Chapter 329: Met Too Late

"Daoist Fang, have you left?" asked Lord Tiger as he scanned the room with his eyes. He couldn't see Fang Chen anywhere.

Fang Chen’s voice came from the shadows. "Not yet. This Shadow Buddha Technique is really quite effective.”

Lord Tiger was startled, and he began to quiver. He looked toward a certain shadow in the courtyard with a horrified face.

How could this be?! How is this possible?!

Fang Chen had just obtained the Shadow Buddha Technique from him, but he had already managed to use it! It had taken even his exceptionally talented fourth brother eight years of practice just to reach this level, during which he neglected his cultivation and paid a significant price! But Fang Chen seemed to have... spent only the time it took to finish a cup of tea?

Lord Tiger wasn't entirely sure how this was possible, but he could feel a storm of shock and horror rising in his heart. If it weren't for his many years of cultivation, this might’ve left a mark on his Dao heart.

Suddenly, Lord Tiger saw Fang Chen appear again in his seat, as if he had never left it to begin with.

Lord Tiger stammered, "D-Daoist Fang, don't tell me t-that the technique you’ve just used was the Shadow Buddha Technique."

Fang Chen chuckled. "What other technique could I’ve used?"

Lord Tiger fell into silence.

What a loss. A huge loss!

"Oh, right” Fang Chen took out a Binding Talisman and placed it on the table, “could you help me evaluate the value of this talisman?"

Trying to calm his nerves, Lord Tiger reached out for the talisman and began to closely examine. "What talisman is this?"

Fang Chen smiled. "A Binding Talisman, mid-grade, yellow rank."

Lord Tiger drew in a sharp breath of cold air. "A mid-grade, yellow rank Binding Talisman?"

Talismans were common items, but that was only true when it involved ordinary talismans, like the low-grade, yellow-rank ones such as Divine Movement Talismans, Strength Talismans, and Fireball Talismans. These talismans were widely circulated, and even cultivators at the third stage of Qi Refining could craft them. However, mid-grade, yellow rank talismans were different. They far surpassed the low-grade ones in terms of both effectiveness and power. Additionally, they had high requirements for the materials and cultivation level. To craft mid-grade, yellow rank talismans, one needed sufficient spiritual energy. Otherwise, if one ran out of it halfway, the talisman would be rendered useless. Therefore, mid-grade, yellow rank talismans typically required a cultivation that is at least at the Foundation Building Realm, with the Golden Core Realm being the most optimal.

If one had such a talisman in battle, it could almost certainly turn the tide of the battle.

"The spiritual energy in it is rich and majestic. This is really a mid-grade, yellow rank talisman. However, whether it is a Binding Talisman remains to be seen. We need to find a cultivator who has seen one before to verify it," muttered Lord Tiger.

He looked up at Fang Chen and said, "If this is really a mid-grade, yellow rank Binding Talisman, then the price it could fetch won’t be low. One would be worth at least two hundred low-grade spirit stones. If you're willing to sell, I'll buy it."

"The price is a bit low. How about two hundred and fifty?" Fang Chen smiled. "If you resell it, you could easily earn yourself dozens of spirit stones, risk free."

Lord Tiger fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "Well, even though I wouldn’t be making much of a profit at this price, I can still keep them for personal use."

Fang Chen took out another three Binding Talisman and placed them on the table.

Lord Tiger was startled, and his eyes suddenly turned fiery. "Four Binding Talismans?"

Talismans were a classic example of how quantity could lead to a qualitative change. Adding three more Binding Talismans to the mix wasn’t simply addition. If one Binding Talisman had a certain chance of turning the tide of a battle, then four Binding Talismans... would be a massive trump card! With these on hand, even if one met more than one opponent, two or three, one could still have a fighting chance!

Lord Tiger chuckled awkwardly and said, "Daoist Fang, could you make it a bit cheaper? You see, I just thought it was only one Binding Talisman. If it's four, can we negotiate the price to two hundred and twenty?"

"If that's the case, I'll just sell them to the Heavenly Treasure Pavilion. I believe they would accept them at two hundred and fifty," replied Fang Chen.

Lord Tiger's expression changed several times, but in the end, he gritted his teeth and said softly, "I'll take them. But could you promise me one thing, Daoist Fang?"

Fang Chen smiled. "What?"

Lord Tiger said, "If you happen to have any more mid-grade, yellow rank talismans that you’re willing to sell from now on, I hope that you’ll consider informing me first about them."

Fang Chen nodded "Alright, I promise."

This was one of the reasons Fang Chen came here. Selling the Purple Lightning Talisman was fine, since it belonged to the low grade. However, if he openly sold mid-grade, yellow rank talismans, it would attract too much attention.

Even if the Fang Family's Golden Core Realm cultivators weren't interested in the inheritance of the Purple Lightning Talisman, they might be interested in the inheritance of the Binding Talisman. So selling the talismans to Lord Tiger was one of the best choices he had.

The two completed the transaction. The spirit stones Fang Chen had just given to Lord Tiger were returned right back to Fang Chen.

"Daoist Fang, when it comes to making money, you are much more skilled than I am. Four Binding Talisman for a thousand low-grade spirit stones, it's truly enviable," sighed Lord Tiger.

Fang Chen's expression shifted slightly. "You could do the same if you want."

Lord Tiger's eyes flickered. "What do you mean by that?"

Fang Chen smiled. "Are you interested in the inheritance of the Binding Talisman?"

Lord Tiger sprang to his feet, looking at Fang Chen in surprise. "Are you really willing to sell me the inheritance of the Binding Talisman?"

"You can forget I said anything if you’re not interested,” said Fang Chen.

Lord Tiger responded in a hurry, "Yes, I am interested, interested! But I’m wondering about your asking price. I won’t be able to afford alone it if it’s too expensive.”

Fang Chen smiled. "With your connections, there's no such thing. As for the price, you can decide,” he said. “Everthing is up for sale as long as the price is right, right?”

"Daoist Fang, we really met too late. If I had met you years ago, I would have definitely made a lot more money!" Lord Tiger sighed suddenly, then changed the subject. "The inheritance of the Binding Talisman is extremely important. If the Jue Family, the Fang Family, and even the imperial family, caught wind that you’re selling it, they’ll definitely compete for it. However, in doing so, you would expose yourself to unnecessary trouble. I happen to be able to solve this problem for you."

Lord Tiger proposed, "How about five thousand low-grade spirit stones?"

Fang Chen shook his head slightly. "Too low."

Lord Tiger looked troubled. "Daoist Fang, you may not know this, but it’s very hard to craft these talismans, and it's not easy to find experts in this field. If the price is too high, no one would be willing to pay for it."

Fang Chen said calmly, "One Binding Talisman can sell for two hundred and fifty low-grade spirit stones. If you make twenty of them, you'll break even. I believe even those who can't make these symbols themselves can do the math. I will sell it for ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, not a single stone less. If you know your way around, you can even sell the inheritance for more. I will only take ten thousand and you can keep the rest. But if you don’t have what it takes to do this, then you can forget I said anything.”

"Can I really keep the money if I sell it for more?"

Fang Chen nodded lightly. "Yes."

"Alright, I'll do it.” Lord Tiger smiled again. “I guarantee that within a year, I'll help you sell it."

Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones? That was a massive bargain. He would make up for the loss he suffered with the Shadow Buddha Technique. He was determined to double his profit in this deal.

Fang Chen shook his head and turned down the proposal. "One month. You have only one month. I’ll only put it up for sale for one month, not a second longer."

He couldn't wait for a year.