"Dao companions seek a connection of the soul," he said.

"Together, we explore the Great Dao and seek immortality," she added.

Jia Ren had once wavered because of the enticements of the Heroes' Tomb, but that wouldn't be fair to Zhang Peng Peng. Her excessive dependence on others was not conducive to her future cultivation. If one lacked sufficient confidence and desire for immortality, how could they possibly achieve Foundation Establishment, let alone a Golden Core?

The paper window was finally pierced through. Once certain things were said, the atmosphere between them changed.

"Senior Sister is a Talisman Master; it's not good to keep delaying your cultivation," he said.

"This is your cave. I can't keep living here, taking advantage of Father's kindness," she replied. "My father is my father; I am me."

Zhang Peng Peng seemed to return to her old self for a moment.

"If Senior Sister has any doubts about the Path of Charms, you can come to seek my guidance at any time," Jia Ren continued. "There's no need to go to a shop to buy elixirs. The ones I provide are more suited for cultivation."

With the knot in her heart untied, Zhang Peng Peng no longer felt anxious or insecure. "I don't want to become a wrinkled old hag in a hundred years; by then, I may not even have the courage to see you," she said.

Zhang Peng Peng decided to rely on herself, shedding her reserve and asking, "Junior Brother, I still have some questions about Talisman Crafting. Would you be willing to enlighten me?"

Jia Ren's mastery of the Path of Charms had reached the Extraordinary Saint Level, unmatched by anyone before or after, even if it was only in creating Evil Warding Talismans. However, with his broad perspective and grasp of fundamentals, learning new talismans was simple and easy for him. He effortlessly learned other talismans, becoming a Talisman Genius in countless people's eyes. With his level of expertise, Jia Ren had more than enough skill to guide her in Talisman Crafting. Under his detailed guidance, the few mistakes she made were immediately corrected, and Zhang Peng Peng's Talisman Crafting skills improved remarkably. To receive guidance from a Talisman Master of this caliber was something outsiders could only dream of their entire lives.

"You're welcome to stay in the cave as long as you want. If you decide to move out, you must let me know where you'll be," he said.

"Junior Brother," she responded, then declared, "I will do my utmost to achieve Foundation Establishment!"

As Jia Ren turned his face to the side, Zhang Peng Peng gently pecked him on the lips and, with a flushed face, hurriedly left the cave. Jia Ren watched her green figure disappear into the distance, feeling a sense of loss. He shook his head to dispel the romantic thoughts and regained his composure.

There were still too many secrets he was not ready to share with anyone else.

First, I'll make a trip to the Market. The Great Dao takes precedence.

Jia Ren needed to make Mind-Guarding Talismans and Evil Warding Talismans, and to inquire about the availability of Black Dragon Loaches. The necessity of a Mind-Guarding Talisman to overcome the Heart Demon Pass went without saying. After the ordeal in the Black Demon Forest, he had fewer than seventy Evil Warding Talismans left. Ordinary Loose Cultivators might find that sufficient, but Jia Ren had encountered too many powerful Bizarre Demons. No one could guarantee that the Black Desert Marketplace wouldn't suddenly face a potent attack from a Bizarre Demon. By then, crafting Evil Warding Talismans would be too late, so it was important to prepare in advance. The final concern was the Black Dragon Loaches, which were crucial for the fourth layer of the Mixed Refining Vajra Body. Jia Ren wasn't sure if the Black Desert Marketplace sold Black Dragon Loaches, so he knew he had to prepare for this possibility.

The Black Desert Marketplace had numerous stalls, but their quality and levels were low, offering very few suitable items. After several searches, he completely abandoned the idea of purchasing useful items from the stalls. Jia Ren walked a few steps before stopping in front of the Yun Mo Workshop. The Yun Mo Workshop was a business specializing in talisman-crafting materials and finished talismans, backed by the Tian Fu Sect, a power comparable in scale to the Utensil Sect.

"Do you have Rhinoceros Horn and powder?" he asked.

The shopkeeper of the Yun Mo Workshop sized up Jia Ren for a few moments, then shook his head and said, "Are you a Talisman Maker? I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you; the Rhinoceros Horn and powder are not for sale."

"The Yun Mo Workshop is always looking for Talisman Masters to collaborate with. Would you be interested?" the shopkeeper offered.

Jia Ren ran to several places. The materials needed for crafting Mind-Guarding Talismans and Golden Bell Shield Talismans were not hard to find, and it didn't take him long to purchase them. However, the Rhinoceros Horn and the powder remained elusive.

The Great Wilderness Market's Talisman Cultivators' Association had a monopoly on these, and presumably, the Black Desert Marketplace had a similar power. He wanted to craft Evil Warding Talismans but was helpless without the Evil-warding Spirit Ink. The inability to obtain Rhinoceros Horn was disappointing. He still held hope for finding Black Dragon Loaches.

Determined, Jia Ren put the matter aside and continued his search, finally stopping at the Wumei Restaurant.

"You wish to purchase live Black Dragon Loaches?" the shopkeeper asked. Customers usually came to the Wumei Restaurant to buy spirit foods and medicinal meals; it was rare for someone to come here to buy live fish. Jia Ren had not yet located a reliable source of Spirit Fish and thought it might be acceptable to pay a premium through the Wumei Restaurant.

"That won't be a problem, but the price is a bit high," the shopkeeper admitted.

When the shopkeeper referred to a "bit high," the price for the live fish was one Spirit Stone per pound, which was actually cheaper than the Great Wilderness Market. Jia Ren was speechless for a long while.

The Great Wilderness Market was full of bloodsuckers...

"The more Spirit Fish, the better. I will take as many as you have," Jia Ren stated. This was the best news he had received since arriving at the Black Desert Marketplace. If he couldn't acquire the other items he needed, Jia Ren considered leaving the Black Desert Marketplace early and heading to the Jade Cauldron Market, over four hundred miles away.

"You can also bring me other rare fish species; price is not an issue," he added.

The Black Desert Marketplace had not experienced war. Food supplies were plentiful, and prices remained relatively stable. Food was even cheaper compared to the period when rice prices surged in the Great Wilderness Market. Jia Ren paid a deposit, informed them of his cave's location, and quickly left.

"Junior Brother, I have found a place to stay and will be leaving today," Zhang Peng Peng announced when he returned. She had prepared food: stir-fried side dishes, roasted Spiritual Beast Meat, and dozens of pounds of boiled Spirit Rice. Zhang Pengpeng, having traveled with him from the Great Wilderness, naturally knew of Jia Ren's astonishing appetite. While ordinary people could last three to five days without hunger or thirst with just one Fasting Pill, Jia Ren needed to eat ten at a time, displaying a shocking capacity for food.

The meal was delicious, with an excellent taste. Zhang Peng Peng had finished eating early and was propping up her chin, her gaze intently focused on Jia Ren. When she saw Jia Ren looking over, she withdrew her gaze like a startled deer. After leaving the address of her new place, she hurriedly departed.

"Senior Sister, these are the Great Origin Pills I've crafted. Take them with you," Jia Ren called out, taking out more than a dozen bottles and handing them to Zhang Peng Peng. "If you need anything or any help, remember to come to me."

Each elixir was a fine product, hard to purchase outside. Combined with the previously given Spirit Bud Elixirs, they were enough to help her advance to the Qi Refinement Seventh Level. Zhang Peng Peng, not wanting to grow old and lose her looks before achieving anything, still accepted the elixirs and left.

The Spirit Fish from Wumei Restaurant were delivered to the cave dwelling: twenty-four Black Dragon Loaches, totaling one hundred and two Spirit Stones; seventeen Hundred Flavor Fish, totaling seventy-six Spirit Stones; and thirty-six Boneless Scale Fish, totaling two hundred and seventy Spirit Stones. Spirit Fish like Green Scaled Carps, Wutou Trouts, and Qing Gu Fish, which had little value after reverting to their ancestors' bloodline, had long been discarded by cultivators. The three types of Spirit Fish selected this time were all First Order lower-grade Spirit Fish, with delicious meat that was highly popular among diners. The Boneless Scale Fish tasted the best and was the most expensive, priced at three Spirit Stones per pound.

Inside the cave, Jia Ren chose an area, excavated a pool, reinforced it with Blue Profound Rock, filled it with water gathered by the Gather Water Spell, and started raising the fish. The continual supply of Black Dragon Fish would speed up the internal refinement of the fourth layer of the Mixed Refining Vajra Body. The impact brought by the Dragon Seeking Art was still fresh in Jia Ren's mind; learning from the past, he separately fed one Black Dragon Loach, one Hundred Flavor Fish, and one Boneless Scale Fish, to avoid the trouble of too many Spirit Fish reverting to their ancestors at once.

Next was talisman crafting. Jia Ren took out Blank Talisman Paper and began to draw, modeling the Mind-Guarding Talisman. The entry-level Mind-Guarding Talisman was fairly simple to make, and shortly after, a good-quality talisman took shape.

This quality of Mind-Guarding Talisman was, of course, not for his personal use. The ones he used were at least of Grandmaster Level.

BUZZ!

There was a disturbance from the pool. Jia Ren activated the Parasitic Spirit Mark to observe the changes. A slender silver fish was lively in the pool, stirring up large waves, as if celebrating the joy of reverting to its ancestral form. The Black Dragon Loach completed its transformation. The two resulting Spirit Fish immediately took a disliking to each other and began to brawl. Only the Seven-Colored Fish, which had also completed its reversion, quietly kept its distance as if watching two fools. All three Spirit Fish had successfully reverted to their ancestral forms.

The Black Dragon Fish, a First Order superior-grade Spirit Fish, needs no further introduction. It possessed considerable combat strength, and aside from its rumored virility-enhancing properties, its most critical role was in assisting Body Refinement. The Boneless Scale Fish that transformed into the silver fish also reached First Order superior-grade as a Spirit Fish, with extraordinary potential; both were fierce competitors. Two tigers cannot share one mountain; the battle was fierce, threatening to destroy the pool.

"Behave and hop into my bowl!"

The ruthless iron hand, accompanied by a familiar golden light, swooped in. If the spirits of the hundred long-dead Black Dragon Fish martyrs were still present, they would undoubtedly recognize this as the light of their clan's extermination. The Black Dragon Fish was expertly processed, scales removed, and even its Spirit Fish blood was not spared. It contained faint dragon blood, which was most favored by the Sound Seizing Demon Mosquitoes.

Jia Ren had never seen the reverted form of a Boneless Scale Fish before and repeatedly checked if it was toxic after reversion. It was not guaranteed that Spirit Fish would not pose problems after reverting. Perhaps the fish was edible before, but after reversion, it could have become toxic. Jia Ren didn't want an unexplained death. After confirming it was safe, he named the reverted Boneless Scale Fish the Boneless Silverfish.

The Seven-Colored Fish, which reverted from the Hundred Flavor Fish, couldn't compare to the other two, being only a First Order mid-grade Spirit Fish. Jia Ren skillfully handled the three Spirit Fish, roasting the Spirit Fish Meat. A freshly cooked pot of Spirit Rice was ready. The three Spirit Fish were roasted until golden brown and, combined with unique seasonings, their flavor was incomparable.

The first thing Jia Ren ate was the Black Dragon Fish. As a sacred fish for Body Refinement, its effects were powerful. Still the familiar taste that he missed. Next up were the Boneless Silverfish and Seven-Colored Fish, which he almost couldn't stop eating once he started. The Boneless Scale Fish, with its high price, was considered a premium Spirit Fish not only for its quality but also for its unparalleled taste. The reverted Boneless Silverfish inherited this advantage: its meat was delicate, each piece marked with unique textures and clear, distinct layers, arguably the best in taste. The residual silver scales from its initial transformation, though not yet deeply tempered, were already suitable for crafting Defense Artifacts.

The Boneless Silverfish has dual uses as food and in crafting suitable Defense Artifacts, potentially becoming the major source of materials for his own Defense Artifacts. Its value, slightly below the Black Dragon Fish used for Body Refinement, was still quite good.

The Seven-Colored Fish's meat quality and taste were also excellent. After eating it, Jia Ren felt as if his body was cleansed, his skin glowing with a jade-like luster.

The effect... it's remarkably similar to beautifying elixirs. Such elixirs were most favored by female cultivators and held substantial value. It was unexpected that the Seven-Colored Fish had this effect; it was quite good. I can prepare the Seven-Colored Fish and send some to Senior Sister. By turning it into food, he wouldn't need to worry about the secret of the Spirit Fish's reversion being leaked.

Jia Ren channeled his Spiritual Power and began the Mixed Refining Vajra Body technique. As the Cultivation Technique activated, his dark golden skin shimmered with fine silver scales, identical to those of the Boneless Silverfish.

Is this Demonification?

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