Chapter 229: Renting a Cave Dwelling, Everything is Ready

"What are you saying, you are welcome, absolutely welcome!"

Regardless of the other party's background, offending a Golden Core Real Person was by no means a wise move, so Liu Zongxing hurriedly piled on a smile:

"I will register you right away and issue your identity token, please wait a moment."

As he spoke, he quickly had his subordinate fetch a distinctive jade token glowing with a purple hue, and after recording the information with a strange jade plate, he presented it respectfully with both hands:

"Senior, this is the Purple Heaven Token that only a Golden Core Real Person in the Immortal City can hold, and it is for long-term residence in the Immortal City; please accept it."

Lu Yuan nodded, put it away, and then said:

"I intend to rent a cave dwelling in the Immortal City; I wonder where I should go?"

Liu Zongxing immediately said:

"If Senior wants to rent a cave dwelling, you can go to the Immortal Residence Hall. Since you are new here, you must be unfamiliar with this place. How about I take you there?"

Lu Yuan had no objections: "Good, sorry to trouble you."

Liu Zongxing immediately gave instructions to his subordinate cultivators, then left the pavilion and personally led Lu Yuan, flying toward the direction of the Immortal Residence Hall in the city.

The Main City area was quite large. Although cultivators were allowed to fly, it was limited to the airspace above the main roads; one could not just fly however one pleased. Under Liu Zongxing's guidance, in just a moment, Lu Yuan had flown over thirty miles and landed in front of a rather imposing pavilion.

Stepping inside, one could see an office hall at first glance, which was quite noisy. Many loose cultivators in simple clothing, acting with caution, were scattered in front of several counters, consulting about matters.

"Move aside, move aside!"

Liu Zongxing had a bit of a "fox borrowing the tiger's might" air about him. As soon as he entered, he shouted and drove the blocking loose cultivators to the side, then said to the working cultivator:

"Quickly call your Manager Qian to come out personally; I have a distinguished guest who needs to be received!"

The working cultivator, seeing it was Liu Zongxing, did not dare to be negligent at all and immediately went upstairs to report. Soon, a rather portly cultivator hurried down, his gaze landing first on Lu Yuan behind Liu Zongxing:

"Manager Liu, who is this?"

"This Senior is a very distinguished guest."

Liu Zongxing deliberately kept him in suspense and smiled:

"This is not the place to talk; why don't you invite us to sit in the inner hall?"

Anyone who could be called Senior by Liu Zongxing was nine times out of ten a Golden Core Real Person. Qian Siming reacted immediately and said eagerly:

"Please, Senior, please! I will have someone serve tea right away!"

Amidst the awe-filled gazes of the surrounding cultivators, Lu Yuan swaggered in behind the other party into the elegant and quiet inner hall, where a maid served Spirit Tea.

After they were seated, Qian Siming looked at Lu Yuan and smiled politely:

"This Senior is quite a new face; may I ask who you are?"

Lu Yuan slightly released a trace of his Dharma Power aura, causing the two managers' hearts to tighten as they felt the immense spiritual pressure, before he said unhurriedly:

"I am but a lone crane, having traveled here and intending to stay temporarily in Longshan Immortal City. I plan to rent a cave dwelling with richer Spiritual Machine; is that possible?"

"Yes, of course it is!"

Having confirmed from the powerful Dharma Power aura just now that the other party was a genuine Golden Core Cultivator, Qian Siming hurriedly instructed the waiter outside:

"Quick, go bring the marked map of the cave dwellings!"

The two waiters took the order and soon brought in a huge map. After unfolding it, it displayed the location and general situation of each cave dwelling within the Immortal City area in great detail.

Lu Yuan swept his divine sense over it, and before he could ask, he saw Qian Siming walk to the map and introduce it enthusiastically:

"With Senior's cultivation, only the superior cave dwellings of the Immortal City can match your status. Most superior cave dwellings are established on the periphery of the Spirit Pulse core, with the concentration of Spiritual Machine stable at the third-rank intermediate level or above, which can fully satisfy the cultivation needs of a Golden Core Real Person."

"However, there are not many such cave dwellings established in the Immortal City, totaling less than twenty. Most of them have already been allocated to other Golden Core Real Persons, and now there are only five available for selection."

"Each superior cave dwelling is one peak, one dwelling. Each peak is equipped with protective Array Formations, and they are fully equipped with quiet rooms, medicine gardens, fire rooms, and so on. I have already marked the five cave dwellings. Would you like me to take you to inspect them one by one?"

Lu Yuan took a brief look and was shocked to discover that the five superior cave dwellings actually included Bai Qianfeng's dwelling, and he could not help but chuckle silently in his heart.

Bai Qianfeng's cave dwelling was not rented with money, but allocated for free by the Immortal City. But clearly, superior cave dwellings possessed great value, so after the person fell, the cave dwelling was reclaimed by the Immortal City.

He did not reveal anything and asked:

"What are the rental prices for these five cave dwellings respectively?"

Qian Siming replied:

"Reporting to Senior, the prices for the locations of the superior cave dwellings are all about the same, with an annual rental price of about 1,500 Spirit Money. If you live here for a long time, I can give you a ten percent discount."

"1,500 Spirit Money?"

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow:

"If I rent it for ten years, wouldn't that be over 10,000 Spirit Money? This price seems a bit expensive, doesn't it?"

As the hard currency of the Yuanling Heaven cultivation world, Spirit Money could not be printed and over-issued at will like paper money in modern Earth society to cause inflation.

Although the exploration and mining of Spirit Stone mines associated with Spirit Pulses in the cultivation world were always ongoing, Spirit Money made from Spirit Stones had a wide range of uses itself, such as for cultivation, artifact refining, and Array Formation, and it was constantly being consumed as it was produced, so its value and purchasing power had always been very stable.

In the case of Longshan Immortal City, an ordinary late-stage Qi Refining cultivator might not even earn 100 Spirit Money after a year of diligent work, and 1,000 Spirit Money was an amount that even a Foundation Establishment master would need to have a specialized skill and spend a great deal of time and energy to potentially earn.

Under these circumstances, 1,500 Spirit Money for one cave dwelling per year could not be called cheap.

Usually, if an ordinary cultivator dared to haggle over the rental price of a cave dwelling, Qian Siming would have already spat at them, but now, facing Lu Yuan, he was humble and patient:

"Senior, this price was set by the high-level officials of the Immortal City, not something I am shouting randomly. You get what you pay for. You should know what level a superior cave dwelling with a third-rank intermediate concentration of Spiritual Machine is. Moreover, there is the Nine Thunders Demon-Suppressing Array in this Main City area, so even if a large-scale Corpse Tide surrounds the city, it can be kept safe. The safety is absolutely guaranteed. In this day and age, it is not easy to own such a cave dwelling that is both rich in Spiritual Machine and has safety guarantees."

"Of course, if you think it is expensive, I can fully understand. In fact, this price is aimed at completely unfamiliar foreign cultivators. There is another way to get a larger discount, or even waive the rental fee."

"Oh?"

Lu Yuan asked, knowing the answer:

"What way?"

Qian Siming smiled:

"Longshan Immortal City is thirsty for talent. With your cultivation and status, if you are willing to join the Immortal City and sign a contract, you can get a discount of more than 50% on the rent. If you sign a special-grade contract, you can even be exempt from paying Spirit Stones, and the Immortal City can allocate a cave dwelling for free for your cultivation. Are you interested?"

"Special-grade contract..."

Lu Yuan said with a calm expression:

"No need. I am used to being a lone crane and do not want to be bound by anything for the time being. If I have to pay the Spirit Stones, then so be it. Take me to see these five cave dwellings first, and then I will decide which one to rent."

Having performed Soul Searching on Bai Qianfeng, he naturally knew that Longshan Immortal City had five tiers of contracts for rogue cultivators and visiting cultivators: a special tier, plus tiers one through four.

The obligations, rights, and benefits differed for each tier of contract; the special tier was the highest-level contract aimed at Golden Core Cultivators, and once signed, one would receive a superior cave dwelling allocated by the Immortal City and be assigned a position, with the cost being that one must garrison the Immortal City for fifty years and obey all summons in emergencies, with no fleeing allowed in the face of battle.

This kind of Spirit Contract required a Dao Heart oath, which inherently possessed significant binding power; even if someone were stubborn enough to ignore the damage to their Dao Heart and choose to flee without fulfilling their obligations, they would eventually end up on the Immortal Alliance's wanted list, be wanted by every Immortal City in Xiyanzhou, and have nowhere left to hide in the vast world.

Understanding that a Golden Core level figure could not be recruited by his own words alone, Qian Siming kept his smile unchanged and did not say much more, only respectfully saying:

"Understood, this junior will take you to inspect the cave dwellings now."

Saying this, he gave an instruction to an attendant and then personally led Lu Yuan to several cave dwellings.

As for Liu Zongxing, he did not continue to follow, but instead left immediately after watching them depart to report the matter to higher authorities.

Lu Yuan was well aware of this but did not care in the slightest; he followed Qian Siming with an unhurried air to the locations of the five cave dwellings and inspected them one by one.

Outside the Main City was a stretch of continuous peaks, and all superior cave dwellings were established upon these peaks; including Bai Qianfeng's cave dwelling, they were all in relatively peripheral areas.

After inspecting them one by one, Lu Yuan found that the Spiritual Machine environments of these five cave dwellings were indeed much the same, with the only difference being their layout and form.

After looking around, he immediately chose a cave dwelling on the elegant Zizhu Peak, then paid four thousand five hundred Spirit Money to lease this cave dwelling for three years.

And it was just when he had finished confirming the cave dwelling to lease.

On Liuyun Peak, not far from the highest peak of the Immortal City, Linglong Peak, the True Monarch Huanglong's True Disciple, Liuyun Zhenren, who currently managed the affairs of the Immortal City, had already received the report from the manager Liu Zongxing.

"Oh? A strange Golden Core Real Person has come to the Immortal City and wants to lease a superior cave dwelling?"

Liuyun Zhenren asked with interest:

"What is this person's background?"

Liu Zongxing shook his head and said:

"I once asked, but this person only claimed to be a rogue cultivator wandering the world; he did not mention a single word about his specific background."

Liuyun Zhenren's expression became even more intrigued:

"A Golden Core Stage rogue cultivator? In this era, without the support of family or sect forces, cultivators who can reach this realm are truly few and far between; this person's background seems a bit unusual."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zongxing immediately said with some gravity:

"Zhenren, could this person be some kind of bandit cultivator or Evil Method practitioner from the inner regions who has changed their appearance and run over to us?"

The vast Xiyanzhou has now seen about half of its territory fall under the Corpse Demon Catastrophe, but the inner regions behind the various defensive lines are actually barely safe and stable.

And in such a relatively stable environment, it is inevitable that dregs of cultivators like bandit cultivators and Evil Method practitioners appear; they ambush and kill other cultivators to snatch resources, or practice Evil Methods and demonic arts, and perform Blood Sacrifice on mortals, making them existences that everyone shouts to beat.

These people are hunted and intercepted by major Immortal Cities in the inner regions, and once they can no longer survive, they flee to the outer defensive lines and change into a new identity.

Regarding Liu Zongxing's speculation, Liuyun Zhenren said indifferently:

"Since the background is unknown, that possibility cannot be ruled out. Do you know what this person's specific cultivation level is?"

Liu Zongxing recalled:

"This person's Dharma Power is unfathomable; it gives me the feeling that it is perhaps slightly stronger than the few Golden Core early-stage cultivators I have seen before, so it is possible they are at the Golden Core mid-stage."

"Golden Core mid-stage?"

Liuyun Zhenren smiled:

"Then we must pay even more attention to them. Three Golden Core Real Persons fell just a few days ago; if we can absorb this person into the War Hall, it would indeed make up for a significant gap in combat power."

Liu Zongxing was stunned for a moment and said with some surprise:

"But Zhenren, this person's background is unknown; if we absorb them into the War Hall..."

Liuyun Zhenren said dismissively:

"Longshan Immortal City is vast and inclusive; there have never been a shortage of criminal cultivators and bandit cultivators hiding here. No matter what background or past this Golden Core Cultivator surnamed Lu has, as long as they are well-behaved in this Immortal City, they are a usable talent who can play a role."

A Golden Core mid-stage Real Person, while already a figure of some standing wherever they go, is one of nearly twenty Golden Core Real Persons in this Longshan Immortal City, which is also presided over by two Nascent Soul cultivators, True Monarch Huanglong and Wei Bufan, and even Liuyun Zhenren himself is a Golden Core late-stage cultivator; a Golden Core mid-stage is really not something he takes much to heart.

For him, the only thing he considered was whether this person could be used by the Immortal City.

Thinking of this, before Liu Zongxing could say anything, Liuyun Zhenren spoke again:

"You may go down; come and inform me once that person has selected their cave dwelling, and I will choose a day to visit and see what this person is made of."

Liu Zongxing immediately agreed:

"Yes, I will go now!"

Soon.

After paying the Spirit Money, Lu Yuan received the core array disk for Zizhu Peak, which was equivalent to the key to the cave dwelling, and officially moved into this cave dwelling.

A large cave dwelling naturally required servants to do some cleaning and maintenance work; Qian Siming eagerly recommended a place that specifically provided servants, Meeting Heroes Tower, on the spot. Lu Yuan could not be bothered with the trouble, so he simply let the other party arrange it and sent a batch of servants to Zizhu Peak.

There were twelve servants sent in total, mostly young women, all of them with clear and beautiful faces and graceful figures, but their cultivation levels were mostly low, only at the Qi Refining early-stage, with a few at the Qi Refining mid-stage.

According to the introduction by the manager of Meeting Heroes Tower, these women were mostly selected from mortals for their excellent aptitude, and each and every one of them had been trained; they could welcome guests, look after spiritual plants, and raise spiritual birds and beasts—it could be said they knew how to do everything, and even if they didn't, they could quickly learn with a little guidance.

Lu Yuan made a simple comparison and chose two of the most mature and beautiful women with the highest cultivation levels as his servants, and they started work that very day.

Of course, to guard against these two women being secret agents planted by Longshan Immortal City, he first used his Nightmare Prayer Divine Ability to brand them with a Thought Imprint, making them instantly become loyal and devoted.

Afterwards, Lu Yuan settled down completely and officially began his great undertaking of seclusion, preparing to break through the threshold of the mid-stage of Refining Qi into Spirit in one go.