Chapter 102: Spirit Rune Grandmaster

“Huh?”

The shop owner, who was in his forties and was balding, had two thoughts flashing past his mind. Did this teacher really have no money? Or was he thinking of bargaining for a better price by taking a step back?

By the looks of his age, he should be in his twenties and probably hadn’t learned of such bargaining skills that experienced people like himself knew.

The shop owner’s gaze landed on Sun Mo’s feet. If Sun Mo was trying to haggle for the price, then he would slow down, waiting for the shop owner to take the initiative to call him back and offer a lower price.

But he didn’t!

“So he is really poor!”

The shop owner felt upset, but he still gave chase. His shop wasn’t an antique shop where he would be able to provide for his living expenses for a year by just selling a single item.

These tools for spirit runes brought in low profits, and it was hard-earned money.

“This teacher, why don’t you take a look at other things? I dare say that there aren’t more than three shops on this street who sell spirit rune tools that are better than mine.”

The shop owner smiled.

“I thought that you’d say you’re the best!” Sun Mo teased.

“You’re a teacher and will definitely browse other shops as well. If I were to boast, wouldn’t I be exposed?”

Looking down on others to raise his own stance was something that the slightly balded shop owner didn’t dare to do. Moreover, this customer was a teacher.

If he was a teacher, he would have students. If a teacher were to use the tools from his shop, then he’d be a walking advertisement.

“You’re a teacher. I can give you a 20% discount. If you spend over 1,000 taels, then I’ll give you a 30% discount!”

The shop owner grinned. He had a good brain for business.

“I want some cheap goods!”

Sun Mo didn’t feel embarrassed. He only needed to complete 1,000 Spirit-Gathering Runes, and there weren’t any requirements for the ink and rune paper used!

Only a fool would spend a huge amount of money to buy high-quality stuff!

“You must be using them for practice, right? Then these few spirit brushes will do. They aren’t expensive either, only costing 100 taels at most.”

The shop owner took out five brushes and handed them to Sun Mo.

Almost all of them were made from bamboo.

The shop owner had a well-trained judgment over the years and could tell that Sun Mo liked spirit brushes with this kind of style and material.

Sun Mo took them and tried holding them.

The shop owner took out a rune paper, placing it on the table. He then opened a bottle of ink that had been used before. He told Sun Mo, “Teacher, you can try drawing a spirit rune!”

Sun Mo didn’t stand on ceremony. He stood next to the table, picked up a spirit brush that had the best grip, dipped it with some ink, and then channeled in spirit qi into the brush. He then drew the first stroke on the rune paper.

A grandmaster-grade Spirit-Gathering Rune Depiction Technique caused the spirit rune’s complicated diagram to seem as if it was engraved in his mind. It had become instinctive.

Sun Mo didn’t need to give it much thought and was able to draw it out with the most perfect arch.

“Beautiful!”

As the owner of a shop selling spirit rune tools, this slightly bald man in his forties had seen many spirit runes before. However, when he saw Sun Mo starting to draw, he couldn’t help but praise.

When an expert made a move, it was clear if they had the skill!

Sun Mo’s posture was light, charming, and pleasing to the eye. It was clear that he had been practicing for very long!

To be honest, Sun Mo hadn’t practiced before. But what was ‘grandmaster-grade’?

A grandmaster was someone who had been immersed in a certain domain for several decades. They had achieved great mastery, had their own comprehensions and takeaways, and could start up a school to accept disciples.

Being able to be addressed as a grandmaster meant that this person was almost standing at the very top of the domain. If he were to go further, then he’d reach the ancestor-grade, being an even rarer existence.

Sun Mo had only wanted to try a few strokes, but once he started drawing, he felt exhilarated and didn’t want to stop.

Sun Mo’s current state was like he was high from completing questions, being able to finish any difficult question without any troubles. Therefore, he was unable to come to a stop.

Every single stroke!

Natural and unforced!

Exhilarating!

About 15 minutes later, a Spirit-Gathering Rune was complete.

When the very last stroke was completed, Sun Mo lifted the brush and with a ‘boom’, the Spirit-Gathering Rune suddenly lit up in a golden glow.

The spirit qi in the surroundings immediately gushed over, forming a vortex that was over ten centimeters tall at a rate that could be seen by the naked eye.

“This... this...”

The balding shop owner was astonished and almost bit off his own tongue.

This Spirit-Gathering Rune must at least be at level 5!

Take a fruit for example. For the same type of fruit, a difference in the quality would result in different pricing. Therefore, there were naturally differences in spirit runes as well.

Spirit runes were differentiated into nine levels by their quality, with level 1 being the lowest and level 9 the highest.

Level 1 to 3 were low-quality goods that could be sold in various spirit runes shops by the roadside. They weren’t considered too expensive either. Level 4 to 6 spirit runes, on the other hand, weren’t something that ordinary people would be able to afford. One would have to be from a slightly richer family to be able to afford them.

Spirit runes that were level 7 or higher weren’t often seen in the market. Even if there were, they’d be prized items in some large-scale spirit runes shops. Their price would be quite expensive as well.

If one’s family didn’t have ore mines, they could forget about being able to buy such spirit runes.

The Spirit-Gathering Rune was one of the most commonly seen foundational spirit runes. Its effect was to gather the surrounding spirit qi, forming a space within a radius of several meters with a slightly higher density of spirit qi. This would allow the cultivator to be able to cultivate with greater ease and success.

This Spirit-Gathering Rune that Sun Mo drew had resulted in a spirit qi vortex upon completion. This meant that the rate at which the Spirit-Gathering Rune was gathering the spirit qi was extremely fast, and the amount gathered was tremendous as well.

Gulp!

The shop owner gulped and couldn’t help but assess Sun Mo in greater detail.

Spirit qi vortex was a unique phenomenon that would only appear when a spirit rune that was at level 5 or higher took form. And such Spirit-Gathering Runes would be sold for at least 500 silver taels.

Ding!

+15 favorable impression points from the shop owner, prestige connection initiated. Neutral (15/100).

“Was it alright?”

Sun Mo admired his first completed work, feeling a little happy inside.

If even the shop owner, who knew his stuff, contributed favorable impression points, then it meant that his Spirit-Gathering Rune was done quite well.

“Yes! It’s quite good!”

The shop owner wasn’t hesitant in giving his praise. He wasn’t trying to give a polite talk but was sincerely praising Sun Mo.

“I’ll take this brush, and you can just give me any ink. As for rune paper, I’ll take this.”

Sun Mo chose the tools.

“Huh?”

The balding shop owner was surprised

“What’s the matter?” Sun Mo frowned. “Are there no stocks left?”

“No... It’s not that...” The shop owner pointed at the ink and then at the rune paper. “You’re going to use these?”

“I told you, I’m a pauper!”

(Even if I want to change to higher quality ones, I must be able to afford them in the first place!)

“May I know how to address you?”

The shop owner’s attitude was a lot more respectful.

“Sun Mo!”

There was nothing to conceal.

“Teacher Sun, to speak the truth, this paper isn’t fitting for your technique. No, it’d be putting your technique to waste!”

The balding shop owner hadn’t brought out the cheapest paper, but they weren’t expensive either.

It was because Sun Mo was a teacher that the balding shop owner wanted him as a returning customer. Otherwise, he would have brought out the worst rune paper.

Even the lousiest ones shouldn’t be looked down upon. For students, he’d bring out ordinary white paper meant for normal writing.

There was no other way out. Even the cheapest rune papers would cost 20 to 30 coins.

This money would be enough for him to buy two trays of buns. Those odd job workers, who carried loads at the pier, would only earn this much money after slogging for an entire day.

“I have no money!”

Sun Mo shrugged.

“Sigh, the Spirit-Gathering Rune you drew has already reached such a grade, yet you’re saying that you have no money? You’re really...”

The balding shop owner didn’t know what to say. When he saw the Spirit-Gathering Rune on the table, he felt so regretful that he wanted to slap himself in the face.

(If I had been more generous earlier, bringing out good ink and high-quality rune paper, then wouldn’t this be a level 6 spirit rune?)

A spirit rune of this level could be easily sold for 1,000 silver taels!

The quality of a spirit rune, other than being related to the rune master’s level, was also tied to the materials used. After all, if the materials were too bad, they wouldn’t be able to produce much effect.

However, who would have thought that a young teacher could produce such a high-quality Spirit-Gathering Rune so casually?

Hold on!

He had only drawn it casually?

At the thought of this, the shop owner’s gaze had an additional hint of astonishment.

Since the balding shop owner was working in a spirit runes related field, his son had grown up with exposure to spirit runes. The Spirit-Gathering Rune was the first spirit rune that his son had learned. After ten years, he could be said to have achieved a small level of success in it.

However, it’d take him close to an hour to complete one.

This Teacher Sun had merely taken over 15 minutes to complete it easily. It was three times faster than his son. Moreover, the quality was so good...

“I thought that rascal had talent in spirit rune words!”

The shop owner had been dealt a blow. He decided to give his son a thrashing to vent his anger when the latter came back tonight.

“You wish to purchase my Spirit-Gathering Rune?”

Sun Mo understood the shop owner’s intentions.

“Would you sell it? I can provide you with the best tools for spirit runes and pay you 200 taels for each spirit rune of this quality!”

The shop owner offered.

“200 taels?”

Sun Mo was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected for spirit runes to be able to bring him so much money.

He had gone to so much trouble over a few days to write Journey to the West. Even if it became popular, he’d only get an income over 10,000 silver taels. However, he’d only need to draw 200 Spirit-Gathering Runes to earn 20,000 taels.

Of course, the amount of time he’d need to take would also be a few days. However, this would be money that he earned using his own skills!

“Sun Mo, you’ve neglected one point. Your Spirit-Gathering Rune Depiction Technique is at the grandmaster-grade. Ordinary spirit rune masters would need to take at least 20 years to be able to reach this level. By the time they’ve reached the grandmaster-grade, they’d have gotten famous. Would they still need to rely on drawing Spirit-Gathering Runes to earn money?”

“That’s true!” said Sun Mo

“Teacher Sun, the level of your Spirit-Gathering Rune is excellent and can be sold for a lot of money. However, the market isn’t big and not many students can afford such an expensive Spirit-Gathering Rune,” the shop owner said honestly.

“Too little!” Sun Mo said outright,

“250 taels!” the shop owner added.

“Are you treating me as an idiot?”

Sun Mo frowned.

“I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!”

The shop owner quickly apologized. He then gritted his teeth and offered, “300 taels!”

Sun Mo kept quiet.

“Teacher Sun, if I were to offer a higher price, I wouldn’t be able to earn much. After all, I’m the one forking out all the materials and responsible for the sales. I can’t possibly not earn anything from this,” the shop owner cried. This price was actually quite good.

“I’ll go to another spirit rune shop to ask around!”

Sun Mo wanted to leave.

After hearing the system’s words, Sun Mo understood that he was someone who would become a great teacher. His goal was to have countless students under him and not to earn a lot of money.

This made sense. Being able to nurture a spear saint, who would bring about a great impact, was a lot cooler than earning a lot of money. Moreover, there was a sense of achievement as well.

However, who would think that they had too much money?

At the very least, if he could earn a couple hundred taels, then he’d be able to improve the papaya girl’s food.

“330 taels!”

This time around, the shop owner was sincere in his offer.

Compared to earning money, he decided to build a good relationship with Sun Mo first. If his son could secretly learn some tricks, it’d be more important than earning money.

“Alright!

Sun Mo was satisfied.

“Teacher Sun, I’m saying it first. The spirit runes must all be of this level for me to purchase them.”

The shop owner then quickly added, “The number of defective products and accidental depletion of materials must be controlled within 10%.”

“Certainly.”

Sun Mo wasn’t planning on fooling the shop owner.

Seeing that Sun Mo didn’t find any excuses but agreed straightaway, the shop owner heaved a sigh of relief. This teacher was someone easy to get along with. However, the shop owner rubbed his hands together.

“Erm...”

The shop owner was hesitant to speak up.

“Go on!” Sun Mo said calmly.

“Can you draw another one?”

As the shop owner said this, he immediately brought the spirit brush that Sun Mo liked, along with the best ink and rune paper. He placed them down neatly on the table.

Sun Mo didn’t mind. He picked up the brush, dipped it in some ink, and then channeled the spirit qi into the brush.

“Urgh!”

The shop owner’s heart trembled fiercely. (Don’t you need to make mental preparations? The materials used this time around are very expensive. If there are any mistakes, then over 100 silver taels will be wasted).

However, as Sun Mo drew the spirit rune, the shop owner realized that he had been worrying needlessly.

The same as earlier, Sun Mo had only taken 15 minutes to complete the Spirit-Gathering Rune. Throughout the entire process, Sun Mo appeared very relaxed, not stopping or thinking at all.

It was as if drawing Spirit-Gathering Runes had become something as instinctive as drinking water or eating food.

As the materials used were better, a greater vortex was produced. Since the spirit qi density was too high, some flashing light spots glowed like the stars in the night sky.

“Beautiful!”

“It’s so beautiful!”

Other than this, the shop owner couldn’t find any other praises.

Ding!

+21 favorable impression points from the shop owner. Neutral (35/100).

Sun Mo put down the brush.

When the shop owner saw the Spirit-Gathering Rune on the table, he subconsciously reached out to it, wanting to pick it up to admire it. However, he quickly stopped.

He was worried that he’d dirty this spirit rune.

“Level 6! This is definitely a level 6 spirit rune! It can be sold for at least 1,000 silver taels!”

The shop owner was very agitated.

“Is it done? Wrap up the tools for me first. I still have something on and need to leave.”

Sun Mo didn’t wish to waste time.

The shop owner didn’t dare to treat Sun Mo shabbily. He quickly packed the best ink and rune papers in the shop and placed them before Sun Mo.

“I don’t have money to pay any deposit!” Sun Mo reminded.

“There’s no need to pay any deposit!” the shop owner said generously.

He had wanted to ask for a deposit, but what would happen if he were to offend Sun Mo? It was hard to encounter such an amazing spirit rune master. Even if one were to encounter one, they wouldn’t be able to collaborate either.

Therefore, the shop owner had to keep Sun Mo in a good mod.

Since Sun Mo was a teacher of the Central Province Academy, the shop owner only needed to go there and ask around. Even if Sun Mo were to run away, the academy would still be there.

Sun Mo took the tools and left.

After the shop owner sent Sun Mo off, the former quickly returned to the shop and carefully admired this Spirit-Gathering Rune. This was simply a piece of art!

A student walked in and saw the spirit qi vortex that had yet to completely dissipate. His eyes lit up and he immediately dashed over.

“I’m taking this spirit rune!”

Look, this was what it meant to be rich. They never asked for the price, but would just purchase the thing straightaway!

The shop owner couldn’t help but feel emotional.

If he were to encounter such a customer, he’d usually serve them with smiles. However, he couldn’t do that today.

“I’m sorry, I’m not selling it!” The shop owner refused.

“Why?”

Fang Yan was perplexed. He put his hand out to touch this Spirit-Gathering Rune.

Earlier on, Fang Yan had only seen the size of the spirit qi vortex. However, he was already certain that this was a good Spirit-Gathering Rune. Now that he had gotten a closer look, he realized that his earlier rating had been too superficial.

The direction, arrangement, and thickness of each of the spirit rune’s lines were pleasant to the eyes, filled with a great sense of beauty. If Fang Yan were to get his hands on it, he wouldn’t bear to use it. Instead, he’d frame it and hang it up on a wall to admire.

“I’m going to leave it for my son to use!” the shop owner said outright. The reason he was earning money was to provide for his family and nurture his son. Now that he had come across such a good Spirit-Gathering Rune, he must give it to his son.

“You... you... you’re wasting such a precious thing!”

Fang Yan was almost driven to death from fury.

(You’re going to use up such a beautiful spirit rune? Don’t you know that you’ll be punished by God if you do that?)

Seeing the angry Fang Yan, the shop owner was shocked and backed off a few steps.

There was no other way out. This guy had a height of over two meters and bulging muscles, looking strong like a huge metal tower. When he became angry, he gave off the feeling as if he was going to tear his enemies up and swallow them alive.

“State a price!” Fang Yan urged.

“I said I’m not selling it!”

The shop owner rolled up the rune paper and then hid it behind his back. Worried that Fang Yan would snatch it, he gave Fang Yan a warning. “Judging from your uniform, you must be from the Central Province Academy. If you dare to act recklessly, I’ll go complain to Headmaster An!”

“Hehe!”

Fang Yan laughed out of fury. But seeing how the shop owner was acting, he knew that he wouldn’t be able to purchase this Spirit-Gathering Rune.

Sigh, he really couldn’t accept this!

“My shop will have Spirit-Gathering Runes of a similar grade to this. If you want them, I can put them aside for you next time.”

The shop owner was very sly. He didn’t say that he was going to sell them, but said that he was going to put them aside. This made it sound like his goods were very popular.

“Given my level, why would I still want Spirit-Gathering Runes?”

Fang Yan shook his head, smiling.

The Spirit-Gathering Rune was a spirit rune that cultivators could use during the body-refinement realm and the earlier phase of the spirit-refinement realm. When one’s level got higher, the bit of spirit qi the Spirit-Gathering Rune could gather would be insignificant. They’d be used up in a few breaths.

The reason Fang Yan wanted this Spirit-Gathering Rune was purely because he had taken a liking to this spirit rune. He had planned on keeping it as a collection.

Use?

He couldn’t bear to!

“For collection!”

The shop owner was struck by a realization. He then recalled Sun Mo’s leisure state when drawing this Spirit-Gathering Rune. If Sun Mo were to be serious, he should be able to draw one that was better than this, right?

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