The biggest advantage pill refiners had over most other major occupations was their versatility. Both talented blacksmiths and pill refiners could expect to make significant amount of taels with their skills. But pill refiners could create concoctions which helped one’s cultivation journey, which cleansed poisons or healed bodies. Pills could strengthen an individual’s fighting prowess or expand an attribute, providing greater benefits. At the later stages, common concoctions helped cultivators expand their senses, becoming one with the Dao and aiding them in gaining enlightenment.
Blacksmiths, on the other hand, were more limited. In general, there were two kinds of specialized blacksmiths among cultivators—armorers and weaponsmiths. Of course, in the initial period, a beginner blacksmith would learn both forms and practice his overall craft. Blacksmiths were in constant demand, as the weapons they made added to a cultivator’s strength. In addition, blacksmithing was significantly cheaper to begin—failed products could be reforged a number of times.
“Though I’m not sure I’d like to buy a reforged sword,” Wu Ying said. He recalled the cheap weapons he had seen—pitted weapons or those with a slight bend to them. Trash weapons were often sold to peasant farmers who either did not know better or, in some cases, had no choice but to buy them. The idea of making something like that pained Wu Ying, though he shook away his doubts for now.
Blacksmithing was an option, but because of its lower cost and requirements mentally, it also was more popular than pill refining. It also required a significant amount of physical strength and a fire attribute in their chi. If Wu Ying wanted to become a true blacksmith, then he would have to commit to being a fire chi user.
As for martial specialists, they were the most dangerous individuals. At later stages, martial specialists could specialize even further into team battle formations or army battle formations, becoming the leaders of numerous individuals. Such individuals could multiply the effectiveness of individual cultivators by numerous times. Individually, martial specialists often became a sect’s Protector, the individuals tasked with the overall safety of the Sect. Until then, martial specialists had a difficult time progressing their cultivation, as they had no special skills to provide additional funds to develop their cultivation. This led to numerous deaths among martial specialists as they took on dangerous missions to gain the funds and cultivation resources they required.
Between his initial study of the Long family sword style and his own experiences, Wu Ying knew he leaned toward being a martial specialist. While most cultivators had to know how to fight, martial specialists were the dedicated and gifted. And Wu Ying feared this was where he failed. Unlike his friend Tou He, Wu Ying was not particularly gifted. Oh, he was better than most at his level, there was no doubt. But in his heart of hearts, Wu Ying knew it was due to constant practice rather than any particular spark of genius.
“The library is closing.” The voice interrupted Wu Ying’s musings.
The cultivator set aside the books he had read for storage and took the pile of other books with him, storing them away as he made his way back to his residence. Right now, none of the main secondary occupations drew Wu Ying. Perhaps somewhere in the pile of documents, Wu Ying might find something of more use. While progressing on a well-supported occupation was easier initially, as Elder Yang had mentioned, one’s Dao was more important. Choose wrong now and you could lose the opportunity to ascend.
Over the next few days, Wu Ying spent his time enclosed in his residence, alternating between cultivation and study. Ah Yee was tasked with the work of alerting Wu Ying of any useful lectures as they appeared, allowing Wu Ying to focus entirely on study.
Some occupations were easy enough to discard. He didn’t have the time or desire to become a physician for example. Or a dancer. Music as a supporting occupation was intriguing, but it required a certain level of skill and talent to allow music to become a weapon. While Wu Ying could—and did—sing during the harvest and spring festivals, he had never been lauded for his ability. He had a farmer’s voice—acceptable in groups, pitiful alone. As for instruments, theirs had never been a family of music.
Other occupations had some intriguing possibilities. Scholarship required little from its students in the beginning. It was an arduous and long journey though, with the amount of knowledge one must accumulate ever increasing. But it did have the secondary advantage of allowing one to potentially sit for the kingdom examinations[2], a decent backup plan if there ever was one. Certainly it was a way for Wu Ying to be near his family and stay in the kingdom if he failed to progress in his studies as a cultivator.
Celestial formations was another intriguing area. The documentation provided was sparse, insufficient for Wu Ying to truly grasp. But it seemed to require both a talent in that area and a willingness to spend long hours studying the natural world. Still, the powers a formation power could provide were significant. What Wu Ying did learn was how there were two types of formations—those which were custom-built, like the sect’s defensive formation, and those which were created from pre-made formation flags, transportable to numerous locations but significantly less powerful.
Beast taming was impossible, even if intriguing. Wu Ying liked animals, but without a proper guide, it was not an area he could explore. And liking animals was vastly different from dedicating oneself to the care and development of them through one’s existence. Other occupations, like fortune telling, toolmaking, and puppet mastery, were not practiced in the sect anymore, even if their books were present.
Then, of course, were the “mundane” or “common” supporting occupations that were made more exotic through the use of spiritual power and their handling of spiritual items. Spirit stone miners traversed deep mines, often in the most dangerous wilderness locations, to mine spirit veins and pull forth naturally occurring spirit-infused stone. Wu Ying was even more amused when he found reference to spirit farmers—farmers who worked with chi-infused rice, herbs, and other vegetables. Eating those ingredients along with demon beast meat—hunted by both martial specialists and demon beast hunters—could boost a cultivator’s absorption rate of chi.
Wu Ying sighed and tossed the latest book with its allusions to demon beast hunters onto the table in his office, crossing his arms in exasperation. “Does every occupation feel the need to add ‘spirit’ in front of its name to make it more prestigious?”
“Just about.”
Wu Ying spun around to see Liu Tsong leaning against the wall. The smiling female cultivator was clad in the willowy robes of the inner sect, setting off her slim, almost boyish figure.
“Senior!” Wu Ying jumped up and bowed to her. “I did not know you were here.”
“Ah Yee must be out. I knocked but received no answer, so I came in,” Liu Tsong said. “But most occupations desire to be seen as more prestigious. And with the thousand and one daos in the universe, most occupations can locate some prestigious cultivator or immortal to back up their claims.”
Wu Ying crossed his arms as anger washed over him. How foolish was it to reach into the past and borrow the name of an immortal to raise one’s work? If the work itself was not good enough in your own eyes, then only misery would accompany your existence for no external validation would ever be enough. The rain clouds did not ask if the farmer approved; they came or not as they desired.
“Some occupations make a better case than others, of course. And some, like pill refining, demon beast taming, and blacksmithing, are inextricably linked to cultivation. Others are secondary.”
Wu Ying glanced over the manuals. “Does Senior have any recommendations?”
“So formal,” Liu Tsong mocked Wu Ying. “There is no harm in specializing as a martial specialist in the beginning while familiarizing yourself with the various occupations offered. Even if you never take it further, knowing the basics of blacksmithing and pill refining is beneficial.”