The Rich Cultivator

Chapter 760. Class and Gang

After thinking about it for an entire night, Tyler finally came up with a plan. If he wanted to cultivate quickly without attracting attention, he needed people around him. Not only would they help him gather resources, but they would also unknowingly become witnesses to his carefully crafted image. A wealthy young master progressing quickly was far less suspicious than an unknown disciple suddenly advancing at an absurd speed. With that in mind, Tyler decided to gather a small meeting.

The next morning, during breakfast at the cafeteria, Tyler sat down with four familiar faces. They were Maximus, Lee, Louch, and Ah Hai. Although Ah Hai was already at the Third Level of Qi Refining, he was still only a servant disciple, while Tyler had already become an official outer disciple. Within the sect, status mattered almost as much as cultivation.

Tyler looked around the table before speaking. "I’ve decided to form a group."

Maximus blinked. "A group? Like a gang?"

Tyler almost choked on his food.

"That sounds like mountain bandits." He shook his head. "What I mean is a small organization. I’m the leader. You help me handle certain things, and in return I’ll provide cultivation resources, spirit stones, and other benefits whenever possible."

The four exchanged looks. Before anyone could respond, Lee suddenly narrowed his eyes, "Wait a second. Why are you wearing outer disciple robes?"

Louch looked at Tyler. Only then did he finally notice the green uniform.

Tyler raised an eyebrow.

"You guys only noticed now?"

Lee and Louch felt slightly embarrassed.

"Did you really break through?" Lee asked. "You joined only a few days ago."

Tyler simply smiled.

"You already know the answer."

The table immediately became quiet.

Even though they had guessed it before, hearing it confirmed still felt unbelievable.

"Did you use some kind of pill?" Lee asked suspiciously.

"No."

"Then..."

Tyler waved his hand.

"Back to the important matter. Do you agree or not?"

The four immediately nodded.

"We agree."

Nobody hesitated.

Spirit stones alone were enough reason to agree. More importantly, Tyler had never acted like an ordinary disciple. The way he spent contribution points and silver made it obvious he had some sort of wealthy background.

Tyler smiled inwardly. This was exactly what he wanted. A misunderstanding was often more useful than an explanation.

"Good. I’ll inform you whenever I need something done. Also, make sure to come to my cave at the end of every week."

"A meeting?" Ah Hai asked.

Tyler smiled mysteriously.

"You can think of it that way. I also prepared a small surprise."

The four immediately became curious.

"Huh?" Ah Hai scratched his head. "Tomorrow is already the end of the week."

"Then don’t forget."

Tyler stood up.

"Now let’s go. Time for class."

The four led Tyler toward the Study Hall district. It resembled a small street within the Outer Manor. Two-story buildings lined both sides of the street, while disciples continuously entered and exited classrooms. Some attended lectures while others discussed cultivation techniques in groups.

"This place is called the Study Hall," Ah Hai explained while walking. "The sect offers basic courses for everyone. Pill refinement, formations, talismans, combat techniques, artifact knowledge, spirit herb identification, cultivation theory, and a few others. Even servant disciples can attend."

Tyler quickly obtained a schedule.

New disciples were required to attend several foundational classes each week. If they passed the examinations, they could skip future lessons and move on to more advanced material. The instructors also provided references to books available within the Scripture Pavilion.

At first, Tyler found it somewhat interesting.

Then the formation class began.

Ten minutes later, he regretted coming.

The instructor enthusiastically explained the basics of gathering spiritual energy using formation nodes.

Tyler almost fell asleep.

To him, the lecture felt like returning to a primitive era and learning technology from ten thousand years ago.

By the time classes ended, Tyler felt mentally exhausted.

As the group walked out of the Study Hall, he couldn’t help asking,

"Are these classes really necessary?"

Louch nodded immediately.

"Of course. Learning a cultivation profession is extremely important. I heard some pill masters can earn dozens of contribution points from a single pill."

"Hmm."

Tyler rubbed his chin.

"I’m actually pretty good at formations."

The group suddenly stopped walking.

Everyone stared at him.

Tyler looked confused.

"What?"

Maximus hesitated before speaking.

"...You were sleeping during formation class."

"Because it was boring."

Tyler answered honestly. The others immediately laughed. Nobody believed him.

A new disciple who had just entered the sect claiming he was skilled in formations sounded ridiculous.

Tyler didn’t bother explaining. Some things would reveal themselves eventually.

After chatting a bit longer, Tyler waved his hand, "Alright. See you all tomorrow."

The group dispersed.

Lee and Louch walked together down another path.

After a while, Lee suddenly snorted.

"That guy really thinks he can order us around."

Louch glanced at him.

"You agreed."

"That was different."

"How?"

Lee struggled for a response, "I don’t know. It just was."

Louch rolled his eyes.

Lee continued complaining.

"He wants us to gather at his cave tomorrow? Like hell I’m going."

"Really?"

"Absolutely."

"You sound very confident."

"I am confident. If you see me tomorrow, you can call me Bee instead of Lee."

Louch wa taken back and laughed.

"Fine."

The next day arrived.

Louch reached Tyler’s cave and immediately spotted a familiar figure standing outside.

Louch almost burst out laughing, he quickly made some noice "Buzz buzz."

Lee turned around like he heard nothing.

Maximus who already arrived, looked between the two.

"Why are you making bee sounds?"

Louch pointed toward Lee, "I saw a giant bee flying around here."

Maximus looked confused. Then he turned toward Lee, "Senior Brother Lee, did you see the bee?"

Lee’s face twitched.

"No."

"Oh."

Maximus nodded.

"Senior Brother Lee arrived first, so if he didn’t see it, maybe it already flew away."

Louch almost doubled over laughing. Lee’s face gradually turned red.

At that moment, Ah Hai arrived, "Looks like everyone is here."

The group gathered outside the cave entrance. Before long, the stone door slowly opened.

Tyler stepped outside and looked at the four people standing there..A satisfied smile appeared on his face, "You guys are right on time. Good."

Then he stepped aside, "Come in."

The four exchanged curious glances before entering the cave one after another. The moment the last person entered, the stone door slowly closed behind them.

As soon as the four entered the cave, they felt something unusual.

The spiritual energy inside was several times richer than outside.

The moment they took a breath, they felt their bodies becoming lighter. Even the circulation of qi inside their meridians seemed smoother. Faint streams of spiritual energy drifted through the cave like mist, gathering toward the center where a simple formation was quietly operating.

Maximus stood frozen. Ah Hai rubbed his eyes. Even Lee and Louch forgot to speak.

"This..." Maximus swallowed.

Tyler sat casually near the wall and pointed toward the formation.

"It’s just a small Spirit Gathering Formation. I crushed a few spirit stones and used them as fuel. The formation gathers nearby spiritual energy and concentrates it inside the cave."

The four immediately looked toward the glowing formation.

Their hearts trembled.

Using spirit stones for cultivation was already luxurious enough. Using spirit stones to fuel a formation for others to cultivate was something only wealthy disciples would do.

Tyler noticed their expressions and smiled.

"There’s only one condition. Nobody speaks about this outside."

His tone was calm, but everyone understood the meaning.

If this place became public knowledge, there would be no second opportunity.

Lee immediately patted his chest.

"Brother Tyler, don’t worry. If I leak even one word, you can call me Bee."

Louch looked at him.

"You are suspicious. But I can’t just prove it."

Lee’s face twitched.

Tyler shook his head.

"It doesn’t matter. If anyone leaks this, they simply won’t be allowed to use it anymore."

The smile on his face remained unchanged.

However, for some reason, the four felt a chill run down their backs.

Even though they possessed the highest cultivation than Tyler , they still instinctively straightened their posture.

"Alright." Tyler clapped his hands, "Stop talking and start cultivating."

The four immediately sat around the formation in lotus position. Soon, the cave became quiet.

Streams of spiritual energy flowed toward them as they circulated their cultivation techniques. Maximus, who had yet to enter the Qi Refining Realm, benefited the most. The rich spiritual energy constantly washed over his body, allowing him to sense qi far more clearly than before.

Ah Hai’s expression gradually relaxed. Lee and Louch were equally focused. Nobody wanted to waste even a moment.

Meanwhile, Tyler simply sat in the corner and watched them cultivate.

The formation itself wasn’t particularly valuable. The spirit stones weren’t expensive either, atleast for him. What he truly needed was trustworthy people.

If he wanted to cultivate quickly while maintaining the image of a wealthy disciple, having a small group around him would make many things easier.

Meanwhile outside, A dead crow appeared as it stared toward Tyler’s cave.