Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 481: Chapter 262: Splendid Nightscape (Part 2)

A clear class divide existed between the Cultivation Immortality Realm and the mortal world. The Cultivators he’d seen at the Zi’an River, riding their swords on the wind and showing off, were just Low Tier Cultivators struggling to make a living.

His strongest impression was that everyone in the South District desperately longed to live in the other three districts. This included, but was not limited to, working for a Cultivation Immortality Family or Cultivation Immortality Gang, marrying a Cultivator as a concubine, or becoming a Cultivator’s apprentice.

There was only one goal: to become a Cultivator.

It reminded him of his past life, of his countrymen in the eighties and nineties who longed to go to Yingjiang Country. They believed that even doing menial work there meant earning big money and living a life above others.

Cheng Zongyang didn’t know how large the County Town was, but from what he could tell, the South District alone was already comparable in size to Jade Peak County!

The South District alone was about the size of Jade Peak County. And yet, he’d heard it was the smallest of the four districts.

Cheng Zongyang eventually found a vacant room in a place called Yuxian Restaurant. The daily rate was thirty Spirit Crystals, with food and drink charged separately.

Even for the South District, a residential area for commoners, Cheng Zongyang did not consider this price cheap.

The South District was currently overpopulated and housing was scarce, so prices naturally remained high.

Staying for a month would cost nine Spirit Stones.

He’d heard that the cheapest rentals in the South District started at three Spirit Stones a month, and that was just for a single, remote, run-down room. In a place as bustling and lively as the South District, one could only imagine how noisy and chaotic such cheap accommodations would be.

But even those were difficult to find. As for better places, like private suites, the prices were even higher. He’d heard the difference was that the more expensive accommodations had protective Arrays or sound-isolating features.

This was why those private suites were so expensive.

’This is just like the real estate and rent prices in a first-tier city. Wouldn’t it be even more terrifying in one of those "super first-tier" Cultivation Immortality Cities?’

In his single room in a corner of the restaurant’s third floor, Cheng Zongyang gazed at the view outside his window, his heart filled with a complex mix of feelings.

As a gentle breeze drifted in through the open window, he gazed down at the bustling, brightly-lit streets, gaining a rough understanding of the South District’s situation.

He hadn’t gone to the Northwest and East Three Districts. Generally speaking, commoners, and even Martial Artists, rarely ventured there without specific business.

It wasn’t that they were forbidden from entering, but that they would likely be treated with contempt and would feel completely out of place.

Those three districts were the residential areas for Cultivators, so life there was naturally different from the life of commoners in the South District.

Cultivators had no interest in the goods sold in the South District, while people from the South District couldn’t afford anything in the other three. Consequently, common folk generally stayed away unless they had a specific reason to be there.

About fifteen minutes later, Cheng Zongyang closed the window. After confirming the door and windows were securely fastened, he put out the light, lay down on the bed, and sent his consciousness into the Wilderness World.

Inside the marketplace hut, Ding Xing was compiling notes on everything Cheng Zongyang had seen and heard that day. Meanwhile, Luo Dingran was reading a completed booklet, its cover titled: *Zi’an County Regional Layout*.

"Sir."

Seeing Cheng Zongyang appear, the two of them clasped their hands and bowed in respect.

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly and turned to Luo Dingran. "I have a question. Can we acquire Spirit Stones?"

A smile touched Luo Dingran’s lips. "Sir, I’ve already tested that. It’s possible. One Point can be exchanged for one Low Grade Spirit Stone. However, a Middle Grade stone costs one hundred Points, a High Grade one a thousand, and a Top Grade one ten thousand! Sir, since we couldn’t use them before, we never acquired any. If you need them, the exchange rate can be improved."

Cheng Zongyang smiled at the news. "As long as we can exchange for them, that’s all that matters. This opens up a lot of options for us."

He was well aware that for a host of the Jade Stone, Points were king. As long as one had Points, items like Spirit Stones were just commodities for trade.

If someone were willing to trade Points for Gold, he would be more than happy to be the one selling the Gold to acquire those Points.

And since he could exchange Points for Spirit Stones, he wouldn’t have to struggle so much. He could even procure a batch of items useful for Jade Peak County.

But there was one condition: he had to be able to power them!

The only way, then, was to first break through to the Extraordinary level and enter the Essence Refining and Qi Transformation Realm!

’The Innate Qi Technique outlined three paths to advancement, but I wonder if it’s the same for the Martial Artists or commoners of this world who become Cultivators?’

With this in mind, Cheng Zongyang asked Luo Dingran, "How many Low Grade stones can we get for ten thousand Points?"

Luo Dingran considered this for a moment. "Ten thousand Points is a considerable sum. We should be able to get about twenty percent more for them. For the sellers on the other side, Points are the real currency of value."

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "We’re on the same page. I’ll leave that to you. I’m going to see if I can buy a property to use as a transfer base."

"Understood!" Luo Dingran replied.

Cheng Zongyang immediately began to plan his next steps. It was only then that he realized just how much there was to do.

"Looks like I won’t be going back anytime soon," Cheng Zongyang murmured.

The materials for the Reef Island renovation weren’t ready yet, so Cheng Zongyang had no choice but to wait.

「The next morning」

Cheng Zongyang, who had cultivated through the night in the marketplace hut, returned to the outside world.

He shook his head slightly as he checked his progress, which had only increased by a little over fifty points. To break through to the next Realm, at a rate of roughly one hundred points a day, he would need at least five hundred-odd days.

A little over a year.

And this was with the help of Martial Arts Elixirs. For any other Martial Artist, breaking through a new tier in just one year would be a sign of terrifying Talent.

But only Cheng Zongyang knew that he was only this fast because he had a cheat system and the aid of elixirs.

But to him, this was still too slow!