The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Li Lang frowned as he was taken aback by the innkeeper’s words.

No slums? How can this be? You’re telling me there are no poor people in this city?

Seeing the three kids’ expressions, the innkeeper continued.

“Polarity City thrives on trade between all the major sects in all the nearby villages and the demonic cultivators. To uphold the city as a worthy venue for such large transactions, the city lord and his guards run a tight ship.“

So the poor who can’t afford the fees are kicked out? That’s pretty tough, but then again, it’s not like this would be a great place to live in with all the cultivators running around. Who knew when they would run into someone unreasonable?

So this is a city of cultivators, huh?

“Understood. Thank you for your explanation. How about the Alchemist Guild, then?”

“Oh, that is near the center of the city. Just go down the main street. It’ll be hard to miss.”

“Thank you.”

Having ridden on the Skyrunner for three consecutive days, the trio decided to stretch their legs and chose to walk to the Alchemist Guild.

Along the way, they didn’t forget to check out the various stores. There were numerous stores selling talismans, artifacts, pills, and various other items that aided cultivators. There was no mistaking who the target market was.

“We might have to change up our plans…” Li Lang muttered.

“What do you mean?” Long Yi replied. “This place is great! It has everything a cultivator would need…given you have the money.”

“Except it’s not conducive to my research. I doubt high and mighty cultivators would participate in my experiments.”

“Right…there is that.”

The three soon arrived at the guild, where they found an available receptionist and Li Lang showed him his ring.

“My, what a young apprentice alchemist. What can I help you with?” The muscular man leaned over the counter and kindly asked.

“I wanted to procure materials and check out the price for selling pills around here.”

“No problem, here it is.” The man handed over two lists.

The first one had all the available mortal-grade ingredients and their prices on it.

The second one had the list of mortal-grade pills available, along with both their buy and sell prices. It was neatly presented and included different prices for different quality of the same pill.

“Thanks, then I’ll take three kilograms of Lighthorne, Bulseed Grass. Five kilograms of Jade leaves…”

Having dealt with numerous materials in his lab while he had been trying to conjure a concoction to remove toxins, Li Lang had come to become familiar with all the common materials. It didn’t take long to list out his order, and the man also swiftly retrieved them.

“That will be fifty Qi stones in total. Was there anything else you needed?”

“Umm…” Li Lang hesitated for a second before speaking. “Are there any other towns around here under the sphere of Polarity City?”

Li Lang hadn’t given up on finding a source of test subjects, but he couldn’t risk recruiting from towns under the influence of righteous sects. He had previously gotten away with it unscathed due to being a member of the sect itself, but he didn’t want to test what would happen if an outsider was caught.

He could only stick to the neutral grounds of Polarity City, where this neutral faction was said to be more tolerant as long as there was consent.

It pained him that his research was compared to demonic cultivators, but there was nothing the weak little boy that he was could do to change the perception of the sects.

“No, Polarity City is the only settlement within a hundred kilometers around here. Why do you ask?”

Li Lang peeked over to the neighboring counters and found everyone else was busy with their discussions.

“I’m looking for some people to help me with something. I don’t think I could afford to hire the mighty cultivators around here.”

“Hmm, tough luck, kid. You’ll have to leave the sphere of influence of Polarity City to find any populous cities.”

“I see… Well, thank you. I’ll just buy the materials for now—wait, can I also rent your refining rooms as well?”

“Of course! Head over to the second floor to make the arrangements. They cost one Qi stone per day.”

“Understood. Thank you.”

After completing the transaction and bowing to the polite receptionist, Li Lang took a moment to convene with his companions.

“You two can go do your own thing. I’m going to refine some pills first to replenish our coffers. I won’t be back until later tonight. No need to wait for me for dinner.”

“Sure, thing. I’m going to go take a stroll around. Want to tag along, Wei Ping?”

The short boy, with a stutter, simply nodded before they exited the guild.

After seeing them off, Li Lang made his way up the stairs to the second floor. Just as he was about to approach the receptionist there, a hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned to find a young man in grey robes standing right behind him.

“You are…the man at the counter next to me, earlier?”

“Yes, my name is Jian Beiyun. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. Young man, do you think we can talk? I mean no harm.”

“Apologies, I’m in a hurry.”

“I’ll compensate you for your time. How do ten Qi stones sound? It won’t take too long.”

“...Fine.”

The two glanced around and found a lobby just outside the refining rooms. It was empty and the perfect place to sit down.

“So, what do you want? I don’t think we know each other.”

“That’s correct, but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation with the receptionist downstairs.” The man straightened his posture. “Young man, tell me the truth. Did someone put you up to help them with that request of yours?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“...Your request to find people to help you. You should know not to trust people so easily around these parts. There are some bad people who like to prey on others running amok.”

“Demonic cultivators, right? Yeah, yeah. They’re all bad and stuff, but the city lord keeps them in check, right?”

For some reason, Jian Beiyun grimaced at the boy’s words.

“Not all demonic cultivators are bad…Just a select group of them are. It is this select group of bad apples that I’m warning you about. They’ve lost themselves to the pursuit of power and would drain anyone they could get their hands on just to progress their cultivation by a minuscule amount. I’m worried you’re being manipulated by such people who want to get around the eyes of the city lord, so please tell me the truth. I’ll take care of it and make sure no danger befalls you.”

Great… even this random guy thinks I’m affiliated with demonic cultivators now because of my experiments. Is it really so hard to do my research in peace?

“Believe me, I’m not being manipulated by anyone. I make my own decisions. I appreciate your concern, but you don’t have to worry about me.”

“...In that case, why are you searching for ‘helpers’? And in such a place, too? That is usually what cultivators engaged in formations requiring sacrifices or human experimentation would ask for.”

“I’m sorry, sir, but that is my own business.”

“If you tell me the reason, I may be able to help you find the people you need. Assuming it isn’t for any nefarious purposes, of course.”

The man stared down at Li Lang with an unrelenting smile. It was apparent he wouldn’t give up getting to the bottom of the matter, but Li Lang paid more attention to the fact Jian Beiyun claimed to be able to help him.

Now that he found Polarity City to be more exclusive to cultivators than he thought, he needed an alternative. However, even someone as obsessed with research as Li Lang knew it wasn’t a good idea to reveal his entire hand to a stranger despite his eagerness to continue with his research.

“I…I’m researching new types of pills. I need people to run a trial for them, but of course, I ensure it is safe to consume with animals first.”

“Such a young alchemist already treading the path of discovering new pill recipes? That is admirable. However, the dangers associated with what you’re doing…”

“We make sure to let the participants know of the risks and properly compensate them, but the righteous sects still don’t take kindly to what I’m doing. That’s why I’m here in Polarity City.”

“Understood. Thank you for telling me your story. In that case, I can offer to bring you to Emberglow City, a more populous place that isn’t under the eyes of the righteous sects.”

Was there a city around here that isn’t under the jurisdiction of any righteous sects besides here, again?

Seeing Li Lang’s confused expression, Jian Beiyun continued.

“Emberglow City is the closest city from here within the Luminescent Domain.”

“...Where and how far away is it? I’ve never heard of the Luminescent Domain.”

“Uh…right, if you’re from the territory under the righteous sect, then you may find the name Demonic Cultivator Territory more familiar.”

“What?” Li Lang quickly took a step back and scrutinized the man before him. “You’re a demonic cultivator?”

Jian Beiyun nodded solemnly with a straight face.