"Hopefully, the shop won't be too shabby."

The location of a shop was quite important; a three-hundred-Spirit-Stone shop was definitely both small and out of the way.

Jade Cauldron Market was larger than Black Desert Marketplace, safer, and had more Cultivators coming and going. The rental price for shops would also be higher. Zhang Pengpeng had once inquired about shops for Jia Ren in the Black Desert Marketplace. The cheapest one cost eight hundred Spirit Stones a year, and its location wasn't very good. Switching to Jade Cauldron Market, for the same location, it would cost at least one thousand Spirit Stones a year.

Jia Ren found the shop location indicated by Zhang Pengpeng and, from a distance, saw her waving towards him.

A junk shop?!

He looked at the shop's location; it was bustling with people, with many Cultivators gathered around. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a golden, high-traffic spot. The shop space was not small, and it was in a prime location. It should cost at least one thousand eight hundred Spirit Stones a year.

Rent it for three hundred Spirit Stones? Are you sure the owner didn't run off with his mistress, leaving the shop in debt?

"Senior Shi, the shop's location isn't that great. It's really good of you to be willing to take it over."

"..."

Blatant lies, but... I like what I'm hearing.

"Let's sign the contract!"

Others are eagerly trying to hand it over; wouldn't it be too cruel to refuse?

Three hundred Spirit Stones secured a one-year lease. This price was almost like getting it for free. Subleasing it would bring a considerable income.

"The Gathering Stars Trade Association extends its greetings to you."

Gathering Stars Trade Association? The other party just did me a favor, without mentioning any recruitment.

There are still good people in the world after all! This was my first feeling after reaching Foundation Establishment.

In the Great Wilderness's Qi Refinement Realm, every bit of resource was fiercely contested. He had just discovered the Lake of Smoky Waves and started selling a few Spirit Fish. Within a couple of days, this attracted a large number of Loose Cultivators who followed suit and competed. Night assaults, forceful looting, murder for treasure, conscripting Loose Cultivators... He had seen too many such things. Loose Cultivators scrambled for the smallest profit, fighting each other to the death. Sects brandished their sickles, constantly harvesting the 'chives'—new faces appearing in the Great Wilderness Market only to be replaced frequently.

After breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, everything changed completely. All the former scheming vanished. The people he met were quite amiable and respectful, creating a joyous scene.

"No wonder Cultivators chase after power, striving to break through to Foundation Establishment. The difference in treatment is indeed like heaven and earth."

"Senior Brother, what should we name the shop?"

Having opened a new shop, it needed a name for convenience in future operations and to attract customers.

A name for the shop? I indeed hadn't thought about it beforehand.

Jia Ren inexplicably remembered the first shop he visited after transmigrating.

"Let's call it Just A Small Shop."

The signboard was quickly prepared. The shop was relatively intact, with previous items not moved out, so he took it over directly. Just A Small Shop's main business was miscellaneous, operating like a general store. Jia Ren put up for sale the excess Elixirs, Talismans, and six Spirit Gathering Array Plates he had made. The Elixirs and Talismans sold wouldn't be of excessively high quality, Master Level standard at the highest. Grandmaster Level and above treasures were too conspicuous and easily invited trouble. I'll have to work a bit harder and use them myself.

"We undertake the refining of High-Grade Magic Artifacts, Talismans, and Elixirs, and purchase materials for Evil-warding Treasures."

Gathering materials and refining Elixirs and Magic Artifacts on my own is too wasteful of time and effort, and then I still have to sell them. Thanks to the market service of crafting Evil Warding Talismans, Jia Ren came up with a solution. And that was to offer proxy refining services for Magic Artifacts, Talismans, and Elixirs. This way, he could use other people's materials to increase his Proficiency Level while also making a profit. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he wouldn't accept low-level items; at the very least, the Talismans, Magic Artifacts, and Elixirs had to be First Order Superior Grade.

"Congratulations, Daoist friend, on the opening of your shop! Just A Small Shop, what a good name! This is a congratulatory gift."

"The Gathering Stars Trade Association wishes Senior a prosperous business."

"Yun Mo Workshop wishes Senior Shi abundant wealth."

Just A Small Shop was tidied up for half a day and then opened for business. Several Foundation Establishment Cultivators from Tianbao Pavilion personally came to show their support, and several large shops also sent representatives with congratulatory gifts. Within a short time, the value of the received congratulatory gifts alone exceeded ten thousand Spirit Stones, surpassing the revenue an ordinary shop might see in several years.

Jia Ren stroked his chin, hesitating whether or not to open a few more branches...

"Thank you, fellow Daoists."

The opening event was sensational, drawing the attention of many Loose Cultivators, and the news spread at an astonishing speed. Soon, almost everyone knew that Just A Small Shop was opened by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. This would deter many undiscerning individuals from causing trouble.

"You undertake Magic Artifact, Talisman, and Elixir crafting? Daoist friend is also versed in Artifact Refining. Daoist Shi... you might be biting off more than you can chew."

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator named Liu was there for the opening and also inquired about the shop's services. I thought Jia Ren was proficient in Formations; I didn't expect him to have learned so much. Learning Cultivation skills isn't easy. Mastering each one requires a great deal of time and effort, let alone dabbling in all Four Arts of Cultivation. Such arrogance!

"I was originally a Loose Cultivator," Shi Bai said. "To earn Spirit Stones, I had to work hard and learn a few extra skills, which is always beneficial."

Being a Loose Cultivator was arduous, and those who reached Foundation Establishment as Loose Cultivators were even rarer. This person must have had considerable difficulty successfully achieving Foundation Establishment, let alone hanging up their signboard. They must have mastered all Four Arts of Cultivation. His gaze fell upon a Talisman on display, and his eyes locked onto it. A Featherweight Talisman? The quality isn't bad.

He picked up a bottle of Spirit Enhancement Pills from the stand, opened it, and took a sniff; his expression involuntarily stiffened, and he stood there petrified. One couldn't easily judge the quality of Talismans and Magic Artifacts without using them, as their appearance alone wasn't indicative of their true quality. Elixirs were different. The Yuding Sect specialized in Alchemy. Even though he wasn't an Alchemist, he had learned enough by association to have a good grasp of evaluating Elixirs. As a Cultivator who had consumed quite a few Master Level Spirit Enhancement Pills, he could smell that this was a Master Level quality pill, seemingly even a notch higher than those he had consumed before. A Master Level Alchemist?

The other Cultivators present who had come to show their support turned their attention to the Talismans. For example, the Cultivator from Yun Mo Workshop was equally shocked.

"Does Senior Shi have any interest in going to Starflow Workshop? In three months, the Tian Fu Sect will organize a Talisman Masters exchange at Starflow Workshop, to discuss the Path of Charms and make friends through Talismans." After all, this place was under the Yuding Sect's jurisdiction. With a Yuding Sect Foundation Establishment Cultivator present, he didn't dare try to poach someone right in front of them.

"I will consider it."

Talisman Master exchanges aren't that important. As long as I'm supplied with enough materials for refining and practice more, that's the best teacher. In time, surpassing the creator of the Talisman isn't difficult. The only useful thing is to learn unmastered Talismans. The problem is... Cultivators value their cultivation skills highly and usually keep them secret, not easily disclosing them. Thus, acquiring new ones isn't easy. However, this is at least an opportunity to obtain new Talismans.

"Daoist Shi, you've kept yourself quite hidden."

"With such a level of Alchemy Skills, studying other Cultivation arts would be a tremendous waste."

"Would you be willing to join the Yuding Sect? We offer twice the benefits you've had before."

"The Yuding Sect also has Second Order and Third Rank Alchemy Inheritances for you to choose from."

"Although I'm not sure what Alchemy Inheritance you've received, it seems to be a First Order one."

"Once your strength reaches the Foundation Establishment Stage, few find First Order Elixirs useful. Why not join the Yuding Sect?"

Liu, the Foundation Establishment Cultivator, invited Jia Ren to join the Yuding Sect. Initially, he considered him a fellow Foundation Establishment Cultivator, a talent all Great Sects endeavored to recruit. More recently, his talent in the Formation Path, revealed by selling the Spirit Gathering Array Plate, had caught their attention. Otherwise, he wouldn't have rashly purchased materials for the Seal-Demon Formation. Array Masters were already in high demand, and when combined with the status of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he was worth a great deal of effort. Just a few days had passed, and Shi Bai had become... an Alchemist, and a Master Level one at that! As a sect focused on Alchemy, the Yuding Sect currently had only three Alchemy Grandmasters. Alchemy Masters were relatively more numerous but still numbered just nine. This person's talent for Alchemy was not weak, and he would be of great help to the Yuding Sect in the future.

"Give me some time to consider this matter."

I'm just stalling. As long as I don't outright refuse, they won't turn hostile. Who knows how long I'll stay in Jade Cauldron Market? It's best to delay as long as possible.

Several people bought Elixirs and Talismans and left satisfied, making the first day's business a roaring success.

"Just A Small Shop's business isn't bad, and the quality of the Elixirs is indeed high," Li Qiurong commented, holding a bottle of Spirit Enhancement Pills and analyzing its effects.

"I really wish to invite him to join the Yuding Sect."

"Do you know why you failed?"

"It's because you don't understand your target well enough."

"According to the information I have, Shi Bai is a Loose Cultivator who escaped from the Great Wilderness Market. He has already suffered exploitation by the Five Elements Sect in the past and was possibly even forcibly conscripted by them. So, he likely doesn't hold a good impression of Sects."

"Persuading him won't be an easy task. It's best to offer him a treasure he cannot refuse."

"If you can't do it, then leave it to me!"

「...」

The reputation of the Master Level Alchemist, Talisman Crafter, and Foundation Establishment Cultivator spread quickly, and the store's items sold out. Jia Ren sold off the long-accumulated junk, exchanging it for Spirit Stones. He still had many Grandmaster Level Talismans and Elixirs that were better left unseen.

Sigh, having quality that's too good is also a mistake.

Jia Ren sat in the back room of Just A Small Shop, looking at the pile of these Grandmaster Level Talismans and Elixirs. These were treasures that others couldn't buy no matter how many Spirit Stones they spent.

From now on, I can only make junk goods and earn some ill-gotten gains.

"Junior Brother, I have tallied the Spirit Stones, totaling seven thousand five hundred seventy-two."

The first day's revenue far exceeded expectations; the amount of Spirit Stones earned from sales was astonishing. After the reputation of the Master Level Elixirs and Talismans spread, many people rushed to purchase them. The amount of Spirit Stones earned from sales was not a small sum. This kind of success couldn't last forever. It was mostly due to the Cultivators who supported the business by buying up the Elixirs and Talismans.

"I'll take nine thousand Spirit Stones for myself. The Spirit Stones earned from the shop's sales will mainly be used to acquire resources."

Jia Ren left another batch of Elixirs and Talismans. He decided that the shop would focus on selling high-quality products and have a daily purchase limit from now on. He wouldn't waste his valuable time making Elixirs and Talismans that were useless to him and couldn't improve his Proficiency Level, just to earn some Spirit Stones. Just A Small Shop would build a reputation for quality, and it would inevitably receive commissions. Why would anyone seek help from you, risking their safety, if you weren't a Talisman Master or an Alchemy Master?

There were no problems with Elixirs and Talismans, but for now, he couldn't make a name for himself in Magic Artifacts and Formations.

Take it slowly.

Jia Ren handed Just A Small Shop over to Zhang Pengpeng to manage and headed straight for the Surging River.

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