Surname Jiang, Given Name Qu

This person was wearing the most common low-grade robe in the Immortal Cultivation Realm world, with a defensive effect that was barely noticeable. The Storage Bag at his waist was also the cheapest kind, with enough storage space to hold only a few Spirit Stone.

Before Lin Xiao could refuse, the cultivator immediately added, "The second level of Chongxiao Domain is completely different from the first. Not only is it vast, but it's also fraught with danger. But I'm not bragging, I know the second level inside and out. You won't regret hiring me, my fee is very low, only twenty Spirit Stone per day."

Lin Xiao was somewhat surprised. "How do you know I'm not a local?"

The tour guide remained silent, only chuckling at Lin Xiao.

Seeing that he just smiled and didn't leave, as if he was certain that he wasn't a local, Lin Xiao understood. It seemed that the man had his own secret way of judging people, so he didn't press the matter further.

Lin Xiao, who had originally planned to refuse, changed his mind after thinking about it.

He said to the man, "In that case, I'll hire you for a day to test your abilities, fellow Daoist, how about it?"

The man immediately smiled and agreed, "Of course, of course, I guarantee you'll be satisfied, fellow Daoist."

Having said that, he quickly began working, leading the way while asking Lin Xiao, "The nearest city is called ' Cloud Gathering City,' which gathers fellow Daoists from all walks of life who have come to the second level of our Chongxiao Domain. The city sells many rare treasures, as well as many local specialties of our second level. Would you like to go there first to rest and explore?"

Lin Xiao then said, "No need to rest, we can go for a walk, but I don't want to linger too long."

The man immediately agreed and continued, "If you're just browsing casually and don't plan to shop around, an hour or two should be enough for Cloud Gathering City. Where would you like to go, fellow traveler? Oh, by the way, my surname is Jiang and my given name is Qu. May I ask your name, fellow traveler?"

"My name is Lin Xiao," Lin Xiao replied. "Does Fellow Daoist Jiang know of any sparsely populated, pleasant no-owner areas? Ideally, there should be mountains and water, beautiful and tranquil scenery, and preferably not too many Demon Beast for safety."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qu was puzzled, wondering if this fellow Daoist had really come to their second level for sightseeing. However, he remained outwardly calm and earnestly replied, "Fellow Daoist has indeed come to the right person. Logically speaking, a place that perfectly matches your description is mostly a place where Spiritual Qi gathers. These places are generally either occupied by sects and Lineage or inhabited by Demon Beast. However, I happen to know of a place that matches your description. Although it meets all your requirements, the Spiritual Qi there is somewhat thin, and it is also quite far away..."

Places with sparse Spiritual Qi are basically considered desolate places by cultivators, with nothing worth visiting. To avoid the guest becoming dissatisfied with him upon arrival, Jiang Qu quickly pointed this out.

Unexpectedly, Lin Xiao immediately agreed, "Then after we finish exploring Cloud Gathering City, please ask Fellow Daoist Jiang to take me to that place you mentioned."

While a richer Spiritual Qi is certainly better, it's not particularly important for the Lingxian Sect. After all, their sect has nurturing Spirit Vein, and they also have the leader. He believes the leader won't just stand by and watch their sect without Spirit Vein.

Moreover, regardless of the circumstances, the concentration of Spiritual Qi energy in the Chongxiao Domain is far higher than that in the Mortal Realm.

Therefore, Lin Xiao accepted this situation well.

Since the guest didn't mind, Jiang Qu readily agreed, "Sure!"

--

Cloud Gathering City was originally built because it served as the teleportation point from the first level to the second level, so it wasn't too far away. With their Foundation Establishment cultivation levels, they arrived in no time.

Unlike Thousand Cloud City, which formed naturally, this city was clearly man-made, and its appearance was similar to most other cities.

Of course, the entrance fees are also largely the same.

Fortunately, the entrance fee here is only slightly more expensive than that of Open Cloud City on the first floor, five Spirit Stone.

The two arrived at the city gate, and Lin Xiao looked at Jiang Qu beside him.

Sensing the gaze, Jiang Qu looked back.

The two blinked and stared at each other for a moment.

Jiang Qu finally realized what was happening and scratched his face awkwardly, saying, "Ah, I forgot to tell you, Fellow Daoist Lin, the rule in our line of work is that we only guide you; all tolls, city entrance fees, and other expenses incurred along the way must be paid by the employer... I'm sorry..."

Lin Xiao wasn't too surprised by this. After all, their salary was only twenty Spirit Stone. If the tour guides had to pay for all these expenses themselves, they would be working for nothing if they encountered tourists visiting four or five cities in a day.

but...

"Fellow Daoist Jiang, you're not very familiar with the business. You even forgot to inform the customer of such an important industry clause. You're not here to trick me into paying your entrance fee, are you?" Lin Xiao teased, but he had already taken out ten Spirit Stone and paid the entrance fee for both of them.

Jiang Qu followed him through the city gate, explaining hurriedly beside him, "You wouldn't dare do that, Fellow Daoist Lin. Cloud Gathering City has a guild, and our tour guide profession is overseen by senior members. If anyone dares to impersonate a tour guide and swindle people in Cloud Gathering City, they will be wanted by the guild once reported and verified. It's not worth it for a few Spirit Stone as an entrance fee."

Not to mention that the entrance fee wouldn't even reach them; nobody would be willing to be wanted by the Cloud Gathering City Guild for such a Spirit Stone.

After entering the city, the two strolled around Cloud Gathering City at a leisurely pace.

Jiang Qu was a very dedicated tour guide. Although Lin Xiao showed no intention of stopping to shop and strolled around without stopping, Jiang Qu explained the situation of each street to him, pointing out which sect's outpost, which Aristocratic Clan's residence, or which gang's gathering place it was. He would also explain the main products of each Lin Xiao shop, its reputation, and which sect or Aristocratic Clan it was backed by.

In this way, Lin Xiao easily and quietly memorized the entire map of Cloud Gathering City and the information about the city into his Lock Ring.

The reason he hired Jiang Qu was that Cloud Gathering City was not on the map Qingle had given him, and the situation in Chongxiao Domain was not as common as in Mysterious Extreme Domain and the South Spirit Domain and North Spirit Domain. For convenience, he really needed a guide.

The map Qingle gave him showed that he had arrived at the first level of Chongxiao Domain from somewhere else, and then reached Mysterious Extreme Domain through Mystic Ice Passage. There was no trace of Cloud Gathering City or Thousand Cloud City.

In other words, Qingle did not go through the teleportation array in Thousand Cloud City.

Lin Xiao found this somewhat strange.

He had initially thought there were many roads, but he later learned that the teleportation array in Thousand Cloud City was the only path to the second level. So he naturally assumed that returning from the second level to the first level should also be done through this teleportation array.

However, when he arrived at the second level, he did not find any teleportation arrays that could transport him back to Thousand Cloud City.