“Eleven thousand spirit stones. As for the artifacts, pills, and materials, their total value should be around six to seven thousand.”
Tempered Moon Valley.
After sorting through the items in the storage pouches, Li An’s mood finally calmed a little.
At least it hadn’t been a total loss.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t found any Second-Rank materials, magical treasures, or Second-Rank pills and herbs.
But that was to be expected. In a Foundation Establishment family, such items were considered true treasures and typically held directly by the Foundation Establishment cultivators.
“It’s about time I go to White Tiger City…”
Now that he had secured two Second-Rank magical artifacts and acquired a large sum of spirit stones, he could finally begin planning for Foundation Establishment.
He was only missing a single Second-Rank herb from the Foundation Establishment Pill formula. A place like White Tiger City, a haven for rogue cultivators, would be much more likely to have it.
Moreover, only in a place like that could one find a Second-Rank alchemist.
He packed three mid-grade First-Rank storage pouches. One of them contained his two most important Second-Rank magical artifacts, three Mystic Shield Talismans, one Soul-Suppressing Talisman, a few commonly used high-grade First-Rank magical artifacts, and roughly fifteen thousand spirit stones.
A mid-grade First-Rank storage pouch had about ten cubic meters of space—roughly the size of a room—and his was nearly full.
The other two pouches were filled with items he had looted from the Zhao family and the Clear Sun Sect.
Early the next morning, he left Tempered Moon Valley and headed toward White Tiger City.
The Zhao family?
Wang Dazhu? Chen Qingling?
The grudge had already been formed, but Li An was never in a hurry to seek revenge.
Cultivation was the most important thing. If an opportunity for revenge presented itself, he’d take it. If not, he’d simply outlive his enemies.
That was Li An’s strategy—he would never allow emotions like vengeance to cloud his judgment.
“Looks like I’ve been marked by the Demon Sect…”
This, however, was something that truly concerned him.
A thief wasn’t scary—what was terrifying was a thief who always had you on their mind… They had made preparations to trap him as far back as eight years ago?
He had already made plans to conceal his identity. He couldn’t afford to reveal himself on this trip to White Tiger City.
Along the way, he changed his appearance several times.
Half a month later, he passed through the familiar paths of the Cloud Mirage Mountains and saw the silhouette of a great city ahead—
White Tiger City.
The city had been built upon a Third-Rank spiritual vein found within White Tiger Mountain. The land in front of the city was wide and open, surrounded by rolling mountains.
By noon, there was a large crowd queuing up to enter.
“New arrival, huh? Entrance fee’s one hundred spirit stones.”
After paying, Li An was issued a jade token, which recorded his entry time.
No questions were asked about his identity, name, or background—this was a unique trait of White Tiger City.
White Tiger City had been founded by the legendary rogue cultivator, Master White Tiger. As such, the city was especially considerate toward rogue cultivators.
“Keep this jade token safe. You’re allowed to stay three days. If you want to stay longer, you’ll need to pay according to the district you’re in. If the token is lost or your payment lapses, the city’s grand array will lock onto you. In severe cases, it could mean death.”
The cultivator at the gate who distributed the tokens reminded him indifferently.
Then Li An stepped into the city.
At present, he was disguised as a weathered, middle-aged man, and had suppressed his cultivation to the Seventh Layer of Qi Refining.
White Tiger City spanned over a hundred li—far livelier than the Bright Sun Market District. It had thirty main streets and was roughly divided into First-Rank, Second-Rank, and Third-Rank districts, based on proximity to the spiritual vein beneath White Tiger Mountain.
As the name implied, the First-Rank district only had spiritual energy at the First-Rank level.
Spiritual veins were extremely important for cultivators. In places lacking them, the Dao was hidden and spiritual energy sparse—offering no benefit to one’s cultivation.
Moreover, when breaking through, aside from the need for intense spiritual energy surges, one also required the support of a spiritual vein. Spiritual veins were accumulations of fortune; with them, one could achieve profound transformations.
First-Rank veins only supported Qi Refining. They were of little value to Li An now.
He first found an inn in the First-Rank district and spent three days gathering information about White Tiger City.
After three days, he headed for the Second-Rank district and paid for a hundred-day stay—two hundred spirit stones!
That meant he was paying two spirit stones per day just for the privilege of being in the district—
And that didn’t include food, water, lodging, or anything else.
Li An then spent fifty spirit stones on an inn within the Second-Rank district and tipped a few more to get some inside information from the inn’s staff.
That day, he wandered down Jingyang Avenue, and after a bit of exploration, stepped into a particular store.
【Safe Haven】
This shop functioned like a real estate agency.
“Honored guest, please come in~~”
A charming woman in a tight embroidered dress welcomed him. “My name is Manman. Is this your first time in the Second-Rank district? What would you like to know?”
She looked Li An up and down. Though his appearance was plain, her attitude was warm.
After all, anyone who could afford to stay in the Second-Rank district had to be someone of strength. Appearances meant little.
“Just looking. I’m searching for a residence.”
Li An replied casually.
“What kind of property would you prefer? What's your budget? I can offer immediate recommendations.”
“No need. I’ll look around myself for now.”
“Of course. Here’s our property catalog. Please take your time.”
Manman handed him a booklet and poured him tea. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she left to serve other guests.
Li An flipped through the catalog—it was full of listings from all over the Second-Rank district, with varying prices based on location and housing quality.
The average monthly rent was around fifteen spirit stones!
The Second-Rank district… was not somewhere most cultivators could afford to live.
Those who did were usually late-stage Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Li An had already picked out a few promising options, but he didn’t rush to make a decision. He stood up, stretched, and prepared to leave.
“Did anything catch your eye?” Manman appeared again at just the right moment.
Li An smiled slightly and placed two spirit stones on the table. “Not yet. Thank you.”
With that, he departed.
Manman’s eyes lit up as she looked at the spirit stones.
This guest was quite generous.
In the following days, Li An visited Safe Haven regularly. Sometimes other attendants received him, but Li An would always ask specifically for Manman.
Each time, he left a few spirit stones as a tip, yet never settled on a property.
After several visits, Manman grew increasingly curious and began asking more questions, but Li An always gave vague, noncommittal answers.
One noon, Li An came again.
“Brother Wei Ming, you’re back…”
Manman greeted him with a warm smile. Unlike her formal hospitality on the first day, her demeanor now felt more familiar.
“Wei Ming” was the alias Li An was currently using. He returned the smile and sat down to browse the catalog again.
But today, Manman didn’t leave. Instead, she sat beside him and whispered, “Brother Wei, I have a place I think would suit you perfectly…”
With that, she pulled out a separate listing from her sleeve and handed it to him. “This is the best property I have access to.”
Li An took a look and murmured, “It’s certainly peaceful. A courtyard house… I like it. The price is fair, though the spiritual energy seems a bit lacking.”
Manman leaned in close to his ear and whispered, “Brother Wei, here’s some insider news—this area is very likely to become the sealed district of the Seventeenth Lady.”
—Master White Tiger resided atop White Tiger Mountain. She had sixteen disciples under her.
Each one was at least a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and each oversaw a district in the city.
These were called sealed districts.
Within a sealed district, security was tighter, and the spiritual veins were directed more favorably. They were always the areas with the richest spiritual energy.
“No one knows this yet, but this courtyard can be rented now for just twelve spirit stones a month. In a short while, the price could easily double.”
Manman said excitedly.
Li An nodded, then suddenly asked, “But Master White Tiger only has sixteen disciples. Who is this Seventeenth Lady?”
Manman replied, “I heard she was once a Foundation Establishment cultivator from the Clear Sun Sect. Her name is Xu Qiuhui.”
Li An’s expression shifted subtly.
…
(End of Chapter)