Leo and Kael were at the bottom of the group in terms of cultivation level. Most of the others were already at the seventh layer, or even the eighth—all late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. All of them were using the Wind Riding Technique, but Leo and Kael struggled to keep up. If Fin hadn't noticed and deliberately slowed down, they would have fallen behind by now.

  "I'm a few years older than you, so I'll call you Junior Brother Leo. Junior Brother Leo, it looks like we'll need to cultivate diligently, otherwise we'll fall too far behind the other senior brothers." Kael, a talkative sort, chatted with Leo as they hurried along. The other senior brothers and sisters ignored him, so Kael had no one else to talk to but Leo.

  "With aptitudes like yours, it won't matter how hard you try." Lowe, the tallest of the group, turned back and snorted with laughter.

  Kael's dark face flushed red, and he dared not retort.

  A cold feeling settled in Leo's heart, but he too remained silent.

  After racing over a hundred miles at high speed, Fin led the disciples to a small courtyard.

  "We're here. Go on inside. There's a Senior Brother Stone in charge of registering residences for disciples in the Azure Lotus Peak area. Since you're new, you'll need to choose a place to live. Remember, when choosing a spot, try to pick somewhere near a water source. Otherwise, after you open up spirit fields, watering your spiritual herbs will be a major problem. If you have to spend hours just fetching water back and forth, day after day, it will inevitably affect your cultivation. Also, it's best to choose a place with dense spiritual energy. But only Senior Brother Stone, who handles the registration, knows which good spots are available. If you want a decent location, slip him three to five spirit stones, and he'll tell you. Go on. I'll be at the reception bamboo hut. If you have any questions within the next three days, come find me. After three days, I won't be responsible. Oh, right, Leo. You go first. After you've arranged your residence, come with me to see Master Mist."

  Now that he was in the Palace of the Heavenly Apex, some things were unavoidable. Leo did as he was told and entered the small courtyard. Inside the spacious yard, a plump cultivator was dozing on a stone chair, a trail of drool running from the corner of his mouth.

  Leo cleared his throat. "Excuse me, are you Senior Brother Stone?"

  The plump cultivator startled awake. Embarrassed, he wiped the drool from his mouth and sat up. Seeing that Leo was only at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, he frowned and put on a stern air. "Yes? What is it?"

  "I am a newly recruited disciple named Leo. Senior Brother Fin from the Reception Hall brought me here to request a residence from Senior Brother Stone." Not wanting to be rude, Leo slipped three spirit stones into the plump cultivator's hand.

  "I see. Well, do you have any requirements for your residence? For example, convenient for opening spirit fields, abundant spiritual energy, or other considerations?" Senior Brother Stone's expression softened after receiving the spirit stones.

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  "I have a rather solitary nature. I prefer quiet places, living alone."

  Leo considered for a moment. According to Fin's introduction, planning for the future was crucial for a cultivator. Most newly recruited disciples would open up a few spirit fields and sow seeds of various spiritual herbs with different maturation periods—some annual, some triennial, quinquennial, or even decades-long. The older the herb, the more valuable it would be at harvest time. Additionally, when choosing a residence, most would opt for places with relatively dense spiritual energy, as it benefited daily cultivation.

  However, Leo had his own considerations. Although the boundary space contained many spirit stones that others couldn't see, he would later need to feed the Ice Silkworms, try to hatch the Barrier-Breaching Insect eggs, and refine large quantities of pills. If he drew the attention of observant people, they would inevitably become suspicious of an ordinary mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator possessing so many spiritual items. Advancing too quickly would also attract notice. It was better to live alone and enjoy some peace and quiet.

  "Places with denser spiritual energy are naturally more sought after. Only places where spiritual energy was sparse remained unclaimed. Think carefully." Out of consideration for the three spirit stones, Senior Brother Stone offered an extra word of advice.

  "Thank you for the reminder, Senior Brother. My aptitude is mediocre; sparse spiritual energy won't make much difference to me." Leo replied.

  "Very well. This scroll contains information on the various spiritual sites within our Azure Lotus Peak area. The spots marked with red dots are where cultivators are relatively concentrated. The blank areas are currently uninhabited. Choose for yourself."

  Senior Brother Stone nodded. They had no prior connection, and he had already offered a warning. Whether Leo heeded it or not was none of his concern. If Leo later wanted to move, he would just have to slip him a few more spirit stones anyway.

  There were all kinds of people in the world. Cultivators like Leo, who disliked interacting with others, were not common, but they were not unheard of. There were even some unscrupulous cultivators who always chose residences close to female disciples, hoping to get first pickings.

  Following his preference, Leo selected a barren mountain overgrown with bamboo. Such a place was highly difficult for opening spirit fields or cultivation. However, its advantage lay in its isolation. Moreover, he could cut down the bamboo and burn it into charcoal for pill refining.

  As Leo left, he saw Senior Brother Stone circle the spot he had just chosen on the scroll, indicating that it was now occupied.

  "Junior Brother Leo, you're finally out. Master Mist has probably been waiting for a while. Let's go now. Master Mist doesn't have the best temper. If he gets angry, we'll both be in for it." Fin's eyes lit up when he saw Leo emerge. He pulled Leo aside and spoke in a low voice.

  Frowning, Leo asked, "What do you mean? Master Mist is a Foundation Establishment senior. Surely he wouldn't bother with insignificant Qi Refining disciples like us??"

  Fin chuckled wryly. "It probably wouldn't come to that. We're not worth the effort for Master Mist to personally attack. But you have no idea how many Qi Refining junior and senior brothers are desperately trying to curry favor with Foundation Establishment seniors. Even if the senior has no intention of doing anything, when others find out you've displeased him, they'll go out of their way to make trouble for you, hoping to win the senior's favor. If a Foundation Establishment senior is pleased and assigns you a good task, that alone can save us Qi Refining cultivators decades of struggle. That fatso Stone we just saw has a cushy job, netting dozens of spirit stones a month. How do you think he got such a lucrative position? He informed on his own senior brother to Master Thorne, revealing that he was having an affair with Master Thorne's niece. The factions within this sect are complicated. I advise you, Junior Brother Leo, to be cautious. One misstep, and you'll never have a moment's peace."

  "Thank you for the warning, Senior Brother." Leo's heart tightened. It seemed relationships among the disciples within the Palace of the Heavenly Apex were far from simple.

  Fin winked and leaned in. "No need for thanks. Junior Brother Leo, you're someone Master Mist has taken a liking to. If you gain his favor in the future, don't forget to put in a good word for your senior brother, maybe help me get a decent assignment. If you do, I'll certainly repay the favor."

  Leo chuckled inwardly. If Fin knew that Master Mist might have ulterior motives towards him, he wondered if he would still be so enthusiastic.

  "Azure Lotus Peak is just one peak, but it's quite large, and its spiritual energy is exceptionally rich. Aside from the Azure Snake elder, who is in secluded cultivation here year-round, at least a third of the sixty-plus Foundation Establishment seniors within the Azure Lotus Peak domain have also established their cave dwellings on this peak. The rest practice alone on other peaks with slightly less spiritual energy." Fin introduced with keen interest.