Chapter Fourteen: A Measure of Talent

There were not many rules among the lower-tier demons; otherwise, a lively deer girl like this one would have long been cast out for her unruliness. Yet as soon as the girl drew near Ji Xun, he noticed the heavy demon aura enveloping her—a sure sign she was a deer demon who had consumed a Transformation Fruit.

"I’m looking for some cultivation manuals. What kinds do you have here?" Ji Xun asked directly.

The deer demon girl replied, "Are you looking for cultivation methods or protective secret arts?"

"Both. Show me what you’ve got," he said.

The girl’s eyes sparkled at the prospect of a big spender. "The manuals are on the third floor. Please follow me."

Together, human and demon ascended the staircase. The wooden stairs were a deep brown; when Ji Xun rested his hand on the banister, he could feel the exceptional hardness of the wood, and there was even a faint resistance to demonic energy.

"Please look at this ‘Tidal Wave Secret Art,’ as well as the ‘Azure Cloud Sword Manual,’ ‘Qianyuan Nine Strengths,’ and ‘Mountain Shaking Sutra.’ These are our bestsellers," she introduced.

"How much in demon silver?" he inquired.

"Let’s see, the ‘Tidal Wave Secret Art’ is 270 taels, ‘Qianyuan Nine Strengths’ is 183 taels… and the ‘Mountain Shaking Sutra’ is 476 taels. If you pay with spirit stones, we can offer a discount."

"……"

"All these manuals and techniques are legitimate, engraved by seasoned demon cultivators. Many contain cultivation insights as well. Immerse your mind in them and they can assist your practice."

"I suggest you choose a method that matches your own bloodline," she added. "For example, the ‘Tidal Wave Secret Art’ suits water-based demons…"

Ji Xun was speechless—the prices were exorbitant, far higher than the figures recorded in the ‘Strange Tales of the Creek.’

He placed his hand on the most expensive manual, the ‘Mountain Shaking Sutra,’ and a stream of information flowed into his consciousness:

[‘Mountain Shaking Sutra’: Profound Grade, Mid-level manual. Once mastered, it bestows the power to move mountains; the strength it grants is unrivaled among peers. Suited to earth and stone-type beasts.]

He touched the other manuals in turn, but none resonated with the longing of his heart and spirit.

Any Profound Grade technique, provided one’s aptitude was sufficient, could theoretically be cultivated to the highest level. However, the disparity in cultivation speed and dueling power between lower and upper grades was like night and day.

"To be honest, these manuals aren’t particularly remarkable. I’m looking for some older, original texts," Ji Xun admitted. Even as he said it, he felt a twinge of guilt—what he really needed was basic knowledge to help refine the ‘Demonic Transmutation Method.’

Alas, his purse was light; even a hero can be stymied by lack of funds. Of the eighty thousand characters in the world, none wound the heart like the word ‘poverty.’

"Our manuals are all fairly recent," the deer demon girl replied.

Then, as if something dawned on her, she scrutinized Ji Xun’s beast-hide attire. Though finely made and tailored to fit, it was crafted from the pelts of common animals.

At last, she understood: her serpentine customer was likely an illegitimate child or from a fallen house. No wonder her colleagues weren’t competing to serve him.

Yet the deer demon girl was kind and good-natured. She continued patiently introducing the various manuals to Ji Xun.

"Can you test aptitudes here?" Ji Xun asked outright.

"We can. Would you like to test for demon aptitude or human aptitude?"

"Human," he replied.

"Very well. We can test human aptitude now, but our test only covers the basics. We can’t assess divine abilities, demon blood purity, or optimal cultivation paths. Is that acceptable to you?"

"No problem. How much is the fee?" Ji Xun asked, recalling that the ‘Strange Tales of the Creek’ had mentioned such tests usually cost three or four taels of demon silver.

"Five taels of demon silver."

The price was reasonable. Ji Xun paid and followed the deer girl back down to the second floor.

The apparatus before him resembled a scale, inscribed with intricate patterns.

This was known as the 'Heaven-Measuring Scale,' though the one before him was of the poorest quality—few humans ever came to the merchants to test their aptitude.

Ji Xun placed his hand on one side of the scale; it immediately tipped toward him. Soon, clusters of spiritual energy appeared on the opposite side.

The deer demon girl counted them carefully before announcing, "Forty in total, with an aptitude weight of four taels."

Ji Xun was somewhat disappointed; his aptitude was only average. Fortunately, his demonic heritage and divine abilities were not taken into account.

Demonic aptitude differed from human. For instance, a demon with a Profound Grade, lower-tier aptitude would typically cap out between Ninth and Eighth Grade of the Profound Realm. Mid-tier matched the Seventh and Sixth Grades; upper-tier corresponded to Fifth and Fourth; supreme aptitude to Third and Second. The very apex, flawless Profound Grade, gave the potential to reach the First Grade of the Profound Realm.

Yet these were only generalities; much depended on resources, opportunity, the strength and compatibility of one's cultivation method, atavistic mutations, innate abilities, and more.

There had even been demons with abysmally poor aptitude who ascended to become Demon Kings.

…

For humans, it was different. It was said that after the Human Emperor established the Human Path, human aptitude and cultivation diverged completely from the demons, forming a system of their own.

Human aptitude was graded from lowest to highest, starting at one qian and rising up to seven taels and two qian.

By this measure, Ji Xun’s four-tael aptitude was above average.

But in truth, it was not exceptional. Those with less than three-tael aptitude could not even embark on the path of cultivation—and the majority of ordinary people possessed less than that.

Ji Xun’s aptitude was merely ordinary. Lacking vast resources and fortuitous opportunities, it would be hard for him to ascend beyond the third rank of the Profound Realm.

The deer demon girl, on the other hand, looked at him with open envy. Her own aptitude, by comparison, was inferior, and that was without considering Ji Xun’s demonic blood.

Ji Xun withdrew his hand and turned to ask, "Is there anywhere nearby that sells older cultivation texts or jade slips?"

"I do know of one," she replied. "There's a Seeking Knowledge Bookstore in the east of the city. The owner specializes in old books, but it’s in a very tucked-away spot. You’ll need to go like this…"

By now, human and demon had descended to the ground floor.

Ji Xun produced a stalk of low-grade Hundred Beasts Grass he had received from the village chief. He had watered it with plenty of beast blood, and it was nearly mid-grade now.

"Will you buy this here?" he asked.

The deer girl was surprised—she had thought the deal was dead. But every little bit counts.

"Low-grade Hundred Beasts Grass usually goes for fifteen… Wait, no, this specimen has been cultivated exceptionally well; it’s almost mid-grade."

Normally, their purchases required the approval of a supervisor or manager. But deer demons had a natural talent for evaluating and identifying grasses, so after settling the price, she could simply call a supervisor to verify.

"In that case, I can offer fifty taels of demon silver. Will that do?"

Ji Xun thought it over. Generally, low-grade Profound Realm natural treasures fetched between ten to a hundred taels of demon silver. This stalk, nearly mid-grade, had a chance of sprouting a Hundred Beasts Flower.

However, since he had used up the effectiveness of beast blood on it, it was of no further use to him. The merchants likely had secret techniques for ripening it further.

All in all, since Hundred Beasts Grass was not too rare, the price seemed fair.

"Fifty-five taels and it’s yours," he countered.

"Deal."

"Convert the demon silver to low-grade spirit stones, and I’ll take a bag of Hundred Beasts Grass seeds as well."

"Certainly. The market rate for spirit stones is high right now, so I can only give you fifty-two stones. Is that acceptable?"

"That’s fine."

A bag of seed only cost one spirit stone.

Ji Xun received fifty-one spirit stones from the supervisor. As he touched them, he felt a chill of spiritual energy seep into his fingertips.

Before leaving, Ji Xun handed the deer demon girl a spirit stone as a tip.