"This is the Spirit Wind City Area Distribution Map, Fellow Daoist can use it as a reference," said the green-clothed monk, as he passed another jade scroll to Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming took the jade scroll, and his Divine Sense penetrated into it.

The jade scroll contained a detailed introduction to the structure of Spirit Wind City. According to the records, the city was divided into upper, middle, and lower areas, with all of the shops located on the lower level. The middle and upper levels were residential areas, providing living quarters for cultivators who settled here.

As described in the jade scroll, the lower area was bustling with shops connected by stone steps and plank roads, and some places even had plazas excavated, teeming with crowds and a good number of ordinary people mixed in.

The middle area was mainly composed of cave mansions, packed closely together like a honeycomb with thousands of them.

By contrast, the number of cave mansions in the upper area was much sparser, spaced further apart, with only around a hundred or so.

Yuan Ming paid no attention to the shops in the lower level and looked towards the middle and upper areas.

The stone wall where Spirit Wind City was located was connected to the nearby spirit stone mine's Spirit Vein, and when the city was established years ago, an elder of the Spirit Talisman Sect had set up some kind of Forbidden Divine Skills to fix the Spirit Vein in place, making the Spiritual Power within the walls of Spirit Wind City more pure and stable.

Since the Spirit Vein flowed from the top down, the higher the location of the cave mansion, the more abundant the Spiritual Energy, and naturally, the more expensive the rent.

The place for renting the cave mansion was also the Spirit Wind Hall mentioned by the green-clothed monk.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Yuan Ming decided to split up with Zuo Qinghui. He would head to the Spirit Wind Hall in the middle area to rent a cave mansion, while Zuo Qinghui would go to the shopping area on the lower level to purchase other items required for Core Formation.

...

An hour later.

In front of Spirit Wind Hall, Yuan Ming stood still, surveying the building in front of him with a slightly distracted gaze.

This three-level pavilion, constructed from bamboo, wood, bricks, and tiles, with its four-pillared flying eaves, looked fairly standard, though it had a rather small footprint and hardly qualified as a hall. However, the three characters "Spirit Wind Hall" hanging above the door made it clear he had come to the right place.

The occasional cultivator entered and exited the door, most wearing broad hats or masks to hide their faces.

Yuan Ming's eyes flickered, wondering if, unlike usual cultivator cities where renting a dwelling required revealing one's true face and identity, Spirit Wind City might have no such requirement?

With this thought in mind, he also took out a gray mask and put it on, blending into the crowd and entering the Spirit Wind Hall.

This gray mask was acquired during the great battle at the Guiyuan Sect's Mine.

In that battle, Hua Zhi and Vajra had killed many cultivators from the Guiyuan Sect, and naturally, their storage magic tools were collected. The Two Beasts didn't have much use for these tools, so they handed them over to Yuan Ming afterward; the gray mask was found inside a Guiyuan Sect disciple's storage tool.

The mask didn't possess any special Divine Skills, its sole function was to block Divine Sense searching, so once worn, no one could see his True Face.

The inner space of Spirit Wind Hall was not big, yet it held seven or eight stone tables, making the space seem even more cramped.

Behind each stone table sat a cultivator dressed in the Spirit Talisman Sect's garb, serving those who came in.

Yuan Ming approached a vacant stone table and sat down.

"Does Fellow Daoist wish to rent a cave mansion or is it something else?" the Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator behind the stone table asked in a routine manner.

"Renting a cave mansion, the higher the location the better, ideally in the upper area," Yuan Ming said with a deep voice.

"The upper area? That's where cultivators in the Core Formation Stage reside, and the price is not cheap," the Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator then raised his head to look at Yuan Ming, showing a bit of surprise.

Yuan Ming did not speak, but his intention was clear.

"Well then, Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment. The rental of cave mansions in the upper area is handled by our sect's elder. I will go and ask him to come here," the Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator stood up and walked towards the back of Spirit Wind Hall, a glint of delight flashing in his eyes.

Securing a deal to rent a cave mansion in the upper area would earn him a substantial reward.

Shortly after, the Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator returned with a bald elder, who possessed a profound aura, clearly a Core Formation Stage existence.

"You wish to rent a cave mansion in the upper area? Here is the price list, take a look first," the bald elder sat down in front of Yuan Ming, placed a jade scroll on the table, and spoke in an even tone.

Yuan Ming, having already killed several Core Formation Stage cultivators, was not intimidated by the bald elder's presence and calmly took the jade scroll, his Divine Sense entering into it.

He frowned slightly soon after.

No wonder the Spirit Talisman Sect cultivator said the cave mansions in the upper area were not cheap. The yearly rent for any of them started at five or six hundred Spirit Stones, and all the cave mansions were rented at a minimum of five years. Those with a less impressive fortune simply couldn't afford it.

However, considering that it was where Core Formation Stage cultivators resided, the price was quite reasonable.

"I'll take Number 12 cave mansion, for ten years," Yuan Ming made his selection and stated.

Number 12 cave mansion, according to the jade scroll, was the highest located among the vacant cave mansions, with a five-year rent of more than ten thousand Spirit Stones, extraordinarily expensive.

But he needed to concentrate on advancing to the Core Formation Stage, and although he made many preparations in advance, he still hoped the Spiritual Energy in the cave mansion would be as dense as possible, as success could hinge on just that bit more.

This was one instance where he wouldn't skimp on spending the necessary Spirit Stones.

Yuan Ming swept his sleeve over the table, and a small pile of Mid-grade Spirit Stones floated into view.

"The wealth of Your Excellency is indeed substantial," the bald elder appraised Yuan Ming, his surprise turning into a smile.

The bald elder counted the Spirit Stones, took them all, and handed Yuan Ming a white Jade Talisman engraved with the number twelve, saying, "This is the Forbidden Jade Talisman for Cave Mansion number twelve. It will automatically expire after ten years. If Your Excellency wishes to renew the lease, you will need to make another trip here."

After speaking, the bald elder didn't wait for Yuan Ming to reply; he turned and walked away on his own.

Seeing this, Yuan Ming touched his nose through the mask.

The management of Spirit Wind City was indeed lax toward Loose Cultivators; there was no need to leave a name, and no need to reveal one's True Face. The handing over of Spirit Stones was enough to obtain a Cave Mansion. For someone like him with secrets to hide, this was more than satisfactory.

He picked up the Jade Talisman and walked out of Spirit Wind Hall, ready to take a look at his new Cave Mansion.

At that moment, a Cultivator wearing a blue cloak, who looked rather petite, approached. Their body and face were hidden under the cloak as they brushed past Yuan Ming, heading straight for Spirit Wind Hall.

Yuan Ming paused in his steps, a look of surprise in his eyes, then light flickered beneath his feet as his figure soared into the sky, blending into the myriad of tunneling lights above.

The person in the blue robe seemed to sense something and looked back.

The place behind them was empty and nothing seemed amiss.

The figure in the blue robe appeared relieved and quickly stepped into Spirit Wind Hall.

At this moment, standing dozens of feet above Spirit Wind Hall, Yuan Ming stood in the void on a White Jade Shuttle, his expression fluctuating.

Just now, he'd sensed the aura of the person in the blue cloak, despite its ability to shield auras; his Divine Sense was strong enough to detect it. Surprisingly, it was Yan Sijing from Hundred Pills Square.

What was she doing in Spirit Wind City, moving so secretively? It didn't seem like she was here to conduct business. Could it be that Yu Hong's death had been exposed and she had come to hide from the pursuit of Thunderbolt Ancestor?

After a moment's thought, Yuan Ming shook his head and flew toward the upper area.

No matter why Yan Sijing was here, it had little to do with him. At this critical juncture, he did not wish to get entangled with her.

Yuan Ming, following the map, went straight to Cave Mansion number twelve.

This Cave Mansion was directly carved into the cliff face, spanning a large area, with five or six rooms, a Medicine Garden, and even an Earth Fire Room that could channel Earth Fire for Alchemy or Artifact Refining. It was even more complete than the one Sha Hao had established.

The Spiritual Energy here was as rich as described by the people from Spirit Wind Hall, much stronger than anything he had experienced before, making it well worth the numerous Spirit Stones he had spent.

After thoroughly inspecting the inside and outside of the Cave Mansion without finding anything untoward, Yuan Ming took out three Arrays and started to arrange them throughout the Cave Mansion.

These three Arrays were the Five Elements Illusion Destruction Array, the Golden Snake Entanglement Array, and the Houtu Rock Formation.

The Golden Snake Entanglement Array and the Houtu Rock Formation were obtained from Master Lu in Xiansha City.

After returning to Xiansha City from the Guiyuan Sect's Mine, he delivered the corpse of the Red Gold Centipede to Master Lu. In great spirits and bearing a favorable impression of Yuan Ming, Master Lu allowed Yuan Ming to choose two Arrays and gave them to him at a significant discount.

Yuan Ming quickly set up the three Arrays, and only then did he comfortably sit cross-legged in the Cave Mansion, and took a short rest.

Before long, Zuo Qinghui flew in from the lower region. He had toured around Spirit Wind City and acquired a clear understanding of the city's environment, bringing with him the few items Yuan Ming still needed for his Core Formation breakthrough.

"In the time to come, you all will guard me from outside while not neglecting your own cultivation," Yuan Ming called forth Vajra, Hua Zhi, and Lei Yu, instructing them.

With the abundant Spiritual Energy within the Cave Mansion, it was natural to make the most of it.

Vajra nodded silently.

"Don't worry, Master. We will guard the outside well and ensure no one disturbs you," Hua Zhi assured, thumping her chest.

Lei Yu also gave a soft cry and flapped its wings a few times to indicate it understood Yuan Ming's instructions.

Zuo Qinghui handed over the items he had bought to Yuan Ming, then turned around and left the Cave Mansion once again.

"Isn't Zuo Qinghui staying?" Hua Zhi asked telepathically upon seeing this.

"Your protection is sufficient. Zuo Qinghui has other matters to attend to," Yuan Ming replied.

Hua Zhi acknowledged with an "Oh" and inquired no further.

Yuan Ming left a few more instructions for the three beasts, then took all the items he had prepared and entered the most Spiritually Energized room in the Cave Mansion, sealing himself in for Life and Death Seclusion.

Given his current level of Cultivation, he was fully capable of fasting, but he intended to not leave this room until he had successfully formed a Golden Core in one fell swoop.

Now that the Cave Mansion was guarded by the three beasts, and the soul split's control was in the flexible and mobile Zuo Qinghui, who was closely monitoring the outside world, there was no need for him to be overly concerned.

Thus, Yuan Ming first laid out a Gathering Spirit Formation inside the room, inserted a sufficient number of Spirit Stones, then summoned the Stealing Heaven Tripod next to him, ignited a stick of Spirit Incense...

After arranging all the preparatory tasks, he returned to the cushion, sat cross-legged, consumed an elixir, and as the faint blue smoke rose, he gradually closed his eyes.

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