Chapter 13: Core Level Two

The change began shortly after sunrise.

Lin Yuan had just finished his morning cultivation when the spiritual Qi around Blackstone suddenly stirred.

His eyes opened.

The disturbance wasn’t coming from the tavern.

Nor was it coming from the well.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

Su Mei was already standing in the courtyard, staring west.

Far beyond the wasteland, a pale column of light stretched into the morning sky.

Even from this distance, faint waves of spiritual Qi could be felt spreading through the air.

Lin Yuan’s expression changed.

Whatever was causing that light, it wasn’t ordinary.

A phenomenon visible from Blackstone couldn’t have been caused by a common spiritual herb or a handful of spirit stones.

The original Lin Yuan’s memories contained stories of similar events.

Rare treasures.

Changes in spirit veins.

Ancient inheritances revealing themselves.

There were many possibilities, but all of them had one thing in common.

Value.

Enough value for cultivators to compete over.

The light remained for several breaths before gradually fading.

Blackstone became quiet again.

Su Mei looked at him.

"What was that?"

"I don’t know."

A streak of light suddenly crossed the sky.

Someone riding a flying artifact.

Heading west.

A second appeared not long afterward.

Then a third.

Su Mei followed them with her eyes.

"Are you going?"

"No."

She turned toward him.

"You answered quickly."

"Because I already know the answer."

Lin Yuan headed back toward the tavern.

Whatever had appeared might be extremely valuable.

That didn’t mean he wanted to fight for it.

A wandering cultivator could struggle for years to gather enough resources for the next stage of cultivation. One fortunate encounter could change everything.

Lin Yuan understood why they went.

His circumstances were different.

He owned Blackstone.

He had the Territory Core.

The well had already changed.

The tavern had changed.

And both could continue changing.

Perhaps someone heading west today would return with a treasure worth hundreds or even thousands of spirit stones.

Perhaps they would return with nothing.

Lin Yuan didn’t need to gamble on either outcome.

His greatest opportunity was already beneath his feet.

He entered the kitchen.

"Let’s prepare more food today."

Su Mei glanced toward the road.

"You think they’ll stop?"

Lin Yuan looked at the empty tables.

"I hope they’re hungry."

The first group arrived before noon.

Nine cultivators came from the east.

They wanted food, water, and directions.

Lin Yuan could provide all three, although the last consisted mostly of pointing west.

They ate quickly and left.

Less than half an hour later, another group arrived.

Then another.

By early afternoon, Wandering Cloud Tavern was louder than Lin Yuan had ever heard it.

Most of the newcomers didn’t know exactly what had appeared in the west.

But the phenomenon itself had been impossible to mistake.

Something valuable had appeared.

For cultivators willing to take the risk, that was enough.

Wandering Cloud Tavern happened to sit directly along one of the fastest roads toward it.

For the first time since opening, all six tables were occupied at once.

Twenty-four seats.

Full.

Lin Yuan looked through the kitchen doorway.

Two more cultivators had just entered.

Su Mei intercepted them.

"We’re full."

One looked around.

"How long?"

Su Mei glanced toward the tables.

Before she could answer, three cultivators stood and prepared to leave.

The newcomers immediately moved toward their seats.

Another group appeared in the courtyard before the table had even been cleared.

Lin Yuan returned to the stove.

The Spirit-Assisted Kitchen Stove kept its flame perfectly controlled.

That helped.

Unfortunately, it had not developed the ability to cook by itself.

An hour later, Lin Yuan had reached a conclusion.

Twenty-four seats were no longer enough.

The rooms filled next.

Two cultivators rented the first.

A group of three squeezed into another.

Before sunset, all four were occupied.

When another group asked for accommodation, Su Mei could only shake her head.

"All four rooms are taken."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

The man looked upstairs before sighing.

"Can we stay in the courtyard?"

Su Mei looked toward Lin Yuan.

"If you have your own tents, that’s fine."

The cultivator immediately agreed.

Lin Yuan watched him return outside.

Four rooms.

A few weeks ago, that had seemed like more than enough.

Now paying customers were sleeping in his courtyard because he had nowhere to put them.

His thoughts went to the second old building on the property.

It had remained mostly untouched since he’d arrived in Blackstone.

The roof needed serious repairs. Several windows were broken, and much of the interior would need work.

Until now, repairing it hadn’t been urgent.

That was changing.

Someone called for another bowl of noodles.

Lin Yuan turned back toward the kitchen.

Expansion could wait until after dinner.

The afternoon became a blur.

Lin Yuan cooked.

Su Mei served.

Then Lin Yuan cooked more.

The stable filled with Ironhoof Beasts and several other low-level mounts.

Travelers refilled their ordinary water.

Others purchased Spirit-Touched Water.

Food left the kitchen almost as quickly as Lin Yuan could prepare it.

Wine jars emptied.

The tavern had never earned spirit stones this quickly.

It had also never been this exhausting.

At one point, Lin Yuan looked through the kitchen doorway.

Su Mei was carrying tea toward one table while answering a question from another.

A customer upstairs called for fresh water.

Three people had just entered the courtyard.

Another wanted to pay for a room that no longer existed.

Lin Yuan turned back toward the stove.

Wandering Cloud Tavern was doing extremely well.

Apparently, success came with its own problems.

Darkness finally settled over Blackstone.

Most of the cultivators heading west had left.

The four rooms remained occupied.

Several travelers had set up tents in the courtyard rather than continue through the wasteland at night.

The stable still held several spirit beasts.

Inside the tavern, Su Mei lowered herself into a chair.

Lin Yuan leaned against the counter.

For several breaths, neither spoke.

Then Su Mei looked at the bowls waiting to be cleaned.

"We need another worker."

Lin Yuan looked toward the kitchen.

Then upstairs.

Then outside.

"Two."

Su Mei nodded.

"Two."

That settled it.

Lin Yuan returned upstairs late that night.

Normally, he would have cultivated before sleeping.

Tonight, he had something else to check.

He summoned the Territory Core.

The familiar interface appeared.

Territory Core

Owner: Lin Yuan

Territory: Blackstone Wasteland

Core State: Awakened

Core Level: 1

Spiritual Environment: Barren

Territory Revenue: 100 / 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones

Lin Yuan stared at the number.

One hundred.

The sudden rush of business had finally pushed Territory Revenue across the threshold.

A new line appeared beneath it.

Core Advancement Requirements Met

Advancement Available

For a moment, Lin Yuan simply looked at it.

He remembered the first day Wandering Cloud Tavern had opened.

Nine customers had nearly overwhelmed him.

Eight spirit stones of business had seemed like an excellent beginning.

Now twenty-four seats weren’t enough.

Every room was occupied.

People were sleeping outside.

And for the first time, the Territory Core was ready to advance.

Lin Yuan focused on the new option.

Advance Territory Core to Level 2?

His gaze remained on the question.

The strange phenomenon in the west had reminded him how large the cultivation world was.

Throughout the day, cultivators had crossed the sky on flying artifacts far faster than his old wooden board.

Blackstone was growing.

Lin Yuan was still only at the eighth layer of Qi Refining.

That gap would eventually matter.

But refusing to develop his greatest advantage wouldn’t solve it.

Lin Yuan focused on the interface.

Advance.

The panel disappeared.

A moment later, he felt it.

A pulse spread outward from somewhere beneath him.

Through the tavern.

Across the courtyard.

Past the Spirit-Touched Well.

Through the stable and reinforced wall.

Then it continued.

Farther.

Much farther.

Lin Yuan stood.

For the first time since awakening the Territory Core, his connection to Blackstone became unmistakably clear.

He couldn’t see every rock or sense every movement across the wasteland.

But for several breaths, he felt the sheer scale of the land bound to the Core.

The courtyard beneath him was only a tiny piece of it.

Beyond the tavern stretched barren earth, old paths, dry ground, scattered stone and the long trade road cutting across his territory.

All of it was Blackstone.

The sensation gradually faded.

Lin Yuan remained standing.

Until now, Blackstone had mostly meant a courtyard, a well and a roadside tavern.

For the first time, he truly understood how small that was compared to the land surrounding him.

The interface returned.

Territory Core

Owner: Lin Yuan

Territory: Blackstone Wasteland

Core State: Awakened

Core Level: 2

Spiritual Environment: Barren

Territory Revenue: 100 / 500 Low-Grade Spirit Stones

New Enhancement Tier Unlocked

Spiritual Environment Advancement Available

Lin Yuan’s attention stopped on the final line.

He focused on it.

Spiritual Environment

Current Grade: Barren

Available Advancement: Faint

Cost: 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones

Lin Yuan stared at the price.

One hundred.

That was considerably more than any enhancement he’d purchased so far.

But this wasn’t a single well or building.

It was Blackstone’s spiritual environment itself.

Lin Yuan dismissed the panel and immediately checked the tavern.

The restriction that had remained since its first enhancement was gone.

Enhancement Available

His interest sharpened.

He checked the well.

Available.

The courtyard wall.

Available.

The stable.

Available.

Even the Spirit-Assisted Kitchen Stove could be enhanced again.

With every structure he checked, the possibilities grew.

Then Lin Yuan looked at the costs.

His excitement became considerably calmer.

Level 2 enhancements were much more expensive than the first.

And unlike before, there was no obvious choice.

The tavern was already too small.

Blackstone’s barren spiritual environment could finally be improved.

And as the territory grew, its defenses would eventually have to grow with it.

Expansion.

Environment.

Defense.

Lin Yuan wanted all three.

His spirit stones disagreed.

He looked once more at the Core interface.

He had finally reached Core Level 2.

And somehow, he suddenly felt poor.

Downstairs, every room was occupied.

Outside, cultivators were sleeping in his courtyard.

Business had never been better.

Apparently, he would need it to become even better.