It seemed the girl was worried that Xiao Lingchen might refuse, so she quickly added:

  "Right now, Fengshang City is packed with people, and all the inns and restaurants, big and small, are fully booked."

  "Some inns have even started offering shared rooms, with several people staying in one room. It's nearly impossible to find a place!"

  "But I still have a room available, and it's not expensive. It's only... only half of what they're charging, just 100 lower-grade Spirit Stones!"

  "If you think that's too much, 80 will do..."

  "If that's still not possible, I can offer a shared room too..."

  Xiao Lingchen had initially planned to pay extra for a room, or if necessary, buy out an entire inn. After all, he had plenty of Spirit Stones and wasn't short on money.

  However, seeing this little girl, Xiao Lingchen suddenly changed his mind.

  Seeing her nervous demeanor, Xiao Lingchen found it quite amusing.

  So he nodded:

  "Alright."

  With that, he casually took out a bag of Spirit Stones from his storage ring and tossed it to her.

  The girl counted the Spirit Stones, her eyes lighting up, and a delighted smile appeared on her face.

  "Please, follow me, sir~"

  With that, she led Xiao Lingchen through the streets to the house she mentioned.

  When they arrived, Xiao Lingchen realized that the house was just a modest farmhouse.

  The girl introduced herself as Su Su, just a child from an ordinary family. Due to poor family conditions, with her parents deceased and a bedridden grandmother to care for, she was always trying to earn money for her grandmother's medicine.

  Coincidentally, with the Secret Realm in the Thousand Cloud Mountain Range about to open, all the inns in Fengshang City were fully booked, so she decided to rent out her family's room.

  Although it was just a private home, when Xiao Lingchen entered the room he was to stay in, he was surprised to find it very clean and tidy. Though not large, it had good lighting and orientation, with a pot of elegant green plants on the windowsill.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  The whole room felt comfortable, not inferior to the rooms in those inns outside.

  Su Su said:

  "Sir, this is your room. You can stay until the Secret Realm opens. I'll bring you three meals a day, and if you have any other requests, you can let me know."

  "By the way, there are other cultivators in the next room, also waiting for the Secret Realm to open. They're all good people."

  "The room across the courtyard is where my grandmother lives. She's not in good health, so for your own well-being, please don't go over there."

  "If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare your dinner."

  Xiao Lingchen nodded, and Su Su left the room.

  One couldn't deny that staying until the Secret Realm opened for just a hundred Spirit Stones, with meals included, was much more cost-effective than those inns.

  With nothing else to do, Xiao Lingchen prepared to enter the Void Space to cultivate.

  However, at that moment, there was a knock at the door.

  Xiao Lingchen got up to open it and saw a somewhat sleazy-looking young man in white.

  Upon meeting, the young man greeted him familiarly:

  "Fellow cultivator, you're also here to seek fortune in the Secret Realm of the Thousand Cloud Mountain Range, right?"

  Xiao Lingchen nodded noncommittally:

  "Yes."

  At this time, anyone coming to Fengshang City was undoubtedly here for the Secret Realm, so there was no point in denying it.

  Xiao Lingchen asked in return:

  "Do you need something?"

  The sleazy young man chuckled:

  "Not really, just that we're all cultivators with the same goal, so I thought we could get to know each other. After all, more friends mean more paths!"

  "If you don't mind, you could join us in the courtyard for a drink and a chat. We also have some information about the Secret Realm to share with you."

  Hearing this, Xiao Lingchen thought for a moment and agreed.

  He followed the young man to the courtyard.

  To be honest, this was the first time Xiao Lingchen had interacted with other cultivators besides his Master since he began cultivating.

  Interacting with them might broaden his horizons or provide some insights about the Secret Realm.

  When Xiao Lingchen followed the sleazy young man to the courtyard, four people were already seated around the stone table.

  They were all quite young, drinking and chatting merrily.

  Seeing Xiao Lingchen arrive, they greeted him with the same familiarity:

  "Oh! Another one has arrived!"

  "Come, fellow cultivator! Join us for a drink!"

  "These guys drink like three-year-olds; it's no fun drinking with them!"

  With that, one of them stood up to pull Xiao Lingchen to a seat.

  The sleazy young man began introducing them to Xiao Lingchen:

  "The one pulling you for a drink is Bi Qi, from Meng City. Don't be fooled by his rugged appearance; he's actually very straightforward and open-hearted."

  "The one next to him, already red-faced from drinking, is Hou Ping, from Jiang City. His family holds a significant position in our Celestial Star Kingdom, but it seems he had a falling out with them and left. Given his drinking capacity, he might never take over the family business."

  After shaking his head in regret, he continued introducing:

  "Next to Hou Ping is Yu Haoran, from Qin Chuan. Don't be deceived by his ordinary appearance; he's the strongest among us five!"

  Xiao Lingchen nodded noncommittally.

  Upon arriving, he had sensed everyone's cultivation levels.

  The five were generally above the eighth level of the Spirit Platform Realm, with only Yu Haoran reaching the first level of the Dao Palace Realm.

  The sleazy young man then introduced the last person:

  "This is Li Muyun, from Yaoguang. The phrase 'a gentleman like jade, unparalleled in the world' perfectly describes Brother Li."

  However, he then leaned closer to Xiao Lingchen and whispered:

  "Don't be fooled by his handsome appearance and aloof demeanor; he's probably just a shy guy pretending to be cool!"

  Hearing this, Xiao Lingchen shook his head with a smile.

  Such aloofness likely wasn't shyness; he probably just didn't want to talk to them.

  Others might not see it, but Xiao Lingchen could feel it. The moment he saw Li Muyun, his Pure Yang Sacred Body reacted slightly.

  This reaction was identical to when he first met his Master and Ning Huanhuan!

  So Xiao Lingchen reasonably suspected that Li Muyun might be a woman disguised as a man.

  Her aloofness and reluctance to speak might partly be due to her personality, but mainly because she had nothing to discuss with these men!

  Then.

  The sleazy young man straightened up, adjusted his clothes, and began introducing himself with a smug expression:

  "As for me, I am Luo Xingxing, the son of the Lord of Starry City, an inner disciple of the Cloudveil Sect, a specially trained future Holy Son candidate of the sect, the future leader of the righteous path, the Chosen One, and the savior of the world..."