A second-tier low-grade cave abode suited Zhou Qing's current standing as an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
As for making a special trip beforehand to inspect the Second-Tier Mid-Grade Cave Abode and the Second-Tier High-Grade Cave Abode,
that was quite common too.
Most Foundation Establishment cultivators visiting Azure Moon Immortal City for the first time would experience cave abodes of different grades before renting one.
Even if they did not rent them, they still wanted to see how the city's second-tier mid- and high-grade cave abodes differed from those in other immortal cities and large Market Districts.
"Eight months in a second-tier low-grade cave abode will cost four hundred and seventy spirit stones."
The female cultivator handling reception spoke with a smile.
During his second simulation, Zhou Qing had rented a Second-Tier Mid-Grade Cave Abode in Azure Moon Immortal City for a month to attempt his breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The price then had been one thousand spirit stones.
That was because Zhou Qing had rented it to cross a major cultivation boundary and break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
A Foundation Establishment breakthrough required a stable spiritual vein environment, so the rental price naturally far exceeded that for ordinary daily cultivation.
Moreover, a large portion of Azure Moon Immortal City's quoted price was a protection fee.
After all, cultivators attempting a Foundation Establishment breakthrough in the city's cave abodes would certainly have their personal safety protected by the city.
Outside the city, such as in a spiritual vein cave abode within some Market District, that was far from guaranteed.
That protection had been Zhou Qing's main reason for choosing to attempt his breakthrough in Azure Moon Immortal City.
"Here are the spirit stones."
Zhou Qing patted his Storage Bag and took out the spirit stones.
On his way back from Black Mountain Market to the mortal Zhou Residence, Zhou Qing had used information from the simulation to wipe out a group of rogue cultivators.
For now, he was not short of spirit stones.
After completing the rental procedures,
Zhou Qing arrived at his second-tier low-grade cave abode.
The cave abode was spacious, covering a full two to three hundred square meters.
This time, I won't bring Dachun here.
Zhou Qing sat cross-legged where the spiritual energy was richest, thinking to himself.
Before coming to Azure Moon Immortal City, Zhou Qing had deliberately left Dachun with his parents.
His main purpose was naturally to protect them.
As for the nine late Qi Refining rogue cultivators he had commanded, Zhou Qing had already killed them to silence them.
Rogue cultivators had poor character. They plundered year after year and employed ruthless methods.
While Zhou Qing was present, keeping those rogue cultivators cowed had posed no problem.
But once he left for distant Azure Moon Immortal City,
how could he feel at ease leaving rogue cultivators beside his parents?
Silencing them was the best choice.
Of course, before leaving, Zhou Qing had also taught Dachun the Mountain-Sea Body Refinement Art and left him a batch of resources for body refinement.
Practicing a body refinement art did not depend much on the surrounding spiritual energy. It only required tempering the flesh over a long period.
Having Dachun remain beside his parents was Zhou Qing's best option at present.
Dachun's original strength was already considerable. With the body refinement art added to it, he would be more than capable of protecting the Zhou Family.
Besides, since Zhou Shizhong had dared to live in seclusion in the Lie Kingdom's Jiangnan region, he must have made plenty of preparations. Dachun's presence was also a safeguard against extreme circumstances.
Now, I only need to wait patiently...
Sitting cross-legged in the cave abode, Zhou Qing closed his eyes and began contemplating Alchemy.
With the experience accumulated during the second simulation, Zhou Qing's alchemical attainments had already reached the peak of the high grade. He could enter the second tier at any moment.
Once he became a second-tier alchemist, his standing would rise substantially even if he could not independently refine Foundation Establishment Pills, especially in Azure Moon Immortal City, where Foundation Establishment cultivators were numerous.
A second-tier alchemist would enjoy even greater status.
Azure Moon Immortal City's alchemist organization is called the Pill Hall... but there's no need for me to join it in reality.
Zhou Qing pondered this as he studied the alchemy inheritance.
Every gathering place for cultivators had an organization where alchemists congregated. Black Mountain Market's was called the Pill Alliance, while Azure Moon Immortal City's was called the Pill Hall.
Zhou Qing intended to join Azure Moon Immortal City's Pill Hall in a later simulation.
He had previously joined Black Mountain Market's Pill Alliance in reality because he had no choice. He urgently needed some spirit stones to get started.
Of course, he had only done so after the various investigations in his first simulation confirmed that joining the Pill Alliance would cause no problems.
Now that Zhou Qing lacked nothing, there was naturally no need to cause unnecessary effects in reality.
Because of his low-grade spiritual root aptitude, Zhou Qing had no intention of cultivating in reality at all.
The efficiency was simply too low. Once he reached late Foundation Establishment, Zhou Qing felt that his cultivation would barely advance without taking pills.
And taking pills?
Zhou Qing would only choose to take them in simulations.
Taking pills in reality was far too costly, since it would affect his subsequent simulations.
Even though Zhou Qing possessed the Pill Toxin Nemesis talent, he still could not disregard pill toxins. Besides accumulating pill toxins, taking pills would also cause him to develop resistance to that particular pill.
Taking pills in a simulation carried no such hidden dangers.
Once a simulation ended, Zhou Qing would inherit only pure cultivation. None of the many negative effects, such as pill toxins or drug resistance, would be inherited.
While contemplating the alchemical path, Zhou Qing naturally had to refine pills himself.
And he naturally needed to purchase the various ingredients required for pill refinement.
Leaving the cave abode to purchase raw alchemical ingredients took very little time and had a negligible effect on the simulation cooldown.
Inside a fairly large medicinal herb shop,
Zhou Qing purchased several kinds of medicinal herbs.
Just then,
the conversation of several cultivators nearby reached Zhou Qing's ears.
"Are you ready? The city's Azure Moon Pool slots, available only once every ten years, are about to be released."
"How could unaffiliated cultivators like us lay our hands on such an opportunity?"
"Ah, they say soaking in the Azure Moon Pool can improve our spiritual root aptitude to a certain extent..."
The voices of the late Qi Refining cultivators were filled with longing as they conversed.
Improve spiritual root aptitude?
Zhou Qing froze for a moment, then left the medicinal herb shop without betraying anything.
Several days later,
Zhou Qing had gathered some information about the Azure Moon Pool.
The Azure Moon Pool was a pool of precious medicinal liquid specially concocted by True Person Azure Moon out of compassion for unaffiliated cultivators.
Any cultivator whose spiritual root aptitude was below an earth spiritual root could slightly improve their aptitude by soaking in the Azure Moon Pool.
Of course, each cultivator had only one opportunity in their lifetime to soak in the Azure Moon Pool. Only the first immersion was effective. Even if they obtained another slot later, soaking again would
have no effect whatsoever.
So far, the Azure Moon Pool had opened three times, once every ten years.
This matter...
Zhou Qing was surprised. During his second simulation, he had never heard of the Azure Moon Pool.
If the Azure Moon Pool truly had such an effect, he would surely have heard something about it.
Unless the Azure Moon Pool had not remained available for long. Perhaps this would be its final opening, which would explain why his future self, decades later, had known nothing about it.
After all, in the second simulation, he had never specifically sought information on this subject. Coupled with his focus on attempting his Foundation Establishment breakthrough, it was not strange that he had missed something that happened decades earlier.
The Azure Moon Pool's next opening is in two years... I could try to secure a slot in a simulation...
Zhou Qing rubbed his chin, his decision made.