Refining Peak

After selling Kou Cheng a wisp of [Great Kun Moonlight], Tang Yuan rushed without stopping to Ding Chunqiu's cave abode.

As soon as he entered the outskirts of Ding Chunqiu's cave abode, Tang Yuan sensed the abundant Spiritual Qi. Sure enough, there was a difference between people: ordinary cultivators ate what amounted to pig swill, while high-level cultivators feasted on delicacies.

In the Holy Cardamom Sect, disciples at the Meridian Opening Stage or Qi Refining First Layer could only be Registered Disciples.

Not only did they eat poorly, but they also lived outside the sect gates, where Spiritual Qi was scarce, and often slept on communal sleeping platforms shared by more than a dozen people.

Only cultivators at the second or third layer of Qi Refinement could become outer disciples.

Although they lived inside the sect gates, they still shared communal courtyards with three or four cultivators each. The Spiritual Qi was only moderately abundant, and they had to pay rent besides.

Only disciples in the middle and late stages of Qi Refinement were eligible to become inner disciples and live in private cave abodes filled with Spiritual Qi.

Even if you had reached Qi Refinement Great Perfection, without a "patron" to recommend or introduce you, or take you as a disciple, you might still be no more than an outer disciple.

As for becoming a True Disciple of the Holy Cardamom Sect's six martial peaks,

either you had to be a monstrous cultivation genius,

or you had to possess some kind of innate spirit physique, destined to dual cultivate with a mighty cultivator,

or you had to be born into the right family, a descendant of one of the six martial peaks' chiefs or protectors.

Ding Chunqiu was an inner disciple despite being at the Qi Refinement Fifth Layer, the Middle Stage of Qi Refinement. His background really was extraordinary.

An inner disciple's cave abode was not only rich in Spiritual Qi, but also guaranteed to be the only one for dozens of miles around, and required no rent.

Looking at Ding Chunqiu's cave abode, Tang Yuan was practically drooling.

Standing outside the cave abode, he softly asked for an audience several times and waited about the time it took an incense stick to burn before Ding Chunqiu finally strolled out.

Damn, I'm not even qualified to be let inside for a look.

Ding Chunqiu sat on a stone stool while Tang Yuan stood and briefly explained that he wanted to borrow four hundred spirit coins from the Outstanding Talent Merchant Association for a term of two years.

Who would be foolish enough to hand over four hundred spirit coins on a mere verbal promise? Naturally, collateral was required.

Tang Yuan offered as collateral the three hundred empty jade formation plates Kou Cheng had dumped on him, along with his own body and soul.

Tang Yuan had thought it through. Although he was only a little over two hundred spirit coins short of buying the cultivation method, cultivating it would still require pills, herbs, and other resources, all of which cost money.

Since he was already taking out a high-interest loan, he might as well borrow more.

If he borrowed four hundred spirit coins, Tang Yuan would have to repay eight hundred and eighty, principal and interest included, after two years.

For one thing, Tang Yuan figured he could gradually sell off the jade formation plates in his possession for more than three hundred spirit coins.

He could sell the Hehuan Transformation Scripture, the dual cultivation method Kou Cheng had dumped on him, to other disciples and let them pay in installments.

If all else failed, he could take out another loan in two years to pay off this one.

If the debt blew up in seven or eight years and he really couldn't pay it back, he would auction off another wisp of [Great Kun Moonlight].

With Kou Cheng as a real customer who had experienced it, a wisp of immortal-grade [Great Kun Moonlight] Spiritual Qi might fetch more than five thousand spirit coins at an open auction.

Ding Chunqiu would immediately receive a commission of more than a hundred spirit coins on this loan from the Outstanding Talent Merchant Association.

Hearing that Tang Yuan had sound collateral to offer, Ding Chunqiu immediately invited him to sit down and summoned two cups of spirit tea out of thin air to treat him.

"Senior Brother Ding, I certainly don't want to die, and I don't want to sell my body and soul.

"After deducting the value of my collateral, I need to earn more than six hundred spirit coins within two years. That really is somewhat difficult.

"The Outstanding Talent Merchant Association's loan details say that for a first loan of at least three hundred and sixty spirit coins, the association will arrange an introduction to a sect job or assignment that pays well and requires little effort.

"I wonder if you have any jobs or assignment openings suitable for me right now, Senior Brother Ding.

"Preferably one where I can start earning money soon." Tang Yuan cupped his hands in salute.

"You're only at the Qi Refining First Layer. You basically can't complete any of the sect's high-paying assignments," Ding Chunqiu said frankly. He took a sip of spirit tea and asked:

"Tang Yuan, what kind of Spirit Root do you have?

"Or rather, do you have any talents?"

"Talents? I really don't have any.

"I do know a little pill refining, but I only make pills for cultivators at the Meridian Opening Stage.

"As for my Spirit Root, I have a Middle-Grade Spirit Root, but one of its attributes is a Variant Spirit Root: a Thunder Spirit Root," Tang Yuan said sincerely.

"A Thunder Spirit Root?" Ding Chunqiu's eyes lit up.

"Tang Yuan, have some tea first.

"Let me think about what suitable work our Outstanding Talent Merchant Association currently has for an outstanding talent like you."

Tang Yuan nodded and quietly sipped his spirit tea, thinking, Looks like there's hope for a job.

I never thought the Thunder Spirit Root among my Mediocre Spirit Root attributes would give me a chance to find work in the sect.

All mortals were born with Spirit Roots, regardless of whether they were innate [Aperture Openers] or could cultivate.

Spirit Root attributes were divided into seven types: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, and thunder.

Wind and Thunder Spirit Roots were Mutated Spirit Roots and were extremely rare.

Fewer than one in ten thousand people possessed a Spirit Root with a single attribute. This was a Superior Spirit Root, and its cultivation speed was fast.

Fewer than one in a hundred people possessed a Spirit Root with two attributes. This was a Good Spirit Root.

The vast majority of immortal cultivators possessed Spirit Roots with three attributes, known as Mediocre Spirit Roots.

As for those with four or even five attributes, theirs were False Spirit Roots.

[Aperture Openers] with False Spirit Roots could also cultivate, but without a great fortuitous opportunity, their cultivation would remain stuck at [Meridian Opening] for their entire lives.

In less than half the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Ding Chunqiu smiled mysteriously, took out two talismans, infused them with spiritual power, wrote on them in elaborate strokes, and handed them to Tang Yuan.

"Take these two talisman letters, written in my own hand, and first go find Liu Yixiao at our Outstanding Talent Merchant Association's station beside the Scripture Repository.

"When Liu Yixiao sees the letter, he'll hand over four hundred spirit coins to you.

"Liu Yixiao also handles affairs for the Scripture Repository, so you can go to him to buy a cultivation method.

"You'll get a discount if you buy one from him.

"Then go to the Outstanding Talent Merchant Association's Branch C on Refining Peak and find Feng Bin.

"He's a formation master under our Outstanding Talent Merchant Association. You can work as his apprentice.

"For one thing, you'll be paid handsomely for completing the tasks he assigns you.

"For another, you can learn some formation-making methods from him.

"Pills, talismans, artifacts, and formations: the four arts of immortal cultivation.

"Once you know how to make formations, even if your cultivation isn't high, you'll definitely eat and drink well and enjoy an extraordinary status in the sect in the future."

"Thank you for your help, Senior Brother Ding." Taking the talisman letters, Tang Yuan rose and cupped his hands in salute...

Tang Yuan went to the Outstanding Talent Merchant Association's station at the Scripture Repository, found Liu Yixiao, and drew up a contract to borrow four hundred spirit coins.

After handing Liu Yixiao eight hundred and ten spirit coins, Tang Yuan finally obtained the Jade Slips containing the early- and middle-stage cultivation methods of the Purple Cloud Nine Mysteries Scripture, which he had longed for.

With the cultivation method Jade Slips in hand, Tang Yuan boarded his flying shuttle and headed for the Holy Cardamom Sect's Refining Peak, several hundred miles to the west.

Refining Peak rose above the sea of clouds, and countless grottoes had been carved into it from top to bottom for use as refining workshops.

Countless cultivators with numbed spirits, most of them at the Meridian Opening Stage, labored inside without sleep or rest.

Refining Peak had natural underground fire veins and more than a hundred spirit springs.

The vast majority of the Holy Cardamom Sect's low- and mid-grade pills, talismans, Law Artifacts, and formations were made on Refining Peak.

Thousands upon thousands of Holy Cardamom Sect disciples either tossed basket after basket of alchemical minerals and herbs into Pill Furnaces, or refined pills directly using earthfire, or used spiritual power to drive the refining;

others inscribed runes on sheets of talisman paper and infused them with spiritual power to make talismans;

others refined pieces of material into artifacts, forging spiritual materials with spiritual power to make Law Artifacts;

and others channeled earthfire and spiritual power into empty formation plates, adding auxiliary materials to refine formations.

Like workers on an assembly line, these Holy Cardamom Sect disciples, all possessing spiritual power, sold their Essence Blood, freedom, and True Qi in the densely packed workshop grottoes of Refining Peak.

The wails of Demon Beasts, mortals, and cultivators echoed throughout Refining Peak.

For they would be skinned, disemboweled, pounded to pieces, or simply left whole,

and thrown straight into Pill Furnaces by the refiners...

Sweatshop: Refining Peak. The working conditions are a little poor.

The corners of Tang Yuan's mouth kept twitching as he flew toward the peak...