Shen Long

East Hua Cultivation World, Qin Kingdom.

The Thousand Bamboo Mountain Range lay at the border of Qing Prefecture and Jing Prefecture, stretching unbroken for tens of thousands of li. Vast numbers of Azure Cloud Bamboo grew here, hence its name.

In the southwestern part of the Thousand Bamboo Mountain Range stood a valley enclosed by mountains on three sides. Outside the valley stood a Cyan Stone Stele over ten zhang tall, engraved with three large golden characters: "Thousand Bamboo Valley."

A clamor drifted out from the valley. Its streets were broad and clean, shops stood in dense rows, and large numbers of cultivators could be seen coming and going.

A Third-Rank Spirit Beast, the Azure Wind Wolf, had once appeared in the Thousand Bamboo Mountain Range and slaughtered many cultivators. Only after Master Azure Python of the Spirit Control Sect stepped in was the beast finally dealt with.

The Chen Clan, Han Clan, and Li Clan jointly managed Thousand Bamboo Valley. Foundation Establishment Cultivators were stationed there year-round, and its operations covered a wide range of businesses. Many Rogue Cultivators made their living here.

The Marketplace had been built against the mountain. At the foot of a steep, towering peak stood a five-zhang-tall Cyan Stone Stele, carved with the three characters "Thousand Bamboo Peak." Many buildings stood upon the mountain; this was the residential district, providing lodging for cultivators.

Thousand Bamboo Peak had no shortage of buildings: crude stone houses, magnificent palaces, and standalone Cyan Pavilions. These structures stretched from the foot of the mountain all the way to its summit.

At the foot of the mountain stood a two-zhang-wide cyan stone house. It had been piled together from massive cyan stones, with the gaps filled by shells. Its door was tightly shut.

Inside the stone house was a Cyan Stone Bed over a zhang long. In one corner stood a cyan spell formation with five identical grooves, each holding a grayish-white Spirit Stone. Judging by their appearance, the spiritual qi within the Spirit Stones was nearly exhausted.

A tall Blue-Shirted Youth sat cross-legged atop the stone bed. His face was as fair as carved jade, his nose high and straight, his eyes lightly closed. A layer of blue glow shrouded his body as wisps of water spiritual qi gathered around him and flowed into his nose and mouth.

After a while, the Blue-Shirted Youth opened his eyes. A faint gleam of sharp light flashed within them.

"Finally, Qi Refining Level Five."

The Blue-Shirted Youth muttered to himself, his face brimming with delight.

The Blue-Shirted Youth was called Shen Long. Both his parents had been Rogue Cultivators who made their living hunting Monster Beasts.

When Shen Long was ten, his parents had followed some friends out in search of treasure. Before leaving, they had left him most of their possessions and warned him not to leave the Marketplace on his own.

His parents had gone and never returned. Seven years had passed since then.

His parents had not left behind much wealth. Shen Long knew very well that no matter how frugally he lived, it would eventually run out. He had wanted to find work, but he had been too young, and no shop would hire him. Some had even tried to trick him into leaving the Marketplace.

His parents had often patronized Craftsman Hall, an artifact-refining shop that sold Dharma Artifacts and also repaired them.

Perhaps Sun Huowang, the manager of Craftsman Hall, had pitied him. He hired Shen Long as a helper for two Spirit Stones a month, helping him through his most difficult days.

Seven years had passed, yet Shen Long's parents still had not returned. Whether they were alive or dead remained unknown.

Shen Long devoted himself to cultivation. If he wanted to find his parents, he first needed sufficient strength.

He worked at Craftsman Hall for five hours each day, spent five hours cultivating, one hour practicing spells, and another hour finding something to do—such as serving as a guide for visiting cultivators, or wandering through the square where Rogue Cultivators set up their stalls, listening to stall owners recount their experiences hunting Monster Beasts or strange tales from the cultivation world. If luck favored him, he could buy better artifact-refining materials at a low price, then resell them for a small profit.

Sun Huowang taught Shen Long how to identify artifact-refining materials, explaining everything from their properties to their purchase prices. Shen Long studied diligently, becoming familiar with the properties and purchase prices of many First-Rank artifact-refining materials. He was also hardworking and diligent.

Shen Long did not want to remain a shop assistant for the rest of his life. Two Spirit Stones a month could barely keep him alive. Every day, he set aside an hour to practice spells. Over five years, he cultivated two First-Rank spells to Great Perfection, then resigned from his job and joined other Rogue Cultivators in hunting Monster Beasts for cultivation resources.

Spells were easy to learn but difficult to master. They were divided into four stages: Beginner, Minor Accomplishment, Major Accomplishment, and Great Perfection.

When casting a spell, a cultivator had to silently recite an incantation, and it took a certain amount of time before the spell could be released. Reaching the Beginner stage did not take long, but cultivating a First-Rank spell to Great Perfection could take as little as half a year to a year, or as long as more than a decade, depending on the individual.

Some cultivators were exceptionally gifted in spell cultivation and could bring a First-Rank spell to Great Perfection within a year. They could cast spells instantly, and the power would increase considerably as well. Others could spend more than a decade and still fail to cultivate a First-Rank spell to Great Perfection. They could buy Dharma Artifacts or Talismans instead, saving both time and effort.

Craftsman Hall's Dharma Artifacts were of good quality and fairly priced, so it had a group of regular customers. They all made their living hunting Monster Beasts.

Using the convenience of his position, Shen Long observed the character and conduct of these Rogue Cultivators. Some quibbled over every last detail, some loved taking petty advantages, and some were greedy for wealth and lustful for women.

He forged a good relationship with a powerful Qi Refining Cultivator, the captain of a Monster Hunting Team. Monster Hunting Teams faced great danger whenever they went out to hunt Monster Beasts. Losing members was commonplace, and if luck was poor, the entire team might be wiped out.

Two years ago, when this Monster Hunting Team returned from one of its expeditions, four Qi Refining Cultivators had fallen. Upon learning the news, Shen Long volunteered himself.

At the time, he was at Qi Refining Level Four. Relying on his Fireball Technique at Great Perfection, along with his familiarity with the purchase prices of First-Rank artifact-refining materials, he successfully joined the Monster Hunting Team.

The cave dwelling he rented now was the cheapest in the Marketplace. It cost five Spirit Stones a year and had only a Soundproofing Array. Its spiritual qi could hardly be called abundant.

He earned twenty-four Spirit Stones a year at Craftsman Hall. After deducting the rent, he had nineteen Spirit Stones left. Buying the cheapest Golden Pearl Spirit Rice barely sustained his life. A bottle of Qi Refining Powder cost ten Spirit Stones, while a bottle of better Qi Nourishing Pills cost twenty Spirit Stones.

In his second year of work, Sun Huowang raised his wages to three Spirit Stones a month. Before he resigned, he earned four Spirit Stones a month. After deducting rent and the cost of spirit rice, the Spirit Stones he saved in a year were only enough for one bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills. As his cultivation rose, he needed ever more cultivation resources. In the long run, he had to resign.

Four Spirit Stones a month counted as high pay in the Marketplace. Sun Huowang could not possibly raise his wages any further, and this was also why Shen Long had resigned.

He had also considered learning artifact refinement, but Sun Huowang simply would not teach him. Figuring it out on his own was far too difficult. A single set of artifact-refining materials cost dozens of Spirit Stones. Working at Craftsman Hall for a year and living frugally would only allow him to buy one set of materials. One failure would mean a year of labor down the drain, not to mention the need to buy an Artifact Refining Furnace and artifact-refining manuals.

According to Sun Huowang, he had failed four times when he first attempted artifact refinement before finally succeeding.

Shen Long had done the calculations. If he lived frugally for ten years, he could buy a low-grade Artifact Refining Furnace, an artifact-refining manual, and gather four sets of artifact-refining materials. It would be fine if he succeeded once, but if every attempt failed, those ten years would have been spent for nothing—and that was without buying any pills.

He quickly abandoned the idea. For someone at the bottom like him, the cost of trial and error was too high. He could not afford to lose. Hunting Monster Beasts was still the better choice.

As far as he knew, the younger generation of the Chen Clan, Han Clan, and Li Clan did not need to do anything each month, yet they could receive cultivation resources and focus solely on cultivation, only coming out to work at eighteen. Unfortunately, he had not been born with such a fate and could only rely on his own efforts.