章節 41: North Ghu City
North Ghu City was simply unlike anything that Yaan was familiar with. The scale and quality of North Ghu City was hundreds of times greater than any mortal city, whilst its population density was many times higher than any sort of sect.
Each building in this place was unique. Some resembled small wooden shacks, others were closer to palaces, whilst a few opted for the temple aesthetic. Yaan was familiar with all of these architectures, but it felt as if everything had been scaled up, both in terms of its size and in majesty.
Despite there being many people walking along the streets, it never felt the least bit crowded. The grey marble roads between the two sides of the street were too lavish; these roads were so wide that twenty people would be able to walk side by side comfortably!
The sheer scale of everything left Yaan staring with wide eyes as he slowly made his way deeper into the city.
The number of powerful cultivators in the city was also shocking.
When it came to the people who kept their auras restrained, it was impossible for Yaan to assess their strength. Others were more open though, showcasing their cultivation levels through their auras. From this, Yaan realised that there was no lack of Innate Qi and Qi Temple Realm cultivators in this city….in fact, even Spirit Core Realm elders could be seen from time to time!
Only those people with sufficient strength or backing dared to release their auras so confidently. As for Yaan, his actions were very restrained and cautious, he wouldn't needlessly draw attention to himself. Whilst he understood the law in this city, he did not know just how strictly these rules were enforced.
It was lucky that aside from Origin Soul Realm cultivators and those with strange investigatory spells or other methods, it was impossible for cultivators to comprehend the intricacies of someone's cultivation with a simple glance. If others were able to see through the truth of Yaan's cultivation so easily, they would certainly discover that he cultivated his body rather than Innate Qi.
When Great Elder Wan died, the concealment method on Yaan's body also dissipated, along with the dormant slave seal.
Even now, Yaan was still unaware that he had been imprinted with a slave seal back in the Heavenly Path Sect.
North Ghu City was designed with both temporary and permanent residents in mind. Because of the excellent management which adeptly catered to newcomers like Yaan, it didn't take him long to find a cheap residential area.
Yaan opted for a simple temple abode, but even this was exorbitantly expensive, costing one Rank 2 recovery pill every other month. This was, after all, a cultivation city. Everyone living here had at least some degree of affluence.
After securing himself a place to stay within the city, Yaan slowly walked through his new temple and its humble gardens.
There were only three floors to the temple, it was really lacking compared to the grand palaces at the Yuso Clan. However, Yaan much preferred this sort of minimalistic home. He could cultivate peacefully in a place like this, and really, that was all he needed right now.
That said, Yaan did not intend to enter secluded cultivation. Why would he bother moving into a city if he planned to shut himself away from the world?
He came to North Ghu City because this place was a cultivation haven, rife with opportunity and resources!
With a crippled dantian, he could not pursue Qi refining any longer, so Yaan had no choice but to commit himself to body tempering cultivation for now. And of course, the only way for him to improve his demonic body, was by consuming large amounts of resources. This consumption was essential if he wanted to increase his Vital Energy and bodily strength.
He had never forgotten Rui's final words of advice, shortly before she fell into a deep slumber. Back, then she said that so long as he attained a 4-Star Realm demonic body and formed his Vital Core, then he would be able to repair his crippled dantian.
The restoration of his dantian was Yaan's long-term goal.
After spending the night resting in his temple, Yaan set out into the city to explore.
The majority of North Ghu City was accessible to everyone within, but there were a few notable forbidden grounds. The most obvious forbidden ground was the city's central region. This place was restricted to all outsiders, only members of the Ghu Clan had permission to enter. The city centre was also said to be the residence of the Origin Soul Realm powerhouse who ruled over the city!
There were some other places that were restricted to the general public, but all of these areas were blocked off using formations, whilst signs were plastered across the gates, warning outsiders to stay away. It was impossible to accidentally stumble into these regions, so there was no need to worry about it too much.
For the most part, North Ghu City was a free land where demonic path and righteous path cultivators could come together, without needing to worry about their troubles in the outside world. Fighting within the city was strictly prohibited outside of the designated battle arenas, and Yaan quickly understood that nobody would dare to break the Ghu Clan's rules.
It was easy to see why North Ghu City attracted many demonic cultivators. Demonic cultivators, particularly those without a sect or clan behind them, often resorted to stealing and killing in order to earn resources for their cultivation. Inevitably, they ended up making many enemies. A place like North Ghu City was a safe haven for those demonic cultivators, where even their enemies did not dare to attack them.
That's not to say that North Ghu City was completely filled with demonic path cultivators though. In the first place, the righteous path was far more prominent. In fact, it was often claimed that righteous path cultivators outnumbered those of the demonic path by twenty to one in the outside world! Even in North Ghu City, there were four or five times more righteous path cultivators than those of the demonic faction.
The demonic path was simply too dangerous, meaning that demonic path cultivators were killed at a much higher rate compared to righteous path cultivators.
Even the Ghu Clan, the strongest power in the Ghu Province, had much lower numbers than many of the righteous clans in the province due to its nature as a demonic clan. Pushing their clansmen into an endless number of life and death trials ensured that strong clansmen emerged from the wreckage, but for every powerhouse who stood at the top, there were thousands of unfortunate clansmen who perished along the way.
As Yaan walked through the streets, he curiously wondered about the people around him. Were they righteous, or demonic? Why had they come to Ghu City? How did so many of these people, who seemed to be lone cultivators, become so powerful?
Previously, Yaan worried that it might be difficult to progress without the support of the Heavenly Path Sect, but seeing so many solitary powerhouses filled him with a sense of hope. If others could do it, if others were able to rise up with their own abilities, then he could definitely do the same!
It only took him a few minutes to leave the residential area, before he stepped onto a thriving market street.
As soon as he stepped onto this street, the crowd became thick, and sounds of chatter could be heard all around. Lavish stores lined the sides of the road, each with their own unique designs. Many of the stores even used formations to light up the buildings and signs with fluorescent lights, which was something that Yaan had never seen before.
He blinked in surprise at the lively and bustling atmosphere all around him, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere all of a sudden. It actually reminded him of the street markets in the mortal kingdoms. Of course, this sort of splendour could never be found in a mortal nation.
"Hey young master, are you new here?"
As Yaan was looking around, a person approached him with clear intent. Yaan turned to the side and narrowed his eyes, raising his caution towards the skinny young man beside him who wore an honest smile.
"Woah, no need to get hostile!" The young man stepped back and showed an amicable smile. He didn't seem too surprised by Yaan's reaction, nor did he look afraid. Yaan frowned, but before he could say anything, the young man explained himself.
"Young master, my name is Leon, I work as a guide for this area. So how about it, need a guide?"
Yaan examined the young man closely. Now that he paid attention, he realised that Leon wasn't hiding his aura, showing that he was only a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator. Someone like this couldn't pose him a threat in the least.
If a cultivator restrained their aura, it was difficult to estimate their strength without special methods, which Yaan clearly didn't possess. However, when a cultivator released their aura, even though it might be impossible to see through all the complexities of their cultivation, it was possible to estimate their strength based on the power of their aura.
The skinny young man was currently releasing his aura to quell Yaan's caution. And indeed, this was quite effective, there was simply no need for Yaan to be fearful of a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator…that said, Yaan retained a trace of wariness when he remembered how Yuso Lan had used a treasure to disguise his cultivation back in the nine faction tournament!
After thinking about it rationally, Yaan quickly relaxed. Honestly, such concealment treasures were very rare. It was only possible for Yuso Lan to use such a thing because it was lent to him by the Yuso Clan Lord.
In the end, Yaan decided that a tour guide would indeed be quite useful. He wasn't familiar with this city, so a local guide would help him to build up a better understanding of the area.
"How much?" Yaan asked directly. Hearing that he had a chance, Leon revealed a happy smile.
"Five Rank 1 recovery pills!"
Yaan raised an eyebrow. He could easily afford this, but it seemed quite steep just to have a Qi Gathering Realm person give him a tour…
Seeing Yaan's doubtful expression, Leon laughed mischievously, winking at Yaan as he spoke.
"Haha, young master, you should know that I'm extremely familiar with this area! If there's anything that you need to buy, I can help you get the best deals. You'll definitely save more than just five Rank 1 recovery pills!"
Yaan nodded slowly. Even if Leon was overselling his abilities, what he said his did make sense.
Yaan's had around 50 Rank 2 recovery pills. This was a fairly large sum of wealth for someone at his realm, but it was far from enough to spend frivolously. It would certainly be worth paying the premium for a guide if it allowed him to save money on the things that he needed to buy.
Even though Leon could be lying to him, it really wasn't a big sum, so Yaan was willing to take the risk.
"Fine, I'll pay it." Yaan finally agreed, causing Leon's expression to brighten further. Usually, people would try to pay him less, but this person unexpectedly agreed with his first asking price!
Yaan was yet to learn of the intricacies behind haggling, but fortunately, this actually worked out in his favour this time, since his 'generosity' had given Leon a favourable impression of him.
"Thank you young master, I'll be sure to show you around properly!"
"Mm."
In a mortal village, the scene of a young man acting so flatteringly to a child like Yaan would be considered very strange, but this was nothing much to cultivators. Not only was it difficult to estimate a cultivator's age based on their appearance alone, but the world of cultivation valued power above all else, a person's age was not very important. If anything, a young looking cultivator was far more terrifying than an older looking person with the same cultivation level.
"Young master, do you have a map of the city yet?" Leon asked as the pair made their way through the market's busy street.
"I don't." Yaan shook his head. "Do you know where I can obtain one?"
"Of course, of course! Lots of places sell maps, but many of them lack detail and some are way too overpriced. There's a stall further down this street that sells detailed maps for three Rank 1 recovery pills, it's definitely the best price."
Yaan agreed to Leon's suggestion. It seemed a bit expensive for a map, but he understood immediately once he saw this map for himself.
This map was in presented in the form of a one hundred page long book. The first few pages gave an overview of North Ghu City, then each consecutive page presented a closer, more detailed image of the city's different regions.
Even though they found this map in an ordinary looking store, it really was much cheaper than those similar maps in the surroundings stores. After confirming this fact by checking a few of the nearby shops, Yaan was able to trust that Leon would also find him the best prices on everything else that he needed.
Before long, they moved on, out into the city streets. Their speed was slow as Yaan kept looking around curiously. He wanted to take his time and become more familiar with these places.
"As you can see, everything in the deeper regions of the city is higher class, more refined and more expensive. We're still in the outer sector, so street vendors can freely market their wares here, but this isn't possible in the inner sector. Anyone can enter the inner sector freely, but living there is too expensive for most. Anyway, all of the shops down there are top-end and only sell expensive stuff, so you don't see many weaker cultivators hanging around there."
Leon was talkative and explained many things to Yaan. He described the city's structure as a whole, whilst also providing more details regarding this specific area. Leon was actually born in this city and made a living as a tour guide, so he was very well versed in the culture and environment here.
"You want to know how you can earn money in the city?" Leon blinked after hearing Yaan's question.
As they travelled through the various market streets, residence areas, battle arenas and so on, Yaan ended up asking the main question that lingered on his mind…
How could he earn more money? If he wanted to continue cultivating his demonic body, then money was a necessity. His expenditure would only become increasingly extreme as he cultivated further, so it was imperative that he found a means to fund his cultivation.
Leon pondered over Yaan's question for a minute in silence, before finally answering.
"There are a few ways to earn money in the city…there are are two very straight forward methods though, Firstly, you could get a job. Alternatively, you could join one of the battle arenas."
Yaan was intrigued by the battle arena, where participants could fight one another, either to the death or not, depending on the agreement. All participants in the battle arena would earn a share of the spectator's fee, as well as a portion of their opponent's belongings. It was definitely a good way to make money.
Whilst he was somewhat interested in this, Yaan didn't feel like putting himself in the public eye just yet, as doing so might result in some people paying attention to him.
If he fought before a large crowd, some people would be sure to notice that he never used Innate Qi, and that his body was strangely durable. There would naturally be those who were familiar with demonic body cultivators, and at this point, Yaan still wasn't sure if this would invite trouble.
"What jobs are available in the city?" Yaan asked curiously, putting thoughts of the battle arena aside for now.
"You can join the city guard, work for a shop or other organisation, or open your own shop or business. Same as any other city really." Leon replied.
He didn't say anything, but he could tell that this was Yaan's first time in a city. Anyone familiar with city life would never ask these sorts of basic questions, since the answers were universal across almost all cultivation cities.
"Well, there is another way to earn money and riches when you live in this city…" Leon suddenly added, but he paused, looking hesitant to continue.
"Oh?" Yaan raised an eyebrow.
Leon seemed to debate over whether or not he should explain further, but eventually he sighed, deciding to just come out and say it.
"There's an inheritance site just outside of the city that opens once every ten years. I've only seen it open twice, it should be opening again in three years time. It's just that…this inheritance site is too dangerous, more than 90% of the people who enter never return. Even Spirit Core Realm powerhouses have been known to perish within, it's too terrifying!"
Leon shivered slightly. He was just a Qi Gathering Realm orphan, forced to make his way through life after being born into this city. His mother entered that place seven years ago, never to return. Because of this, Leon felt an extreme sense of dread towards the inheritance, such that he was reluctant to even tell others about it.
After buying some more materials, Yaan tipped Leon with another Rank 1 recovery pill as thanks for his help. He had certainly saved far more than he payed Leon today, it only felt normal to give him a small tip.
And besides, Yaan was moving into an unfamiliar place, where he had no backing and knew nobody. It wouldn't hurt to build a relationship with a long time local, even if they were unlikely to meet again.
To Yaan, this much was nothing, but to Leon, it was another precious resource that he could trade for something to assist with his cultivation.
That night, Yaan sat alone inside his temple hall and mulled over his options. He planned to stay in this city for a long period of time, so he needed to approach the future with a clear plan of action.
"This inheritance site sounds interesting, but it's too dangerous to enter a place like that without knowing anything about it. Besides, that's three years away." Yaan murmured to himself.
He knew about inheritance sites, both from Rui and from his old teacher.
Inheritance sites were often left behind by powerful cultivators when they reached the end of their lifespan. It was a final effort to preserve their legacy through future generations. Obtaining the inheritance of a powerhouse could allow an ordinary person to ascend to greatness in a single step…
However, these inheritances varied dramatically depending on the individual who left them behind. Some inheritances left by demonic path cultivators were so dangerous that almost nobody emerged alive.
Rui in particular warned Yaan about the dangers of inheritance sites. She seemed particularly cautious of these places, making Yaan think that she had probably encountered a very dangerous inheritance in the past.
"I need resources, but I also need to learn more about the various materials of the cultivation world so that I can better identify valuable things. Since it's like this…I will get a job in a trading store!"
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