Chapter 6 - 5: Indifference

Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Indifference

The sun was high in the sky, its light cascading down like a golden waterfall. The sparkling reflection on the lake’s surface shimmered like the scales of a golden dragon.

Chen Jianghe stepped out of the cabin, stretched his arms, and squinted into the sunlight at the bustling port. He had stayed at Port No.1 for ten days, all to wait for today’s year-end Fisherman and Farmer assembly. Hosted by the Yun Family, the assembly was mandatory for every Basic-Level Fisherman and Farmer. For Senior Fishermen and Farmers, attendance was optional.

Disembarking at the port, one could spot a couple of Senior Fishermen and Farmers scattered among the crowd. They wore the standard silk robes of their rank, adorned with silver clouds embroidered on the chest. In the Yun Family, Late-Stage Qi Refining Honored Guest Elders, Hundred Arts Guest Elders, and Senior Fishermen and Farmers all had silver clouds embroidered on their chests.

However, it was easy to distinguish a Senior Fisherman and Farmer from an Honored Guest Elder. The Yun Family had no dress code for Honored Guest Elders, whereas Senior Fishermen and Farmers were strictly required to wear their standard robes. This clearly showed that their status was slightly lower.

"Brother Jianghe, over here!" Yu Daniu called out, waving at Chen Jianghe from within the crowd.

"Daniu, Old Gao," Chen Jianghe acknowledged them and walked over.

"Brother Chen," Old Gao greeted, offering a slight nod with a kind gaze.

During his ten days at Port No.1, the three of them had only gathered on the first day and hadn’t met since. Chen Jianghe had bought some daily necessities and stayed cooped up on his fishing boat. He felt that having Old Gao and Yu Daniu as friends in the Outer Waters was more than enough. Gathering once a year was fine; there was no need to meet frequently.

Even before transmigrating, he knew that pointless socializing wasted both money and energy, offering practically zero benefits. In the Cultivation World, such useless social interactions were even more forbidden. Every outing cost Spiritual Sand. Moreover, talking too much could easily offend people, and worse, bring about fatal disasters.

After exchanging greetings, the trio didn’t say much else. Instead, they stood quietly, listening to the murmurs of the surrounding Fishermen and Farmers.

"Over a hundred and thirty Fishermen and Farmers died at the hands of the Lann Family. I heard there were even several Senior Fishermen and Farmers among them. I wonder how they managed to trick Senior Fishermen and Farmers into taking up short-term jobs?"

"No wonder people are saying the Lann Family robbed over eight hundred Spirit Stones this time. So there were Senior Fishermen and Farmers involved!"

"The Lann Family is truly utterly devoid of conscience."

"I heard the Patriarch of the Lann Family is a Ninth-Layer Qi Refining Great Cultivator. He massacred those Fishermen and Farmers and robbed their Spirit Stones just to accumulate resources for Foundation Establishment."

"Hmph. Slaughtering over a hundred fellow Cultivators for their own selfish desires... The Yun Family definitely won’t let them off the hook."

Listening to these remarks, Chen Jianghe remained completely unmoved. He agreed that the Yun Family wouldn’t let the Lann Family off the hook. However, it definitely wouldn’t be to avenge those hundred-plus Fishermen and Farmers. The true reason the Yun Family would retaliate was those eight hundred Spirit Stones.

About an hour later, all the Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers had gathered in the port square. Only then did the Yun Family’s Cultivators make their appearance. To Chen Jianghe’s surprise, the one hosting the assembly this time was none other than Yun Bufan.

"Greetings, fellow Cultivators. I am Yun Bufan, currently serving as the Steward of the Outer Waters. I will be hosting this year’s year-end assembly."

As Yun Bufan delivered a series of cliché, polite pleasantries from the pavilion stage, the Fishermen and Farmers below began whispering about his background. Curious about Yun Bufan, Chen Jianghe focused his attention, straining his ears to catch the messy, hushed gossip.

It turned out that Yun Bufan was the youngest son of the current Patriarch of the Yun Family. Blessed with extraordinary Talent, he possessed a Three-Element True Spirit Root. At just nineteen years old, he had already achieved a Sixth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation base. The Yun Family’s Foundation Establishment Ancestor had praised him as a heaven-sent Master Qilin, destined to break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage with high hopes of achieving Core Formation.

He had always cultivated on Huxing Island. His current arrival in the Outer Waters was partly for practical experience and partly to temper his Heart and Mind, aiming to consolidate his Sixth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation in preparation for a breakthrough to Late-Stage Qi Refining.

Hearing all this, Chen Jianghe couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. A Three-Element True Spirit Root was truly enviable.

As far as he knew, a Cultivator’s Spirit Root was generally based on the Five Elements Attribute: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. They were divided into Five-Element Mixed Spirit Roots, Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Roots, Three-Element True Spirit Roots, Dual Earth Spirit Roots, and Single-Element Celestial Spirit Roots.

A Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root possessed all five attributes. It was a messy mixture lacking abundance, with no single attribute being complete. As a result, Cultivation speed was slow, and one would encounter a minor bottleneck when breaking through to Mid-Stage Qi Refining. Chen Jianghe himself possessed a Five-Element Mixed Spirit Root.

The situation for a Four-Element Pseudo Spirit Root was similar, albeit slightly better, though it still posed a minor bottleneck when advancing to Late-Stage Qi Refining.

A Three-Element True Spirit Root possessed abundant attributes. It offered high sensitivity and affinity toward Spiritual Qi, resulting in rapid Cultivation speed and zero bottlenecks before Foundation Establishment. Under normal circumstances, Cultivators with Three-Element True Spirit Roots could all successfully reach Foundation Establishment.

Dual Earth Spirit Roots had even higher sensitivity and compatibility with Spiritual Qi than Three-Element True Spirit Roots, leading to faster Cultivation and no bottlenecks during Foundation Establishment. As long as they didn’t die prematurely and cultivated steadily, becoming a Foundation Establishment Ancestor was practically guaranteed.

A Single-Element Celestial Spirit Root was a mono-attribute Spirit Root. Its essence was abundant and reached Perfection, making its Cultivation speed several times faster than ordinary Spirit Roots. Rumor had it that there were no bottlenecks even during Core Formation. Chen Jianghe had never heard of a Celestial Spirit Root appearing in Jingyue Lake or the surrounding Marketplaces; even Earth Spirit Roots were exceptionally rare.

Aside from these five typical attributes, there was another category: Mutated Spirit Roots. These were formed when two or three of the Five Elements mixed and underwent a mutation, elevating their nature. Examples included the Thunder Spirit Root, Wind Spirit Root, and Ice Spirit Root. Their Cultivation speed was not inferior to that of a Celestial Spirit Root in the slightest, and they were even rarer.

At this time, Yun Bufan finished his tired, cliché opening remarks on the stage and began announcing the list of Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers who had been promoted to Senior Fishermen and Farmers this year. This meant that this year, the waters managed by these Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers had reached a total yield of three thousand catties, with an average weight exceeding four catties per fish. A total of three Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers had been promoted: one at Sixth-Layer Qi Refining and two at Fifth-Layer Qi Refining.

Afterward, Yun Bufan praised those whose fish-farming skills had significantly improved, calling them the future of the Yun Family and showering them with great honor. Chen Jianghe was among those named.

This greatly displeased Chen Jianghe. Given his low-key nature, not only did this throw him into the spotlight, but there were also no substantial rewards. It was nothing but empty promises. Finally, Yun Bufan encouraged all the Fishermen and Farmers to keep up the good work and contribute to the family, claiming that the family’s glory was everyone’s glory.

After the assembly ended, Chen Jianghe returned to his fishing boat, a chill rising in his heart. He hadn’t expected that from start to finish, Yun Bufan wouldn’t mention a single word about the Lann Family incident. He didn’t even bring up the tragic deaths of the hundred-plus Fishermen and Farmers.

It seemed that in the eyes of the Yun Family, the lives of Fishermen and Farmers were worth less than a Large Cyan Fish. Or perhaps, the Yun Family simply never viewed Basic-Level Fishermen and Farmers as human beings to begin with.

"The path of Cultivation is fraught with hardships," he thought. "Life at the bottom is incomparably difficult, filled with crises at every turn. Fortunately, I obtained the Spirit Turtle’s Lifespan; otherwise, I might have ended up taking that short-term Spirit Farmer job that day too."

A lingering fear washed over him. With his First-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation, he would have undoubtedly been left at the rear as fodder while others fled.

"After buying the Spirit Awakening Pill, I must hurry back to Area 512," he decided. "It’s safer on the lake."