Settling In: The Sacred Mountain’s Price

Han Li’s words made Lu Er pause for a moment. The mortal’s eyes unconsciously drifted toward the two men’s hands.

When he spotted the red ring, a look of understanding dawned on his face.

“So the immortal masters plan to stay in this city long-term! That’s a simple matter. Have you two seen the houses built on the Sacred Mountain? You can simply rent a dwelling on the mountain to cultivate in. According to what other immortal masters have said, the entire Sacred Mountain is a natural spirit vein. The higher up the mountain a rented dwelling is, the richer the qi—and of course, the higher the price.”

“If you don’t want to rent a house and prefer to cultivate in solitude, you can also rent a pre-built cave dwelling and have your own private area. But I’ve heard it costs much more than a house! Both houses and cave dwellings are charged by the century. The fee must be paid again every hundred years. If you can’t pay the next fee when the time comes, the Star Palace’s immortal masters will take it back.”

Lu Er explained the matter to Han Li with practiced efficiency.

“Oh. So as long as I have enough spirit stones, I could rent a place on the top layers too?” Han Li asked, showing genuine interest.

“The immortal master jokes. Of course not.” Lu Er shook his head like a rattle-drum.

“The Sacred Mountain is divided into eighty-one layers, starting from the bottom and spiraling upward. The first fifty layers are open to visiting immortal masters. Anyone with spirit stones can rent a place to cultivate there. The next thirty layers are reserved for the Star Palace’s own lords and ladies. As for the very top layer… that is the Sacred Palace itself, the residence of the two Saintly Masters. No one is allowed entry.” Lu Er gave an apologetic smile.

Han Li thought for a moment, then made a decisive choice.

“Good. Lead the way. We’ll find lodgings first.”

“Yes, sir. This one will guide you. Fly toward the Sacred Mountain, immortal master. There is a pavilion at its base that handles exactly this kind of business.”

As his words fell, the Divine Wind Boat transformed into a streak of white light, shooting toward the distant giant mountain.

The mountain had looked deceptively close, but it took a full quarter of an hour before Han Li truly reached its base.

Under Lu Er’s direction, the Divine Wind Boat landed before a rather imposing pavilion.

Aside from Han Li, quite a few cultivators were coming and going here. Streaks of light frequently rose into the air or descended.

Han Li swept his gaze across the surroundings, then led Qu Hun and Lu Er into the pavilion, which was fronted by a tall stone staircase.

Inside, over a dozen cultivators stood at half a dozen stone tables, talking to white-robed Star Palace disciples.

Their expressions varied wildly. Some were elated, others crestfallen. A couple were even pleading bitterly with the white-robed cultivators across from them. Every face told a different story.

Han Li watched in silence, observing for a moment.

“Immortal master, that table over there is free now. Should we go over?” Lu Er reminded him cautiously after a while.

Han Li had already noticed the newly vacated stone table. He nodded.

But this time, it was Qu Hun who led the way. Han Li followed behind him.

This shift caught Lu Er off guard—he had been certain that Han Li was the one in charge. A flicker of surprise crossed his face before he followed along.

“Senior wishes to rent a residence on the Sacred Mountain? Which layer does senior prefer? Higher layers naturally come at a higher price.” The Star Palace cultivator’s gaze swept over Qu Hun, and his tone immediately filled with respect.

It seemed that a Core Formation cultivator commanded respect wherever he went. This was exactly why Han Li had Qu Hun take point.

“A cave dwelling. Are any available? The higher the layer, the better.” Qu Hun’s expression was blank.

“A cave dwelling? Please wait a moment, senior. I’ll check.” Hearing Qu Hun’s bold request, the white-robed cultivator perked up. He quickly produced a jade slip and began searching.

“Found them. There are three on the thirty-first layer, four on the thirty-ninth, and two on the forty-seventh. Here are the prices, layouts, and functions of each dwelling.” The white-robed cultivator placed several jade slips on the stone table in quick succession.

Qu Hun did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed them one by one and examined them with his divine sense.

Han Li had always thought of himself as not lacking in spirit stones. He had even considered himself a minor tycoon among Core Formation cultivators.

But after seeing the rental fees for these cave dwellings, he was badly shocked.

Forget about the ones on the forty-seventh layer. Even the few on the thirty-first layer made Han Li’s heart ache. The fee for a mere century of use ranged as high as two or three thousand spirit stones. It was outrageously expensive.

Seeing Qu Hun’s face stiffen into silence, the white-robed cultivator seemed to guess what he was thinking and offered an explanation with a smile.

“Senior. While our Sacred Mountain’s spirit vein may not be the best in the Starfall Sea, it is undoubtedly among the top five. Even cultivating at the mountain’s base is far superior to the best spots on an ordinary spirit vein. And once you pass the thirtieth layer, cultivation speed increases by more than a quarter. That is why the cave dwelling fees are so high. But I assure you, it is worth it.”

Han Li frowned at this.

By then, Qu Hun had finished examining all the jade slips.

“This one.” Following Han Li’s silent instruction, Qu Hun picked up one of the jade slips and handed it over. It was the cave dwelling on the thirty-ninth layer, a fairly well-equipped unit with multiple functions.

“Excellent. The fee is two thousand seven hundred spirit stones.” The white-robed cultivator was obviously pleased that Qu Hun had actually rented such a costly dwelling. He swiftly stated the price.

This time, Han Li did not let Qu Hun handle it. He reached into his own storage pouch and pulled out over twenty mid-grade spirit stones, handing them over.

“This is the dwelling’s restriction token. With this token, you may enter and leave the cave dwelling freely. However, after a hundred years, the token will be reclaimed. I hope senior will keep it safe.” After pocketing the stones, the cultivator produced a yellow token with a beaming smile and handed it to Qu Hun.

Qu Hun accepted the token and, without another word, turned and walked out.

Han Li and the silent Lu Er followed closely behind.

“Truly appalling. All that just for a place to cultivate.” Once outside, Han Li let out a long breath and muttered in mild frustration.

His fortune had taken a noticeable hit.

“Where would the two immortal masters like to go next?” Lu Er stole a glance at Han Li and asked in a low voice.

He was still stunned by the scale of the expenditure he had just witnessed.

He had guided other cultivators before, but they had only spent a dozen or a few dozen spirit stones at most.

Spending two or three thousand at once was something he had only ever heard of. Now he had seen it with his own eyes.

Lu Er immediately became even more deferential toward Han Li, and his confidence in receiving his payment grew significantly.

After all, if the man was spending on this scale, as long as Lu Er gave satisfactory service, he certainly would not skimp on the guide’s meager fee.

“Take me to the city’s market district. And tell me which shops are worth paying attention to.” Han Li looked at Lu Er casually, then gave the order.

He led Qu Hun and Lu Er back onto the Divine Wind Boat, and they soared into the air again.

Most of a day later, Han Li lay on a large wooden bed, his hands folded behind his head as he thought.

Not long ago, under Lu Er’s guidance, he had familiarized himself with all the important locations in Heaven Star City. Afterward, he had paid the agreed-upon fee and parted ways with the mortal guide.

He watched Lu Er walk away in delight, then came alone to this thirty-ninth-layer cave dwelling, which he had rented at an exorbitant price.

The dwelling was exactly as the jade slip had described. It was relatively remote and quiet, and it even had a decent-sized empty medicinal garden.

But what truly satisfied Han Li was the qi density. It was far beyond what an ordinary spirit vein could provide.

Even his old cave dwelling in Heavenly South could not compare. The difference was not small.

It made Han Li feel that the cost was, after all, quite worthwhile.

The dwelling’s built-in formation-restrictions were also formidable. They were not inferior to his simplified version of the Reversed Five Elements Formation.

Even so, Han Li was not comfortable relying entirely on the original formations for his safety. He planned to rest a little, then tomorrow set up his own sets of great formations outside the existing array.

Only then would he truly feel secure. Only then could he take the time to re-plan his cultivation schedule.

Lost in thought, Han Li unknowingly drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

The past few months of bumpy travel by magical tool had exhausted him more than he had realized.

The next morning, Han Li woke up and immediately began a flurry of activity.

In one go, he set up three more great formations outside the cave dwelling. Then he planted various spirit herbs and medicinal plants in the empty garden, stocking it for future accelerated ripening.

Finally, he went to the market district and bought a large quantity of high-quality fine jade. Returning to the dwelling, he set the jade pieces into the walls of a ten-zhang-wide secret chamber, covering every inch of stone.

Once the chamber’s walls were transformed into jade, Han Li carefully released the Gold Devourer Beetles into it.

He held high hopes for these strangely ranked insects. He intended to train them properly, hoping they would serve as a powerful asset in the future.