Looking at the three beautiful young fox-women before him, Ian Song waved his hand to help them up and said, "You may all rise. My name is Ian Song. From now on, address me as 'Sir,' not 'Master!'"
"Yes, Sir!"
The three sisters replied in unison.
The three of them had special identities—they were princesses of the Foxhaven Kingdom. Keeping them at his side would surely attract trouble, but Ian Song was not afraid.
The Blood Ship was too conspicuous, so after putting it away, Ian Song and the three girls rode the wind toward Black Tortoise City.
Black Tortoise City was also known as Black Tortoise City. Legend had it that in ancient times, the divine beast Black Tortoise fought another divine beast here. Before dying, it crawled to this spot and gradually weathered away, eventually becoming Black Tortoise Mountain.
Black Tortoise City was built right beneath Black Tortoise Mountain. Since Black Tortoise was water-aligned, even after weathering, the mountain gathered abundant water-attribute spiritual qi. As a result, the city's water-attribute qi was exceptionally dense—perfect for cultivators specializing in water arts to live and train in seclusion.
Cities were ranked by grade: the highest was God-grade, followed by Immortal-grade, then Desolate-grade, Heaven-grade, Earth-grade, Profound-grade, and Yellow-grade.
In the Great Chu Dynasty, there was only one Heaven-grade city—the imperial capital, Ascension City.
Black Tortoise City itself was classified as a Profound-grade city.
The higher a city's grade, the more abundant its spiritual energy—and the higher the entry fee.
In a typical Yellow-grade city, you only needed to pay one low-grade spirit crystal to stay for ten days.
For Profound-grade cities, the entry fee started at ten low-grade spirit crystals.
Since Black Tortoise City was backed by Black Tortoise Mountain and had exceptionally rich water-attribute qi, its entry fee was much higher—thirty crystals per person.
The three girls had killed the blood-robed woman and naturally taken her storage ring, which contained plenty of spirit crystals, so they had no worries about paying the entry fee.
After about an hour, Ian Song and the three girls arrived at Black Tortoise City.
After paying a total of 120 low-grade spirit crystals, they received a special token. With this token, they could stay at an inn or purchase goods in the city.
When your stay expired, the token would glow. The holder either had to renew their fee or leave within an hour. If you tried to stay without a token and were caught, you'd be fined at best—or thrown into jail at worst.
Of course, if you bought property in the city, you could stay permanently as long as your ownership remained valid.
"Come on, let's find an inn and settle in first!"
Magical treasures are divided into artifact tools, spirit artifacts, immortal artifacts, and divine artifacts, each with ten grades.
"Do you have sword-shaped magical treasures?"
Ian Song asked.
"We do! Would you prefer a flying sword or a longsword?"
The clerk asked again.
"A longsword!"
Ian Song replied without hesitation.
"This way, please, Fellow Daoist!"
Led by the clerk, they entered a sword room where hundreds of longswords hung on display, ranging in quality. The finest was a ninth-grade spirit artifact; anything above ninth grade was considered a saint artifact.
"Let me see that sword!"
Ian Song pointed to the ninth-grade spirit longsword.
"Excellent eye, Fellow Daoist! You picked out the best sword in the room at a glance!" The clerk offered a bit of flattery, then went to retrieve the longsword. He wasn't worried about Ian Song trying to steal it, since the room was protected by formations—even a Nascent Soul expert couldn't snatch a weapon and escape.
Just as the clerk was about to hand over the sword, another clerk entered with a handsome young man in white robes.
"Wait, Young Master Evan Ye wants that sword!"
The clerk called out.
The young man in white was even ruder. With a wave of his hand, the longsword flew into his grasp. He drew it, and no energy leaked out—it was a sword with hidden power.
"Uh... Fellow Daoist?"
The clerk looked awkwardly at Ian Song.
"It's fine!"
Ian Song waved his hand.
The three girls under Ian Song's command were clearly dissatisfied, but he stopped them with a look.
"How much for this sword?"
Evan Ye asked.
"Eight hundred eighty thousand low-grade spirit crystals!" answered the clerk who had led him in.
Evan Ye complained, "You want eight hundred eighty thousand? Are you Many-Treasures Emporium trying to rob people? Tell your manager to lower the price and I'll take it!"
Yu'er couldn't help but scoff, "So you're just a pauper. If you can't afford it, put it down!"
Evan Ye's face twisted in anger, but when his gaze swept over the three girls, his eyes lit up. He turned to Ian Song, "Are they yours?"
"Yes!" Ian Song nodded.
Evan Ye declared arrogantly, "Good! I've taken a fancy to them!"
"Are you still buying the sword or not?" Ian Song asked.
"Don't change the subject! I said I've taken a liking to your maids!" Evan Ye repeated.
"You're shameless!" Yu'er couldn't help but retort, glaring at him.
Seeing Ian Song still didn't get his meaning, Evan Ye glanced at the clerk, who quickly explained, "Young Master Evan Ye is the city lord's only son. Fellow Daoist, if you present your maids to Young Master Evan Ye, you might earn a chance to serve under the city lord!"
"Not interested! Let's stick to the sword!" Ian Song said impatiently.
"I've already set my sights on this sword. Do you still want to fight me for it?" Evan Ye sneered.
"Let's go!"
Ian Song couldn't be bothered to argue. Black Tortoise City was huge, and there wasn't just one shop selling magical treasures. With spirit crystals, he wasn't worried about finding what he needed.
Seeing Ian Song about to leave...
Evan Ye strode forward, blocking his way. "I've taken a liking to your maids! Give them to me!" he demanded.
"Get lost!"
Ian Song's eyes turned cold. Suddenly, a wave of spiritual pressure swept toward Evan Ye, forcing him to stumble aside. Only after Ian Song and his group left Many-Treasures Emporium did Evan Ye recover his senses.