Chapter 174

The spiritual energy in the Outer City is relatively thin and turbid; it is generally inhabited by low-tier cultivators, as well as local families of Changqing City who have declined after generations of survival of the fittest.

These families may have once been glorious in their ancestry, even producing Sect Masters or Elders of the Profound Origin Sect, but after generations of elimination and constant branching out, some descendants lost their spiritual roots for cultivation and completely devolved into secular mortal families.

These people have the status of Changqing City residents from birth, and coupled with the blood ties of their ancestors, they can live in Changqing City for free, which is different from outsiders like Xia Daoming.

Wherever there are people, there is a world of intrigue.

The people in the Outer City are the most mixed, and most of them are low-tier cultivators and secular mortals, so the law enforcers of Changqing City do not pay much attention to them, and relatively speaking, management is lax, so the Outer City is relatively chaotic.

The Inner City is located on a second-tier spiritual vein, with good spiritual energy and good public security; the marketplaces and shops for cultivators, as well as high-end inns, restaurants, and high-end residential areas, are mainly concentrated in the Inner City.

Changqing Lake is located on the south side of Changqing City, near the direction of Profound Origin Mountain, which is the place with the most concentrated spiritual energy in Changqing City.

There are more than twenty islands scattered like stars across Changqing Lake.

Every island is a top-notch cultivation cave dwelling.

However, they are not open to the public; it is said that those who live inside are the power-holders of the Profound Origin Sect stationed in Changqing City, or those big shots from the Profound Origin Sect who have grown tired of staying in the mountains and occasionally want to come down to stay for a while to enjoy the worldly atmosphere.

Around the edge of Changqing Lake, there are residential areas open to the public.

However, the prices are exorbitant; unless one is a Foundation Establishment cultivator, or a cultivator with a very wealthy family or background, it is difficult to afford.

Xia Daoming and his group followed Lou Shiyan to Yumo Workshop first.

Lou Shiyan, Jiao Yongbao, and the others from the Tenglong Mansion were renting a single-courtyard residence in Yumo Workshop.

When Xia Daoming and his group arrived, Jiao Yongbao was already waiting for them at the entrance.

"Brother, it's too crowded for seven or eight of you to live in such a single-courtyard residence. You should at least get a two-courtyard residence and hire two or three servants to help with chores!" Xia Daoming entered the door with Jiao Yongbao, glanced around, and couldn't help but frown slightly.

"It's not that I don't want to, but the rent here is too high. A single-courtyard residence costs fifty spirit stones a year, and a two-courtyard one costs eighty. If it weren't for the worry that the Outer City is a bit chaotic and we are newcomers, which would cause trouble if we provoked incidents, both Lou Guzhu Lou and I would have wanted to move directly to the Outer City," Jiao Yongbao said with a bitter smile.

Regarding some daily income and expenses of Tenglong Mansion, Xia Daoming would occasionally ask about them at the beginning.

Later, as the development of Tenglong Mansion gradually got on the right track, the income from the Lu family side, the earnings from Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue, as well as the harvests from the spiritual fields in Mangzhou, were able to balance the budget and even started to have a surplus, so Xia Daoming basically stopped asking and left it all to the Internal Affairs Pavilion.

Therefore, Xia Daoming was not very clear about the specific income and expenditure of Jiao Yongbao and the others in Changqing City; he only knew that after half a year of operation, after deducting rent and taxes, they had started to have a surplus.

Only today did Xia Daoming realize that renting a single-courtyard residence actually cost fifty spirit stones a year; one could imagine that other expenses must also be very high.

The fact that the shops in Changqing City had a surplus so quickly also had to do with the frugality of Jiao Yongbao and the others.

Otherwise, in such a place where every inch of land is worth an inch of gold, if Jiao Yongbao and the others were to spend freely, it is estimated that the elixirs, talismans, and arrays they sold would not be enough to cover their expenses.

"Just a single-courtyard residence costs fifty spirit stones, and a two-courtyard one costs eighty. Isn't this rent too expensive! Our valley's annual output of spiritual rice only sells for a little over a hundred spirit stones," Liu Qiaolian said in surprise.

"Yes! So, Lou Guzhu Lou and I discussed it; it's just a place to sleep and stay, right? Whether it's spacious or not, the spiritual energy for cultivation is about the same throughout Yumo Workshop, so why waste that unjust money? It would be better to save those thirty spirit stones for the children's cultivation," Jiao Yongbao echoed.

Among Jiao Yongbao's many children, his youngest son had a talent for cultivation and successfully guided Qi into his body the year before last.

For this reason, Jiao Yongbao was very excited and very attentive to the matter of earning spirit stones.

Leaving his hometown to come to Changqing City was also to accumulate spirit stones for his youngest son's cultivation.

Country

There are state laws, and families have family rules.

The disciples of Tenglong Mansion have a fixed "allowance" every year.

But to have more income, one must put in extra effort.

"That is true, but breathing and refining Qi, and comprehending the Dao, all require a relatively quiet place. Martial arts cultivation and enlightenment are the same, and one also needs a spacious place to practice martial arts.

You have left your hometown for the sake of Tenglong Mansion, which is not easy, so how can I let you be wronged again? Besides, spirit stones always need to be earned by finding ways; relying on you to be so frugal won't save much.

Old Lou, in these few days, find time to change to a two-courtyard residence, or find another single-courtyard residence. Spirit stones are not the problem; the key is to live spaciously and comfortably so as not to delay cultivation," Xia Daoming quickly rejected Jiao Yongbao's idea.

In his previous life, he hated bosses who knocked on doors the most, especially those who wanted employees to work and contribute while refusing to pay more to improve conditions!

Therefore, putting himself in their shoes, he was absolutely unwilling to be that kind of Mansion Master.

"Yes, Xia Ye!" Lou Shiyan bowed deeply to accept the order, feeling a sense of being moved that a scholar would die for one who appreciates him.

After lingering in Yumo Workshop for a while, Xia Daoming let Lou Shiyan take the three of them to see Changqing Lake.

Walking on the wide street, only when they saw the rippling blue waves in the distance did Liu Qiaolian's face reveal a trace of shock.

"Master, such rich spiritual energy; there must be a third-tier spiritual vein flowing underneath. Moreover, the positions of the islands on the lake are very particular, seemingly secretly matching a very mysterious array; it should be the location of the array hub of Changqing City," Liu Qiaolian said.

"Does living by the lake help you comprehend the array Dao?" Xia Daoming asked.

"That is certain, but the houses in the Inner City are so expensive, and the houses by Changqing Lake must be even more expensive," Liu Qiaolian said.

"Expense doesn't matter; the key is that it can help with cultivation. The three of us started too late, and our meridians need more nourishment and strengthening like spring rain moisturizing things to lay a more solid foundation.

There is a third-tier spiritual vein flowing underneath here; cultivating here is estimated to be even better for nourishing and strengthening meridians than our cultivation at Yuncui Mountain.

What's more, this place helps you comprehend the array Dao, so even if the price is high, it is worth it," Xia Daoming smiled slightly.

After saying that, Xia Daoming turned to Lou Shiyan and asked, "Old Lou, do you know the prices of the residences here?"

"Replying to Xia Ye, out of curiosity, I specifically asked the housing agent who helped us rent the house in Yumo Workshop. The agent said that the houses by the lake cost at least three hundred spirit stones a year for the worst ones.

Once he said that, I didn't dare to ask in detail; I suppose the ones with better locations must cost thousands of spirit stones," Lou Shiyan replied.

Even though Xia Daoming was a big shot who had ransacked three Foundation Establishment cultivators, hearing that living by the lake for a year in a slightly better location would cost thousands of spirit stones, he couldn't help but rub the storage ring on his little finger, suddenly feeling that in this place, he seemed to have become a poor person all at once.

Even Xia Daoming's long-dusty memories were touched at this moment.

He thought of the Imperial Capital and the Magic Capital of his previous life.

Every inch of land there was also worth an inch of gold; a wealthy landlord from the countryside would probably only be able to afford a toilet there.

"So expensive!" Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue couldn't help but gasp in a low voice.

"It's alright, the key is that it helps with cultivation, and we are only staying for a year or so, so no matter how expensive, it's only a few thousand spirit stones," Xia Daoming quickly waved his hand and said.

In any case, he still had four thousand spirit stones on him, and some magic tools that could be sold, so he estimated he could scrape together four or five thousand spirit stones.

And he still had a Foundation Establishment Pill in his hands.

This was an elixir that was hard to buy even with spirit stones, a rare commodity; if he really took it out, it should be no problem to get tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones easily.

After saying that, Xia Daoming let Lou Shiyan go to contact the housing agent.

Soon, Lou Shiyan brought the housing agent.

The housing agent saw that Xia Daoming was a Qi Refinement sixth-layer cultivator, bringing two beautiful wives who were also Qi Refinement sixth-layer cultivators, and actually wanted to rent a house by the lake, and also saw

Lou Shiyan, a cultivator who was almost at the Qi Refinement perfection, also had to respectfully call Xia Daoming 'Master', so he thought Xia Daoming had a great background and was a direct descendant of some big shot.

People like this generally have no concept of quantity when spending spirit stones; as long as they like it, they just throw money at it.

So the housing agent took Xia Daoming and his group straight to the best area by the lake.

There were only three houses in this area.

Xia Daoming liked them very much.

As a result, when he heard the quote, he realized that what he had just said about it being at most a few thousand was truly poverty limiting his imagination.

That best area started at one hundred medium-grade spirit stones, which meant it started at ten thousand low-grade spirit stones.

When Lou Shiyan heard that quote, he almost couldn't catch his breath on the spot.

Xia Daoming looked at the housing agent's expectant expression after quoting the price, and had the urge to punch him flying.

Does this daddy look like the kind of second-generation who can easily get a small goal?

However, Xia Daoming finally said without changing his expression: "This is just average, not worth the price, and I don't like to be too high-profile, let's change to another place."

When Lou Shiyan heard this, he felt his old face flush on the spot.

And Ji Wenyue and Liu Qiaolian both curled their lips and wanted to laugh when they heard this.

The housing agent was stunned for a long while before his brain turned around, and he looked at Xia Daoming with great admiration.

Soon, the housing agent found a house by the lake that was good and cheap for Xia Daoming.

The house was quite large, with a dedicated cultivation room and an alchemy room; the courtyard was lush with green grass, and there was a small spiritual herb garden. On the side facing the lake, there was also a bamboo pavilion protruding from the water, where one could sit and drink tea or fish.

The price was one thousand five hundred spirit stones a year.

Of course, in terms of spiritual energy leakage, it was quite different from that best area.

But it was still much better than Yuncui Mountain.

After all, it was located on a third-tier spiritual vein, while Yuncui Mountain was only a first-tier small spiritual vein.

The houses at Changqing Lake were directly held by the Profound Origin Sect, and there were dedicated personnel to handle the procedures, so the efficiency was very high.

That same day, Xia Daoming completed all the procedures, mainly by cutting off one thousand five hundred spirit stones at once, and then in the afternoon, he moved into the lakeside mansion, Hidden Dragon Residence, with his two beautiful wives.

Xia Daoming chose this house, which also had something to do with the name "Hidden Dragon Residence".

A third-tier spiritual vein was indeed extraordinary.

It was not just the concentration of spiritual energy that was amazing, but also the feeling brought to people by the changes in the atmosphere of the large environment, which was very different and very mysterious.

The spiritual energy concentration by the spiritual spring at Yuncui Mountain was there, but it lacked the latter.

This is like being in a beautiful large environment with fresh air and birds singing and flowers fragrant everywhere, compared to building a mansion in an area with a very bad surrounding environment; even if the mansion has air purification equipment, is planted with flowers and trees everywhere, and the courtyard is also full of birds singing and flowers fragrant, it is still completely different, and the principle is similar.

After one night of running the cultivation technique and breathing and refining Qi.

The three of them felt that the extraordinary meridians in their bodies had received very obvious nourishment and strengthening.

And this feeling had not been there since the three of them stepped into the Qi Refinement sixth-layer realm one after another two months ago.

The situation of the three of them was very different from other cultivators.

They started late, and logically speaking, being able to cultivate to the Qi Refinement third-layer realm in this life and getting stuck before the threshold of the Qi Refinement mid-stage realm was already the limit.

Unless the talent is very good, or the family has a lot of mines, there is a chance to cross that threshold.

It just so happened that the three of them not only had high cultivation talent but also had mines at home.

Of course, Xia Daoming's high talent mainly relied on his spiritual sense far exceeding cultivators of the same realm, which was considered a serious bias, thereby making up for his mediocrity in other aspects.

Others generally have fast cultivation speed in the early stage and slower as they go further.

Many people may cultivate to the Qi Refinement third-layer realm in just a few years, but for the next few decades or even a lifetime, they get stuck at the Qi Refinement third-layer realm and have no chance to step into the Qi Refinement mid-stage realm.

Some people manage to step into the Qi Refinement mid-stage realm, but the

subsequent cultivation speed will obviously slow down, and when they step into the Qi Refinement late-stage, the speed will slow down even more.

When they reach the Qi Refinement ninth-layer, the vast majority of Qi Refinement cultivators stagnate, and a few people rely on the slow tempering of time to finally advance to the Qi Refinement perfection realm, but by that time, they are already very old, and generally, the possibility of Foundation Establishment is very small.

Lu Jinglong of Jin Guifeng was in this situation back then, but he was lucky; when his deadline was approaching, he saw through life and death and got help from Xia Daoming, who got him a Foundation Establishment Pill, allowing him to successfully establish his foundation and become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with a lifespan of up to two hundred years.

In fact, after layers of elimination in the cultivation world, only those with high cultivation talent, or those with mines at home, or those who had good luck could successfully establish their foundation.

The three of them had high cultivation talent and mines at home, so speeding up was not a problem; the only shortcoming was that they lost in the starting time, which led to them needing to spend more time nourishing and strengthening their meridians, so that their foundation could be laid more solidly and they could go further in the future.

And this kind of nourishment and strengthening, because of the late start and poor foundation, could not be forced, and could only be gradually strengthened by eating spiritual rice every day and breathing and refining the spiritual energy in the large environment.

Two months ago, the three of them successfully became Qi Refinement sixth-layer cultivators, but they fell into a bottleneck in terms of meridian nourishment and strengthening, which seemed to have reached their limit.

Next, it seemed that they could only continuously strengthen and expand their meridians through the improvement of their realm.

But after one night of breathing and refining Qi yesterday, the three of them were pleasantly surprised to find that although they were still in the Qi Refinement sixth-layer realm, the bottleneck in meridian nourishment and strengthening had been broken.

"No wonder big sects have talented people emerging one after another and stand tall for thousands of years. They possess such powerful resources; unless they court death internally, it is difficult for other sects to catch up!" In the early morning, sitting in the pavilion protruding from the lake, watching the sun slowly rise from behind Profound Origin Immortal Mountain, Xia Daoming sighed with emotion.

"Yes, previously I couldn't figure out why so many people were willing to spend spirit stones to rent such an expensive place, but now I understand a little.

This kind of excellent cultivation environment naturally formed by heaven and earth brings progress and insights that spirit stones and elixirs cannot give," Liu Qiaolian sighed along.

"The spiritual energy here is full and stable, so the success rate of alchemy here should be higher. If a cultivator at the Qi Refinement perfection realm takes a Foundation Establishment Pill here, with the stable supply of spiritual energy around, it is estimated that it can also increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment," Ji Wenyue said thoughtfully.

"So, you can't be a miser! If you have spirit stones, you should spend them when you should; don't just think about saving. If you spend spirit stones, you can enjoy a good cultivation environment. With a good cultivation environment, your strength can be improved better and faster.

Only when your strength is improved can you earn more spirit stones and support your cultivation in turn; this is a virtuous cycle. Of course, you can't waste it either; that ten-thousand spirit stone residence is unnecessary for now," Xia Daoming added specifically at the end.

"Listening to Master's meaning, could it be that Master can also take out ten thousand spirit stones, but just doesn't want to?" Liu Qiaolian couldn't help but be a little surprised when she heard this.

Ji Wenyue also thought of this when she heard it, and also looked at Xia Daoming with some surprise.

Xia Daoming never took the initiative to explain his "financial situation", so the two of them really didn't know very well.

However, the two of them still had some idea in their hearts that Xia Daoming could still take out three or four thousand spirit stones.

But ten thousand spirit stones were a bit beyond their expectations.

"If I really want to sell some things, it's no problem to scrape together tens of thousands of spirit stones, but that would be a bit like smashing pots and selling iron, puffing up one's face to look like a fat man, so it's unnecessary," Xia Daoming said.

"Tens of thousands?" Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue opened their eyes wide in surprise when they heard this.

Seeing this, Xia Daoming smiled triumphantly.

But soon, Xia Daoming realized that he shouldn't have been so smug.

Because Ji Wenyue and Liu Qiaolian heard that their husband (Master) was so rich, they couldn't care about admiring the sunrise and pulled him to go shopping in the marketplace.

The marketplace of Changqing City was naturally far from what the marketplace of Shi Zhu Lin could compare to, and even the marketplaces of Yanyang Ridge and Baicui Valley were much inferior.

The goods here

ranged from low-end to luxury levels, everything was available, and it was dazzling.

Ji Wenyue and Liu Qiaolian, two women who had just entered the real cultivation world, had never seen such a scene.

Suddenly, they felt overwhelmed.

From morning until sunset, Ji Wenyue and Liu Qiaolian were satisfied, holding Xia Daoming's arms on the left and right, and returned to Hidden Dragon Residence at Changqing Lake.

The things the two bought each had their own characteristics.

One mostly bought books, elixir recipes, elixirs, and alchemy furnaces related to alchemy, while the other bought books related to talismans and arrays, and materials for making talismans, array flags, and array tools.

The two also each took a fancy to a piece of Cloud Neon Immortal Clothing, and also helped Xia Daoming pick a white Flowing Cloud Immortal Robe.

These three pieces of clothing could avoid all kinds of poisons and miasmas, avoid snakes, insects, rats, and ants, avoid dust and sewage, were not afraid of ordinary swords, and could also resist some low-tier attack spells.

Of course, the price was not cheap, four hundred spirit stones each.

Thus, the two thousand plus spirit stones that Xia Daoming originally had in his storage ring were emptied in this one day.

Returning to Hidden Dragon Residence at night, Liu Qiaolian and Ji Wenyue, who were in a great mood after satisfying their shopping desires, took the initiative to find Xia Daoming to play landlord.

Xia Daoming was emptied again.

Fortunately, in the next ten days or so, the two beloved wives were immersed in cultivation, alchemy, and weapon refining, and of course, playing landlord, and did not mention shopping again, otherwise Xia Daoming would really have to consider selling the Foundation Establishment Pill.

This day, the sun was setting.

Xia Daoming and his wife, the three of them, sat in the purple bamboo pavilion facing the lake, drinking tea and admiring the lake and mountain scenery.

In the path of cultivation, one must be diligent and tireless, but also pay attention to relaxation.

Changqing Lake is full of spiritual energy and the environment is quiet, making it a good place for cultivation and relaxation.

The three of them, besides relaxing their bodies and minds and enhancing emotional communication through playing landlord every few days, would also occasionally drink tea and enjoy the scenery leisurely like today.

Just as the three of them were immersed in the beautiful and leisurely time, a sound transmission talisman flew into Hidden Dragon Residence.

"Brother Wanyan, haven't seen you for many days, are you free to have a chat today?"

The sound transmission talisman turned into a soft and pleasant female voice, which also broke the quietness of Hidden Dragon Residence during this period.

"Uh!"

The three of them all showed a trace of astonishment.

"I guess they knocked on the wrong door, I'll go out and meet them," Xia Daoming smiled slightly.

"Let's go together, after so many days, we have been staying at home all day, and we don't even know who lives next door," Ji Wenyue said.

"Why, are you worried about your husband?" Xia Daoming smiled slightly.

"Not at all, just curious," Ji Wenyue said.

Xia Daoming smiled noncommittally and led the two of them toward the front yard.

Opening the door, standing outside the courtyard was a middle-aged woman wearing light cyan immortal clothes, with a dignified and beautiful appearance, an otherworldly temperament, as if unstained by dust, and a gentle smile on her face.

Seeing the courtyard door open, the middle-aged woman was surprised to see three young men and women with only Qi Refinement sixth-layer cultivation appearing in front of her.

Xia Daoming and the others also showed a trace of surprise when they saw the middle-aged woman.

The woman was a bit older than they imagined, but her temperament, appearance, and figure were all very good.

But the most critical thing was that this woman was very powerful, surprisingly having Foundation Establishment mid-stage cultivation.

Although she was smiling, she still brought a great invisible pressure to the three of them.

"Are you juniors of Wanyan Feng? Why have I never seen you before, and never heard him mention you?" The woman in cyan spoke first, still with a gentle smile on her face, her voice soft, making people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

"Senior, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place; there is no Wanyan Feng here," Xia Daoming said.

In the cultivation world, strength is respected, and generally, Qi Refinement cultivators must respectfully call Foundation Establishment cultivators 'Senior'.

Of course, most of the time, Foundation Establishment cultivators are older than Qi Refinement cultivators, but they have techniques to maintain their appearance, so one cannot see their true age, so calling them 'Senior' is generally not wrong, and it won't offend people.

"

Hidden Dragon Residence, I have been here many times, how could I go to the wrong place? By the way, I live in Green Phoenix Residence, speaking of which, we are neighbors. Are your elders here?" The woman in cyan asked with a smile, and as she spoke, her eyes also looked inside.

(End of chapter)

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