New Moon Mountain

Zhang Han returned to the hotel.

He sat alone on the sofa.

Mengmeng's departure left him feeling as though something was missing, making him restless and uneasy.

It was not that Zhang Han had become soft-hearted or anything. If anyone else had spent five hundred years in the Immortal Realm learning about all manner of treasures and cultivation knowledge as he had, they would probably have been lonely to the extreme as well.

Then, after being reborn, he had encountered such an adorable daughter. In an instant, she filled the emptiness in Zhang Han's heart. On top of that, the tragedy involving his parents and relatives had not happened again, and he had hope of making up for his regrets. All of this combined had softened Zhang Han's state of mind.

Of course, the greatest contributor to this was the adorable Little Princess, Mengmeng.

"I'd better go investigate those seven hills."

Zhang Han gently shook his head, turned on his computer, and opened Baidu's high-definition map to examine it.

The first hill was a low mountain on Scorpio Ridge in the western part of Hong Kong Island. The rest lay to the southeast. The second location began at Xiongya Mountain on the eastern side of Hong Kong Island and extended southward all the way to New Moon Mountain beside New Moon Bay!

Only these seven mountains had suitably sized areas and coastal locations.

Tongluo Bay, where Zhang Han was staying, was in the central northern part of the island. So, he planned to visit Scorpio Ridge on the western side first, then head east to Xiongya Mountain and begin searching southward from there.

After planning out the next day's itinerary, Zhang Han refined his plans for the territory as well.

When the Thunder Sun Tree was planted, it would transform the territory for the first time and release the energy Zhang Han needed. That energy could allow Zhang Han to advance to the weakest Qi Refining Stage.

The Qi Refining Stage was not much different from the internal energy people were familiar with. It could also be called true qi and could be used to increase speed, strength, and so on. But once Zhang Han reached the Qi Refining Stage, he would barely be able to use the Treasure Sniffing Nose.

Though it was not powerful, the Qi Refining Stage should not be underestimated. It was the beginning of cultivation. Although one only became a true cultivator upon reaching the Innate Stage, every great expert had started from the Qi Refining Stage.

The night passed without incident.

At eight o'clock the next morning, Zhang Han hastily ate some breakfast and checked out.

He had stayed for two days and spent three hundred and sixty thousand. After the front desk inspected the room and found no issues, they refunded Zhang Han one hundred and forty thousand. Including all his miscellaneous expenses over the past two days, he had one million six hundred thousand left in his bank card.

Carrying his simple luggage out the door, Zhang Han neither took the subway nor extravagantly bought a car. Instead, he realistically went to a nearby car rental company and spent twenty-eight thousand to rent a blue-violet Jeep Wrangler for one month.

He drove the Wrangler for half an hour to reach his first destination, Scorpio Ridge.

After walking for more than twenty minutes, Zhang Han reached the top of the low mountain. He looked over the mountain's terrain and the size of its surroundings, then nodded.

"Not bad. I just don't know whether this place can give me a surprise."

Zhang Han raised his right hand and took the Thunder Sun Tree out from his ear.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Han inserted the Thunder Sun Tree, which resembled a white jade needle, into one of his blood vessels.

Zhang Han had refined this Thunder Sun Tree back then. Although all his cultivation had now vanished, there was still a faint, almost imperceptible connection between him and it.

He intended to use his own blood to activate the Thunder Sun Tree and have it transfer its energy to him, allowing him to use the Treasure Sniffing Nose.

The instant the Thunder Sun Tree entered his blood vessel, Zhang Han sensed the flow of his blood. At the same time, he felt threads of faint Spiritual Power.

"Treasure Sniffing Nose, activate!"

Zhang Han closed his eyes. The image of the mountain beneath his feet appeared in his mind. He slowly exhaled as those faint threads of Spiritual Power continuously gathered in his nose.

The next moment, Zhang Han began to sniff lightly.

"Hiss..."

As he inhaled, the image of the mountain in Zhang Han's mind changed. Wisps of pale light continuously gathered from the flowers, grass, trees, rocks, and stones, finally being drawn into Zhang Han's nose.

The fresh scent of grass, the fragrance of flowers, the green scent of trees, and the indescribably unique flavor of stones and earth.

The scents were mixed together, yet the distinctive scent of treasure was nowhere to be found!

"Not a treasure land."

Zhang Han pulled out the Thunder Sun Tree, returned it to his ear, and shook his head slightly.

He silently walked back to the car and drove east to the second stop, Xiongya Mountain.

Half an hour later, having lost some blood, Zhang Han stood atop the mountain and shook his head slightly.

"Not a treasure land!"

He continued south, inspecting the selected territories one by one. The results disappointed him, though they were also within his expectations.

"Not a treasure land. I was thinking too much. How could a feng shui treasure land be so easy to find?"

Zhang Han's face was slightly pale, a sign of excessive blood loss.

After getting into the car, Zhang Han headed for the final location—New Moon Mountain.

"I hope New Moon Mountain won't disappoint me."

Zhang Han shook his head faintly.

New Moon Mountain was located east of New Moon Bay.

New Moon Bay was a famous tourist destination in Hong Kong. Nestled between mountain and sea, the bay was crescent-shaped, hence its name. It was also known as the "Number One Bay Under Heaven" and had the reputation of being the Hawaii of the East. It was Hong Kong's most iconic bay.

New Moon Mountain, which stood on the eastern side of New Moon Bay, had pleasant scenery. From its summit, the entirety of New Moon Bay could be taken in at a glance.

Among the seven mountains, this location had the best position, without question.

"Very good."

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Zhang Han stood atop New Moon Mountain, overlooking the scenery of New Moon Bay, and sighed in admiration.

His home was in Zhukeng District on the western side of New Moon Bay. By Hong Kong standards, Zhang Han's 115-square-meter apartment already counted as a luxury residence.

In Hong Kong, any home over 1,000 square feet was considered a luxury residence, because property prices there were exorbitant. They had repeatedly set record highs and were famous throughout the world.

One thousand square feet was equivalent to 93 square meters. Zhang Han's 115-square-meter home had cost fifteen million seven years ago; including renovations and furniture, the total had come to eighteen million.

Even so, Zhang Han had not been particularly satisfied. Compared to Zhukeng District, New Moon Bay was where he had truly wanted to live.

However, the housing prices in New Moon Bay were enough to make even Zhang Han, once one of Shangjing's Four Young Masters, unable to hold on.

Every inch of land was worth its weight in gold—those were the only words that could describe the homes in New Moon Bay.

The luxury residences along New Moon Bay Road, in particular, easily cost more than a billion. Even the more ordinary homes were outrageously expensive, so Zhang Han had given up on buying a place here back then.

"If New Moon Mountain works out, it'll make up for one of my little regrets from back then."

Zhang Han shook his head slightly, pulled the Thunder Sun Tree from his ear once again, and inserted it into a blood vessel. As it continuously absorbed his blood, deepening its connection with him, the Thunder Sun Tree also released energy.

"Treasure Sniffing Nose, activate!"

Zhang Han closed his eyes and gently inhaled.

All kinds of fragrances came rushing in.

Suddenly, an exceptionally rich and mellow fragrance entered his nose, like a century-aged vintage wine.

Zhang Han's eyes snapped open, filled with intense delight.

"Heaven has not forsaken me! It's actually a pool of Spirit Water! Hahaha..."

Zhang Han threw back his head and laughed. As he laughed, his eyes rolled back, and he blissfully fainted from excessive blood loss.

"Woof, woof..."

Who knew how long passed before Zhang Han felt a dog barking beside him. After barking twice, the dog bit the shoulder of his clothing and tugged him backward.

Zhang Han hazily opened his eyes.

He was showing clear symptoms of excessive blood loss. His face and lips were pale, cold sweat covered his skin, his limbs were cold and weak, his breathing was slightly rapid, and his pulse was both fast and faint.

He struggled to sit up and immediately saw that there really was a dog beside him.

It was a filthy, black-and-tan four-eyed dog, also known as a Chinese rural dog—commonly called a mutt.

Looking around, he discovered that he was now twenty meters away from where he had fainted. Apparently, the dog had seen him collapse and wanted to drag him down the mountain.

"It's quite a kindhearted dog."

Zhang Han smiled faintly. Looking at the mutt, which was wary and did not dare approach, he extended his hand.

Only after receiving the friendly signal did the dog slowly come closer. Zhang Han did not mind the dirt and stroked its head a few times, causing it to wag its tail happily.

Only then did Zhang Han notice that the dog's right hind leg was broken.

It seemed to be an abandoned stray.

The dog circled Zhang Han twice. Seeing that he was fine, it turned and ran away.

After sitting quietly for several minutes, Zhang Han finally went down the mountain and got into the Jeep Wrangler. Half-squinting at New Moon Mountain, an involuntary smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

As the name implied, Spirit Water, like Spirit Soil and spirit herbs, was something cultivators could use.

In the center of New Moon Mountain was a cave, and inside it was a pool of Spirit Water.

Although it was only the most ordinary Spirit Water, and there was not much of it—merely a pool five meters across and half a meter deep—under the nourishment of the Thunder Sun Tree, this Spirit Water could transform into Pure Yang Water.

Pure Yang Water had far greater uses. It could nourish the Thunder Sun Tree, complementing it perfectly.

If the Thunder Sun Tree could nourish a territory, then Pure Yang Water could nourish living creatures. In terms of function, Pure Yang Water was better, but in essence, the Thunder Sun Tree was still far more advanced.

There were countless treasures in the cultivation world, and these all fell within the category of Spiritual Treasures. Spiritual Treasures had nine ranks. The Thunder Sun Tree was a fifth-rank Spiritual Treasure, while Pure Yang Water was merely first-rank. As for Spirit Water, it did not even qualify as a Spiritual Treasure.

Spiritual Treasure was an all-encompassing term. Flowers, grasses, trees, medicinal pills, weapons, and more—anything that could be considered a treasure could be called a Spiritual Treasure!

Back when Immortal Lord Hanyang had dominated the world, he had not thought much of the fifth-rank Spiritual Treasure, the Thunder Sun Tree. But now, it was an essential item for Zhang Han to step through the gates of cultivation!

Although he had found a treasured place, Zhang Han had no plans to immediately claim the mountain as his own.

He was no longer Immortal Lord Hanyang. He could not even withstand ordinary bullets, so he had to follow the rules. He planned to return and look into the details of New Moon Mountain before making any decisions.

Before that, however, Zhang Han intended to take a look at the "luxury residence" he had not lived in for seven years.

The community was Milan Community, located on Binhua Street in Zhukeng District.

From Zhang Han's perspective, Milan Community was naturally an upscale residential complex.

He drove directly to the property management office. The management staff were somewhat surprised by Zhang Han's arrival, but also extremely enthusiastic.

Though the administrators had changed several times, they naturally knew the owners' information, especially someone as unusual as Zhang Han. When he had purchased the home, he had paid ten years of property management fees upfront, which was rather rare.

"Mr. Zhang." The staff member opened the door to Zhang Han's home, handed him the key, and said with a smile, "Our property management has had cleaners come by every half month to clean your residence. Now that you've returned, we'll give the key back to you. If you need anything, feel free to contact us at any time."

"Oh." Zhang Han was slightly stunned. He had not expected the service to be so thoughtful. He nodded and thanked them, and the staff member took his leave.