Bachelor [EN]: Chapter 205

The path leading from the city gate was neither too narrow nor too wide, just the right size. It was spacious enough for four people to walk shoulder to shoulder or for two carriages pulled by spirit beasts to pass at the same time.

The buildings on both sides of the road, made of limestone, were clearly shops run by ordinary people, selling everyday goods.

Along the street, only ordinary people were selecting items and haggling over prices; no one paid any attention to Gok Hon and Han Li.

Han Li was idly watching this scene when he looked up and noticed quite a few lights moving in the sky. The cultivators were flying around on their magical artifacts.

It was truly astonishing that in Heavenly Star City, the best in the Chaotic Star Sea, one could fly around on magical artifacts. Han Li immediately took out the Wind Riding Shuttle, intending to fly up with Gok Hon.

“Esteemed Daoists, please wait a moment!”

A very thin man with a mustache on both sides of his mouth shouted from the side of the road and ran over, bowing respectfully.

The glint in his eyes suggested he was clever, but there was no trace of magical power emanating from him. Han Li, with a puzzled expression, raised an eyebrow and asked,

“What is it? Do you know me?”

“Haha! I am called Noi, and I am meeting you esteemed Daoists for the first time.”

Unlike Noi, who had a smile on his face, Han Li’s expression was not pleasant. Before Han Li could say anything, Noi hurriedly spoke.

“Esteemed Daoists, is this your first time in Heavenly Star City? You probably don’t know the geography or the situation here. I was born and raised here, so I know everything about Heavenly Star City like the back of my hand.

If you are looking for a place or have something to take care of, I can guide you and save you both time. I will serve you for two spirit stones.”

He finished speaking and looked at Han Li with an expectant gaze. He had already noticed that the young man among the two Daoists was the real decision-maker.

Han Li smiled lightly.

“Noi, you said? If you do a good job, I will give you five spirit stones. But if I am not satisfied, I won’t give you any, of course.”

Han Li boarded the Wind Riding Shuttle with Gok Hon, not even looking at the man. Standing on the Wind Riding Shuttle, Han Li looked down at Noi.

The thin man seemed to hesitate for a moment, but feeling Han Li’s gaze, he gritted his teeth.

“Yes! I will do as you say, Esteemed Daoist. Please don’t worry, I will surely satisfy you.”

Han Li nodded and brought the Wind Riding Shuttle close to the ground. Noi quickly approached and carefully climbed onto the Wind Riding Shuttle.

Afterward, the Wind Riding Shuttle slowly rose and flew towards the tall mountain in the center of the city.

When they reached a height of several dozen feet, Noi looked a little scared but didn’t tremble too much.

“It seems like this isn’t your first time riding a magical artifact. Do you often guide external Daoists?”

“I have guided about six or seven people before, but this is only the second time I’ve flown this high.”

Noi forced a smile. The sky several dozen feet above the ground was too high for ordinary people. As Noi’s face turned pale from the strong wind, Han Li smiled and deployed a blue barrier.

Only then did Noi’s face look much better. Before he could express his gratitude, Han Li spoke first.

“First, guide me to a place where I can cultivate without being disturbed.”

At Han Li’s words, Noi’s eyes darted around for a moment, then he glanced at the two Daoists’ hands.

Naturally, the red rings caught his eye, and he spoke as if he had just realized something.

“Esteemed Daoists, you plan to stay here long-term! That’s great. Do you see the numerous buildings on the Holy Mountain ahead?

You can choose any of them to cultivate in. From what I’ve heard from other Daoists, there is a spiritual vein [a concentrated source of spiritual energy] flowing throughout the entire mountain. The higher you reside on the mountain, the more concentrated the spiritual energy, but the price increases accordingly.

If you prefer to cultivate alone rather than in a regular residence, you can rent a pre-existing cave to secure your personal space. Of course, the cost is much higher than renting a room. Also, the rent is paid every ten years, and if you fail to pay on the next due date, people from the Star Palace will come and reclaim the residence.”

Noi quickly provided the information. Han Li found it quite interesting.

“Really? So, if I pay enough spirit stones, I can cultivate at the top of the mountain?”

Noi shook his head vigorously.

“Are you joking? Of course, the top is not allowed. Considering the rooms surrounding the lowest part of the Holy Mountain as the first floor, there are a total of 81 floors. The lower 50 floors are open to external Daoists, and anyone can stay and cultivate by paying spirit stones.

The next 30 floors are exclusively for the Star Palace’s esteemed members, and the top floor is where the two Star Lords of the Star Palace reside, so no one can trespass.”

“Then guide me.”

“Yes, I will guide you. Esteemed Daoist, please head towards the Holy Mountain. There is a pavilion at the foot of the mountain that specializes in handling these matters.”

No sooner had Noi finished speaking than the Wind Riding Shuttle turned into a streak of white light and shot towards the distant Holy Mountain.

The Holy Mountain didn’t seem that far away, but it took almost an hour to finally reach the foot of the mountain.

Following Noi’s directions, they saw a rather elegant pavilion.

It seemed many Daoists visited this place, as people were constantly flying up and down on their magical artifacts.

Upon entering the first floor of the pavilion, Han Li saw a dozen or so Daoists talking with white-robed cultivators across five small tables each.

Some looked excited, others were full of worry, and some were even pleading with the white-robed cultivators.

Han Li stood to one side, taking in the entire scene. After a while, Noi very cautiously nudged Han Li.

“Esteemed Daoist, there is a vacant spot over there. Shall we go?”

Han Li had also noticed the empty spot, so he simply nodded. However, this time, Gok Hon moved first, and Han Li followed behind. Noticing this change, Noi, who had thought Han Li was the decision-maker, followed cautiously.

The white-robed cultivator, who seemed to be from the Star Palace, bowed respectfully as soon as he saw Gok Hon.

“Senior, are you looking to rent a residence on the Holy Mountain? The higher the floor, the higher the price. Which floor would you like?”

Gok Hon replied expressionlessly.

“I want a cave. Is it available right away? The higher the location, the better.”

“If it’s a cave residence, please wait a moment. I will check right away!”

Realizing that the other party was not concerned about the price, the white-robed cultivator seemed to snap to attention and hurriedly began searching through a jade ledger.

“It’s possible! There are three spots available on the 31st floor, four on the 39th floor, and two on the 49th floor. Here, please check the prices, structures, and uses of each cave.”

He took out several books and placed them on the table. Gok Hon silently began to examine them.

Han Li had rarely felt short of spirit stones in the past few years and considered himself quite wealthy among the Core Formation cultivators. However, he was shocked by the cost of the cave residences.

The cost was astronomical, not just for the 49th floor but even for the 31st floor. Even though it was a ten-year contract, the price exceeded two or three thousand spirit stones, which was excessively expensive.

Gok Hon’s expression changed slightly, and he remained silent. Sensing the atmosphere, the white-robed cultivator explained.

“Senior, although the spiritual vein of our Holy Mountain may not be the best in the Chaotic Star Sea, I can confidently say that it is among the top five.

Just cultivating anywhere on the Holy Mountain will provide denser spiritual energy than other ordinary places, and above the 30th floor, the cultivation speed is at least a quarter faster than in other areas. Therefore, it is well worth paying such a high price.”

At those words, Han Li’s eyebrows twitched. At that moment, Gok Hon had finished reviewing all the books. Following Han Li’s instructions, he chose one, which was on the 39th floor.

“Let’s go with this one.”

The white-robed cultivator was delighted that Gok Hon had chosen a cave residence that required a significant payment and said,

“Yes, that will be 2,700 spirit stones!”

This time, Han Li stepped forward instead of Gok Hon and took out the spirit stones. The cultivator, with a wide grin, handed a yellow spirit token to Gok Hon as soon as he received the spirit stones.

“This is the spirit token to control the restrictions of the cave residence. You can freely enter and exit the residence using the spirit token, but it will be collected after ten years, so please keep it safe.”

Gok Hon took the spirit token and immediately turned to head towards the exit without a word. Han Li and Noi, who had not dared to interrupt until now, followed behind him.

After leaving the pavilion, Han Li sighed deeply and muttered a little gloomily,

“It’s really too expensive. To pay so many spirit stones just to find a place to cultivate.”

He felt like he had squandered his fortune in an instant. Noi cautiously looked at Han Li and asked in a small voice,

“Where would you like to go next?”

He was already greatly surprised by the huge amount of spirit stones that had changed hands. The Daoists he had guided before had only paid a few dozen or a few hundred spirit stones to find a residence at most.

A transaction involving two or three thousand spirit stones was truly a first for him. Noi became even more respectful towards Han Li and was determined to satisfy this client.

After all, since the other party had so much, he expected to be generously rewarded if he provided satisfactory guidance.

“I want to look around the city’s market. Introduce me to a relatively large store.”

Han Li took out the Wind Riding Shuttle again, and they all flew up.

Half a day later, Han Li was lying on a huge wooden bed, lost in thought. After Noi’s introduction, he had toured the main areas of Heavenly Star City and then paid the promised reward, sending Noi away.

After watching Noi leave with a joyful expression, he entered the 39th-floor cave.

As described in the books, it was located in a secluded and quiet place and had a large herb cultivation garden.

The most satisfying thing was that the spiritual energy was so abundant that it was incomparable to places with ordinary spiritual veins.

It was probably comparable to the cave residence he had stayed in in the Tiannan Region, and the restrictions protecting the residence were also formidable, not inferior to the simplified Five Elements Formation he possessed. It was worth paying such a huge amount.

Still, he couldn’t feel completely at ease with just the pre-installed formations, so he planned to rest for a bit and then install his own formations outside the existing formation range early the next morning.

This way, he could set up a long-term plan for cultivation with peace of mind. After finishing his thoughts, Han Li fell into a deep sleep without realizing it. He had been dozing off in the constantly shaking magical artifact for months, so it was no wonder he was exhausted.

The next morning, he woke up refreshed and busily moved his body.

He skillfully installed three sets of powerful formation artifacts outside the cave and then planted various spirit herb seeds in the herb garden, preparing to promote their growth in the future.

Finally, he went to the market and bought a large quantity of high-grade jade stones, then chose a secret room about a dozen feet in size and densely lined the walls with them.

As the entire secret room shimmered with jade light, Han Li carefully released the silver beetle-shaped Devouring Gold Beetles.

He had high expectations for the Devouring Gold Beetles, which were high in the hierarchy of insect demon beasts. He wanted to train them well so that they would become a valuable asset in his strength someday.