It seemed he wouldn't be able to leave this spot without refusing directly.
"Senior, I'm sorry. These aren't the conditions I expected. I'll think carefully and come back next time."
"What?"
The friendly gatekeeper's expression instantly turned vicious.
A cold, intimidating aura pressed down on his shoulders. He didn't even hesitate to pressure him with spirit qi!
"I've kindly explained all this. And you dare refuse? Are you saying you're going to waste my time right now?"
A voice cold as ice, even laced with killing intent, struck his ears.
"Young brat! Don't put on airs and think carefully! Do you think you're the first rogue cultivator I've seen like this? Don't think about crying and begging to be accepted as a menial disciple later—join right now!"
Chen Xiaoming narrowed his brow. Irritation surged at the shameless, clingy attitude.
With people like this, being polite was useless.
"I decline."
He spoke firmly and turned around.
Fortunately, this wasn't the outer city right now. It was the inner city, the core area of Crimson Sun Market.
Since it was jointly managed by the 'Three Great Clans' and the City Lord's Mansion, minimal law and order existed.
A Crimson Sun Sect gatekeeper couldn't openly use violence in the inner city.
"Chen Xiaoming! I'll remember you clearly! If you come back next time, the treatment will be even worse! Don't regret it then!"
A warning full of spite reached him, but he ignored it.
His image of Crimson Sun Sect was completely shattered. With a gatekeeper like that, it couldn't be a normal organization.
He absolutely shouldn't join!
Guarding against a possible attack, Chen Xiaoming walked along the crowded main road, his face darkening.
'To recommend such a trash sect like that. What the hell is Fang Yi's intention?'
Most of the information Fang Yi had given him was true, but all the truly important points were omitted.
He'd said there was a minimum work period, but he never imagined it would be as long as 30 years.
If he'd known it was a slave contract like this, he wouldn't have even gone to Crimson Sun Sect.
'Wait.'
He suddenly realized something strange. When exchanging greetings with the gatekeeper, he'd definitely reacted like he knew the name Chen Xiaoming.
Recalling his welcoming attitude felt unsettling.
'How did he know my name? Could Fang Yi have told him? Are they in cahoots?'
All kinds of suspicions arose.
'Did he get a referral fee? Or... could he genuinely think the horrible condition of working for 30 years wasn't that bad?'
In Fang Yi's eyes, he was a poor guy with a trash spirit root. That meant he had no hope of succeeding in cultivation.
Maybe he thought a life where you could eat and live safely wasn't bad just on that basis.
Of course, he still didn't know what the truth was.
But if anything was certain, it was that he could no longer fully trust Fang Yi.
"Hah."
He sighed and shook his head.
In this harsh world, one less person he could somewhat trust. It was unfortunate.
Also, he'd gone to Crimson Sun Sect for nothing and just created a grudge.
Swallowing his bitterness, he blankly raised his head. He could see the clear sky without a single cloud.
The open view washed away his stuffiness.
"...Haha. I didn't know freedom was this expensive."
He had no regrets. If he'd joined Crimson Sun Sect, the sky wouldn't be this clear right now.
Besides, there was something the Crimson Sun Sect gatekeeper couldn't even dream of.
'I have the Supreme Great Power.'
Some slave contract. He didn't need to make it.
There were plenty of ways to survive. He was even confident he could succeed in the cultivation world beyond just survival.
Stopping on one side of the bustling street, he quietly fell into thought.
'Forget about Crimson Sun Sect. The most urgent thing is spirit stones.'
His train of thought naturally headed toward Crimson Sun Mountain.
Well, you see what you want to see—it was a workplace he'd relied on for 3 years, so he couldn't help it.
Plus, Crimson Sun Mountain was actually very useful. It was a treasure trove overflowing with all kinds of cultivation resources.
If he could just safely go in and out of the mountain, he wouldn't worry about spirit stones.
'Wait. Is it really dangerous for a Qi Refining cultivator to climb Crimson Sun Mountain?'
As his trust in Fang Yi decreased, he naturally doubted the truthfulness of the information he'd provided.
Chen Xiaoming looked around and started walking.
He chose one of the shops lining the street and entered. He needed to verify the facts anyway.
* * *
"Hey! What are you doing coming in here when you're a beggar without even spirit stones! Get lost!"
Chen Xiaoming, kicked out of the shop, clicked his tongue.
'Damn.'
His clothes were the problem. Because they were old and shabby, even asking questions wasn't easy.
Most shops didn't treat him as a customer. Rather, they suspected he might be a thief and were on guard.
'But I did verify it.'
After half a day of talking with owners of five or six shops, he was certain.
Unfortunately, Crimson Sun Mountain was a dangerous place.
Especially for him, a Qi Refining Level 1 cultivator. Fang Yi's 'advice' had at least been truthful.
'Geez.'
Just as he was about to head home and plan for the future.
One sign suddenly caught his eye.
"Scripture Pavilion?"
Chen Xiaoming's pupils instantly widened.
A realization flashed through his mind.
Scripture Pavilion was a bookstore that specialized in selling cultivation methods and spells. Then?
'The Supreme Great Power is an omnipotent ability. If there's a drawback, it's that the power consumption increases exponentially depending on the wish's difficulty.'
Conversely, that meant the consumption drastically decreased the lower the wish's difficulty.
'Using spells without any foundation is obviously impossible. But... if I just understand the core principles of spells, I might be able to use spells through the Supreme Great Power without properly learning them.'
If he succeeded, his survival chances on Crimson Sun Mountain would increase, and all kinds of problems would be solved at once.
Gulp.
Scripture Pavilion seemed to glow. It looked like a treasure vault where he could learn all kinds of spells for free.
'Let's go.'
Without hesitation, he started walking. Quick action was one of his strengths.