The Difficulty of Breathing (Thanks to "Your Dad Laughs Heartily and Says" for the Alliance Leader reward)
On the sidewalk of the highway.
Two figures, one in front of the other, creating gusts of wind, sped towards the Spiritual Opportunity Reserve.
It was Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.
However, at this moment, apart from Zhang Yu speeding along in his Sports Car Legs, there was no one else around.
A flash of lightning occasionally streaked across Bai Zhenzhen's body as she followed behind Zhang Yu using her newly learned Electro-optic Step.
Unlike Zhang Yu, who focused on improving his Physical Strength, Bai Zhenzhen was participating in Martial Arts Track. Therefore, in addition to improving her Dao Heart, magical power, and Physical Strength, she devoted more of her energy to the cultivation of Martial Dao Cultivation Method.
This Electro-optic Step is a combat Cultivation Method that allows Bai Zhenzhen to move at high speed over short distances in battle. It is more agile than Sports Car Legs, easier to change direction, and more explosive, making this Cultivation Method more suitable for combat. At this moment, she simply uses it to travel while practicing.
Under the sunlight, Bai Zhenzhen could feel a warm current flowing through her body; it was her True Spirit Root absorbing the Spiritual Energy within the light.
However, the True Spirit Root has gradually adapted to the light and darkness adjustment, and can understand Bai Zhenzhen's thoughts, so it will not darken her.
On the other side, Zhang Yu, bathed in sunlight, felt as if lava was flowing through his body, frantically absorbing the Spiritual Energy from the Sun descending from the sky.
At the same time, he was also doing some mental calculations.
The purpose of this trip to the Spiritual Opportunity Reserve was to try and find a cheaper spot on a Spirit Vein to Breath Circulation, through Xiong Wenwu's connections.
After all, these past few days... although his Physical Strength has increased rapidly, relying solely on Cultivation Method to improve his Dao Heart and magical power is still too slow for Zhang Yu.
It is said that not only is the Spirit Vein rich in Spiritual Energy energy, which can greatly improve the efficiency of refining magical power, but over time it can also improve physical fitness, cure diseases and prolong life, with countless benefits.
"Forget about renting the entire Spirit Vein. With the money we have, let's see if we can rent a spot inside so A-Zhen and I can Breath Circulation our Spirit Vein."
During this period, he earned income from the Dark Tutoring World, Le Mulan, Yu Xinghan, and Song Hailong, and also received his first Endorsement Fee of 200,000 yuan.
However, Zhang Yu Yu's expenses were also considerable. For example, the Primordial Pill, which he took every three days, cost 24,000 yuan, and each set of the Nine Dragons Needle Technique cost another 10,500 yuan. Furthermore, due to his recent focus on Body Tempering and the continuous improvement in his Physical Strength, his food expenses had reached 1,500 yuan per day. In early May, he also paid off 15,000 yuan in loan interest...
Zhang Yu checked his account balance again; he still had 570,000 yuan left.
He thought to himself, "Renting a spot inside a Spirit Vein shouldn't be a problem, right?"
The two continued speeding along, and more and more factories gradually appeared around them, with wisps of white smoke constantly billowing from their huge chimneys. Some of the factories even had signs for Red Pagoda Husbandry printed on them.
As Zhang Yu's gaze swept over the rows of factories, he suddenly paused, slightly startled. "What's that?"
The land that was once thought to be a factory is now nothing but ruins, with broken walls and rubble everywhere, as if a major battle had taken place.
There was even a palm print several hundred meters wide on the hillside not far behind, where fragments of various towers, walls, and machinery remained.
The ruins were enveloped in Light Screen, with various warning signs appearing on Light Screen, much like the police cordon at a murder scene.
Zhang Yu asked, "Is this a war?"
Bai Zhenzhen glanced at it and said, "You don't know this? It was quite popular online half a year ago. It was about a factory that was investigated for tax evasion."
"The tax evaders resisted on the spot, unleashing a barrage of flying swords and Law Treasure, killing most of the tax inspectors who came to investigate."
Zhang Yu was shocked. Were the tax evaders in Kunxu this ruthless?
Bai Zhenzhen continued, "Then the tax supervisor summoned the divine Divine Power of the Tribute Heavenly Prison Great God, who destroyed the entire factory with a single palm strike, and at the same time extracted the souls of most of the prisoners."
"Most of them?" Zhang Yu was surprised. "What about those whose souls weren't extracted? Did they die or escape?"
Bai Zhenzhen said, "That was the moment he saw the Tribute Heavenly Prison Great God descend; he immediately committed suicide."
Zhang Yu swallowed hard, once again relieved that he hadn't Tax Evasion and Underreporting in Kunxu.
The two continued speeding along, and soon they saw a huge arc appear on the distant horizon.
That was precisely their goal for this trip.
Legend has it that long, long ago, this Spiritual Opportunity Reserve was the territory of Demon Beast, including several powerful demons.
The so-called "great demons" are powerful monsters; nowadays, monsters are referred to as "Demon Descendant."
Unlike the Demon Beast that are regarded as animals, the Demon Descendant often possess true wisdom and are able to integrate into social life and work.
However, the powerful demons in the area were later defeated by the company's Security Department. The Protected Area changed hands several times before being bought by Red Pagoda Husbandry, which has been operating it ever since.
I heard that it still retains its natural landscape and various mythical Demon Beast that originally lived there. Of course... all of these have become assets of Red Pagoda Husbandry.
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Yu could see that there seemed to be an enormous glass dome enveloping the continuous mountain ranges and hills.
As the two approached, they could see dense Runes appearing on the glass cover from time to time, the power of the Formation separating the two worlds.
In addition, Zhang Yu could also see many red warning signs on it.
They all say things like, "Red Pagoda Husbandry Private Domain, please purchase a ticket and enter through the main gate."
Bai Zhenzhen looked at it and scolded, "How stingy! Are they unwilling to even let a little bit of air from the Protected Area escape?"
She had been hoping to peek through the Protected Area's boundaries and catch a glimpse of its Spiritual Energy and fresh air, but it seems they had already taken that precaution.
The two continued on and arrived at the ticket booth at the main entrance of the Spiritual Opportunity Reserve. Seeing that the ticket price was only 5 yuan, Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu were both astonished. What was the difference between that and free? Was Red Pagoda Husbandry doing charity?
Bai Zhenzhen immediately retracted her earlier assessment of Red Pagoda Husbandry stingy? They were incredibly generous.
The two checked their phones to see if there were any discounts available, and were surprised to find that the Protected Area's rating was only 1.3?
But after the ticket sellers Protected Area air quality monitors, Spiritual Energy monitors, weight monitors, and other equipment to them, the two understood why the tickets seemed free and why the ratings were so low.
The ticket seller announced, "The air in the Protected Area costs 1999 yuan per cubic meter, water costs 2888 yuan per liter, and Spiritual Energy costs 3999 yuan per unit."
"The price list for all the plants and animals in the Protected Area, and even materials like soil and stones, is in the user manual. I'm sending it to you; please receive it..."
Looking at the densely packed list of charges in the user manual, Zhang Yu was speechless.
In this Spiritual Opportunity Reserve, everything—air, water, food, and everything else—costs money. An ordinary person could go bankrupt just by picking up a few stones.
Bai Zhenzhen said nervously, "Yu Zi, try not to breathe too much air when you go in, this is too expensive."
After buying their tickets, the two entered the enclosed cabin. With the closing of the rear cabin door, they were completely isolated from the outside world.
Then, as the hatch in front opened, Zhang Yu felt an incredibly fresh breeze rush towards him.
Just by taking a deep breath, Zhang Yu felt completely refreshed, as if all the flesh and blood in his body had relaxed.
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"This is... air?"
"Then what was I breathing before?"
He felt that the air he usually breathed was nothing more than car exhaust compared to this.
"So I've been living in such terrible air quality all this time? I've just gotten used to it?"
Zhang Yu stepped out of the sealed chamber, immersing himself completely in the Protected Area's environment.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yu felt as if his entire body had been cleansed, and his Qi and Blood and magical power became more and more active.
Even at this very edge, Zhang Yu could sense that the concentration of Spiritual Energy in the air was almost the same as that in the Quiet Room with the energy-gathering effect inside Songyang High School.
As the two walked briskly along the sightseeing path, the Spiritual Energy in the air became increasingly concentrated. Bai Zhenzhen's Spiritual Energy charge even rose to over 500, which startled her so much that she quickly suppressed her True Spirit Root True Spirit Root, preventing it from Breathing Spiritual Opportunity for the time being.
Zhang Yu also felt that the Spiritual Energy absorbed from the radiance in the Great Sun Qi Sea was much richer. One day of Breath Circulation here was probably equivalent to several days of Breath Circulation outside.
Bai Zhenzhen patted her chest in lingering fear and said, "This lousy place is going bankrupt so easily. Let's leave as soon as we finish seeing Xiong Wenwu."
Zhang Yu nodded. Staying in this Spiritual Opportunity Reserve made him feel that it was even more dangerous than being at the scene of a gang fight.
He thought to himself, "Just breathing and Breath Circulation in the outer area is so expensive, how much would it cost to go to the actual Spirit Vein...?"
At this moment, he began to doubt whether he would be able to rent a spot within a Spirit Vein.
In particular, when he opened the map, he saw that there were three Spirit Vein in the Protected Area, running through seven major regions and more than twenty mountain peaks, but these were all inaccessible to tourists. They were either private territories that had been leased out for a long time, or various ranches, factories, plantations, etc.
It can be said that all the areas that tourists can enter are located on the outer perimeter of the Spirit Vein.
However, Zhang Yu couldn't afford the cost of breathing and Breath Circulation in this outer area for an extended period.
"Sigh, ordinary tourists can only enter the Protected Area and Breath Circulation in the outer edge of the Spirit Vein; they don't even have a way to get in."
At this point, Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen no longer expected to rent a location within the Spirit Vein. They would be satisfied if they could find a way to get some cheap air from the outer perimeter of the Spirit Vein.
"Let's go see Xiong Wenwu first and see what he has to say."
The place where Xiong Wenwu arranged to meet them was the Breeding Base, a remote location on the edge of the Protected Area.
The two followed the map and made their way forward. Every time they passed a mountain peak, they could feel streams of Spiritual Energy energy rising into the sky from the peaks that were blocked by layers of Light Screen and Formation. The Spiritual Energy was so dense that it seemed as if a rain of Spiritual Energy was about to fall.
Even Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu Yuzhen saw a light rain falling from the mountain from time to time, with Spiritual Energy rising from the rainwater, which made them secretly marvel.
These mountain peaks are the true locations of the Spirit Vein.
Unlike the tourist area that Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were currently walking in, which was only the outer area of Spirit Vein, where they could absorb some of the air and Spiritual Energy leaking down from above.
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen couldn't fathom what those people on the mountain were doing, needing to absorb and release such a massive amount of Spiritual Energy, and how much it cost per second.
Below the mountain peak, outside the Light Screen that isolates tourists, lies the tourist area.
Zhang Yu would often see poor people carrying oxygen tanks and water bottles, huddled at the foot of the mountain, like small fish clinging to a whale, absorbing the Spiritual Energy overflowing from the Spirit Vein and gaining cultivation efficiency far exceeding that of the outside world.
No... Zhang Yu denied the thought that had just crossed his mind.
"These people aren't poor at all. They're able to come here at the foot of the mountain to Breath Circulation. Judging by the rates here... they're all rich by our standards."
"There are so many rich people in Kunxu."
Bai Zhenzhen, standing to the side, said, "We should have brought oxygen tanks with us; it's too wasteful to breathe here."
Zhang Yu nodded in deep agreement.
More than ten minutes later, the two finally arrived at the so-called Breeding Base.
(End of this chapter)