Chapter 139: Chapter 139: Interlocking Rings

"Is it some kind of support-type Magical Artifact?"

Chu Mu gazed at the tray-shaped "Spiritual Energy Measuring Instrument" before him, his curiosity piqued.

The device looked a lot like a digital scale from his previous life. It was square, with a tray on top. The entire tray was black, with cylindrical protrusions about an inch high at each of its four corners.

The white light from a moment ago seemed to have emanated from these cylinders.

Chu Mu asked, "Excuse me, what exactly is this Spiritual Power Level?"

"If you wish to know, sir, you’ll have to purchase a book detailing the basics of Spiritual Qi."

"This book is essential for any Cultivator starting out. Whether it’s for practicing Cultivation Techniques, learning Magic, or mastering the Hundred Skills of Cultivation Immortal, the first step is to understand Spiritual Qi."

Chu Mu asked, "How much is it?"

The man chuckled. "Not expensive. Only six Lower Grade Spirit Stones."

The corner of Chu Mu’s mouth twitched. He immediately changed the subject. "What about Magic? What are the prices for those?"

"Magic is divided into three main categories: Attack, Defense, and Support."

"Support-type Magic is the most expensive, followed by Defense. Attack-type Magic is the cheapest."

"For Tier One Attack-type Magic within the Five Elements Attributes, the market price ranges from ten to thirty Lower Grade Spirit Stones. However, to learn Magic, you also need to master the corresponding foundational knowledge."

"Sir, since you have a Fire Spirit Root, if you want to learn the Tier One Fireball Skill, you’ll need to master Tier One Fire Attribute Runes to construct the Fireball Skill’s Magic Model."

"And to master Fire Attribute Runes, you need an understanding of Spiritual Qi basics, the basics of how Magic operates, the basics of Magic Inscriptions, and..."

The man droned on and on. Chu Mu clutched the bulging pouch of Spirit Stones in his robe. The elation he’d felt from getting rich by killing and looting had instantly cooled.

’I should take back what I was thinking earlier about knowledge being precious,’ he thought.

’This isn’t precious, it’s a chain of exploitation!’

Just to get started on the Immortal Path required so much knowledge.

Under this knowledge monopoly, the price of information was exorbitant.

At a rate of eight Broken Spirits a month, it would take him forever to afford this!

Even though he knew that after entering the Qi Cultivation Realm, the Monthly Stipend would be paid in Lower Grade Spirit Stones instead of Broken Spirits.

But... with knowledge costing tens, or even dozens, of Lower Grade Spirit Stones, it would still take forever.

He would still be slaving away within this chain of exploitation!

And that was just the knowledge. Cultivation Immortal wasn’t only about knowledge. It also required material resources.

Spirit Stones, Spiritual Qi, Elixirs, Magical Artifacts...

Knowledge was part of this chain, but what about resources?

Would they really let those slip out of their control?

They had to be part of the chain too. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

’Cultivation Immortal lets you roam the world free and unfettered?’

’No, even in Cultivation Immortal, you have to slave away!’

’Beasts of burden, consumables... the Cultivation Immortal Realm needs those too!’

Chu Mu didn’t ask about any more prices, nor did he ask any more questions.

Clutching the scroll for the First Layer of the Flame Decision Cultivation Immortal Technique, he walked out of the Learning Pavilion.

Gazing at the bustling, prosperous Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace before him, Chu Mu was speechless.

The prosperity of the Cultivation Immortal Realm really had nothing to do with him.

Even though he was about to step onto the Immortal Path.

Chu Mu wandered aimlessly through Jade Emperor Valley. His original eagerness for Cultivation Immortal had already faded after listening to the man in the Learning Pavilion.

He was thinking, thinking about the path that lay ahead.

He had thought that after earning his first pot of gold and officially entering the Cultivation Immortal Realm, with those two inheritances he possessed, his Immortal Path would get on the right track.

He thought he could pursue the Immortal Path freely, without any restraints!

But just as he was most excited, reality had struck him with a heavy blow.

Even though he had the inheritances, the Alchemy Skill, and the Puppetry Skill.

He didn’t have a sufficient foundation of knowledge or the material wealth to support his research and study of those two inheritances.

This "first pot of gold" was clearly not just the four Spirit Stones he had, but countless more.

After all, even if he managed to accumulate enough material wealth to build a sufficient knowledge base for studying his two inheritances,

he would still need to amass a vast fortune just to support the research and practice itself.

Chu Mu let out a long breath, a shadow of gloom falling over his heart.

This Immortal Path was far more difficult than he had imagined.

’I’ll just take it one step at a time...’

Chu Mu touched the First Layer of the Flame Decision Cultivation Technique in his robe. At this point, it was the only way he could console himself.

He stopped wandering aimlessly around the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace and headed directly for the exit.

Jade Emperor Valley was huge and had many houses, but there wasn’t a single one he could afford.

A rent of three Spirit Stones a month was simply outrageous to him!

’If Spiritual Energy is calculated so precisely, does that mean these houses provide a fixed amount of Spiritual Energy?’

Looking at the houses along the street, Chu Mu suddenly thought of this question. After all, the Spiritual Qi in the Marketplace was even thinner than outside, yet from what he had gathered recently, the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace was built on a Tier Two Spiritual Vein.

Chu Mu didn’t know what a Tier Two Spiritual Vein represented, but since a Spirit Vein was a source of Spiritual Qi, it was impossible for the Spiritual Qi in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace to be thinner than outside.

There was only one possibility: the Spiritual Qi emitted by the Spirit Vein wasn’t being dispersed into the open, but was being restricted to specific areas.

The high cost of rent undoubtedly corroborated this point.

As his mind raced with these thoughts, Chu Mu’s expression shifted. He thought of another possibility.

Scarce resources, high demand.

In his previous life, this would lead to the sentiment: "Are kings and nobles destined to be so by birth?"

In the mortal world of this era, it would lead to a peasant uprising doomed to fail.

So what about in the Cultivation Immortal Realm?

With absolute power to suppress them, no one would be foolish enough to be a moth to a flame. That left only one option... killing each other!

The bloodshed he had witnessed outside the Yutai Mine was perhaps... just the beginning, not the end...

Chu Mu scanned the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace, and his heart settled slightly.

From what he’d gathered over the past few days, the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace targeted high-income Cultivators who earned at least ten-odd Spirit Stones a month, not a dirt-poor wretch like him.

To use an analogy from his past life, Jade Emperor Valley was like a high-tech city, not a labor-intensive one.

A poor guy like him didn’t need to worry too much about being targeted in a place like this.

With that thought, Chu Mu didn’t linger in the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace any longer and headed straight for the exit.

After finding an inconspicuous cave in the mountains, Chu Mu settled in for the time being.

The manual for the First Layer of Flame Decision was now in Chu Mu’s hands.

The Cultivation Technique was expensive, but the manual itself was made of ordinary mortal paper, nothing special.

Just like the Body Refining Technique he had practiced before, it was also filled with illustrations and text. However, the meaning of the words was clearly much more profound.

After flipping through it for a moment, an expected yet extremely awkward fact presented itself to Chu Mu.

He had the Cultivation Technique, but... he couldn’t quite understand it...

He recognized the characters and the words, and he could read the phrases they formed. But due to his limited understanding, he couldn’t be certain of their true, deeper meaning.

Could there be any room for uncertainty when it came to practicing a Cultivation Technique?

His entire Immortal Path was at stake; Chu Mu didn’t dare to start cultivating in a muddle-headed fashion.

Chu Mu felt the bag of Broken Spirits in his robe. Without hesitation, he decisively got up and walked back into the Jade Emperor Valley Marketplace.

This time, he didn’t go to the Learning Pavilion. The few Broken Spirits he had left weren’t enough to afford anything there.

Wang Mazi was still wandering the streets. His business was clearly not limited to aspiring Cultivators like Chu Mu.

After observing for just a moment, Chu Mu saw several genuine Cultivators approach him.

"Hey, it’s you, kid! I told you, didn’t I? Don’t go wasting your Spirit Stones..."

As soon as Chu Mu got close, Wang Mazi started chattering away familiarly.

"Just bought a Cultivation Technique and realized you can’t understand it, right?"

Like a magician, Wang Mazi produced two thick books in his hands. "Honest business, no cheating young or old! I recommend two books for you: one is *Detailed Spiritual Ability Basics*, and the other is *Immortal Dao Introduction*."

"They’re both essentials for a Cultivator just starting out like you. Too bad you’re so poor. Otherwise, I could even set you up with classes taught by a great master at the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation who explains the basics of getting started in Cultivation Immortal..."

Chu Mu asked, "How many Spirit Stones each?"

Wang Mazi chuckled. "Not expensive! Two Spirit Stones cheaper than the Learning Pavilion. Only four Lower Grade Spirit Stones."

Chu Mu pointed to his robe. "I don’t have that much."

"First time doing business, so I’ll take a small loss. Just give me all of it."

Wang Mazi rubbed his hands together, having clearly seen how many Spirit Stones Chu Mu had in his robe.

Chu Mu’s heart tightened. He couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved that ever since arriving at Jade Emperor Valley, he had hidden both Jade Scrolls just in case.

Wang Mazi’s current demeanor proved that his precautions hadn’t been for nothing.

"I want the *Spiritual Ability Basics* book."

Chu Mu handed over his entire Spirit Stone Bag and snatched the thick *Spiritual Ability Basics* manual.

"Done."

Wang Mazi took the Spirit Stone Bag without so much as a glance, and it vanished as if by magic.

"From now on, if you want to buy any Cultivation Techniques or Magic, you can come straight to me. If you want to take classes, you can find me for that too. Guaranteed to be cheaper than what they sell in the Marketplace!"

Wang Mazi didn’t forget to promote his business, his sales pitch flowing one line after another with practiced skill.

This time, Chu Mu didn’t rush to leave, instead playing along and exchanging a few words.

’If this deal doesn’t turn out to be a rip-off, I’ll definitely become a regular customer,’ he thought.

’Making money isn’t easy. I should save wherever I can.’

As for the rules of Jade Emperor Valley... ’When you’re this down on your luck, rules are bullshit...’

...