The Spirit Stone Economy

Chapter 131: Spirit Stones and Spirit Talismans

The other, more common method involved using something called a "Spirit Stone" as currency for transactions between cultivators.

A "Spirit Stone," as its name implied, was a stone imbued with the world's spiritual energy. For cultivators, the energy contained within these stones was an extremely potent supplement.

If a cultivator absorbed the spiritual energy from a Spirit Stone during their daily meditation and cultivation, their training speed would become astonishing. After all, there was a world of difference between a cultivator refining scattered spiritual energy on their own, and having pure, refined energy right beside you, ready for you to absorb and extract at will.

But the greatest use of Spirit Stones was not here. Their primary purpose was as a consumable resource for setting up spell formations and casting spells.

Whether a high-level spell formation succeeded, and how effective it was, often depended on the strength of the Spirit Stones used. Good Spirit Stones not only ensured the success of a formation but also greatly increased its power.

The number of Spirit Stones consumed in spellcasting far exceeded that used in formations. The level and effectiveness of the spells a cultivator could cast were generally determined by their own magical power and cultivation base. It was nearly impossible for them to cast a spell beyond their rank on their own power alone. Therefore, Spirit Stones became the best tool for amplifying one's magical force.

If a cultivator held a Spirit Stone while casting a more powerful spell, the spiritual energy within the stone would continuously replenish the mana they expended, allowing them to forcefully cast a spell that would otherwise be impossible.

Thus, Spirit Stones became the perfect choice for cultivators to struggle for supremacy, to overcome the strong with the weak. They were also the best restorative for quickly recovering one's original strength after a massive loss of mana, greatly increasing one's chance of survival in a conflict.

With so many practical and incredible uses, the value of Spirit Stones naturally soared.

However, due to massive consumption, over-mining, and the increasing scarcity of Spirit Stone veins, in the current cultivation world, Spirit Stones had gradually become rare luxuries. They had become the best guarantee for transactions between cultivators, the unique currency of their world. Accordingly, cultivators had jointly established detailed specifications and grade classifications for them.

Based on the amount of spiritual power they contained, Spirit Stones were divided into four grades: Low-Grade, Mid-Grade, High-Grade, and Supreme Grade. Furthermore, according to the different attributes of the spiritual power they contained, they were also classified into the Five Elemental Spirit Stones: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. There were also rarely seen variant attribute stones, such as Wind or Lightning Spirit Stones, which were naturally even rarer.

Han Li did not own a single Spirit Stone.

He felt he had nothing on him worth trading, so from the very beginning, he had adopted the attitude of a wide-eyed observer. In this relaxed state, he strolled leisurely, looking this way and that, examining everything as he walked along.

Although Han Li appeared calm and unhurried, there were actually many items on these stalls that made his heart race and his mouth water.

Take, for example, the stacks of blank talisman paper that were on every single stall! While these were quite ordinary, they were one of the things Han Li currently needed most.

Although he didn't yet know what the "levels" and "grades" of talisman paper signified, or what the specific differences were, he knew that for his current level of cultivation, the lowest-grade primary-level paper would be more than enough for him to cast the "Spirit-Fixing Technique."

So, if he could get some of this paper, he would immediately have one more spell at his disposal, increasing his combat strength by just a little bit.

Of course, besides talisman paper, the various ready-made talismans—like "Thunderfire Talismans," "Dragonfire Talismans," "Mighty Strength Talismans," and all sorts of other fantastic ones—also tempted him greatly.

In fact, at an inconspicuous stall, Han Li even saw a talisman identical to the one he owned that could produce a golden barrier. The price marker next to it was very clear: "Vajra Talisman. Metal-attribute. Primary Mid-Grade. Defensive talisman. Price: Nine Low-Grade Spirit Stones."

After walking around so many stalls, Han Li had gained a basic understanding of talisman prices. A dozen sheets of blank Primary Low-Grade paper could be bought for a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone. A completed Primary Low-Grade spell talisman, depending on the type of spell, would sell for one to two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

As for Primary Mid-Grade talismans, the price immediately multiplied several times, selling for between six and ten Spirit Stones, with defensive talismans being slightly more expensive than offensive ones.

Since he owned a similar item, Han Li naturally paid close attention.

After carefully examining the Vajra Talisman on the stall, he found that its spiritual energy was far more abundant than the one he kept in his bosom. It was clearly a new, unused product. He estimated that his faded, used talisman could only sell for about a third of that price.

After reaching this conclusion, Han Li smiled wryly. It seemed that among these cultivators, he was truly a pauper. He couldn't help but feel the items on his body, then his mind stirred, recalling the talisman painted with a small sword that he had in his bosom.

Although he still didn't know the name of that talisman, Han Li was confident it was worth more than the Vajra Talisman.

With this thought, Han Li began to pay closer attention to the various stalls, looking for any talisman similar to the one with the small sword.

Unfortunately, after browsing through many stalls, he still found nothing similar. However, at one spot where five or six cultivators were gathered, he found someone selling a Primary High-Grade talisman.

The sign next to the talisman read: "Heavenly Flight Talisman. Wind-attribute. Primary High-Grade. Movement-type. Price: Thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, or the equivalent value in pills for consolidating the foundation and nourishing the origin."

Han Li was startled when he saw this sign.

You see, after walking around so many stalls, this was the first High-Grade Primary talisman he had seen. He focused his gaze and observed. Indeed, the spiritual energy on that talisman was astonishingly dense, far beyond what he had seen on Low or Mid-Grade talismans.

"Twenty Spirit Stones. Deal?" a horse-faced man with bare feet, who was among the onlookers, couldn't help but ask.

The owner of the stall was a lean, spirited young man wearing a straw hat. He simply pointed at the sign and ignored the man.

"It's just a flight talisman, not an attack or defense one. Twenty is already a lot!" the horse-faced man who had made the bid said, unwilling to give up.

"Hmph! If it were an attack or defense talisman, would I only be selling it for thirty? Without fifty, I wouldn't even let you look! If you're looking for a bargain, go somewhere else. You're not welcome here." The youth finally spoke, his tone icy. But once he opened his mouth, he flushed the other man's face red with anger.

"Fine! I, Ye Bao of the Qin Ye Ridge, have remembered you. After the assembly, if you have the balls, we can have a nice sparring session." the horse-faced man said in a rage.

"Qin Ye Ridge?" Han Li, who had been watching the scene with amusement from the side, suddenly felt a shock upon hearing this name.

"Isn't that the place that dwarf I killed claimed to be from? Even though I don't know if the dwarf's words were true or false, since this man claims to be a member of the Ye Clan, I should still be careful."

Thinking this, Han Li subconsciously took a few steps back, quietly left the area, and moved to the next stall. However, the part of the sign about trading for pills to consolidate the foundation and nourish the origin stuck in his mind.

He remembered he still had a good number of unused "Yellow Dragon Pills" and "Golden Marrow Pills" left. He wondered if they met the youth's requirements. When the crowd thinned out, he would go and ask! If he succeeded, he would have some capital to trade for the goods he needed.

Thinking this over, Han Li glanced back at the youth's stall, only to find that Ye Bao was no longer there, having gone off to who knows where. Among the few people left, another person had pulled out a bottle and handed it to the youth.

The youth opened the bottle, sniffed it, then gently shook his head and returned the bottle to its owner. The bottle's original owner could only leave with a look of regret, and the few others with him, seemingly his companions, left as well. Now, the stall was empty.

Seeing this, Han Li was secretly delighted. He slowly strolled back to the youth's stall. Seeing Han Li return, the youth was a little surprised, clearly recognizing him as someone who had just been there.

Han Li didn't mind and smiled at the youth.

"I have two types of medicine. See if they meet your requirements?"

Having said this, he took out one green and one blue small porcelain bottle and placed them before the youth.

Without another word, the youth picked up both bottles and opened their lids. He brought his nose close to the mouths of the bottles, sniffed each one forcefully, and his face took on a thoughtful expression.

The youth hesitated for a moment. Instead of answering immediately, he gently placed the bottles back in front of Han Li.

"So?" Han Li blinked and asked.

"To be honest, the pills in your two bottles are a bit better than the ones the others showed me. But for me, they're still not quite enough." The youth hesitated once more, then shook his head in refusal.