Zhou Qing looked at the three choices before him.
He immediately ruled out the third option.
Thus far, Wushan Market was the best place for a cultivator like him with no background to establish himself.
Other factions? They were either sects or cultivation clans.
They were extremely exclusive.
After a moment of thought, Zhou Qing also gave up on the second option.
Becoming a disciple to an alchemist, an artificer, or a talisman maker would certainly be best.
However, Zhou Qing had no way to cover the apprenticeship gifts and other fees.
He couldn't possibly spend a dozen years as a spirit farmer, could he? Going without food or drink just to save up spirit stones?
The sunk cost was simply too high. If any accidents occurred along the way, wouldn't all his hard work go down the drain?In comparison, becoming an apprentice was undoubtedly his best option.
Although it meant losing his freedom, he would at least be able to learn something right away.
Moreover, he would gain the protection of an alchemist, artificer, or talisman maker.
"Option One."
Zhou Qing stared at the illusory text and made his choice.
The illusory text shifted once again.
[You decide to become an apprentice.]
[Currently, there are three artisans recruiting apprentices in Wushan Market.]
[They are Alchemist Yun, Artificer Lu, and Talisman Maker Zhao.]
[Among them, the Spirit Contract for Alchemist Yun's apprentice is the most demanding, requiring thirty years of servitude.]
[Talisman Maker Zhao's Spirit Contract requires only ten years of servitude, while Artificer Lu's requires fifteen.]
[After careful consideration, you decide to become Alchemist Yun's apprentice.]
[Among the myriad cultivation arts, alchemy is absolutely the most widespread. Throughout their cultivation journeys, no cultivator can do without pills.]
[This is exactly what gives Alchemist Yun the confidence to demand a thirty-year Spirit Contract.]
[Of course, it also has to do with the fact that Alchemist Yun is a High-Grade Alchemist, while the other two are merely a Mid-Grade Artificer and a mid-grade talisman maker.]
[High-Grade Alchemists rank highly throughout Wushan Market, belonging to a precious elite tier of artisans.]
[You head to Alchemist Yun's pill workshop.]
[There are not many cultivators willing to become Alchemist Yun's apprentice. Including you, there are only four.]
[After all, a thirty-year indenture is far too harsh. The lifespan of a Qi Refining cultivator is not much different from that of an ordinary Mortal.]
[Signing away thirty years of your life at once? Very few cultivators can accept that.]
[You look at the middle-aged cultivator sitting in the seat of honor inside the workshop.]
[This middle-aged cultivator, with his lean, gaunt face, is none other than Alchemist Yun.]
["Alright, since you're all here, I assume you know my rules."]
[Alchemist Yun stands up, his gaze falling upon you and the other three.]
["These are the Spirit Contracts. Sign them."]
[With a wave of his right hand, four Spirit Contracts flutter down.]
["The next thirty years will be divided into three stages."]
["Ten years of spirit nurturing, ten years of fire control, and ten years of pill condensation."]
[Alchemist Yun says.]
[You quickly finish signing your Spirit Contract and listen obediently.]
[Spirit nurturing refers to the cultivation of spirit plants.]
[Spirit plants are the primary raw materials for alchemy. Every alchemist who wishes to refine good pills must master the art of cultivating them.]
[Fire control involves actual alchemy, and pill condensation even more so, as it is the final step of the pill refinement process.]
["You need not feel wronged. As long as you complete these three stages, becoming a low-grade alchemist will not be difficult."]
[After saying this, Alchemist Yun stands up and leaves.]
[You officially become Alchemist Yun's apprentice, beginning the first stage: ten years of spirit nurturing.]
Seeing this, Zhou Qing steadied his mind.
'Thank goodness this is thirty years in the simulation...'
Zhou Qing sighed inwardly.
Selling thirty years of one's life was truly too steep a price. Otherwise, given Alchemist Yun's reputation, he wouldn't have so few apprentices.
However, for Zhou Qing, thirty years was merely time spent inside the simulation. In reality, only a fleeting moment would pass.
[You are assigned to a one-mu spirit field, planted with several common spirit herbs used for alchemy.]
[A senior apprentice begins teaching you how to cultivate these spirit plants.]
[Year eleven. You are twenty-six years old. You have basically adapted to the apprentice life. Aside from cultivating, you spend all your time nurturing spirit plants.]
["Big Brother Zhou."]
[A young man walks over and greets you enthusiastically.]
[The young man is named Ye Feng. He is also Alchemist Yun's apprentice and one of the four who joined alongside you.]
[Because Ye Feng is a rather slow learner, he was frequently scolded by the senior apprentice teaching you all. Unable to watch any longer, you once offered him a few pointers during your free time.]
[Having lived two lifetimes, your learning ability naturally goes without saying.]
[Ever since then, Ye Feng has clung to you like a lifeline, calling you 'Big Brother Zhou' all day long and deferring to you in everything.]
["Here is your Fasting Pill."]
[Ye Feng hands you the month's Fasting Pill.]
[The Fasting Pill is a necessity for cultivators. Consuming a single pill staves off hunger for half a month.]
[Every time Fasting Pills are distributed, Ye Feng volunteers to collect yours, always giving you the one of higher quality.]
[You naturally know his intentions; he simply hopes you will spend a bit more time teaching him. Thus, you do not refuse.]
[Year twelve. You are twenty-seven years old. While cultivating the spirit plants, you secretly keep a few of the highest quality 'waste pills'.]
[Waste pills are the byproducts of an alchemist's failed refinements. They contain a high amount of impurities and are unsuitable for cultivator consumption.]
[Therefore, their only uses are to be buried in the spirit fields to nourish spirit plants, or fed to spirit pets and beasts.]
[However, there are no absolutes. Some waste pills are of slightly better quality. If a cultivator were to occasionally consume one, it wouldn't cause much harm.]
[They are much like the 'expired food' from your past life on Blue Star.]
[You quietly hold onto a few of the best-quality waste pills, naturally intending to consume them yourself.]
[Year thirteen. You are twenty-eight years old. As you continuously cultivate spirit plants, your understanding of their growth deepens.]
[Year fourteen. You are twenty-nine years old. As Alchemist Yun's apprentice, you naturally have the right to reside within the market and enjoy its spiritual energy resources. Although it only has a Rank One Low-Grade spirit vein, the spiritual energy is incomparably stronger than in the outside world.]
[Year fifteen. You are thirty years old. You break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer.]
"The Qi Refining Second Layer?"
A smile appeared on Zhou Qing's face.
Taking five years to go from the Qi Refining First Layer to the second was twice as fast as going from a Mortal to the first layer.
Being able to achieve this was primarily due to the dense spiritual energy within the market.
Zhou Qing's previous cultivation environment had been the mortal Gan Kingdom, where spiritual energy was extremely thin, which was why it had taken him ten years to step into the Qi Refining Realm.
In addition to the environment, it was also because he frequently consumed the higher-quality waste pills.
[Year sixteen. You are thirty-one years old. You continue to wholeheartedly dedicate yourself to nurturing spirit plants and cultivating.]
[Year seventeen. You are thirty-two years old. Realizing the difficulty of advancing from the second layer to the Qi Refining Third Layer, you increase the frequency of your waste pill consumption.]
[Consuming waste pills easily leads to an accumulation of pill toxicity within the body. But in order to reach the third layer as quickly as possible and secure a chance to break through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer—the Qi Refining Middle Stage—you are willing to pay the price.]
[Year eighteen. You are thirty-three years old. The spirit plants you have cultivated earn Alchemist Yun's approval, and you receive a reward of ten spirit stones.]
[Year nineteen. You are thirty-four years old. You become increasingly adept at the art of cultivating spirit plants.]
[Year twenty. You are thirty-five years old. You have already reached the peak of the Qi Refining Second Layer, planning to attempt a breakthrough to the third layer in a few years.]
[In the same year, a major event occurs in Wushan Market.]
[In a canyon not far from the market, a secret realm emerges.]
[By the time you learn of this, many cultivators have already obtained numerous precious resources from within.]
[The emergence of the secret realm has not only caused a massive stir in Wushan Market; nearby cultivation factions and rogue cultivators are also rushing there in droves.]
[Although you are quite curious about the secret realm, you have no intention of joining the fray.]
[As a lowly cultivator at the Qi Refining Second Layer, you are simply too weak.]
[However, you memorize a great deal of information and intelligence regarding the secret realm. Not participating in this simulation does not mean you won't participate in the next one, or the one after that.]
[That evening, Ye Feng seeks you out.]
["Big Brother Zhou..."]
[Sitting across from you, Ye Feng hesitates to speak.]
["Speak your mind," you say.]
["I'm planning to try my luck in the secret realm..."]
[Ye Feng voices his thoughts.]
[It turns out that cultivating spirit plants day after day in the pill workshop has thoroughly worn Ye Feng down.]
[He is utterly terrified of this life where he can see exactly how it will all end.]
[Therefore, upon learning of the secret realm's emergence, the idea of going to fight for opportunities took root in his mind.]
["You've only just entered the Qi Refining Third Layer..."]
[You frown at Ye Feng. "Also, what about your Spirit Contract?"]
[Before becoming an apprentice, Ye Feng had naturally also signed a thirty-year Spirit Contract.]
[Leaving the pill workshop without Alchemist Yun's approval would trigger the Spirit Contract's backlash.]
["I've already spoken with Alchemist Yun. He is willing to let me leave, as long as I can pay him one hundred spirit stones..." Ye Feng says with a bitter tone.]
[Hearing this, you finally understand why Ye Feng came to you.]
[He is here to borrow spirit stones.]
[You stare at Ye Feng, falling into deep thought.]
[You do have spirit stones. Over the past decade as an apprentice, you have frequently been rewarded by Alchemist Yun for your good work cultivating spirit plants.]
[But should you lend them to Ye Feng?]
[You recall how Ye Feng has been at your beck and call for the past ten years.]
[Finally, you decide to lend him fifty spirit stones.]