Cultivating Immortality Through a Hundred Lifetimes: I Possess the Heavenly Book of Merit

The two walked back the way they came and entered the city wall.

I hadn't gone far when a beam of light swept towards me.

The spiritual light, like ripples, gently swept over them at an extremely fast speed, leaving Yu Yan no time to react.

He felt a chill run down his spine and became slightly wary, but he didn't sense any malice in their words.

"take it easy."

Zhou Yan, used to this, waved his hand dismissively and said in a low voice.

"This is the city's patrol formation. It scans the entire city regularly every day to prevent anyone with ill intentions from sneaking in. As long as you have your identity jade token, it will just scan you and you'll be fine."

Sure enough, the light lingered on them for a moment before disappearing as if nothing had happened.

Yu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and calmly put the Shrinking Earth Talisman back into his storage bag.

"This formation..."

"Impressive, isn't it?" Zhou Yan smiled.

"It's said that this formation was personally set up by Master Yunmeng, covering the entire immortal city. It scans three times a day, and anyone without an identity jade token will be detected. As for the consequences of being detected..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Yu Yan nodded and kept it in mind.

The two continued walking and soon returned to the bustling street.

The streets were still bustling with people. Various shouts, bargaining, laughter, and arguments mingled together, making it just like a lively marketplace.

Zhou Yan took a deep breath, a contented expression on his face.

"Speaking of which, it's been a few years since I last came here. I wonder if there's anything new or interesting here."

He turned to look at Yu Yan and said with a smile:

"Let's go, let's find a place to stay first, and then I'll show you the real benefits of this Cloud Dream Immortal City."

As Zhou Yan spoke, he quickened his pace.

Yu Yan followed behind, but his eyes kept glancing to both sides.

This street was wider than the ones he had just passed, and the shops on both sides were even more magnificent, with two-person-high stone beasts standing at the entrance, looking ferocious and majestic.

Zhou Yan led Yu Yan through several streets, gradually moving away from the busiest market area.

There were far fewer pedestrians around, but the environment was also much quieter.

The trees lining the road have transformed into some kind of spiritual plant, with lush foliage and a faint fragrance.

Occasionally, you can see some exquisite pavilions and towers by the roadside, nestled among the green trees, and you can vaguely see people chatting and laughing inside.

"We're almost there."

As Zhou Yan spoke, he turned and walked into a narrower alley.

The alley wasn't long; after walking about an inch, the view suddenly opened up before us.

A huge courtyard came into view.

The courtyard wall was built of bluish-gray stone blocks, about two zhang high, and covered with black tiles.

Inside the wall, you can still see the eaves of several pavilions and a few tall trees with their branches reaching out over the wall.

The courtyard gate was vermilion, about ten feet wide, with both doors tightly closed.

A stone tablet stands at the entrance, with only two characters engraved on it:

Tian Yuan.

The characters are ancient and simple, with vigorous strokes and a faint flow of spiritual energy, clearly carved by a cultivator himself.

Zhou Yan stepped forward and gently knocked three times on the door.

A moment later, the door creaked open a crack, and a head peeked out.

He was a young Taoist novice, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen years old, with his hair tied in two buns and a somewhat childish face. He looked Zhou Yan and Yu Yan up and down, and asked:

"Are you two here to rent a room?"

"Exactly." Zhou Yan nodded. "Please inform them."

The young Taoist priest said "Oh," opened the door fully, and stepped aside.

"Please come in. Senior Guo is inside. You two will see him if you just follow the path."

The two stepped over the threshold and entered the courtyard.

A narrow path paved with blue bricks winds its way forward, with low shrubs planted on both sides, neatly trimmed.

Behind the bushes was a bamboo grove, its green leaves rustling in the wind, with countless detached houses nestled among the bamboo shadows.

At the end of the path is a small pavilion.

The pavilion was small, with upturned eaves at all four corners, and a stone table and several stone benches were placed beneath it. A tea set was placed on the stone table, still emitting wisps of steam.

A person was sitting on the stone bench.

The man was dressed in a black robe, completely covered from head to toe, and wore a black mask on his face, revealing only his eyes.

Those eyes were deep and dark, like two bottomless ancient wells.

Zhou Yan stepped forward and bowed in greeting:

"Senior Guo, it's been many years since we last met. I'm here to bother you again."

The man in black robes nodded slightly, his voice deep and resonant:

"Zhou Yan. It's been a few years since you last came."

"Yes, I've been traveling for the past few years and only returned today," Zhou Yan replied respectfully.

"This is my friend, surnamed Yu, named Yan. This is his first time visiting Yunmeng Immortal City, and he would like to rent a room at Tianyuan Dojo."

The man in black robes turned his gaze to Yu Yan.

Those eyes fell on Yu Yan, and Yu Yan immediately felt as if something had swept over him from head to toe, and all the hairs on his body stood on end.

He suppressed his vigilance and bowed respectfully.

"Junior Yu Yan greets Senior Guo."

The man in black robes glanced at him, then looked away, his voice still deep and somber:

"You understand the rules?"

"Class B housing, fifty low-grade spirit stones per month, minimum one-year lease, one hundred spirit stones deposit. No spirit stones will be refunded if you leave early."

Hmm? Although it's not too expensive, if you rent it for a year, it's simply unaffordable for Yu Yan right now.

"I already told him on the way."

Before Yu Yan could speak, Zhou Yan had already taken over the conversation, placing the required spirit stones on the table.

"Please have us check them, senior."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Yu Yan.

"Don't worry, it's not free. You don't need the interest. It's seven hundred spirit stones in total. Remember to pay me back."

It has to be said that this person not only has a lot of spirit stones, but is also incredibly generous.

I wonder where this guy, who is also a rogue cultivator, got so many spirit stones. Is he an alchemist?

The man in black robes picked up the spirit stones, counted them, nodded, and then took out two jade slips from his robes and placed them on the stone table.

"There are two Class B rooms left. One is on the east side of the bamboo forest, and the other is on the west side. The one on the east side is closer to the second-tier spiritual vein, so the spiritual energy is slightly stronger, but the price remains the same. The one on the west side is farther away, but it is quieter."

He paused, then looked at the two of them.

Which one do you want?

Zhou Yan turned to look at Yu Yan: "You choose?"

Yu Yan thought for a moment: "The west side, I'll go. It'll be quieter there."

Zhou Yan nodded, took out a storage bag from his pocket, and placed it on the stone table.

"The annual rent, for two people, is 1,200 yuan. Adding the 200 yuan deposit, the total is 1,400 low-grade spirit stones. Please give your approval, senior."

The man in black robes picked up the storage bag, probed it with his divine sense, and nodded after a moment.

He took out two jade pendants from his sleeve and handed them to the two men.

The jade token was different from the identity token received at the city gate. It was light blue all over, with the words "Tian Yuan" engraved on it, and a faint spiritual energy flowed around it.

"This is the building's security token. After the blood oath is performed, only you can enter. It is valid during the lease term and will automatically expire at the end of the lease period."

Zhou Yan took the jade pendant, bit his fingertip to drip blood to signify ownership, and then handed one of the pieces to Yu Yan.

Yu Yan did as instructed.

"The one on the east side has a bamboo sign hanging on the door. The one on the west side has a wooden sign hanging on the door. Find it yourself."

After the man in the black robe finished speaking, he picked up the teacup on the stone table and stopped looking at them.

The two bowed and left the pavilion.

Walking back the way he came, Zhou Yan stopped at a fork in the road:

"I live on the east side, and you live on the west side. Put your things down first, tidy up, and we'll meet here in half an hour. I'll show you some of the good things in this city."

Yu Yan nodded, and the two parted ways.