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Chapter 33 - 33: 33: The Market Outside the City for Loose Cultivators, The Helplessness of Loose Cultivatorsl

Fan Ze, the executive of the Immortal Mist Sect, upon seeing cultivators from each house come out, was quite pleased: “If you wish to continue living in your current houses, proceed to the Executive Hall in Misty Cloud City to register and pay your rent in order to acquire housing rights.

Of course, if you don’t have this many spirit stones, you could become miners for our Immortal Mist Sect. At that time, you will be able to live in Misty Cloud City for free, and even receive a monthly salary of one middle grade spirit stone.

If you don’t wish to become miners, our Immortal Mist Sect has some spiritual fields that need to be cultivated as well, requiring a large number of farmers. You can join us, but the salary is somewhat lower at only ten lower grade spirit stones per month.”

He briefly mentioned the current employment situation of the Immortal Mist Sect.

After speaking, the executive, followed by a group of patrolling guards, continued towards the next alleyway.

It was only after these people left that the surrounding cultivators dared to voice out.

“It’s too cruel, two middle grade spirit stones per month, and this is our bought property! To simply claim to repossess without any reason is really too domineering!” Zhang Cheng clenched his fists, completely dissatisfied.

With the property confiscated, it was equal to losing thousands of spirit stones, and nobody can handle such a loss.

However, he really could not afford to offend the Immortal Mist Sect.

“Exactly. Such a large sect, yet they still compete with us loose cultivators. It’s too shameless.”

“Sigh, I heard that the Immortal Mist Sect in order to exploit the mineral veins in the Misty Mountain Range, has suffered heavy losses, even losing two Foundation Establishment cultivators. So, they want to recover this loss from us loose cultivators.”

“A twig cannot outcompete the thigh. Should we really go to the extent of fighting the Immortal Mist Sect to death? Yet, the rent has doubled and is too expensive for us to afford.”

“Exactly. If we were to actually pay the rent, we’d be left with nothing. Where would we even find the resources to cultivate?”

“Why not we just work as miners? It includes meal and residence with a monthly salary. The working conditions seem to be pretty good.”

“Heh, good for what? It’s all plans by the Immortal Mist Sect, intentionally increasing the house prices, just to force us to mine.”

“Indeed, if mining truly is a good job, those disciples of the Immortal Mist Sect would have already done it. How would it be our turn?”

“If we stay too long around the Red Gold Mine, our bodies would be corroded by the Red Gold Qi, damaging our meridians and organs, leaving us without hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.”

“Such a malicious Immortal Mist Sect, blatantly treating us loose cultivators as expendable resources.”

The gathered cultivators clenched their fists.

They were not idiots. They could clearly see the motives of the Immortal Mist Sect, which clearly wanted to force them to become miners, exploiting the mines for the Immortal Mist Sect, to serve as their manual labor.

Though their talents weren’t extraordinary, each of them harbored dreams of cultivating for longevity and reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

This was the ambition of all loose cultivators. But now, the Immortal Mist Sect wanted to strip even this bit of hope from them.

“If that’s the case, what should we do? We can’t just leave Misty Cloud City.”

“Heh, to be honest, I won’t leave. Loose cultivator cities other than this aren’t any better.”

“Exactly, as compared, Misty Cloud City is still alright. At least there’s food, drink, and copious resources. If we leave for other places, we’ll have an even harder time surviving.”

“In that case, we might as well move outside the city. I’ve heard numerous loose cultivators forming alliances, intending to set up a market outside the city. As long as we loose cultivators stick together, we should be able to survive in the Misty Mountain Range just as well. Moreover, rent outside is much cheaper, needing only one lower grade spirit stone.”

“One lower grade spirit stone? Isn’t that almost the same as living for free? If such a place exists, only a fool would choose to live in Misty Cloud City.”

“You can’t say that. The market outside can’t compare with Misty Cloud City. At least the city has guards for protection, and those robbers wouldn’t dare to act recklessly within the city. Safety is guaranteed.”

“Yeah, there’s no regulation outside. Robbers could act anytime, you could die without knowing how.”

“Yeah, who doesn’t know that living within the city is safer? The question is, can you afford it? Two middle grade spirit stones per month, with that many spirit stones, I’d rather buy pills to increase my cultivation.”

“Exactly, Misty Cloud City might be big, but it no longer has a place for us.”

“Now, Misty Cloud City is no longer the loose cultivator city of the past, one can’t even afford to live in the sewer.”

The loose cultivators actively discussed the situation, feeling helpless.

Some impoverished cultivators began to pack, preparing to live in the markets for loose cultivators outside the city. After all, the prices outside are considerably cheaper, the city’s prices were simply too high.

At this time, Zhou Sui saw some familiar neighboring cultivators begin to pack, one after another leaving Misty Cloud City.

Because they simply didn’t possess enough spirit stones, they also couldn’t afford to pay the high rent. They could only live in the loose cultivator markets outside the city—after all, most cultivators lived from hand to mouth, usually spending any spirit stones they had on buying pills to increase their cultivation.

However, Zhou Sui was not in the same dire situation. He had plenty of spirit stones. And so, he proceeded to Misty Cloud City’s executive hall, paying half a year of rent, at the cost of twelve middle grade spirit stones.

“Damned Immortal Mist Sect, sooner or later, you’ll pay the price.”

Zhou Sui clenched his fists, gnashing his teeth. Being arbitrarily robbed of his house while still having to pay high rent, no one would accommodate such outrage.

If he were to buy a house in the future, then he would indeed be a fool. In this world, the ownership of houses was not guaranteed.

However, he was not a rash person, and could not rashly confront the Immortal Mist Sect. After all, this was the Golden Core Sect.

But he had remembered this injustice well.

Once he achieved great cultivation, there would be a day when he would reciprocate.

But for now, he can only temporarily endure it.

After all, his cultivation was only at the Qi Cultivation fifth layer and was not yet up to par.

“Uncle Zhang, where do you plan to go?”

Upon returning home, Zhou Sui immediately noticed his neighbor, Zhang Cheng, seemed to be packing his luggage.

“Sigh, I plan to work as a miner. I’m afraid I’ll be departing soon.”

Zhang Cheng said helplessly.

“A miner?”

Hearing this, Zhou Sui was taken aback: “But Uncle Zhang, aren’t you a Pill Master? You shouldn’t need to work as a miner. Moreover, staying long term in the Red Gold Mine, you’d probably lose any hope of reaching the foundation establishment phase in this lifetime.”

He never expected Zhang Cheng would choose this path.

“I have no choice. Although I am a first-grade Alchemist, I am just a mid-first-grade level, capable of creating ordinary pills at most. I’ve exhausted all my family fortune in Alchemy, and simply can’t afford the rent here.”

Zhang Cheng was utterly dejected: “And the market outside for loose cultivators is very dangerous. If I, the pill master, go to that loose cultivator market, I will definitely be taken for an easy target.

After weighing my options, I might as well join the Immortal Mist Sect as a miner. This way, I can live in Misty Cloud City for free and receive quite a hefty monthly income.”

“Certainly, there will be side effects of the Red Gold Qi entering my body, but that is still better than being killed by the robbers. Moreover, it’s not that there’s no way to resolve these side effects, it just requires more spirit stones.” “In reality, not only did I make this choice, a lot of our neighbors also chose to become miners and signed contracts with the Immortal Mist Sect to mine for them. It’s a pretty good way out too.”

After finishing these thoughts, he sighed, resigned to his fate. That’s the helplessness of being a loose cultivator.

He too, wished not to be exploited by the Immortal Mist Sect, but reality was pressing against him..