Snow-Listening Pavilion

Yin Chen understood. This was the royal family placing a heavy bet on him.

From residence and money to servants, they had provided him with the finest starting resources in every respect, all to invest in his future.

He was not someone who failed to appreciate kindness, much less an ungrateful wretch.

Since he had accepted this gift, once he grew stronger in the future, he would naturally repay the Star Luo Imperial Family and settle this debt of cause and effect.

"Thank you, Your Highness," Yin Chen said sincerely.

Xu Jiujiu waved her hand. Perhaps eager to report the changes in the Star Dou Great Forest to Xu Jiawei, she said,

"No need for such courtesy. Just settle in peacefully. If you encounter any difficulties, use the token I gave you to enter the imperial city and find me. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first."

With that, she and Nebula Douluo Manyi hurriedly boarded the carriage they had arrived in and sped toward the imperial city not far away.

Standing at the entrance of the courtyard residence, Yin Chen looked at the black-gold card in his hand, cool to the touch and heavy in weight. Then he looked at the elegant, extravagantly valuable estate before him, and thought of the hundred thousand in spending money and the fully staffed servants...

The corner of his mouth twitched slightly as a subtle, indescribable feeling rose within him.

Does this... count as being kept?

A strange thought surfaced uncontrollably.

Though reason told him this was a political investment, an upfront expenditure, the tangible material support before him—far beyond what someone of his background could afford—still gave him the strong sensation that he was living off a woman.

Fine. Being able to eat soft rice the hard way is a skill too.

Yin Chen quickly adjusted his mindset, casting aside those pointless thoughts as his gaze became firm once more.

No matter the form it took, strength was what truly mattered.

He stepped forward and entered his new starting point—Snow-Listening Pavilion.

Beyond the vermilion gates, what greeted him was not excessive luxury piled upon luxury, but a restrained, enduring elegance.

This courtyard residence known as Snow-Listening Pavilion was far more spacious than it appeared from outside. Though it could not compare to the grandeur of a royal palace, it was already exceptionally rare for a private estate.

The front courtyard was paved with white stone, simple yet imposing. Several clusters of emerald bamboo adorned the corners, swaying gently in the breeze with a soft rustle.

A winding corridor connected the front courtyard to the inner residence. On either side lay meticulously tended gardens, complete with ornamental rocks and flowing water. Several koi swam leisurely in the pond, while a few old plum trees, though not yet in bloom, had gnarled trunks and ancient bearing. One could easily imagine how beautiful it would be to admire the plum blossoms and listen to the falling snow here in winter.

The entire courtyard had been exquisitely arranged, each step revealing a new view. It shut out the clamor beyond its walls and formed a tranquil world of its own.

The main residence was a three-story pavilion, its upturned eaves gracefully curved and its wooden structure gleaming with a warm luster.

The interior furnishings were elegant without lacking refinement, mostly crafted from precious woods and spirit jade. Landscape paintings with far-reaching artistic conception hung upon the walls, while the antique shelves displayed strange stones and porcelain that were not Soul Tools, yet contained faint traces of natural primordial energy. Clearly, every item had been carefully selected. They could soothe the mind and also offer slight benefits to a Soul Master's quiet cultivation.

Under the servants' guidance, Uncle Hui went off excitedly, though somewhat at a loss, to arrange the specific matters and inventory the items.

Yin Chen, meanwhile, was led by a respectful maid to the private room prepared for him on the second floor.

His room was extremely spacious, divided into an outer and inner section.

The outer room resembled a small study combined with a sitting room. The bookshelves already held numerous books, covering everything from the general history of the continent and Soul Beast encyclopedias to basic Soul Master theory.

A broad desk and a comfortable chair stood beside the window.

The inner room was the bedroom. A large carved bed hung with plain, elegant curtains, while the floor was covered in soft beast-hide carpet. A wardrobe and an enormous crystal mirror stood against the wall.

What pleased Yin Chen most was the separate bathroom on one side of the room, equipped with a Soul Tool formation that maintained a constant temperature.

The whole room had excellent ventilation and lighting. Its windows faced the tranquil courtyard at the rear, where sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, warm and soft.

A faint scent of sandalwood that aided concentration and calmness lingered in the air.

The royal family's attention to detail was evident in every aspect.

"I'm very satisfied. You may leave now."

Yin Chen instructed the maid.

After the maid bowed, withdrew, and gently closed the door behind her, Yin Chen let out a long breath.

He walked to the window and looked out at the exquisite courtyard scenery, feeling an unusual sense of calm.

This would be where he established himself for a long time to come, and the starting point of his path toward becoming strong.

Not wasting time on sentiment, Yin Chen walked to the beast-hide carpet in the center of the bedroom and sat down cross-legged.

His most urgent task was to improve his strength.

He steadied his mind and began circulating his Soul Power.

However, what he used was not any meditation method the Star Luo Imperial Family might possess, but the Death God Meditation Method personally passed down by Ye Xishui to Castorice, far away in the Evil Demon Forest.

Xu Jiujiu had promised to provide resources, but top-tier meditation methods were immensely precious. They would certainly require stricter evaluation or greater achievements in exchange; she could not possibly hand everything over the moment they met.

Before obtaining a more suitable meditation method, Yin Chen naturally would not simply wait around.

This Death God Meditation Method was condensed from Ye Xishui's life's work, a genuine top-tier meditation technique.

Though its attributes leaned toward death and annihilation, making it far from perfectly compatible with Yin Chen's time attribute and even faintly conflicting with it, a top-tier meditation method was still a top-tier meditation method.

In essence, a meditation method was not like the internal cultivation arts found in martial arts novels. It did not directly produce energy, but was more like an efficient guide to cultivating Soul Power.

Its primary functions were to improve Soul Power absorption efficiency, temper spiritual power, purify and compress Soul Power, or produce certain other unique effects.

By comparison, the lowest-grade meditation methods might possess only the most basic Soul Power absorption function, and even that would be inefficient, with no additional effects whatsoever.

Even without a meditation method, ordinary Soul Masters could absorb Soul Power and cultivate through instinct alone. However, their speed would be several or even dozens of times slower, their Soul Power would be impure, and their future potential would be limited.

Yin Chen held his breath and focused, information about the Death God Meditation Method surfacing in his mind.

Though both cultivated the Death God Meditation Method, Yin Chen could only achieve seventy percent of Castorice's efficiency.

Yet even that seventy percent far surpassed the speed at which he had previously absorbed Soul Power through his body's instincts and Martial Soul, and it was also far beyond those ordinary advanced meditation methods.

I'll make do with this for now. Once I obtain a more suitable meditation method, I can switch later. A meditation method isn't binding; I can change to another at any time.

Having made up his mind, Yin Chen stopped dwelling on it and fully immersed himself in cultivation.

The room fell silent, leaving only Yin Chen's steady breathing and the faint golden radiance gathering around him.

Depending on one's Martial Soul, each person's Soul Power had a different color. At this moment, Yin Chen's Soul Power was golden.