Chapter 37: The Studio of Artistic Conception

After finishing the illustrated storybook, he prepared to take it to a trading firm to have it published and earn some spirit stones.

He found a firm called the Muqing Trading Firm. Upon entering, he approached the manager, produced *The Legend of the White Snake*, and explained his proposal. The manager glanced at the cover. *The Legend of the White Snake?* His first impression was quite strange. A supervisor standing nearby thought it was decent, but seeing the manager’s lack of interest, he kept silent.

"Have you had any previous works published?" the manager asked.

Qin Tian shook his head, and was promptly shown the door.

Could it be that people here didn't care for such things? Since there was no interest in this, he decided to paint something useful for cultivators—such as landscape paintings imbued with intent, or illustrations of famous swords. He infused his own understanding of artistic intent into these works. This way, martial artists could gain insights from viewing them without it being considered a misuse of force. However, as Qin Tian possessed no spiritual power, injecting intent into his paintings was exhausting; he could manage only one per day.

Half a month passed, and he had completed ten paintings. He hung them in his shop and put up a plaque over the door reading: "Intent Art Gallery." Then, he waited for the willing to take the bait.

After waiting for a while, Qin Tian finally welcomed his first customer: a man in black robes, a first-stage Nirvana Realm cultivator. Because his grasp of intent was insufficient, he had been stuck at the first stage of the Nirvana Realm for a long time. While out for a walk that day, he happened to see the newly opened Intent Art Gallery and decided to come in to see if he could gain anything.

Seeing the customer enter, Qin Tian smiled and gestured for him to browse at his leisure. The man scanned the room, his eyes falling upon a landscape painting. Upon closer inspection, he was moved. He felt as though he had caught a glimpse of something profound. Gradually, he began to have insights, as he perceived the very origin of intent within the painting. Seeing the man in a state of realization, Qin Tian did not disturb him.

After an hour of meditation, spiritual energy began to gather around the man. He experienced an immediate breakthrough. Overjoyed, he asked Qin Tian, "Senior, how much for this painting?" He had decided that even if it meant exhausting his entire fortune, he would buy it.

Qin Tian was unsure of the market rates and hesitated. His mission required 100,000 supreme-grade spirit stones. If he priced them at 1,000, he would need to paint a hundred pieces—too many. If he priced them at 5,000, he would complete the task in twenty paintings, which was barely acceptable. Seeing Qin Tian’s silence, the man tentatively asked, "How about 10,000 supreme-grade spirit stones?"

Qin Tian felt a surge of joy, but his expression remained unchanged. Seeing no reaction, the man gritted his teeth and said, "What about 20,000? That is all I have."

"Sold!" Qin Tian replied instantly.

The man left happily with the painting. With it, he could continue to advance; once his realm was higher, he had no fear of not being able to earn back the spirit stones. Not long after the man left, a beautiful woman in her twenties, with a graceful figure and delicate features, walked in. She wore a pale yellow floral dress and possessed an air of elegance that marked her as someone extraordinary. Upon seeing Qin Tian, her eyes lit up, and she felt a sense of affinity toward him.

"I see the shop is named Intent Art Gallery," the woman asked softly. "Do your paintings truly contain intent?"

"Look for yourself and you will know," Qin Tian replied, feeling too lazy to explain.

Taking his advice, the woman began to study the paintings earnestly, finally fixing her gaze on the illustration of a famous sword. In her eyes, the sword in the painting seemed to move, imbued with a sharp sword intent. As a sword cultivator, she was highly sensitive to it. After a moment, she looked away and asked, "How much for this sword painting?"

"20,000 supreme-grade spirit stones," Qin Tian stated.

"I’ll take it." The woman paid the spirit stones. She then browsed further, selecting two more paintings to purchase. Finally, her eyes landed on *The Legend of the White Snake* on the table. "May I take a look?"

"Certainly," Qin Tian replied.

The woman began to read, and she was immediately captivated by the characters and the story. Both White Snake and Xu Xian were drawn with breathtaking beauty, and the plot was fascinating. She read through the entire first volume in one sitting. Qin Tian was pleased to see someone enjoying his work.

"Did you draw this yourself?" she asked in surprise.

"I did."

"You should consider letting our firm print and distribute this," she said happily.

"Your firm?"

"Yes!" The woman nodded. "I am Lin Wan, and our Lin Trading Firm is one of the two largest in Green Mountain City."

"What is the other firm?" Qin Tian asked.

Lin Wan’s brow furrowed slightly, but she replied, "The Qingshan Trading Firm."

Qin Tian realized that was the very firm that had rejected his book earlier. "I agree. I will let your firm print and distribute *The Legend of the White Snake*."

Lin Wan was delighted. They agreed on an 80/20 profit split, with 80% going to Qin Tian. They chose this arrangement because the book itself was not inherently valuable. Cultivators spent most of their time in tedious training and needed entertainment to unwind. Reading illustrated storybooks was one such pastime. Its purpose was to drive traffic; if people found it entertaining, they would remember the firm, and the foot traffic to their business would naturally increase.

After the agreement, Lin Wan left happily with the three paintings and the book. Qin Tian closed the shop early that evening.

The next morning, upon opening the door, Qin Tian found a crowd gathered outside. "Boss, we’re here to buy paintings!" several people shouted. Qin Tian realized the man who had achieved the breakthrough the day before must have spread the word. He let them in, and they were immediately drawn to the artwork. Several people sat cross-legged, attempting to gain insights.

This time, Qin Tian interrupted them. He preferred peace and quiet; a person or two he could handle, but a room full of people was too noisy. "If you want to view them, buy them and take them home. If you aren't buying, leave now."

No sooner had he finished speaking than several people shouted in unison, "I’ll buy!"

"20,000 supreme-grade spirit stones!" Qin Tian announced the price.

However, demand was so high that they began to outbid one another. 30,000! 40,000! 50,000! At 50,000, the price finally stabilized, as even those from wealthy backgrounds began to hesitate. Ultimately, five paintings were sold, and Qin Tian earned 250,000 supreme-grade spirit stones.

*Ding!*

[Mission "Wealthy" completed. Sign-in rewards increased by 20%. Reward: Imperial-grade supreme technique, *The Sutra of Sitting and Forgetting.*]

With his sign-in rewards increased by another 20%, Qin Tian was ecstatic. Rewards that previously required ten years to obtain now only needed eight. As for the Imperial-grade technique, it would be excellent for training subordinates. With the paintings sold out, Qin Tian closed the shop for the day.

The next morning, as soon as he woke up, he heard a commotion outside. He opened the door to see hundreds of people. "Boss Qin, we’re here to buy paintings," they declared.

Qin Tian spread his hands and said, "The paintings were all sold yesterday. I won't be selling anymore in the future." He then closed the door. Shortly after, he heard a knock. "This shop is not selling paintings," he called out.

"Sir, it is I, Lin Wan."