The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 365 - 50: We Are All 1000-Year-Old Foxes, So Spare Me the Ghost Stories

"The Spirit Water Technique is a Tier Two Technique, right?" Zhang Deming said. "Why not wait a little longer, cultivate it to the Mastery Level, and then develop it to Tier Three before making your move?

Wouldn’t that greatly enhance your chances of advancing and your future potential?

You’ve already waited and endured for decades, even centuries. Why the rush now?"

Qu Qingxian gave a bitter smile upon hearing this and said, "A genius like you, Junior Brother Zhang, clearly doesn’t understand the struggles of us low-level Cultivators.

With my Talent, being able to condense the Three Lives Technique and get a chance to advance is already a stroke of luck. To ask for anything more would be greedy.

I’ve waited for centuries. I don’t want to wait anymore, I can’t afford to wait, and waiting won’t change anything. I’m self-aware enough to know that much."

’No, I do understand. I understand better than you do!’

Zhang Deming looked at Qu Qingxian’s desolate expression, paused for a moment, and couldn’t help but think of his own experience at the foot of Little Qing Mountain. He had spent ten years on the Enlightenment Dao, only to end up not even knowing which way the door to a Technique opened.

Ah, the Hongmeng Realm. Techniques were the key to success and the cause of failure. A single Technique could lead one to become an Immortal, yet a single Technique could also stump countless people who painstakingly sought the path.

Regarding Qu Qingxian, Zhang Deming felt he had done all he could.

’Achieving the Mastery Level in a Technique isn’t that easy. It’s not something I can solve just by giving him a few more beads.

Of course, if I were willing to spend a fortune and ruthlessly throw a hundred or so beads at the problem, it could be done.

After all, I can insert a standard version of comprehension, the kind without any personal bias. This is something no other Spirit Nurturing Master has or could possibly do.

But a single Tier Two Mastery Spirit Nurturing Bead, if sold at an inflated price at an auction outside the Sect, could fetch tens or even hundreds of Spirit Stones.

A hundred or so of those would be a huge expense of eight to ten thousand Spirit Stones. We aren’t life-and-death friends, he isn’t some Golden Fleece, and we haven’t made any... backdoor deals. We haven’t bonded over our shared struggles, or had a deep, late-night heart-to-heart, discussing the profound depths and lengths of life. Why would I spend so much on him?

Only an idiot with lard for brains would do that!’

The two chatted idly for a moment before Qu Qingxian hurriedly left.

·········

Afterwards, Zhang Deming became as busy as if he were in seclusion. For half a month, as the materials arrived, he crafted the ordered Spirit Nurturing Beads little by little, averaging one full set of Glove Beads per technique each day.

During this time, Zhang Deming intentionally produced some flawed, Control Level products. While they were flawed products to him, they were already quite good for others.

Zhang Deming didn’t keep these, nor did he take them to Celestial Spirit City to sell for Spirit Stones.

Instead, he turned them all in to exchange for Contribution Points.

As he completed the orders, Zhang Deming’s Contribution Points slowly grew by several thousand.

Zhang Deming waited a full month before finally meeting Qian Ruyan with Yue Mengsheng and the others to deliver the goods in person.

Before them was a complete set of Spirit Nurturing Beads, a comprehensive collection spanning Tier One, Two, and Three. Every bead was at the Mastery Level, without a single flaw.

It wasn’t just Qian Ruyan who had never seen anything like it. Even Yue Mengsheng and the other two stared with envy. They had never seen such a set of Glove Beads and desperately wanted one to put on display in their Cultivation Rooms.

Gan Zili kept muttering that they had taken a loss on this deal and that this was no way to do business.

To this, Zhang Deming simply responded with a smile.

Zhang Deming looked at the slightly emotional Qian Ruyan and said, "Fellow Daoist Qian, I trust you are satisfied?"

"Daoist Brother Zhang, you can just call me Ruyan," Qian Ruyan said with a smile. "I’ve never seen a set of Glove Beads of this quality before. How could I possibly be dissatisfied?"

Zhang Deming also smiled and replied, "So, our deal is concluded then?"

Qian Ruyan nodded. "It’s concluded."

"A pleasure doing business with you!"

"A pleasure doing business with you!"

······

The group exchanged a few more pleasantries. Qian Ruyan had already been on Spirit Nurturing Peak for a month or two, so after a short while, she hurriedly left with her Disciple.

Zhang Deming went to collect his Spirit Stones, his heart pounding with excitement. But when the payment arrived, he found the amount was wrong.

The total was 35,000 Spirit Stones. The Sect and Spirit Nurturing Peak together took a 10% cut, so there should have been over 31,000 left.

But what Yang Guangfu brought back for him was just a little over 25,000.

When Zhang Deming asked about it with a dark expression, he was instantly stunned and completely baffled!

’I thought I’d gotten a great deal on the materials, that I’d found a chance to get rich by having my expenses covered. But it turns out they weren’t free; there was even a processing fee!’

Because he had used the best quality materials for several hundred Spirit Nurturing Beads, the material costs alone were nearly 10,000. This was, by far, the highest cost Zhang Deming had ever incurred.

’It seems I’m still too young and naive. Shearing the Sect’s wool isn’t so easy after all!’

Zhang Deming immediately felt he’d been ripped off. He privately swore an oath never to use Spirit Nurturing Peak’s official materials again. They were practically skimming right off his profits!

’How could I tolerate something like this!’

’After this deal, to the Spirit Nurturing Peak’s materials department: sorry, but you’ve lost me as a customer. I’d rather use some down-to-earth materials than worry about keeping up appearances.

A material cost of nearly ten thousand Spirit Stones... I can’t take that kind of hit!’

A single Spirit Stone wasn’t large, only about the size of a thumb, but over twenty thousand of them still filled several chests.

Yang Guangfu, who had carried the Spirit Stones in, watched Zhang Deming stare blankly at the chests, his expression occasionally twisting with heartache. Yang Guangfu’s own face began to twitch.

’I don’t know what’s in there, but judging by Senior Brother Zhang’s expression... it couldn’t be some kind of contraband, could it?’

"Senior Brother Zhang, should I open them up and check?" Yang Guangfu asked worriedly.

Zhang Deming shook his head and said, "No need. You may go. This old ma—... I’ll do it myself."