Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Shuitan of the Sea View Sect

While the players were busily getting to work.

One player had been all but forgotten.

That player was Shuitan.

Shuitan was currently the only player in the game to have received an undercover mission—no, a mission to venture out for better opportunities. On the day he entered Liu Xian City, he successfully infiltrated the Sea View Sect’s Outer Sect.

To be fair, Shuitan’s talent wasn’t bad.

An Orange Spirit Root was considered superior anywhere, and the other players were quite envious of him.

But in the Sea View Sect, it didn’t count for much.

The main reason was his age.

Only after arriving at the Sea View Sect did he learn the truth. At his age, someone with an Orange Talent who put in the effort would have little trouble reaching the Golden Core Realm.

On the day he joined the Sea View Sect as an Outer Disciple, the Steward who guided him in looked at him with pity. "Why didn’t you come sooner? To only be in the Early Stage of Qi Refining at your age... What a shame, a true shame..."

Shuitan was speechless. ’...’

’I’ve only been in the game for a few days!’

He was already approaching the Qi Refining Middle Stage, according to the system.

’This is already incredibly fast.’

And that was thanks to his talent for combat.

He had entered the Sea View Sect as an Outer Disciple, but in name only. In reality, he was an Outer Sect servant disciple, the lowest of the low.

The Steward told him that only by raising his Realm could he slowly improve his status.

As an Outer Disciple of the Sea View Sect, he could receive ten low-grade spirit stones every month.

This was actually similar to his own Sect.

However, the conditions were extremely harsh.

The Sea View Sect was also a well-rounded sect. On his first day, Shuitan was given two choices, with the basic task being to tend the Spirit Field and nurture the Spirit Grass.

If he completed his first month’s tasks well, he could be sent out on missions to slay demon beasts.

Moreover, the Sect had different missions each month.

The difference was that regardless of whether he was guarding the Spirit Field or slaying demon beasts, all resources he obtained had to be turned over to the Sect.

Only after officially becoming a Foundation Establishment Stage disciple could one gain the right to take on side jobs, and even then, they still had to complete their mandatory contribution quotas.

Failure to do so would even result in a demotion.

And even then, more than half of their earnings would be spent on combat supplies.

Shuitan was surprised when he heard these requirements, but he didn’t voice his thoughts.

Although the Sea View Sect did provide a comprehensive starter kit—for example, every Outer Sect servant disciple received a First-Order Jiezidai and a supply of a few Qi Replenishing Pills and Blood Replenishing Pills.

But compared to what he received in the Longevity Sect, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

After slaying demon beasts for days in his own Sect, he had only turned in half his resources, and in return, he not only got points but also earned a few low-grade spirit stones.

Here, he wouldn’t be able to keep a thing.

It was at this moment that the system learned just how exploitative other sects could be, and it reported this to Song Jiulai.

Song Jiulai murmured to herself, "And here I thought taking a thirty percent cut for doing nothing was exploitative enough."

Turns out, she had underestimated things. This world was never short on capitalists.

The same logic applied to the Cultivation World.

System: "It’s just how things are. The Sea View Sect’s stance is that it’s an honor to become one of their disciples. Without the Sea View Sect, your cultivation won’t increase—you win some, you lose some. If the disciples get rich, how will the Sect prosper? Besides, not every sect has disciples that are basically cheat codes like the players."

"Most importantly, if the disciples get rich and their levels increase, they’re more likely to run off to other sects."

That was true. Song Jiulai could understand the Major Sects’ way of thinking.

The disciples they worked so hard to nurture might just end up benefiting a rival, so it was better to squeeze every last drop out of them from the very start.

Only those who managed to rise above the rest through sheer talent and hard work under these conditions were worthy of the sect’s best training and treatment.

Song Jiulai had no need for such a model.

The players’ own motivation was more than enough.

’After all, the game’s very existence revolves around me. If I don’t grow stronger, what is there for the players to even do?’

But what surprised Shuitan the most wasn’t the harshness of the conditions.

It was how, on his very first day, he truly felt the oppressive hierarchy of the Cultivation World.

Anyone even one level higher than you wouldn’t give you the time of day.

The only saving grace was that nothing too humiliating had happened, he supposed.

At worst, he was forced to cover the shifts of older servant disciples while tending to the Spirit Grass.

It probably had something to do with Shuitan’s personality.

In his real life, he had overcome countless obstacles and endured hardships most people couldn’t imagine, so this bit of trouble was nothing to him.

So Shuitan quietly settled into life at the Sea View Sect.

’My heart isn’t here anyway. I’m still being supplied with resources from the Longevity Sect, so I won’t be short on anything. This is just a good opportunity to temper my mentality in the game.’

"Hey, new guy."

As Shuitan was thinking this, he looked up to see another servant disciple from the Sea View Sect’s Outer Sect.

The boy’s name was Pan Qingyi, and he was just a kid of about ten.

His talent was very low; his Spirit Root was said to be a common white one.

The only reason he’d gotten into the Sea View Sect was that his parents had once been members and made contributions. An elder had given the nod to let him stay.

But being allowed to stay didn’t mean he had it easy.

Because of his low talent, Pan Qingyi was still an Outer Sect servant disciple after several years. He was only at the Late-stage Qi Refining, and even the survival rate of the Spirit Grass he tended was low.

He didn’t dare take on missions to slay demon beasts.

Before Shuitan arrived, he was often bullied by the more talented disciples.

After Shuitan arrived—they were bullied together.

Pan Qingyi was holding two large meat buns. He handed one to Shuitan. "Don’t listen to Yun Chenyu’s nonsense. He’s just jealous that your Spirit Root is better than his. You’ll make a name for yourself eventually; you just hadn’t found a good sect before."

Yun Chenyu was a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment disciple. In a place like the Feique Sect, his strength would be considered dominant.

But here, he was still just an Outer Disciple.

Just this morning, he was the one who said Shuitan was an utter disgrace for still being an Early Stage of Qi Refining disciple.

That brat’s words had been quite vicious, the gist being that for someone of Shuitan’s age to have such a low cultivation, his comprehension must be terrible.

He’d probably just wet his pants in fear on the Demon Beast Battlefield.

Shuitan hadn’t said anything at the time.

As a grown man, he couldn’t bring himself to argue with a child.

Shuitan chuckled. "I know."

Pan Qingyi glanced at him, took a bite of his bun, and then said, "Good. As long as you know."

Shuitan added, "I’m about to reach the Qi Refining Middle Stage."

Pan Qingyi was surprised. "That’s really fast. You’ve only been here for three days, right?"

Shuitan nodded.

The Spiritual Energy in Liu Xian City was incredibly dense, ten times richer than at the Longevity Sect. He could feel his Realm’s barrier loosening almost as soon as he arrived.

’Breaking through to the Mid-stage won’t be difficult, and I’ll probably reach the Late Stage soon after. I just don’t know if my cultivation will progress this quickly beyond that.’

’And I wonder what things are like at the even more powerful Ten Thousand Immortals Sect.’

When Song Jiulai learned about the quality of Spiritual Energy Shuitan was enjoying, she wished she could pack up every player in her Sect and ship them over, if only that were allowed.

Pan Qingyi said, "With your talent, breaking through these early realms is fast. The real challenge is the major bottleneck. Reaching Foundation Establishment isn’t easy."

Thinking about how he had yet to reach Foundation Establishment himself, a sad expression crossed Pan Qingyi’s young face.

"I’ve tried so hard, but..."

Some things just couldn’t be achieved through hard work alone.