Living in a Blessed Land Was No Easy Matter!

Compared with previous years, getting to the Blessed Land this year had been a series of twists and turns.

Because everyone from the settlement had arrived on the same day, the entire Blessed Land had been in a state of chaos.

Even after they entered the Blessed Land, they had to keep waiting in line for their assignments.

It wasn't until nightfall that their turn finally came.

Then came another chaotic round of housing arrangements. Only now had they finally settled in.

The North District where they were staying was the worst-located district in the Blessed Land. Most of its residents came from small settlements, and it was undoubtedly the most crowded.

The best area in the entire Blessed Land was naturally the center. It was close to Moon Gazing Peak, where the spiritual energy was the densest and the area the safest.

But that was the Song Family's territory.

It could be said that the entire central area belonged to the Song Family and the lineages that depended on them.

After the center, the East District was the best. It was relatively close to Moon Gazing Peak and had been divided among the other three Foundation Building Families.

At present, there were four Foundation Building Families in New Moon Blessed Land. They tightly controlled the best resources.

The South District was where the smaller families lived, such as Cheng Xiurui's family.

The West District belonged to those who had broken through to the Qi Refining Realm on their own but still couldn't obtain a residence in the Blessed Land. The Qi Refining Realm cultivator from the Zhou Family was there.

After reaching the North District and settling in, the Zhou Family's head had left for the West District to take up residence.

In fact, the upper echelons of every settlement almost always lived there once they entered the Blessed Land. It was a symbol of status.

Only the North District was the largest, with the most houses and the most residents.

They were also at the very bottom.

And even the North District was divided into separate areas. Area A was relatively better.

Naturally, Area D was the worst.

The houses here had all been built from Blue Stone Strips. They were two stories tall, standing in neat rows.

Basically, each household was assigned one such house. With the two floors combined, it was equivalent to two rooms.

Assigning houses by household was undoubtedly the simplest and most convenient method, making it easier to keep records and manage everyone.

It didn't matter whether a household had many people or few; they were all treated the same.

Even so, many people still couldn't get in this year.

The people left behind in Ox Ridge Settlement were just the tip of the iceberg compared with all the settlements across the entire Blessed Land.

"Second Brother, can we eat now?"

Yu Xiaoshan asked, clutching his stomach, which was close to empty.

Although he'd eaten half a bowl of Spirit Rice at noon, Spirit Rice was quickly digested and didn't keep hunger at bay.

After walking all this way and waiting in line until now, even Yu Dashan was famished, let alone a child like him.

"We'll make do for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll trade for some firewood, and then we can cook."

Yu Ershan took out the rice cakes he hadn't eaten along the way and glanced at their bare-bones "home" as he spoke softly.

Living in a Blessed Land was no easy matter.

Forget the fee they'd had to pay for their Blessed Land quota. Simply living here was already a considerable expense.

Without firewood, they couldn't light a fire to cook.

But the trees around the outskirts of the Blessed Land had mostly been cut down this time of year, then sold to ordinary people like them who'd come to the Blessed Land for refuge.

And to keep things under control, the Blessed Land prohibited ordinary people like them from going outside. So they had no choice but to buy firewood.

But could firewood in the Blessed Land possibly cost the same as it did outside?

Back in Ox Ridge, they hadn't needed to buy firewood at all. Trees were everywhere nearby; they could simply cut some down and bring it back to dry.

It was only after they arrived in the Blessed Land that they had to pay for the firewood that was everywhere in their settlement.

After all, even if they'd brought some ready-made food, it wouldn't last them through the entire winter.

Fortunately, they'd brought pots, bowls, and some daily necessities this time, which would save them quite a bit.

"Mm."

Yu Xiaoshan took the cold, hard rice cake and eagerly started wolfing it down.

These rice cakes had been made by grinding ordinary rice together with the husks of Spirit Rice, then baking the mixture. They certainly didn't taste good; they even scratched the throat a little.

But Yu Xiaoshan ate with relish, catching even the crumbs that fell and pouring them into his mouth.

Yu Ershan felt comforted at the sight.

At least in the past, Yu Xiaoshan hadn't been so careful when eating, afraid of wasting even a morsel.

Then Yu Ershan handed a rice cake to Yu Dashan, took one for himself, and started eating.

Yu Dashan swallowed one rice cake in just a few bites, then grabbed another.

Once someone reached Fetal Movement Major Accomplishment, his appetite naturally grew as well. Otherwise, he couldn't maintain his vigorous blood and qi.

When all was said and done, the Fetal Movement Realm was mainly about eating.

Eating Spirit Rice, Spirit Medicine, and Monster Beast Meat.

As long as he could get enough to eat, even if he had to grind away at it, he could eventually reach Perfection of Fetal Movement.

As for pills that strengthened blood and qi, they could certainly shorten the time needed for Blood Change, but ordinary people simply couldn't afford them.

This year, Yu Ershan planned to use those fifty Spirit Stones to buy Yu Dashan a few pills that strengthened blood and qi.

Only then could he reach Perfection of Fetal Movement within three years.

Otherwise, ordinary food with the occasional bit of Spirit Rice wouldn't be nearly enough.

"Second, what do you think Dad's doing right now?"

Only after eating more than ten rice cakes did Yu Dashan take out his water flask and gulp down a good amount of water. Then he looked at Yu Ershan and asked.

"Dad? He's probably looking this way toward the Blessed Land, wondering whether we've settled in yet."

Yu Ershan replied without hesitation.

Of course, there was another possibility: Dad could be feeding the Rare Species they had at home.

But before they left, he'd made Yu Dashan and Yu Xiaoshan promise that they wouldn't say the words "Rare Species" inside the Blessed Land, whether anyone was around or not.

They were to avoid even hinting at it as much as possible.

At Yu Ershan's words, the mood in the room immediately sank a little.

"Second, is there any way I can reach Perfection of Fetal Movement faster?"

Yu Dashan fell silent for a moment, then asked.

"There is. Pills that strengthen blood and qi, Spirit Rice, Spirit Medicine, Monster Beast Meat, and the essence inside the insects."

Yu Ershan replied with practiced familiarity.

He hesitated a little only when he mentioned the last method.

But in truth, the essence inside the insects was the best of all.

The Insectoids in the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster wantonly devoured everything, then condensed it into essence inside their bodies. In terms of effect, this essence was no worse than Spirit Stones; it was even gentler and easier to absorb.

So consuming this essence produced the best results, greatly shortening the time needed to break through to Perfection of Fetal Movement.

It was precisely because of this essence that countless people went out to hunt insects whenever the Black Annihilation Wind Disaster descended.

This essence was also the Insect Hunter Team's primary target.

The Insectoid Corpses were useful too, but their value was far below that of the essence inside them.

If Yu Dashan had enough essence, he might not need three years. At most, he'd need one or two to break through to Perfection of Fetal Movement.

The trouble was, the only way to obtain that essence was by hunting Insectoids.

Buying it was out of the question. Apart from the sky-high price, it was impossible to get without the right connections.

That sort of thing counted as a high-grade resource.

"Essence?"

Yu Dashan's expression shifted.