Hulking Man

In the normal market,

one Spirit Stone bought ten jin of Spirit Rice.

One mu of Spirit Field produced a thousand jin a year, and buying a thousand jin of Spirit Rice required a hundred Spirit Stones.

Five mu of Spirit Field produced five thousand jin a year, and buying five thousand jin of Spirit Rice required five hundred Spirit Stones.

At such an exorbitant price, only family cultivators and sect disciples could probably afford to eat Spirit Rice every day.

For a Spirit Plant Farmer like He Song,

he could not even afford to eat the Spirit Rice he grew himself.

Of course, He Song could not afford it because he had become a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, and the Immortal Market took a seventy percent cut, rather than because he had opened up a Spirit Field and planted it himself.

Opening up a Spirit Field himself to grow Spirit Rice

required far too many things, things the current He Song simply could not afford.

First, he needed a plot of spiritual land rich in spiritual energy.

Second, he needed the strength to fend off wicked cultivators.

Beyond that, a Spirit Field outside the Immortal Market was far more dangerous. If his cultivation was insufficient and he wanted to strike out on his own, he would likely die a miserable death.

It was precisely for this reason that He Song had chosen to become a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

Although the Immortal Market took a hefty cut after he became a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion,

its safety was beyond question.

It could also ensure that He Song would not be bullied for no reason within Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market.

Now, all he needed to do was put on the clothes of a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, and he became one of Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market's own, with someone to back him.

After planting the Spirit Rice Seeds,

He Song thought for a moment, then changed into his Spirit Plant Farmer attire.

After glancing over the Spirit Field and seeing that there was nothing to do for the time being, He Song immediately headed onto the main road and walked toward the interior of the Immortal Market.

Having become a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion,

He Song's identity had changed.

He had gone from a lowly Rogue Cultivator at the first level of Qi Refinement

to a Spirit Plant Farmer of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion under Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market's jurisdiction.

Though it was merely a change in status, its effects were immediate.

On the road back from the Spirit Field, familiar faces began greeting him warmly.

He Song followed his predecessor's manner and responded to each of them.

When He Song arrived at his door and was about to open it,

his neighbor's door opened. A young cultivator with a burly build and Sha Qi in his eyes stepped out.

At first, the man paid no attention to He Song.

But when he casually glanced at He Song and found his clothes somewhat familiar, he raised his eyes and looked at him properly.

"I am Lin Cong. I have never seen you before, Fellow Daoist. Did you only recently move here?"

Seeing the attire unique to Immortal Market personnel on He Song, Lin Cong's eyes held a trace of surprise.

He seemed not to have expected to see such clothes here.

The attire exclusive to Immortal Market personnel was not something just anyone could wear.

In Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market, when encountering someone dressed like this, it was best to stay as far away as possible.

For no other reason

than that if anything happened, the Immortal Market would certainly side with the other party.

By then, even a trivial matter might turn into something that concerned one's life.

Therefore, although He Song was only at the first level of Qi Refinement, Lin Cong showed no hint of looking down on him.

"So it is Fellow Daoist Lin. I am He Song. I have lived here for nearly a month already, but I have kept to myself and rarely gone out, so I have made a fool of myself before you, Fellow Daoist."

Seeing the other man greet him, He Song naturally did not slight him. He gave a slight cupped-fist salute and replied with a smile.

Lin Cong had a burly frame, Sha Qi in his eyes, knotted muscles all over his body, and an oppressive spiritual pressure. At a glance, He Song felt a wave of Sha Qi rushing at him, constricting his breath.

What a hulking man.

He Song was startled inwardly.

"Judging by Fellow Daoist He's attire, are you serving within the Immortal Market?"

Seeing He Song stop to answer him, Lin Cong's expression turned friendlier as he asked.

"I only joined the Spirit Medicine Pavilion today. I am a Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion."

He Song nodded at him.

A Spirit Plant Farmer under the Spirit Medicine Pavilion could indeed be considered Immortal Market personnel, and Immortal Market cultivators would not make things difficult for them.

However, compared with people like the Immortal Market's Enforcement Squad, who held the power of life and death over Rogue Cultivators, their status was somewhat lower.

"Oh? Congratulations, congratulations. Fellow Daoist truly has good fortune."

Upon hearing this, Lin Cong offered his congratulations, and his gaze toward He Song immediately gained a trace of envy.

Though Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was not large,

it did have a Foundation Establishment cultivator stationed there.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator at Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market had been sent from Qingyuan Immortal City.

And Qingyuan Immortal City belonged to the great Golden Core sect, the Thick Earth Sect.

The Foundation Establishment cultivator currently stationed at Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was also a disciple of the Thick Earth Sect.

With layer upon layer of connections like this, He Song's entry into the Spirit Medicine Pavilion under Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market's jurisdiction could be considered backing by a great Golden Core sect.

Though it did not actually have much use,

speaking of that title alone could still scare off a great many people.

Could just any Rogue Cultivator afford to provoke an external member of a great Golden Core sect?

"You flatter me, Fellow Daoist. My becoming a Spirit Plant Farmer was merely luck. How could I compare to you?"

He Song saw the envy in Lin Cong's eyes, and immediately came to a conclusion about his decision to learn the Spirit Rain Technique and Spirit Arrow Technique, then join the Spirit Medicine Pavilion as a Spirit Plant Farmer.

What he had done was, at the very least, far better than remaining a mere Rogue Cultivator.

Lin Cong clearly did not look like someone to be trifled with, yet upon hearing of He Song's identity, his eyes still held envy.

If he were an ordinary Rogue Cultivator, he probably would not even have a path to becoming a Spirit Plant Farmer.

His predecessor's fortune seemed truly quite good.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist jokes. As a Rogue Cultivator, I can only join forces with other Fellow Daoists to hunt demon beasts, then sell their corpses for Spirit Stones. Compared with you staying around the Immortal Market, my trade is exceedingly dangerous."

Shaking his head, the envy in Lin Cong's eyes gradually faded. Halfway through, he seemed to recall something. After glancing at the sky, he continued,

"I have urgent business outside. I shall visit another day. Farewell for now."

Lin Cong gave He Song a slight cupped-fist salute. Without waiting for He Song to react, he shot off like a leopard.

Watching Lin Cong's figure rapidly vanish into the distance,

He Song, who had originally intended to exchange a few modest words with him, was inwardly surprised.

This Lin Cong

really was someone who licked blood from a blade's edge.

Presumably, he earned quite a few Spirit Stones by joining others to hunt demon beasts.

However, the Spirit Stones he earned were likely all used to improve himself.

Otherwise, Lin Cong could not possibly possess such a dense, fierce aura. At a glance, his strength was clearly far beyond that of ordinary cultivators.

Yet no matter how much Lin Cong earned, He Song was not tempted in the slightest.

Lin Cong had spoken one truth.

Their line of work was simply too dangerous.

Encountering a high-level demon beast was manageable enough. One only needed to run faster than one's companions.

What was truly frightening was someone in the team being moved by greed, or a cultivator of higher cultivation setting their sights on them and killing them for their treasures.

If it truly came to that,

then no matter how many Spirit Stones one had earned, they would all become someone else's gains.