Being a Late Bloomer in the Cultivation World

Alternatively, one could practice an Inner Family True Skill, follow the path of an Innate Martial Artist, and then transition into a Qi Cultivator. That was also a viable option.

One didn’t necessarily have to enter Danqiu Mountain for Cultivation.

Back on Danqiu Mountain.

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou went to the Supreme Profound Sect’s office and handed their Descent Tokens to Steward Liu.

Independent Cultivators registered on Danqiu Mountain who wished to descend the mountain had to apply for a Descent Token at the office. Only then were they permitted to leave.

Otherwise, if they were discovered leaving without permission, they would be taken away by the Supreme Profound Sect’s Law Enforcement Team and thrown in prison.

In serious cases, such as causing trouble in the mortal world, they might even be executed on the spot by the Law Enforcement Team.

This was one reason why people like Hu Yao, despite being Qi Cultivation Immortal Masters, were stuck in the Shantytown instead of descending the mountain to enjoy a life of wealth and luxury.

Registration of one’s origin was, by its very nature, a tool used by factions to control the movement of people.

Only upon reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage and becoming a true Foundation Establishment Immortal could one enjoy the freedom to travel without being restricted by their registered origin.

Carefree immortality.

It had nothing to do with low-level Cultivators.

Steward Liu took the Tokens and tucked them into his sleeve. He glanced at Wei Tu and the other, calculated the date, and chuckled. "You two went home to visit family and only stayed in the mortal world for twenty-one days. You can be considered promising seeds for Cultivation with firm hearts for the Dao."

"Thank you for the praise, Steward."

Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou offered the Steward some flattery.

Before they left Danqiu Mountain, Hu Yao had warned them not to waste their quota for leaving the mountain. Otherwise, if an emergency or some danger arose back home, they would be without a quota or Spirit Stones, left completely helpless with no one to turn to.

"Right, if the Law Enforcement Team doesn’t come looking for you within a month, it’ll prove you didn’t cause any trouble in the mortal world."

"During that time, don’t mind the surveillance on you two."

Steward Liu added as a reminder.

...

Back at the shanty house.

Wei Tu put down the cloth sack he was carrying on his shoulder and emptied its contents.

CLATTER!

The desk, which had been empty a moment ago, was now covered with over twenty pale-white, prism-shaped jades, along with some miscellaneous items like rouge and powders.

The last time they entered Danqiu Mountain, he and Fu Zhizhou, just to be safe, had only brought a dozen or so Spirit Stones with them. The rest were buried in a hidden mountain hollow nearby.

This time, upon returning to Danqiu Mountain, they dug up the remaining Spirit Stones and brought them back.

As for the cosmetics, he had brought them specifically at the request of Hu Yao and the others after leaving Danqiu Mountain.

While the quota for descending the mountain wasn’t exceedingly precious to low-level Cultivators like Hu Yao, they obviously wouldn’t waste it on a trivial matter like going down to buy cosmetics.

Danqiu Mountain did have such worldly goods for sale, but the prices were naturally much higher than in the mortal world.

’If I had a Storage Bag, I could travel between the mortal world and Danqiu Mountain and become a reseller, buying low and selling high...’

A yearning for an Immortal Magical Artifact like a Storage Bag sprouted in Wei Tu’s heart.

A Storage Bag was a Space Artifact that typically only Late-Stage Qi Cultivation Cultivators were qualified to use. They were expensive, with one costing several hundred Spirit Stones at a minimum.

’The poorer you are, the fewer ways you have to make money. The richer you are, the more opportunities there are...’

Wei Tu sighed to himself, stood up, and put the cosmetics back into the cloth sack. He then shouldered the sack and headed out toward the shanty house where Hu Yao and the others lived.

"Where is Fellow Daoist Fu?" Hu Yao’s gaze swept over Wei Tu, and seeing that his constant companion Fu Zhizhou was absent, her slender brows furrowed slightly.

Girls do love a handsome face.

After all, her initial willingness to help Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou was not unrelated to Fu Zhizhou’s dashing good looks.

"Brother Fu had other matters to attend to, so he didn’t have the leisure to visit the shops in the mortal world and pick up things for Fellow Daoist Hu this time,"

Wei Tu said, shaking his head.

Fu Zhizhou came from a noble Military Family in Xiaoyi Prefecture. He was proud by nature. Although he was polite and courteous to Hu Yao on the surface, he secretly looked down on a "freeloading" Secret Prostitute like her.

He could have brought the items for Fu Zhizhou this once, but he couldn’t cover for him forever.

Fu Zhizhou’s true attitude could never deceive a worldly Female Cultivator like Hu Yao, especially given her... particular profession.

"Then I won’t trouble Fellow Daoist Fu next time." Hu Yao was perceptive; hearing Wei Tu’s words, she forced a smile.

The feeling of being despised was not a pleasant one.

Hu Yao invited Wei Tu inside to sit, then personally cooked a few dishes to treat him to a meal.

The two made some small talk.

"In another two months, it’ll be the small market in the Shantytown. All the Independent Cultivators will set up stalls to sell their own Spiritual Products..."

"Fellow Daoist Wei, you can start preparing."

Hu Yao said with a smile.

"A small market?" Wei Tu was slightly surprised and quickly asked about the origins of this "small market."

Hu Yao immediately explained, "Fellow Daoist Wei should know that Independent Cultivators like us who live in the Shantytown are not allowed to stay long in the Marketplace without permission."

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded to himself.

He recalled how Hu Yao had tried to entice Steward Liu by offering to visit his private residence. Her real goal was to be able to stay in the Marketplace longer to absorb Spiritual Qi and advance her Cultivation.

"And the goods in the Marketplace shops are often ridiculously expensive. They buy resources from us Independent Cultivators for cheap and then sell them back to us at a high price..."

Hu Yao paused before continuing, "Over time, we Independent Cultivators in the Shantytown started holding our own private market to trade our Spiritual Products and avoid being further exploited by the Marketplace shops."

"The small market is held once every six months. It’s different from the large market organized by the Marketplace."

Hu Yao added.

"I want to focus on refining my Talisman Skill. I wonder if there are any Cultivators at the small market who sell Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, and Talisman Pens..."

"If so, I’d like to ask Fellow Daoist Hu to help me make some connections."

As he spoke, Wei Tu flicked his sleeve, placing a dozen or so bits of Spiritual Sand on the dining table.

One Spirit Stone could be exchanged for about thirty bits of Spiritual Sand.

Although he was carrying a small fortune, a dozen bits of Spiritual Sand were more than enough to satisfy Hu Yao.

Any more, and instead of gratitude, Hu Yao might have become greedy.

"Talisman Skill?" Hu Yao was slightly taken aback and gave Wei Tu a steady look.

Among the Hundred Cultivation Techniques, while Talisman Skill wasn’t as difficult to learn and practice as the Alchemy Dao, Array Dao, or Artifact Dao, that didn’t mean it was easy.

Many Cultivators often spent hundreds of Spirit Stones practicing the Talisman Skill and still couldn’t draw a single Immortal Talisman good enough to sell.

She herself had once tried to learn the Talisman Skill, but after investing over ten Spirit Stones with no success, she had no choice but to give up the trade. She turned to being a Secret Prostitute in the Shantytown to earn the Spirit Stones needed to support her own Cultivation.

Relying on farming a Spirit Field for Cultivation, one could never save up enough Spirit Stones in a lifetime to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Of the Independent Cultivators who managed to reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, ninety-nine percent had their own special skill.

"Alright, I’ll help you with that, Fellow Daoist Wei. But after you succeed, if you ever become accomplished in your studies, you’ll have to sell me Talismans at a ten percent discount..."

Hu Yao said with a sly smile.

"If the Talisman Paper, Spirit Ink, Talisman Pens, and other items Fellow Daoist Hu finds for me are significantly cheaper than in the Marketplace shops..." Wei Tu considered for a moment, not agreeing immediately. An idea came to him and he continued.

’If I can buy the artifacts needed to practice the Talisman Skill at a low price in the early stages... then it’s like Hu Yao is investing in me. A reasonable return would be a fair request.’

Hearing this, Hu Yao clapped her hands. "Then it’s settled! As for the things Fellow Daoist Wei needs for practicing the Talisman Skill, even if I have to advance the money myself, I’ll get them for you at a forty percent discount!"

"A forty percent discount?"

Hearing this discount, Wei Tu nodded and agreed.

With his experience, he could tell that Hu Yao’s talk of "advancing the money" was just a turn of phrase.

She would probably still make a good profit from this.

But that was none of his concern.

You can’t make all the money in the world.

To get such a reward for a small price was a good deal, and he wasn’t going to be so petty as to dwell on it.

When the meal was over, Hu Yao walked out of the shanty house to the vegetable patch in the front yard. She picked a few fresh Spirit Melons, placed them in a bamboo basket, and pushed the basket’s handle into Wei Tu’s hands.

"Just some Spirit Melons I grew myself. They aren’t worth much, but consider them a thank-you gift for bringing back those things for me, Fellow Daoist Wei."

Hu Yao said.