C12 One Hundred Thousand for One?

"What brings you here this time, young brother?"

After their conversation, Jiang Yuanhong was filled with nothing but admiration for Xiao Yu's prowess in crafting Talismans. The insights he gained from their exchange were plentiful, and he now approached Xiao Yu with a renewed respect, addressing him as 'young brother' to signify their equal footing.

"I've come to sell a few Talismans," Xiao Yu said, getting to the point and presenting the Spirit-gathering Talisman he had inscribed earlier.

"May I take a look at your Talisman?" Jiang Yuanhong's eyes sparkled with interest. Given Xiao Yu's demonstrated skill, he was eager to see the quality of his work.

"Of course," Xiao Yu replied nonchalantly, placing the Spirit-gathering Talisman on the table.

"This is..." Jiang Yuanhong's breath quickened.

He had an eye for quality and could immediately discern that, despite being a Grade One Talisman, it was far from ordinary.

Holding the Spirit-gathering Talisman in his hands, Jiang Yuanhong examined it closely, his amazement growing by the second. To his astonishment, he couldn't detect any energy fluctuations from the Talisman—it felt like an ordinary stone.

It was common knowledge that a Talisman, composed of Talisman Stone, Talisman Imprint, and Beast Blood, should inherently pulsate with power. The absence of any such energy was unheard of.

Jiang Yuanhong recalled a passage from an ancient text stating that when a Talisman's power is perfected, its components merge seamlessly, containing their energy without any leakage, rendering it indistinguishable from an inert object.

Achieving this indicated a formidable mastery of the Talisman Dao, a return to the essence of the craft.

Jiang Yuanhong had always believed such mastery to be the stuff of myths, yet here it was before his eyes. Overwhelmed, he regarded Xiao Yu with even greater reverence.

"May I ask what price you're asking for it?" inquired Jiang Yuanhong, his throat parched with anticipation.

He was tempted to purchase it for himself, but this Talisman, despite being a Grade One, had reached the pinnacle of refinement and held immense value for enlightenment. It might just be the key to his breakthrough, enhancing the power of his Talisman Dao even further.

Yet, as the Pavilion Master of Tianming Pavilion, he couldn't confidently claim that he could afford such a Talisman.

"I have four of these Talismans here. Pavilion Master, you can set the price," Xiao Yu said, laying out the remaining three on the table.

"Four?" Jiang Yuanhong was astounded once again.

He had previously inquired in detail about Xiao Yu's encounter with Qin Yuxuan. From her, he learned that Xiao Yu had purchased ten uncarved Talisman Stones.

To think that out of ten Talisman Stones, four had been successfully inscribed was astonishing. The success rate was incredibly high.

If he were to discover that Xiao Yu achieved a 100% success rate while inscribing these four Spirit-gathering Talismans, Jiang Yuanhong's reaction would surely be priceless.

"This Talisman is known as the Spirit-gathering Talisman. Once activated and worn, it can accelerate one's cultivation speed by tenfold," Xiao Yu explained. "However, the Talisman can only be used for one month. After that, its power will dissipate."

This is a common trait among most Talismans; each use depletes their limited power.

"Tenfold cultivation speed?" Jiang Yuanhong was no longer as surprised as before.

Nevertheless, the potency of this Talisman remained astounding. While cultivation speed might be less critical for those at higher stages, who depend more on insight, for those still in the Spirit Origin Stage, the benefits were staggering.

This was precisely why the Spirit-gathering Talisman was categorized as a Grade One Talisman.

But even though it was only effective for a month, that month's accelerated cultivation could rival an entire year's progress. With average talent, one could feasibly condense a Spirit River in a year, yet with this Talisman, such an achievement was possible in just one month!

Jiang Yuanhong could only imagine the frenzy that would ensue among the cultivators in Giant Stone City if these Talismans became widely available.

"I am willing to pay 100,000 crystals for each Talisman!" declared Jiang Yuanhong, his voice tense with determination.

One hundred thousand crystals for one, four hundred thousand for four—this was the maximum he could offer. Despite being the Pavilion Master, his personal access to the resources within Tianming Pavilion was limited, and the crystals he could utilize were few.

"One hundred thousand crystals?" Xiao Yu was taken aback. Was Jiang Yuanhong truly prepared to offer such a steep price?

It was common knowledge that a Grade One Talisman wouldn't normally fetch such an amount.

"Little brother, I realize this might seem insufficient. If you find it lacking, just give me a few days, and I'll do my utmost to gather more crystals for you!" Jiang Yuanhong pleaded, mistakenly believing Xiao Yu found the offer too low.

"No, no, that's not at all what I'm saying," Xiao Yu responded, somewhat at a loss for words. "These are merely Grade One Talismans, after all; they don't warrant such a price. Pavilion Master, ten thousand crystals each will suffice."

Considering that purchasing Talisman Stones and Beast Blood for a Grade One Talisman only cost a few dozen crystals, ten thousand per Talisman was indeed excessive. Xiao Yu had no desire to exploit the situation.

However, considering that these Talismans were inscribed by him, a supreme Talisman Master, and had reached the ultimate level of the Talisman Dao, ten thousand crystals was actually quite reasonable. At this price, if offered to the public, there would surely be a scramble to acquire them.

It's important to note that not every Talisman Master can ensure a successful inscription as he can. Other Talisman Masters, even if they knew how to inscribe a Spirit-gathering Talisman, would likely face numerous failures and expend vast amounts of Beast Blood and Talisman Stones before achieving success.

Thus, even if other Talisman Masters were to inscribe such Talismans, the price wouldn't be significantly lower than his. Besides, his Talismans had reached the pinnacle of their potential, making their effects all the more remarkable.

"Ten thousand crystals for one Talisman?" Jiang Yuanhong was momentarily taken aback. These were the pinnacle of Talisman craftsmanship, and what's more, this particular Talisman had long been lost to time. No price would be too high, yet Xiao Yu was only asking for ten thousand?

After his brief moment of surprise, joy quickly set in. He hurriedly took out forty thousand crystals, as if he feared Xiao Yu might change his mind.

"Pavilion Master, I plan to engrave a hundred similar Talismans each month in the future. I'd like to offer them to Tianming Pavilion at the same price. Would you be interested?" Xiao Yu pondered, realizing he was in dire need of a substantial amount of crystals. The few tens of thousands he had were simply not enough.

"Of course, we'll take them!" Jiang Yuanhong exclaimed, nearly leaping with excitement.

Even he couldn't keep his cool at this point.

Such Talismans, once on the market, would incite a buying frenzy. Xiao Yu's Talismans would undoubtedly generate immense profits for Tianming Pavilion.

Forget ten thousand—twenty or thirty thousand apiece wouldn't be unreasonable, and they'd still sell.

Moreover, with only a hundred available each month, it wouldn't be nearly enough for the scions of the city's families to share. If they started competing fiercely, the sky would be the limit for the price!

Xiao Yu had only mentioned selling at the same price, which meant that Jiang Yuanhong had the freedom to set future prices. Clearly, Xiao Yu was offering him a generous deal; otherwise, he'd be taking a much smaller cut of the profits.

Internally, Jiang Yuanhong's respect for Xiao Yu grew. So young, yet willing to forgo such significant profits. Had Xiao Yu insisted on splitting the profits, he could have gained tens or even hundreds of thousands more crystals each month!

"Young Brother Xiao, in light of your generosity, I'll advance you half the crystals as a down payment," Jiang Yuanhong declared, feeling the need to reciprocate.

Truth be told, he was also concerned Xiao Yu might have second thoughts. By putting down a deposit, he aimed to secure the arrangement.