Chapter 145: Chapter 141: Foundation Establishment Auxiliary Materials, Immortal City’s Layout

Lin Changheng’s spirits soared. This was a good omen. To get such a haul before he had even properly entered Floating Immortal City...

"Perhaps this Immortal City really is my lucky place!"

’Then again,’ he thought, ’that group of Cultivators were all at the Eighth or Ninth Layer of Qi Cultivation. It makes sense that they were preparing for Foundation Establishment. Of course they wouldn’t pass up medicinal materials for the Foundation Establishment Pill. And I was the one who reaped the benefit in the end.’

The remaining miscellaneous items—bottles and jars of Elixirs and Poisons, plus a few scattered Talismans—were likely worth two or three hundred Spirit Stones in total.

He decided to keep the Talismans and Poisons for his own use, but he had no intention of consuming the Elixirs.

As an Upper Grade Alchemist, he had very high standards for Elixirs and would only consume the Upper Grade Pills he refined himself. These Elixirs of unknown origin were beneath his notice.

Now, however, he didn’t have to worry about them going to waste. He had the perfect way to take care of them—his Black Armored Earth Turtle could consume these Elixirs for him.

"CHEEP..."

The millstone-sized Black Armored Earth Turtle appeared, looking utterly listless.

Amused, Lin Changheng tapped an Elixir Bottle against the edge of the table. A crisp sound rang out, and the Black Armored Earth Turtle immediately jolted, craning its neck to look around.

Its eyes, as large as a baby’s fist, were like cloudy, dust-covered amber, scanning its surroundings with longing.

Soon, its gaze met Lin Changheng’s, which were tinged with amusement.

"CHEEP... GURGLE..."

The young turtle made a placating sound and quickly scrambled over to Lin Changheng’s feet, nuzzling his leg gently with its head.

"Here."

A Middle Grade Elixir that could advance one’s Cultivation was flicked from his finger, landing precisely in the young turtle’s excitedly opened mouth.

But the turtle on the ground didn’t swallow it immediately. Instead, it held the pill in its mouth, licking it repeatedly.

It was like a child licking a candy figurine, savoring every bit.

"Heh, you know how to savor it."

Shaking his head with a laugh, Lin Changheng’s gaze fell upon the turtle’s Armor Shell, which was as black as iron.

He saw that its surface was covered in fine, dense, and somewhat chaotic cracks that had not yet formed complete Spirit Patterns.

’Still at Tier One Early Stage.’

’Once the Spirit Patterns connect and form a basic, cohesive whole, it will have reached Tier One Middle Stage.’

But the Black Armored Earth Turtle’s progress was quite obvious. Lin Changheng even had a feeling that in another half a year or so, the turtle would advance to Tier One Middle Stage.

This was a massive acceleration compared to the typically slow growth of turtle-type Demon Beasts.

"This is all the result of piling on Elixirs."

Lin Changheng sighed in reflection. With enough resources, even a pig could be made to fly, to say nothing of a Black Armored Earth Turtle that already possessed the Profound Spirit Bloodline.

He also began to vaguely understand why things like Beast Eggs weren’t particularly expensive.

For one, whether it would even hatch was a problem. And even if it did, there was no telling what its condition would be.

A dragon has nine sons, and each is different. Even kings and generals can sire worthless offspring.

On top of that, after it hatched, one had to invest an extremely long time and a veritable sea of resources to raise it...

And even then, the final result was never a sure thing, as accidents could always happen.

Wouldn’t the return on investment be far more apparent if those same resources were spent on a clan’s genius instead?

This was why a Cultivation Clan like the Xu Family, which was desperate to increase its strength, would prioritize nurturing its own geniuses. Young Spirit Beasts came second, and Spirit Beast Eggs were a distant last.

And this was indeed the reality. The practice of raising Spirit Beasts to protect the clan was more commonly seen among Cultivation Clans that had resources to spare.

...

After dealing with all that, he still wasn’t finished.

Lin Changheng began his routine, first with a Medicated Bath for Body Refining, then by using the True Intent of his Rongsheng Divine Abilities to nurture two Spirit Plants.

He was finally pushing forward with the progress that had been stalled for the past half-year.

He kept busy late into the night before finally falling into a deep, contented sleep.

It was an especially peaceful and restful sleep.

「The next day.」

After a night’s rest, Lin Changheng awoke feeling refreshed and clear-headed. He found a brokerage and began inquiring about renting a Cave Mansion or a courtyard residence.

The man who received him was sturdy and well-built, with a Cultivation at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation. His hands and feet were coarse, and he looked like someone accustomed to manual labor.

However, after a brief conversation, Lin Changheng discovered the man’s appearance was deceiving. He was meticulous in his thoughts and possessed a polished smoothness in dealing with people that could only have come from years of practice.

"Could you give me an overview of the available rental properties? I’m looking for something moderately priced, nothing too expensive."

Lin Changheng said with a smile.

"Of course, Senior. Please follow me."

Fang Daming immediately stood up and led the way. They passed through the crowd in the shop and arrived at a side room, one after the other. As soon as they entered, a giant painting hanging on the wall caught his eye.

But it was densely covered with annotations and circled points, marking core geographical landmarks, the distribution of Cave Mansions, and residential zones.

It was, in fact, a rough map of Floating Immortal City.

Lin Changheng saw with a single glance that the Immortal City was clearly divided, laid out in concentric rings.

At its very core was an enormous lake, dozens of li wide, surrounding a central island used by the Core Formation Master, "Qing Lan Wanderer," and his disciples.

Lin Changheng had heard of them before; he knew they were called Fusheng Lake and Feather Immortal Island, respectively.

A massive Tier Three Upper Grade Spiritual Vein snaked along the bottom of the lake, which was not open to the public.

Later, a few small islands had been newly created in the lake and offered to invited Core Formation and Fake Core Masters who came to settle in the Immortal City.

The details of the inner part of the lake and Feather Immortal Island were not known to outsiders.

On the outer shores of the lake, however, a series of High Level Cave Mansions had been established. They were available for rent to Foundation Establishment Cultivators and cultivators with Tier Two Skills. Beneath them were branches of the Tier Three Spiritual Vein, providing Spiritual Qi with a concentration and quality of roughly Tier Two Middle Grade, all set in a beautiful environment.

Ordinary Cultivators could also rent them, but at a fifty percent surcharge and with a minimum one-year lease.

Yet people still flocked to them one after another, because the Tier Two Middle Grade Spiritual Qi came from a Tier Three Spiritual Vein. The supply was stable, and it was potent enough to be used for breaking through to Foundation Establishment!

Moreover, the area was surrounded by Foundation Establishment Cultivators and was right under the noses of Core Formation Masters, making it exceptionally safe. No one dared to cause trouble, so it was an ideal place to attempt a breakthrough to Foundation Establishment.

That was why it was in such high demand.

These two areas were known as the Inner Lake and the Outer Lake.

Further out were the Inner City and the Outer City.

These constituted the main body of the Immortal City’s "Marketplace" function.

The Inner City contained an array of high-quality shops, Immortal Inns, and residential zones. The environment was pleasant, and the Spiritual Qi was at Tier One Upper Grade.

However, sitting in meditation to cultivate was forbidden outside of the Immortal Inns and residences. Anyone discovered doing so would be immediately expelled and have their Spirit Stones confiscated. Repeat offenders would be permanently banned from the Immortal City.

The caliber of the residents was also much higher, making it an ideal area for long-term residence.

The Outer City was essentially an enhanced version of the shantytowns that had existed outside the previous Marketplace. The Spiritual Qi was merely Tier One Lower Grade, and the caliber of the Cultivators was much lower, making it unsuitable for Lin Changheng.

"Senior, you mentioned you weren’t fond of standard housing. Are you planning to rent a small courtyard in the Inner City?"

Fang Daming asked respectfully.

"That’s right. I’d love to rent a Cave Mansion in the Outer Lake, but my circumstances don’t allow for it."

Lin Changheng said, deliberately teasing.

"My eyes may not be sharp, but even I can tell that you have an extraordinary bearing and profound Magical Power, Senior. Reaching Foundation Establishment will surely be no issue for you."

Fang Daming flattered him smoothly.

"Hahaha, I’ll take you up on those auspicious words! When I do break through to Foundation Establishment, I’ll be sure to come back to you for a recommendation for an Outer Lake Cave Mansion. You can earn another commission then!"

Lin Changheng let out a hearty laugh, not at all rejecting the "kind words."

"Thank you, Senior." Fang Daming chuckled in agreement, then walked over to the map and pointed out two areas. "Senior, please take a look at these two sets of courtyards. Which one do you prefer?"

"What’s the difference?"

Lin Changheng stepped closer to look, but he couldn’t spot any difference and asked.

"There’s no difference in the architectural layout, and the distance to the marketplace is similar. The only difference is in the neighbors."

Fang Daming didn’t hesitate, launching smoothly into his explanation.

"Oh? The neighbors?" Lin Changheng was taken aback; he hadn’t expected that answer.

"In this area, ’Qi Xia Residence,’ sixty percent of the residents are Cultivators who frequently go out for Demon Hunting and Magical Combat. As for the residents of ’Yunjian Que,’ more or less all of them possess some kind of Skill."

"It wasn’t always like this; everyone used to live mixed together. But later, to increase our rental success rate, our brokerage started offering a ’choose your neighbors’ service, and it gradually evolved into the current situation..."

Fang Daming explained, then added, "But please rest assured, Senior. Regardless of the location, there are no safety concerns. With the Immortal City’s Law Enforcement Team on patrol, no one dares to break the rules—aside from a few with a death wish."

"Hmm, I’ll take ’Yunjian Que,’ then."

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