Mysterious mirror hanging high

"It's a pity that the immortal spirit energy is not enough..."

Jing Yu sat up straight on the wooden bed, frowned and muttered to himself.

Jing Yu did not hear clearly what Yun Xuance and Ye Lingyue said afterwards, but even if he heard it clearly, it would have nothing to do with Jing Yu at this stage. After all, these were calculations at the Jindan and Yuanying levels, not something that a small cultivator like him at the first level of Qi training should consider.

After a long journey of half a month, although Jing Yu had made some progress in physical training and did not feel tired, he had not yet established his foundation and had not yet developed his spiritual consciousness. Mental fatigue was still inevitable, so he lay down again, closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep.

The next morning, Jing Yu had just woken up when he heard a knock on the door. He opened the door and saw that it was Mu Shan again.

"Uncle, did you sleep well last night? This shed is not comparable to a secular palace. I'm afraid you are not used to it."

"I think it's quite nice. The wood used to build this shed has a very pleasant aroma. It seems to have a calming effect."

Mu Shan gave a thumbs up. "Uncle is a connoisseur. The sheds in our Wushan Market are all made of ten-year-old tranquilizing wood. It has the effect of soothing the heart and calming the soul, and it is certainly helpful for those who are in seclusion and breaking through the realm."

"Wushan Market is quite generous." Jing Yu chuckled.

"It's not that I'm being generous. It's just that the environment of the Wushan Mountains is suitable for the growth of this spiritual wood, which makes the younger Anshen wood worthless." Mu Shan shook his head and smiled, "Every place has its own specialties. It's nothing more than living by the mountain and the water."

"Fellow Daoist Mu, what are your plans for today?"

"Uncle, I'm here today to ask for your opinion on what kind of job I should get in the market."

Mu Shan rolled up his sleeves, his expression becoming slightly more serious. He said in a deep voice, "You must know that cultivating immortality isn't just about sitting on the clouds, enjoying a carefree life, and discussing profound theories... That's something only the children of aristocratic immortal families can do. Ordinary cultivators like us, at the bottom of the society, ultimately need to acquire a skill to earn enough to cultivate."

"And this cultivation resource comes from the hundreds of arts of cultivating immortals."

"Alchemy, formations, weapons, and talismans... these are the four most profitable arts in cultivating immortality. Alchemists, needless to say, are the most effective. Whether it's daily cultivation, breaking through bottlenecks, or cultivating secret techniques and magical powers, which one doesn't require top-quality elixirs? A skilled alchemist is a welcome guest in any faction."

"It's just that the threshold to becoming an alchemist is extremely high. There are very few cultivators who have the talent for alchemy. In addition, the cost of entry is quite high, so it's not something that casual cultivators can afford."

"Fortunately, the cultivation world is flourishing with all kinds of arts, and independent cultivators can also join the big forces. If you start as a pill-making boy, you may be able to make it big."

Mu Shan said, "Sheng'er has a fire spiritual root, and is naturally better at controlling fire than cultivators with other spiritual roots. I sent him to the Dan Ding Pavilion in the market this morning and asked a fellow Taoist acquaintance to arrange for him to be an apprentice. I wonder if he can make a name for himself in a few decades."

"Compared to alchemists, array masters are less stable. They only take on big jobs, so to speak, 'If you don't open for business for three years, you can make a living for three years after you open.'"

"But nowadays, all the major immortal cultivation forces are engaged in large-scale construction and building cave dwellings. Cave dwellings require the installation of formations, which has led to a huge increase in the demand for formation masters in recent decades. It can be said that this is a thriving craft!"

I see, isn't the formation master the decoration master in my previous life? Jing Yu secretly complained in his heart.

"Friend Mu, there doesn't seem to be any formation set up in this shed?"

"Oh! Uncle, you're asking such a question..." Mu Shan laughed heartily. "To put it bluntly, this shed is just a place for cultivators in the early stages of Qi training to stay. There's no need to set up any formations..."

"But don't look down on this shed. The market price is one hundred and twenty spirit stones!"

"One hundred and twenty spirit stones?" Jing Yu frowned. "Isn't the rent for this shed only one spirit stone per year? A Qi cultivator's lifespan is only a hundred years. If they've lived here since birth, they'll only live here for a hundred years at most. Why does it cost a hundred and twenty spirit stones to buy it?"

"You can't say that." Mu Shan counted on his fingers and did the math for Jing Yu. "If I sell you this shed, you can live in it for the rest of your life. It won't be taken back unless the cultivator dies. It's true that for Qi-cultivating cultivators, renting is worse than buying. But if the buyer advances to the Foundation Establishment stage, he'll enjoy a lifespan of three hundred years. By then, you can move on to a new cave dwelling and rent this shed out at a price slightly below the market price. You'll receive spirit stones every year, a steady income. As long as there's a steady stream of spirit roots settled here, you'll never lose out."

"Then according to what you said, the cultivators who have established their foundation don't need to do any work. They can just buy a batch of sheds and rent them out, then lie down and collect spirit stones every year, right?" Jing Yu was stunned.

"Oh, you think there's nothing? There are so many!" Mu Shan sighed, "But it's not as easy as you say, uncle. This shed is stable, but it also has depreciation costs. Anshen wood is considered tough and durable among spiritual woods, but it needs to be renovated every few decades, which is another expense."

"If you really want to earn food by collecting rent, you should at least go to the first-level territory of the Immortal City and buy a cave residence close to the spiritual vein! Do you know where our Xiaoyao Alliance's headquarters is located? In the inner city of [Xiaoyao Immortal City], a cave residence the size of a shed is already being sold at a sky-high price of thousands of spirit stones!"

"Over a thousand spirit stones! That's enough to buy two foundation-building pills!" Mu Shan envied. "After all, we're still in a remote area. My house in the inner courtyard has a master bedroom, a second bedroom, three guest rooms, and a yard. It covers more than half an acre. The market price is only about 2 spirit stones, and the rent is spirit stones per year."

"The rent for your courtyard is only one spirit stone more per year than the shack?" Jing Yu exclaimed in surprise. "The living experience here is worlds apart. Why are there so many cultivators crammed into the shack?"

"One spirit stone is not a small amount!" Mu Shan said, "Uncle, you've been used to being a prince in the secular world, and your mentality hasn't changed yet. Don't you think about it? A spirit plant farmer in the early stages of Qi training can only earn five spirit stones a year. Two of them are used for spiritual rice for cultivation every year. If one of the remaining three is used to rent a shed, two can be saved for free use. If two are used to rent a small courtyard in the inner square, there will only be one spirit stone left for free use!"

"Whether you have one or two spirit stones to spend freely each year... that makes a huge difference!" Mu Shan said, "Perhaps one day, the magical weapon, cultivation technique, elixir, or other precious item you desire will only require one or two spirit stones!"

Jing Yu was delighted when he heard this, and after a long while he managed to utter a few words:

"What's the point of cultivating immortality?"

"After suffering so much hardship for most of my life, I'm living a life worse than that of an ordinary rich man."

Mu Shan laughed heartily: "Uncle, there are so many mortals without spiritual roots who want to suffer but have no way to do so!"