Of course, people also suspected that the Spirit World Master had tampered with things himself, and they still refused to believe his claims.
But afterward, he actually proved that what he said was true.
People really did find powerful forces one after another, and some found powerful treasures.
In an instant, this news rocked the entire vast Martial Cultivation World.
After all, compared to the mysterious force within the Era of the Gods, and the so-called legend that reaching the summit would grant one godhood— The treasures and powers scattered throughout the vast Martial Cultivation World were genuine, tangible benefits that one actually had a real chance of obtaining.
So experts from all sides sought out that Spirit World Master, requesting the special talisman paper he had crafted.
But that ancient Spirit World Master said that the talisman paper he crafted was exceedingly rare, and required an enormous investment of time and effort.
Therefore, he would not give them away freely. Instead, he put them up for sale.
Also sold alongside them were the compasses he had crafted.
But whether it was the talisman paper or the compasses, the prices were nothing short of astronomical.
Still, as the saying goes — fortune favors the bold. Plenty of people were prepared to take the gamble, spending exorbitant sums to purchase his talisman paper and compasses.
But later, people discovered they had been duped.
More precisely, they finally understood why the man who had uncovered such a secret hadn't kept it to himself but instead made it public.
What he said was true — at the end of every hidden barrier, there really was power or treasure.
But what he hadn't said was that all of those powers and treasures were guarded by powerful formations.
And depending on the strength of the power or treasure, the protective formations varied in power accordingly.
The forces sent by various factions came back not with treasures but with devastating losses. Many of their members had died.
Some even discovered that the easier-to-obtain treasures had already been taken by that mysterious Spirit World Master.
In an instant, the name Qin Jiu became infamous.
Every top-tier faction and powerful figure cursed the man.
Why was it the top-tier factions and powerful figures who cursed him?
Because the talisman paper and compasses were so expensive that no one else could afford them.
And why was it Qin Jiu they cursed?
Naturally, because that Spirit World Master was none other than Qin Jiu.
Although Qin Jiu would later come to be known as the Spirit World Emperor, at that time he had not yet earned such a title.
But even so, the talisman paper he had crafted related to the Era of the Gods continued to sell remarkably well.
Because those locations scattered throughout the vast Martial Cultivation World where treasures and powers lay hidden were actually mobile.
Periodically, they would shift and change.
Moreover, it was only when the Era of the Gods manifested that the flaws in these locations became most apparent and easiest to discover.
For that reason, even after purchasing the talisman paper and compasses and memorizing all the routes and endpoints, it was useless — because those routes and endpoints would change in short order.
Simply put, the talisman paper had an expiration. After a certain period, the information it displayed would no longer be accurate.
Of course, for the general consumer base, this was terrible news — it greatly diminished people's desire to buy.
And yet, wouldn't you know it, Qin Jiu went ahead and crafted new compasses and talisman paper — namely the compasses and talisman paper now in the hands of the eight elders.
These compasses and talisman paper were specifically designed to locate the endpoints of barriers. As long as one had a rough direction, finding the barrier endpoint became far easier.
Furthermore, once this compass was infused with the power of the talisman paper, it could actually distinguish whether the protective formation inside was strong or weak as one drew near the endpoint.
This assessment was based on one's own cultivation level.
It greatly reduced the danger.
After all, if things looked too risky, one could simply choose not to go in — nothing was more important than one's life.
For that reason, the talisman paper and compasses Qin Jiu crafted afterward sold phenomenally well, and even the number of people cursing him dwindled.
Because people realized that no matter what kind of person Qin Jiu was, the man was undeniably a genius.
"The Spirit World Emperor truly lives up to his reputation. It seems the historical records are accurate."
() At that moment, Huangfu Zhantian gazed upon these incredible changes and let out an excited sigh.
"Zhantian, there's really no need to praise that Qin Jiu. According to the historical records, the ancestors of our clan were also swindled by him back in the day."
"Sure, they did find some treasures, but their value was far less than what they paid for his talisman paper and compasses. Our ancestors never made back their investment," an elder remarked.
"Perhaps this time around, we'll finally get our money's worth," Huangfu Zhantian said with full confidence.
At that moment, though the compass was still intact, the image projected within it had returned to normal.
The power of the talisman paper had expired.