Chương 112: Chapter 109 – A New Home

Ren recounted to Hua the details of his new home that he had just learned, meager though they were.

"I've assigned an abode called The Edge. It's a bit of land separating a Sacred Ground and a Forbidden Region. As for what the two are, it doesn't explain, but it does say that both are extremely perilous. It also says that the sacred ground is treated as a reward and as custodian of The Edge, so I have special permission to enter once every 6 months. As for the Forbidden Region, it only says that I am free to seek death." Hua could only shrug.

"I don't understand. Is this place good or bad? Does it even matter if you can't enter either?" Ren didn't know either. He lacked the context to understand what it meant despite how ominous it sounded. He could only reply saying, "I suppose I'll find out once I get there. As long as I can grow spirit herbs in peace, it doesn't matter how dangerous the neighboring places are." Ren was confident in his ability to survive the harshest conditions.

He had different skills to earn wealth, and his combat strength wasn't low. Not to mention his experience in using arrays and formations to improve his surroundings. After all, hadn't he turned the inhospitable and impure mountain back home into a peerless cultivation abode for himself?

'And immediately alerted the elders!' Ren was quick to remind himself.

'I can't be cocky now. I don't have Elder Yun Peng watching over me here. I definitely need to be more careful!' Ren looked around and saw that some of the other disciples had already left for their new homes through the teleportation formation. But many lingered. Those graded as outer sect members were still immersed in their jade information tokens. Choosing not to wallow, Ren suggested to Hua that they look around outside for a while before going to their new homes.

The outer sect manager hadn't left them any instructions, and they were free to decide for themselves what their next actions would be. Hua agreed easily, and they left the opulent building. A young child approached them immediately after they left. The little girl had bright green hair and a carefree smile.

"Big brothers! Would you like a guide? For just 30 spirit stones, I can show you around the entire southern quadrant. I can take you to the best shops and tell you what you might need to know as new disciples. Not to worry, I've lived here all my life, so I can guide you well!" She proudly thumped her chest with a tiny fist. As much as he liked her attitude, Ren was shocked at her fee.

"30 spirit stones?! Just to show us around?"

"Not to worry, big brother! I'm not cheating you. Many take time to adjust to the wealth here, but you'll learn soon enough just how low my fees really are. Sooner, if you hire me!" That resonated with Ren because he too had noticed the disparity in wealth. It made sense that spirit stones would be far more common in a place with such high concentrations of qi. Wasn't the monthly stipend 200 spirit stones? Ren struggled to understand how the sect could afford to give away such an amount to so many disciples.

Though he didn't know how many inner sect disciples there were, it couldn't be a small number in a sect this vast. Still, he wasn't born yesterday.

"How about 20? And if you do a good job, then I'll throw in an extra five." Ren bargained. The clever child pouted cutely and said, "Big brother, I may be young, but you won't regret hiring me. So if I do a good job, you'll see for yourself why I deserve an extra ten spirit stones." Ren shook his head and agreed with a smile, handing her 10 spirit stones to begin with. The pout vanished and was replaced with a gap-toothed smile.

"Not to worry, big brothers! Little Cao Lan will guide you well! Now, as new disciples, you will first want to get your stipend. Many forget to claim it and suffer for months before being able to afford to return. I'll take you to the Qi Hall building, as it's closer than the Resource Hall. Both can give out the stipend." Ren and Hua followed her as she continued to chatter away.

"There are 7 Halls in the Azure Mountains. Sword, Discipline, Martial, Resource, Craft, Qi, and Learning Halls." Cao Lan recited from memory in a song-like manner.

"They have buildings in every quadrant and post vital missions and tasks, so make sure to visit regularly. They have all kinds of responsibilities that you can slowly learn about at the halls." Hua asked, "How is the Sword Hall different from the Martial Hall?"

"The Sword Hall deals with all matters pertaining to the Sword of the Celestial. The sect master oversees that hall. Someone like me can't know much about the details. As for the Martial Hall, they are said to prize fighting ability. Their missions are always the most dangerous, and all the strongest cultivators gather there for the techniques they provide." Cao Lan answered with an admiring gleam in her eyes. She then broke off and started pointing out a few shops on the way and praising them with enthusiasm.

Ren smiled fondly at the familiar antics. Cao Lan was proving to be a capable guide, and a good guide always made deals with certain shops to send customers their way. Despite being aware, Ren wasn't going to ignore her words either but first see for himself. The prices some of the small stalls were calling out were already frightening him, so it wasn't likely that he could afford anything to begin with. They soon reached the splendid Qi Hall, which stood out from its surroundings.

There were a large number of counters inside manned by employees dealing with the hundreds of cultivators coming and going. According to Cao Lan, who was waiting outside, the Qi Hall was responsible for mining and maintaining the spirit stone mines. On talking to a few people, Ren soon learned exactly why spirit stones were treated like dirt. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

It turned out that the sect owned hundreds of spirit stone mines of all qualities! In contrast, the Heavenly Sword Sect had owned 8, which was considered very high in comparison to lesser sects, who usually owned one. Learning that fact really hammered in the difference in status. However, because the low-grade spirit stones were by far the most common, the Azure Mountain Sect valued them less.

Though the amount of qi in a 100 low-grade spirit stones was still equal to a mid-grade spirit stone, the higher quality of qi in a mid-grade spirit stone was prioritized for cultivation and special transactions. The low-grade spirit stones were relegated to currency in the truest sense. All this was explained to them by the young man who checked their tokens and granted them their stipends. The 200 spirit stones suddenly felt like an insignificant amount as he stowed them away in his spatial ring.

Ren wanted to stay and learn more but decided to come back another time, as it wasn't pressing. He still hadn't read the information jade that the outer sect manager, had provided and didn't want to annoy others with inane questions. He spotted Cao Lan kicking a pebble and balancing it on her knee as she waited. She saw them and ran up.

"You have your stipend? Good. Where would the big brothers like to go next?" Wanting to learn more about the cultivator city that was the southern quadrant, they let Cao Lan lead them to the different halls, which they only observed from outside. Surprisingly, they tired easily as their bodies were still adjusting to the increased levels of qi. Despite that, when Hua saw the little girl tire from walking so much, he picked her up and let her ride his shoulders.

Cao Lan laughed uproariously and directed them from her new seat. Ren asked her if she knew about Sacred Grounds and Forbidden Regions, and she nodded with a frightened look.

"They are said to be terrifying places where greedy cultivators go missing all the time. Mother says that the Azure Mountain has 3 sacred grounds and 2 forbidden regions. You need to pay merit points to enter the sacred grounds but not for the forbidden regions. She said that only the very foolish go there. I've even heard her say there's a place where two of them almost touch, and it's famous for being a death trap." Ren wanted to cry.

'That might be my new abode you're describing in such a scary manner.' But by then Cao Lan had already moved on to the next bit of gossip she'd heard.

"Speaking of death traps, I recently heard that some unfortunate newcomer was crushed because he offended a young master of the Fang clan. Something about a fiancé. As my father always says, stay away from clan matters, and if you must interact, then be unfailingly polite! If you remember that, you won't have any difficulties. Not to worry! My father is very wise!" Reinforced by the same message so many times, Ren had already taken it to heart.

Cao Lan then showed them how to identify the buildings that held a node of the Sword Phase Formation to teleport from. There were many locations that were open to all but also a few that needed permission to enter, including the private territories of inner sect disciples. She herself didn't know, but an attendant at the node showed them how to share coordinates with each other, which Ren and Hua immediately did. When they could walk no further, Ren found a small street stall and bought them meat skewers.

It was delicious beyond belief and stuffed with qi, but it still hurt to spend 5 spirit stones for such a basic meal. As they sat and ate, Cao Lan told them about life as a child in the outer sect. Ren was fascinated by how different life was in his new sect. Her parents were cultivators but busy most of the time. She lived comfortably, but her parents encouraged her to be independent. So she and a few friends started giving tours to initiates of the Azure Mountains.

If she was found to have spirit roots in a year or so, then her parents would begin training her, but even if she wasn't fated and lacked spirit roots, she could still live out a luxurious mortal life with her parents or in one of the few mortal cities that the sect ruled. She didn't seem to stigmatize mortals, but she definitely wanted to be a brave cultivator and go on adventures someday.

"Have you been on any adventures, big brothers? I could tell you weren't from around here, so you must have traveled!" She asked with bright eyes. Hua told her about an expedition into a forest of lightning, infested with beasts, and the legendary fight they had with the king of that forest. Ren told her about the sword he made that flew faster than the wind. Getting into the swing of things, Hua told her about their time visiting a monastery on a lone mountain.

Ren told her about subspace filled with frenzied beasts. Cao Lan listened wide-eyed to their embellished tales, clapping with joy at times during exciting parts. Soon the sun started to set, and it was time for her to return.

"That concludes the tour. I had fun showing you around, big brothers!" Hua mussed her green hair with a laugh, and Ren paid her the remaining 20 spirit stones. She had been right about her service as a guide. She definitely deserved the extra spirit stones. She clasped her fists in a practiced martial salute and said, "Not to worry, big brothers! It isn't farewell. Next time I'll show you more of the markets, eateries, and even some hidden spots." She waved energetically and ran off.

Ren and Hua made plans to visit each other when they could after a month or two and to search for Mei Ling and the others. They also needed to accumulate enough spirit stones to use the teleportation formations, as they weren't quite sure how physically distant their new abodes were. With how dangerous a place called Ten Thousand Demon Valley could be, Ren handed over many of the medicines Mei Ling had given him. His brother was in for a tough time and needed them more than he did.

Hua tried to refuse, remembering what Cao Lan had said about The Edge, but Ren wouldn't hear of it. As long as he didn't enter the dangerous places next door, he would be fine. They clasped arms and then marched toward the Sword Phase formation node. Ren placed his token on the pedestal at the center and mentally selected the location for his one free trip. It was a similar experience to the teleportation in the monastery, yet entirely different.

It felt like he was falling through countless thin sheets, and when it ended, he sprawled on his back. He sat up with a groan and took in his surroundings. Before him were the foothills of a mountain. Looking up, there were two other peaks lined up behind the first one. There were two large gates on the left and right. On the left, he could see a beautiful glade that led into some tall trees and a small camp in front of the gate. On the right, he saw a desolate wasteland, dark and covered in thick fog.

The setting sun behind him made both sides appear equally eerie. Instead of approaching either gate, he followed his token's instructions and moved straight ahead. He encountered a pedestal and a set of stairs leading up. He placed his token on the pedestal and then dripped 3 drops of his blood from a finger to register his new abode. Once it was confirmed, Ren began the slow climb up. He had to stop frequently to rest his burning lungs and aching legs. Along the way, he confirmed one thing.

His new abode had unprecedentedly high levels of qi. That had to be a good thing, right? Right…?