Chapter 1090: Chapter 677: Noble Chapter 1090 -677: Noble At the Qian Learning State Boundary, noble families thrived, living a life of decadence amidst prosperity, but on the fringes, places like Little Immortal City still eked out a precarious existence. Families like the Qian Family, small in stature, could lord over others in Tongxian City, but near the boundary of the Qianxue State, they faced oppression, no different from ordinary Loose Cultivators. Mo Hua suddenly remembered the words he overheard from the elderly ancestor of the Qian Family while he was capturing him back in Big Black Mountain, hidden in the cave where Evil Pills were refined. The old ancestor of the Qian Family had said to the now-deceased Qian Hong, the family head: “…In this world, the strong feed on the weak, big fish devour small fish, and small fish feast on shrimp.” “The Tao Cultivation World is no different, with Loose Cultivators being exploited by small families, the small families oppressed by medium families, and the medium families suppressed by upper-class noble families.” “In other words, Loose Cultivators sustain small families, small families sustain medium families, and medium families uphold noble families…” “At its core, it’s all about extracting the blood of those at the bottom…” … The old ancestor of the Qian Family was a wicked man; he built the Black Mountain Evil Stronghold, nurtured Evil Cultivators, killed to refine Pills, committed countless murders, all to seek his own immortality. But some of his words seemed to be undeniable truths… Mo Hua felt a complex mix of emotions, his expression becoming somewhat melancholic. Master Gu, observing closely, noticed Mo Hua’s youthfulness and his eyes filled with compassion. He couldn’t help but constrict his pupils and personally poured Mo Hua another cup of fruit wine. Mo Hua then pondered another question: “Master Gu, noble families chase profit… Logically speaking, Loose Cultivators from Solitary Mountain City originally made a living by crafting ‘Formation media’ and could live quite comfortably.” “This implies that crafting Formation media is also profitable.” “Why then do they intentionally deplete the mines to refine those luxurious Spiritual Artifacts? Why not craft more Formation media? If they did, it would not only earn Spirit Stones but also help to popularize formations, wouldn’t it be beneficial?” “Is it because luxurious Spiritual Artifacts can earn them much more?” Master Gu nodded and sighed, “That’s natural…” “Ordinary Formation media are used by the impoverished lower-class Cultivators, while luxurious Spiritual Artifacts are used by the luxurious and opulent upper-class Cultivators.” “Even if both are in the Qi-refining Realm, a thousand lower-class Cultivators could not spend as much as a single noble family’s son might.” “Our Gu Family, although we have industries, has relatively little profit, and amongst noble families, our family’s wealth is considered minor. Our ancestors have always imposed strict restrictions on our family’s children, prohibiting extravagance and waste.” “But other families, especially those Great Families owning ‘Spiritual mines’ with countless industries and extremely deep pockets, are a different story…” “The value of a single prestigious Taoist Robe on the body of a direct lineage child of those families is probably enough to cover a year’s expenses of a thousand Qi Cultivation Loose Practitioners…” At this point, Master Gu’s expression carried a hint of sorrow. Mo Hua frowned, “Are luxurious Spiritual Artifacts difficult to refine?” Master Gu shook his head, “To be honest, these luxurious Spiritual Artifacts are actually quite ordinary in terms of the skill involved. Their offensive and defensive capabilities are weak, and sometimes, functionality is sacrificed for the sake of aesthetics.” Mo Hua was puzzled, “Then what makes them so valuable?” Master Gu sighed: “Their value lies in two words: ‘status’.” “Status?” Master Gu explained: “A Spiritual Artifact, whether its materials are precious or rare, who the Artifact Refiner is, how many years of skill it carries, whether it is limited edition… These are all considerations.” “Without these ‘considerations’, even if you crafted the same luxurious Spiritual Artifact with equivalent Artifact Refining skill, it would be deemed a ‘forgery’, a low-quality counterfeit.” “Therefore, such luxurious Spiritual Artifacts are not something ordinary Artifact Refiners can craft.” “Furthermore, noble families actually don’t need to promote Formation media, to popularize formations…” Mo Hua was taken aback, somewhat surprised. Master Gu said: “What noble families need to do is monopolize, monopolize the inheritance of formations, monopolize Artifact Refining resources.” “If formations were popularized, a Formation Flag with Sixteen Patterns could only be sold for three hundred Spirit Stones;” “But by monopolizing formations, a Formation Flag with just eleven patterns could be sold for three hundred.” “Lower Artifact Refining costs, higher Spirit Stone profits.” “As long as they monopolize formations, they can set any price they want.” “They earn Spirit Stones effortlessly, without needing to spend effort on researching the application of Formation media, optimization of formations, and developing Formation Study…” “These tasks take time and effort, and don’t bring profit to noble families, hence the situation we see now…” “Formations are treasured by noble families, either held as Ultimate Techniques, placed on high shelves, or left to gather dust in a corner.” “Ordinary Cultivators, lacking knowledge of formations, can only rely on noble families, helpless; ordinary Formation Masters, without formation inheritance, can only attach themselves to noble families…” Master Gu spoke with a solemn tone, his expression filled with sighs. Mo Hua frowned in silence, deep in thought. Master Gu glanced at Mo Hua’s expression, then suddenly smiled and apologized: “Let’s not talk about these matters. My intention was to host the young master, and I didn’t mean to broach such displeasing topics. Please forgive me.” Master Gu poured Mo Hua another drink. Mo Hua drank silently, not saying anything more until the banquet ended. When parting, Master Gu only said: “Next time during the break, I’ll send over the refined Formation media to Gu Family’s main house in Qingzhou City. The young master can come by to collect them when convenient.” Mo Hua bowed and said, “Thank you, Master Gu.” “You’re too courteous, young master.” Master Gu waved his hand, watching from the entrance of Crane Pavilion as Mo Hua left. He sighed softly, then turned to leave. After departing, Master Gu bought some materials to craft Formation media in Qingzhou City, and then took a carriage back to Solitary Mountain City. On the carriage, his disciple Da Chuan was also present. Da Chuan was a Cultivator born and raised in Solitary Mountain City, having studied Artifact Refining from an early age, and seldom leaving the city. Having come to Qingzhou City this time and seen the wonders of the Fifth-grade Immortal City, he felt his eyes had been truly opened.