Ninth In the World
chapter-364

Chapter 364: Survival Is Tough

Di Jiu knew very well that he would be staying for a long time in the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City. Therefore, the first thing he wanted to do after he entered the city was buy a cave abode.

Di Jiu had already thought about it and knew that it would be expensive to buy a cave abode there. However, he should still be able to afford it, no matter how expensive it was. After all, he had about 100 million high-grade immortal crystals. Even if he spent 10 to 20 million immortal crystals to buy a cave abode, he would still have enough left for other things.

However, Di Jiu’s heart sank after he asked around. A cultivation cave abode in the most remote corner of the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City cost more than 50,000 Liberal points. This wasn’t even the final price.

If the fees for tidying up the place were included, one would need at least 60,000 to 70,000 Liberal points to buy a cave abode. This was nearly equal to 100 million high-grade immortal crystals.

Di Jiu had inquired before. Although the exchange rate of Liberal points to immortal crystals was 1 to 100, the actual trading price was 111 high-grade immortal crystals for one Liberal point. However, there was nowhere to make the exchange. If one was in urgent need of Liberal points, one would even get an exchange rate of 1 to 130 in the black market.

Di Jiu sighed. He could only rent a cave abode.

What made him even more disappointed was that he had wandered around the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City for half a day, yet he hadn’t found a cave abode to rent. Thus, he could only go to an inn.

He could go to the wasteland of the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City too. However, he didn’t dare to.

The level of Immortal Spirit Qi in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City was so high because it contained a Spirit Purification Array. The Spirit Purification Array would isolate and expel the filthy aura from the Immortal Spirit Qi. The Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City had so many cultivators cultivating in it every day that, naturally, a lot of filthy aura would be expelled.

The wasteland was the midpoint in the process of cleaning up the filthy aura by the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City’s Spirit Purification Array. The filthy aura being isolated by the Spirit Purification Array would be sent to this wasteland and then get expelled from the wasteland into the void. Skilled cultivators wouldn’t stay in such a place. However, there were many poor cultivators in the void with nowhere to go who could only stay in the wasteland. It didn’t cost any immortal crystals, nor did it require any fees.

In the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City’s language, the wasteland was called a dump. All the people who lived there were Itinerant Cultivators who couldn’t afford to buy or rent a cave abode. Therefore, in the opinion of the cultivators living in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City, the cultivators living in the wasteland were all pieces of trash.

It could be said that the most chaotic place in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City was the wasteland. As long as one depended only on their own strength and didn’t kill anyone, it was up to them to bully others.

Many cultivators from the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City often went to the wasteland to look for servants. However, if a cultivator who had stayed in the wasteland before wanted to enter the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City, they would have to pay some immortal crystals first.

Di Jiu was only an Immortal Lord. However, he didn’t want to waste away at the wasteland.

There were rooms available at the inns. Di Jiu finally settled at the All Emptiness Inn after inquiring at a few inns.

The All Emptiness Inn was considered an above-average inn in the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City. It cost 2,000 high-grade immortal crystals a day, which was a price Di Jiu could still afford.

2,000 high-grade immortal crystals were the equivalent of merely 20 Liberal points. This was considered one of the cheapest rooms in the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City.

Although the room was cheap, Di Jiu was very satisfied with the service there.

A shop assistant with a Golden Immortal cultivation had been following him around ever since he had entered the inn and until he entered his room.

“Sir, if you don’t have any other instructions, I will take my leave now.” The shop assistant bade farewell only after he had helped Di Jiu settle in properly.

“Wait!” shouted Di Jiu as he stopped the shop assistant. “May I ask where I can find the biggest variety of the best immortal spiritual herbs of the highest class in the Gigantic Tripod Immortal City?”

The shop assistant was stunned briefly by Di Jiu’s question. To be honest, he was aware of Di Jiu’s cultivation level. The fact that the inn had arranged for him to help Di Jiu settle in meant that Di Jiu’s strength wasn’t that of a Great Immortal. It was comical that a cultivator who was not a Great Immortal had actually asked where to find the best, highest-class immortal spiritual herbs.

The Eternal Moon Building had once sold an immortal spiritual herb for 100 million Liberal points. This price would surely scare this hillbilly out of his wits.

However, it was the All Emptiness Inn’s rule to never make a guest feel unsatisfied. It hadn’t been easy for him to find a job at the All Emptiness Inn. Thus, even though he despised Di Jiu, he still said respectfully, “If you are asking me which immortal spiritual herb commercial building is the best, it has to be the Eternal Moon Building. The Eternal Moon Building once sold a Thearch Vine Ganoderma. Its price was rumored to be 100 million Liberal points. Oh! When the Eternal Moon Building held an auction last year, they auctioned off a Thearch Wood Blue Fruit, whose price was also a few dozen million Liberal points.”

Di Jiu was secretly shocked. He wouldn’t have 100 million Liberal points even if he added up all the things he had on him.

“Is the Thearch Vine Ganoderma so expensive? I heard that the most precious level-nine immortal spiritual object in the Immortal World is the Agama True Glazed Water. Would it cost more than 100 million Liberal points then?” asked Di Jiu.

The shop assistant shook his head. “The Agama True Glazed Water? I have never heard of it. The Thearch Vine Ganoderma can be used to refine the Thearch of Grand Tenuity Restorative Elixir. What kind of thing is the Agama True Glazed Water? It can’t possibly be more precious than the Thearch Vine Ganoderma, can it?”

Di Jiu felt disappointed that the shop assistant had never heard of the Agama True Glazed Water. Although it might not be more precious than the Thearch Vine Ganoderma, it was still considered a top-notch treasure. If it had ever appeared in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City before, the shop assistant would surely have heard of it.

The only explanation why the shop assistant had never heard of the Agama True Glazed Water was that it had never appeared in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City before.

“Thanks! I will go check out the Eternal Moon Building when I’m free,” said Di Jiu. Then, as if feeling that what he had said was inappropriate, he added, “I am a beginner-level Alchemy Master. Therefore, I plan to visit these big commercial buildings and see for myself all the different kinds of high-level immortal spiritual herbs.”

What Di Jiu had said was very vague. Grade-one, grade-two, and grade-three Alchemy Masters were all called Alchemy Masters. However, there were many differences between them.

The shop assistant then saw the light suddenly and asked in delight, “Are you an Alchemy Grandmaster?”

“I can only refine a few low-level immortal pills. I can’t be called a grandmaster,” replied Di Jiu humbly.

The shop assistant then said excitedly, “Sir, the Star Elixir Dispensary is urgently recruiting alchemists. You can apply for the position as long as you can refine a grade-two immortal pill. If you are successfully hired, you will get paid 500 Liberal points per month and get royalties for every cauldron of elixir you refine.”

Di Jiu was moved. He had seen the Star Elixir Dispensary before when he had been looking for a cave abode. Although it didn’t look big based on the size of its facade, it was on the main road.

He didn’t have any income now that he was staying in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City. If he got recruited by the Star Elixir Dispensary, he would be able to earn some Liberal points, as well as advance his alchemy standards.

“Thank you! I will take a look at the Star Elixir Dispensary tomorrow.” Di Jiu was grateful for the shop assistant’s advice.

Although he was a grade-three Alchemy Master, it was really hard for a puny alchemist like him, who had come from elsewhere, to survive in a place like the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City.

“No need! No need…” said the shop assistant hurriedly as he waved his hands.

The shop assistant seemed to have more things to say, yet he didn’t dare to.

Di Jiu, who sensed the shop assistant’s hesitation, laughed and said, “If I do get recruited by the Star Elixir Dispensary and become an alchemist there, you should come find me if you need any elixirs in the future. Although I can’t refine high-level elixirs, I should have no problem refining ordinary low-level immortal pills.”

“Thanks, sir!” said the shop assistant as he bowed. This was what he had wanted to say.

There were extremely few alchemists and blacksmiths in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City. More blacksmiths existed, as there were many materials available in the void after all. However, a cultivator needed to refine some simple array flags on their own when they needed to set them up. This was why there were more blacksmiths than alchemists.

There were very few alchemists, mainly because although there were a lot of immortal spiritual herbs in the void, most of them were extremely rare and precious spiritual herbs. Only a few silly people would use such immortal spiritual herbs to practice alchemy.

Moreover, cultivation was everyone’s priority in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City. Nobody would be so free as to spend their time on alchemy when they didn’t even have enough time to cultivate. If Di Jiu hadn’t had the Golden Dao Law in the past, he wouldn’t have been qualified enough to become an alchemist.

The alchemists of the sect disciples from the Star Continent were often well-guarded. Therefore, very few alchemists entered the void and got into the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City.

Di Jiu didn’t leave after the shop assistant did. Instead, he made the most of his time there by cultivating.

Even though Di Jiu hadn’t been to the wasteland yet and hadn’t witnessed the brutal law of the jungle, whereby the weak fell prey to the strong, he knew that strength was the most important attribute to have in the Gigantic Tripod Liberal Immortal City. Otherwise, he might still end up at the wasteland, even if he didn’t leave the Gigantic Tripod.

The very next morning, Di Jiu left the All Emptiness Inn and set out for the Star Elixir Dispensary.