Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Future Prospects
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Yuelai Inn.
A waiter served the dishes and spirit wine.
With the new alliance and the addition of Zhou Miaoyun, the order for hosting the small gatherings was renegotiated.
Starting this year, the hosting duties would be determined by age, from oldest to youngest.
Zhou Miaoyun was the eldest at twenty-five, followed by Chen Jianghe at twenty-two, then Yu Daniu, also twenty-two, and finally Gao Peiyao, the youngest at sixteen.
None of them were particularly picky about food, so the budget was temporarily set at one spirit sand. It would be adjusted later when their cultivation levels increased.
“Does everyone have plans for the future?”
After three rounds of drinks and several courses of food, Zhou Miaoyun looked at the other three, her beautiful eyes shimmering as she spoke softly, “I came to the Yun Clan to become a guest Talisman Master. My talent for breeding isn't high, so being a Fishery Farmer is just a transitional phase for me here.”
A junior Fishery Farmer earns at most one hundred and thirty spirit sands a year. Zhou Miaoyun was from a cultivation family; even if she wasn't favored, she would still receive no less than two spirit stones a year at home.
There was no need for her to come to the Yun Clan to follow the Fishery Farmer promotion path.
However, after becoming a mid-rank Talisman Master, one needs the backing of a faction. Otherwise, it's easy to be robbed, or even abducted and have one's freedom restricted, forced to be a talisman slave for life.
Compared to paying the exorbitant rent to set up in a market city, the Yun Clan's inner waters were much more cost-effective.
“My spiritual root talent is decent, but my breeding talent is poor. Fortunately, my grandfather left me some savings, so I can reach the sixth level of Qi Refining in about twenty years. I hope to break through to the late stage of Qi Refining and become a guest elder of the Yun Clan.”
Gao Peiyao didn't shy away, directly revealing that Old Gao had left her a considerable inheritance.
To reach the sixth level of Qi Refining in twenty years, even with a four-element pseudo-spiritual root, would require resources worth nearly thirty spirit stones.
Including the resources Gao Peiyao had used in the past two years, Old Gao must have left her no less than thirty spirit stones.
Old Gao had said his breeding talent was very high. If not for that accident while mining in the deep well, he would have surely become a senior Fishery Farmer and cultivated to the late stage of Qi Refining.
Because his dantian was injured, he had to take a Spirit Nurturing Pill every five years to stabilize his cultivation. This meant a necessary expense of nearly three spirit stones every five years.
In the sixty-plus years of fish farming after the accident, after deducting expenses, it was indeed possible to save up over thirty spirit stones.
Zhou Miaoyun and Gao Peiyao had both shared their plans for the future.
Chen Jianghe fell into deep thought. He didn't have a definite plan for the future because his lifespan was too long, comparable to a Foundation Establishment Ancestor.
Once Xiao Hei became a spirit beast, his lifespan would be even longer.
Therefore, he definitely couldn't stay in one place for too long, or his secret of longevity would surely be discovered.
“I don't need a long-term plan, but I can make a plan for the next fifty years.”
Chen Jianghe thought to himself.
“My breeding talent is decent. This year, the total yield from my waters was two thousand seven hundred catties, with an average weight of three catties and seven taels. I should be able to get promoted to senior Fishery Farmer within fifteen years.”
Zhou Miaoyun's eyes lit up. If he could become a senior Fishery Farmer of the Yun Clan, then reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining was a certainty.
He might even have a chance to break through the mid-stage and become a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator.
“Fellow Daoist Jianghe, if you can become a senior Fishery Farmer, you can buy a Spirit Beast Ring and raise a water-element spirit beast to help you raise the little green fish. That would double your harvest.”
“A Spirit Beast Ring?” This was the first time Chen Jianghe had heard of it.
Zhou Miaoyun chuckled and explained, “A Spirit Beast Ring is a beast-taming magical artifact. It allows a cultivator to sign a contract with a spirit beast, creating a telepathic link.”
“For a junior Fishery Farmer, having a water-element spirit beast while raising big green fish would lead to a swift promotion to senior Fishery Farmer. However, the price of a Spirit Beast Ring is extremely high, worth twenty spirit stones, which is not something a junior Fishery Farmer can afford.”
Chen Jianghe was shocked. He hadn't expected that a Spirit Beast Ring was needed to take on a spirit pet.
He had originally planned to reveal Xiao Hei's existence after becoming a senior Fishery Farmer. He didn't realize a Spirit Beast Ring was necessary. It seemed he would have to rethink his plans.
“So that's how it works for Fishery Farmers. Thank you for telling me, Fairy Miaoyun.”
“There's no need for thanks. With your talent in breeding, you would naturally learn of these things after becoming a senior Fishery Farmer.”
Zhou Miaoyun had no intention of taking credit.
When Gao Peiyao heard that Chen Jianghe had a chance to become a senior Fishery Farmer, a hint of pleasant surprise flashed in her eyes. The greater the achievements of the alliance members, the more help she would receive in her own Foundation Establishment in the future.
Then, Zhou Miaoyun, Chen Jianghe, and Gao Peiyao all looked at Yu Daniu. The three of them had all spoken of their future plans.
Only Yu Daniu had yet to speak.
At that moment, Yu Daniu felt everyone's gazes on him. His face flushed red with embarrassment, and he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
His spiritual root talent was poor, and he had no talent for breeding either.
This made him feel like he was the most useless one in the four-person alliance. Both now and in the future, he would be the one being supported.
Chen Jianghe saw Yu Daniu's predicament but could do nothing about it. The mutual aid alliance was established for mutual benefit.
It wasn't a charity.
If he was always the one being supported, he would surely be isolated over time.
“I... I... maybe I should qui—”
“Fellow Daoist Daniu, why don't you try drawing talismans? Perhaps you have a talent for the Dao of Talismans.”
Zhou Miaoyun spoke up, “I can pass on the talisman-making inheritance to you, but you must swear an oath not to teach it to a third person without my consent.”
“In return, if you have a talent for the Dao of Talismans, then for the next thirty years, all the talismans you create must be sold through me, and half of the profits will be mine.”
“Of course, if you have no talent for it, then you don't have to give anything.”
“Daniu, if you don't have any other path for advancement, you might as well try drawing talismans.” Chen Jianghe felt it was a viable option and suggested it to Yu Daniu.
If he left the alliance, Yu Daniu might be stuck at the mid-stage of Qi Refining for the rest of his life.
Moreover, if Yu Daniu left, it would be somewhat disadvantageous for Chen Jianghe as well.
The group would become imbalanced, and over time, he too would slowly be isolated.
Most importantly, the conditions Zhou Miaoyun proposed were very reasonable, only asking for half the profits from his talisman-making for thirty years.
Although the Dao of Talismans wasn't as profound as the Dao of Formations or the Dao of Alchemy, which required a complete inheritance to even begin...
...trying to figure out how to draw talismans on one's own would consume a vast amount of materials. It would be one thing if one truly had talent.
They might get the hang of it in a few months.
But without talent, one couldn't hope to master the basics even in three to five years, all while wasting a huge amount of materials.
For a low-level cultivator, they simply couldn't afford such a massive expenditure of materials.
Exchanging half the profits from thirty years of talisman-making for an inheritance in the art was a really good deal for a low-level cultivator with no foundation.
The most important part was that if he failed to master the basics, there was no cost.
Yu Daniu nodded at Chen Jianghe, then looked at Zhou Miaoyun and said solemnly, “Thank you, Fairy Miaoyun. I'm willing to give it a try.”
“Good. After the banquet, you can come to fishing boat three-one-two.” Zhou Miaoyun's face showed a hint of joy.
For her, if Yu Daniu had a talent for drawing talismans, it meant an extra thirty years of half the profits.
If Yu Daniu could become a mid-rank Talisman Master, her returns would be even greater.
Even if Yu Daniu had no talent for it, she wouldn't lose anything.
The main thing was that the talisman-making inheritance she was giving Yu Daniu was for his use alone.
“I hope Brother Daniu can become a Talisman Master too.”
Gao Peiyao took out a sachet that gave off a faint orchid fragrance. She produced four spirit stones. “Grandpa didn't leave me many spirit stones. After setting aside what I need for my own cultivation, I can only lend two spirit stones each to Brother Jianghe and Brother Daniu.”