Sebastian, quieter and more reserved, looked awkward as he finally spoke. “I… came for talisman paper.”

  “Have you picked yet?”

  “I’m looking.”

  Lauren thought about it—Sebastian had been studying talismans for years. If anyone knew his way around good paper, it was him. She decided to ask.

  “Which kind is best?”

  Sebastian pulled out a neat stack of pale yellow sheets. “This is the highest grade avaible on the market. Also the most expensive.”

  “What makes it the best?”

  Sebastian froze.

  Nash nudged him with an elbow and whispered, “Ms. Lauren's testing you.”

  Lauren nearly jumped. “No, no! Don’t listen to him. I’m genuinely asking. Sebastian, don’t be nervous—it’s fine if you don’t answer.”

  Sebastian exhaled slowly, then expined, “This paper is made from century-old Seven Star Grass. That’s the best you’ll find on the open market. After a hundred years, Seven Star Grass blooms, and most of it dies after flowering. Herb gardens usually harvest it before that, so century-old stock is rare.”

  Lauren nodded. That tracked. Anything older might exist, but it’d be rare, hoarded, and not up for sale.

  She turned to the shopkeeper. “I’ll take five thousand sheets of this.”

  The room went dead silent.

  “…Five thousand?”

  Nash’s knees went weak.

  Sebastian’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

  Even the shopkeeper froze, blinking at her like she’d just sprouted horns. He set down his ledger with exaggerated care, staring between Lauren and Sebastian.

  If Sebastian hadn’t been standing right there, he’d have assumed this little veiled girl was here just to cause trouble.

  “You… want five thousand sheets of the best talisman paper?”

  Lauren tilted her head. “Yes. What’s wrong? Don’t you have that much in stock?”

  The shopkeeper coughed. “It’s not about stock, girl. Do you even know how much each sheet costs?”

  Lauren said matter-of-factly, “Sebastian’s here, so I’m sure you won’t overcharge me.”

  She’d noticed immediately that Sebastian only ever bought the best. If this was his regur shop, then the boss wouldn’t dare py games with him.

  The shopkeeper hesitated, then gave a stiff nod. True enough—he wouldn’t dare gouge Sebastian. But still…

  Both he and Sebastian were thinking the same thing.

  Does this little girl actually understand how many spirit stones she’s about to throw down?

  “Do you even have that many spirit stones?” the shopkeeper pressed, squinting at her.

  Before Lauren could answer, Sebastian and Nash blurted out together, “She does.”

  Of course she did. She was the Immortal Lord’s disciple—the youngest second-generation Immortal on the whole continent. If anyone was swimming in spirit stones, it had to be her. Why else would she casually buy five thousand sheets without even asking the price?

  Lauren only smiled, looking a little sheepish. “Boss, just tell me how much.”

  The shopkeeper leaned forward, voice deliberate. “This is top-grade talisman paper. Ten low-grade spirit stones per sheet. Five thousand sheets makes fifty thousand low-grade spirit stones. So tell me, little girl, how do you pn to pay?”

  Lauren slipped a hand into her storage bracelet. “Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”

  All of it came from Yusuf’s loot.

  The shopkeeper froze. “…You really do have them.”

  Lauren didn’t even blink. “Also, prepare some cinnabar and smoke ink for me. Enough to draw all five thousand talismans.”

  “Yes, yes! At once.” His tone flipped into pure respect, and he hurried off.

  Not long after, the attendants carried out bundles of talisman paper, boxes of cinnabar, and jars of smoke ink.

  Lauren asked casually, “How much for the cinnabar and smoke ink?”

  The shopkeeper waved his hands quickly. “You’ve bought so much talisman paper already—the cinnabar and ink are free.”

  Lauren’s lips curved in a smile. “Thank you.” With a flick of her wrist, she swept everything neatly into her bracelet.

  When she turned, Sebastian and Nash were staring at her with open admiration. It must be amazing, being the disciple of an Immortal Master.

  Lauren only chuckled, letting them think what they wanted.

  The three of them left together. Behind them, the shopkeeper watched her vanish into the crowd, uneasy. There’s no way she’s just a new disciple. No one that young throws around fifty thousand stones like pocket change. She must be some elder in disguise… or this is just one of those sect welfare purchases for the Immortal Lord’s disciples.

  Back at Starfell Summit, Lauren immediately began cultivating with the smoke ink.

  From her chat with Sebastian and Nash, she’d learned Dante and the others were in seclusion, pushing toward Core Formation. They had asked about her own pns, but she wasn’t in a rush.

  She was already one small step away from the tenth level of Foundation Establishment—Great Perfection. Rushing before had gotten her far, but now? Now it was better to move slow, steady, and solidify her realm.

  In the meantime, she would focus on perfecting her talisman craft.

  Since Indiana was still alive and kicking, Lauren had to rethink her pns.

  In the original novel, Indiana came back to kill after reaching the Great Perfection of Core Formation. Whether that timeline would change now, no one could say.

  Which meant she needed to stockpile a hell of a lot of talismans to protect her family.

  This time, she tried a second-grade Explosive Spirit Talisman.

  To her shock, it worked on the very first try.

  Lauren was giddy. She drew twenty straight before dizziness forced her to stop.

  The difference between first and second grade wasn’t in the brushstrokes—they looked nearly identical—but the mental strain was several times heavier.

  She dug through the Alchemy Sect inheritance Tyler had given her, searching every elixir recipe, but none of them restored mental energy.

  So what—was she just supposed to lie down and nap every time she ran out of juice?

  Figuring the little bck dragon might know better, Lauren asked, “Edmund, is there anything that can quickly restore mental energy?”

  “Sleep.”

  She gave him a deadpan stare. Do you really need to tell me that?

  “Besides sleeping?”

  Edmund fluttered out of her core, nded on the table, and gred at the growing pile of talismans. “You’re too damn greedy.”

  Lauren: “…”

  “You’ve already cranked out this many on your first try. What else do you want?”

  “I want to be able to draw a fourth-grade Explosive Spirit Talisman. Preferably a few hundred.”

  Edmund blinked at her. “How soon?”

  “Within a year.”

  He stared silently for a long moment, then wordlessly flew back into her core.

  Lauren frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean? If you don’t know, just say you don’t know. Why run away?”

  “Greedy, delusional human. Why don’t you just say you’ll ascend in ten years while you’re at it?”

  “I want to, but that’s obviously impossible.”

  He ignored her and closed his eyes.

  “Ah, don’t sulk,” she muttered.

  Finally, Edmund said, calm again, “I’ve never heard of an elixir that restores mental strength. But there’s a kind of tea…”

  Lauren perked up.

  “Have you heard of the Nine Sacred Trees?”

  She shook her head.

  “One of them is called the Weak Tree. Brew its freshest leaves with Weak Water, and your spiritual strength will recover.”