In the Spirit Fields, Zhao Yu stood under the scorching sun, circulating his blood and transforming his Inner Qi as he slowly executed the secret technique recorded in the "Crimson Sun Divine Skill."
"Crimson Sun Divine Skill, First Level (1/100)."
After completing a cycle of breath cultivation, Zhao Yu was drenched in sweat. As he thought it, a line of information emerged:
"Each cultivation session yields one point of proficiency, and one can cultivate twice a day! This means it would take fifty days to complete the first level of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill."
"According to the author of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill, each level is more challenging than the last! Based on my cultivation speed, it would probably take about sixty years to cultivate the Crimson Sun Divine Skill to the Great Grandmaster Realm. That speed is only achievable cultivating above the Market's Spirit Vein. As for my Martial Talent, it really is quite ordinary!"
Zhao Yu looked at his cultivation progress and compared it with the secret manual of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill, quickly understanding why so few Cultivators cultivated Mortal Martial Arts.
Ordinary Cultivators could spend their entire lives cultivating without becoming Martial Great Grandmasters, while talented Cultivators who reached Foundation Establishment Great Cultivators could kill a Martial Great Grandmaster with a casual spell. It's obvious which option a rational person would choose.
"Young Zhao, are you practicing martial arts? Are you planning to leave the Market and settle in the Ten Mortal Cities?"
At the edge of the nearby field, an average-looking old man with graying hair, a face lined with wrinkles, and a few age spots strode over with a sparkling vivacity in his eyes, only approaching after Zhao Yu had finished his cultivation. He grinned, revealing his large yellow teeth, and walked towards him.
Wiping off sweat, Zhao Yu said, "Old Liu, I'm still planning to give it another shot here in the Market!"
Old Liu was an elder Spirit Farmer from Cangling Sect. When Zhao Yu was first sold to the Market to tend to the Spirit Fields, it was Old Liu who taught him the skills of a Spirit Farmer. They had a very close relationship.
Old Liu grinned, showing off his large yellow teeth, "Young Zhao, you're not getting any younger! It's time to think about settling down. I have twenty-three granddaughters, each one beautiful and lovely. Would you like to choose one to be your wife?"
Offspring born from a union between a Cultivator with a Spirit Root and a mortal have a much higher chance of inheriting a Spirit Root than children born from two mortals.
Although Zhao Yu was the lowest-ranked Cultivator in the Market, he was held in high esteem in the Ten Mortal Cities. Many mortal families were eager to have him join them and to have his children.
Zhao Yu replied, "Old Liu, I'm not considering that at the moment. Besides, aren't you nearly seventy years old? Shouldn't you be returning to Blackstone City to enjoy your life?"
Generally, those who cannot achieve Foundation Establishment by the age of seventy, without an incredible stroke of luck, will be unable to do so for the rest of their lives. Many Cultivators from the Market who reach seventy without achieving Foundation Establishment leave and go to the Ten Mortal Cities to enjoy their lives.
Of course, some accomplished Talisman Masters and Pill Masters remain in the Market to enjoy life even if they can't achieve Foundation Establishment. After all, the life of the lower-ranking Loose Cultivators in the Market is hard, but those at the top lead a much more joyful life than those in the Ten Mortal Cities, and living above the Spirit Vein can extend one's lifespan by a few years.
Although Old Liu was just an ordinary Spirit Farmer at the Third Level of Qi Refining in the Market, back in Blackstone City he owned three thousand acres of fertile land and had dozens of wives and concubines. Every year, Old Liu would leave the Market for a while to spend time with his family in Blackstone City, located in the Ten Mortal Cities.
Old Liu said proudly, "One of my grandsons has a Medium-grade Four Spiritual Roots—it's quite a talent! I plan to work for another twenty years, putting everything into nurturing him! If I can get him to join the Cangling Sect, perhaps our Old Liu family will produce a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator one day!"
In the Cultivation World, Cultivators with Low-grade Five Spiritual Roots like Zhao Yu are the most numerous. Without a grand opportunity, they hardly have any hope of advancing to Foundation Establishment. Cultivators with Medium-grade Four Spiritual Roots barely meet the minimum recruitment standard for the Cangling Sect and have a slight hope of achieving Foundation Establishment.
Zhao Yu smiled and said, "Then I wish your Old Liu family will soon produce a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator!"
Old Liu laughed heartily, "Hahaha! Young Zhao, since you've started practicing martial arts, you should cut back on visiting places like the Hundred Flowers Building. Although the female disciples from the Thousand Mysteries Sect are delightful, they show no mercy when absorbing a man's essence."
At the mention of the Hundred Flowers Building, Zhao Yu felt a surge of heat and images that stirred his blood flashed through his mind before he gave an awkward smile, "I will keep that in mind."
Old Liu laughed, "The Hundred Flowers Building is too expensive. If you want to go, you should head to Qing Stone Alley and look for those with semi-open doors. They're also cultivators, stronger than mortals. But if you want to live a good life, you should go to the Ten Mortal Cities and find yourself a few mortal wives, produce a bunch of kids—surely some will have Spirit Roots!"
Zhao Yu chatted idly with Old Liu for a while longer before he began carefully tending to the two acres of Spirit Fields, his only source of income.
Zhao Yu ate three meals of Spirit Rice a day, each meal consisting of one jin of Spirit Rice, to gain a point of proficiency in his Martial Talent.
Although the improvement was small, Zhao Yu cultivated the Crimson Sun Divine Skill and the Earth Elemental Skill every day. The proficiency of the Crimson Sun Divine Skill increased by one point daily, while the proficiency of the Earth Elemental Skill remained unchanged.
The fourth day.
"Martial Talent: Extremely Outstanding (0/100)."
After Zhao Yu applied his points, he immediately felt a warm current flowing through his body, making him feel more spirited and fundamentally transformed.
Zhao Yu stepped out of his wooden hut and headed to the Spirit Fields to carefully cultivate the "Crimson Sun Divine Skill" under the fierce sun.
"Crimson Sun Divine Skill, First Level (34/100)."
Zhao Yu revealed a slight smile, "The difference is too great! After increasing my Martial Talent, my cultivation speed is now thirty times faster than an average person's!! At this rate, I might be able to reach the Great Grandmaster Realm in just about two years!!"
Once he ascended to the Great Grandmaster Realm, Zhao Yu's fighting power would be comparable to that of a Cultivator at around the Sixth Level of Qi Refining. This would grant him some measure of self-protection within the Market.
Zhao Yu took out a Qi Blood Pill and swallowed it directly. A warm current flowed through his body before abruptly condensing.
"Alchemy Talent: Unremarkable (0/100)."
"Alchemy Cultivation Level: 0th Rank (0/100)."
"Alchemy——Qi Blood Pill: Beginner (0/100)."
A trace of surprise flashed through Zhao Yu's eyes, "After eating the Spirit Pill, I can add points to improve the proficiency level of refining this type of Spirit Pill! That's great! There's hope for me to become a Pill Master!!"
In the Hundred Arts of Cultivation, the four arts of formations, talismans, pills, and weapons are the most profitable, with the identity of a Pill Master being the most prestigious and profitable among them.
"However, one bottle of Qi Blood Pills costs one Spirit Stone, and by refining ten bottles, my proficiency level in refining Qi Blood Pills could improve to a proficient level. But the market for Qi Blood Pills is small, and they can't be sold at all!"
Zhao Yu's joy lasted only for a moment before he regained his composure and began to weigh the pros and cons.
In the market of Xiaohei Mountain, the vast majority are Cultivators, and those who practice Mortal Martial Arts are extremely few. Qi Blood Pills, which strengthen the qi and blood of warriors, generally only have a demand in the Ten Mortal Cities, and even there, demand is not high.
That's because ordinary mortal warriors simply can't afford Qi Blood Pills, and influential figures like the City Lords of the Ten Mortal Cities who can afford them won't buy in large quantities, and businesses of this kind are monopolized by major forces such as the Cang Ling Sect. For a low-level cultivator like Zhao Yu to touch this kind of business would be suicidal.
Zhao Yu's thoughts moved. The plus sign next to Alchemy——Qi Blood Pill disappeared, and a warm current flowed rapidly through his body; he began to breathe in and out again, cultivating the Chiyang Divine Skill, refining a blazing Inner Qi in his body.
"Chiyang Divine Skill Second Level (10/100)."
After finishing his cultivation, Zhao Yu suddenly thought, "If eating a Qi Blood Pill can improve my proficiency in refining Qi Blood Pills, can eating a Spirit Talisman help me improve my proficiency in refining Spirit Talismans?"
Zhao Yu immediately returned to his wooden hut, searched through his belongings, and found three Evil Warding Talismans and one Minor Spiritual Shield Talisman. After lingering over the two Spirit Talismans for a while, he finally picked up an Evil Warding Talisman.
The Canglong Mountain Range is abundant in spiritual energy, home to many Spirit Veins, which give birth to many powerful demonic beasts and strange Evil Spirits! The Evil Warding Talisman is an essential talisman for those who clear fields in places like the Canglong Mountain Range; with it, one can sense the approach of Evil Spirits and dispel them.
Evil Spirits are pervasive, and many low-level cultivators unknowingly become afflicted by them. That's also why Zhao Yu, as a poor Spiritual Farmer, would always keep three Evil Warding Talismans at home just in case.
Zhao Yu swallowed the Evil Warding Talisman in one gulp, and a line of information directly appeared.
"Talisman Path Talent: Unremarkable (0/100)."
"Talisman Practice Level: 0th Rank (0/100)."
"Talisman——Evil Warding Talisman: Beginner (0/100)."
Zhao Yu took a close look and tapped the plus sign next to Evil Warding Talisman: Beginner. A surge of memories on how to draw the Evil Warding Talisman flooded into his mind, as if he had already drawn the first talisman after many attempts.
"Talisman——Evil Warding Talisman: Beginner (10/100)."
Zhao Yu slightly furrowed his brow, "Eating one Evil Warding Talisman can improve my proficiency by ten points! But now I only have four Spirit Stones, which at most can only buy four more Evil Warding Talismans. I still need to buy Talisman Paper, Talisman Ink, and Talisman Brush, and there are definitely not enough Spirit Stones! The most urgent thing is to improve my Martial Cultivation and strengthen my Protection Methods."
In the days that followed, Zhao Yu would get up early in the morning to cultivate the Chiyang Divine Skill, and then he would practice Qinggong, Flying Daggers, and swordsmanship.
After completing his cultivation, Zhao Yu would go to the Spirit Fields to carefully tend to them, and at night he would sit cross-legged on the ground, cultivating the Earth Elemental Skill.
Initially, Zhao Yu would gain one point in Martial Talent proficiency with every meal of Spirit Rice he ate. But since advancing to a Martial Arts Genius, he needed to eat three meals of Spirit Rice a day to gain one point in Martial Talent proficiency, plus an extra meal to replenish the nutrients consumed by practicing martial arts.
Half a month flashed by in an instant, and Zhao Yu had eaten up all his stored Spirit Rice.
However, the day to harvest the Spirit Rice also arrived. Zhao Yu harvested the Spirit Rice from the three mu of Spirit Fields all by himself, which was very laborious. After paying the rent, he was left with three Spirit Stones and ninety jin of Spirit Rice.
Zhao Yu looked at the remaining Spirit Stones and Spirit Rice and sighed deeply, "Being a Spiritual Farmer is truly miserable!!"
Typically, one mu of Spirit Fields can produce around one hundred jin of dehusked Spirit Rice, which can only be harvested once a year. Each mu of a Spirit Field is rented out for fifty jin of Spirit Rice, and then the Cang Ling Sect would forcefully buy another thirty jin of Spirit Rice from each mu at the price of one Spirit Stone for thirty jin, and only the remaining Spirit Rice can be eaten or sold by the Spiritual Farmers themselves.
In the Market's rice shops, one Spirit Stone can only purchase ten jin of Spirit Rice.
If the Spiritual Farmers of the Market are not diligent enough, the Spirit Rice they harvest throughout the year might not even be enough for their own consumption, forcing them to spend Spirit Stones to buy more Spirit Rice.
Zhao Yu, as an experienced Spiritual Farmer, could achieve a yield of one hundred and ten jin per mu. However, he could only take care of three mu of Spirit Fields and had no capacity to rent and cultivate more.