Chapter 11

After tidying up the bed, a cleansing spell swept over it, leaving everything immaculate and orderly as new. Cultivation brings not only physical benefits, but also convenience in daily life; at the very least, one need not hire maids or housekeepers. Still, this is not an absolute rule—many Nascent Soul-level elders keep young attendants to help with receptions and such. If these positions were ever open to outsiders, they would be fiercely contested.

Firstly, these attendants can cultivate on peaks rich in spiritual energy, far superior to ordinary mountains. Secondly, a single drop of a Nascent Soul cultivator’s generosity could reward them for a year’s effort. Thus, the servants of this world are entirely different from those of her previous life.

Li Mengze lay on her bed, eyes closed, recalling her cultivation techniques. Life now was peaceful and fulfilling. After establishing her Foundation, sleep and food became unnecessary, though she could use Fasting Pills in place of meals. However, she could not replace sleep with meditation; a sleepless night left her mind muddled and was detrimental to her cultivation.

Therefore, among her travel preparations was a luxurious tent equipped with both a spirit-gathering array and an illusion-killing array, designed for restful nights outdoors.

Her uncle, Li Yunzan, secretly marveled at his niece’s peculiar habit. Yet cultivators’ quirks are countless; he simply considered it a childhood habit she never outgrew.

Before setting out, each peak’s true disciples were to meet, for barring unforeseen events, they would spend a year together in the secret realm. Kunlun’s peaks were mostly populated by sword cultivators, though there were spell practitioners as well, each with their own strengths. Large-scale actions in the secret realm were discouraged, so even disciples of the same sect would split into smaller groups based on cultivation level. Li Mengze, though she had senior brothers and sisters, had none at her own level, and so was grouped with disciples from other peaks.

True lone participants were rare—few disciples of Nascent Soul elders were still at the Golden Core stage. Most had companions; if Li Mengze hadn’t prepared in advance, she’d have had no idea with whom to stand. Fortunately, her senior brothers and sisters, akin to parental figures, had already made arrangements. Her uncle had no Foundation Establishment disciples in this expedition, but he had fellow disciples—her youngest uncle, for example, spent his days traveling and dueling. His own disciples, following his example, seldom stayed in the sect. Upon establishing their Foundation, they proclaimed that sword cultivators must advance through constant combat and promptly left seeking battle. This time, with the secret realm offering such a legitimate opportunity for fighting, they would surely not miss it.

Her junior sister had chosen her a team of eight to ten, freely assembled. Her youngest uncle’s three disciples—two men and one woman—were all at mid-to-late Foundation Establishment, even peak stage. Years of continuous combat had made them seasoned fighters, said to be capable of handling most situations without her intervention, and their straightforward natures made them easy to get along with.

Of course, if it were only these three, her senior sister would never have agreed to her joining, as they were trouble magnets who rushed toward battle at the slightest whiff of it.

The main reason for the team’s composition lay in the addition of two peak Foundation Establishment cultivators, both formidable fighters, renowned as leaders among Kunlun’s Foundation generation. The special arrangement owed much gratitude to a Kunlun elder of the Divine Transformation stage—a figure revered across the cultivation world. Remarkably, a century ago, this elder’s late-stage Nascent Soul partner conceived, and now, a hundred years later, she was pregnant again, though the news had not yet spread. If it did, it would cause a stir in the cultivation world, and the elder might be pressured to give a lecture titled “How to Make Your Dao Companion Conceive,” perhaps even touring both the cultivation and demon realms.

These two joined the secret realm not to advance to Golden Core, but for two reasons: first, rumors of powerful demon cultivators entering, purpose unknown; second, the secret realm was said to yield a millennium-matured Spirit-Nourishing Fruit, which, upon consumption, would allow a cultivator to bear a child without loss of cultivation, and grant the child an innate spiritual physique.

As for how Li Mengze’s group knew such confidential information, she could only gaze heavenward with teary eyes—her grandmaster was as gossipy as a tabloid reporter.

Who else but a Divine Transformation elder would hide their cultivation and eavesdrop under someone’s window, shamelessly proud of it? She had only recently learned this, and now understood why her uncle’s fellow disciples were so eccentric—battle maniacs and cultivation fanatics alike, exemplifying the saying: either explode in silence or become twisted in silence.

Her uncles had all become eccentric after being suppressed.

The secret realm’s entrance was not near Kunlun, but close to the demon region. Li Mengze, who entered cultivation at five and had rarely left home, knew little of the outside world. This journey, her senior brothers and sisters planned to depart early for experience—not just in battle, but in the ways of the world.

Little did they know, this seemingly innocent girl was, in essence, not much different from themselves.

Traveling from Kunlun to the demon region’s edge would take over half a month even with flying artifacts. So shortly after meeting the true disciples, Li Mengze set out with her eldest brother, Ba Yicheng, and second sister, Wen Yuanyuan.

The three rode a small flying artifact inscribed with a spatial array, forming three tiny cultivation chambers. Though this artifact consumed spirit stones and wasn’t the fastest, it was chosen to accommodate Li Mengze’s inability to go without sleep.

Their first stop was a sizable city near Kunlun, famed as Shangguan City, where gold paved the streets and thousands of acres of spiritual fields yielded wealth—a mundane city.

Li Mengze had once imagined mortal cities to resemble those of her previous life, at the dawn of reform—patched clothes and all. But upon seeing it, she realized how naive she’d been. Modern society, with its millennia of civilization, had invented electric lights and television, with water, electricity, and gas supplied. Why should a cultivation world, where even mortals lived to a hundred, not develop similar conveniences? While they lacked electric lights, the mundane realm used oil from a certain animal, whose brightness rivaled lamps and emitted no odor. It was cheap—one spirit stone bought a year’s supply, cheaper than electricity.

Though Shangguan City was a mundane city, its lord was a Golden Core cultivator. Many itinerant cultivators settled here, as it offered cultivation resources and customs similar to the cultivation world. There were even residences for rent to cultivators; Li Mengze and her companions rented such a dwelling.

Their abode was carved into the mountainside, resembling a courtyard cave dwelling, with a layout much like a quadrangle. It had cultivation rooms and rest chambers—a large residence could accommodate five simultaneous cultivators, though the spiritual energy wasn’t as rich as in the cultivation world.

Fresh from their sect, Li Mengze was curious about everything. Renting a residence, Ba Yicheng led them to a modest bamboo building. The attendant, without cultivation, was courteous but not obsequious, making them feel at ease. Upon hearing they wished to rent a residence, he smiled knowingly: “You immortals must be here for the upcoming auction. I hear many treasures will appear this time. May your wishes be fulfilled.”

He laid a piece of beast hide on the table, pointing to several faint red dots. “These spots are closest to the auction venue, so they’ll be very convenient. You’ve arrived early; soon, these prime locations will be gone.”

Li Mengze knew nothing about the auction, but saw her senior brother and sister’s satisfaction, suggesting they were already aware.

“What are the prices for these residences?” Ba Yicheng asked.

The attendant smiled, indicating each location. “This one is large, with five cultivation rooms, each equipped with a spirit-gathering array—ideal for cultivation, eighty spirit stones per day. This one is smaller, with three rest chambers and no spirit-gathering array, but ingeniously designed and comfortable, perfect for female cultivators—sixty spirit stones per day. These others are small, suitable for one or two people, just thirty spirit stones per day.”

They all knew of Li Mengze’s peculiarities, and since their stay was brief, cultivation was unimportant. Ba Yicheng immediately chose the sixty spirit stone residence. Li Mengze then watched the attendant use some unknown method; with a tap on the beast hide, the chosen spot glowed bright red, matching other lit spots—clearly marking occupied residences for easy management.

After handing over the spirit stones, Ba Yicheng received a paper crane. Infusing it with spiritual energy, they followed its flight to their new residence.

The cave dwelled halfway up the mountain; nearby, other residences could be seen, though protective arrays obscured whether they were occupied.