Immortal Cultivation Capitalism Welcomes You!
The last time he had been chased by this boar, he had been at the middle stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
Now he was at Body Tempering Realm Great Perfection.
He had advanced two levels in a row!
The boar was wounded, too.
How did that saying go again?
Forget it. No point saying it. Just get on with the fight.
The Black Tiger Gang was too far away to be worth going back to deal with, but a boar had delivered itself to his door. Why not take care of it?
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[Although you had advanced two levels in a row, you did not get overconfident and take the Black-Maned Wild Boar's charge head-on.]
[You retreated to the edge of the mud pit.]
[The mud pit was full of gray-black, rotting water. An ordinary person's skin would rot on contact.]
[Heavy Tomato User activated.]
[The Black-Maned Wild Boar charged within reach.]
[You twisted aside to avoid its tusks, using the slippery mud to roll to its flank.]
[Its left hind leg was injured, making it a beat slower to turn.]
[You seized the chance and drove your short blade into its right eye.]
[The Black-Maned Wild Boar shook its head wildly, trying to smash you back into the ground.]
[Your Qi and Blood at Body Tempering Realm Perfection erupted.]
[Using all your strength, you twisted the short blade downward.]
[The Black-Maned Wild Boar crashed to the ground.]
[It twitched for a dozen or so breaths before finally going still.]
[You killed the Black-Maned Wild Boar.]
[You cut off what meat you could carry and pried out two intact tusks.]
[You dragged the meat three li away and stopped in a crevice sheltered from the wind.]
[You scraped the mud off the meat and began eating it raw.]
[Heavy Tomato User activated.]
[Parasites nullified, residual toxins nullified, spoilage nullified.]
[You gained temporary satiation.]
[You also arrived at a simple conclusion.]
[In the cultivation world, a good stomach was a core competitive advantage too.]
Lu Ping nearly laughed out loud.
Back in his previous life, that conclusion could have gone into a health and wellness blog post.
He had even thought up the headline.
"Shocking! Wage slave improves physique by reading Tomato novels. Boss left speechless."
[You continued on your journey.]
[On the twenty-third day, you saw the plains beyond the mountains.]
[In the distance stood a green mountain gate.]
[Clouds and mist swirled above the gate, and the spiritual light of an array flowed slowly along the mountain walls.]
[The Greenwood Sect.]
[You stopped on a hillside and observed for half an hour first.]
[There were many people at the foot of the mountain, lined up in a long queue.]
[Mortals, martial artists, Rogue Cultivators, youths carrying bundles, and children of wealthy families escorted there by their Lineage elders.]
[Banners hung all along both sides of the mountain path.]
["The Greenwood Sect, the first stop on your path to immortal cultivation."]
["Join the sect today, become an immortal tomorrow."]
["Qi Refining in six months, the inner sect in three years, Foundation Establishment in five—it's no dream."]
[You walked down the hillside and joined the crowd.]
[You had expected to see Spirit Root testing, a path of heart examination, and stairs to immortal ascension.]
[Instead, all you saw was a long table.]
[Three Greenwood Sect disciples sat behind it.]
[A wooden sign stood beside them.]
[The sign read: Entry registration fee: one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.]
[You stood in the crowd, staring at the words on the sign in silence for a long time.]
[You began to suspect you had come not to an immortal cultivation sect, but to a training program that charged you for the privilege of working.]
[Someone ahead spoke in a trembling voice.]
["Immortal master, I don't have a Spirit Stone. Could you test my Root Bone first?"]
[The Greenwood Sect disciple put down his brush.]
["We'll talk about your Root Bone later. Pay first."]
[The person asked again, "What if I don't have a Spirit Stone?"]
[The Greenwood Sect disciple took a stack of yellow paper from under the table.]
["Greenwood Loan."]
["No interest for the first month. Pay it off within six months."]
["Greenwood Immortal Loan, helping you cultivate."]
["Foundation Establishment next year, a bright future ahead."]
Lu Ping found these words all too familiar.
Training loans, consumer loans, employment deposits from his previous life—they had all merged together in this other world.
Sure enough, no matter where beasts of burden went, they could not escape the control of capital.
Even in the immortal cultivation world, immortal cultivation capitalism was waiting for you.
[At last, it was your turn. You approached the wooden table.]
[A Greenwood Sect deacon sat in the middle of the long table.]
["Sect entry fee: one Low-Grade Spirit Stone."]
[Options appeared.]
[A: Take out a Greenwood Loan and keep the Spirit Stone as a trump card.]
[B: Hand over your only Low-Grade Spirit Stone and enter the sect directly.]
[C: Slap down that hard storage ring and seize the deacon's hand. "Senior brother, I've got a top-grade storage ring here. Falsify the accounts and approve the maximum Greenwood Loan using it as fifty million in collateral. We'll split the Spirit Stones seventy-thirty, and tonight we'll pack our buckets, make a run for it to the Hehuan Sect, and hire ten fairies!"]
Option C could get lost.
Lu Ping lingered over A and B for a long time.
Spirit Stones were precious.
This was the only genuine hard currency used by cultivators that he had come into contact with so far.
Kept in his hand, it was a trump card.
But was the Greenwood Loan really a legitimate loan?
Could it be a usurious loan, or even a contract with some kind of side effect?
Lu Ping chose B.
[You chose B.]
[You paid one Low-Grade Spirit Stone.]
[Host employment detected: Greenwood Sect (entry-level immortal cultivation labor dispatch agency).]
[Position: probationary disciple.]
[Length of service successfully carried over. Automatic resignation countdown canceled.]
[The deacon gave you a sect handbook and an identity token.]
[You were now a member of the Greenwood Sect.]
[As for your status, heh heh.]
Lu Ping stared at the final two words.
Heh heh.
Those two words hit far too hard.
[You and the other 372 probationary disciples in your batch were led to the Greenwood Sect's mountain gate.]
[The moment you passed through the green archway, the Qi and Blood in your body stirred of its own accord.]
[The concentration of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi had risen noticeably.]
[Your meridians trembled slightly, like a person with altitude sickness breathing in oxygen.]
[The Greenwood Sect disciples led everyone to the Ascension Hall.]
[The hall was vast, large enough to accommodate over a thousand people meditating at once.]
[The floor was covered in green array patterns, which extended from every direction to the raised platform in the center.]
[As soon as you entered the hall, you felt Spiritual Qi pressing in from beneath your feet, the walls, and the domed ceiling at once.]
[For Body Tempering Realm martial artists, this truly was a holy land for cultivation.]
[But the Spiritual Qi was too dense, unnaturally so.]
[Many trial disciples looked ecstatic.]
[Some fell to their knees and wept.]
[Some cradled their identity tokens and kissed them three times.]
[Someone else roared, "I've made it! I've finally found my immortal destiny!"]
Lu Ping looked at the text and found the scene somewhat familiar.
Pay a huge training fee and take a seat in a lavishly decorated classroom.
The lecturer stood on the stage and said,
"As long as you work hard, everyone can earn a million a year."
"If you understood, let's hear some applause..."
The people below applauded, signed for loans, and filled up with tears.
Then, six months later, they couldn't find jobs, and debt collectors blew up their phones.
[The person in charge of the address was Deacon Liu Cheng.]
[He wore the robes of a Greenwood Sect deacon, with a string of green wooden plaques hanging at his waist.]
[Liu Cheng stood on the raised platform in the center.]
["By joining my Greenwood Sect, you all have six months to seek immortal ascension."]
["Those who break through to the Qi Refining Stage within six months will become true disciples."]
["For those who have not broken through after six months, the sect will naturally make arrangements."]
Naturally make arrangements.
Lu Ping's brow twitched slightly.
That phrase was all too familiar.
When a company in his previous life said "the organization has other considerations," it generally meant your work badge was about to stop working.
When they said "position optimization," it meant you could start packing your cardboard box.
When they said "arrangements will be made," the meaning was even harsher.
They might not even let you take the box.
[Someone raised a hand. It was a young man whose face still held traces of childishness.]
["Lord Deacon, will those who fail to break through be sent down the mountain?"]
[Liu Cheng did not answer immediately. He merely gave the young man an indifferent glance.]
[The young man who had asked the question visibly stiffened and immediately shut his mouth.]
[Liu Cheng spoke.]
["The sect will not waste a single person blessed with an immortal destiny."]
[The hall fell silent for three breaths. Everyone looked at one another, then someone took the lead in kowtowing and shouted,]
["Thank you for your mercy, Sect!"]
[More people joined in.]
["Thank you for your mercy, Sect!"]