After a brief interrogation and record-taking by the black market enforcers, the crowd dispersed. But Ji Chen noticed several suspicious figures lingering in the distance, their eyes fixed on him and Su Wan.
"We've been marked," he murmured.
Su Wan nodded subtly. "Let's get out of here."
They quickly finished purchasing the rest of their supplies: a basic artifact-crafting kit, a few foundational technique jade slips, and—at Ji Chen's insistence—a thick stack of blank talisman papers. He had an idea to test.
Back at their temporary residence—a small courtyard house tucked deep in a maze of alleys—Su Wan immediately began setting up protective arrays, while Ji Chen sat cross-legged to meditate and heal.
Later that night, when the city had quieted, Ji Chen pulled out the talisman paper and cinnabar ink. Recalling the third tier of the Void Scripture, he began inscribing a long-lost talisman known as the Void Spirit Guard Seal. The scripture detailed each stroke like a divine blueprint—intricate, ancient, and immensely powerful.
The first talisman failed.
The second one formed—barely—but lacked stability.
The third…
"It worked!" Ji Chen stared in disbelief at the glowing seal. Golden light pulsed gently from the talisman's lines, woven like a miniature array. The spiritual force embedded within was potent, far surpassing any modern talisman he'd ever seen.
Su Wan rushed over. When she saw it, her eyes widened. "That's… that's an ancient talisman! Where did you learn this?"
"Void Scripture, third tier." Ji Chen smiled. "Seems unlocking Foundation Stage let me access new knowledge."
She picked it up and examined it carefully, stunned. "This structure… it's more refined than the Su Clan's most advanced protection seal. Ji Chen, do you realize what this is worth?"
"You're saying…"
"We're broke, and you've just found a goldmine." Su Wan grinned. "But we can't sell it here—not after what happened today."
The next few hours passed in a focused blur. Together, they crafted three more talismans, stopping only when Ji Chen depleted his spiritual energy. Despite their exhaustion, both were smiling.
"Tomorrow, we head to Linglong Pavilion," Su Wan said, carefully sealing the talismans away. "It's the largest auction house in the market. They don't ask questions, only take ten percent commission."
Ji Chen nodded, then suddenly frowned. "Zhao Mingyang's last words… The Night Owl Society knows I'm the Void Scripture host now?"
Su Wan's smile faded. "It seems so. And Zhao's ties to the Night Owls go deeper than we thought." She hesitated, then added, "Ji Chen, we have to move faster. As your cultivation grows, more of the scripture will reveal itself—but that means more danger too."
Ji Chen clenched his fist, feeling the power surging through him. "I understand. Foundation Stage is only the beginning. I need to get stronger—not just for myself, but to protect you, to fight back against the Night Owl Society."
She leaned lightly against his shoulder, and the two of them sat there in the quiet, bathed in silver moonlight. Tomorrow would be another step into the unknown—dangerous, yes, but full of promise too.
Far across the city, in the shadows of an abandoned temple, Zhao Mingyang knelt before a veiled figure cloaked in swirling darkness.
"…Confirmed. It's definitely the Void Scripture. I've marked him with a tracking sigil. We can—"
The figure raised a hand, silencing him.
"No rush. Let the fruit ripen a little longer… It tastes sweetest right before the harvest."
Zhao bowed deeply, but in his eyes, jealousy and resentment flickered like flames in the dark.