Chapter 1
After I saw it, I Could not stop myself from desiring it.
In the mortal realm there are countless cities and countless small villages. My story started in the village of Alpaca.
Why this name ?
Simply because the founder liked those strange beasts anyway
As a child in one unremarkable village that dreamed of having a nice field and a cute wife, the typical peasant way of life.
Two events changed my life. The first one was when a beast appeared in one of the fields.
Mike was eaten by it, poor guy.
Well, I ran away and survived but the fear of death and the image of a passing cultivator fighting it really made me aware of the rules of nature, the strong survive and eat the weak.
The second one was when a woman cultivator of a higher realm was asking for directions, apparently the wine of the Gralupe village (2 days from here) became super famous. That was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She descended from the sky clad in a really beautiful robe adorned with gold and some other expensive stuff, and after that disappeared.
So I decided, I want to be a cultivator too, have a beautiful wife like that woman, fly in the sky, be respected and admired after fighting beasts. but i am just a countryside guy that reeks of a farm life. Well, at least I realized it is not gonna be easy to find my path, different then Tomas. That idiot just went to the "Lightning Sword Sect" in the closest city and came back after 2 months without an arm.
The only thing I know really well is how to take care of the fields. Everything else is not really good, I even learned how to read and write. It will be useful in the future after all. Maybe I can buy some cultivation scrolls if I work for a merchant in the city.
So I set off on my journey to become an awesome cultivator. I went to the nearby city to work and start my path of cultivation.
Well that plan failed, i mean i got a job in the bakery i can do basic math after all and read the recipes to help in the early mornings, the salary is not bad for a 15 years old kid like me, but when i went to the "Cultivation Paradise" the only store in the city that sell scrolls i became aware of the difference, man cultivators are really rich even the most basic cultivation technique to awaken Qi, is 1 whole gold coin how many months will it take for me to acquire it will take more than a year shit.
To take my mind out of this situation I decided to focus on my work, there is nothing i can do about the money i don't have.
-Oh my Nivol, working hard as usual i see.
an old lady said, she is one of the regulars in the bakery that always came really early in the morning.
- The first batch of the day just came out of the oven, madan Fatima.
it's basically the same conversations ever, the first batch is basically made for her, she is in charge of bringing a ton of bread to the teacher dorms on the "Steel Body Sect". I sigh as I prepare the bread without asking her anything, after all it is always the same request.
- oh my someone is not really happy to see me.
- that is not it, madan Fatima, I'm just lost, the price for cultivation techniques is just too high.
- oh so you want to be a cultivator as well hum…
- Well yes, but I want to do it in a safe way.
- there is nothing in this world that is completely safe, boy. why don't you try to enter a sect if you have aptitude you can enter as an outer disciple, I recommend the Steel Body Sect.
- haha, well i don't know how it is there but some people from my village that entered a sect came back without an arm.
- that type of thing can only happen when you break the rules or disrespect someone you shouldn't.
- when i came to the city i realized that having someone to protect you when in a sect is really important, the outer disciples that i see passing by are living worse than me you know.
- well that is because outer disciples are made to do chores, they receive compensation according to the work they do, and since they don't give prestige to the sect it is obvious that they will have to work for themselves.
- and if i'm lucky i would become one of them, my only remarkable technique is taking care of the field back home, for cultivation i have not even started since the Qi awakening scroll is so expensive.
- hum… so you want a Qi awakening scroll without entering a sect, and you are good with plants. maybe you could work on the plantation of a sect you know.
- What. sects have their own plantation? they make their own rice? or is it grapes for producing wine? What do you call yours, "Steel Stomach Wine" ?
- hahahaha, that was a good one, no little boy we have a plantation of herbs to assist the cultivation, to enhance the body.
- I see. then I could be useful, I'm really good at taking care of plants, you know.
- how about this, you work here in the morning shift right? i will give you a scroll of Qi awakening and you will help me taking care of the herbs field of my sect, i'm getting old after all, some young man to do the heavy lifting will come in handy.
- Wait, you take care of your sect field ?
- Yes, the regular field, there is no expensive treasure there, only regular plants for the initial stages of cultivation.
- I'm pretty sure that those plants are treasures for regular people like me, you know.
- haha, you are right but to us these are useless, they are rewards for the students when they complete a certain number of tasks.
- is it ok for me to be there even if i don't enter the sect?
- yes, i trust you are a intelligent boy, making an enemy of a sect without backing is suicide after all.
- I'm in!
- then come with me tomorrow I will make you a Herbalist.
- A Cultivator as well please!
- hahahaha, ok ok boy.