Late at night.

Qin Lu sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, leaning halfway against the stone table. He curled the fingers of his right hand and continuously flicked them towards the sky, casting the Finger Flick Technique.

“Pfft!”

“Pfft!”

Strange bursts of force shot out from his middle finger one after another, each accompanied by a dull thud before dissipating into the night sky.

After prolonged practice, his Finger Flick Technique had grown increasingly proficient. The force was more concentrated, and its power was steadily rising.

By Qin Lu’s estimation, the power of this move was now comparable to a handgun from his previous life.

And not just any handgun—it was on the level of a Desert Eagle.

The Illumination Technique and Cutting Technique he had been practicing were also improving rapidly, having now reached the ‘Proficient’ level.

Their power was already far beyond what it used to be.

On a whim, Qin Lu suddenly stood up. He placed his left hand on his hip, raised his right hand high, spread his fingers, striking a pose reminiscent of the Statue of Liberty, then turned his head and closed his eyes.

Illumination Technique!

A burst of intense white light suddenly erupted from his palm, instantly illuminating the entire courtyard, bathing every corner in bright light.

At the Novice level, the Illumination Technique was only as bright as a weak flashlight.

But now, it was like a flashbang, capable of blinding someone instantly.

“If I use this move suddenly, it’s sure to catch others off guard!”

Qin Lu lowered his hand, his mood lifting considerably.

Once these minor techniques were raised to the ‘Proficient’ level, they immediately became formidable offensive tools.

After a brief pause, Qin Lu raised his index finger before his face and silently recited “Cutting Technique” in his mind.

In the next instant, his finger was instantly enveloped by a surge of spiritual energy. It then extended from his fingertip, forming a transparent, slender line.

The line was a full half-meter long.

Qin Lu gently traced his finger across the ground.

Ssssh—!

The solid ground was immediately sliced by the rigid, thin line, leaving a perfectly straight mark as if a sharp knife had cut through soft tofu.

“Hmm~ The power is quite decent. Seems staying in for these past two weeks was the right call!”

Over the last half-month, Qin Lu had raised all four basic techniques to the ‘Proficient’ level.

Furthermore, he had increased the proficiency of both the Ignition Technique and the Finger Flick Technique by over five hundred points each. They were not far from leveling up again.

“Everything is progressing steadily. The future really does look promising…” Qin Lu murmured to himself, excitedly clenching his fist.

However, as his gaze fell upon the new courtyard before him, the joy on his face gradually faded.

A new problem had presented itself.

Rent!

“Fifteen Spirit Stones a month… isn’t that a bit tough?”

His current situation was akin to a fresh graduate who had just started a small business, only to suddenly rent a luxury suite in the city center.

The rent pressure seemed a bit heavy.

Qin Lu began pacing back and forth in the courtyard, muttering to himself continuously.

“Given my appetite, a normal month’s consumption of spirit rice and demon beast meat should cost around fourteen Spirit Stones. If I add some fruits and snacks, that’ll be about seventeen.”

“Then there are the Purification Water Pills. I need to buy about three a month, costing three Spirit Stones.”

“I need to bathe regularly too, and occasionally eat out. All those miscellaneous expenses should add up to about five Spirit Stones.”

“Add the rent on top, and my monthly fixed expenses come to… forty Spirit Stones!”

You never realize until you calculate, and the result is startling.

The amount of Spirit Stones he needed to spend each month had actually reached forty.

Qin Lu rubbed his aching head, got up, walked back to his room, and sat down at the redwood table. He took out paper and a brush, his mind racing.

“So, how much can I earn in a month now?”

“After deducting the cost of materials, one Water Qi Shield talisman should net me a bit over one Spirit Stone.”

“If I don’t practice techniques and reserve my spiritual energy specifically for talisman crafting, given my current success rate, I can probably draw about seven Water Qi Shield talismans a day.”

“That means I can earn ten Spirit Stones a day!”

“My monthly fixed expenses can be covered by just grinding hard for four days!”

A satisfied smile spread across Qin Lu’s face. It seemed that after learning talisman crafting, survival here was no longer an issue.

But he knew his smooth sailing was primarily due to his terrifyingly high talisman crafting success rate.

Generally, for cultivators in the early Qi Refining stage, the success rate for drawing talismans was very low. Succeeding two out of three attempts was considered quite good.

Someone like Qin Lu, who could achieve a one hundred percent success rate, was exceedingly rare. Calling him a talisman crafting genius was no exaggeration at all.

Looking at the paper before him, Qin Lu stroked his chin with his right hand and murmured slowly:

“Right now, I still owe Jishan Store one hundred and seventy Spirit Stones. If I work hard on talismans this month and don’t spend recklessly, I can save up and pay off all my debts!”

After running the numbers, Qin Lu realized his situation wasn’t actually difficult. Instantly, a sharp glint appeared in his eyes, and an aura of confidence radiated from his entire being.

“Let’s do this!”

Action followed thought. Qin Lu gave himself a silent pep talk, then took out a new sheet of talisman paper, neatly arranging it on the table. Next, he picked up a newly purchased ink stick and began carefully grinding the ink.

Once everything was prepared, he focused his mind slightly. Pressing down on the talisman paper with his left hand, he picked up the talisman brush with his right and began to outline.

By now, drawing talismans had become muscle memory for him, especially after successfully leveling up; it felt even more familiar.

Even if someone suddenly knocked on the door to disturb him mid-drawing, he could suppress the distraction and finish inscribing the talisman first.

The brush tip glided gently across the talisman paper as Qin Lu continuously channeled his spiritual energy into the forming pattern, imbuing it with power.

Spiritual energy gathered, and light shimmered.

A moment later.

The talisman was complete.

Qin Lu wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, set down the talisman brush, and looked at the yellow talisman paper emitting a faint spiritual aura. He couldn’t help but smile.

Another Spirit Stone earned!

After putting away the completed Water Qi Shield, Qin Lu got up and walked over to the meditation mat, sitting down cross-legged.

With a thought, he opened his status panel.

[Name: Qin Lu]

[Lifespan: 35/107 years]

[Cultivation: Qi Refining Layer 3: 23/100]

[Techniques:]

「Mystic Sun Mantra」(Proficient): 182/200

[Skills:]

Spells:

「Ignition Technique」(Expert): 510/600

「Finger Flick Technique」(Expert): 525/600

「Illumination Technique」(Expert): 32/600

「Cutting Technique」(Expert): 31/600

Talisman Crafting:

「Water Qi Shield」(Proficient): 42/200

「Cleansing Talisman」(Novice): 30/100

[Talent: None]

Looking at the steadily rising numbers, Qin Lu revealed a satisfied smile.

The Ignition Technique and Finger Flick Technique were about to Breakthrough.

“These two minor spells are already so ridiculously powerful at the Expert level. If they Breakthrough again, wouldn’t they…”

“Heheh! I dare not even imagine~”

Qin Lu chuckled softly to himself, closed the status panel, shut his eyes, and naturally began circulating his cultivation technique, starting his meditation practice.

“Cultivate! Cultivate!”