“Those who reach Spirit Transformation first will help those who come after.” The imperial court issued an edict that sounded far better than the reality.
Lin Yuan was a poor young man with a colorless Heavenly Spiritual Root, but the sect turned him away because he couldn’t afford the five spirit stones required for the entrance test. The Spirit Transformation ancestors who loudly proclaimed that they would “help the next generation” kept the best resources for their own descendants. The poor were left with pills nearing their expiration dates and discarded scraps of copper and iron.
“People aren’t made of grass or wood. How could we be heartless? Those who reach Spirit Transformation first have descendants too.”
“My reaching Spirit Transformation was the result of three generations’ hard work. If you want someone to blame, blame your ancestors for not reaching Spirit Transformation.”
“Cultivate if you want, or don’t. If you don’t cultivate, plenty of others will.”
In this cultivation world monopolized by prominent clans and sects, Lin Yuan had no connections and no resources. All he had in his pocket were three low-grade spirit stones and a worn copper coin engraved with “Cultivate on a Budget.”
No spirit stones? Then he’d split every coin in half.
No cultivation techniques? Then he’d scavenge scraps that others had abandoned in depleted mines.
No powerful patron? Then he’d become the first Spirit Transformation ancestor himself.
This is the story of a poor young man carving out a path to success in the cultivation world with the fewest spirit stones and the most down-to-earth methods. He relies neither on his ancestors’ legacy nor on talent, but on one thing: saving.
Cultivate on a budget. Every bit you save could be the difference between life and death.
