An ID Card? A Temporary Residence Permit? And a Breathing Tax!
Lu Ping looked at Little C, and his obsessive-compulsive disorder kicked in.
How much will it cost?
Is it 320,000!?
Well, say it!
Forget it, in reality, Lu Ping's "Salty Fish" status applies.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
You obediently found a queue and joined it.
[The sound of inspection can be heard from the front of the line.]
["Name, Reason for Visit"]
"Next one, hurry up!"
[You remain calm and even observe the surrounding cultivators with considerable interest.]
[Ahead of you in line is a burly man carrying a giant sword, his face weathered and worn; his cultivation level is Golden Core Late Stage.]
He was pacing back and forth anxiously, muttering things like "military merit exchange" and "missed the time."
Behind you in line is a couple of dao companion.
[The female cultivator looked around with great curiosity, her face filled with longing for the Upper Domain.]
"Senior brother, look at that Flying Boat! It's so beautiful! It has the emblem of Tianxin City on it!"
"Once we join a sect in the Upper Domain, we'll be able to ride in Flying Boats like this too."
[As you listen to their conversation, you inexplicably recall a young man on Blue Star, yearning for a big city, waving goodbye to the clouds of his hometown on a train platform.]
[And so began a life of toil and hardship.]
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
Your heart is as still as water.
[An hour later, it was finally your turn.]
[You hand over the Travel Permit given to you by Shen Yuerong.]
The Deacon took the jade tablet and glanced at it in the water mirror.
"Lu Ping, participate in the Dao of Alchemy Grand Competition."
The Deacon nodded, not making things difficult for them.
He marked the document and returned it.
"Entry fee: 500 mid-grade Spirit Stones."
[How many?!]
Your eyelid twitched.
[Five hundred mid-grade spirit stones, that's fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.]
This is faster than robbery.
That's why the customs inspection was so quick!
For a fleeting moment, you wanted to turn around and leave, to look for another route to smuggle yourself across.
[Salty Fish, in effect.]
[You feel that the Salty Fish is quite active today, not Salty Fish at all.]
[You paid the Spirit Stones and passed through the thick Formation Technique barrier at the Boundary Pass.]
[With one step, it felt like entering another world.]
[An extremely dense Spiritual Qi rushed towards me, almost tangible.]
[You don't even need to consciously circulate the Azure Origin Dao Canon; Spiritual Qi naturally seeps into your meridians through your pores.]
[The concentration of Spiritual Qi here is at least ten times that of Qingyang City and a hundred times that of the Qingling Border Region.]
You took a deep breath, feeling as if your lungs had been cleansed.
No wonder everyone is desperate to climb Upper Domain.
[The Azure Dragon Upper Domain truly lives up to its name.]
[Fifty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones isn't unacceptable!]
[You were closing your eyes, savoring how sweet the air was in the Upper Domain, when a shout suddenly jolted you back to reality.]
"Hey you in front, stop standing there like a wooden post blocking the way!"
"Once you've passed the checkpoint, hurry up and get your Baojia Token!"
[Open your eyes.]
[In a nearby pavilion with a sign that reads "Baojia Token Registration Office," an impatient-looking Deacon is banging on the table and shouting at you.]
[You walked over, somewhat puzzled.]
"Baojia Token?"
"Yes, it's a residence permit."
The Deacon, without even looking up, tossed a sign over.
"The Azure Dragon Upper Domain is not like its lower regions. Whether it's the seven main cities or the smaller subordinate towns, without Baojia Token, if you dare to enter the city, the city's Formation Technique will immediately eject you as an unregistered resident."
[You're fiddling with the cards in your hand.]
[I think this rule is reasonable; it's roughly equivalent to an ID card or temporary residence permit in my previous life.]
[I just wonder how much money I'll have to pay to get this done.]
[After all, it cost 50,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones just to pass a test; you've certainly experienced the prices in the Upper Domain.]
"How many Spirit Stones?"
[You skillfully reach for your Storage Ring.]
"No Spirit Stones required. Free."
Your hand, which was touching the Storage Ring, froze.
You almost doubt your ears.
[In this ruthless world of cultivation, where people devour each other without spitting out the bones, is there really such a thing as a free lunch?]
[The Deacon glanced at you like you were a country bumpkin, but his next words completely broke your defenses.]
"The signboard is free, but the Formation Technique inside isn't."
"This Baojia Token comes with a spirit-absorbing Formation Technique; you need to store Spirit Stones inside to keep it active."
"The cost varies depending on the city's Formation Technique level."
"If you go to the seven major cities, this token will probably consume four Low-Grade Spirit Stones every day."
"If the Spirit Stones in the token run out and you don't recharge within half an hour, the city's grand formation will automatically lock onto you and throw you out of the city."
In other words, as long as you stay in this city of the Upper Domain, even if you lie in bed all day without moving an inch or doing anything else...
[Every day I open my eyes, four Low-Grade Spirit Stones are gone.]
[You should know that a Qi Refining Stage cultivator from the Greenwood Sect typically earns only one Spirit Stone per day from Spirit Infusion.]
[This Upper Domain is really something else; the "Breathing Tax" alone costs four coins a day!]
[Let alone the Qi Refining Stage, even a regular Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, without a proper income, would go bankrupt and beg for food if they lived in this city for too long.]
[This is hardly a residency permit!]
This is definitely an economic death knell!
Is this Tom really from the world of cultivation?
[You imprinted Spiritual Power mark on the Baojia Token, then deposited eight Spirit Stones.]
[The Baojia Token glowed faintly, then returned to its ordinary state.]
[After passing the Baojia Token registration point, we finally arrived at the Teleportation Hall inside the Boundary Pass.]
[You feel that the short process of "passing the test" and "getting the certificate" is more tiring than facing four Nascent Soul in the Zhao Household.]
[Inside the Boundary Pass, there is Teleportation Array that leads directly to the seven cities of the Azure Dragon Upper Domain.]
[You have found the Teleportation Array to "Baodi City".]
[Baodi City, one of the seven major cities of the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, is home to the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association.]
[After paying the teleportation fee, you stepped onto the Teleportation Array.]
[The world spun again.]
When you open your eyes again, you are standing in an even more magnificent Teleportation Hall.
[As you stepped out of the main hall, you were immediately awestruck by the sight before you.]
If Qingyang City is prosperous, then Baodi City is insane.
[What comes into view are countless towering, gigantic pavilions that reach into the clouds.]
[Between the pavilions, countless streaks of light darted about ceaselessly.]
[A huge signboard hangs on each building.]
"Ten Thousand Treasures Tower, buying and selling rare treasures from all over the world!"
"Heavenly Pill Pavilion offers Pills futures, Spirit Stone investment – guaranteed profits!"
["Divine Weapon Workshop: Law Treasure Rental, Installment Payment, Trade-in!"]
[Further away, an enormous light screen floated in mid-air, displaying various pieces of information rapidly.]
["Latest news: Affected by the drought in the Myriad Demon Domain, the price index of 'Redfire Scorpion' Demon Core has risen by three points. A long position is recommended!"]
["Urgent Notice: Heavenly Certification Alliance issues red alert, 'Black Storm' is approaching the Domain of Chaos, 'Cross-Domain Cargo Accident Insurance' rates increased!"]
[You stare at the magical scene, momentarily lost in thought.]
You even thought you had returned to Blue Star.
[What a magnificent cyberpunk world of cultivation!]
[And the Spiritual Qi within the Baojia Token hanging at your waist began to slowly dissipate.]
[You sense that this Spiritual Qi isn't dissipating, but rather flowing underground.]
[Options pop up.]
[A: Locate the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association and report there.]
[B: You've come to the big city; you should broaden your horizons.]
[C: Immediately open an account at "Heavenly Pill Pavilion" and invest all three Nascent Soul inheritances in Pills futures, striving to achieve financial freedom before the Dao of Alchemy Grand Competition begins.]