Side hustle!

In the Mortal Realm, the world was divided into eight domains, each named after the grand concepts of Heaven, Earth, Mystery, Yellow, Universe, Wilderness, Fate, and Desolation. Behind every domain stood vast, intricate forces of cultivation that propelled its growth and prosperity.

The domains themselves were isolated, with no direct connection between them. To journey from one domain to another, cultivators relied on immense teleportation arrays powered by abundant spiritual energy. Attempting to cross the boundless sea between domains on one's own cultivation, regardless of one's strength, was fraught with untold dangers lurking within the endless waters. Even those who had reached the Divine Refinement Realm would have to weigh their abilities carefully; the unknown was always the most terrifying.

The Core Formation Stage, also known as the Golden Core Stage, allowed its practitioners to soar on swords, but the spiritual energy at this stage was insufficient to traverse the domain seas. Even with inexhaustible spiritual reserves, one would never reach the distant shore in a lifetime, not to mention the perils lurking above the sea at any moment.

Within the Mortal Realm, the Heavenly Domain was divided into four continents and ranked at the forefront among the eight domains, though its overall strength was only middling. The Heavenly Domain's southern continent was split into one hundred and eight territories, jointly governed by three great dynasties in a delicate balance.

Among these territories, the South Mountain Territory was neither large nor small—a land of distinct seasons, with thousands of mountains and rivers, comfortable and pleasant. Towns and villages dotted the landscape, peacefully coexisting for centuries.

In Green Mountain Town, within the South Mountain Territory, the weather was sweltering. A boy of eleven or twelve walked through the streets, his features delicate and refined, his eyes bright and teeth gleaming, inspiring instant fondness in those who saw him. Yet, a mischievous glint in his eyes betrayed that he was no ordinary child. He darted from shop to shop, restless and eager, seemingly on a mission to buy various things.

Trailing behind him was a boy of eight or nine, expressionless and proud, emanating an aura that warned strangers away. Despite his youth, he possessed striking looks, his brows and eyes as if painted, radiant and dignified.

Watching his elder brother rush about, the younger occasionally showed a hint of disdain and helplessness, but only when looking at him did his gaze reveal some flicker of emotion.

The older boy was, of course, the infamous Little Vegetable. At this time, Yu Dao Yi had been cultivating for three years, showered with countless displays of paternal affection. Perhaps too much so, for two years ago he abruptly declared to his parents his intention to study alchemy.

Naturally, his father responded with merciless laughter, and his annoying younger brother merely uttered a dismissive chuckle. Infuriated, Little Vegetable bought a mountain of basic alchemy manuals the next day, vowing to master the art before emerging from seclusion.

Of course.

This was impossible. Expecting Little Vegetable to study? You might as well ask for the moon.

Learning was merely a ruse to placate his parents and that foolish brother. Truthfully, he was simply tired of his father's relentless physical training. One day was tolerable, but a year of daily beatings, without a single break—who could endure that? And he had never even been paid!

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One beating a day was bad enough, but soon it escalated—whenever his father saw him, he would swing at him without warning. At first, his father claimed it was for Dao Yi’s own benefit, a reluctant necessity. Yet, seeing his father’s tearful face, Dao Yi’s mouth twitched in disbelief. Then he witnessed his father’s exhilarated grin as he struck him, sometimes even bursting out in laughter.

Ha, as if! His old man was far too cunning.

Thus, Dao Yi devised a plan to protect his clever mind and handsome face: find a sideline, preferably one that could be drawn out indefinitely—alchemy! After all, protagonists in novels often became wealthy and famous through alchemy, and, most importantly, it was time-consuming. If he practiced long enough, his father couldn’t reach him!

However, his seclusion lasted less than two days before his father discovered him, catching him napping in broad daylight.

The events that unfolded in his room afterward were best left forgotten...

In short, it was a tale of wandering, loneliness, misery, and sorrow.

Literal misery and sorrow.

Though things took a rocky turn, Dao Yi did invest himself in alchemy. Persistence paid off, allowing him to avoid trouble for a time.

Unexpectedly, Dao Yi found he had some talent for alchemy. His father admitted he was better than most newcomers, which was odd, but then joyfully claimed it was only fitting for his son.

Ha.

Although he had blown up his furnace more than a few times, over the past two years he had managed to produce quite a few pills—albeit the lowest grade. Even so, he far surpassed his peers, though he soon noticed a peculiar pattern.

The loudest explosions yielded the best pills.

In truth, it didn’t matter if he failed, but every successful batch resulted in a furnace explosion, without exception.

Eventually, his parents forbade him from practicing alchemy at home, threatening to "explode" him in the same way if he disobeyed.

No one had any conscience! Although the Yu family would lose a peerless cultivation genius, they’d still have an alchemy prodigy!

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Yes, Dao Yi’s talent for cultivation was abysmal, barely above that of ordinary people. After three years, he languished at the third stage of Qi Refinement. His annoying little brother, meanwhile, had just reached the seventh stage.

It was infuriating! He dearly wanted to beat his brother and make him kneel before him.

But realistically, if they fought, it would be his brother kneeling to collect Dao Yi’s corpse.

So Dao Yi poured most of his energy into alchemy, pitying his own meager progress—barely able to refine pills to strengthen his stage and experiment with new formulas. Hence his frantic search for herbs across town.

As for his little brother, he had been dragged along, of course.

Shopping required someone to carry things!

So Little Vegetable, full of mischief, dismissed all the servants and pulled his reluctant brother into the streets.

The Seven Luminaries Guild, a commerce network spanning the Mortal Realm, sold everything from massive flying artifacts capable of carrying thousands, to tiny trinkets that threatened only mortals. Though the Guild catered to cultivators, it still stocked items useful only to mortals. Who could say why? Life was unpredictable; perhaps one day you would need such things, or even be bullied by mortals.

Seven Luminaries Guild—if you could imagine it, they could supply it. Of course, each branch differed. The imperial city’s guild far surpassed those in obscure towns. If a branch didn’t carry what you needed, you’d have to travel to a larger city or pay extra to have it delivered.

“Oh, my dear brother, when will your big brother ever find a twenty-year-old Mystic Spirit Branch? Seeing you burdened with all these packages, I feel so sorry for you,” Dao Yi said, sighing as he looked at his brother, laden with bags.

Yu Yun Fan frowned. His brother really had a knack for making things difficult. Though Yun Fan had reached the seventh stage of Qi Refinement and could easily carry not just herbs but even boulders twice his height, it was his brother’s tone that was truly infuriating! After years of their father’s training, Dao Yi hadn’t changed at all.

“I don’t need any of this—so showy,” Yu Yun Fan replied coldly, his face expressionless as ever.

Dao Yi’s mouth twitched. Yes, yes, you’re so impressive! A genius! You don’t need such low-level pills! Seventh stage of Qi Refinement, how amazing! Genius!

Indeed, it was impressive. As Dao Yi ran about, desperate to consolidate his third stage, he suddenly felt the urge to cry.

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