Nine Heavens Mountain Range

Lin Xiao named it the Nine Heavens Mountain Range.

When Liao Pantu first heard the name, he nearly spat out the spiritual tea in his mouth. He said to Lin Xiao, “Isn’t that name a little too grand? Aren’t you worried people will make fun of you?”

Lin Xiao replied confidently, “It’s all about marketing when you’re doing business. There’s nothing shameful about creating a little hype.”

Sure enough, the moment the people from the various major sects who had been brought to the Nine Heavens Mountain Range laid eyes on it, their hearts began to stir.

In truth, the mist-shrouded scenery and the tasteful décor weren’t all that important.

What mattered most was that the spiritual energy here was far denser than outside—denser even than that within their own sects!

If they could cultivate here long-term, wouldn’t advancing to the next stage be just around the corner?

It was simply that such a blessed place came with the question of how Xiushui City intended to charge for it.

The staff member responsible for receiving them explained with a beaming smile, “Our Nine Heavens Mountain Range was built at great expense, so naturally, the accommodation fees cannot be too low. A Heaven-grade cave abode costs one hundred and fifty spirit stones per day, an Earth-grade cave abode costs fifty spirit stones per day, and a Human-grade cave abode costs fifteen spirit stones per day.”

Upon hearing those prices, the vast majority of the sect cultivators turned around without a word and prepared to leave.

The price was terrifyingly high. With the spirit stones needed for a single day’s lodging, there were plenty of other worthwhile things they could do.

The staff member continued, “However, to celebrate the completion of our Xiushui City, we’re offering the greatest possible discount on accommodation at the Nine Heavens Mountain Range for the entire year. A Heaven-grade cave abode will cost only fifteen spirit stones per day!”

As soon as those words were spoken, the cultivators who had not yet taken a step toward the exit all stopped in their tracks.

“Really?” someone asked, clearly unable to believe it. That was far too cheap compared to the original price.

“Even so, that’s still not exactly cheap. A single cave abode costs so much…” someone else said hesitantly.

The staff member of the Nine Heavens Mountain Range explained, “Please don’t be so hasty, everyone. Although the price of each cave abode may seem high, a single cave abode isn’t limited to accommodating just one person. The prices at the Nine Heavens Mountain Range are based on the number of cultivators each cave abode can accommodate. For example, each Heaven-grade cave abode can accommodate up to one hundred people. With that in mind, do you still think the price is expensive?”

When they said a cave abode could accommodate a certain number of people, they were not referring to how many people could physically stand or sit inside it. Rather, they meant the number of people authorized to enter that cave abode.

After all, they were running a business, and the Lingxian Sect had taken this into consideration. Otherwise, even a Human-grade cave abode would have enough space to fit more than a hundred people.

After comparing it with the original price, everyone felt that one hundred and fifty spirit stones for a hundred people’s lodging and cultivation fees did not seem too expensive. Besides, hadn’t the staff member just said that this year, a Heaven-grade cave abode would cost only fifteen spirit stones?

“Did you really say that a Heaven-grade cave abode costs fifteen spirit stones per day?” asked an elder from one of the sects present.

The staff member of the Nine Heavens Mountain Range nodded. “Naturally.”

“What about the Earth-grade and Human-grade cave abodes? What are their discounted prices, and how many people can each accommodate?” someone else asked.

“An Earth-grade cave abode costs five spirit stones per day and can accommodate fifty people. A Human-grade cave abode costs one spirit stone per day and can accommodate eighteen people,” the staff member replied.

After hearing the prices and occupancy limits, everyone quickly began calculating the number of people their sects had brought this time, as well as how many spirit stones they would need to spend for however many days they planned to stay.

Once they did the math, they found the prices fairly acceptable.

After all, they had already earned quite a sum by transporting people to Xiushui City. Since they had come here to look around and enjoy themselves, they would inevitably have to spend some money. Using it to stay in a place with such dense spiritual energy did not hurt too badly.

As a result, many of them followed the staff of the Nine Heavens Mountain Range to complete their registrations and check in.

The reason the standard prices and discounted prices at the Nine Heavens Mountain Range differed so greatly was not that Xiushui City intended to fleece the various sects and imperial families. The standard prices had actually been based, to a certain extent, on the usual rates for cultivation cave abodes in the cultivation world, with some adjustments made afterward.

That was why one hundred and fifty spirit stones for a Heaven-grade cave abode truly was not expensive. To cultivators from the cultivation world, it could even be considered an especially affordable price.

The Nine Heavens Mountain Range had been created by diverting a branch of the spirit vein from the sect’s main spirit vein and using one of the Lingxian Sect’s mid-grade Spirit Gathering Arrays to build a place rich in spiritual energy. It was almost no different from the cultivation chambers within the Lingxian Sect itself.

So Xiushui City really had not set the price too high.

It was simply that the mortal world was too poor.

That was precisely why Xiushui City had offered a special one-year discount.

Everyone in the Lingxian Sect unanimously believed that as long as the cultivators of the mortal world worked diligently to complete the orders from Xiushui City’s Trade Center and steadily established their businesses in the city’s commercial district, they would be able to substantially increase their income within a year.

By then, even if the original prices of the Nine Heavens Mountain Range were still somewhat expensive to them, they would no longer turn around and leave the moment they heard them.

As the Trade Center continued to develop steadily, the economy of the entire mortal world would eventually become fully interconnected. With the supplies the Lingxian Sect brought back from the cultivation world as well, those prices would only seem more and more affordable.

Announcing the original prices in advance and then offering discounted rates was much better than suddenly doubling the prices after a year. The latter approach always left people feeling uncomfortable.

With the orderly arrangements made by the staff of the Nine Heavens Mountain Range, all the members of the major sects who had come to Xiushui City settled in without a hitch.

The independent cultivators who had brought their families along also found suitable houses in the city under the guidance of local property brokers.

The City Lord’s Manor needed a great deal of manpower not only to accommodate all the newcomers, but also to maintain order in the streets.

Everyone working at the City Lord’s Manor was rushed off their feet during this period.

There were not many members of the Lingxian Sect working at the City Lord’s Manor. Most of the staff consisted of the former villagers of Xiushui Village, along with Xiushui City residents who had passed the hiring examinations after the city was built.

Although they were all so busy every day that they barely had time to catch their breath, they were overjoyed to see the city becoming livelier and more prosperous with each passing day.

The sight gave them a strong sense that life was full of promise, and they were brimming with energy every day.

While the City Lord’s Manor was frantically occupied with settling in all the newcomers, the Trade Affairs Center beside the Lingxian Sect was also bustling with activity.

The first day of February was the delivery date previously agreed upon by the various sects and imperial families with the Trade Center.

The center had only just opened that morning when a long line had already formed outside.

The various sects and imperial families brought the goods they had produced over the previous month, took queue numbers, and waited with excitement and nervousness for the staff to begin finalizing their transactions.

“Number one, the Scarlet Sun Sect.” Outside the External Trade Office, Li Zhouxuan’s assistant called out to the waiting crowd.