Chapter 577: Dragon Abyss Immortal City, Assessment Mission

The dilapidated giant city before them was, in truth, the once-renowned Dragon Abyss Immortal City.

Back when the Profound Demon Sect still existed, it was an incredibly dazzling pearl among their sect's assets.

It is said that in those years, high-level cultivators came and went like clouds, and experts were as numerous as dragons in the abyss.

The reason it fell to its current state lies in the great war from a hundred years ago.

After the Profound Demon Sect was annihilated, the Blood Loose Cultivator was the first to strike, personally heading to Dragon Abyss and forcefully killing a Nascent Soul True Person stationed there.

That great battle, though short in duration, had immense destructive power, nearly turning the majority of Dragon Abyss City into ruins.

Over the hundred years since, the cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society have continuously rebuilt it, only then restoring it to its current state.

Such is the nature of loose cultivators; they patch things up as they go. They lack the global planning of top-tier major sects, repairing only where and when it is needed.

Moreover, to rebuild a super immortal city of this scale would require at least a Fourth-Tier Array Master to oversee the entire project!

Among loose cultivators, there are many who are proficient in other skills, but when it comes to arrays, they are few and far between.

A Fourth-Tier Array Master?

At least for now, there has been no word of such an existence among the North Sea loose cultivators.

Added to this, the three great loose cultivators leading the Ten Thousand Immortals Society rarely manage affairs, appearing like dragons that show their heads but not their tails; only the Moon Loose Cultivator shows her face more often.

Consequently, the Ten Thousand Immortals Society's so-called main city has become the "unassuming" place it is today.

"My lord, do not worry. While Dragon Abyss City looks tattered on the outside, it is actually fully equipped on the inside, with all manner of facilities," Zhang Zhang Jiadi consoled.

Luo Chen surveyed the surroundings, looking at the bustling streets and the unfamiliar shops, feeling slightly more at ease.

He had been mistaken after all.

"As for the spiritual land and cave dwellings, the spiritual veins of Dragon Abyss City were destroyed in the battle between Nascent Soul True Persons. Even though experts were later invited to repair them, they only restored one Fourth-Tier cave dwelling. The remaining spiritual energy was not contained and instead covered the whole city, forming scattered Second-Tier cave dwellings."

Luo Chen frowned, "Then how are we Golden Core cultivators supposed to cultivate?"

Facing this question, Zhang Zhang Jiadi calmly pointed in a direction in the distance.

Luo Chen looked up, and across the high city walls, he could seemingly see a range of undulating, winding mountains appearing and disappearing in the mist.

"That is?"

"The Hidden Dragon Mountain Range!"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi said with a hint of envy in his eyes: "That was once a place where the Profound Demon Sect kept an imperial palace. There are several Fourth-Tier spiritual veins crisscrossing the mountains; it is a true place of cultivation for immortals. Most of the high-level loose cultivators in our Ten Thousand Immortals Society, and even Three-Star hunters and above, choose to cultivate in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range."

Upon hearing this, the heart Luo Chen had been holding finally settled.

It was a major power, after all; if they didn't have a spiritual land of their own, it would be too embarrassing.

But listening to Zhang Zhang Jiadi's description, the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range had several Fourth-Tier spiritual veins, and it was merely an imperial palace for the Profound Demon Sect?

If such a spiritual land were in the Eastern Wasteland, the Nascent Soul major sects would fight to the death for it!

At this, Luo Chen could only sigh that the Soul Transformation holy grounds were indeed wealthy and imposing.

Merely some scraps were enough to become the foothold for the Ten Thousand Immortals Society.

He estimated that the other leftovers scattered in the North Sea were also enough to make everyone eat until their mouths were oily!

"I must go to this Hidden Dragon Mountain Range."

Luo Chen muttered in his heart, then followed Zhang Zhang Jiadi and his wife to their residence in Dragon Abyss City.

It was a small courtyard with two entrances, decorated quite exquisitely inside; it wasn't as unbearable as they had described earlier!

After all, they were Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Even as loose cultivators, it was impossible for them to be doing too poorly.

Moreover, the business this couple did in private earned far more than ordinary loose cultivators, so having such a property in Dragon Abyss City was not a strain.

Once home, Zhang Zhang Jiadi wanted to give his own cultivation room to Luo Chen.

But Luo Chen refused.

In the end, it was only the difference between Second-Tier mid-grade and low-grade; to him, the distinction was not significant.

In the evening, the couple specially hosted a banquet to entertain Luo Chen and Seeing Tianxuan.

During the meal, Luo Chen inquired in detail about Dragon Abyss City and the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range.

"The City Lord of Dragon Abyss is that legendary Nine-Star hunter. After advancing to the Nascent Soul stage fifty years ago, he has been in seclusion in the Fourth-Tier cave dwelling within the city, reportedly to consolidate his new realm."

"His real name cannot be verified. The Daoist name he used during his time as a hunter was also Dragon Abyss Child, seemingly a pseudonym he took casually upon seeing Dragon Abyss City."

"It is precisely because of his presence that Dragon Abyss City can stand tall in the North Sea and become the main city of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society without establishing a defensive grand array."

"As for the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range, the conditions to move in are quite harsh."

"Ordinary loose cultivators, even Golden Core cultivators, must participate in three Three-Ocean Campaigns to qualify. And that is just the qualification; the spirit stones required to rent a place are also a huge sum. I heard that even the worst weak Third-Tier cave dwelling costs 500,000 spirit stones a year. For a Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment cultivator, it is very difficult to earn that many spirit stones after working hard for a year hunting demon beasts, and they even have to supplement it with some of their own production income."

"As for the standard Third-Tier low-grade cave dwelling for Golden Core cultivators, it starts at 700,000 spirit stones, mid-grade doubles that, and those high-grade cave dwellings require a full 3,000,000 spirit stones a year; they are simply not something ordinary loose cultivators can enjoy."

"Of course, there are many experts cultivating in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range now. As far as I know, there are over a hundred Golden Core cultivators alone! Tsk tsk, to be honest, I was shocked when I heard before that the Ten Thousand Immortals Society had so many Golden Core loose cultivators."

"Husband, you thought wrong. In reality, more than half of the Golden Core masters inside were not born as loose cultivators. They have been here for the past hundred years because of various reasons—either their sects were destroyed, their families fell, or they were squeezed by major powers and had no way to stand their ground, so they came to the Ten Thousand Immortals Society to linger on."

While chatting, it wasn't just Zhang Zhang Jiadi talking; his Dao companion, Wen Xiu, would also add a sentence or two from time to time.

Luo Chen was shocked at first, but after Wen Xiu's supplementary explanation, he could understand a little.

There was a ready-made example before!

Yan Nantian!

He himself was not some loose cultivator; he actually came from the Yan family of Laoyan Island, and later, after it was destroyed by the Demon Luo Flow, he drifted to the North Sea cultivation world.

However, his end was very miserable.

A place like the Flying Swallow Archipelago, while secluded, lacked the protection of a major power, and he ultimately ended up with the tragic outcome of being hunted down by Luo Chen with nowhere to run.

Thinking about it from another perspective, in Yan Nantian's situation, the Ten Thousand Immortals Society was actually a better destination.

Because of this example, Luo Chen understood why there were such a large number of loose Golden Core cultivators in the Ten Thousand Immortals Society today.

Wen Xiu poured wine for Luo Chen and Zhang Zhang Jiadi, sat down, and explained again: "Moreover, the hundred-plus Golden Core cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society are not all cultivating in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range. A portion of them are dispatched to be stationed on other islands of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society. Like on the way we came, on that Thousand Star Island, there are three Golden Core cultivators stationed there in rotation all year round."

Luo Chen understood, and then asked in confusion: "According to what you said, the rental price of cave dwellings in the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range is so high, how can these people afford to sustain it all year round?"

At this, Zhang Zhang Jiadi smiled slightly.

"My lord, have you forgotten the rights of the star-rated hunters I mentioned before?"

Luo Chen raised an eyebrow, "Could it be that the discounts you mentioned also apply to the rental price of cave dwellings?"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi nodded and took out his own Two-Star waist token.

"Yes, what I said just now was aimed at ordinary loose cultivators, but for star-rated hunters, there is another set of standards."

"This star rating corresponds to a discount!"

"A One-Star hunter can enjoy a 10% discount on cave dwelling rentals."

"A Nine-Star hunter can enjoy a 90% discount."

Luo Chen frowned, then realized that the discount corresponding to the star rating was the opposite of his logic.

One star gets a 10% discount, and nine stars get a 90% discount.

90% off!

Luo Chen's heart surged. If he really became a Nine-Star hunter, wouldn't that mean renting a Third-Tier low-grade cave dwelling would only cost a few tens of thousands of spirit stones a year?

Even for the Third-Tier high-grade cave dwelling that Golden Core cultivators dream of, it would only be 300,000 a year.

As long as they weren't stupid Golden Core cultivators, they could all come up with these spirit stones.

And those who could become Nine-Star hunters, how could they be stupid?

"This Ten Thousand Immortals Society has bound so many resources so deeply to the star rating of hunters!"

"It seems that if I want to save funds, I must become that star-rated hunter."

Luo Chen pondered in his heart.

He now possessed a huge fortune; his "cash" alone was 18,000,000 spirit stones, not to mention other miscellaneous resources.

But this massive fortune was merely a drop in the bucket compared to the high rent.

Only by obtaining "local household registration" could he continue to support his subsequent normal cultivation.

"Sure enough, no matter where you are, those in real estate are always the most profitable. Even if you are just a landlord, collecting rent is enough to make you rich."

After sighing, Luo Chen took the initiative to leave the table, ending this welcome banquet.

After returning to his room, he did not rest directly.

Instead, he asked for the Ten Thousand Soul Banner from Seeing Tianxuan and checked it.

Han Zhan was still busy.

Ever since he removed the bad luck from the Soul-Nurturing Wood for him, the other party had been busy dealing with this thing.

According to what the other party said, once it was finished, he could completely bid farewell to the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and reside his soul body in the Soul-Nurturing Wood.

After all, there were too many evil souls in the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, and residing in it for a long time made it easy to be assimilated.

The Soul-Nurturing Wood was the most suitable place for a remnant soul to reside.

After a hundred or two hundred years, perhaps he could restore his Nascent Soul to its original state without a physical body!

Seeing that Han Zhan was not moving, Luo Chen took the Soul-Nurturing Wood out of the Ten Thousand Soul Banner and handed it to Seeing Tianxuan.

"I am currently lacking a handy magic treasure, so I will take this Ten Thousand Soul Banner for now. You carry Senior Han's Soul-Nurturing Wood with you!"

Seeing Tianxuan found it a bit strange; previously, her master and Senior Han were inseparable, so why did they have to separate today without notifying the other party?

However, since her master had ordered it, she did not dare to ask more.

After Seeing Tianxuan left with the Soul-Nurturing Wood, Luo Chen let out a sigh of relief that was almost imperceptible.

It was as if, in that instant, he had shed some burden.

The next day.

Early in the morning, Luo Chen and Zhang Zhang Jiadi hurriedly went out, and did not return until noon.

He had already completed his registration in the Ten Thousand Immortals Society, becoming a loose cultivator under the Ten Thousand Immortals Society, and could enjoy a certain degree of protection.

Not only that, he also registered as a star-rated hunter.

"Next, my lord only needs to wait for Dragon Abyss City to issue the assessment mission."

"You should know a lot about the assessment mission, tell me about it."

Zhang Zhang Jiadi cleared his throat and told Luo Chen in detail.

The assessment mission for star-rated hunters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society had only been perfected in the last few decades.

At the beginning, there were no relevant assessment missions; as long as you registered, you were a One-Star hunter.

However, it was later discovered that some loose cultivators, after registering, did not seek progress and used the identity of a One-Star hunter to evade the wartime conscription of the Three-Ocean defense line, while simultaneously plucking the wool of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society. Since then, the Hunter Division under the Ten Thousand Immortals Society began to supplement the rules bit by bit and perfect the loopholes in the rules.

"Actually, my lord, don't worry, the One-Star assessment mission is not very difficult."

"Either short-distance escorting of some goods, or killing some Second-Tier demon beasts, and you can pass."

"In the past, some people even spent spirit stones to have others do the mission for them, but it was only recently that a Supervisory Envoy was established to be responsible for accompanying and auditing the mission process."

"With my lord's ability, a mere One-Star mission is just a matter of reaching out and grabbing it!"

After hearing this, Luo Chen's heart also relaxed.

If it was just killing some low-tier demon beasts, he was familiar with it and had no need to worry at all.

Returning to the small courtyard, there were only him and Zhang Zhang Jiadi; Seeing Tianxuan and Wen Xiu were nowhere to be seen.

Luo Chen had no doubts.

Early this morning, before going out, Seeing Tianxuan had said that she would let Wen Xiu take her around Dragon Abyss City to familiarize herself with the situation here.

Later, it would also be convenient for her to do things for Luo Chen.

With no one else around, the two grown men were left alone, and Zhang Zhang Jiadi felt quite uncomfortable.

Luo Chen suddenly asked: "How many months has it been?"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi was stunned for a moment, then a hint of warmth appeared on the corner of his mouth: "It has been five months already, it just doesn't show yet."

"What are your plans for the future? You must have thought about it!"

The warmth on the corner of Zhang Zhang Jiadi's mouth converged a little, and his tone was a bit low: "I have thought about it. I am from a loose cultivator background, but Ah Xiu was from a cultivation family before, and she understands more. In this world, if we want to protect a child to grow up safely, relying on just the two of us, unless we watch over them day and night, sooner or later something will happen."

"According to her idea, it is to establish a cultivation family, recruit some low-tier cultivators as vassals, and let the family protect the child."

"My aptitude is not very good, and I am old; I have no chance to advance to the Golden Core stage in this life. Therefore, the star rating of a hunter, if it doesn't reach Four-Star, actually makes no difference between Three-Star and Two-Star."

"Therefore, I would rather give up advancing my star rating and secretly handle most of my hunting gains in private, exchanging them for more spirit stones."

"These spirit stones are the funds for establishing the family in the future."

Speaking of this, he looked at Luo Chen cautiously.

"My lord, I hope you will keep this matter secret for me."

Once he violates the rules and the matter of privately handling hunting gains is exposed, he will inevitably be severely punished by the Hunter Division, and he might even lose his life.

He didn't want anything to happen, because he still had an unborn child.

Before this, he and Luo Chen had a tacit understanding.

But after getting along for a period of time, he simply laid it out, wanting to get a definite answer, so as not to be terrified every day.

In his anticipation.

Luo Chen smiled slightly, "Your business has nothing to do with me, I will naturally not be long-tongued."

Subsequently, the conversation turned, and he asked about some details in the other party's words earlier.

"Why is the Four-Star hunter rating so different from the previous Three-Star? Isn't it just a difference in discounts for resource exchange?"

"The discount is only one part." Zhang Zhang Jiadi felt relieved after getting Luo Chen's promise, and he pointed in the direction of the Hidden Dragon Mountain Range, "In reality, the quality of the cave dwellings there is also linked to the star rating. Only a Four-Star hunter can rent a weak Third-Tier cave dwelling and above. Although this rule is not explicitly stated, it has always been potential."

"What do you mean by that?"

"The Ten Thousand Immortals Society is, after all, a loose cultivator power where the weak are the prey of the strong. The internal fighting is no less than the outside world. My lord, having cultivated to the Golden Core realm, I think you are very clear about how much of a bonus the quality of a cave dwelling has on cultivation. Especially for us Foundation Establishment cultivators, after reaching the Ninth-Layer of Foundation Establishment, if we want to be smoother when forming the core, it is best to first adapt to the spiritual energy environment in a weak Third-Tier spiritual land. But weak Third-Tier spiritual lands are so precious that thousands of Foundation Establishment True Persons are staring at them. Without sufficient strength, there will be a constant stream of enemies peeking, provoking, and even occupying them."

Luo Chen frowned, "Does the Ten Thousand Immortals Society not care?"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi spread his hands, "They only rent to us; as for the follow-up, how could they care? Perhaps Golden Core masters hold their status and disdain to forcefully seize weak Third-Tier spiritual lands, but cultivators of the same Ninth-Layer Foundation Establishment, or even Great Perfection, will not care about so much Jianghu morality. In this situation, a Four-Star hunter is both a symbol of status and a display of strength. Only in this way can we cut off the constant stream of potential enemies coveting them."

After hearing this, Luo Chen couldn't help but nod secretly.

Being able to seize the hunter star rating that only Golden Core cultivators can reach at the Foundation Establishment realm, such an existence is indeed strong enough!

Coveting such a person's cave dwelling is no different from seeking death.

"Then what about me?"

Luo Chen suddenly asked.

"If I rent a Third-Tier high-grade cave dwelling as a One-Star hunter, what will happen?"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi was stunned, a bit unable to turn his head.

He looked at Luo Chen cautiously, "I don't know what my lord's specific realm is?"

Luo Chen smiled slightly, "Golden Core mid-stage."

A very wonderful expression appeared on Zhang Zhang Jiadi's face. With this realm, he actually wanted to seek a Third-Tier high-grade cave dwelling that ordinary Golden Core loose cultivators dream of?

He smiled reluctantly: "My lord, why force it? Actually, a Third-Tier low-grade or mid-grade cave dwelling should be enough for you..."

"No, I just want a Third-Tier high-grade cave dwelling. With your experience and knowledge, analyze it for me; what will happen then?"

Zhang Zhang Jiadi smiled bitterly, "What else can happen? Those with a lower realm than you, or even the same realm, or even a higher realm but insufficient financial resources, will inevitably swarm in. Even if my lord gets a Third-Tier high-grade cave dwelling, I am afraid you will not have peace when cultivating."

Luo Chen was thoughtful, and finally said slowly: "That is to say, I can only first take the star rating that matches my strength, or a higher star rating, and only after showing enough strength to the outside world can I avoid those troubles."

"That should be the case." Zhang Zhang Jiadi agreed.

Seeing that Luo Chen had figured it out, he also relaxed.

Unknowingly, for this Golden Core cultivator who held his handle, he had an extra sense of closeness in his heart, in addition to the initial resistance and fear.

If he really established a cultivation family in the future, just the Foundation Establishment realm might not be able to protect it.

If there was this Golden Core cultivator who seemed to have a good temper as a backer, then everything would be worry-free.

The topic ended here.

Seeing that the sun was past the zenith and the two women, Seeing Tianxuan and Wen Xiu, had not returned, Luo Chen did not chat much with Zhang Zhang Jiadi, but went into the room to continue tossing his Yuan Dan Technique.

This secret technique is worthy of being one of the two great secret techniques in the Three Arts and Two Techniques of the Falling Cloud Sect.

The difficulty of cultivation is far above "Locking the Pearl Curtain".

In the past half year, Luo Chen has failed six or seven times, almost failing once every month.

It was because the Hidden Dust Sand in his hand was of high enough quality, otherwise it would have been scrapped long ago.

But even so, according to what Han Zhan said, this Hidden Dust Sand could only support Luo Chen for another three or four attempts at most.

If there were any more, even if he succeeded, the quality of his second Golden Core would not be too high, and the upper limit of his achievement could be seen at a glance.

Don't even think about condensing a second Nascent Soul after forming the core in the future.

Luo Chen didn't want to reach that point, so recently, whenever he had time, he had been pondering how to better get started.

If it weren't for the ample time and the fact that the corresponding cultivation environment had not yet been implemented, he would not hesitate to use the achievement points on the system to get started with this secret technique.

For now, save where you can.

In the evening, Seeing Tianxuan and the others finally returned.

When Luo Chen came out, Seeing Tianxuan told him about what she saw and heard today, and said that she had to go out for a walk tomorrow.

Luo Chen did not stop her; anyway, he would definitely have to spend most of his time on cultivation in the future. The more familiar Seeing Tianxuan was with the situation here, the more she could help him.

Not only that, he also took out 1,000,000 spirit stones from his savings and handed them to the other party.

"Take it!"

"What's the point of just looking and not buying? You can also use this to understand the prices in Dragon Abyss City."

"Keep what you don't use; you don't have to look for me all the time when you need small amounts of spirit stones in the future."

Seeing Tianxuan, who was flattered, finally felt at ease after taking the standard spirit stones.

Time passed bit by bit in the water-grinding work of Luo Chen pondering the Yuan Dan Technique.

It wasn't until Luo Chen was almost impatient that there was news.

A sound-transmitting talisman flew grandly into the Zhang family's small courtyard.

Luo Chen pinched it out of thin air, and the spiritual sense attached to the sound-transmitting talisman reflected into his sea of consciousness.

"See you at the Hunter Division, the assessment mission is ready."

Luo Chen's expression condensed, and he muttered: "Is it finally ready..."

Subsequently, he stood up, changed out of the white clothes he was wearing, and put on the third red robe that Chengcheng Haixin had prepared for him.

Not only that, the long hair that had been let down during quiet cultivation was also tied behind his head with a jade hairpin.

With a water mirror in front, he looked at himself in the mirror.

Although his face was red, affecting the appearance, his features were rugged and his figure was straight, like a verdant pine and cypress.

Under the decent red gorgeous clothes, he wore an exquisite jade belt obtained from looting, and a jade hairpin on his head.

At a glance, there was even a feeling of being graceful.

This style was a bit conspicuous.

It was incompatible with the loose cultivator style that pursued low-key.

But Luo Chen in the mirror showed a satisfied smile.

Since it is the Ten Thousand Immortals Society where the weak are the prey of the strong, being conspicuous has its own benefits!

At the very least, it can save some unnecessary troubles brought by the weak.

Putting the Ten Thousand Soul Banner into the storage ring, everything was ready.

Luo Chen did not greet Zhang Zhang Jiadi and the others, but went straight out of the Zhang family's small courtyard and headed straight for the Hunter Division in the city.

A group of half-new and half-old palaces was located in the center of Dragon Abyss City.

In the middle, a large hall was engraved with the three characters "Hunter Division"; this was the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society's star-rated hunters!

Standing outside, Luo Chen watched the endless stream of cultivators coming in and out.

His sharp eyes fell on those cultivators from time to time, and even if they were just Qi Refining generation, he couldn't help but look at them a few more times.

"These loose cultivators, perhaps their realm is not very high, and their magic power is not very pure. But every one of them reveals an unusual fierce aura, which shows that they are all people who lick blood from the edge of a knife, and their combat experience must be extremely rich among those of the same realm."

"It is rumored that the term 'robber cultivator' was transformed from the pirates of the North Sea, and then flowed into other major states."

"Now it seems that the temperament of these loose cultivators is exactly the same as the rumors."

After examining for a moment, Luo Chen no longer hesitated and stepped straight into the Hunter Division.

As soon as he entered, a hearty laugh came.

"Daoist Luo, long time no see!"

Luo Chen smiled slightly and bowed to the white-haired old man, "Fishing Old Man, long time no see."

The old man's real name cannot be verified, and loose cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Society all call him Fishing Old Man.

He looks unassuming on the outside.

But if you really judge people by their appearance, you would be very wrong.

Fishing Old Man is over four hundred years old, his cultivation has reached the Ninth-Layer of Golden Core, and he is also one of the only three Eight-Star hunters in the Hunter Division!

His realm is high, and his strength is powerful, so even Luo Chen has to be careful in dealing with him.

Seeing Luo Chen's etiquette, Fishing Old Man also returned a Daoist salute.

There was no small talk, and Luo Chen went straight to the point.

"I don't know what my assessment mission is?"

"No rush!"

Fishing Old Man laughed, "Let me introduce two fellow Daoists to you first. This time, your assessment mission will be carried out at the same time. Get to know each other first, so it will be easier to increase the mission pass rate."

Subsequently, he clapped his hands.

The crisp clapping sound echoed in the hall.

Two figures walked in from outside the hall.

Just at the first moment he saw the two, Luo Chen's eyebrows frowned.

"What kind of assessment mission requires three Golden Core cultivators to carry out together?"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 578 =====