Ye Guan was feeling a little frustrated.

He hadn't expected this place to be so peculiar. To leave, someone from outside actually had to come and take them away.

If his cultivation were intact, he would use the Qingxuan Sword and leave this place. It was strong enough to slice through any restriction after all.

However, he had no access to his cultivation base.

"

Hehe.

" Daoist Zhang chuckled. "With your talent and luck, there's a high chance that you'll get to leave this place."

Ye Guan looked at Daoist Zhang. "What do you mean?"

"The people outside have to pay a steep price to come in and select people. As a result, they only choose individuals with exceptional luck and unparalleled talent for cultivation. Your luck is extraordinary, ranking at least in the top three here."

"So if I want to leave, I have to wait for them to come in and select me?"

Daoist Zhang nodded. "Exactly."

"Is there any other way to leave?"

"Of course. You could break through the restrictions left behind by the Nine Continent Master, but that's virtually impossible."

Ye Guan fell silent for a moment and then asked, "When will the next selection take place?"

Daoist Zhang smiled. "Once every ten years. The next one is in two years."

Two years?

Ye Guan frowned deeply. He wasn't planning to stay here for two whole years. He looked at Daoist Zhang and asked, "Can you come and go freely from this place?"

Daoist Zhang shook his head.

Ye Guan remained silent.

Daoist Zhang chuckled. "You're eager to leave, aren't you?"

Ye Guan nodded.

Daoist Zhang said, "Then there's no other choice. You'll have to wait until two years later when they come in to select people."

Ye Guan asked again, "Is there any way to contact the people outside?"

"There is, but it will require a certain price."

"What's the price?"

"Immortal Essence Crystals—a lot of them."

Ye Guan pressed further, "How many exactly?"

Daoist Zhang smiled faintly. "At least tens of thousands."

Ye Guan's face darkened. Tens of thousands of Immortal Essence Crystals?!

He only had a little over ten thousand.

That is just absurd!

Daoist Zhang suddenly patted his stomach and asked, "Are you not hungry?"

Ye Guan glanced at him.

Daoist Zhang grinned, looking a bit sly.

Ye Guan laughed. "Shall we eat?"

Daoist Zhang's eyes lit up, and he quickly replied, "Sure, sure!"

With that, he packed up his stall and dragged Ye Guan away.

Moments later, Daoist Zhang brought Ye Guan to a restaurant and ordered a large table full of dishes.

Ye Guan was also quite hungry, so the two devoured the food ravenously, leaving the waiter stunned.

After their meal, Daoist Zhang leaned back in his chair, let out a satisfied burp, and picked up a toothpick to clean his teeth. "It's been a while since I ate this much."

Ye Guan said, "Old Zhang, I'm new to the Nine Continent Domain. Can you tell me more about it?"

Daoist Zhang chuckled. "You asked the right person. Ordinary people only know the surface-level details of the Nine Continent Domain, but I'm different.

"I know the history of this place spanning billions of years like the back of my hand. Ask me anything!"

Ye Guan nodded and placed an Immortal Essence Crystal in front of Daoist Zhang.

However, Daoist Zhang shook his head. "No need for money for such a small matter. I'm not that greedy."

He then pushed the crystal back to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled faintly and didn't insist, putting it away.

"The Nine Continent Domain is composed of nine continents. A long time ago, an unparalleled prodigy rose here. Later, people honored him as the Nine Continent Master. His strength was unprecedented," Daoist Zhang explained.

His expression grew solemn as he added, "But for some unknown reason, he left. After his departure, the Nine Continent Domain fell into chaos. Now, though it's still called the Nine Continent Domain, only three continents actually remain— the Shenzhou, Panzhou, and Wuzhou continents."

"What's the tier of this place? Civilization-wise?"

"When the Nine Continent Master was here, this was a Tier Nine Civilization. After his departure, it barely qualifies as a peak Tier Eight Civilization."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "Understood."

Daoist Zhang added, "This place is chaotic because it holds traces of Divine Source Energy. As a result, top experts from many civilizations often come here, hoping to obtain it and advance even further."

Divine Source Energy!

Ye Guan's interest was piqued. He had heard it from Fan Zhaodi before.

"Old Zhang, what exactly is Divine Source Energy?"

Daoist Zhang smiled and explained, "It's a kind of cultivation energy, but it's incredibly rare across the entire universe. It's not inanimate—it's alive, and it has its own intelligence.

"It's not only immensely powerful, but it can also evade tribulations. Unless you're exceptionally powerful, it's almost impossible to acquire them."

Ye Guan was astonished. He hadn't expected Divine Source Energy to be a sentient entity.

Now that's fascinating!

Daoist Zhang continued, "Because this place contains Divine Source Energy, many top-level mercenary groups have gathered here as well. For instance, the top three ranked groups in the Nine Continent Domain are the Bandit Mercenary Group, the Shikigami Mercenary Group, and the Shadowless Mercenary Group..."

"The Bandit Mercenary Group!"

A voice abruptly rang out in Ye Guan's mind.

The voice was from Little Pagoda.

Ye Guan inwardly asked,

"Do you know them, Master Pagoda?"

Little Pagoda replied,

"Maybe it's just the same name."

Ye Guan nodded and then turned to Daoist Zhang. "Tell me more about Nine Continent Town."

Daoist Zhang chuckled and said, "This is a place of great fortune. In fact, it's the most blessed place in the Nine Continent Domain. As I mentioned earlier, everyone here is extraordinarily lucky, and with such fortune, they are the favored children of the heavens.

"Their cultivation will be much smoother than ordinary people's."

Daoist Zhang glanced at Ye Guan and added, "You lack a cultivation base, but your luck is immense; those are the reasons you were sent here."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Daoist Zhang added, "If you wish to leave, then your only option at the moment is to wait for two years. By then, the three major provinces outside will come here to select people.

"If you end up getting chosen, then you can leave with them. For now, you should settle down here. This place is quite nice. Many areas have beautiful scenery, especially the Star-Moon Lake. It's an excellent spot for sightseeing."

Ye Guan smiled faintly and shook his head. He had no interest in such things for now. All he wanted was to recover his cultivation base.

Suddenly, Daoist Zhang asked, "Young friend, do you have a place to stay?"

Ye Guan nodded. "No."

Daoist Zhang smiled. "Come, come, stay at my place. My small courtyard happens to have two rooms. I only charge one Immortal Essence Crystal a month."

Ye Guan was silent.

With that, Ye Guan followed Daoist Zhang to his small courtyard. It was part of a row of connected courtyards, with five or six of them lined up together.

Daoist Zhang's courtyard was simple and shabby, with piles of garbage in front.

In contrast, the courtyard on the right was very clean and looked luxurious. Its walls and the stone paving on the ground were brand-new, and a fresh couplet hung on the door. Clearly, it had been recently renovated.

After entering Daoist Zhang's courtyard, Daoist Zhang pointed to a room on the right and smiled. "Young friend, that room is yours."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. He entered the room and was speechless.

The room was messy, and there was only a single bed inside.

Turning to look at Daoist Zhang, Ye Guan saw the latter chuckling awkwardly.

"It's a bit messy, but when you're out and about, you won't mind it, will you?"

Ye Guan didn't respond and simply decided to clean his room. With Little Pagoda's help, it didn't take long for him to tidy up the room, making it spotless. He also replaced the old bed with a brand-new one.

When everything was finally in order, it was already nighttime.

Ye Guan sat in the courtyard, gazing at the star-filled sky.

He checked on Zang Gang inside the tiny pagoda.

The young girl inside was still cultivating, and she had recently become a cultivation fanatic.

Every day, she would train tirelessly, particularly using Head Snatcher—a technique she loved a lot. She practiced it hundreds of times daily. With no heads available for practice, the forest within Little Pagoda became her victim.

Little Pagoda suddenly asked,

"Are you really planning to wait here for two years?"

Ye Guan replied,

"I don't want to, but what choice do I have? Master Pagoda, your cultivation must have recovered by now. Can't you do something?"

"I can do many things, but breaking the seal on this place is impossible."

Ye Guan shook his head.

"Your recovery is as good as useless then."

Little Pagoda was speechless.

"Hey!" A voice called out from the side.

Ye Guan turned to see a young woman sitting on the wall to his right. She appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen years old, wearing a floral dress and a long braid. Her delicate features made her quite pretty.

There was a cucumber in her hand.

Taking a bite of the cucumber, the young woman smiled and asked, "Who are you to that Daoist?"

Ye Guan smiled back. "A tenant."

"

Pfft!

I see!" The young woman laughed and said,"My name is Zuo Yan. You?"

Ye Guan replied, "Ye Guan."

Zuo Yan suddenly tossed a cucumber to Ye Guan. "Here, have one."

Ye Guan smiled faintly. "Thanks."

Taking a bite, he found it to be quite crispy and delicious.

Zuo Yan asked, "Want to go to Star-Moon Lake?"

Recalling Daoist Zhang's earlier mention of the place, Ye Guan smiled and said, "Sure. I'm free, anyway."

Zuo Yan immediately jumped down from the wall and grinned. "Let's go!"

With that, the two left the courtyard.

On the way, Zuo Yan asked, "How did you end up hanging out with that Daoist?"

Ye Guan chuckled. "What's wrong with him?"

Zuo Yan replied seriously, "That Daoist is no ordinary person. He's from the outside, and he seems quite remarkable."

Ye Guan nodded. "I've noticed."

Zuo Yan glanced at Ye Guan and smiled. "You're interesting. Since I got here, I noticed that all the boys around here always blush whenever they're talking to girls. However, you're different. I guess your skin is thick?"

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.