Thirty spirit stones a year.
Three hundred spirit stones in ten years.
Three thousand spirit stones in a hundred years.
Thirty thousand spirit stones in a thousand years.
In other words, if He Song's income remained stagnant, he would need to farm for a thousand years to save up thirty thousand spirit stones.
And that's assuming He Song didn't eat, drink, use spirit stones for cultivation, or spend any on social activities. Only then could he possibly save that much.
A thousand years? Even the wildflowers on his grave would wither by then.
Though he had an endless lifespan, it wasn't meant to be squandered this way.
With just a thought, He Song dismissed these musings from his mind and continued listening to the conversation.
"Right now, the Vast Earth Sect is recruiting wandering cultivators for mining. Each wandering cultivator earns thirty spirit stones for a month's work," Wei Fan's voice sounded again.
The two people, already somewhat surprised, widened their eyes further.
Thirty spirit stones a month? That's 360 spirit stones a year!
This income...
It far surpassed that of a Spirit Planter like He Song, who worked as an internal staff in the Immortal Market.
He Song, toiling all year as a Spirit Planter, could only earn 150 spirit stones.
After deducting rent, he was left with just 30 spirit stones for discretionary use.
But now, a random wandering cultivator mining could earn 360 spirit stones annually.
As long as they didn't rent a room in the Immortal Market, their entire income would be available for personal use.
The gap between 30 spirit stones and 360 spirit stones was more than tenfold!
Calculating this in his head, He Song suddenly found his hard-earned 30 spirit stones a year to be completely unappealing.
While he worked himself to the bone all year for 30 spirit stones, wandering cultivators could earn the same amount in a single month.
The disparity was like heaven and earth.
By this calculation, heading to the distant Crimson Spirit Gold Mine to work as a miner was practically like scooping up spirit stones with a sack!
"Unfortunately, they only recruit wandering cultivators. For internal staff like us in the Immortal Market, they don't even allow entry. Sigh." Noticing their interest, Wei Fan quickly poured cold water on their enthusiasm.
Taking a sip of tea, Wei Fan continued.
"Don't even think about leaving the Immortal Market. Leaving is easy, but returning is as hard as ascending to the heavens. Once you become a wandering cultivator, you'll lose the stability you currently enjoy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Meng Guan, who had been tempted, grabbed his cup of tea, furrowed his brow, and drained it in one gulp.
He Song kept his expression neutral, gazing downward, saying nothing.
However, in his heart, he had already formed his own plans.
The Vast Earth Sect recruiting wandering miners with a monthly salary of thirty spirit stones clearly indicated that the mining vein's value was immense, and the sect was eager to extract its resources quickly.
As for whether the mining vein was dangerous or not, that was beyond He Song's knowledge.
Having lived through an era of information overload in his previous life, He Song had learned to approach everything with a certain degree of caution.
For the Vast Earth Sect to offer such high pay for wandering miners, there had to be something suspicious about it.
Moreover, the fact that the Vast Earth Sect was recruiting only wandering cultivators and excluding internal staff like those from the Immortal Market raised even more questions.
Bamboo Mountain Immortal Market was not far from the mine.
If the goal was truly to expedite the excavation, wouldn't it make more sense to rely on trusted internal staff from the Immortal Market?
Yet, they were adamantly recruiting only wandering cultivators.
At that moment, the greed in He Song's heart dissipated completely.
This mine...
He must not go!
Having made up his mind, He Song felt a weight lift from his heart.
It was true that mining could earn more spirit stones, but what was the point if he wouldn't live to spend them?
While others might be drawn to the lucrative rewards, the Vast Earth Sect might very well be targeting the miners' lives instead.
Weighing the pros and cons, He Song knew which mattered more.
As someone with an immortal lifespan, longevity was his greatest advantage.
If he, like other cultivators, recklessly risked his life for a bit of cultivation resources, then he would be failing as an immortal.
Other cultivators fought tooth and nail for resources because their lives were short—if they didn't compete, they'd perish.
But He Song was already immortal. He was not like them.
Casually pouring Meng Guan a cup of tea, He Song pushed it across the table to him.
At that moment, Meng Guan, his face full of age and weariness, looked deeply conflicted.
He had been stuck in the mid-stage of Qi Refinement for far too long—so long that he saw himself as an old man, letting his state of mind manifest physically as an aged appearance.
But now, an opportunity to earn a significant amount of spirit stones was right in front of him.
To seize this opportunity, however, he would have to give up his position as an internal staff of the Immortal Market and become a wandering cultivator.
This was a consequence Meng Guan could not accept.
The gap between an Immortal Market internal staff and a wandering cultivator was immense.
Wandering cultivators faced high mortality rates.
If wronged, no one would avenge them.
They held a low status, easily stepped on by others.
Their access to resources was severely limited.
In contrast, the internal staff of the Immortal Market were shielded from such issues.
They could cultivate in peace, receive steady monthly or yearly resources, count on friends to avenge them if harmed, and enjoy a high status in the market, often looking down on wandering cultivators.
This stark contrast left Meng Guan torn. He wanted to earn a fortune, yet he couldn't bear to relinquish his identity as the Immortal Market internal staff.
This internal struggle was written all over his face.
"Old Meng, stop overthinking it. Just focus on saving spirit stones for now. When the time is right, we'll make a trip to Azure Cliff Immortal City and get you a Breakthrough Pill," Wei Fan said softly, noticing Meng Guan's turmoil.
"Wei Fan is right. Let's take our time saving spirit stones. Who knows? Maybe before you even save enough, you'll break through on your own," He Song chimed in, offering a word of comfort.
Meng Guan had been a guiding figure for He Song in the cultivation world.
If not for Meng Guan casually gifting He Song's predecessor a book on Spirit Plant Cultivation Techniques Book, He Song might have ended up as a wandering cultivator when he first transmigrated.
The life of a wandering cultivator was far worse than that of a Spirit Planter.
Forget about breaking through to the third level of Qi Refinement within five years; breaking through to the second level in five years would've been uncertain.
Not to mention the countless dangers faced by wandering cultivators—dangers He Song had never encountered as a Spirit Planter.
Thus, Meng Guan had done He Song a great favor, even if he didn't realize it.
But He Song remembered.
In cultivation, having a clear and unburdened mind was essential.
Seeing Meng Guan poised to jump into the fiery pit of mining, He Song knew he had to intervene.
Mining might offer high earnings, but it could cost Meng Guan his life.
It also meant resigning from his position in the Immortal Market.
Such a heavy price, only to fall into a deadly trap—
If He Song didn't persuade Meng Guan to reconsider and instead watched him walk into disaster, He Song would never forgive himself.
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