A lucky windfall wasn't enough to represent the overall income of Monster Hunters.
"If we hadn't had a Golden Method Cultivator at Qi Refining Level 9 like Wen Zijian holding down the fort, who knows how many fights we'd have had to pick on the way back before we could bring our prey home safely!"
"No one succeeds just like that. I'm no exception!"
Once he had calmed down, Shen Xuan reviewed the hunting trip and sighed inwardly.
It was his first time facing a First-Order High-Grade Yao Beast, and he hadn't controlled his strength well, revealing most of what he could do.
However, with his connections and status in Qinglong Bay Market, there was no need for him to hide his capabilities too much.
What Cultivator didn't have a few secrets?
Background and strength were what determined a Cultivator's standing.
These days, he often attended auctions organized by the Ding Family.
Since his pockets were empty, he only watched and never bought anything.
Still, he had a good grasp of the general prices.
A First-Order High-Grade Magic Artifact of decent quality started at four or five hundred spirit stones.
Defensive Magic Tools and flying-sword-type attack Magic Artifacts went for a thousand spirit stones or more.
He was at Qi Refining Level 6 now, and his Spiritual Sense and spiritual power far surpassed those of his peers. At the very least, he could wield a First-Order High-Grade Magic Artifact.
"I'd better save my spirit stones first. I can buy a High-grade Magic Tool after I break through to the late stage!"
"Monster hunting is just a side gig. Talisman Crafting is my bread and butter."
With that thought, Shen Xuan put the matter out of his mind, entered the Talisman Crafting Room, and continued making Spring Return Talismans.
In the days that followed,
Shen Xuan continued cultivating and making talismans.
Over the next six months, Zhao Chunsheng put together three hunting parties.
None of them had much to show for it.
Either they failed to find their target Monster Beast, someone else got there first, or there were too many Monster Hunters watching the area for them to make a move.
This gave Shen Xuan a firsthand taste of how wildly a Monster Hunter's income could rise and fall.
Aside from one's own strength, the size of the spoils was closely tied to luck.
Fortunately, they had made a handsome haul from the Iron Armored Crocodiles, so his teammates were in good spirits.
They were all experienced hunters with years in the trade and knew this was the norm.
A hunt as smooth as their last one, when they went after the Iron Armored Crocodiles, was the exception.
Almost every night, Shen Xuan swam from the Spirit Pool Underground River to the bottom of the Longze River, honing his combat skills.
One day, after finishing his talisman practice, Shen Xuan unexpectedly received a letter.
Lu Zhengying had achieved Foundation Establishment!
Come to think of it, four years had passed since their last gathering.
The letter was written by Lu Zhengying himself.
He invited Shen Xuan to attend his Foundation Establishment Celebration.
The letter mentioned that Qin Yuehan, Wang Fugui, Zhao Sujin, and Li Changan had all been invited as well.
Qin Yuehan would certainly attend.
Lu Zhengying hadn't said so outright,
but Shen Xuan guessed Qin Yuehan had given Lu Zhengying some help with his Foundation Establishment.
After reading the letter, Shen Xuan smiled.
Lu Zhengying's letter was partly a boast, but also an attempt to strengthen their ties.
Shen Xuan thought it over and politely declined.
They had agreed on a Ten-Year Pact.
They would meet again in six years.
There was no need to make a special trip to Qingyun Sect.
It would waste time and energy.
Shen Xuan took out paper and brush and wrote back to Lu Zhengying.
He congratulated him on establishing his Dao Foundation and becoming an elder of Qingyun Sect.
He also wrote a little about his own cultivation, then included twenty High-grade Spring Return Talismans as a congratulatory gift.
"May Elder Lu Zhengying's Dao Path shine bright!"
At the end of the letter, Shen Xuan offered his heartfelt best wishes.
To Shen Xuan, Lu Zhengying's Foundation Establishment Success had been expected.
But the discovery of a new Purple Essence Copper Mine in the Falling Petal Mountain Range near Qinglong Bay came as a major surprise.
The Ding Family had established itself in Qinglong Bay. It owned quite a few Spirit Fields and Spirit Lakes, where it grew crops and raised Spirit Fish.
But those resources were only enough to meet the daily needs of the Ding Family and the Cultivators in the Market.
Though they brought in spirit stones, the total was limited.
At the end of the year, there wasn't much left over.
Probably only three to five thousand spirit stones.
A Spirit Mine, however, was different.
Mining was nothing like farming or raising fish.
As long as there were enough workers, production could be expanded at any time.
Spirit Mines were associated with Spirit Veins and were usually used to extract various Artifact Refining Materials.
Monster Beasts appeared from time to time.
All sorts of strange creatures might also emerge.
The work carried a certain risk of death.
For this reason, when the Ding Family recruited miners, they offered quite generous terms.
After completing their mining quotas, workers were guaranteed an annual base pay of twelve spirit stones.
The more they worked, the more they earned.
And after signing a Spirit Contract, they could receive a year's pay in advance.
For Cultivators who were short on spirit stones, the offer was incredibly tempting.
This was especially true of Shantytown Rogue Cultivators hoping to move into the outskirts of the Market.
As luck would have it, a year's base pay was exactly enough to cover a year's rent for a home on the Market's outskirts.
In other words, as long as you signed a mining contract, your wife, children, and elderly parents could move into the outskirts of the Market.
After seeing the mine's recruitment notice, Shen Xuan was a little puzzled.
The Ding Family seemed desperate enough to take anyone.
Was it trying to pay off its debt for the Foundation Establishment Pills as quickly as possible?
Word was that many Rogue Cultivators from the Market's Shantytown, as well as low-level Cultivators from the Market's outskirts, had eagerly signed up.
Some were even at the mid stage of Qi Refining.
Mining was exhausting, and the working conditions were poor.
But it was much safer than a hunting life where you never knew what the next day would bring.
Most importantly, the income was steady.
For low-level Cultivators without a special skill, mining was a Way out.
As long as they could stick it out and save their spirit stones,
after three or five years, they could return to the Dao Path of cultivation.
"Life isn't easy!"
Zhao Chunsheng said that quite a few of their old neighbors had signed up.
Shen Xuan sighed softly.
But that was all he could do.
He still had to make the most of his time cultivating and practicing Talisman Crafting, improving his Proficiency.
Now that he had spirit stones, he kept the Spirit Gathering Array running for four hours a day, burning through exactly two spirit stones.
On top of that, Shen Xuan's appetite had grown. He ate only medium-grade Spirit Rice and mid-grade Yao Beast Meat, so his food expenses had shot up.
The profits from Talisman Crafting barely covered his daily expenses.
Fortunately, Zhao Chunsheng finally brought good news.
He'd received word that someone had spotted a Water Repelling Rhinoceros.
Shen Xuan was delighted.
The Savage Plains Yao Beast Illustrated Guide had an entry on it.
The Water Repelling Rhinoceros was a First-Order High-Grade Water Element Yao Beast.
It looked like an ordinary Green Ox, with spiritual light protecting its body and bead-shaped armor plates covering its hide.
It excelled at Water Splitting; water would part on its own as it passed.
Water Repelling Rhinoceroses were usually found near the sea.
He hadn't expected one to turn up near the Longze River.
"Is the information reliable?"
"Reliable! That kid charged me two spirit stones for it!"
Zhao Chunsheng was even more excited than Shen Xuan.
"We need to move fast. That kid might be selling the information to other people too."
"Fine. We'll leave tomorrow!"
Early the next morning,
Wen Zijian, Shi Xiangdong, and Xia Muqing were already gathered at the Market's entrance.
"We need to be quick this time, so the Iron Brothers aren't suited to this party."
Zhao Chunsheng explained it to Shen Xuan.
The Iron Brothers were frontline fighters built to take hits.
They weren't suited to a long-distance sprint.
Wen Zijian summoned a Flying Boat and called everyone aboard.
"Is that a Flying Magic Tool?" Shen Xuan asked enviously.
A Flying Boat was a dedicated Flying Magic Tool, much faster than other Magic Artifacts of the same tier.
Wen Zijian's small Flying Boat could carry seven or eight people.
The heavier the load, the slower it flew.
Wen Zijian formed a Magic Seal and activated the Flying Boat. In no time, it was skimming through the air.
"Fly along the Longze River," Shen Xuan said suddenly.
Wen Zijian glanced back.
Seeing that no one objected, he lowered the Flying Boat and flew along the surface of the Longze River.
Only then did Shen Xuan, who had been tense, breathe a quiet sigh of relief.
A moment earlier, as the Flying Boat had climbed high into the sky, a powerful feeling of unease had suddenly washed over him.
Only after they descended closer to the river did the feeling gradually fade.
"The closer I get to the Longze River, the calmer I feel."
Shen Xuan knew it was a warning from his subconscious.
It was telling him not to stray far from the Longze River.
A Water Method Cultivator's strength would plummet if they were somewhere without water.
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