Studying equals life and an opportunity

Collin now had a path to cultivate. Alchemic cultivation. It wouldn't cause him to become crazy, or turn him into a monster, or be reliant on others, and no one would want to hunt him down to rip out his dantian. This only left two options to follow and of the two options he and everyone in the city had seen what happens when an inscription cultivator fails to promote to Core Formation, a small hill becomes a deep crater.

Cities have rules for inscription cultivators, anyone who tries to upgrade to Foundation Establishment and above inside a city will be executed. Two years ago, a cultivator who was a master inscriptionist who spent years preparing to increase his cultivation from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation left the city early in the morning and a few hours later a massive explosion rocked the city. No one knows what mistake he made but everyone saw the result. People talked about it for months after, most were against inscription cultivation due to the dangers, with only a few speaking out positively.

Memories of the explosion removed inscription cultivation from his list, and only left alchemic cultivation. To prepare, he would study the alchemy books he bought, he would study how to control the energy gathering array, and then he would study them again till he was sure he would succeed.

Collin was planning to spend as much time as necessary to studying, if it took weeks or months, so be it. He began to make a list of what he needed to buy to proceed. White paint made from stones, a tub or large pot that could fit Collin with enough fluid up to his chest, and four different kinds of spirit herbs. Two of the spirit herbs were used in alchemy to make healing pills and detoxification pills, and of the other two of the herbs needed one was poisonous and the other was a toxin.

All four spirit herbs were cheap and easy to buy in the market, but they were sold in the cultivator section of the market. The cultivator section was at the far end of the street, it was where the real cultivation supplies were sold. Gold coins were useless there, only spirit stones had value. It was also a place where cultivators were, and their divine sense could easily see through his faceless servant costume.

While Collin wasn't expecting his clan to be looking for him, it wasn't something he could absolutely sure about. There were rules about causing disturbances in the market but after some left the market they were on their own. He was a ten-year-old with a bag of hold with a massive fortune inside it. The many ways things could go wrong kept popping into his head.

After freaking out for ten minutes, he quickly got up and made his way to the market to get his shopping done as quickly as possible. Visiting a few shops had gotten everything on his list but the spirit herbs he needed. Collin was also thinking of getting a bunch of low-level spirit herbs that would allow him to practice alchemy when he became a cultivator.

He had slowly been walking towards the end of the market, but when he finally stepped over the boundary separating the two sections he began to walk as fast as he could while avoiding everyone near him. Making it to a shop that sold alchemy supplies without incident he went inside. The shops had an almost suffocating medicinal smell, the shelves were full of jars and boxes crammed full of supplies, and at the counter was an attractive woman who looked to be in her twenties. She had short shoulder length blonde hair and wore a green robe with gold trim. The thing that drew Collin's attention wasn't her face or breasts like most males who saw her, it was the necklace she was wearing. It had a silver cauldron emblem with two black stripes, it marked her as member of the alchemist guild and as a Foundation Establishment level alchemist.

The alchemist guild was a mostly independent power that spanned the entire continent and was operated in every empire. Since all powers have need for pills, very few are willing to mess with the alchemist guild. While the alchemist guild does not have a fighting force, they can refuse to sell pills to whomever they wish and offer deep discounts on pills to and force that attacks their enemies.

Walking to the counter Collin asked for large amounts of over a dozen low-level spirit herbs, a cauldron suitable for a Qi Condensation alchemist, and any alchemy books other than then the ones sold at the bookstores.

She didn't have to move to fill the order, she just waved her hand over the counter. Instead of a bag of holding she had a space ring, a step up in holding capacity and security.

"One Hundred and sixty-one spirit stones" was the only thing she said in an emotionless monotone voice.

After paying he left the shop and quickly returned to his villa. He thought about that woman the entire trip back. Some may have thought her rude in the way she spoke, but Collin didn't. He wasn't an alchemist, he wasn't a cultivator, he was a ten-year-old boy while she was grown adult and a member of the alchemist guild. There is a vast difference in status between mortals and cultivators, and between normal cultivators and alchemists, and between members of powerful groups and everyone else.

He placed all the normal items he bought in the same place he put everything he bought the other day and planned to put everything away after breakfast tomorrow. His new books went onto the bed to be read with the others, the cauldron and spirit herbs were left in the bag of holding since they would remain in the same condition he bought them in for decades.

Looking at his four new books he noticed that they were written by the alchemist guild, sticking out of one of the books was a phablet on the requirements of joining the alchemist guild. This made Collin's day.

The reason he had been thinking of her since he left the shop was because he wished to go back and ask how to join the alchemist guild. Collin had already figured out that he needed to find a way to make money, and he wanted to have a backer that could shield him. Collin would need to learn alchemy anyway if he wished to progress his cultivation and now, he came into contact with a power group that could teach him, protect him, and even pay him.

Collin knew he had to study hard because his life was on the line, but now he had a possible answer to many questions he had about what happens after he becomes a cultivator. It began to occur to him that this may be an opportunity leave this city and get away from his family.

After calming himself down, began to study all the books he had with alchemy being the ones he studied the most. For several hours he had a giddy smile on his face.