic materials. To be a scalper, one had to know the market prices! Starting today, he would memorize prices diligently! *** The following afternoon at three o'clock. Taiqing City University Town Public Cultivation Square. As a square situated right in the center of Taiqing City's seven higher-education institutions, the area bustled with hidden talents and prominent figures. It was also very close to the Taiqing Vocational and Technical College of Alchemy and the Taiqing Vocational and Technical College of Talisman Crafting. Indeed, vocational colleges counted as universities here. Of course, in the eyes of many prestigious schools such as Taiqing Pharmaceutical University or the Taiqing Sword Cultivator Academy, could a vocational college even be considered a university? What a joke! Yet students from vocational and technical colleges insisted that a junior college was indeed a university—an institution officially recognized by the Immortal Mansion, eligible for university student discount policies and interest-free loans. Anyone who dared say vocational students weren't university students was opposing the Immortal Mansion and standing against the Soul Formation Divine Lord! At any rate, that was Chen Zhuo's stance. If he ever became a Foundation Establishment cultivator and successfully transferred to a full bachelor's degree program later on, he would probably switch to a completely different tune. Sitting on a bench by the fountain, Chen Zhuo focused his mind and quietly waited for "Persuading People to Craft Talismans Deserves a Lightning Strike" to arrive. *Selling spirit stones is the safest route, but the profit margin is undeniably thin. One spirit stone fetches only thirteen or fourteen spirit coins, netting barely three or four coins per piece,* Chen Zhuo reflected inwardly. *Meanwhile, this premium talisman paper costs one spirit stone each, but sells for twenty spirit coins. That's pure exorbitant profit. If I keep acting as a mule like this, clearing my debts won't actually be hard... but I can worry about the debt when it's closer to the due date.* *First, I'll earn two hundred spirit coins, buy a few injection doses, and jab myself good!* At the thought, Chen Zhuo's mood lifted instantly. Just then, he felt a gaze fixed on him. He looked up to see a female cultivator clad in loungewear staring in his direction. Her hair was unkempt, and her eyes bore unmistakable exhaustion, with dark circles beneath them that she could hardly conceal. From the look of it... This female cultivator seemed even more overworked than he was. Yet the spiritual energy fluctuations radiating from her body were astonishingly at the ninth layer of Qi Refining! Before Chen Zhuo could say a word, the woman strode briskly up to him, her eyes wide as she lowered her voice: "9527, right? Where's the talisman paper? Quick, let me see it. Time's tight—I've only got half an hour."