Chapter 1320 - 1420: The Plight of Loose Cultivators

And a person who can only become a craftsman, their elixirs are of inconsistent quality. No one seeks her out, no one seeks him, so there is no opportunity to practice, and then his elixirs will never improve. It's a vicious cycle.

Even some small sects are determined to pile resources to groom one disciple into an Alchemy Master or an Artifact Refining Expert.

But it's only to hastily address their own sect's disciples' usage of elixirs or magical treasures. Hoping other sects would use their elixirs or magical treasures is simply impossible.

Then this small sect can only watch as the Artifact Refining Expert or Alchemy Master, elevated by their resources, slowly becomes those mediocrities.

And only some loose cultivators will take desperate measures and forcefully carve out a reputation, but those people are very few. Typically, those loose cultivators occupy lands that are rich in resources, during the quiet winter.

After all, obtaining resources is a problem for some loose cultivators when they first begin cultivation, leaving no energy for alchemy or artifact refining.

Generally, loose cultivators make their strength formidable first, then use their profound strength to acquire resources for artifact refining or alchemy. Otherwise, a single loose cultivator simply cannot sustain this kind of consumption.

It's essential to know that whether it's artifact refining or alchemy, the resources required are vast. And this vastness is not just a metaphor—it truly could fill an ocean.

Because initially, they definitely cannot succeed in creating every magical treasure or every elixir, they'll consume many resources and only then succeed once. They use the successful elixirs or magical treasures to exchange for resources, then use the exchanged resources for artifact refining or alchemy.

Continuing cyclically, this is the situation in which these loose cultivators refine magical treasures or elixirs. While building their reputation, it also promotes the quality of their artifact refining or alchemy. Why not embrace it?

Those small sects generally cannot employ this approach because initially, nobody will buy into it, and most of their resources are invested in one or two individuals for alchemy or artifact refining. But long-term lack of returns drags down the cultivation progress of other sect disciples, making it impossible for them to make such investments.

In the long run, looking at the situation, other small sects won't use such methods anymore, leading to a vicious cycle.

Small sects do not lavish resources to invest, allowing disciples to engage in alchemy or artifact refining, instead relying on resource exchange to purchase elixirs from major sects or loose cultivators' elixirs or magical treasures when needed.

In fact, alchemy and artifact refining are not things small sects can handle effectively, for both require a massive amount of resources, quite frankly, a massive amount of wealth.

Such wealth is beyond what small sects can afford. Even if they stubbornly maintain support, ultimately, they will come up with a hodgepodge disciple.

Such a hodgepodge disciple brings no benefit but may become a burden instead. Therefore, the entire cultivation world agrees that small sects should not dabble in alchemy or artifact refining, as it very easily leads to crippling the entire sect.

As for loose cultivators engaging in alchemy and artifact refining, nobody interferes anymore because it's their own freedom and resources, enough to support these activities.

And generally, loose cultivators have inheritances because, since they became loose cultivators, they must have inadvertently come across someone's leftover inheritance.

Since they found the inheritance, it implies when obtaining it, they surely gained some resources from the inheritance, enabling them in their pursuit of alchemy and artifact refining, fostering a learning process.

Of course, following this learning process, at most, they can inherit the previous loose cultivator's legacy, then modify its teachings. Whether improved or worsened depends on themselves.

Because in this situation, no one can help them, as they are loose cultivators. They might at most consult others, who might share key points—if they're in a good mood—but it's perfectly reasonable if they choose not to share.

Because you are merely a loose cultivator, unrelated to them, perhaps not even a friend. Why would they disclose such things to you?

Even if you have a friendship with them, involving sect affairs and inheritances, they will never tell you these things. After all, friends may be friends, but when it comes to sect matters, they will not play the role of villains.

Though saying it like this is somewhat exaggerated, but it's exactly how it is in reality, as such situations are not uncommon.

Some people, some loose cultivators, in hopes of acquiring more resources or knowledge, string along conversations with major sect disciples or curry favor with them, then profit from it, without regarding those people as true friends. Such people are numerous among loose cultivators.

Otherwise, some loose cultivators, who solely focus on their cultivation, end up making grave mistakes and even die alone in deep mountains and forests, with no one to care for them. After all, loose cultivators typically dwell in deep mountains and forests, and no one can know where their territory lies.

Since almost every loose cultivator occupies a place rich in resources, if any slightly unscrupulous sect discovers it, they would directly dominate that location where the loose cultivator is based.

Generally, loose cultivators dare not disclose their location before they gain formidable strength, as those dimwits who exposed their position have already paid the price they deserve.

And the price is not one they can bear, yet the facts have already turned out this way, and there is no other way.

Thus, other loose cultivators, before acquiring power, would not casually disclose their location.

To sects, revealing their position means broadly recruiting disciples, but for loose cultivators, disclosing their location is courting death.

After all, some sects would stop at nothing for resources, using any method, and if such a situation arises, other sects would hardly become aware.

Loose cultivator territories are hard to find—once a sect locates one, they would directly occupy it; driving out the loose cultivators counts as a merciful sect.