Spells Grinding: From Basic Sparks to Divine Arts

Early the next morning.

Qin Lu opened his eyes on time, sat up in bed, rubbed his face, and slowly stretched.

Another brand new day.

Since arriving in this world, free from the ravages of phones and computers, his lifestyle had gradually become more regular.

Every day, aside from cultivation and drawing talismans, he found himself with little to do.

This had also allowed his biological clock to adjust quite well, enabling him to wake up punctually every day.

After a simple wash-up.

After downing a large cup of warm water, Qin Lu stretched his body, leaned back into his chair, and prepared to begin the day’s work.

However, when he caught sight of the gray cultivation robe he was wearing, he couldn’t help but pause, followed by a sigh.

He had been wearing this set of clothes for a month now.

“A man lives by his face, a tree by its bark. Looks like I really need to save up some money for a new set of clothes. Relying on cleansing talismans all the time isn’t a long-term solution…”

“And these boots, the soles are almost worn through. If I run into danger, I probably won’t be able to run very fast. Need new ones of those too…”

“Also need to buy some powerful talismans for self-defense. The world is just too dangerous…”

“Should get a few Qi Refining pills too…”

Qin Lu pondered for a moment and realized that aside from daily expenses, he still needed to purchase many supplies.

The pressure brought on by lack of money surged in his heart once more.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

Just then, a knocking sound came from outside the door.

“Hmm?”

Qin Lu turned to look, his expression turning odd. This knocking sound wasn’t Cao Mo’s style.

But besides Cao Mo, who else could be looking for him?

“Who is it?” He stood up warily and called out loudly.

“I’m your neighbor next door. Seeing that a new fellow daoist has arrived, I came by today specifically to pay a visit!”

A low voice came from outside.

“Coming, coming!”

Qin Lu quickly responded, hurried out of his room, and went to open the door.

Standing at the door was a middle-aged man around forty years old, with a ruddy complexion, thick eyebrows, big eyes, a square face, wearing a clean blue robe, and holding a bag of fruit in his hand.

The man exuded an overall gentle aura.

Qin Lu didn’t dare be negligent and promptly cupped his hands in greeting.

“Fellow Daoist, my apologies for not welcoming you properly. Please, come in, come in!”

“Hehe, no trouble at all.”

The man in blue chuckled lightly, followed Qin Lu into the courtyard, and the two sat down by the stone table.

They exchanged pleasantries first and quickly shared their names.

The man in blue was named Lu Xian. He lived in the courtyard to the right of Qin Lu’s, his household consisted of a family of three, and they had been living there for several years.

Seeing a new neighbor appear today, he had brought a gift to pay a visit.

“Didn’t expect Old Wang to be driven out one moment and Fellow Daoist Qin to move in the next. That was really quick…”

Lu Xian stroked his beard and sighed softly.

Qin Lu asked curiously, “What did the previous owner do to get driven out?”

“Ah, speaking of it, that Old Wang was just unlucky. He had a few too many drinks and insisted on picking a fight with someone. Unfortunately, the Wuji Sect patrol saw him, and that’s why his residency rights were revoked.”

“To think it’s that strict…” Qin Lu’s sense of caution instantly heightened.

He hadn’t expected that getting into a fight while drunk could lead to expulsion. He had worked hard to move into the market district; he couldn’t afford to be driven out over such things.

“Never mind, let’s not talk about that…”

Lu Xian changed the subject and asked, “What kind of business does Fellow Daoist Qin usually engage in?”

Qin Lu replied honestly, “I just set up a stall and sell some talismans.”

Hearing this, the light in Lu Xian’s eyes noticeably dimmed. He let out a long “Oh” and said indifferently,

“Hehe, so fellow daoist knows how to draw talismans…”

Sensing the change in Lu Xian’s attitude, Qin Lu couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback.

However, he quickly realized that it seemed this new neighbor looked down on his line of work a bit.

“I only know the basics of talisman drawing…”

Qin Lu paused in his speech, took out two [Water Qi Shield] talismans from his robe, and offered them to Lu Xian with a beaming smile.

“I’m truly sorry today, Fellow Daoist. Since I moved here, it should have been me visiting you first. But I got so busy I lost my head, and ended up having you come to my door instead. It’s really my fault. Please accept these two talismans as an apology!”

Seeing the talismans, a flash of delight passed through Lu Xian’s eyes, and his tone became enthusiastic once more.

“Hahaha, no trouble at all. We neighbors should look out for each other. Fellow Daoist Qin, you’re too polite~”

Lu Xian chuckled and accepted the talismans.

“Might I ask what Fellow Daoist Lu usually does in the market district?” Qin Lu seized the opportunity to ask.

Hearing this, a trace of pride appeared on Lu Xian’s face as he said nonchalantly,

“As for me, I don’t do much. I just work as an auctioneer at the Wanbao Pavilion. Today happens to be my day off, so I have time to chat leisurely with you here.”

The Wanbao Pavilion was the auction house in Wuji Market, said to hold an auction every three months.

Qin Lu had passed by the shop before, but due to his tight finances, he had never gone inside.

He hadn’t expected Lu Xian to work there. No wonder he seemed a bit proud.

The two continued their conversation. From Lu Xian’s words, Qin Lu learned that his wife worked as a sales cultivator at a magical artifact shop. Both their jobs could be considered respectable professions.

They also had a son, but Lu Xian was unwilling to say much about that.

From their brief exchange, Qin Lu found that Lu Xian was a bit straightforward, with a relatively warm personality, but he was quite good at boasting about himself during conversation.

Seeing this, Qin Lu promptly lowered his own posture, flattered him, and used the opportunity to ask about matters concerning the market district.

Upon learning that this was Qin Lu’s first time moving into the market district and that he was in a state of ignorant innocence, Lu Xian raised his head and laughed proudly.

“Then you’ve asked the right person. I, Old Lu, have been mixing in this market district for so many years, I know the situation here inside out. Let me explain it to you properly…”

“First is the Wuji Sect. Their family has a Golden Core Patriarch, whose power reaches the heavens. They have four market districts under their banner, and Wuji Market is just one of them…”

Through Lu Xian’s boastful talk, Qin Lu gradually gained a clear understanding of the power distribution within Wuji Market.

Aside from the Foundation Establishment cultivators stationed here by the Wuji Sect, there were five other Foundation Establishment cultivators in the market district.

These five also represented the five major powers within the market.

They were:

The Green Mountain Sect, the Xuanyang Sect, Sunset Valley, the Wei Family, and the Yu Family.

These five major powers encompassed numerous shops and stores in Wuji Market, covering all aspects of a cultivator’s life.

The Wanbao Pavilion auction house where Lu Xian worked also belonged to a shop under the Xuanyang Sect.

Simply put, for loose cultivators trying to make a living here, one must remember a fundamental truth: never, under any circumstances, provoke the five major powers.

…

“I never imagined there were so many twists and turns within the market district…” Qin Lu sighed with feeling.

Today’s explanation had really opened his eyes.

“Hehe~”

Lu Xian stroked his beard and said cheerfully, “Just get by as best you can. If you can catch the eye of a Foundation Establishment senior, you might not have to worry about food and drink for the rest of your life.”

“Yes, yes…”

Qin Lu casually agreed, then suddenly remembered something and asked, “By the way, Fellow Daoist Lu, do you know the person living in the courtyard on the left?”

“Oh, you mean that kid Nie Feng. I think he works as a guard for the Wei Family. But that kid is pretty aloof; I don’t interact with him much usually.”

“I see…”

Qin Lu nodded slowly, still thinking in his mind about when he should pay a visit.

Lu Xian suddenly stood up, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, “Alright, Fellow Daoist Qin, let’s end our chat here for today. I should head back now. We’ll talk again when we have time.”

“Of course, of course. Take care, Fellow Daoist!” Qin Lu stood up and escorted Lu Xian out of the courtyard.

Only after Lu Xian had walked some distance away did Qin Lu close the courtyard gate properly and return to sit on the stone chair.

“It seems the neighbors here are of a higher caliber, at least they don’t casually curse…”

“However, such a small market district actually has so many people with backgrounds. Looks like I really need to be extra careful. If I accidentally offend one, my little life might be over.”

After sighing for a moment.

Qin Lu shook his head, cast off the useless thoughts, walked back into the house, and prepared to begin the day’s talisman-drawing work.

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