3: Chapter 3 Daily Necessities

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

There were no birds chirping in the morning in the shantytown, only the creaking sound of the wheel axles of the night soil cart in the distance, and the violent coughing of the old Loose Cultivator at Level 1 Qi Refining next door.

Inside the room, Gu Shen slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid Qi.

This breath actually remained condensed and did not disperse, like a white arrow, rippling through the air for three feet before slowly fading away.

"Level 2 Qi Refining... reached Perfection."

Gu Shen clenched his fist, feeling the spiritual power in his Dantian, which was fuller than at any other time, and a trace of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

It was just a single drop of "essence white dew."

The effect was actually equivalent to ten days of his usual hard cultivation!

You must know, he was the recognized trash Physique—a Five Elements mixed Spiritual Root. He had all Five Elements of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, but was mediocre in every one of them. When Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was absorbed into his body, the Five Elements would clash and fight within his Meridians; if he could keep one-tenth of the ten parts of Spiritual Qi and convert it into magic power, he would already be burning high incense.

In the three years since he came to the market, the inferior "Yellow Bud Pill" he bought by scrimping and saving had half of its medicinal power turn into pill poison deposited in his body, making his cultivation progress as slow as a snail.

"I didn't expect that the white dew refined from the monsters in the grey mist world would have no attributes, requiring no conversion, and could be directly absorbed by the body."

Gu Shen touched the center of his eyebrows.

That [Heaven and Earth Furnace] was currently floating quietly in his Sea of Consciousness, dim and lusterless, as if the miraculous event of last night was just an illusion.

Rumble.

A thunderous sound came from his stomach.

A strong sense of hunger swept through his whole body instantly, and Gu Shen felt as if a ball of fire was burning in his stomach.

"Refining essence into Qi, the ancients truly did not deceive me."

The price of his soaring cultivation was the severe depletion of his body's essence and Qi.

He hurriedly rolled off the bed and uncovered the rice jar. Only a thin layer of Spirit Tooth Rice remained at the bottom of the jar; it was yellow in color and was the cheapest kind of old rice.

Gu Shen did not hesitate at all, pouring all the remaining rice into the pot, and then cut a piece of air-dried Yao Beast jerky—this was something he had bought with great determination during the last New Year, and he had never been able to bear eating it.

A moment later, after a pot of meat porridge went down, that scorching hunger was barely calmed.

"My cultivation has increased, but the problem remains."

Gu Shen looked at the empty rice jar, his brows tightly locked.

He was still short two Spirit Stones for rent.

This "essence white dew" could only improve cultivation, not be spent as Spirit Stones. Unless he exposed his Level 3 Qi Refining cultivation right now to go rob someone, he would still have to be kicked out of the market in three days.

"Must make money."

Gu Shen's gaze fell on the pile of junk in the corner.

Those were discarded Magical Artifact fragments he had picked up in the market, along with some unknown Ore.

He recalled the scene he saw in the grey mist world last night.

"Steel giants" everywhere, collapsed high-rise buildings. Although those things had no Spiritual Qi, their material was extremely hard, especially those "glass" fragments scattered on the ground, which had extremely high purity and were even more transparent than the highest-grade "crystal" in the Cultivation World.

If he could bring them back...

Gu Shen narrowed his eyes, a bold plan forming in his heart.

However, before that, he had to go to work first.

The job of a corpse collector was unlucky, but it was his only legal identity at the moment, and also his cover for staying in the market.

After tidying his clothes, Gu Shen deliberately smeared a layer of pot ash on his face to make himself look more haggard.

Pushing open the door, cold wind mixed with snow foam poured into his neck.

He shrank his neck and walked along the muddy alley towards the Inner City.

Along the way, many Loose Cultivators had already begun their day's livelihood. Some were setting up stalls, peddling herbs whose effects they couldn't even explain themselves, while others were gathered in groups of three or five, looking at passersby with gloomy eyes, searching for possible fat sheep.

Gu Shen kept his head down, walking along the wall base, trying his best to lower his presence.

Passing through the dirt and chaos of the Outer City, he arrived in front of a side hall on the edge of the Inner City.

The plaque read three large characters: Rebirth Hall.

This was an institution set up under the market management office, specifically responsible for handling ownerless corpses and cleaning the streets. It sounded nice calling it "Rebirth," but it was actually just a corpse cremation plant. Inside the hall, heat waves rolled, and two huge cremation furnaces burned day and night without stopping.

Behind the counter, a middle-aged Cultivator with a handlebar mustache was holding an account book, clicking away on an abacus.

Zhou Tong, Level 5 Qi Refining, the manager of the Rebirth Hall.

"Manager Zhou, morning."

Gu Shen walked up, bowing, and took out the three fragments of Spirit Crystals from last night from his bosom, along with that dull-edged dagger, placing them respectfully on the counter.

"Collected a corpse last night, this was scavenged from that unlucky ghost's body."

According to the rules, things scavenged by the corpse collector must be handed over, and after the manager estimates the value, three-tenths are given to the corpse collector. Of course, this was only the rule on the surface; in reality, getting one-tenth was considered good.

Zhou the Skinflint lifted his eyelids and scanned the things on the table.

"Three Spirit Crystal fragments, a piece of scrap iron."

He curled his lips, and with an expression of disgust, picked up the dagger with two fingers and threw it into the waste basket nearby.

"You have the nerve to bring back this junk? Do you take me for a scrap collector?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that Loose Cultivator was very poor." Gu Shen apologized with a smile.

"Total value is thirty Spirit Crystal fragments."

Zhou the Skinflint ticked a mark in the ledger, then counted out three fingernail-sized grey-white crystals from the drawer and threw them on the counter.

"This is your one-tenth, take it."

Three.

According to the market price, one hundred Spirit Crystal fragments exchanged for one Low-Grade Spirit Stone. These three fragments weren't even enough to buy a steamed bun.

And although that dagger had a dull edge, it was at least refined from ordinary iron, and remelting it would be worth at least fifty Spirit Crystal fragments. Added to the three Spirit Crystals that were already there, Zhou Tong, with this turn of hand, had at least swindled him out of eighty percent.

Gu Shen sneered in his heart, but on the surface, he wore an expression of gratitude, tremblingly extending his hands to sweep the three fragments into his palm, bowing repeatedly:

"Many thanks, Manager Zhou, many thanks, Manager Zhou."

"Alright, stop being an eyesore here."

Zhou Tong waved his hand impatiently.

"It's not peaceful outside recently, the robbery Cultivators are causing a ruckus, and there are many corpses. Run a few more trips to the mass grave in the west tonight; if you slack off, don't even think about keeping your job next month."

"Yes, this small one understands." Gu Shen retreated timidly.

Not until he walked out of the street where the Rebirth Hall was, and turned into a deserted dead-end alley, did the humble smile on his face instantly disappear, replaced by a cold chill.

He opened his palm and looked at the three pitiful fragments.

"This is the life of a bottom-tier Loose Cultivator."

Gu Shen tucked the fragments into his bosom.

If he followed the routine, he would never be able to scrape together the four Spirit Stones for rent in his lifetime.

He looked up at the sky.

The sun had already been obscured by thick cloud layers, and it looked like it was going to snow again.

Gu Shen did not go home, but turned and walked towards the "Grocery Market" on the east side of the market.

He needed to purchase some things to prepare for his second "Transmigration" tonight.

This time, he was no longer a pathfinder going to his death.

He was going to stock up on goods.

The Grocery Market was bustling with noise, and they sold everything here. Gu Shen stopped in front of a stall selling mundane items. The stall owner was an old man without cultivation, wrapped in a tattered cotton-padded jacket, dozing off.

"How much for these?"

Gu Shen pointed to a coarse burlap sack used for holding rice in the corner of the stall, and a short-handled iron pickaxe used for mining.

The old man opened his turbid eyes, took one look at Gu Shen's shabby attire, and held up one finger: "Two Spirit Crystal fragments."

Mundane items were not worth much, and this was already a high price. Gu Shen did not haggle, threw down the two fragments he had just obtained, grabbed the sack and the iron pickaxe, and also casually grabbed a bundle of thick hemp rope, turning and leaving.

"Need to buy some dry rations too."

Gu Shen touched the only remaining fragment in his bosom, which was his last possession besides the two Spirit Stones. He gritted his teeth and used this last fragment to buy three hard, black coarse grain steamed buns.

Returning to the dilapidated house in Bitter Water Alley.

Gu Shen closed the doors and windows, tucked the iron pickaxe at his waist, wrapped the hemp rope around his arm, and folded the sack and stuffed it into his bosom. He sat on the prayer mat, began to close his eyes and rest, adjusting his state.

Waiting for night to fall.

This time, his goal was not to kill monsters.

He had his eyes on the "scrap metal" that was everywhere in that Wasteland world.

That was the trash of that world.

But in the Great Yu Cultivation World, which was extremely lacking in metal Ore and where one had to haggle over even a single ordinary iron dagger, those things were an unexcavated Treasure Trove.

As long as he could bring back a hundred catties of "refined iron," the rent of four Spirit Stones would be settled.

Time passed minute by minute.

Finally, night once again enveloped Qingyun Market.

Gu Shen opened his eyes, his eyes deep as a well.

"Time to work."

With a thought, the [Heaven and Earth Furnace] in his Sea of Consciousness trembled again, a grey light swirled, and the room was empty.