115: Cloud City! Is this the world of the rich?

A few days later.

Above the heavens, the sea of clouds churned, and golden sunlight spilled onto the thick layers of clouds, refracting into a brilliant halo.

A green flying boat flying the flag of the Medicine God Valley was cutting through the layers of mist, speeding forward.

Gu Yang lay on a soft couch on the flying boat's deck, holding a "Heart-Clearing Fruit" he had swiped from the Medicine God Valley, munching on it with loud crunches as juice splattered everywhere.

Er Gou lay by the ship's railing, poking his furry head out to look down, occasionally letting out "Awooo" sounds of wonder, his tail wagging like a propeller.

"We're here."

Gu Yang stood up, brushed the fruit crumbs off his hands, and looked far into the distance.

In the center of the endless sea of clouds ahead, a giant island so magnificent it took one's breath away floated in the air.

The entire island was crafted from pure white floating stones, and its area was so vast that it even exceeded a Mortal nation in the Lower Realm.

On the island, jade palaces and towers stood in close proximity, with countless tall towers piercing the clouds, shining brilliantly under the sun.

Shimmering light screens from Formation arrays enveloped the entire city, blocking out all the violent Nine Heavens Astral Winds and forming an independent Small World.

This was Cloud City.

The most prosperous commercial center on the edge of the Chaotic Star Sea, it was the location of a Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance branch and a den of luxury that countless Cultivators dreamed of.

"Whoa!"

Gu Yang let out a gasp of wonder like someone who hadn't seen much of the world, his eyes widening slightly.

"This place looks like it's loaded with money."

"Even the air carries the stench of spirit crystals; it smells wonderful."

The flying boat slowly approached the giant floating harbor on the outskirts of Cloud City.

Thousands of various flying boats were docked here.

Some were a thousand feet long like aerial fortresses, emitting a heart-palpitating Spiritual Pressure.

Others were exquisite and delicate like carved jasper, the height of luxury.

In comparison, Gu Yang's ordinary flying boat borrowed from the Medicine God Valley was like a walking tractor at a luxury car show, looking completely out of place and eye-catchingly shabby.

"Halt!"

Just as they approached a berth, a harbor guard wearing silver spiritual armor and standing on a Flying Sword blocked their path.

This guard had his nose in the air and an arrogant gaze. Though only at the Early Golden Core Stage, his equipment consisted entirely of High Grade Spiritual Artifacts, armed to the teeth.

He looked Gu Yang's flying boat up and down, a hint of contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Entry fee: one hundred Low-Grade Spirit Crystals per person! Flying boat docking fee: five hundred per day!"

"How much?!"

Gu Yang's eyes widened; he almost thought he had misheard.

"A thousand? Why don't you just rob me?!"

In a place like Quicksand City, a decent meal only cost a few hundred spirit crystals, yet docking a boat here cost five hundred a day?

And a hundred just to enter?

If this isn't robbery, what is?

"This is Cloud City!"

The guard gave Gu Yang a disdainful look, his gaze sweeping over his somewhat tattered black robe (though his Physical Body was strong, his clothes weren't durable and had long since worn out).

"No money? If you have no money, don't come to such high-end places; go stay in the slums below."

"These days, every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to squeeze into Cloud City without checking the weight of their Storage Pouch."

Gu Yang frowned, his fists instantly clenching.

With his short temper, he couldn't stand such sarcastic remarks.

Just as he was about to use his fists to discuss a "physical discount" with the other party, he suddenly remembered the invitation in his pocket.

"Ahem, stay low-key."

"I'm here to buy things, not to demolish the place."

Gu Yang suppressed his anger, pulled out the gold-stamped Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance VIP invitation from his robe, and waved it in front of the guard.

"Look at this, can I get a discount?"

The guard glanced at it nonchalantly.

The next second, his expression changed instantly, like a duck being strangled by its neck, his eyes nearly popping out.

The unique spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the invitation and the prominent Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance logo could not be faked.

This was... a Heaven-rank VIP?!

This level of invitation was usually only held by great Cultivators at the Late Nascent Soul Stage or the leaders of a sect!

Someone with this invitation was the most honored guest in Cloud City!

"Oh! So it's an esteemed guest!"

The arrogance on the guard's face vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile more affectionate than if he had seen his own father, his waist bending almost to the ground.

"This lowly one was blind! Please forgive me, milord! Forgive me!"

"VIP flying boats are docked for free! They are even guarded by dedicated personnel, and we provide a full cleaning and maintenance service!"

"This way, milord! Take the VIP channel! No need to queue!"

Gu Yang shook his head speechlessly at the guard, whose face had changed faster than flipping a page.

"Indeed, money makes the world go round; this logic applies everywhere."

He put away the invitation and, with Er Gou holding his head high, strode grandly into the golden channel accessible only to VIPs... Once inside the city, the prosperous sights were even more dazzling.

The streets were wide and clean, paved with smooth white jade slabs, spotless.

Shops on both sides were hung with shimmering neon lanterns (powered by Formations), and various cries of street vendors rose and fell, yet it didn't seem noisy.

Among the Cultivators walking the streets, the lowest cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Stage; those at the Golden Core Stage were as common as dogs, and occasionally, one could see a few Nascent Soul Old Monsters passing by in a hurry, emitting powerful auras.

"First, let's get some money."

Gu Yang patted his Storage Pouch, which, though bulging, was filled with "junk."

He headed straight for the tallest building in the city center—the main tower of the Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance.

Upon entering the lobby, several beautiful maids immediately came forward to greet him.

Gu Yang didn't waste words and showed his VIP card directly, being invited into an elegant appraisal room.

"Guest, are you here to consign treasures?"

The person in charge of appraisal was a white-haired old man with sharp eyes, clearly an expert.

"Yes, I'm selling some local specialties."

Gu Yang dumped out a large pile of items with a clatter.

There were low-level Magical Artifacts snatched from the Black Fiend Sect, poisonous herbs swiped from Poison King Peak, and various messy Yao Beast Materials.

The old man took a look and frowned slightly.

"Guest, these... although the quantity is large, the grades aren't high."

"These Magical Artifacts are common goods with crude craftsmanship. The poisonous herbs, while rare, aren't old enough."

"All together, they're worth at most... fifty thousand spirit crystals."

"Only fifty thousand?"

Gu Yang was a bit disappointed.

Fifty thousand spirit crystals in Cloud City would probably only cover a few good meals.

"Oh, and this."

Gu Yang thought for a moment and pulled out a tattered hide book from his robe.

That was the original copy of the War God Illustrated Record he had obtained in the Lower Realm.

Although he had already learned it, the material was special—resistant to water and fire—so it should be worth something, right?

"See how much this is worth?"

The old man took the hide book, flipped through a few pages, and his brow furrowed even more.

"This... the text is archaic; it seems to be some kind of ancient Body Cultivator's technique?"

"But the path of Body Cultivation has long since declined in the Spirit Realm, and this technique appears incomplete and lacks the accompanying medicinal bath recipes."

"I'm afraid... it won't be easy to sell."

The old man shook his head and was about to return it.

"Hold on!"

Just then, an old but powerful voice suddenly came from behind the screen in the appraisal room.

An old man dressed in coarse hemp clothes and carrying a giant wine gourd on his back walked out.

Although his hair and beard were white, his complexion was ruddy, and his muscles were knotted, giving off a powerful sense of pressure as if a Vicious Beast were dormant inside him.

A hidden Body Cultivator expert—Perfected Lord Iron Mountain (Early Spirit Transformation Stage)!

He was a Guest Elder of the Ten Thousand Realms Merchant Alliance, just passing by.

Perfected Lord Iron Mountain walked quickly to the table, grabbed the War God Illustrated Record, and a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

His hands trembled as he stroked the patterns on the hide, as if caressing a lover's skin.

"This material... it's the skin of the ancient wild beast, the 'Heaven-Swallowing Roar'!"

"This text... it contains a trace of the Dao rhyme of the Law of Strength!"

"This is a supreme scripture!"

He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Gu Yang with a fervent gaze:

"Young friend! Where did you get this?"

"I'll take it! Five hundred thousand... no, one million spirit crystals!"

"One million?!"

The appraising old man beside him was startled.

Gu Yang's eyes, however, lit up.

"Deal!"

...Carrying the huge sum of 1.05 million spirit crystals (including the money from selling the junk), Gu Yang walked out of the Alliance's gates, feeling much more confident.

Although it might still be far from the astronomical price of the heart of the titan, at least he had money for food.

"Er Gou, let's go! I'll take you for a good meal!"

"Awooo!" (Meat! Meat!)

The man and dog headed straight for "Spiritual Food Street" in the eastern district.

This was a foodie's paradise, gathering delicacies from all over the Spirit Realm.

"Boss! I'll take this whole pot of 'Dragon Beard Noodles'!"

"Is that made from True Dragon Beard Fish? Good! Add fifty more eggs!"

Gu Yang sat in front of the noodle stall, holding a bowl larger than a washbasin, slurping away.

Er Gou squatted nearby, gnawing on a piece of newly bought "Star Iron" (it cost fifty thousand spirit crystals, which pained Gu Yang immensely).

Their generosity caught the attention of many people.

In the crowd, a pair of shifty eyes fixed on the bulging Storage Pouch at Gu Yang's waist.

It was a thin, wretched-looking young Cultivator.

"Kong Kong'er," a famous master thief in Cloud City, specialized in spatial arts.

"Hehe, seeing this big dummy eating so happily, his alertness must be low."

"One million spirit crystals... enough for me to live it up for several years."

Kong Kong'er licked his lips, his figure blurring as he actually vanished into thin air.

The next second.

An invisible hand reached silently toward Gu Yang's waist.

Just as it was about to succeed.

Suddenly.

Crack!

Kong Kong'er felt as if his hand had reached into a hydraulic press, being clamped tight!

Was that... Gu Yang's abdominal muscles?

Gu Yang was drinking soup when he suddenly felt a bit of an itch on his waist.

He looked down and saw a hand that had appeared out of nowhere, clamped by his muscles and unable to move.

Following the hand, the air distorted, revealing Kong Kong'er's face, which was filled with terror.

Gu Yang turned his head, looked at the thief, and showed a row of white teeth:

"Brother, are you scratching an itch for me?"

"But your strength is too weak; didn't you eat?"

Kong Kong'er was scared out of his wits, desperately trying to pull his hand back.

But Gu Yang was now at the First Turn of the God-Fiend Golden Body Realm; his physical strength was comparable to an Early Spirit Transformation Stage Magic Treasure.

With a slight flex of his abs, they were harder than deep-sea sunken iron, firmly trapping Kong Kong'er's wrist without budging an inch.

"B-Big brother! A misunderstanding! A huge misunderstanding!"

Kong Kong'er was sweating coldly from the pain, feeling as if his hand bones were about to shatter.

"I... I was helping you brush off dust! These clothes are dirty!"

"Brushing off dust?"

Gu Yang sneered, reached out with his greasy hand, and grabbed the back of Kong Kong'er's neck.

Like picking up a little chick, he easily lifted this master thief, who was a headache for many in Cloud City, into the air.

"Daring to steal from me? Your courage is much greater than your strength."

"Just as well, I haven't paid for this meal yet."

Gu Yang turned to the noodle stall owner, who was already dumbfounded.

"Boss, this kid will stay here as a laborer."

"Make him wash dishes, serve plates, and chop wood. Let him go only when he's earned enough to pay for my noodles."

With that, Gu Yang gave a casual toss.

"Swoosh—Bang!"

Kong Kong'er traced a perfect parabola through the air and was accurately hung upside down from the flagpole used for the shop sign at the noodle stall entrance.

Dangling there, he looked like a piece of dried salted fish.

"Whoever dares to reach out again, this will be the consequence!"

Gu Yang clapped his hands and, leading the stuffed and burping Er Gou, walked away under the awe-struck and peculiar gazes of the crowd.

Leaving only Kong Kong'er's messy screams in the wind: "Let me down! I have a fear of heights!"