Chapter 693 - 547: Get Certified

After parting with Profound Wood Daoist Master, Ji An sought out a broker to start familiarizing himself with the situation in the Immortal City.

It truly was a ’big city’; even the brokers were organized, with the head broker being a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, each overseeing anywhere from a few to over a dozen Qi Refining Disciples.

The broker he chose was a middle-aged Foundation Establishment Cultivator with an honest appearance, missing half of his left hand, with visible bite marks from a beast on the wound.

He might have previously been a free-spirited person living the life of a Demon Hunter, now aware of the difficulty of licking blood off the knife’s edge, decided to change his line of work.

The cultivator was somewhat reserved, but he knew the ins and outs of each shop, able to tell the most outstanding products of each and where it was most cost-effective to purchase raw materials.

After wandering around for a while, Ji An said:

"Find a distinctive food shop or restaurant, let’s have a bite, and in the afternoon, take me to see places for renting a grotto mansion."

"Senior, what tier of grotto mansion are you looking to rent?"

Zhang Jun asked carefully. He could sense the other party’s strength, but couldn’t determine his specific realm, making it difficult to give a targeted recommendation.

"Above Tier Three, if the price is right, the Tier Three Middle Grade or Upper Grade is best."

Renting a grotto mansion is quite necessary; otherwise, the Stone Turtle won’t be able to absorb much Spiritual Mechanism. Staying on the flying ship for half a year, he absorbed less than a hundred units of various Spiritual Mechanisms.

The higher the tier of the Spirit Vein Node, the more Spiritual Mechanism the Stone Turtle can absorb.

When he is cultivating in the Little World, the Stone Turtle leaves his body and comes into the outside world, at which time the Stone Turtle can absorb two portions of Spiritual Mechanism.

One from the Little World, the other from the Spirit Vein Node.

"Understood, Daoist Master!"

Zhang Jun’s attitude became increasingly respectful. The cultivators who can afford to rent a Tier Three Upper Grade grotto mansion are certainly Golden Core Daoist Masters, because for a Chao Origin Stage Cultivator, it is a pure waste of rich Spiritual Qi to cultivate in a Tier Three Upper Grade environment.

The two came to a small spiritual food shop, and after tasting the food, Ji An was quite disappointed. The ingredients weren’t good enough, and no matter how good the cooking techniques were, they couldn’t shine. His taste had been spoiled by the high-tier spiritual food from Red Flame Peak.

Zhang Jun noticed his expression and tentatively asked, "Daoist Master, is it not to your taste?"

Ji An gently shook his head, "I shouldn’t have hoped for much from a small shop, next time take me to the best restaurant."

Small shops have very low chances of obtaining high-tier ingredients, and special cooking techniques can’t bridge that gap.

After their meal, Ji An asked seemingly unintentionally:

"Is it common to see cultivators breaking through to the Golden Core?"

"Every three to five years, you might witness it once. Observing the Golden Core Thunder Tribulation is a pastime for the cultivators of the Immortal City.

Since I returned to the Immortal City to make a living, I kept track. In fifty years, thirteen cultivators have attempted the breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage.

Among them, seven seniors succeeded, while the others met their demise."

Zhang Jun’s eyes revealed complex emotions, seeing cultivators far stronger than himself fall conjured a certain joy, yet also an intense fear.

Ji An slightly nodded, choosing to rent a grotto mansion in the Immortal City for cultivators attempting the Golden Core level; they are certainly not from sects or powerful families.

Their own accumulation isn’t substantial, fearing that many cultivators have lost the confidence to boldly advance before their breakthrough.

However, most failures occur during the Chaos Thunder Tribulation’s descent, meaning it won’t affect the Stone Turtle’s absorption of Dao Rhyme from the Thunder Tribulation.

As long as the Chaos Thunder Tribulation has brewed, the success or failure of the cultivator doesn’t affect the Stone Turtle at all.

Understanding the actual situation here, Ji An decided that the lease term of the grotto mansion could be longer, which would suppress the price.

After chatting for a while, the two flew towards the mountaintop.

Upon reaching the pavilion managing the grotto mansion leases, Zhang Jun whispered:

"Daoist Master, this Spirit Vein is exclusive to the Cloud Sea Business Alliance, and if you have exceptional skills, leasing a grotto mansion can get you a discount.

This is a feature unique to the Cloud Sea Immortal City, such discounts can’t be found elsewhere."

Ji An’s eyebrows slightly arched; isn’t this an "attract advanced talent" policy!

The higher-ups of the Cloud Sea Business Alliance are indeed very insightful. He quite liked this policy that could save Spirit Stones.

The two stepped into the pavilion; it was a spacious hall, with three layers in total, but the central hall was open from top to bottom.

The ceiling featured a Tai Chi Yin-Yang Fish pattern, with gentle daylight filtering through glazed tiles.

Golden silk threads hung from the dome, with triangular star flags hanging from them.

A circle of egg-sized Luminous Beads was embedded around the walls, one of which emitted a blazing white light, looking exceptionally striking.

A sweet-looking Chao Origin Stage Female Cultivator dressed in a green silk skirt greeted him, "Senior, are you here to lease a grotto mansion?"

A sensing array was installed in the pavilion; if a cultivator of the Golden Core level or above entered, it would trigger a warning, causing one of the Luminous Beads to emit a different light.

She only stepped up to receive a cultivator of the Golden Core level, normally just stationed here.

Ji An nodded lightly, "I want to lease a Tier Three grotto mansion, elaborate on the prices for the Lower Grade, Middle Grade, and Upper Grade grottos."

The female cultivator showed a genuine smile, "Senior, for a lease term under ten years, the Lower Grade grotto is three hundred top-grade Spirit Stones per year, the Middle Grade is four hundred and fifty, and the Upper Grade is six hundred per year, with a one-hundred top-grade Spirit Stone deposit.

If the lease term exceeds ten years, the subsequent annual rent will decrease by ten top-grade Spirit Stones.