Chapter 152: Chapter 96: It’s Time for the Child to Practice Martial Arts_1 Lu Changsheng walked out of Myriad Treasures Pavilion and looked at the bustling street, exhaling lightly. After a busy half a day, he had finally cleared out all the items from the Kou family’s five felons. In total, he had sold four thousand one hundred and ten Spirit Stones. It was more or less what he had estimated at the time. If he had also sold all the sundry things he had retained for himself, such as the Supreme Magic Artifact Flying Dagger, the Superior Magic Artifact Shield, the Elixir Medicines, Talismans, and other materials, he would have had around seven thousand Spirit Stones. However, selling Elixir Medicines, Talismans, and materials was troublesome. Since Lu Changsheng could use those items himself, he couldn’t be bothered to sell them. And so, he spent all the Spirit Stones he had, not sparing a single one. All of them went into purchasing materials for crafting a Second Rank Puppet. However, the cost of crafting a Second Rank Puppet was indeed high. After asking about the prices of various materials, Lu Changsheng had a rough idea of how much a Second Rank Puppet would cost to create. At least three thousand Spirit Stones to start. As for the upper limit, that was harder to say. Because puppets were unlike Alchemy, Artifact Refining, or Talisman Making. There were many kinds of puppets. Broadly defined, there were combat puppets, auxiliary puppets, and special puppets. In terms of appearance, there were humanoid puppets and beast-shaped puppets. In size, there were small, large, and gigantic puppets. Different puppets consumed completely different amounts of materials, and the time consumed also varied greatly. A gigantic puppet could consume several times or even dozens of times the materials of a small puppet. Due to limited finances, time, and environment, Lu Changsheng didn’t set his sights too high. He directly skipped over large and gigantic puppets, preparing to first craft a small, humanoid Second Rank Puppet that would cost three thousand Spirit Stones. After all, he mainly needed the puppet for self-defense. In case of emergencies, it would serve as an additional method. This kind of small puppet, with combat power roughly equivalent to the early stages of Foundation Establishment, would be sufficient for his use. However, because he had purchased a Supreme Quality Talisman Brush and talisman materials, he didn’t have enough Spirit Stones. He still hadn’t collected all the materials needed to craft this puppet. He was short by about five hundred Spirit Stones. Lu Changsheng was not in a hurry. He planned to leave it at that for the time being. First, he would complete the drawing of the Second Rank Talismans he had bought. By that time, he would have almost enough money to gather the rest of the materials. In any case, even if he did have all the materials, he didn’t have the time or energy to craft the puppet right now. Just like the materials for the two puppets he had bought before, he hadn’t had the time to fully craft them yet. Let alone crafting a Second Rank Puppet. Lu Changsheng walked along the street, not heading straight home, but finding an inn instead. In the room, he checked to see if he was being tracked or left with any marks. Although places like Qingyun Commerce Guild and Myriad Treasures Pavilion wouldn’t do such things, but as the saying goes, it doesn’t hurt to be careful. After making sure there were no issues, Lu Changsheng changed his appearance and put on a new set of clothes, then left the inn and Nine Dragons Market. He went around the marketplace, destroyed the clothes and temporary identity token he had used, and then returned to Nine Dragons Market. After arriving at the Spiritual Talisman Shop, the Shopkeeper Zhang Shan saw Lu Changsheng and reported to him about the business matters of the shop over the past few days. He also told Lu Changsheng that someone from White Jade Tower had come three days earlier, asking him to visit when he had the time. Hearing this, Lu Changsheng immediately knew it was about the two maids he had previously purchased from White Jade Tower. “Alright, I got it,” Lu Changsheng nodded. He wasn’t in a rush to go to White Jade Tower. It was acceptable to visit White Jade Tower within a month of receiving the notice. “Phew!” 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 After taking a seat in a chair in the shop on the third floor, Lu Changsheng took a long breath. His tightly wound mental spirit finally relaxed completely at this moment. Then, he took out the Jade Bamboo Liquor from his Storage Bag and poured himself a cup. Today’s back-and-forth with the selling and clearing up had kept his mental spirit taut, as if bearing a heavy load, and he was somewhat mentally exhausted. Therefore, Lu Changsheng did not immediately attempt to draw a Second Rank Talisman. His mental spirit was somewhat fatigued now, and in a poor state; if he failed the drawing, it would be quite painful. After all, the cost of a Second Rank Talisman was indeed a bit high. Thinking of how other Talisman Masters had to spend money to practice, Lu Changsheng understood why the profit margin for Talismans was so high. Because they burned through so much money, if the profits weren’t high, who would do it? After sipping two cups of Jade Bamboo Liquor and resting for a while, Lu Changsheng took out the Red Glow Talisman Brush and began to draw Superior Grade Talismans. He needed to replenish his Talisman stock as they were running low, and also to get accustomed to this new talisman brush. “As expected of a Supreme Talisman Brush, the flow of spiritual power is clearly smoother when drawing Talismans,” “Even when spiritual power fluctuates slightly and becomes too scattered, it helps to smooth it out.” After drawing two Superior Grade Talismans and experiencing the effects of the Supreme Talisman Brush, Lu Changsheng nodded in approval. But this was just an additional effect of the talisman brush. The main effect of the Supreme Talisman Brush was to endure the surge of Spirit Ink and Spiritual Power, better outlining the talisman lines on the talisman paper. For example, with a Middle Grade Artifact Talisman Brush, no matter how high the Talisman-Making Skill, one couldn’t use it to draw Second Rank Talismans. Night fell. Lu Changsheng returned to his residence. He inquired about the home situation with Xiaoqing and the others over the past few days. Apart from the birth of his forty-second child, there weren’t any other significant events. Lu Changsheng nodded slightly, glanced at the child, had a meal, and then went to bed early to rest. The next day, Lu Changsheng, fully refreshed, came to the Talisman Room of the Spiritual Talisman Shop. Preparing to begin drawing the Second Rank Talismans. He laid out the pale purple beast skin talisman paper, took the Red Glow Talisman Brush, and imbibed the talisman ink made from Demon Beast blood into the tip of the brush.