Chapter 584: Tenant Farmer

"The monopoly on high-end technology in this Immortal Cultivation World is just too severe."

Aaron muttered to himself, also noticing the disdain on the scholar's face.

After all, it seemed only reasonable that Loose Cultivators and newcomers would face a certain degree of discrimination.

He thought for a moment and said, "I see that in the spell section, there is a 'Rejuvenation Technique' specialized in healing; that seems quite good..."

"The customer wants to buy the 'Rejuvenation Technique'? That will be three Low-grade Spirit Stones!" The scholar's face immediately cleared up; earning Spirit Stones, after all, was nothing to be ashamed of!

Aaron fished out three cut Spirit Stones but did not hand them over, a look of hesitation appearing on his face: "This is my entire life savings..."

"This 'Rejuvenation Technique' can heal physical injuries and recover them extremely quickly; it is an essential spell for wandering abroad and getting injured in magical duels!"

The scholar hurriedly boasted about this low-grade spell, making it sound almost like an immortal art.

Aaron remembered that old man Donglong; he didn't look like someone who owned his own Spirit Field, so he was likely just a tenant farmer!

Of course, in the Immortal Cultivation World, it sounded a bit better to call them 'Spirit Farmer' or 'Spirit Planter'!

But in essence, they were no different from the impoverished farmers in the mortal world who were exploited by wealthy landlords!

For example... the distribution of Spirit Qi in Dongmen Valley was also uneven.

As for the surrounding Spirit Fields, they were of a lower grade.

"As expected... this wool isn't easy to shear either."

"Many thanks for the information!"

Aaron took out three Spirit Stones and received a Jade Slip from the scholar's hand.

"How about... I go be a tenant farmer too?"

But as long as one lived in Dongmen Valley, there was at least hope for progress in one's cultivation method!

Even if one didn't aspire to Foundation Establishment, even just breaking through one level of a Foundation Cultivation Method, or even a few minor realms, would be very good!

Aaron struggled with the thought for a while before saying, "I have a few more questions and would like to find someone to clear up my confusion..."

Immortal Cultivators were very tight-lipped and possessed superior spiritual sense, being extremely wary of strangers.

"Is this too damn realistic?"

Immortal Cultivators in the early and middle stages often lived for less than a hundred years, while those in the late stage and Great Perfection could possibly live to be a hundred and ten or twenty!

This was the advantage brought by breaking through minor realms!

Of course, a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator who lived to be a hundred and twenty was either extremely skilled at health preservation, had practiced a life-extending technique like the 'Everlasting Spring Art', or both...

Wanting to get some information for free like in the mortal world was clearly impossible.

To be honest, this news made even Aaron feel a bit tempted.

Of course, it was also the most arduous.

Aaron sighed in his heart as the voice of the scholar shopkeeper continued to reach his ears: "As for earning Spirit Stones? The best way is naturally to join the Dongmen Family and become a Guest Elder... but the Dongmen Family has a high threshold, generally only accepting late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. If one is in the middle stage of Qi Refining, one must at least have a specialized skill. However, if one truly becomes a Guest Elder, not only is there a stipend of Spirit Stones every year, but one can also rent a Cave Abode from the Dongmen Family for free..."

He nodded secretly, and seeing that the scholar shopkeeper seemed a bit impatient, he immediately said, "One last question, I am new to this precious place, I wonder if there are any taboos or trades that can earn Spirit Stones?"

Originally, he hadn't intended to buy anything, but to ask for some intelligence, he had no choice.

The place with the best Spirit Qi was naturally where the main line of the Dongmen Family resided, which had a small Spirit Vein that supplied the family cultivators and Guest Elders for their cultivation.

"I didn't expect... there are tenant farmers among Immortal Cultivators too?"

After the time it takes to burn a few sticks of incense, he walked out with a look of bad luck on his face: "Black... truly black!"

But Aaron shook his head secretly: "There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world. Since one has become a Guest Elder, there must be constraints. If the Dongmen Family wants you to risk your life, you have no choice but to go!"

The scholar seemed quite envious.

"There is nothing wrong with it. This 'Hunyuan Art' has been passed down since Ancient times and has been practiced and studied by countless cultivators... but..." The scholar shook his head: "As for the speed of Dharma Power advancement... it is a bit slower than a single Divine Attribute technique suited to one's Spirit Root. This might not have mattered in Ancient times when Spirit Qi was abundant, but nowadays, if you are one step slower, you might fail to break through, unable to break through to a major realm before your lifespan is exhausted..."

Even so, the Spirit Qi around the Spirit Fields was still quite good, which was why those Immortal Cultivators would rather be tenant farmers than leave Dongmen Valley.

And Dongmen Market was close to the ancestral home of the Dongmen Family, so the Spirit Qi was still quite abundant.

"Besides that, the follow-up to the 'Hunyuan Art' is also a big problem. After all, it is only a Foundation Cultivation Method and only covers the Qi Refining portion. Even if one luckily achieves Foundation Establishment with it in the future, one will still have to switch to other cultivation methods..."

Aaron hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still walked into the Dongmen Inn to inquire about renting a Cave Abode and other matters...

The average lifespan of a Qi Refining Immortal Cultivator is around a hundred years.

—One can build a hut to live in near the Spirit Fields; this is a hidden benefit provided by the Dongmen Family to their own tenant farmers.

After taking the Jade Slip, Aaron left the bookstore and strolled around the street again.

"Looking at it this way, that talkative and show-off old man Donglong is a candidate worth fishing for information from... Hmm, no need to rush, take it slow... I can spend a few years building a relationship first..."

"Taboos? As long as you don't engage in magical duels within the market, there are no taboos... Hmm, also, don't think that because this place is rich in Spirit Qi, you can just linger here to cultivate... If you want to spend the night in Dongmen Valley, you must go to the Dongmen Inn to rent a Cave Abode." The scholar laughed: "Otherwise, once you are caught, you will have a hard time!"

Dongmen Market was not large; it didn't take much time to walk from one end to the other.

This shopkeeper was worthy of running a bookstore; he was well-versed in the pros and cons of cultivation methods and explained them one by one, which Aaron found quite rewarding.

"I am practicing the 'Hunyuan Art'; is there anything wrong with this cultivation method?" Aaron asked openly.

"It seems... I must find a better cultivation method early and replace the 'Hunyuan Art'! Practicing in the mortal world, where Spirit Qi is even thinner, makes the quality of the cultivation method even more important!"

Listening to his explanation, it seemed only the last one was relatively reliable.

"This customer, please ask; I will tell you everything I know without reservation..." The scholar kept a smile on his face.

In Dongmen Market, Cave Abodes are rented by the month, not by the day, and the lowest-grade Cave Abode costs one Spirit Stone a month!

With Aaron's savings, even if he spent them all, it wouldn't be enough to live for a year!

At this moment, he deeply felt the terror of housing prices and rent!

And by relying on being shameless and using side-probing, he also learned quite a bit of basic information from that impatient clerk.

"Besides that, one must have a craft to set up a stall or open a shop..." The scholar shook his head: "If none of these work, then one can only rent and farm the Dongmen Family's Spirit Fields, becoming a tenant farmer. One can earn a few Spirit Stones a year."

"Although farming every day is a bit tiring, I can mooch off the Spirit Qi to cultivate, and there are a few Spirit Stones every year... After I've had enough of fishing, switching to farming doesn't seem impossible, right?"

"Pah, pah, pah... I, the dignified Qinglong Laoda, an Immortal Cultivator, a transmigrator... to be reduced to selling myself as a tenant farmer, that would be too shameful... I hope I don't say 'this is so good' later..."

(End of chapter)