r18novel Chapter 636: The Price of Ground
Chapter 636: The Price of Ground
"Go now and begin spreading the word across the training halls," said Ethan, his towering frame casting a long, commanding shadow over Mirah, Cardis, and Clare. "From this moment forward, my professional services will no longer be free of charge. However, if you have close, highly trustworthy companions who are genuinely suffering from severe cultivation blockages, you may direct them to me. I will consider granting them my personal aid."
The three girls bowed deeply, their eyes burning with absolute devotion, before hurrying out to execute his commands.
Ethan stepped out of the residential courtyard and made his way back to the main transit junction. Without a single word, he gripped his large wooden sign, ripped it cleanly from the dirt, and tossed it into the spatial depths of his storage ring. The two guards on duty watched him with deeply confused expressions, wondering if the delusional rookie had finally given up after just a few days.
But Ethan’s true objective was far grander. He navigated the winding stone staircases toward the upper rings of the outer peak, arriving before a stark, gray stone fortress known as the Grand Estate and Logistics Pavilion—the official bureau responsible for leasing land, assigning training courtyards, and managing commercial properties across the branch.
He stepped inside the chilly, cavernous hall and walked directly toward the primary stone counter. Sitting behind the desk was a wizened, ancient old woman wearing the dark, oppressive robes of a Senior Registrar Elder. Her silver hair was pinned back sharply, and her face was a landscape of deep, bitter wrinkles. Her aura was fierce, volatile, and terrifyingly cold, instantly making the nearby disciples sweat just by standing in her presence.
"State your business, rookie," the old woman barked, her voice sounding like grinding stones. "And do not waste my breath."
"I am here to permanently lease the vacant commercial plot situated directly adjacent to the main interior checkpoint," said Ethan, his face an unreadable, calm mask as he extended his white jade identity plaque.
The old woman let out a sharp, mocking snort, scanning his deep blue outer disciple sleeves. "That is a prime transit node, boy. The foundational leasing price is five thousand merit points upfront, with a total annual contract of ten thousand points. Let me see your plaque balance."
She tapped the jade tablet against her desk array, and her fierce eyes immediately snapped up with intense disdain. "Four hundred points? Are you entirely brainless, boy? You don’t even possess a fraction of the upfront capital!"
"I am fully aware of my current balance," said Ethan, his voice remaining perfectly flat and steady. "However, I intend to establish a highly lucrative medical establishment. I would like to inquire if the logistics bureau allows structured installment payments. I can assure you the total debt will be thoroughly liquidated within the week."
"Insolent brat!" the old woman roared, her volatile aura violently flaring as she slammed her withered palm onto the counter, cracking the stone. "This bureau is a sacred pillar of the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, not a common frontier market! If you have zero intention of conducting serious, lawful business, then crawl back to your dirt hole before I personally throw you off this peak! Get out of my sight!"
The surrounding disciples quickly shuffled away, terrified of her legendary, explosive temper. Yet, Ethan didn’t move a single inch. He didn’t show a single shred of annoyance or fear; instead, his piercing amethyst eyes slowly flared with a deep, supernatural light as he systematically scanned her fragile, decaying internal frame.
"Elder, do your fingers and palms entirely lose their sensation, turning completely numb when the midnight hour strikes?" said Ethan, his deep voice carrying a sudden, hypnotic weight that cut directly through her anger. "And do you feel a suffocating, freezing pressure tightly constricting your chest right as the morning mist rises?"
The old woman’s fierce expression instantly froze, her jaw tightening as her breath caught in her throat.
Ethan slowly leaned forward against the counter, his eyes scanning the bustling hall around them before a dark, knowing smile played on his lips. He lowered his voice into a dangerous whisper that only her ears could catch. "There are far too many loose ears in this hall, Elder. Do you truly wish for me to loudly proclaim exactly what else you feel creeping up your inner thighs and lower abdomen during those long, agonizing nights?"
The ancient registrar violently recoiled, her face instantly draining of all color as a wave of pure, chaotic panic erupted in her chest.
She was the supreme authority of this entire estate bureau, but she had kept this agonizing, worsening illness an absolute, classified secret. The only person on this entire mountain she had ever permitted to inspect her failing core was the Chief Master of the Alchemical Pavilion, a man whose personal ethics and professional traditions were completely unquestionable. It was a literal impossibility for that old master to have leaked her confidential medical charts to a dirty, newly admitted rookie from the frontier.
Her mind spun into a state of absolute, frantic bewilderment. How... how could this monster possibly know?
The old woman’s panic instantly curdled into a dark, murderous fury. Her ancient eyes narrowed into dangerously sharp slits as she reached the terrifying, paranoid conclusion that this imposing rookie was an elite spy—a cold assassin sent by an adversarial faction specifically targeting her vulnerable position.
Without a single word, her withered hand blurred, gripping the hilt of a heavy iron katana resting beneath the stone counter.
BOOM!
A colossal, suffocating pressure violently erupted from her fragile frame, shattering the remaining glass panes across the logistics pavilion. The absolute aura of the Spiritual Soul Realm flooded the hall, vibrating with the sharp, jagged energy of someone who stood a mere half-step away from the legendary Golden Core Realm. It was a monstrous, terrifying power that made the surrounding disciples instantly drop to their knees, their lungs screaming for air.
In the Heavenly Sword Pavilion, there was zero room for weakness. From the elite inner core down to the lowest personnel responsible for sweeping the stone steps, every single individual was a highly trained, lethal swordsman. Subestimating a single soul on this mountain was a fatal error—and subestimating a seasoned cultivator who had successfully climbed the bloody hierarchy to claim the title of a Sect Elder was a recipe for absolute death.
"Who sent you, brat?" the elder hissed, her blade unsheathing by a single, gleaming inch as her killing intent locked entirely onto his throat. "Speak your true name before I cleanly sever your head from your shoulders!"
Ethan stood perfectly still within the eye of her spiritual storm, his white robes rustling violently against her heavy pressure. Yet, his handsome face remained entirely unbothered, his piercing amethyst eyes staring directly into her gaze with a cold, terrifyingly confident smirk.
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From this moment forward, to avoid confusion regarding cultivation ranks, I will include this footer with the current established levels.
Note: These are only the ranks mentioned so far to avoid spoilers.
Body Refinement Realm
Skin Refinement / Bone Refinement / Organ Refinement
Spiritual Gathering Realm
Spiritual Perception / Spiritual Mist / Spiritual Condensation
Spiritual Core Realm
Core Solidification / Core Awakening / Spiritual Collapse (Half-step Spiritual Core)
Spiritual Soul Realm
Spiritual Soul Awakening / Soul Nourishing / Soul-Core Fusion
Golden Core Realm
Prime Fusion / Core Perfection / Core Destruction
Spiritual Sea Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Dao Manifestation Realm
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
Spiritual Transcendence
Stage 1 ?? / Stage 2 ?? / Stage 3 ??
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Sword mastery levels
Sword Intent.
Sword Aura.