The decline of Spiritual Energy was even faster than Zhou Yi had anticipated.


    "For thousands of years, the Alchemy Sect has ruled over Cloud Continent, and with each generation of Array Masters'' exploration, the confinement of Spiritual Energy has reached its peak."


    For nearly thirty years, Zhou Yi had been diligently studying the Spirit Gathering Array, hoping to strengthen the gathering and reduce the dissipation.


    Those seeking Evesting Immortality must always consider the long-term, in case the ancestral line is damaged, or even copses someday, the Spirit Veins that depend on it will also dry up, and every bit of Spiritual Energy will be precious when the era of decline arrives.


    "The Alchemy Sect is known for its Alchemy Technique, which perfectlyplements the Jade Dew Art, and there is also the inheritance of this formation...


    Zhou Yi only wanted to be a Loose Cultivator. Not to mention the numerous rules of the sect, entry required testing one''s qualifications, recording one''s Mana into the roster, and official disciples had to leave behind a soul jade slip.


    "Let''s take one step at a time; it would be nice to obtain the inheritance of a Loose Cultivator."


    Over thousands of years, a Loose Cultivator could also reach a master level in all four arts of cultivation, but the incident at Little Dan Mountain gave Zhou Yi a slight sense of urgency.


    I wonder how many of my cheerful colleagues from yesterday are still alive.


    Liu Heng, the nephew of Brother Liu, whom he had great hopes for, was humble and mild-mannered, eager to learn; Zhou Yi saw great promise in his path of cultivation.


    Zhou Yi sighed. Now that Brother Liu''s life hade to an end, he must have found it hard to close his eyes in death.


    "Life is unpredictable, and death is impermanent, hence the Dao Protection Art must not be neglected."


    "I do notmit evil deeds, but I must have the strength to resist those who do!"


    Half a monthter.


    The environment inside Xuzhou returned to its original concentration.


    Ordinary people did not feel much, only that the air quality had worsened, and they heard of fewer exterminations in thest few days.


    Zhou Yi ced the Spirit Ginseng into his storage bag, mounted his ox, and headed straight for Cloud Mountain.


    ...


    Deep within Cloud Mountain.


    The dense white mist rose again around Little Dan Mountain, and asionally there were streaks of lighting and going.


    With the dissipation of Spiritual Energy in Xuzhou, Loose Cultivators had no choice but to obediently go to Little Dan Mountain or stay in the mortal world, helplessly watching their cultivation levels drop.


    Moreover, the Alchemy Sect had established rules, forbidding Loose Cultivators from disrupting the mortal world.


    Some Loose Cultivators protested, why should they farm on the mountain and be exploited by you? The Da Qian Sacred Emperor and the Sage Empress were also cultivators, enjoying all the glory and wealth while I refuse to submit!


    All exnation rights belong to the Alchemy Sect!


    Li Hong and his wife were stationed in Da Qian, which was a sacrifice of their path to cultivation to protect ordinary people, belonging to a fearless and great sacrifice.


    Other Loose Cultivators mingling in the mortal world were defying the rules of the Alchemy Sect, belonging to heretics that everyone wanted to eliminate.


    Zhou Yi observed from the outside for several months, intercepted a few Loose Cultivators, and theter-stage Qi Refinement pressure revealed prompted them to disclose the inner situation obediently.


    "No wonder after waiting thirty years, it was the high-level Array Masters of the Alchemy Sect who arranged the prohibitions, barely managing to preserve the Spirit Veins. Even so, the Spiritual Energy has dropped severely, with the density only about forty to fifty percent of the original."


    "The price of cave dwellings has been cut in half, the mines of Qi Yun Peak are gone, and from now on Little Dan Mountain can only be farmed."


    "The only good news is that True Monarchs are stationed here, making it safer!"


    Zhou Yi, having assessed the safety, transformed into a middle-aged Daoist, leading the ox back into Little Dan Mountain.


    The first thing he saw was still the spirit fields, with the Spirit Rice not yet mature; a light breeze passed over the seedlings, rippling like wrinkled spring water.


    He made his way to the Marketce.


    Built from the remnants of the original ruins, a careful observation of the shops that were fortunate enough to survive revealed charred cracks.


    Zhou Yi inquired about the prices of Spiritual Objects in various shops. The prices of lower-grade Spirit Pills and Magic Artifacts had dropped slightly since Spiritual Energy had spread throughout Xuzhou, nurturing quite a few low-level Spiritual Medicines over thirty years.


    Previously, Loose Cultivators organized gatherings in the mortal world to trade cultivation Spiritual Objects. Zhou Yi had heard about this but never attended.


    Even if they were not fraudulent shops, without the protection of Foundation Establishment True Monarchs, they would eventually fall prey to evil cultivators.


    "This is just a temporary low; after the concentration of Spiritual Energy decreases, the yields of medicinal fields are bound to drop in the future, and without the spirit mines, the prices of Spirit Pills and Magic Artifacts can at least double in a few decades."


    If Zhou Yi did not possess the Jade Dew Art, he would certainly buy a batch of Spiritual Objects, which could turn a big profit in a few decades.


    Value investing, befriend time!


    Zhou Yi now focused more on the four arts of cultivation, and although the technique of Alchemy was hard toe by, he at least strived to be a Spirit Chef first.


    "Many loose cultivators are setting up stalls to sell spells and secret techniques. It seems that the recent shattering of Little Dan Mountain has scattered numerous inheritances."


    Hearing the chatter of the monks, Zhou Yi decided that after leasing a spirit field, he must sift through the soil thoroughly, for he might find relics left by predecessors, including but not limited to cultivation techniques and spirit stones.


    The Dan Ding Sect used this as a gimmick, and the marketce quickly regained its prosperity.


    Passing by the office, Zhou Yi saw a notice board at the entrance, which detailed exnations of the recent catastrophe and the sect''s subsequent handling, ultimately promising that such an incident would not happen again.


    "Zhen Yang Demon Venerate! Supreme Elder of the Heavenly Demon Pce on Ji Continent..."


    Zhou Yi noted the name, thinking that when his life ended and he was entombed, he would celebrate by dancing on his grave.


    Actively seeking retribution was absolutely out of the question, even if his cultivation surpassed Zhen Yang Demon Venerate''s. After defeating the lesser, there would still be stronger ones, and there was no point in gratuitously making enemies with the Heavenly Demon Pce.


    "It''s still not disclosed which True Monarch is in charge."


    Zhou Yi frowned slightly. Honestly, he didn''t want to be anywhere near a True Monarch.


    The deceptive arts might fool ordinary cultivators, but they couldn''t fool the Divine Sense of a True Monarch. However, as a mere Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, unless one wandered around Little Dan Mountain for two or three hundred years, a dignified True Monarch wouldn''t bother paying any attention.


    Zhou Yi arrived at the southeast corner and saw a bookstore opening its doors.


    Customers came and went, inquiring about the prices of cultivation techniques and haggling with the owner, Jing Xu, keeping the business quite lively.


    "Jing Xu, my fellow Daoist who has returned from his travels, I was just about to return the notes of a True Monarch... No, that''s not right!"


    Zhou Yi knitted his brows. When he had borrowed books from Jing Xu years ago, thetter had mentioned he was already over a hundred years old.


    Fifty years had passed since then. If he hadn''t achieved the Foundation Establishment, he should have perished long ago, yet the Jing Xu nearby still had jet-ck hair without a trace of aging.


    "Qing Jing, Jing Xu, notes of a True Monarch, True Monarch stationed!"


    Zhou Yi vaguely guessed that Jing Xu might be the incognito Pure True Monarch.


    "Even with a one in a hundred chance, I can''t take the risk. Ordinary Qi Refinement cultivators befriending a True Monarch is an enormous opportunity, but for me, it could be a deadly cmity!"


    "In this world, there''s always a bnce between gains and losses. Having the advantage of evesting immortality also means certain losses are inevitable, such as love or friendship..."


    Upon these thoughts, Zhou Yi turned away from the trading area, changing his appearance once again.


    ...


    Little Dan Pavilion.


    The shopkeeper was introducing spirit pills to a cultivator when a portly man entered. He apologized to the customer and quickly went to greet the neer.


    "Elder, may I help you with something?"


    "Do you buy Spiritual Medicine here?"


    Zhou Yi revealed histe-stage Qi Refinement cultivation, taking out two strands of Spirit Ginseng roughly seventy to eighty years old.


    Spirit Ginseng, being a versatile spiritual medicine, prompted the shopkeeper to willingly raise the price a bit, and the transaction waspleted quickly.


    There were two types of cultivators in the marketce most difficult to provoke: those whose lifespans were nearing their end came first, followed byte-stage Qi Refinement cultivators.


    Zhou Yi purchased several kinds of wood attribute Spiritual Medicine seeds. Compared to Spirit Ginseng, they weren''t nearly as cost-effective, being either too expensive or having limited medicinal age, but they could be used for seasoning.


    He then visited several other shops, selling Spirit Ginseng and buying spells.


    Not nning to return to Little Dan Mountain anytime soon, Zhou Yi was a bit bolder; by the time he returned, the grandchildren of these people would have died.


    Zhou Yi inquired in several shops if they sold cultivation skills, but the shopkeepers all shook their heads and refused.


    Late-stage Qi Refinement cultivation was enough to earn their respect but not enough to truly frighten them.


    "The business philosophy of these shops has not changed since before the catastrophe; they all tightly control the outflow of the four arts of cultivation."


    "The covert operators haven''t changed either; they''re still those cultivation ns. Having survived for hundreds of years, they''ve long understood the principle of spreading risk, perhaps having legacies in the mundane world or branches in other marketces."


    "The inheritances scattered from the cmity on Little Dan Mountain are hoarded by these cultivation families, never for sale, further solidifying their family foundations."


    "As for single, independent loose cultivators, aside from those with extraordinary talents, how can theypete with families that have umted over many generations!"