Translator: CinderTL
Unlike Ye Bing and Shi Man, Song Wen didn't immediately head to Cloudveil City. Instead, he traveled thousands of miles away from the city, arriving at a remote mountain range.
He found a cave and entered.
After setting up the Ten Directions Illusionary Domain Formation within the cave, Song Wen produced a short blade.
At his command, the blade slowly levitated and pressed against his scalp.
The blade slid gently, emitting a soft rustling sound as it shaved off strands of his long hair.
Before long, Song Wen's head was completely bald, gleaming brightly.
He extended his right index finger, a crimson flame erupting from its tip.
Pressing the burning finger to his scalp, wisps of blue smoke curled upward, accompanied by sizzling sounds and the acrid smell of burning flesh.
Finally, six Buddhist ordination marks appeared on his head.
Song Wen took this measure because, upon disembarking from the ship, he noticed that over half the cultivators in Cloudveil City were dressed as monks.
Most of these individuals, like the fake monks he had encountered on the Jin Family's Giant Flying Ship, practiced ordinary Daoist cultivation methods rather than true Buddhist-Daoist techniques.
Thus, to blend in with the local customs, Song Wen disguised himself as a monk.
Furthermore, he preserved the shaved hair instead of burning it, intending to make a wig for future use.
Cloudveil City.
Song Wen, dressed in monk's robes, weaved through the bustling streets.
He first headed to the western district where low-tier rogue cultivators set up stalls. After spending a mid-grade spirit stone, he learned from a golden core stage stall owner about several intelligence shops in the city.
He then selected the nearest shop and purchased a map of Cloudveil City and its surrounding areas.
Next, he visited another intelligence shop and bought information on the various factions operating near Cloudveil City.
With these materials in hand, Song Wen checked into an inn and requested a private room.
After activating the room's built-in formation and restriction, he began reviewing the intelligence and maps.
The information and maps he had acquired weren't particularly detailed, consisting mainly of common knowledge. However, they provided Song Wen with a general understanding of Cloudveil City and its surrounding region.
The most powerful cultivation sect in Cloudveil City was undoubtedly the Buddhist-Daoist Dry Zen Temple. This explained why so many cultivators in the city dressed as monks.
The Dry Zen Temple wasn't located within the city itself, but rather in a mountain range a thousand miles west of the city.
Legend has it that a high monk at the Body Integration Stage resides at the Dry Zen Temple, though he hasn't shown himself in public for many years. Outsiders know nothing about this mysterious figure.
Apart from the Dry Zen Temple, numerous cultivation sects of varying sizes exist around Cloudveil City, but all ultimately answer to the temple's authority.
As for the Veiled Moon Hall, it is situated two hundred miles south of Cloudveil City, along the banks of a major river.
The Veiled Moon Hall holds a unique position within Cloudveil City and the entire Qicang Domain. Its primary mission is to gather specific resources for the Divine Blood Gate within the Qicang Domain, and it remains aloof from the conflicts among the domain's various factions.
Normally, only a Void Refinement Stage elder oversees the hall's operations. Occasionally, a Body Integration Stage powerhouse will descend upon the hall, but the reasons for their visits remain a mystery to outsiders.
The city of Cloudveil is roughly divided into two distinct districts by a wide, straight thoroughfare known as the Great Brahma Sound Dao, which bisects the city into eastern and western halves.
The western district is flat and relatively devoid of Spiritual Qi. Its narrow, winding streets form a labyrinthine maze, and the densely packed buildings create a chaotic, disorganized appearance. Robberies and murders are commonplace occurrences.
East City was characterized by its undulating terrain, with low hills stretching for hundreds of miles. The Spiritual Qi here was several times denser than in West City. Shops overflowing with rare treasures, majestic palaces, and secluded, ancient courtyards were ubiquitous.
"West City is where low-tier cultivators struggle for survival, a place abandoned by the Buddha, chaotic and filthy."
"South City is the blessed grotto-heavens of high-tier cultivators, bathed in Buddha's Light, peaceful and serene."
These two sentences were verbatim from the intelligence Song Wen had purchased.
After memorizing the layout of Cloudveil City and its surrounding terrain, as well as all the forces near Cloudveil City that could pose a threat to him, Song Wen left the inn.
He soared through the air and arrived outside a temple in the central area of South City.
The temple was situated at the foot of a small mountain, atop which stood a colossal Buddha Image.
At the base of the Buddha Image, dozens of monks chanted sutras, their Brahmaic Sound resonating in waves, bringing tranquility to all who heard it.
Song Wen entered the temple. Contrary to expectations, there was no Buddha Image inside; instead, countless cultivators streamed in and out.
This place was called the Brahma Sound Pavilion, a hall established by the Dry Zen Temple to manage all affairs, large and small, in Cloudveil City.
Song Wen arrived at a side hall of the temple, where a novice monk immediately approached him.
The novice monk wore a fawning smile, his demeanor lacking any trace of monastic purity. Instead, he exuded the shrewdness of a merchant.
"Master, what brings you here?"
Song Wen replied, "I... this humble monk wishes to rent a cultivation cave."
The novice monk explained, "Cultivation caves are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow. Heaven-grade caves are rare, with only a hundred in total. Their Spiritual Qi is exceptionally dense, sufficient to meet the daily cultivation needs of Void Refinement Stage great powers. Earth-grade caves number a thousand. While their Spiritual Qi isn't as concentrated as Heaven-grade caves, it remains abundant enough to satisfy the cultivation requirements of Divine Transformation Stage cultivators..."
According to the novice monk, these cultivation caves available for rent in Cloudveil City were the finest blessed grotto-heavens in the entire Qicang Domain. Those who rented them experienced explosive growth in their cultivation, frequently breaking through bottlenecks.
"What are the rental fees for each grade of cave?" Song Wen asked.
"The heaven-grade cave residence costs 500 high-grade spirit stones per year," Novice Monk Yan said. "The earth-grade cave residence costs 70 high-grade spirit stones, and the profound-grade cave residence costs 10 high-grade spirit stones..."
Song Wen's lips twitched slightly. The prices were indeed steep.
Given his current wealth, he could only afford to rent a heaven-grade cave residence for a single sixty-year cycle.
"Which type of cave residence does Senior wish to rent?" Novice Monk Yan asked.
"Take me to see the earth-grade cave residence," Song Wen replied.
"Please follow this junior, Senior."
With that, Novice Monk Yan led Song Wen out of the Brahma Sound Pavilion and flew eastward.
Before long, they arrived above a small mountain.
Though called a mountain, it was more accurately described as a small hill, barely thirty meters tall and covered in lush, verdant vegetation.
The mountain contained only one cave residence, located halfway up its slope and designated as Earth No. 357.
Novice Monk Yan guided Song Wen into the cave.
The cave residence was modest, covering only about two acres. Its interior was completely empty, offering a clear view of its entire space.
It appeared the cave had been unoccupied for some time, as evidenced by insect trails in the corners and dampness on the floor.
(End of the Chapter)
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