The Programmer Cultivator

Chapter 39: Chapter 37: Spirit Nurturing Master

Hah. It looked like the Miscellaneous Arts weren’t exactly paved with gold, just waiting for him to collect.

’Making money is so hard!!!’

After wandering through the street stalls for a while, Zhang Deming arrived at the area’s main street.

After browsing for a bit, Zhang Deming chose a shop and went inside.

”What can I get for you, young man?” The shop was an Array Artifact Store, and it was rather quiet. As soon as Zhang Deming entered, the middle-aged shopkeeper greeted him warmly.

Zhang Deming hesitated for a moment before saying, ”Uh, I’m just looking.”

The shopkeeper was quite tactful and didn’t let his smile falter. ”Feel free to look around, young man. If you see anything you like, we can talk about the price.”

Zhang Deming nodded and began to slowly browse the surrounding merchandise.

After a moment, Zhang Deming asked, ”Do you do consignments here, shopkeeper?”

The shopkeeper was slightly taken aback. He sized up Zhang Deming again before replying, ”Yes, we do consignments.

Generally, the shop sets the price, but the seller can set it as well.

However, if the seller sets the price and the item doesn’t sell within a month, it must be removed from the shelf or the price has to be renegotiated.

The shop takes a ten-percent commission on every item sold.”

Zhang Deming asked again, ”So, are they easy to sell?”

The shopkeeper shook his head with a wry smile. ”The immense popularity of Array Artifact Masters has led countless Outer Disciples to take this path.

Nowadays, not just on Little Hui Peak, but throughout the entire Outer Sect—apart from Spirit Farmers—the proportion of Array Masters and Artifact Masters is the highest. The number of failures is also the highest.

Spirit Farmers have it better. No matter how many there are, their output is always in demand, since it’s a materials production trade.

As for Array Artifacts, since most Outer Disciples live within the Sect, there’s hardly any demand for artifacts at the Junior and mid-Apprentice Level.

As a result, materials are often even more expensive than the finished products.

Add to that the huge number of street stalls selling their wares for cheap, and it becomes very difficult to sell anything.

Of course, if you can make something with unique features or produce high-grade items, that’s another story entirely.”

At this, the shopkeeper paused. He once again scrutinized Zhang Deming before continuing,

”I don’t sense any aura of sulfur and fire on you, young man. Instead, you have the scent of medicinal herbs. I take it you haven’t learned Fire Control or Heart Eye Numerology yet, have you?

Let me give you some advice: if you’re not from a wealthy background, don’t go down this path.

This path doesn’t make money. To succeed, you have to keep pouring money into it.

And given the current situation in the Celestial Spirit Sect, you have to invest enough to make Advanced Apprentice or even Tai Chi Stage artifacts—that is, One-Star Artifacts—before you can start earning a steady income.

Rather than spending years mastering the required supplementary techniques only to face a period of loss with no end in sight, it’s better not to get into it at all.

Of course, I’m not trying to scare off the competition. If you have artifacts to sell in the future, young man, you’re welcome to bring them here.

I’m just giving you a bit of advice as someone who’s been there before.”

Zhang Deming pondered for a moment before asking, ”In that case, shopkeeper, what profession among the hundred Miscellaneous Arts do you think is the most profitable right now?”

The shopkeeper chuckled and answered almost without hesitation, ”Of course, it’s the new profession from the Hongmeng Realm that all the Major Sects are heavily promoting—the Spirit Nurturing Master.

The only problem is that even a low-grade, Tier One, Entry Level Spirit Nurturing Technique at the Secret Level is as difficult to learn as an ordinary high-grade, Tier Three Technique at the Secret Level.

The Talent requirement is ridiculously high. Many Great Cultivators at the Tai Chi Stage can’t even get their foot in the door, so for most people, it’s nothing but a fantasy.

Most other professions are about the same. As long as you stay away from being a Painter, you should be fine.

Being a Spirit Farmer is the safest and most stable option. You won’t suffer a major loss, but it’s hard to make a huge profit either. It’s quite suitable for Outer Disciples.”

”Spirit Nurturing Master? What’s that?” Zhang Deming asked, confused. He had never heard of this auxiliary profession before.

”The Spirit Nurturing Master is a new auxiliary profession from Hongmeng. It’s an emerging field that’s expected to expand the six categories of cultivation into seven.

For now, it’s categorized as an auxiliary profession, one of the hundred Miscellaneous Arts.

The Major Sects are all investing heavily in training them and offering immense support.

I don’t know the reason why, but it’s probably related to the Spirit Nurturing Bead.

As for what a Spirit Nurturing Master is and what they do...

...I do know a little about that. For a Spirit Nurturing Master, it’s all about creating a Spiritual Celestial Bridge, which opens up a supreme path.

As the name suggests, the purpose of a Spirit Nurturing Master is Spirit Nurturing.

They use the Spirit Nurturing Technique to awaken the Spirit Wisdom in all things.

Depending on the subject, it’s subdivided into three branches: the Plant Branch, the Artifact Branch, and the Beast Branch.

Each successfully cultivated Spirit Bead yields a considerable reward.

Right now in the Celestial Spirit Sect, the Inner Sect is giving strong support to Spirit Nurturing Masters.

As for the Outer Sect, because of the high Talent requirement and the difficulty of the technique, the Sect has taken a hands-off approach.

That’s why, while there is a Tier One Spirit Nurturing Technique on the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion, it’s tucked away in a corner. Almost no one ever picks it, and few people even know it exists.”

The shopkeeper was quite knowledgeable. Seeing Zhang Deming’s thoughtful expression, he asked in astonishment, ”You’re not actually getting ideas about this, are you?

Believe me, if you are, you’d be better off choosing the Painter auxiliary profession, which has a reputation for being the one career you should never touch.

At least Painters are only destitute while they’re alive. After they die, there’s a chance their work could bring fortune to their descendants.

If you leave behind a few paintings and your work’s value ’sublimates’ after you die, you might just bless an entire family line.

But a Spirit Nurturing Master... if you don’t have the kind of Talent that gets you straight into the Inner Sect, you’re better off never touching it.”

Zhang Deming just smiled and said, ”I was just asking. I’m actually a Spirit Farmer.”

He actually knew about the Painter profession the shopkeeper had mentioned. Among the hundred Miscellaneous Arts, it was known as one of the biggest pitfalls.

That was because a Painter’s work often had one particular trait: it wasn’t worth anything until the artist was dead.

This single characteristic determined the profession’s status.

What Cultivator didn’t dream of eternal longevity, of living forever?

Pinning one’s hopes on blessing descendants after death, right from the very start of one’s cultivation journey, simply didn’t align with a Cultivator’s values.

The shopkeeper didn’t say much more in response. The two of them were just chatting, after all.

Since there were no other customers, Zhang Deming ended up chatting with him for a long time, learning quite a bit about the state of the various Miscellaneous Arts.

After checking the time, Zhang Deming bade the shopkeeper farewell and decided to head back.

He passed through most of the market district. As he left the central area, his surroundings grew quiet.

After all, the market had originally developed from a flea market, so its location was already somewhat remote.

As Zhang Deming neared the market entrance, he happened to glimpse something happening in an alley.

He froze for a second, then hesitated, but ultimately turned and walked toward it.

This area was already out of the way, and the surrounding alleys were even more secluded.

When Zhang Deming stepped into the alley, he saw three young men mercilessly beating someone.

The victim was also a young man, but by now he was a bloody pulp, clearly having been beaten for quite some time.

This sort of thing wasn’t rare on Little Qing Mountain, let alone Little Hui Peak.

Back when he was still a servant, he’d had to do his fair share of scheming and networking just to avoid being bullied.

It was safe to say that Zhang Deming was already desensitized to such things.

And as a pragmatist, he normally wouldn’t have rashly stuck his nose into other people’s business.

The only time he had tried meddling was right after he got his ’panel’ and learned about Merit.