Chapter 102: Immortal and Mortal Residence

The permanent residents here are mostly disciples dispatched by the Blood Sect of Defiant Spirits. They guard the entire city alongside Foundation Establishment realm overseers. The pillars are located at critical nodes of the underground spirit veins, connected to the formations laid out in this area, like a series of fortress positions.

Wang Yu's sudden arrival, with his cultivation at the eighth level of Qi Condensation unconcealed, caused all mortals entering and leaving near the city gate to show expressions of fear. They carefully stopped in place, not daring to look at him.

"So this is their mode of governance..." Wang Yu thought, understanding.

As he contemplated this, two cultivators approached him together. Noticing the disciple token at Wang Yu's waist, they quickly bowed and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother."

Wang Yu nodded. "I am an overseer from Spider Mountain, here to explore Corrosive Heart City."

The two immediately smiled knowingly. As they led the way, one said, "What is Senior Brother's name? I am Han Fei. I am familiar with all situations in Corrosive Heart City and can guide Senior Brother."

"You can call me Wang Yu," he replied. "And what is this one's name?"

"Yang Shan. Please, Senior Brother Wang Yu."

The three chatted and laughed, soon stopping at a pillar palace. Han Fei introduced, "Corrosive Heart City has a total of 108 pillars. Each can accommodate one thousand cultivators for practice. Currently, only fifty to sixty people are stationed at each. Some fellow disciples have gone to Mountain Spring Pavilion outside the city.

"Does Senior Brother Wang Yu have anywhere he wishes to go? Although the pleasure establishments in Corrosive Heart City are not as grand as the Azure Concubine Tower within the sect, they have their own unique characteristics, such as..."

"No need," Wang Yu interrupted, raising a hand to decline. "I heard there's an upcoming auction in Corrosive Heart City. Is that true?"

"Well..." Yang Shan, the other person, said with some uncertainty, "May I ask where Senior Brother heard that?"

"I have my own channels, of course," Wang Yu replied. "Is it true or not?"

Yang Shan and Han Fei exchanged glances. Their eyes met, and they seemed to make a decision. "Since we are all fellow disciples, we will inform Senior Brother about this. However, this auction is not what Senior Brother might imagine. It is... Master Zhou's business."

"Master Zhou?" Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, thinking it must be the Foundation Establishment realm overseer of Corrosive Heart City.

"Yes. These pillar palaces organize spirit root testing conventions annually. Those who meet the criteria are sent to the Nine Peaks of the sect. If they have less than three spirit roots, they are divided into three grades—superior, medium, and inferior—based on their appearance, and sent to the Immortal Mortal Abode for training. There are separate camps for males and females. Every three to five years, an auction is held, and they are the items for sale. After excellent training, whether used as tools for carnal pleasure or as cauldrons for dual cultivation, they are guaranteed to make buyers feel ecstatic."

Wang Yu listened, his expression grim. Fortunately, he was born in the Taihu Spirit Domain, and his family was merely a mortal one. Strictly speaking, he was among the first generation to undergo spirit root testing after his family's rise. He could be considered second-generation. If he had been born in the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain and raised as a star slave, he wouldn't know what to do.

Wang Yu couldn't help but ask, "The sect requires a large number of spirit slaves to supply vast amounts of spirit sand. Why aren't these people sent to the Nine Peaks to be trained as spirit slaves?"

Han Fei replied, "It's... not that we don't want to, but that we can't."

Yang Shan added, "That's right, Senior Brother, you don't understand. The position of overseer changes every hundred years. These prominent figures often have factions. Where would they be sent within the Nine Peaks then? Providing a hundred years of spirit slave supply is simple, but for the next overseer, sending them or not becomes a problem, and it's difficult to profit from it."

Wang Yu generally understood the operational logic. In essence, the overseers frequently changed and were divided into factions. However, there was only one Corrosive Heart City, and its resource output could not become a tool for a single lineage to profit from. The bulk had to be handed over to the sect. As a result, the overseers simply pursued private gains. For example, Master Zhou's Mountain Spring Pavilion and the slave cultivator auction he operated. For someone only in the early Foundation Establishment realm to manage so much, he was quite a talent. He had certainly earned a significant amount over the years. His background must be impressive. A clan named Zhou...

As Wang Yu's thoughts churned, Yang Shan suddenly spoke. "Senior Brother, we've arrived at the Immortal Mortal Abode. Before the auction is held, we, as inner-sect disciples, can select the slave cultivators we like in advance and take them away by paying spirit stones."

Wang Yu was stunned. He had thought that the attackers, to lure him out, would at least mention something true. But it turned out to be a slave auction, a waste of his time. There were no Foundation Establishment spiritual items at all.

However, since he was already here... he might as well take a look. It would count as broadening his horizons.

"Shall we take a look then?"

"Please, Senior Brother."

"Hey, you, come over and introduce the 'goods'."

"Ah, coming!" The cultivator standing by the door quickly scurried over, showing a fawning smile. He was a subordinate Master Zhou had recruited from outside, not a member of the Blood Sect. He only had a cultivation of the third level of Qi Condensation, so he kept a very low profile.

"Gentlemen, please follow me."

The Immortal Mortal Abode was a large estate covering three hundred *mu*. A bluestone path in the middle divided it into two, with the male quarters on the left and female on the right. Cultivators carrying swords guarded all intersections. These individuals, destined to be purchased, could only move within the estate.

The more outstanding their appearance, the higher their status here. They mostly underwent training in demeanor, etiquette, and discerning intentions. Those with ordinary appearances, on the other hand, trained in special secret arts from a young age to enhance their physical characteristics and meticulously studied bedroom techniques. They were highly distinctive in their skills, regardless of gender. Moreover, each underwent rigorous training and had a refined way of serving people. Even their oral skills were quite impressive.

When Wang Yu entered, he saw a young man with a stone lock hanging from his waist, using his tongue to unlock golden rings. The dexterity was such that he could unlock a nine-ring golden lock with his tongue in no more than five breaths. Their cultivation was generally at the first or second level of Qi Condensation, with third-level practitioners being rare, which aligned with their standard of short-term cultivation.

Seeing Wang Yu pause on the covered bridge, the small servant quickly began to introduce, "Sir, are you perhaps interested in that pale-faced young man? I can..."

"No, let's keep going."

"Yes, sir!"

The more Wang Yu saw, the colder his heart grew, and his mood became somewhat turbulent. Whether it was the righteous path or the demonic path, there was an iron rule against wantonly slaughtering mortals, because immortals come from the mortal world! Mortals were like the earth; they could nurture rare minerals and life, just like cultivators with spirit roots. Mortals were the foundation of everything. To have more cultivators, more mortals were needed. Their sole value lay in procreation and reproduction. Once "spirit root" immortal sprouts were produced, the superior ones entered the sect to strengthen it and continue the cultivation aspirations of the ancestors, while the inferior ones became slaves and servants, providing pleasure and comfort to the superiors.

Master Zhou's ability to earn money precisely stemmed from grasping this core principle. The slave cultivators he trained were highly competitive. He likely consulted experts from the Joyous Union Sect.

It was then that Wang Yu vaguely understood that the Demonic Path not only had world-shaking great devils who committed monstrous acts of slaughter, but also exploitation and oppression operating under rules. There were madmen who slaughtered mortals to refine treasures, and also manipulators skilled in human nature, who exchanged the bitter blood of others for a smooth path to the Grand Dao. At its root, it was a group of people who would stop at nothing for cultivation. This was the second time he had gained insight into this statement. It grew deeper and deeper, finally transforming into a long sigh.