Legacy of Hatred-Chapter 188: Spring

Liam knew that lone cultivators had it hard, but the theory met real-life examples now, showing the full extent of that disparity.

If even an inner disciple like Melissa could struggle to find resources tailored to her dantian, it stood to reason that lone cultivators would see that as an almost insurmountable challenge.

Sects structured missions around contribution points that could buy specific resources, but lone cultivators had nothing of the sort. They had to scavenge, relying on what Guilds rewarded, just to hope to advance through the cultivation journey.

Everything worsened when circulation techniques joined the equation. Cultivators were sturdier than mortals, but their superhuman prowess only appeared when Qi was involved, and that demanded specific practices to summon.

With how careful the Sects were around circulation techniques, Liam could understand and see that monopoly.

Most foundation experts would simply be lost without a Sect. They wouldn’t know how to summon their Qi, let alone learn how to nourish their foundation or gain access to the resources that practice required.

Truth was, Liam had been lucky. He had been of the right age and with a suitable talent to join a Sect, but the five on the second floor had probably lacked that, whatever they wielded being the result of missions that Sects wouldn’t bother to assign.

Naturally, that perspective went beyond the luck Liam now enjoyed. He knew he would get there. He would end up in a similar situation, and he was also aware that he would have it far worse than others.

After all, alchemists were expensive to groom, and Liam’s requirements were unnatural, going far beyond what the Sects could offer, let alone scavenge on his own.

To confirm that point, Liam headed for the board, checking its smaller number of scrolls and wooden tablets nailed to it.

As expected, the missions the various parties had issued the Mercenary Guild to solve were minor, involving nothing grand, both in terms of challenges and rewards.

Liam only read simpler versions of what the Outer Hall usually issued. The missions there involved plants that the Pale Moon Sect grew, materials he wouldn’t even have to pay to obtain, and rewards that matched that smaller world.

It only took a short skimming for Liam to realize that most cultivators would never obtain specific resources through those missions. Almost nothing he saw hinted at specific nutrients that could complete a foundation, let alone be enough for the breakthrough.

Clearly, a monopoly was in order. The Sects held everything of value, while everyone else was left scavenging for what they could get, often being unsuitable for their specific needs.

Still, among the list of ingredients and minerals Liam couldn’t help but disregard, he found a handful of missions awarding spirit stones, with one standing out among the rest.

’Spirit stones’ spring,’ Liam read. ’Number of magical beasts cleared and spirit stones retrieved awards a share of the earnings.’

Liam couldn’t help but compare that mission to the other scrolls and wooden tablets nailed to the board. The best he could find was the same search for magical beasts’ dung he had tried to perform in the past, and that only awarded half a spirit stone per kilo.

’They truly control everything,’ Liam realized. ’Especially this.’

Liam inevitably returned to the spirit stones’ spring’s tablet. Each mission described its employer, and the more remunerative one had the six neighboring Sects as the ones issuing it.

That obviously was by design. Even Liam understood as much. He couldn’t imagine what a spring of spirit stones was, but he accepted that no Sect would allow anyone to monopolize it.

’They’d rather destroy it to prevent others from obtaining it,’ Liam recalled his Master’s words.

The spirit stones’ spring was valuable, but none of the Sects could claim ownership over it without starting a war for resources.

So, the six Sects left that matter to the Mercenary Guild, relying on lone cultivators to clear the magical beasts that the presence of Qi attracted to earn rewards.

There probably were politics at work there, but Liam didn’t really care. The spring’s mission awarded spirit stones, but his mind went beyond that, considering topics that were proper for lone cultivators.

’How does a spring exactly work?’ Liam wondered. ’Can I just steal whatever I find?’

Technically, the spring had no owner, so Liam couldn’t see any problem with just seizing whatever he could. Moreover, the Sects had tried to kill him, so he truly couldn’t care less.

"This spring," Liam mentioned. "Can we just go there?"

"There are layers," Mary explained, having followed the pair to the board. "Esteemed guests like you can venture deeper freely, but the rewards are calculated according to the magical beasts’ cores you retrieve."

Liam nodded under his hood, but his thoughts had already moved beyond the mission. The spirit stones were his goals, so he didn’t care about clearing the area. He only needed to get those crystals and get out.

Still, the short exchange attracted one of the sitting cultivators’ attention, who stood up to approach the group by the board. The young, black-haired man neared the trio, cupping his fist to announce his polite intentions.

"Forgive me for eavesdropping, Fellow Daoists," The man announced. "I couldn’t help but hear that you showed an interest in Birgan Falls. I’d be honored to guide you there and through it."

Liam hadn’t expected that sudden interruption, but the young man continued before anyone could ask anything.

"I’m not as arrogant as to expect rewards," The young man declared, lifting his head to point a polite smile at Melissa. "I just wish to be of assistance to Senior, who had my heart smitten ever since I had the privilege of laying eyes upon her."

The man offered his hand to Melissa, politely, not daring to invade her personal space. She obviously ignored him, but Liam didn’t.

"You can’t," Liam calmly said from under his hood. "Senior Sister is only mine to touch."

Liam believed he had said the most normal thing in the world. After all, he had merely echoed Melissa’s words.

However, the black-haired man, Mary, and even Melissa looked at Liam, as if he had said the most outrageous words in the world.

Nevertheless, before Liam could show any confusion, Melissa pointed her emotionless face at the man, nodding, traces of redness filling her as she lifted it.

The black-haired man had only wanted to build a connection to clearly superior cultivators, no matter how thin. Still, that interaction left him speechless, only interrupted by Liam’s clueless statement.

"If it’s all the same," Liam declared, "You can guide us through the spring anyway."