“I’ll take it!” Proclaimed Mei Ling.

  “This ghostvine is good enough for me to refine and use for a long time. Can you sell it to me for 8 spirit stones?”

  Ren quickly agreed. She had offered the market rate, and he did owe her for all her help. They both went their separate ways looking pleased.

  The next day, Ren went to the market with the spirit plants to sell. He had already found a buyer for the three sunseeker plants in Chun Wei. He went to the agreed-upon meeting spot and saw the older man next to his stall. He still had lots of cultivator resources on display.

  “Greetings, Senior Brother. I’ve brought you the sunseeker plants I had talked about,” Ren said, opening the box to reveal the plants. Chun Wei took a few minutes to inspect them and accepted them.

  “I’ll give you six spirit stones for those two and 7 for the other. It’s slightly richer in qi. You’ve done a decent job in raising them. And remember, if you grow more such plants, you can always come to me.”

  That gave Ren an idea. “If you are looking for any specific plant, I could try growing it for you?” The sect had large fields of medicinal herbs that it was always growing, but that sometimes made it harder to find more special plants. Since Ren didn’t have any such needs at the moment, he could try accepting orders from others who did. Especially since he could ask for slightly more for the service.

  His unusual success rate made him more confident in not taking losses in the long term. And he could learn more about a variety of different plants with experience. Definitely liking the idea, he decided to ask around later at the Hall of Contribution.

  Chun Wei let him know about some others who might be interested in having Ren raise plants for them. They were all in the late stages of the qi gathering realm who didn’t have a strong affinity for herb growing.

  Ren thanked him for all his help and then went to sell the final ghostvine. Walking out of the shop, he counted his new wealth. 32 spirit stones! He felt like a young master again. That was one aspect he definitely missed: not having to worry about money. The Zhao family might be a poor cultivation family, but a starving camel was still bigger than a horse.

  He wondered if he should send some of his new fortune back home. “Not yet.” He decided in the end. “Whatever I can spare now won’t be worth much to them anyway. It would be better spent improving myself. That way, I can earn more later. Strength determines all.”

  He spent the next few days talking to other disciples about any spirit plants they wanted and then researching them. He was trying to raise them together, so he was searching for orders where the plants would complement each other. He finally accepted three custom orders for spirit plants of three different attributes.

  With his ability still being untested, no one was willing to pay him to buy the seeds, only offering a reward for a fully grown plant, so most of his new wealth immediately went into buying those three seeds. He additionally bought two seeds of the remaining attributes to complete the cycle. These two wouldn’t be too profitable but, according to his research, would help the three main plants attain balance. Purchasing all the seeds left him with only 6 spirit stones.

  He spent two more spirit stones on a batch of Myriad Path Tortoise eggs. He had been looking for some spirit beasts to raise as either guardians or resources when he found an entry on those tortoises. They were spirit beasts with an interesting trait of gaining different qi attributes with age despite coming from the same parents.

  The eggs would be laid in large batches in all kinds of environments, and the hatchlings would settle into their attribute over a period of a year. Those with qi attributes favorable to their environments had better chances of surviving. It was an unusual case because the offspring of most spirit beasts rarely strayed from the qi distribution of their parents. The only exceptions were caused by special treasures or external events.

  The 18 eggs Ren had bought would hopefully grow into little tortoises of various qi attributes, and he could use them to support the growth of spirit plants. Their waste would be perfect fertilizer for plants. Also, the Myriad Paths Tortoise preferred insects over plants, though they could eat both, so they could keep certain pests at bay. The seller promised they should be hatching soon.

  Standing in his courtyard, Ren planned the new layout and began laying out formations to gather qi. His formations class had taught him formations that drew only a specific qi, and he tried his best to ensure they wouldn’t clash. All the studying had been tiring as he struggled to find time between all his responsibilities and cultivation, but if it worked, it would all be worth it.

  He needed only 1 success to earn back all he spent on the seeds. If he was right about the Nurturing Rain Sutra, he didn’t have to worry about unreasonable failures. Still, he put in a great amount of effort to ensure his venture was successful. This could become a very fun way to study, gain experience, and earn a lot of spirit stones at the same time.

  ******************************

  As Ren walked over to the 3rd and final class, he felt a little worried. He hadn’t pushed his cultivation very hard to avoid standing out but the unexpected breakthrough might draw attention to him again. He really didn’t want to gain more enmity from Jian Feng.

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  He anxiously waited for class to start, doing his best to ignore looks from around him. Some were wondering who was likely to win the teachers' prize this time. Those who hadn’t yet broken through were looking even more worried than him. This was their last chance to become cultivators. Faced with the prospect of returning home in shame or struggling for an unknown length of time for the small chance of awakening on their own, the air was crackling with nervous energy. Class started promptly as always.

  “Greetings. I can see everyone has worked hard these past months. Talent should be honed with dedication. Step forward, Jian Feng and…” Ren felt a spike of tension at the pause. “Mo Ying.” Ren felt a mix of relief and irritation. Feeling like he had missed out on a possible reward because he hadn’t tried his best annoyed him.

  He had to reassure himself, thinking, “Sparrows die for food and men for wealth. Better to be safe here.”

  Instead, he watched with pity as Jian Feng’s irritation got transferred to the other boy. To be shown up twice in a row and even being forced to spare Ren would have made the young master livid. If Mo Ying didn’t have an extremely strong background, he would have just earned himself a huge headache.

  The teacher continued speaking, “You have both advanced two realms and now reap the rewards.” Glancing at Mo Ying, he said with a tiny frown, “Be sure not to create flaws in your cultivation by being too hasty. The greatest reward is always your own strength.”

  It looked like the teacher didn’t approve of whatever method the boy had used to rapidly advance. Likely an overreliance on absorbing qi directly from spirit stones. This was known to cause issues in widening meridians if abused.

  The teacher had warned repeatedly that a stable foundation was the most important, and Mo Ying must have taken a shortcut.

  Once they returned to their seats, he addressed the class. “To cultivate is to go against the heavens. Once you gather enough qi and reach the peak of the qi gathering realm, the next stage is the Foundation Establishment realm. Breaking through to this realm sometimes happens naturally, but you can also consume foundation establishment pills to aid in your breakthrough. Be warned, these pills are expensive and carry risks if you fail at breaking through. You may buy them from the sect with contribution points, but not everyone can get their hands on them.

  Once you do reach this realm, it is akin to a tiger gaining wings. In this stage, you condense the qi and refine your very bodies in preparation to form a core, which is the next stage. Core formation is the realm where you can truly be called cultivators, but very few ever reach that far. It takes a lot of qi, techniques, and natural treasures to ensure a powerful core. So strive hard and defy the heavens. Use your heads, never let go of an opportunity, and build up the willpower to become heroes!”

  A wave of pressure emanated from him as he said this, his words having a physical impact on them all. Even normally laid-back Zhao Ren couldn’t help but be inspired. The formation activated below him. He felt qi whirl around him, his senses sharpening, focusing on his dantian.

  These formations made cultivation so easy. He wished he could use one all the time, but the cost in spirit stones was probably prohibitive. If someone could run it as much as they pleased, they could reach the peak of the qi gathering realm in a month!

  He felt his meridians slowly widen. He didn’t have enough contribution points to learn new techniques, so he couldn’t strengthen the unused meridians yet. However, he had a good idea of which ones he would pick once he did. A mix of offensive, defensive, movement, perception, and enhancing techniques. He was a long way from being able to afford them, but now he had a goal to work toward.

  He felt his dantian swell with the qi, feeling like he had reached the limit of the 3rd layer. One push would put it into the 4th layer, but it didn’t feel like the right time. He simply enjoyed the sensation and waited for this session to end.

  Soon enough the qi surging around him calmed. He opened his eyes and looked around. He hadn’t stuck around the last class to see how many had broken through but later found out around 60 had advanced. This time, of the remaining 60 or so disciples, only 15 had broken through. It felt a little surprising, but most who had fate with cultivation had already advanced. He watched as many broke down in tears.

  The teacher began speaking over the susurrus. “Congratulations to those who broke through. You may select a cultivation manual and begin your journey as cultivators.” He looked a little sympathetic toward the rest but clearly not enough to act on it.

  “In 3 months, the sect will hold a tournament for you all to compete in. The prize is amazing enough to completely change your destiny. So do not rest and slack off. Keep forging your bodies and minds and show everyone your best. That way, even if you do not win, you may still gain the favor of an elder and become their disciple. That is the only way to enter the inner sect before becoming foundation establishment realm cultivators. There you will be given access to even better resources and opportunities.”

  “I wish you all luck.”

  Perfectly timed to the bell, the teacher leaves. Ren realized he had never learned his name but bowed alongside many others in gratitude to the one who introduced them to the marvel of cultivation. He hung back this time to talk to others. Everyone was discussing the upcoming tournament. He had known the sect would hold events like this to motivate the disciples and keep their edge but hadn’t been informed of the details.

  Ren was excited too but knew better than to harbor expectations of victory. He knew that personal strength played a large part, but it wasn’t all. He would need to find out more about item restrictions and how far these duels would go. He had been cautious until now and wasn’t going to stop anytime soon.

  In talking with others, Ren noticed that that would be the 6-month mark after which new disciples would join. He had mostly settled into life at the sect, but becoming a senior to someone else would be a strange experience.

  Some of those who had broken through in that class had approached him tentatively, seeking advice about which cultivation manuals to follow. The word had spread that he gave decent advice and didn’t show hostility, and that was enough for many to seek him out.

  “Hah, I already feel like a senior, giving advice. Although, I should remember the attitude of the elder at the Hall of Scripture. If I give poor advice, I will only earn the resentment of others.”

  So before dispensing any recommendation, Ren made it clear that he gave no guarantees and that it should not be held against him. His advice was also less specific and more about giving directions at where they should start their own searches. Even that little bit made everyone thank him profusely. Everyone had heard the stories about selecting the first manual and how a few had already had to change their initial cultivation techniques.

  “Speaking of manuals, I should probably head to the Hall of Scripture too.” He said and took his leave. He was close to finishing his task and sorting the first floor. He only had a few days left in the 30-day deadline given to him, but if he put in a little extra effort, he should easily finish before then. Then he’d see about asking some more questions if the elder was pleased with his work.