Tan Shao

'Hmm... I don't remember him... Must be a newcomer... What a lucky bastard.'

The receptionist concluded with a subtle scowl as he saw Xiao Yang's handsome figure step into the hall.

"Hello, fellow cultivator! How may I help you today?" the receptionist asked with a practiced smile.

"I want a room for cultivation," Xiao Yang replied calmly.

The receptionist narrowed his eyes slightly. '6th-level of Spirit Elementary… He definitely gives off a noble vibe, but... does he have money, or is he just another beggar in disguise?'

"Of course, fellow cultivator," he said smoothly. "In the first three floors, we have cultivation chambers surrounded by formations and low-grade herbs that increase absorption rate by ten percent. The next two floors have mid-grade herbs, enhancing absorption by twenty percent. Finally, the top floor is enhanced with high-grade herbs, boosting cultivation efficiency by thirty percent."

Then came the numbers:

"The prices are 5 bronze coins, 5 silver coins, and 5 gold coins per 24 hours—depending on the floor, of course," he added formally, keeping a composed tone.

Naturally, these benefits were most useful for low-level cultivators. For someone at the Spirit Warrior level, such enhancements would barely have any effect. But that wasn't much of a concern—there were barely any Spirit Warriors in the entire city. The demand had never called for anything more.

'Hmm… 30% boost is definitely good. I don't have any money problems anyway.'

Xiao Yang nodded inwardly.

"All right. I want to rent a room on the sixth floor—for three weeks."

The receptionist's eyes bulged.

'What!? Even I can't casually rent a sixth-floor room—and this guy wants it for three whole weeks?! He must be filthy rich!!'

For an ordinary non-cultivator, even earning a single gold coin would take years of grueling labor. Even for him who worked here, affording a sixth-floor room occasionally was a luxury.

Three weeks? That was a dream.

The receptionist swallowed hard, and then with a flash of greed and ambition in his eyes, he forced a new smile.

"Fe—Esteemed Guest! N-Now that I think about it… we do have a special room—right at the top of the building. It's a premium-grade chamber enhanced with rare herbs and a fivefold formation array. It boosts absorption by fifty percent, and it's… only 50 gold coins per day!" he said, teeth gritting behind his fake enthusiasm.

'Only 50 gold!? Who am I kidding—this guy won't take it. He'd have to be completely insane to throw away that much even if he is rich—'

"Hm… all right. I'll take it for three weeks," Xiao Yang replied nonchalantly.

Thud.

The receptionist collapsed to the floor.

Only after several stunned seconds did he manage to stagger to his feet again, his face pale and eyes trembling like a broken puppet.

Not quite understanding what the weird receptionist was doing, Xiao Yang casually took out a few beast cores from his soul space. He didn't know the exact pricing for these cultivation rooms, but based on how the auction manager had reacted earlier, a bunch of Spirit Intermediate beast cores should be enough.

"I want to pay with these.." Xiao Yang said, handing over a small pouch filled with fifty Spirit Intermediate cores.

"T-This…" the receptionist choked.

"What? Is it not enough?" Xiao Yang tilted his head slightly, genuinely confused.

"H-Huh? N-No… It's just—" the receptionist stuttered, eyes twitching.

He stared at the cores in disbelief. This much could easily sell for a thousand gold so It was just enough to cover the cost.

What truly shocked him wasn't the value but the number of the cores.

'These are Spirit Intermediate cores and 50 of them… but this guy's only at Spirit Elementary… Why does he even have this much!'

Even though many cultivators use beast cores to cultivate even faster with their special cultivation techniques, It wasn't practically good to buy some beast cores to cultivate if one had lower cultivation than the beast cores, it would surely cause the cultivators to accumulate far more impurities in their body which would definitely harm them in the future.

So he didn't quite understand why he had these many as a mere spirit elementary. And he didn't even think about if these cores had %100 purity, because why would he give him %100 pureness cores as they were at least five times more precious than the impurity cores which had lower spiritual energy and impurities.

As Xiao Yang remained silent, the receptionist stopped questioning it and quickly composed himself.

"…Please, follow me," he said, bowing slightly, then turned to lead the way.

Not long after, Xiao Yang entered the top-floor room silently. The space was clean and quiet, with faint glimmers of array symbols lining the walls.

He sat cross-legged on the cultivation mat, closed his eyes, and focused his breath.

Within moments, Qi surged toward him like a tidal wave.

It was abnormally fast.

The mortal-ranked [Basic Qi Gathering Technique] pulsed inside his meridians with masterful precision—far beyond what any cultivator could achieve. The room's 50% boost only made it more exaggerated.

If Xi Ling saw this… she would've been shocked as his mastery had made a basic technique rival, if not surpass, Earth-grade techniques.

His dantian began to fill steadily while Every breath pulled Qi inward, refined and condensed while a series of messages appeared in his mind by his system.

+75QI

+75QI

+75QI

Meanwhile, a subtle uproar was beginning to spread about the upcoming auction scheduled to take place in three weeks.

"Hmm… Two Spirit Master beast cores at the 1st level? What's so impressive about that? Things like this happen every month in the Emperor City!"

For most cultivators at the Spirit Master realm, obtaining a beast core of the same rank wasn't anything difficult. Although the drop rate for cores was low compared to weaker beasts, Spirit Masters often killed dozens when training or hunting—especially when they were trying to break through. Many sold their leftover cores once in a while, particularly when those cores became useless for their current realm.

But—

"W-Wait! Did you say they have 100% purity?! Those only show up every few years!! We must try to get them!!"

That changed everything.

Excitement erupted among mid-level cultivators. Though the auction was taking place in a desolate city, the purity of the cores had sparked a wildfire of interest.

For Spirit Warrior realm cultivators, a 100% pure Spirit Master core wasn't just a valuable treasure—it was a potential breakthrough catalyst. Using one to cultivate would offer energy far more concentrated and efficient than drawing Qi from the air. It was the kind of thing that could push someone through an entire bottleneck.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

While several cultivators from nearby towns and sects began making their way toward Tan City, a different kind of presence arrived at the Cultivation Chamber Hall.

Heavy footsteps echoed at the entrance.

An immature-looking young man, his expression dripping with arrogance, stepped in—followed by a dozen fully armored guards. His ornate silk robes fluttered with every step, and his narrowed eyes scanned the hall as if everything inside was beneath him.

It was none other than Tan Shao, the only son of the City Lord.

The receptionist, who had been lost in thought about the beast cores Xiao Yang had given him just three days ago, suddenly snapped out of his mental rambling.

'Hehe… That stupid kid actually gave me pure cores… I sold them for 5,000 gold and kept 4,000 for myself. Should I—'

"You insolent fool!!" a guard barked, cutting through his greedy thoughts like a blade.

"Bow before our Young Master at once!"

"!!"

"Y-Young Master Tan! Forgive my rudeness!"

The receptionist immediately dropped to his knees, forehead nearly touching the ground.

Everyone in the city knew just how arrogant and grudgeful the City Lord's only son was. Offending him, even slightly, could lead to being crippled, ruined—or worse. And the receptionist was definitely not stupid enough to take that risk.

"Heh! That's better! Now, lead the way to the usual room!"

Seeing the receptionist remain frozen, Young Master Tan Shao frowned.

"Y-Young Master… that room is actually rented by someone… for three weeks…"

"What?! Who could afford such an expense in our city?!"

Tan Shao's face darkened instantly.

It was unthinkable.

That room wasn't just expensive—it was the most expensive chamber in the entire building, and everyone knew it practically belonged to him. After all, most of the businesses, including this cultivation chamber hall, were owned by his family.

"I-I believe it's an outsider, Young Master Tan…" the receptionist added meekly, clearly terrified by what might come next.

"Nonsense!! No one's been entering the city these days! Lead the way! I want to see who dares take my room!"

His voice echoed arrogantly through the hall.

Meanwhile, within the top chamber—

Xiao Yang's aura stirred.

The air thickened around him, and faint ripples danced across the room. His breathing slowed, and the pulsing rhythm of Qi in his dantian reached a peak.

Bzzzt.

a sudden notification resounded in his head.

[7th Level of Spirit Elementary ]

He exhaled slowly, feeling his spiritual foundation deepen once again, but just as he adjusted his posture, several rushed footsteps echoed outside the chamber.

In the next moment, the door was slammed open without so much as a knock.

Xiao Yang frowned. Wasn't this… rude?

He turned his head calmly.

A young man in lavish robes stepped in arrogantly, the same receptionist trailing behind him—along with a pair of heavily armed guards.

As soon as Tan Shao and his men stepped inside, they froze.

The room was still pulsing with the residual aura of a breakthrough—7th Level Spirit Elementary.

Their eyes bulged.

"A mere Spirit Elementary?" one guard muttered, unable to hide his confusion.

"How did he afford this chamber…?"

Tan Shao's gaze darkened. Deep inside, a flicker of reluctance and uncertainty flashed in his eyes.

'This guy… could he be from one of the Great Families?'

He certainly looked calm—unnaturally so—for someone with such low cultivation. 'His cultivation is too low for a someone from the big families'

Clearing his throat, Tan Shao stepped forward with a forced smile.

"Hello, fellow Daoist. I happen to be attempting a breakthrough myself in the coming days. Would you be willing to lend this room for a short while? I'm willing to pay —"

"No."

Xiao Yang cut him off flatly. His voice was calm, without hesitation.

"I don't need money."

Tan Shao raised a brow. but continued politely.

"I haven't seen you in the city so, you must be a newcomer... What's your name, fellow Daoist?"

"Xiao Yang."

"Xiao Yang?" Tan Shao repeated with a puzzled look.

There were clearly no big families with that surname in the Western Region. And as the heir to the City Lord, he was familiar with most of the influential names across the province.

"Sorry to ask, but… I've never heard of Xiao family. Could you tell me more about your family?"

Xiao Yang tilted his head slightly. Not understanding what's these conservations all about.

"Family? But I have no one. I'm a rogue cultivator."

"!!!"

A wave of silence swept the room.

The last shred of hesitation in Tan Shao's eyes vanished completely. His lips curled into a mocking smile, and his aura surged with renewed arrogance.

For a brief moment, the guards, the receptionist, and even Tan Shao had felt something strange from Xiao Yang—an uneasy composure, an aura of quiet confidence. It had made them hesitate, unsure if he was someone powerful in disguise.

But the moment he said he was a rogue cultivator…

All tension evaporated.

And laughter exploded.

"Pffft—HAH!"

"Hahahaha! What an idiot!! I really thought he was someone important!"

"Rogue cultivator!? That explains everything!!"

Even the receptionist, who had been somehow reluctant to stay inside the room couldn't hold it in and chuckled behind his sleeve.

Tan Shao clutched his stomach, roaring with laughter.

"Haaah… GOOD! I haven't laughed like this in weeks!" he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "As a reward—I'll give you one chance."

His voice dropped, cold and arrogant.

"Get out of my room, or I'll beat your ass! I don't care how you got the money to rent this place, but a beggar like you must've stolen it!"

"What?! I didn't steal! I found it on the ground!"

…

Another beat of silence.

Then—

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!!"

Everyone burst into even louder laughter.

"Found it on the ground!? Just who the hell throws gold like trash!?"

"Clearly he did steal it! What a joke!"

"But I am telling the truth!!" Xiao Yang said with a somehow irritated voice, just what's wrong with these people?

Hearing a nobody like him, a mere spirit elemantary still talking back to him Tan Shao's expression darkened with furry.

"I'll ask one more time," he said, eyes flashing. "SCRAM."

Xiao Yang stood his ground.

"What?! I won't."

Tan Shao's smile twisted into a scowl.

"Hahahaha… look at this ignorant bastard!"

He raised his hand. pointing toward Xiao Yang before shouting.

"Guards! Show him what happens if he doesn't know his place!!!"

"W-Wha—ARGHH!!"