Immortality Starts With Investment

Chapter 44: The Worst Class Iʼve Ever Trained!

Green Cloud Shop.

When Ye Chen arrived, the attendants immediately recognized him. Not only because he often visited, but also because his reputation had spread throughout the market.The number one simp of Silver Moon Market. Theyʼd heard that Ye Chen bought all sorts of spells, storage bags, and other items from Green Cloud Shop, only to give them away to female cultivators. It was utterly absurd.

Almost immediately, a fairly attractive attendant approached, batting her eyelashes. ”Fellow Daoist, may I ask what you need? I can provide anything here.…”

She was trying so hard to be seductive that Ye Chen wouldʼve thought he had accidentally wandered into a brothel if he didnʼt know any better.

”Iʼm looking for Manager Sun.”

Noticing the systemʼs inactivity, Ye Chen couldnʼt be bothered to entertain her. The attendant, clearly disappointed, quickly went to the back to call the manager.

Soon after, Sun Ye arrived. The moment he saw Ye Chen, his face lit up. Every time Ye Chen visited, he brought money, and Sun Ye was all too happy to welcome him. He immediately gestured for Ye Chen to follow him upstairs to a private room.

”My young friend, I didnʼt know you were interested in a storage bag last time. I have a second-hand one here, good as new, for only ninety low-grade spirit stones. What are you here for today? Spells? Pills? Magic tools? No matter what it is, Green Cloud Shop has everything you could want. If we donʼt have it in stock right now, we can always pre-order it from Green Cloud City and have it delivered the next time you come by.”

Sun Ye spoke enthusiastically, his eyes glimmering with greed. Ye Chen couldnʼt help but appreciate his avarice. After all, wasnʼt that how he would get close to his daughter?

Ye Chen smiled and shook his head, taking out a hundred low-grade spirit stones. ”As we agreed, Senior, I would like to learn talisman-making from you. A month, four classes per month, one medium-grade spirit stone. How about I start with a month?”

Upon hearing this, Sun Yeʼs face showed a slight surprise. Ye Chen was actually serious about learning? One class for twenty-five low-grade spirit stones wasnʼt cheap. But what mattered most wasnʼt just the tuition.

Talisman-making consumed a lot of materials. A beginner would waste a significant amount of resources before successfully crafting even a single talisman. The upfront costs were extremely high. This was why many rogue cultivators, despite knowing that talisman-making and pill refinement were profitable fields, didnʼt bother to learn. They simply couldnʼt afford the initial costs, let alone sustain their training.

Sun Ye, already aware of Ye Chenʼs background, knew he came from a small cultivation family. How much could they possibly afford? It was already surprising that Ye Chen could pay for pill refinement lessons, but talisman-making seemed out of reach.

Sun Ye hadnʼt expected him to actually come. Still, despite his thoughts, Sun Yeʼs actions were swift. The spirit stones on the table were quickly collected. With a wide smile, he agreed. ”Since youʼve already brought the tuition, of course, you can start! Though… how about paying a bit more upfront? If you pay for half a yearʼs tuition, Iʼll waive half a medium-grade spirit stone.”

Hearing this, Ye Chenʼs mouth twitched.

At that moment, Sun Ye resembled a gym instructor. He clearly wasnʼt being generous. Instead, he was betting that Ye Chen wouldnʼt stick with the lessons for long. He figured Ye Chen might quit after a month, so Sun Ye was trying to get more out of him while he could.

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Ye Chen shook his head. ”Letʼs see how the first lesson goes. If itʼs effective, Iʼll continue. If not, then Iʼll pass. After all, the cost of learning talisman-making from you isnʼt exactly cheap.”

Upon hearing the refusal, Sun Ye wasnʼt disappointed. In fact, he was even more determined to make sure the first month was a success. He would praise Ye Chen, ensuring he felt like he gained something from the lessons.

Once that happened, Ye Chen would likely continue paying, and then Sun Ye could push him to ask the Ye family for more resources, paying a larger sum upfront for tuition.

With that thought in mind, Sun Ye smiled even wider. ”Of course, no rush, no rush! I have time today, so how about we start the first lesson right now?”

Ye Chen had no objections and nodded. Talisman-making was an important skill for cultivators. The essence of a talisman was to create a paper that could trigger a spell through formations. The advantages of talismans were significant. They could help cultivators activate spells they hadnʼt learned, and many rogue cultivators, unable to afford expensive spells, bought talismans for self-defense.

However, talismans had their drawbacks. The user couldnʼt control the spell in the same way they would an actual technique, and the spellʼs power was fixed. Additionally, the talisman had to be activated first, which made it easy for enemies to anticipate and counter. Nonetheless, talismans had a strong market, especially for those in need of basic defense.

Although Ye Chenʼs main reason for learning talisman-making was to get closer to Sun Yeʼs daughter, Sun Ruxin, he wasnʼt planning to slack off. And since Sun Ye was a master at talisman-making, Ye Chen had every intention of learning the craft properly. Having more skills was never a bad thing. Ye Chen had already learned pill refinement, but adding talisman-making to his repertoire wouldnʼt hurt.

Just as he was about to start, Sun Ye asked, ”You didnʼt bring a talisman pen, ink, or paper, did you? Weʼll use what my daughter has left from her practice.”

Ye Chen nodded, thinking Sun Ye wasnʼt so bad after all.

But then Sun Ye added, ”Iʼll charge you one low-grade spirit stone for these materials.”

Ye Chenʼs expression froze.

Iʼll let this slide… but just wait until I get your daughter, you old man!

Ye Chen had intended to learn properly. But in less than half an hour of the lesson, Sun Yeʼs expression turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. Shouts of anger echoed through the room.

”Are you drawing ghost symbols?!”

”Iʼve told you a hundred times already! When you write, your spiritual power needs to flow evenly, what is wrong with you?!”

”Focus! Focus! What are you even looking at?!

”Iʼve never seen such a hopeless case!”

Sun Yeʼs enraged voice carried all the way downstairs, making the attendants exchange curious glances.

Meanwhile, in the private room, Ye Chenʼs mouth twitched, and his face grew darker. It wasnʼt that he was upset by Sun Yeʼs berating. It was more that he realized his own learning ability seemed truly lacking. Back when his previous self was learning pill refining, heʼd also been scolded constantly. But the thing was, the person doing the scolding had been his second uncle, so the criticisms had never been too harsh.

Ye Chen had simply assumed his second uncle hadnʼt taught well enough, and that his previous selfʼs talent wasnʼt all that bad. Later, with his perfect understanding of the first-grade Alchemist path, Ye Chen never really thought about talent anymore.

However, as he sat through the talisman lesson today, listening to Sun Yeʼs explanation, he was still utterly confused. No matter how hard he tried to grasp the material, he couldnʼt catch the core points. Even when he understood the theory, his hands couldnʼt keep up, and his spiritual power couldnʼt be properly channeled.

This confirmed one thing for Ye Chen: His bodyʼs innate learning ability was truly awful.

By the end of the lesson, Sun Yeʼs face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. If it werenʼt for the spirit stones, he wouldnʼt even want to look at Ye Chen. No wonder Ye Cheng had switched from teaching pill-refining to talisman-making.

Ye Chen, feeling awkward, finally spoke up, ”Uh, Senior, are we still continuing the lessons? If youʼre not planning to teach….”

Sun Yeʼs face darkened further. ”Since Iʼve taken your money, of course, Iʼll teach. Go back and practice well.”

He wasnʼt about to refund the fee. In fact, he was worried that Ye Chen might try to quit, so he rushed off without another word. But inwardly, he sighed in regret. With Ye Chenʼs aptitude, he doubted heʼd even make it to next monthʼs fee. Ye Chen was the worst student heʼd ever had!

Ye Chen couldnʼt help but feel a bit defeated. While he hadnʼt originally planned to make talisman-making his main focus, realizing just how bad his talent was still stung a little.