The Hardships of Rogue Cultivators

He made his living by cooperating with others to hunt demon beasts, so he had managed to save up a little.

Having successfully broken through this time, the joy in his heart was beyond words.

Thus, even treating a friend to a proper meal at Osmanthus Tower was worth it.

Osmanthus Tower.

It was the most expensive restaurant in Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, without equal.

The food at Osmanthus Tower.

The rice was spirit rice, the vegetables were spiritual ingredients, and the meat was demon beast meat.

Moreover, every ingredient had been carefully selected, with only the most delicious parts used in cooking.

Most importantly, eating a meal here allowed one to absorb enough spiritual power from the dishes to equal several days of arduous cultivation.

You could increase your cultivation just by eating.

Naturally, consumption at Osmanthus Tower was exorbitant.

For just two people to have a meal, the minimum cost would likely be several Spirit Stones!

And that was only for two people, with none of the dishes being delicacies.

If there were more people, and the dishes were all delicacies, spending dozens or even hundreds of Spirit Stones was entirely possible.

Such terrifying prices gave Osmanthus Tower an extraordinary status within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Ordinary Rogue Cultivators would basically never go there unless something important came up.

Those who could eat and drink freely at Osmanthus Tower were generally children of cultivation families or sect disciples.

People like them.

Were separated from Rogue Cultivators by a gulf as wide as the heavens.

"Then we won't leave until we're drunk." Faced with Lin Cong's invitation, He Song had no intention of refusing and immediately agreed.

Lin Cong had decided on his own to invite him to Osmanthus Tower.

It was not as though He Song had dragged him there by force for a meal.

The host had already said they were going.

So he would simply go along.

Rather than putting on a false show of refusal, it was better to be straightforward. Otherwise, he would seem overly affected, which would be worse.

There was truly no need for such pretenses between friends.

Seeing He Song agree, Lin Cong nodded in satisfaction. He immediately set down his teacup, pulled He Song up, and headed outside.

It was currently around the noon mealtime.

Very soon.

After passing through the bustling streets.

The two arrived side by side at the famous Osmanthus Tower within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

The moment they entered, a figure dressed as a waiter came to their side, his voice following shortly after.

"Honored Immortal Masters, please come in. Would you like to dine on the first floor or the second?"

"The second floor. The view is better," Lin Cong replied casually.

"Certainly. Esteemed guests, please take your seats."

On the second floor of Osmanthus Tower.

He Song and Lin Cong sat upright beside a table.

Their seats were by the window. With a slight turn of the head, they could see the scenery out on the street, granting them an excellent view.

Looking into the distance, they could even see the towering mountain range far away.

Wisps of mist adorned the mountains.

Making the distant peaks appear even more lofty, piercing the clouds.

The waiter had already left, and Lin Cong had ordered their dishes.

For now, the two chatted idly as they waited for the food.

"Fellow Daoist He, do you know why my breakthrough took so long this time?" While waiting for the dishes, Lin Cong lowered his head and asked in a somewhat gloomy tone.

"I don't. Was it difficult to break through the bottleneck?" He Song thought for a moment before casually making a guess.

"Not exactly. I used to hear other Rogue Cultivators say how hard the life of a Rogue Cultivator was, but I never paid it much mind. Yet after experiencing it once myself, I suddenly understood. Sigh." Shaking his head, Lin Cong stopped halfway through his words and suddenly sighed.

But soon, he spoke again.

"Over the past month, I spent more than half of it preparing to break through the bottleneck. Yet who would have thought that when I truly began the attempt, I discovered that with my Four Spiritual Roots aptitude, breaking through was not actually difficult."

As he spoke, Lin Cong gave a bitter smile, the taste in his heart impossible to describe.

To break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, he had prepared for a long time and heard countless rumors about the things needed to overcome the barrier.

Yet after he had actually bought them all and begun his breakthrough, he suddenly discovered that none of those things were of any use to him at all.

With his Four Spiritual Roots aptitude, breaking through the bottleneck from the Qi Refining Early Stage to the Qi Refining Middle Stage was actually quite easy.

Fortunately, he had succeeded.

He had merely wasted the Spirit Stones spent on buying those things.

Though he had personally proven that the things he bought were completely useless.

His cultivation had still risen as he wished to the Qi Refining Middle Stage.

That was why he could now tell He Song about these matters as though they were a joke.

Had his breakthrough failed, things would likely have turned out very differently.

At the same time, after going through all this, Lin Cong had truly come to understand the hardships of Rogue Cultivators.

Rogue Cultivators.

Most of the time, their sources of information came from hearsay—but who could guarantee that hearsay was true?

Just like everything he had encountered.

If he had not experienced it himself, even he would not have believed it.

And the many problems Rogue Cultivators faced in cultivation.

How to overcome barriers and break through, how to cultivate techniques, how to practice spells, how to choose Magic Artifacts.

Every last matter could almost only be explored and figured out by themselves.

Compared to sect disciples and children of cultivation families, it was truly, truly difficult for Rogue Cultivators to keep cultivating all the way onward.

This was the drawback of having too little accumulated knowledge and no elders to offer guidance.

"It isn't difficult for Four Spiritual Roots to break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage?" He Song froze, murmured the words under his breath, and his eyes quickly lit up.

He also had Four Spiritual Roots!

According to Lin Cong, when he broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, overcoming the bottleneck should not be too difficult either.

At this thought, a trace of delight immediately appeared in He Song's gaze as he looked at Lin Cong.

He had already thought that once Lin Cong successfully broke through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, it would offer him some help when he later tried to reach the same realm.

But he had not expected.

That after Lin Cong personally made his breakthrough, he would bring him such news.

This meant that when he needed to break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, he would not need to take as many detours as Lin Cong had.

In the world of cultivation.

Everyone knew that wealth, companions, techniques, and a suitable place were of utmost importance.

Wealth meant cultivation resources.

Companions meant Dao companions, elders, and friends with whom one could discuss the Dao.

Techniques referred to cultivation techniques, spells, the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, and the like.

A suitable place was a cultivation ground rich in spiritual energy.

He Song had always believed that wealth, companions, techniques, and a suitable place were important, but only after hearing Lin Cong's words did he finally understand just how important they truly were.

If he had not known Lin Cong, he definitely would not have learned this information.

If he had not known, when he broke through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, he might have stepped into every pitfall Lin Cong had stepped into.

If Lin Cong had not been close enough to him to tell him the truth, he would not have learned any of this either.

By that reckoning, He Song had accepted a favor from Lin Cong this time.

For Lin Cong to tell him these things meant that he truly was someone worth befriending!

"Thank you for telling me, Fellow Daoist. When I break through to the Qi Refining Middle Stage in the future, I will certainly invite you here for a gathering as well!"

Faced with such a favor, He Song made a promise without a second thought.

Spending a few Spirit Stones was nothing.

Offering Lin Cong a small repayment was what He Song wanted to do now.