Cultivating Disciples to Breakthrough

Chapter 1875  Sect Growth (2)

Along with an increasing number of wandering cultivators settling down around the Falling Star City located at the base of the Ninth Star Peak, there was also an increasing number of markets catering to these wandering cultivators. Selling all kinds of artifacts and spiritual treasures that were normally difficult for them to get their hands on in the past. The main reason behind the far greater access to these kinds of things that they would normally find difficult to encounter being their proximity to the Star Shattering Sect.

After all, even if the disciples and elders didn't interfere with these wandering cultivators directly, some of their used spiritual artifacts and other things would inevitably be sold inside the Falling Star City when no longer useful. After which, those items would end up trickling out of the Falling Star City and out into the wandering cultivator markets that had started to spring up around the Shattered Star Peaks.

Of course, it wasn't entirely because of the few rare high-quality artifacts that trickled out of the Star Shattering Sect that these wandering cultivators were able to establish proper markets. Instead, it was mainly due to the large number of merchant caravans and traders who came to the Falling Star City, ensuring that there was a constant flow of resources.

The artifacts and other rare cultivation resources that ended up leaving the Falling Star City often turn into opportunities that the wandering cultivators found themselves struggling over getting their hands on, some of those struggles even turning deadly. Understandable considering that most of these wandering cultivators ranged anywhere between the Qi Condensation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm, all the way up to the Core Formation Realm with only a rare few in the Nascent Soul Realm appearing every now and again.

For cultivators like this, being able to stay so close to a major power like the Star Shattering Sect could be considered a blessing, as they were able to not only take advantage of the large quantities of resources that flowed towards the sect, but also the rich spiritual qi that leaked out from the Shattered Star Peaks.

The only real problem that these wandering cultivators found themselves facing after they began to settle down around the Shattered Star Peaks was the simple fact that there was no way for them to earn spirit stones.

Any demon beast that existed around the Shattered Star Peaks was either a tamed demon beast or part of a training ground set up by the Star Shattering Sect, while any construction work for the Falling Star City or other menial tasks was already handled internally by the Star Shattering Sect through the ever growing Servant Quarters that had by now grown far larger than the sect itself in terms of numbers due to recruiting people without cultivation or those who found themselves stuck with no hope for future advancement at the Core Formation Realm or below.

Because of this, although several wandering cultivators wanted to settle down around the Shattered Star Peaks, they were simply unable to do so due to the lack of opportunities to earn spirit stones. Meaning that instead of the area around the Shattered Star Peaks turning into permanent homes for these wandering cultivators, it more so turned into spontaneous markets where these wandering cultivators could sell and buy what they needed before being on their way and for the few close to breaking through, it also turned into one of the best seclusion locations for wandering cultivators.

Not because it was the best location that these wandering cultivators could find, but more so because it didn't cost them anything to go into seclusion close to the Shattered Star Peaks compared to what a dedicated cultivation room would cost them should they attempt to find one.

That and the Star Shattering Sect generally ensured that there wasn't any trouble close to the Falling Star City or the Third Star Peak that remained popular among cultivators trying their final shot at breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm before their lifespan ran out. Ensuring that most of the wandering cultivators found themselves concentrated around those two locations, though they drifted more towards the Third Star Peak given that the Falling Star City was constantly expanding and might end up swallowing them while they were in secluded cultivation if they weren't careful.

In fact… This was already something that had happened before with someone in the process of trying to break through to the Core Formation Realm. Only to be interrupted just before breaking through to the Core Formation Realm by a few people from the Star Shattering Sect's Servant Quarters. Ultimately, causing the breakthrough to fail and the person in question to almost die on the spot.

Of course, there was an even safer option of entering the Falling Star City for seclusion, but staying inside the Falling Star City itself for more than a day or two was far from simple and could only be accomplished by the family members of sect members, cultivators from subordinate powers under the Star Shattering Sect or cultivators who had at least reached the Nascent Soul Realm.

The reason for this had nothing to do with the Star Shattering Sect restricting entry into the Falling Star City but simply had to do with the fact that it was far too expensive for anyone below the Nascent Soul Realm to stay there for more than a day or two, while those part of a subordinate power under the Star Shattering Sect generally had their own branch inside the city where they could stay for free.

But by far, the most unfair one in the eyes of the different wandering cultivators stuck outside the Falling Star City was the family members of the sect disciples, as they were able to get a home to stay free of charge as long as they had a child that was part of the Star Shattering Sect's main sect located inside the Shattered Star Peaks.

If not for certain restrictions around these family members that prevented them from granting wandering cultivators access to stay in their homes, the wandering cultivators lingering outside would undoubtedly have jumped at the opportunity to find a way to convince these mortals to let them stay at their home at a fraction of the price required to stay at one of inns run by the sect itself.

In a way, because of information regarding this privilege granted to disciples who were part of the Star Shattering Sect's main sect, there was no lack of wandering cultivators who decided to "collaborate" on making a talented child that they would then send into one of the Star Shattering Sect's numerous branch sects. Hoping that this child would be able to enter the main sect and get them a permanent home inside the Falling Star City.

After all, even though most of the family members who stayed in the Falling Star City were mortals, the sect hadn't set down any cultivation restrictions on family members. The only real restriction that existed for them was that they couldn't be part of another major power, a concern that wasn't worth mentioning to the wandering cultivators who had no one backing them…

As time continued to pass and the number of wandering cultivators around the Shattered Star Peaks continued to grow with each passing week without showing any signs of slowing down, Elder Song and the rest of the elders under him suddenly came to realize that the Shattered Star Peaks had been surrounded by countless small shanty towns constructed by these wandering cultivators who were far too poor to stay inside the Falling Star City, but at the same time unwilling to give up on the benefits provided by staying close to such a massive city and the improved cultivation environment created by the spiritual qi leaking out form the Shattered Star Peaks.

The idyllic grass plains that had once surrounded the Shattered Star Peaks on all sides were no more… And Elder Song suddenly found himself with another task at hand after finishing up the reconstruction after the spiritual water flood. Finding a way to get rid of these shanty towns and randomly placed buildings.

The solution to this problem was rather simple overall, as he could just get rid of them. The sect had the strength and influence to do so, but… Doing so would undoubtedly stain the sect's reputation in the eyes of wandering cultivators to some extent and although these wandering cultivators were weak and wouldn't be able to cause any problems for the sect, he had no idea how this might be seen in the eyes of stronger wandering cultivators in the future.

For this reason, Elder Song decided to go with a more lenient approach.

Instead of just pushing them away and getting rid of the increasing number of shanty towns around the Shattered Star Peaks, he decided to shift some of the sect's resources that had been focused on expanding the Falling Star City towards the base of the Third Star Peak where a secondary city would be constructed for the different wandering cultivators to stay without affecting ruining the peaceful environment that surrounded the Shattered Star Peaks.