Xuhan put down the pen from his hand and stared at the recently done calculation on the sheets before him.
He had just tried to calculate his monthly optimum expense after gathering some information from his seniors.
Altogether, he'd need nearly a thousand spirit stones per month to cultivate at a decent speed. This expense was not a constant, of course, the higher his cultivation got, the more spirit stones he would require. And the increase wasn't small either. Every two or three layers later, the expense would multiply, making an exponentially increasing chart.
Based on what elder Hei had said, thousand spirit stones per month was the barest minimum for a decent cultivation speed. So Xuhan knew that he was currently broke and facing expulsion even though he had more than 500 spirit stones left. Cultivating desperately at this point was pointless. Even if he managed to break through within time, he had no way to continue further afterwards.
So his first priority right now was to find a method to earn spirit stones. After that, he could cultivate in peace for a while.
Xuhan put the sheets aside and examined a leaflet he had acquired from one of the seniors near his hut. The leaflet contained a list of almost all the ways to earn spirit stones in the sect.
There were multiple choices that had been marked by Xuhan on the list. At the moment, however, the number one choice he was inclined to pursue was...writing books.
Literature was a common hobby to dabble in among cultivators. Due to their long lifespan and attraction towards flair and style, books, poems etc. were quite popular among the younger generation.
Of course, that was actually the ideal picture, from which, the original situation differed greatly.
Upon seeing that particular way of earning spirit stones, Xuhan had gotten excited initially. Why would he not? He was a novel addict in his previous life. He could copy all those popular novels from earth and with a bit of editing, he could earn cash faster than breathing.
However, when he did some research regarding this and tried to have a peek into the popular genres of this generation of cultivators, he felt like somebody had slapped his face very hard.
His senior brothers and sisters had given him a list of popular stories and poetry styles that were in the vogue these days...
Stories
1- The overbearing sect master and the adorable female disciple
Rating- 4.99/5
2- The wolf demon is my fuckbuddy
Rating- 3.3/5
3- My scheming husbands want my attention
Rating- 4.8/5
4- Lord of the Nine Rings
Rating- 4.6/5
5- Hai Ri Po Te and the Heavenly Stone
Rating- 4.5/5
6. The Fault in Our Blackholes
Rating- 4.2/5
7. Invisible Dragon
Rating- 5.1/5
8- The Avenger Cultivators
Rating- 4.1/5
9- Fifty trillion shades of gray
Rating- 1/5
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Xuhan had stomped on the list after reading the ninth entry and didn't even bother looking at the poetry list. He was sure it would be filled with similar writings stolen from Earth.
This also ensured one suspicion of his. There really were other transmigrators and reincarnators in this world from earth. But sadly, all of the authors of these books were anonymous.
Now that his head had cooled down a bit, Xuhan massaged his forehead and thought hard about what else he could write that would earn him any cash at all.
If he aimed for anything original or unusual, it would take a long time to generate any profit even if it was a masterpiece. And he didn't have that much confidence in his writing ability anyway. So that was out of the question.
Following the general flow wouldn't work either. Books of that sort wouldn't get him any profit when he was a mortal nobody knew.
Half an hour later, Xuhan was still lost in his thoughts when he heard a knock coming from outside. He walked out of his room and saw Mu Ran standing outside his hut with a rather strange smile on his face.
"Yeah, boss. Need anything? I'm free right now. "
Mu Ran wasn't really in the know about his situation. He just felt that his lackey wasn't very talented and had to cultivate harder than most disciples. He didn't look down on Xuhan for that. Occasionally, he helped Xuhan with practical problems during cultivation and gave him pointers.
He felt like he was a very kind and magnanimous man who was sheltering this poor guy with a good heart.
It made him feel like a really good person, and that made him happy in turn.
I, Mu Ran, have such admirable character! Who under the heavens could match me?!
My only regret is that Xuhan is not a pretty girl. She might have fallen in love with me if it was the case!
Sigh...how unfortunate I am!
"Underling Xuhan, I just reached the peak of the first layer of physique transformation realm. I came to invite you to a celebratory feast! You've been working too hard these days. Take a break and come with me to the kitchens. I'll pay!"
Feeling generous, Mu Ran dragged Xuhan out of his hut and started boasting about how powerful he was now compared to before. Xuhan absentmindedly listened to his ridiculous boasts knowing most of them must be true. After all, this was the protagonist...
"Xuhan, are you going to buy anything from the inter-sect auctions? "
Mu Ran's question interrupted his musings.
Auction?
Wasn't that just another cliche to make the protagonist strike gold by giving him priceless treasures that no one could identify?
"I'm in a tight situation, boss. Can't spend much on anything right now."
"You should at least buy a weapon for self-defence you know? As your boss, I can help you in a fight provided the opponent isn't stronger than a cultivator at the sixth layer. But above that, you'll need to rely on yourself at the moment. If you dont even have a weapon, how would you protect yourself when I'm not around?"
"Sixth layer of physique transformation?" Xuhan's eyes widened.
"Haha, I'm not exaggerating, but I can definitely say that I'm unmatched under all disciples below sixth layer of physique transformation realm!"
Xuhan was just about to nod mechanically with a well placed "sigh of admiration" when an incensed voice came from behind them.
"Not exaggerating? That's really funny. How about you prove that?"
Both guys turned around and saw a very pretty girl holding a sheathed sword in her hands and staring at Mu Ran with flames spewing from her eyes.
Xuhan suddenly felt a bit more awake.
What a familiar chain of events...
Ah, our protagonist has encountered his first waifu in the sect, the tsundere type with anger issues.
"And the trope starts..." Xuhan muttered under his breath as Mu Ran and the unfamiliar girl started squabbling. Slowly, more and more disciples started gathering around them, attracted toward the commotion.
"You pervert! You peeked on me while I was bathing on the way to the sect that day. I have finally gotten the chance to get you back for this! I challenge you to a duel at the arena. If you're a man, then back your words and accept!"
The yell of the furious girl was heard by all the disciples present. An uproar among them followed her shout.
"That was absolutely accidental! How was I supposed to know you were bathing there? I was just passing by! How is that my fault?"
Mu Ran completely denied her accusations. But no one gave a damn about what he had to say anyway. Everyone got the gist of the story. These two met on the way to the sect's selection ceremony in an awkward situation and the girl was furious about it. Now she wanted revenge.
Just another trope.
Xuhan sighed again as he saw Mu Ran accepting her challenge because he was definitely a man who could back up his boasts, even though he claimed to be innocent. As the two, along with the crowd went towards the duel arena, Xuhan shook his head and returned to his hut. He wasn't interested in the results of the duel. Mu Ran was the protagonist for God's sake. He would steal his waifu's heart regardless of whether he won or lost. It didnt matter in the bigger picture.
Cliches, cliches, all around...
Sitting on his bed, Xuhan picked up a few sheets and a pen full of ink. His inspiration had hit him moments ago.
He was going to write a book alright, a book that would be remembered in the legends of the Crimson Snow Sect. A book that could change the life of all cultivators who read it. A book that was going to overturn the lives of this Crimson Snow sect's disciples A book that was going to bring about a revolution.
With steady hands, he wrote the title of the book on the first page...
HOW TO MAKE A HAREM: A PERFECT GUIDE TO A BLISSFUL MARITAL LIFE