The Inner Region Gate of River-Flower City was blocked by a colossal bronze gate, and it was the only way to enter the city's inner region.
Anyone who wants to enter the inner region must be a cultivator or must show proof of their identity as a noble.
In the middle of the night, strong cultivator guards were watching the inner region's gate.
People were going in and out after showing proof of identity. It was a crystal identity card; waving it in front of the big stone beside the gate showed the holder's personal information.
Anyone could get one from their birthplace or from any faction they were affiliated with. But this crystal identity card cost ten Ruby Coins to make, and people like Ace never got one in their lifetime.
Ace didn't want his information recorded here for the sake of secrecy. That way, no one would ever know who he was or where he came from.
At this time, not far from the inner city gate, Ace was waiting for a chance to sneak in when he spotted a man looking around and smiling foolishly at everyone he saw.
'You're the one!' After selecting his target, Ace activated Stealth and vanished into the darkness of night.
Ace was no longer a rookie like before. In stealth, no one could spot him anymore unless their cultivation realm was higher than his — though the limit was still within the Qi Gates Realm, since his mastery over this skill was still at the middle level.
There were four levels of mastery for the System's basic skills: Low, Middle, High, and Perfection.
Ace followed that man with his Silent Steps; even the nearby people and the 'Second Gate' cultivator guards didn't notice him following the man from behind. The moment the gate opened, Ace used Silent Steps to the limit, becoming a gust of wind and vanishing into the inner region.
No one noticed that a thief had snuck inside the inner region.
After entering the inner region, Ace took a random direction and ran aimlessly. First, he found a barren spot and took cover behind a wide tree. He removed a fresh set of clothing from his bag and changed out of his 'Black Ghost' outfit.
After changing, Ace looked at the 'Black Ghost' outfit and lit a fire with some nearby dry wood. Then he threw the black outfit into the burning flames.
'Black Ghost is dead now! No one will connect him with a new thief from the inner region.' Ace chuckled as the outfit and mask turned to ashes and scattered into the air on the wind.
After dealing with the 'Black Ghost' matter, Ace took another random direction, since he didn't know the layout of the inner region.
It was already nighttime, but there were lights along the broad streets, and many people were strolling here and there. The lights came from strange glass fixtures atop long poles. Ace had never seen anything like it before.
Ace was curious but tired after using all those skills, so he politely asked a passerby, "Sir, do you know where I can find an inn here?" He decided to spend the night at an inn and explore the inner region in the morning.
This person didn't seem to mind Ace's question, since it was normal for people to visit here. "Just follow this street, and you'll find an inn after a twenty-minute walk." The person replied indifferently and went about his own business afterward.
"Thank you." Ace thanked the man and didn't linger there either.
After fifteen minutes, a large building came into view from afar, lit up by countless lights, and with his sharp eyes, he could spot this eye-catching building from a mile away.
Ace sped up and reached the building — a surprisingly tall structure of ten floors.
Now that he saw it clearly, small radiant stones sat in glass boxes attached around the building. That's where the light came from.
Ace had never seen this kind of stone, or a building this large, in the outer region. Those strange light-stones illuminated a wooden 'Holiday Inn' signboard.
Ace entered the inn and saw a beautiful woman in her late twenties sitting behind a desk. When she saw Ace with a bag on his back, she smiled broadly and greeted him.
"Welcome to the Holiday Inn. How may I help you, sir?" she said sweetly.
"I want a room," Ace answered indifferently, acting like an arrogant rich kid.
She asked, "What kind of room would you like, sir? We have two kinds. A Second-Class Room for 10 silver coins, with no special services, or a First-Class Room for 10 gold coins, with the best service — we'll serve you wild beast meat and special wine."
"What's a wild beast?" Ace asked, puzzled. He'd never heard of this kind of meat before. After all, he was what nobles called a "country bumpkin."
Ace had eaten every type of animal meat available in the outer region, but he'd never heard of this beast's meat before, which cost ten gold coins. Regular meat, after all, cost only 50 bronze coins per pound.
"Wild Beasts are found in the wilderness outside the city. They aren't ordinary animals — they can cultivate like humans and become 'Demonic Beasts,' so their meat contains Qi. It's what a normal cultivator eats in their daily life." The woman replied with a smile, though one could see a faint frown on her fair face.
'Where did this country bumpkin come from? He doesn't even know what a wild beast is. Is he trying to flirt with me and waste my time?' she thought irritably.
Others might not have noticed the shift in her mood, but Ace could sense it, thanks to his soul cultivation.
Ace smiled wryly, embarrassed he hadn't known about these wild beasts before. His knowledge of this world was still extremely limited.
'Well, if that's what normal cultivators eat, then I can eat it too and see if it's better than beef.' Ace snorted to himself.
Cultivators could live without eating, but only after reaching a certain higher realm. Early cultivators like Ace still had to eat, since their Qi reserves were limited and they could draw only a little power from the world with their meridians closed.
However, Ace was different in this regard too. He could live for a month without eating anything, since his Qi was Heavenly. He only ate daily for the pleasure of it.
"I'll take one, at ten gold coins a night. Here — one Ruby Coin. That should cover ten days, right?" Ace pulled a Ruby Coin from his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of the woman, who was still frowning in thought.
At the sound of his voice, she snapped out of her daze and spotted the shining Ruby Coin on the desk. Her face broke into a wide smile. "Yes — that'll be plenty for ten days. I'll go get the key to your room right away."
"This key is for Room No. 103, on the 3rd floor. If you need anything, please contact me — I'll be here anytime. Your meals will be delivered by maids, three times a day. Enjoy your stay, sir." She handed the key to Ace and sent a servant to escort him to his room.
Upon entering, Ace sighed in astonishment. "This room is huge — at least five times bigger than my old hut." To him, it was luxurious.
Ace set down his bag and the wooden case with his Raptor sword pair in the corner of the room.
'I have to deal with these pills first. I wonder if someone will buy them without noticing anything odd.' Ace wanted to sell the pills he'd taken from Fatty Billy's shop for Ruby Coins.
Oddly, Ace couldn't use these pills himself. When he tried, he could only taste the bitter flavor of the herbs. He concluded this was because of his Heavenly Qi.
As Ace was about to begin his daily cultivation routine, he sensed someone approaching his door. He instantly raised his guard and used his Heavenly Sense — only to find a maidservant with a tray in her hands. He relaxed at once, sighing in relief.
Just as he'd sensed, a light knock sounded at the door, and a sweet voice called, "Sir, I'm here with your dinner."
Ace opened the door with a smile. He accepted the tray of dishes from the maidservant. "Thank you."
The maidservant was astonished. No one had ever thanked her in all her years of working here, since nobles — especially cultivators — were always arrogant. They never thanked a mortal maid like her.
She was still marveling at the boy's unusual courtesy when Ace pulled a Ruby Coin from his pocket and placed it in her hand. "Here, buy something nice for your kids with it," he said generously.
Ace was still playing the role of a rich young master, unaware that even wealthy people didn't hand out a whole Ruby Coin as a tip.
Stunned by the enormous tip, the maidservant panicked and quickly tried to refuse. "S-sir, I-I can't take this. Just a silver coin would be plenty. And I don't have any kids — I'm single!"
She blushed deeply as she said it. But Ace, not noticing her blush, insisted, "Well, if you don't have kids, then buy something for your parents." He closed the door before she could respond.
The maid stood holding the Ruby Coin absentmindedly, and after a moment, she clenched it tightly in her hand and walked away with tears in her eyes. Maybe it was coincidence, or maybe luck — but she'd truly needed money like this at that moment.
Ace didn't dwell on the encounter for long and began enjoying the roasted wild beast meat. As he ate, he could tell this meat carried a hundred, maybe even a thousand times more energy than regular meat.
"That lady wasn't lying about the Qi in this meat — and it's more delicious than beef too. No wonder cultivators only eat this kind." Ace mumbled to himself like an excited child, savoring his meal.
After eating his fill, Ace began cultivating his martial cultivation, since he'd just achieved a breakthrough in his soul cultivation!