Only about a hundred meters out from the base of the pillar did buildings begin to appear—and all of them were constructed from piled stone.
“Where does that lead?” Evan Yang looked up, unable to see the top, and muttered to himself. He continued scanning the area with his divine sense—the city was enormous, and no matter which corner he checked, that pillar reaching into the heavens was clearly visible.
After watching for a while, Evan Yang decided to find out how those people managed to fly, so he set his sights on a crowded area.
About half an hour later, Evan Yang arrived at a place where many people were gathered—and they were drinking wine.
“Souls can eat food too?” Evan Yang wondered suspiciously, then sat down. Soon, a waiter came to greet him.
The waiter smiled and asked, “What can I get for you?”
“Um, just bring me some good food and drink,” Evan Yang replied.
Seeing that Evan Yang was alone, the waiter smiled and said, “No problem, coming right up.”
After the waiter left, Evan Yang focused on the people around him, trying to see what they were eating and drinking.
The dishes came quickly; the waiter soon brought the food. When Evan Yang saw the dishes, he felt they weren’t much different from those in the Human World, but their aura was distinct.
He began to taste the food. With each bite, Evan Yang felt it wasn’t ordinary cuisine, but rather a source of energy—this energy made his soul form feel vigorous.
“Strange—what are these made of?” Evan Yang tried each dish in turn. They didn’t have much flavor, but each one felt different.
But the overall result was that he felt much more energetic—more precisely, it was a kind of vitality his soul had never possessed before.
“Strange—what exactly are these things?” Evan Yang muttered.
After finishing the dishes, Evan Yang drank what looked like wine. It tasted sweet, but he knew souls shouldn’t be able to drink—so what were these things?
The sweetness made his soul feel just as vigorous as before—full of strength.
Very quickly, Evan Yang finished everything. He felt bloated, as if he had really eaten a lot.
“Weird—what are these made from?” After finishing, Evan Yang grew even more curious, and looked around at the people nearby.
He saw that after eating, they took out small black blocks to pay the bill—Soul-Stones.
Seeing them pay, Evan Yang was secretly startled—he’d forgotten that in the Soul-World, he didn’t have any of their currency, the Soul-Stone. At this moment, he felt embarrassed.
Evan Yang’s every move was watched closely by the innkeeper. To him, Evan looked like someone who’d never eaten these foods, constantly glancing around.
At this moment, Evan Yang was calculating how to pay the bill. “Damn, if I’d known, I wouldn’t have come in—I’d have just asked someone outside.”
So Evan Yang sat there, watching people come and go, unable to do anything but sit quietly. Occasionally, he picked up his cup and poured himself a drink.
Whenever the waiter came over, Evan Yang would say he was waiting for someone. This trick worked for a while, but he couldn’t keep it up forever. After a while, the innkeeper came over.
The innkeeper came to Evan Yang’s table and sat down. “Hello.”
“Hello,” Evan Yang replied with a smile, though he was feeling quite frustrated inside.
“Where are you from?” the innkeeper asked with a smile.
Following Misha’s instructions, Evan Yang said, “I’m from the Mira Tribe.”
“Mira Tribe? I heard that’s pretty far—walking here takes half a year, right?” the innkeeper said in surprise.
“Yes, that’s right,” Evan Yang replied with a smile.
“How did you find the food?” the innkeeper asked with a smile.
“It’s good, but I’m curious—what are these made of?” Evan Yang asked.
“Of course, they’re made from materials beneficial to souls. How is it? Don’t you feel full of strength?” the innkeeper said with a smile.
“Yes, it’s very energizing,” Evan Yang replied with a smile, though he was puzzled inside—how could these materials be turned into food, and how could souls eat them?
“I noticed you’ve been waiting for someone. Are you waiting for people from your tribe, or from the city?” the innkeeper asked curiously.
“Waiting for tribe members,” Evan Yang replied with a smile.
“Waiting for tribe members? When will they arrive?” the innkeeper asked with a smile.
The more Evan Yang listened, the more it felt like the innkeeper had noticed something.
“Alright, stop pretending—come with me to the back,” the innkeeper said quietly after Evan Yang didn’t reply.
Seeing the innkeeper expose him and smile, Evan Yang had no choice but to get up and follow him to the back of the inn.
In the back, Evan Yang saw many people busy at work. The innkeeper called him in: “From the moment you entered, I felt you were odd—do you not have any Soul-Stones?”
“Soul-Stones?” Evan Yang didn’t know what those were, so he was surprised.
Judging by your expression, you definitely don’t have any. Did you think you could eat and drink here without paying?” the innkeeper asked patiently.
At this point, Evan Yang finally understood what Soul-Stones were—they were the currency of this world.
“Don’t just stand there—you spent ten Soul-Stones just now, which is equal to a month’s wages for these workers,” the innkeeper said with a smile.
“What do you mean?” Evan Yang felt the innkeeper had something else to say.
“I know many people from outside tribes don’t understand the rules, so sometimes they don’t know about paying. Since that’s the case, I’m not a bad person. It’s simple: help out here for a month, and you’ll get food and lodging. After a month, you can leave,” the innkeeper said with a smile.
Evan Yang hadn’t expected to be recruited as a servant, but what could he do? He had to pay for what he’d eaten. He could escape if he wanted, but decided to accept. “Thank you, innkeeper,” he said.
“Good. Soon, someone will show you how to help out,” the innkeeper said.
“Alright,” Evan Yang nodded.
The innkeeper arranged for someone else to take Evan Yang away. Evan followed the man, winding through the corridors, and arrived at the workers’ quarters.
“Kid, the innkeeper told me about your situation. I sympathize, but you have to pay for what you ate. For the next month, you’ll live here—it’s a bit shabby, but make do. Change clothes and come with me,” the leader said.
Evan Yang nodded and walked inside. The room was made of stacked stones, with two beds. He figured one was his and the other belonged to someone else.
“Change clothes first, and try to figure out the situation here in the next month,” Evan Yang thought. He planned to stay at the inn for a month—not just to repay his debt, but to investigate the Soul-World, how people could fly, and how they used their powers.
With these questions in mind, Evan Yang changed clothes and followed the leader out of his room. After a while, he was taken to the kitchen. The leader said, “We’re short a food runner—just take the dishes out when they’re ready.”
“Alright, got it,” Evan Yang replied with a smile.
Very quickly, Evan Yang started working as the leader instructed. While serving dishes, he kept his Thousand-Mile Echo active, so he learned about people’s conversations and habits in the inn.
There was nighttime here too, but their night was like a half-dusk—the sky never fully darkened, just half-black, like before a storm.
After dark, everywhere closed up. There were no lights anywhere—it felt like they lived in darkness. Not only that, the kitchen didn’t use fire either.
Overall, Evan Yang noticed there was no fire in the kitchen, which made him curious. There was no fire at night either, making him realize how different this place was from the Human World.
A day passed, and Evan Yang returned to his room. After a while, someone came in.
The newcomer was a kid, about Evan Yang’s age—just over ten.
Seeing someone inside, the kid was startled. “Who are you?”
“I’m new here—Evan Mira. I’ll be staying for a month, so please look after me,” Evan Yang said, finally seeing someone and smiling. He wanted to chat and learn more about the Soul-World.
“So you’re new—I thought you were a thief,” the kid replied with a smile.
“What about you?” Evan Yang asked.
“My name is Sachi, but everyone calls me Little Qi. You can call me that too,” Sachi said with a smile.
“Are you working here too?” Evan Yang asked, smiling when he couldn’t think of what else to say.
“Yes. I got separated from my family, so I stay here. Luckily, the innkeeper is kind and took me in. I get food, a place to stay, and monthly wages,” Sachi replied with a smile.
Hearing that Sachi had been separated from his family, Evan Yang felt a blockage in his heart—he knew it was because he too had been separated from his family for years.
“What’s wrong?” Sachi asked curiously, noticing Evan Yang’s expression.
“It’s nothing—I’m like you, separated from my family,” Evan Yang replied awkwardly.
“I see—we’re really a pair. Do you know where your family is? Can you find them?” Sachi asked kindly.
“I know the general direction, but I can’t go there,” Evan Yang replied, thinking of the Immortal Realm Entrance map.
“You’re a lot like me—I know where my family is, but I don’t have the ability to find them,” Sachi said, his cheerful mood suddenly turning gloomy.
“Where is your family? Why can’t you find them?” Evan Yang asked, puzzled.
“My family was taken away—they have the ability to fly and disappear. I don’t know any of that,” Sachi sighed.
Hearing that, Evan Yang asked curiously, “Fly and disappear? Who are they?”
“Soul-Heaven Palace,” Sachi sighed.
“Soul-Heaven Palace? Where is it?” Evan Yang remembered Misha had mentioned Soul-Heaven Palace, but he’d only seen a city since arriving—not the palace itself.
“It’s on top of that pillar,” Sachi said, his expression gloomy.
After Sachi said that, Evan Yang thought of the pillar and muttered to himself, “So that’s the way to Soul-Heaven Palace.”
Out loud, Evan Yang asked curiously, “Why can they fly and disappear?”
“Because they have Soul Power,” Sachi replied.
“Soul Power? What’s that?” Evan Yang asked, surprised at hearing about this power for the first time.
“It’s a special ability they develop after training. With Soul Power, they can control the wind and rain, and also fly and disappear,” Sachi said, full of envy.