After Fair Princess sold out thanks to the tremendous purchasing power of cultivators, a strange phenomenon began to emerge in Dubian Town.
People going to the market weren't there to buy or sell natural treasures. Instead, they found a place to set up a stall and sit reading. People going to taverns weren't there to discuss strange happenings from far and wide. Instead, they ordered a table full of fine food and wine, then read as they drank. Even people going to pleasure houses weren't there to seek the company of beautiful women. Instead, they sat there poring over a book, as if reading was more alluring than a beautiful woman.
A reading craze suddenly swept through all of Dubian Town.
Besides the reading craze, two other crazes had taken hold of Dubian Town. One was the treasure-hunting craze. Day or night, you could see cultivators wandering alone through every corner of town, hoping to find a spatial pouch. Others packed their bags and headed for Nine Heavens Mountain, dreaming of stumbling across an injured spirit beast or finding a piece of seventh-grade meteoric iron.
The other craze was queuing. No matter when you passed Mysterious Bookstore, you'd see countless cultivators lined up outside, waiting for a chance to enter and read. Some cultivators near the front even sold their places to those with money to spare, making a tidy profit.
It was as if, overnight, cultivators' understanding of cultivation had been turned upside down. They had once believed the most important things were perseverance, talent, and conviction. Now, it was reading, queuing, and treasure-hunting.
Most importantly, almost every cultivator thought there was nothing wrong with this change.
The reason I say "almost" rather than "all" is that, among the cultivators, there was still Zhang Yunji, who was in the