Chapter 459: Becoming a Pauper

Finally, the Jade Scroll also described the attitude of the Immortal Cultivators here toward Demon Cultivators.

It could be said that the Immortal Spirit Realm was much more open-minded on this point than the Spirit Void Realm.

Demon Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators coexisted peacefully; one’s cultivation path wasn’t used to determine one’s allegiance.

However, the cultivation systems of Demon Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators were different, and so were many of the materials they required.

So, despite their peaceful coexistence, Demon Cultivators were rarely seen within the territories of the two major Immortal Cultivator factions. Similarly, Immortal Cultivators seldom ventured into the domain of the Divine Demon Palace.

After learning this, Lu Sangjiu felt a little more at ease. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about being naturally ostracized by both sides because of her cultivation path.

With a general understanding of the Immortal Spirit Realm, Lu Sangjiu immediately examined the map, pondering where she should go next.

She had no other goals for now; the priority was to grow stronger as quickly as possible.

’Should I join a sect first?’

She was torn. On one hand, she didn’t know how difficult it would be. On the other, she felt that Ji Li was most likely still looking for her, and rashly revealing herself would be dangerous.

After all, even if she successfully joined a sect, she would certainly start as a low-level disciple.

Under those circumstances, if an Immortal King like Ji Li wanted to kill her, the sect probably wouldn’t protect her.

In fact, joining a sect might just expose her location. The potential gains weren’t worth the risk.

After some thought, Lu Sangjiu decided it was best to play it safe and not join any sect for the time being.

Since she had decided against joining a sect, that meant she would have to walk the path of a Loose Cultivator.

Lu Sangjiu studied the map carefully, comparing it with the Jade Scroll’s descriptions of various locations, and finally settled on a place called Luzhou.

This area was within the South Immortal Palace’s sphere of influence. Since Ji Li was from Beidie Palace, it would be much less convenient for him to extend his reach here than it would be in his own territory.

Moreover, Luzhou was a relatively remote and minor place within the South Immortal Palace’s territory. It bordered the sea to the south and the domain of the Divine Demon Palace to the east.

Overall, the concentration of Spiritual Energy was not high, and only a few small sects were established there.

Because it bordered the Divine Demon Palace’s territory, there were more Demon Cultivators passing through than in other places. This meant it would be easier for Lu Sangjiu to acquire new Demon Essence Stones when she ran out.

’All in all, it suits my current situation perfectly. This is the place!’

Having made her decision, Lu Sangjiu didn’t dare to delay any longer. She was afraid her streak of good luck would run out, and it would be disastrous if she ended up provoking someone she couldn’t afford to offend.

She quickly packed her things, put Duoduo into her Spirit Beast Bag, and then headed for the nearest place with a Teleportation Array leading to Luzhou.

’Hmph... Back in the Spirit Void Realm, I worked so hard to reach the Divinity Transformation stage, where I could tear through the void and teleport. Now I’m right back to square one. My current cultivation is too weak to even make a dent in the spatial dimensions here. I’m stuck with using Sword Control and Teleportation Arrays.’

Now that Lu Sangjiu had Thousand Faces of Life to rely on, no one without an extremely high cultivation could see her true appearance. This gave her a sense of confidence as she traveled, unafraid of being recognized.

After two days of careful travel, she finally arrived in a city with a Teleportation Array.

She had only read about it in the Jade Scroll before, which was nothing compared to the shock of seeing it with her own eyes.

The power fluctuations from any random person on the street were stronger than hers.

She felt like a child who had wandered into a crowd of adults. Many people even gave her a few curious glances.

Fortunately, they were in a city, and she had disguised herself as a young man, so no one went out of their way to cause her trouble.

She first went to inquire about the price of the Teleportation Array to Luzhou. When she asked, she was shocked to hear it cost ten Top-grade Spirit Stones!

The price left her utterly stunned.

Instead of leaving immediately, she went to a roadside tea stall, ordered a bowl of tea, and began to take stock of her assets.

’Honestly, I really didn’t think this through. I was so focused on ascending quickly that I completely forgot about the practicalities of life after Ascension.’

As a result, she had used up most of her Demon Essence Stones. Now, scraping everything together, she only had eight Top-grade Demon Essence Stones and about twenty or thirty high-grade ones.

She had more Spirit Stones left, but Top-grade Spirit Stones were rare in the Spirit Void Realm, so she only had eighteen of them.

However, she still had a good amount of high-grade and Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

She had some low-grade spirit stones as well, but she had just asked around. Here, low-grade spirit stones were garbage—the kind people wouldn’t even want to buy by the pound.

The real hard currency was Top-grade Spirit Stones and Immortal Stones. High-grade Spirit Stones were also usable, but few were willing to accept Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

After the tea stall owner refused her Mid-grade Spirit Stones for a simple bowl of tea and instead took three high-grade ones, he suggested she go to a pawnshop to exchange all her mid-grades for high-grades.

According to him, only a pawnshop would be willing to hold its nose and take them.

Lu Sangjiu had always considered herself quite wealthy; at least, she’d never had to worry about Spirit Stones before.

She never imagined she’d end up a pauper! Just a single trip on a Teleportation Array would cost her half her net worth. It was heart-wrenching!

Although she felt a bit disheartened, there was no better solution.

After taking inventory of all her unnecessary items and Spirit Stones, Lu Sangjiu resigned herself to her fate and went to the pawnshop.

Enduring the Shopkeeper’s disdainful expression, as if he were taking in trash, Lu Sangjiu ultimately received fifteen Top-grade Spirit Stones and twenty-five hundred high-grade ones.

’So... after selling everything but the kitchen sink, my total net worth is only thirty-three Top-grade Spirit Stones!’

She was probably the poorest Cultivator in the entire city, a fact she could discern from the pitying look in the Shopkeeper’s eyes.

Given the circumstances, she had no desire to linger. ’I need to get to Luzhou, fast. Maybe things will be better there. I can’t afford to stay here at all!’

She swiftly paid the ten Top-grade Spirit Stones for the Teleportation Array. Her net worth now reduced to twenty-three Top-grade Spirit Stones, Lu Sangjiu found herself in an unfamiliar place in the blink of an eye.

Stepping out of the Teleportation Array, Lu Sangjiu looked at her surroundings, which were much more dilapidated than the city she had just left, and her heart suddenly settled.

’Of course... This must be the right place for a pauper like me, right?!’

After asking about the prices of a few goods, Lu Sangjiu got a better sense of the local economy.

The cost of living here was indeed a bit lower, but not by much.

For example, a one-night stay at the most ordinary inn started at ten high-grade Spirit Stones.

It had been a long time since Lu Sangjiu felt like she was burning money just by breathing. Now, apart from getting stronger, her only thought was to make money, and fast!

So, after finding an inn to stay at, the first thing she did was tip the waiter a few Spirit Stones to ask about how Loose Cultivators make a living.

It was actually quite similar to the Spirit Void Realm. You could either accept missions or go outside the city to hunt demon beasts and gather Spiritual Medicine yourself.

Alternatively, if you had a craft, you could make a living selling products from Alchemy, talisman refining, or Artifact Refining.

’How embarrassing... I don’t really have any marketable skills.’

Before, she knew a little bit of everything, but wasn’t an expert in anything.

Now that she was here, her meager skills were even less presentable.

’So... I guess I’ll just have to risk my life the old-fashioned way!’