Chapter 349: Beast Core
Sam covered his face with his drenched robes in a poor attempt to shield his eyes from the intense storm. The main street of Ashfallen City, which had been bustling with life when he arrived here a week ago, was now nearly vacant. Few dared to move around in this winter storm that had only gotten worse with every day that passed. The freezing rain seemed to come from every direction, and if not for the Qi he was cycling through his body to keep the chill from seeping deep into his bones, he might have suffered frostbite within minutes.
Can my old man even protect the harvest from this? Sam thought as he plodded through the freezing mud toward his temporary home, which he was sharing with others while waiting for the tournament to start.
We were mere weeks away from the last big harvest of the year, but even Qi-enhanced crops would struggle to survive this storm. If the farmers' crops die over the winter season, things will get really ugly.
Sam wouldn't have been so worried if the Ashfallen Sect hadn't been buying up every last crop to feed the growing population of Ashfallen City. It had been lucrative for the farmers, but little crops were left in storage for freak events like this.
Whatever, the fate of the farm is no longer my concern. Sam balled his fists, which were numb and red from the cold. My sole focus is advancing my cultivation and winning this tournament to impress my master.How can the life of a farmer compare to that of a cultivator anyway? Why would I want to live as a slave to the land when I can defy the heavens and soar through the skies?
Lofty dreams, he had to admit. But he was hopeful. Ever since the service to the All-Seeing Eye, his cultivation progress had exploded to the 9th stage of the Qi Realm. His rapid progress through the stages was a perfect combination of his master's gift opening his spirit roots, getting access to a cultivation technique and free resources through the cult, and the insight he received the night of the service after watching Stella annihilate dozens of cultivators more powerful than he could ever imagine being with a snap of her finger. He supplemented all these advantages with intense cultivation, where he would keep going until he fainted from hunger.
Yet despite this explosive progress, he couldn't help but feel bitter. Before his master returned to gift him the truffle, he had tried this hard for months yet seen no results. All that had changed between now and then was his access to resources. He had once looked up to cultivators, but this realization that resources overshadowed effort lessened his respect for them. It also soured his motivation to train whenever he pondered how different his life would have been if he had been born to a noble cultivator family rather than to a poor farmer. Would he have to train to the brink of death every day if he had the wealth of a noble family behind him?
He doubted it. But what could he do? These were the cards he had been dealt, and he would make the most of them. A sudden feeling of nearby spiritual pressure broke Sam out of his bitter thoughts. Looking to the other side of the street, he saw a middle-aged woman moving through the rain with skin so white he had to double-check she wasn't a ghost.
No, that's definitely a person.