Chapter 157: Cloud Dragon Immortal City
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Translated by Frog in the Well
Read it only at Nineheavens.org
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***
Jin So-myeong, who was admiring the Divine Tree which was practically the symbol of the Middle Province, shook his head in amazement.
‘It is truly massive. At that size, it would even be visible from outer space.’
In fact, thinking about it, it was strange.
The regional name ‘Middle Province’ contains the meaning of being in the center, but by what standard was it the center?
That ultra-large tree called the Divine Tree was the very standard.
If the Divine Tree was visible, that place was the Middle Province. This method of division was possible because the Divine Tree strangely vanished like an illusion once one moved beyond a certain distance.
Because of that, a question naturally arose.
Cultivators are a breed with extremely strong pride. Why, then, did they acknowledge that the Middle Province was called the center?
Would people from other regions tolerate that so easily?
No way. Everyone would have insisted that the land they occupied was the Middle Province.
That would be normal, but…
A single characteristic put all complaints to rest. The Middle Province grew denser in spiritual Qi as time passed. A place that had been a Rank 3 spiritual vein in the distant past even upgraded to a Rank 4 spiritual vein.
‘Here is that example.’
The name of the city Jin So-myeong was currently in was Cloud Dragon Immortal City, and it was said that this place was merely a Rank 3 spiritual vein tens of thousands of years ago.
Yet as time passed and reached today, it had become an ultra-large city where over ten Rank 4 spiritual veins were gathered.
It was not just Cloud Dragon Immortal City that was special; most cities in the Middle Province were like this.
A land where resources grew more abundant as time passed. Who would dislike that?
Since spiritual Qi was the source for cultivators to cultivate, naturally everyone had no choice but to envy the Middle Province.
‘In the end, all the forces possessing powerful strength gathered in the Middle Province.’
For clans carrying on their generations, this characteristic was even more crucial. If they could only settle down and hold out in the Middle Province, wouldn’t their descendants in the distant future be able to cultivate in a more abundant environment?
To give a slightly extreme example, if a Rank 4 spiritual vein upgraded to a Rank 5 spiritual vein, a Soul Formation stage cultivator might even emerge from their clan.
Of course, if the spiritual vein actually upgraded, numerous difficulties would follow.
‘First, I must decide on a place to stay.’
A spiritual vein was absolutely necessary to cultivate. Although he possessed the Secret Realm of the Mind, cultivating solely with that made the speed too slow.
He took a suitable inn as his temporary lodging and wandered around Cloud Dragon Immortal City to gather information.
He was finding out if he could rent a Rank 4 spiritual vein, and in the process, he discovered a familiar merchant guild name.
‘The Myriad Treasures Tower?’
To think that the merchant guild he saw in Vast Wilderness Immortal City in the Eastern Province was also in the Middle Province; since it was said to be a merchant guild formed by Nascent Soul stage cultivators, its scale seemed far larger than expected.
He investigated the reputation of the Myriad Treasures Tower, and it was not bad. Although the prices were slightly high, they did not play underhanded tricks such as deceiving customers to sell low-quality goods, or so they said.
‘I should go take a look.’
In Cloud Dragon Immortal City, there were ten Rank 4 spiritual veins in total, and three of them were managed by the Myriad Treasures Tower. The other spiritual veins were occupied by Nascent Soul-grade forces as their bases, making them difficult to rent.
Upon going to find the branch leader of the Myriad Treasures Tower in Cloud Dragon Immortal City, he was immediately guided to the VIP room.
Had he waited for about ten minutes?
A Golden Core merchant rushed in and bowed his waist.
“I offer greetings to Senior! I am Jang Cheon-woo, the branch leader of the Myriad Treasures Tower in Cloud Dragon Immortal City.”
“I am Jin So-myeong.”
“Thank you for visiting the Myriad Treasures Tower. If there is anything you need, just say the word. I will assist you to the best of my ability.”
“I wish to rent a Rank 4 spiritual vein. Is that possible?”
“Hmm… Conveniently, one of the Rank 4 spiritual veins held by our Myriad Treasures Tower is currently vacant. Although we must obtain permission from the higher-ups, since Senior Jin has already reached the Nascent Soul stage, you will be able to lease it without much issue.”
Indeed, strength was authority. Everything proceeded rapidly.
“What is the grade of the spiritual vein?”
“It is Rank 4 mid-grade. I will show it to you if you wish.”
“Perfect. I will go and see it personally.”
Following the path guided by the branch leader in person, they arrived at a mountain range located on the outskirts of Cloud Dragon Immortal City.
“These five spiritual mountains are all a single cave dwelling.”
Along a river stream that sparkled in gold as the sunlight reflected off it, five spiritual mountains were clustered together, looking rich in vegetation at a glance.
“Not bad. What is the rent?”
“One thousand top-grade spirit stones per year. Or you can pay one million high-grade spirit stones. The deposit is ten years’ worth of rent.”
Fitting for a Rank 4 mid-grade spiritual vein, the rent was jaw-droppingly expensive.
Of course, that entire cost did not actually go entirely out of pocket.
If one diligently farmed or raised spiritual beasts using the wide and fertile Rank 4 spiritual vein to sell them, most of the rent would be covered.
Depending on one’s capability, they could even obtain a profit greater than the rent.
One of the reasons the majority of Nascent Soul stage cultivators raised forces emerged from here. It was because it was difficult to manage the resources produced from a Rank 4 spiritual vein alone.
‘Well… it is a matter unrelated to me.’
The top-grade spirit stones produced in his Secret Realm of the Mind over the past five years alone exceeded thirty thousand.
He could afford this much rent all by himself.
“I will lease it using top-grade spirit stones.”
“Pardon? You mean top-grade spirit stones, not high-grade spirit stones?”
He could roughly guess the reason for the surprise.
This was because, usually, when one collected spirit stones by employing subordinates, they would pay the rent in high-grade spirit stones.
“Yes, top-grade spirit stones.”
“…I understand. I will immediately submit a lease request to the higher-ups.”
A week of time passed, and a Nascent Soul stage expert from the headquarters of the Myriad Treasures Tower came to find him.
“Nice to meet you. I am Du Geum-bo, holding the position of General Manager in the Myriad Treasures Tower.”
“I am Jin So-myeong.”
Du Geum-bo was a middle-aged man in his fifties with a portly build.
“By any chance, are you that person who recently broke through to the Nascent Soul stage in the Southern Province…?”
“That is correct.”
“Heh! No wonder I received an unusual feeling from the moment I first saw Fellow Daoist Jin. I heard the Black Night Palace suffered a massive loss after clashing with Fellow Daoist Jin. Is that true?”
“Well.”
“Haha. Since this is a rumor, it is not easy to determine the truth. I just asked since I happened to meet Fellow Daoist Jin, so please do not be too offended.”
After sharing a conversation where he could not tell whether the man was praising him or probing for information.
As he handed over eleven thousand top-grade spirit stones for the spiritual vein rent including the deposit, Du Geum-bo’s nostrils flared.
“Keh! Such a clean transaction! This is wonderful! If only every day was like today, I would be truly happy.”
Du Geum-bo, who held the spirit stones tightly while even swallowing saliva, paused and let out an embarrassed dry cough.
“I apologize. Strangely, I get excited whenever I see spirit stones. Especially if they are top-grade spirit stones, I simply cannot resist… *Cough*.”
His gaze looked beyond simply liking spirit stones, as if he had fallen in love with them.
Although difficult to understand, Jin So-myeong let it go. In fact, without that level of passion, he wouldn’t have been able to run a giant merchant guild like the Myriad Treasures Tower.
In any case, since the spiritual vein lease concluded well, he brought up his other business.
“I heard the Myriad Treasures Tower also treats information as a commodity.”
“Of course. Is there any information you need?”
“First, I wish to know information about Nascent Soul stage sword cultivators, and about clans or sects of high repute in the Middle Province.”
“That is not a difficult matter. I will have my subordinates bring the jade slips, so please wait a moment.”
The Nascent Soul stage sword cultivators were to find out about Hong Seol, and investigating the famous forces in the Middle Province was to refer to when planning his future cultivation.
How long had he waited?
The Golden Core merchant, who introduced himself as the branch leader of Cloud Dragon Immortal City, politely offered two jade slips.
[Nine Heavens Tower Lord Jang Ok-yeon. A powerhouse who simultaneously manipulates a thousand flying swords…]
[Blood Flower Sword Immortal. A mid-Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator who wields a giant sword crafted from flames. Possesses a fiery temperament, having many enemies and friends alike. Mainly active in the Azure Cloud Grassland…]
[Moonfall Sword Empress. A female sword cultivator who appeared one day, revealing her strength by cleaving the mid-Nascent Soul stage Moon-Lotus Demonic Monk in a single slash, though both her name and realm remain unknown.]
…
He scanned down the list of Nascent Soul stage sword cultivators, and a few female sword cultivators suspected to be Hong Seol caught his eye.
“Is this all?”
“Is there perhaps someone specific you are looking for? If you describe their characteristics, we will conduct an additional investigation.”
“Hmm… No.”
Pondering for a moment, Jin So-myeong shook his head. It was not that he lacked information on Hong Seol entirely, but he could not trust the Myriad Treasures Tower yet.
Verifying whether they were trustworthy while continuing transactions with the Myriad Treasures Tower was his priority.
Laying down the jade slip containing the personal details of the sword cultivators, he examined the jade slip detailing the famous forces in the Middle Province.
‘There are many sects, but there are also quite a few clans.’
Once a group was called a prominent clan in the Middle Province, they could not be described simply as a family bound by blood. They were a group with a depth of power that ordinary sects could not even compare to.
This was because they were people with a magnificent history that spanned dozens or hundreds of generations in the Middle Province where fierce competition was a daily routine.
Among such clans, the Hong Clan was one of the most powerful.
‘They possess Dao Soldiers composed of demonic beasts?’
Dao Soldiers, simply put, were an army.
Not an ordinary army at that, but an elite force so well-trained that they moved in perfect order to form formations and even obeyed commands to die.
Let’s think about it.
It was difficult to raise even a single cultivator, so how many resources would it take to raise and train an army composed of cultivators?
Furthermore, each of the demonic beast Dao Soldiers possessed by the Hong Clan was at the Rank 3 Demon King level, and it was said that the leader of the Dao Soldiers was even a Rank 4 Demon Emperor.
Because the Dao Soldiers boasted a powerful force corresponding to their expensive cost, no one wished to clash with them head-on.
‘Did the Hong Clan become famous for commanding demonic beasts?’
Reading up to here, he asked Du Geum-bo, who wore a friendly smile from beginning to end.
“Are there no people who have practiced the sword in the Hong Clan?”
“Sword cultivators? There must be some, but there does not seem to be anyone famous enough to come to mind. To be honest, the sword chapters possessed by the Hong Clan are not that remarkable.”
“…Is that so.”
With this, the probability of Hong Seol being from the Hong Clan grew even lower.
Jin So-myeong, nodding as if he understood, continued to examine the jade slip.
Apart from the Hong Clan, prominent clans that had survived for a long time in the Middle Province all possessed their own weapons.
‘There is also a clan famous for puppets.’
Starting with the information on the Mok Family who were said to possess puppet Dao Soldiers, various forces lined up before reaching the end.
‘The Holy City of the Middle Province.’
A Soul Formation-grade force situated near the Divine Tree, which no one could approach without permission, a group that would not be an exaggeration to call the rulers of the Middle Province.
Should he call them an existence like a cloud floating loftily in the sky?
‘I heard there is a Rank 5 spiritual vein in the Holy City.’
In fact, whether the Holy City was a Soul Formation-grade force remained unclear, because a Soul Formation stage expert had never once directly revealed themselves for at least several thousand years.
Nevertheless, everyone believed that the Holy City was a Soul Formation-grade force.
The reasons were various.
Forces that coveted the Rank 5 spiritual vein and challenged the Holy City were miserably destroyed without a single exception, and the cultivators from the Holy City who emerged outside on very rare occasions uniformly displayed powerful divine abilities.
Being several times stronger even at the same realm, or so they said?
It was said that the cultivation methods possessed by the Holy City were at least dozens of generations ahead compared to the outside.
‘Could it be that the Holy City is the group chasing Hong Seol?’
Jin So-myeong, who was lost in thought for about a minute, nodded.
“Not bad.”
After paying the information fee to the smiling General Manager of the Myriad Treasures Tower, he listed the things he needed.
“I need a body tempering spiritual object capable of raising my physical body to the Rank 4 level. I also wish to obtain information on a skilled Rank 4 artifact refiner, and a thunder-attributed spiritual object. Is it possible?”
“I can give you the information on a Rank 4 artifact refiner immediately. The other two will take time, but are fully possible.”
The confident reply was quite reassuring. It was an attitude as if he would resolve everything no matter what was requested.
Perhaps because the Myriad Treasures Tower was a merchant guild that conducted business crossing between the Middle Province and the Eastern Province, they were highly competent.
*
The name of the Rank 4 artifact refiner who possessed the most outstanding skill near Cloud Dragon Immortal City was Seo Hyeon-geuk.
First, to set up an appointment, he sent a voice transmission talisman…
Strangely, a reply returned asking him to come right now if possible.
The reason Jin So-myeong sought a Rank 4 artifact refiner was to forge a sword from the Starlight Afterimage Stone. Naturally, the sooner, the better, so he visited immediately.
And,
“Are you Cultivator Jin?”
he was met by a woman who seemed to welcome him for some reason, and a young man who was frowning.
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