Cultivation Is Money-Grabbing C16

Chapter 16 – Demon Hunting Tournament

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. All the new disciples were in a state of high tension, practicing swordsmanship day and night.

Guan Shize, who lived near Lian Mu, was especially diligent, sleeping only two hours a day. Even Lian Mu had to admit she was impressed.

She also felt that Elder Murong had already taken note of her. During every sparring session and lecture, he singled her out for suppression. When sparring with fellow disciples, she was fine, but if she faced Elder Murong, she would inevitably get beaten so badly that she couldn’t get up for half a day.

This troubled her greatly. Every time she tried to avoid it, she failed. Unintentionally, her potential for fighting was gradually being stimulated—she could now withstand five moves from him.

“That’s it for today,” Murong Yi scanned the disciples sprawled out in disarray and said with a smile.

But when his eyes landed on a particular disciple lying flat on her back, his smile stiffened.

Lian Mu sensed someone watching her. A feeling of crisis crept up. She quickly rolled over, covered her face with her hand, and pretended nothing had happened.

Murong Yi: “…”

This disciple was going to drive him mad.

She always looked so indifferent and lazy, never taking things seriously. Even when fighting him, she only focused on dodging, forcing him to go all out just to make her reveal some of her true strength.

Look at the other disciples—weren’t they all diligent and hardworking? But her? She didn’t even practice swordsmanship properly. One time, he even caught her sneaking off to Yinxiang Peak to slack off.

Murong Yi felt a fire rise in his chest whenever he saw Lian Mu. She could clearly work a little harder and secure a spot among the top ten disciples to be accepted as a personal disciple, yet she always barely scraped by.

Lian Mu had no idea that Elder Murong’s impression of her being lazy had deepened. She was too busy thinking about her plans for the day.

Since entering the sect, new disciples had been confined to the mountain. Today, a notice had been posted allowing them to go down the mountain. She planned to resign from her old job and find a better-paying one.

Over the past half month, she had spent most of her time in three places: Yinxiang Peak, the Library Pavilion, and the dining hall. She had already noticed the inconvenience of her damaged dantian causing constant spiritual energy leakage. Every day, besides eating copious amounts of spiritual plants in the dining hall, she also went to Yinxiang Peak to refine pills.

She wanted to create pills with a high concentration of spiritual energy to sustain her daily needs.

Since she wasn’t a professional alchemist, there was a lot of knowledge she needed to catch up on. So, she practically lived in the Library Pavilion, pulling all-nighters reading alchemy books.

Of course, every time she went to refine pills, she chose the dead of night when no one was around. She didn’t want anyone to know what she was up to.

After all, a sword cultivator resorting to alchemy because she was too poor to afford pills—it was too embarrassing.

Even though she spent more time on Yinxiang Peak than Hanlai Peak, she still considered herself an unwavering sword cultivator.

If it weren’t for financial struggles, who wouldn’t want to dedicate their entire life to the way of the sword?

Oh, right. She still didn’t have her own sword. Haha.

Thinking of this, Lian Mu felt bitter. She made up her mind—she would earn as much money as possible and use the best sword available.

There were no medical disciples on standby during today’s sparring session, but Murong Yi had controlled his strength so no one would be fatally wounded. There were no serious injuries, but minor ones were unavoidable.

Lian Mu felt like her whole body had been taken apart. She suspected Elder Murong was in an exceptionally good mood today because he had hit even harder than usual. It took three Revitalization Pills before she felt a little better.

She had refined those pills herself. They were crude, but they worked—and they were free.

—

Nine Lives Inn.

“You’re leaving?” A man in a long robe took her letter. “I heard you entered an immortal sect. Is that true?”

Lian Mu replied, “Yes.”

Nine Lives Inn was where she had worked before joining the sect, running errands as a bodyguard.

She had barely earned enough spirit stones to get by because her body required too many of them to sustain itself.

The official reason for leaving was that the sect prohibited disciples from taking such jobs. The real reason? The pay was too low. It wasn’t enough, and it wasted her time. She had no desire to keep at it.

“Alright then,” the man agreed. “Train well and aim to compete in the next Immortal Sect Tournament. That way, Nine Lives Inn can bask in your glory.”

Lian Mu had no idea what the Immortal Sect Tournament was, but she could guess it was some kind of competitive event. So, she boasted, “Alright, when I participate, I’ll take first place.”

The man chuckled. “Your sect might take first place, but claiming the title of the strongest sword cultivator among the four great sects won’t be easy. I hear there’s a sword cultivator in another sect who’s incredibly powerful—if your cultivation is within five stages of his, no matter higher or lower, you’ll still lose.”

Since she had already bragged, there was no turning back. Lian Mu said, “You never know—what if I win? A person has to have some ambition.”

The two exchanged a smile. Whether it would come true was something for the future to tell.

After resigning from her previous job, Lian Mu planned to find a new one.

Now that she was also a disciple of an immortal sect, she naturally had to find a profitable occupation. As for the specifics, she was not too concerned—as long as they paid enough.

Money could make even ghosts work; it could also make her, a former wealthy heiress, bow her head to life once again.

Thinking back to her past life, when she spent money like water, Lian Mu felt nothing but nostalgia.

Xicheng, being on the border of the immortal sects, naturally gave rise to many things related to the immortal world. Many cultivators without sect affiliations and members of smaller sects were active here. You could even see street vendors selling spiritual artifacts and pills, with cultivators as their primary customers.

Lian Mu went into a shop that sold pills, but as soon as the shopkeeper heard her identity, his face darkened.

“Heh, do you take me for a fool? Since when do disciples of immortal sects work here?”

Lian Mu presented her honorary jade token. “I’m serious, I really am a sword cultivator.”

The shopkeeper was even more doubtful. “That’s even more ridiculous. How could a sword cultivator be this poor? Aside from artifact refiners, sword cultivators are the richest. A single grade-eight sword costs at least 500,000 spirit stones.”

Lian Mu had no choice but to leave, feeling a bit shocked inside.

So, it turned out that she was the only sword cultivator who was broke.

Unable to find a suitable job, Lian Mu wandered aimlessly through the streets. Suddenly, someone bumped into her shoulder.

“Move aside.”

She was shoved to the side as a group of people in black robes strode past. They wore masks, their eyes filled with a murderous aura.

“Who are they?” Lian Mu stood by the roadside, casually picking up a chestnut from a nearby stall and popping it into her mouth as she watched them walk away.

“They’re from the Demon Hunting Tournament,” said the chestnut vendor.

Curious, Lian Mu asked, “What’s the Demon Hunting Tournament?”

“It’s a bounty competition. You go to a designated area, accept a demon beast bounty, and if you successfully hunt the demon beast, you get the reward set by the bounty issuer. The starting price for a bounty is 5,000 spirit stones.”

“The winner gets all the money?” Lian Mu asked.

The vendor nodded. “Yep. The higher the rank of the demon beast, the greater the reward—but the competition is also fiercer.”

Lian Mu was instantly intrigued. “How do I join? Got a way in?”

Killing demon beasts to earn money? It could improve her skills and bring in spirit stones—what a great deal!

“Yeah, turn right up ahead. They’re recruiting new members.”

Lian Mu immediately took off. “Thanks, I’ll be going now!”

“Wait!” The vendor called out, extending his hand. “You ate five chestnuts—that’s ten spirit stones.”

Lian Mu: “…”

Were these chestnuts made of gold?

Since she had already eaten them, she had no choice but to painfully hand over the ten spirit stones.

The vendor accepted the payment with satisfaction. “Thanks for your business. Remember to come back next time.”

“Oh, by the way, judging by how broke you look, you must be a sword cultivator, right? I used to be one too, but not anymore. Train hard, fellow cultivator. One day, you can join me in selling chestnuts and making a fortune.”

Lian Mu: “…”

So it wasn’t that all sword cultivators were rich—it was just that all the poor ones had switched careers.

As the chestnut vendor had said, up ahead was a humble-looking shop with the words “Demon Hunting Tournament” written on a signboard. The handwriting was so ugly that she had never noticed it before, despite passing by.

Recruiting so openly—this had to be a legitimate job.

There weren’t many people at the entrance. Lian Mu, full of enthusiasm, rushed inside, only to find a single person sitting at a desk, lazily twirling a pen.

“Hello, I want to sign up for the Demon Hunting Tournament,” Lian Mu stated her intention directly.

The pen in the person’s hand slipped and fell with a clatter. He looked up at her and shrieked, “Ah! Why didn’t you wear a mask? What if someone recognizes you?!”

He covered his eyes, grabbed a mask from the side, and slapped it onto her face. “There, that’s better. Kid, when you’re out and about, don’t be so reckless. In this line of work, exposing your identity is not a good idea.”

Lian Mu: “…”

She was starting to have doubts.

“You really want to sign up for the Demon Hunting Tournament?” the man asked. “This isn’t a job just anyone can take on. Only cultivators who can endure hardship should apply.”

Lian Mu confidently declared, “I am a sect disciple, hard-working, diligent, and capable.”

Plenty of people claimed to be from an immortal sect, so the man didn’t bother asking which one she was from. Judging by her plain appearance, she was probably from some obscure, minor sect.

Still, she looked confident—maybe she had some skills.

Sizing her up, the man finally said, “The Demon Hunting Tournament has no restrictions on participants. Regardless of sect background or spiritual roots, anyone can join. But it is dangerous, and the pay might seem meager to you sect disciples.”

Hearing the word “meager,” Lian Mu suddenly felt uncertain. If it was a deadly job with little pay, she would be making a huge loss.

“What are the conditions?”

The man spread his hands. “A single bounty starts at 5,000 spirit stones. You can either earn the money yourself or join our group. If you sign a contract with us, we take a 30% cut of your rewards, but you get a guaranteed monthly salary of 15,000 spirit stones. However, you have to accept the bounties we assign you. If you hunt on your own, the entire reward is yours, and we don’t take a cut.”

“We also provide free temporary lodging and meals. The ingredients for the food range from third to fifth grade spiritual plants. The tea is nothing special—just water transported from the Tianshan Spirit Spring. There are also some low-grade pills, which are free as well.”

“The bounties vary. 5,000 spirit stones is just the starting price. Normally, a single bounty is worth around 50,000 spirit stones, with no upper limit.”

“So yeah, for you sect disciples, it might seem a bit lacking.”

Lian Mu had originally been about to leave, but upon hearing the conditions, she immediately spun around and grasped his hand. “You must be joking! How could this be considered lacking? Let me sign up right now!”

The man was surprised by her persistence. Normally, sect disciples would turn away without hesitation after hearing the conditions—why was she getting even more excited?

It couldn’t be… Was she really that poor?

Sigh, life is truly hard.

He sighed for a moment before pulling out a registration slip for her to sign.

The registration slip was actually a spiritual artifact—it floated in midair, and writing on it with a finger left visible characters.

Lian Mu solemnly wrote down her name: Cultivation Is just a Money-Grab

“This is your entry pass.” The man handed her a bracelet. “Drip a drop of blood on it, and you can use it to accept bounties in the tournament.”

Lian Mu took the bracelet, dripped two drops of blood on it, and successfully bound it.

“How do I get there?” she asked.

The man stood up, pulled out a talisman, shoved it into her hand, and then closed his eyes, channeling spiritual power to ignite it.

In an instant, the scenery before Lian Mu changed—she had been transported to another location.

“Another one here to die,” muttered a silver-masked man at the entrance.

He grabbed her wrist, verified her entry pass, then let go and pointed to the right. “Newcomer, head to the low-tier area.”

Lian Mu glanced at the nearby bulletin board. So, the bounties were ranked just like pills and spiritual artifacts, from grade ten to grade one. Low-tier bounties ranged from grade ten to five, while high-tier ones ranged from grade five to one, each corresponding to the color of the bracelet.

Her bracelet was the most basic pale white, indicating the lowest grade. Completing enough bounties would allow her to rank up.

She had arrived at a place called Star-Plucking Tower, a ten-story building dedicated to bounty acceptance. Upon entering, she was stunned by the sight before her.

Even in the lowest-tier area, there were still many people scattered about. The place resembled a grand hall for visitors, offering everything—resting areas, dining halls, tea counters… All the furnishings were spiritual artifacts crafted by artifact refiners, making them extremely convenient to use.

Three walls served as bounty boards, equipped with spiritual artifacts that displayed all available bounties from top to bottom, allowing cultivators to browse freely.

Lian Mu walked up to a wall, just as a Tier 10 bounty order floated in front of her. She tapped to accept it, and the bounty order ignited without fire, teleporting her to another place.

Lian Mu opened her eyes and stepped on the soft soil beneath her feet, feeling a little dazed—so the back of the bounty order was actually a teleportation talisman.

She had been transported into a forest. It was nighttime, and there was no one around.

Recalling the image of the magical beast on the bounty order, Lian Mu intended to search nearby. However, as soon as she turned her head, she found herself staring straight into a pair of crimson-red eyes.

It was the very same magical beast from the bounty order—standing at a towering ten feet, its entire body emanating black energy. Its eyes were blood-red, its breath was rough and heavy, and saliva dripped from its mouth as it glared at her in fury.

Lian Mu: “…”

Actually, there was no need for the teleportation to be this accurate.