The next day, Zhou Xun woke up early.
Despite his bizarre and wondrous dream, it could not solve his current problems. Cultivation and daily meals both required spirit stones.
Besides, even if everything in the dream was true, spirit herbs that could improve one's spiritual root still had to be bought with spirit stones!
After a simple breakfast of spirit rice porridge, he left home and headed to the West Square to see if there were any odd jobs available.
The main thoroughfare was bustling with cultivators passing to and fro.
Some were dressed like scholars, others like Daoist priests, in all sorts of attire.
Occasionally, there were also burly men in short-cut clothes, hurrying along with cautious expressions, seemingly on urgent business.
However, Zhou Xun paid them no mind. These people were likely a group of monster-hunting cultivators who had just returned from the Hundred Mountains. They acted decisively, possessed rich spell-casting experience, and made a living by hunting monster beasts.
Because they lived year-round in the mountains where monster beasts frequently appeared, constantly having to guard against sudden attacks by monsters and ambushes by fellow human cultivators, they had gradually developed a habit of constant vigilance.
Because the distance was too great, it was rare for them to return home ordinarily, but now they were returning in groups.
"I wonder if Brother Shan is back," Zhou Xun muttered to himself.
This Brother Shan was named Shan Xionghai, a childhood playmate who had grown up with Zhou Xun. Currently, he was following his uncle—a Level 5 Qi Condensation monster-hunting cultivator—to learn how to hunt monsters in the Hundred Mountains.
The last time the two had met was a year ago.
Shan Xionghai had specially brought Zhou Xun a snow-crazed rabbit, a grade-free monster beast with exceptionally delicious meat.
Thinking of the taste of that monster meat, Zhou Xun could not help but lick his lips.
As he was thinking, he arrived at his destination.
This was a square located in the northwest of the market. Whenever the managers of the major shops and the supervisors of the spirit fields in Red Leaf Market had a need to recruit cultivators, they would come here. Over time, it had become the talent market of the cultivation world.
"Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am Wu Gui, the spirit field manager for the Wu Family," a middle-aged man dressed in a brocade red robe stood in the center of the crowd.
The Wu Family was one of the four major cultivation families of Red Leaf Market, occupying thirty percent of its shares.
Out of the one hundred spirit essences Zhou Xun paid in rent every year, thirty of them ended up in the hands of the Wu Family.
To the bottom-tier cultivators living in Red Leaf Market, the Wu Family was practically the heaven of Red Leaf Market.
"As you all know, when spirit grain ripens, it emits a fragrance that easily attracts spirit aphids. Now that the spirit fields of our Wu Family are on the verge of ripening, we need fifteen fellow Daoists to participate in pest extermination, lasting a total of seven days."
"As for the compensation, the spirit rice consumed during this period will be entirely provided by our Wu Family. At the same time, upon the completion of the extermination, we will also present ten spirit essences!" The red-robed middle-aged man said with a smile.
Hearing the news of ten spirit essences for seven days' work, the cultivators instantly became excited.
"The Wu Family is truly generous!"
"Such a stroke of the pen truly displays the bearing of a major family!"
"The Wu Family has a grand vision!"
You must know that doing a full month of ordinary work would only net them ten spirit essences. Now, in just seven days, they could earn ten spirit essences—this was a top-tier, lucrative job.
Hearing this, Zhou Xun was also quite moved.
"I didn't expect to run into such a good job right as I arrived!"
"However, we do have requirements!"
The red-robed manager pressed his hands downward to quiet the stir in the crowd and continued:
"First, those who apply must practice metal-attribute or fire-attribute foundational cultivation techniques."
Hearing this requirement, a large batch of cultivators instantly sighed, their expressions showing that they had expected as much.
Dealing with spirit aphids was usually divided into two parts.
First, cultivators who practiced fire-attribute techniques cast spells on the outer perimeter to drive away the incoming spirit aphids. Meanwhile, inside the spirit field, cultivators who practiced metal-attribute techniques cast spells to exterminate them.
Because spirit aphids were naturally afraid of fire, using fire-attribute spells to drive them away yielded twice the result with half the effort.
As for metal-attribute spells, they possessed sharp and precise characteristics, capable of wiping out the spirit aphids on the spirit grains without harming the spirit grains themselves.
Of course, spells of the other attributes were not completely out of the question; it was just that compared to the metal and fire attributes, their efficiency was far inferior.
"It's a pity that I chose to cultivate the wood-attribute *Nourishing Origin Art* back then!" Zhou Xun sighed with regret in his heart.
At this moment, the red-robed manager's voice rang out again.
"The second requirement is that your cultivation must be at Level 3 Qi Condensation or above. Those below Level 3 Qi Condensation needn't bother joining the excitement!"
Zhou Xun sighed, knowing he had even less of a chance now, and prepared to leave.
"It's just clearing spirit aphids; Level 5—no, Level 2 Qi Condensation cultivators are completely up to the task. Please show some flexibility, Manager!"
Suddenly, a middle-aged cultivator in blue robes beside Zhou Xun spoke up.
He was a cultivator who specialized in metal-attribute spells. Many spirit farmers near Red Leaf Market liked to hire him for pest extermination, but unfortunately, he only had the cultivation of Level 2 Qi Condensation, which did not meet the red-robed manager's criteria.
However, to let a job paying ten spirit essences for seven days slip away just like that was naturally something he was unwilling to accept.
His speech resonated with the crowd.
One had to know that the vast majority of cultivators in the square were at Level 2 Qi Condensation. This manager's words were equivalent to shutting most of the cultivators outside, so they all began to echo his sentiments.
"That's right, Manager! We all have rich experience in clearing spirit aphids!"
"We Level 2 Qi Condensation cultivators can definitely handle it!"
Seeing this, the red-robed middle-aged man's face instantly darkened.
Without hesitation, he released his mana outward, and an aura belonging to a mid Qi Condensation cultivator instantly burst forth.
The cultivators were startled.
"Our Wu Family's affairs are not your place to chatter!" The red-robed manager's gaze burned as he swept his eyes across the cultivators who had spoken one by one.
Wherever his gaze fell, the people hurriedly averted their eyes. Following that, the cultivators below Level 3 Qi Condensation all retreated backward, while those at Level 3 Qi Condensation beamed with joy and began lining up to register.
Zhou Xun's cultivation was only at Level 2 Qi Condensation, which fell short of the registration standard. Naturally, he was mixed in the crowd at the back, looking enviously at the cultivators currently signing up.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out among the group registering ahead. A white-haired elder was grabbed by the collar and tossed out by the red-robed manager, who cursed with a face full of disgust:
"A bag of old bones coming to join the excitement!"
The elder continuously pleaded:
"Manager Wu, please show some mercy. This old man is also at Level 3 Qi Condensation. Just let me pass!"
"Bah! Let you pass? Do you take me for a fool? Get lost right now!"
As it turned out, once a cultivator exceeded the age of sixty, their physical functions would begin to go downhill, and their Divine Sense and mana would also slowly wither.
Although this elder possessed the cultivation of Level 3 Qi Condensation, judging by his appearance, he was close to a hundred years old. All things considered, his mana was not even as enduring as Zhou Xun's, a Level 2 Qi Condensation cultivator. The red-robed manager naturally was unwilling to recruit him.
Soon, the Wu Family's red-robed manager left with the recruited cultivators.
Zhou Xun shook his head and went to check out the next recruitment.
"What is your cultivation?"
"Level 2 Qi Condensation..."
"We only recruit Level 3 Qi Condensation cultivators. Move along, move along..."
"Level 2 Qi Condensation? Move, move, move!"
"Level 2 Qi Condensation? We don't want you, we don't want you!"
Zhou Xun made the rounds of all the recruitment spots, and almost every single family required Level 3 Qi Condensation or above.
The only one that had no requirements for cultivation was mining.
However, mining veins were often barren in spiritual energy, and coupled with high work intensity, there was simply no time for cultivation.
Therefore, although the pay was extremely high, aside from those cultivators whose cultivation paths were cut off and parents struggling to earn cultivation resources for their children, no one was willing to go.
Zhou Xun aspired to the Great Dao, so naturally, he would not join.
After waiting for a day without finding any odd jobs suitable for him, Zhou Xun had no choice but to head back first.
When he was still over a hundred paces away from his home, Zhou Xun saw from afar a figure pacing back and forth outside his doorway.