Ji Liang immediately handed over twenty Level 10 Crystal Stones. "We’d like to book three guest caves for one month." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Shu Shu’s eyes sparkled as he took them with both hands. "Ah, good, good, good! I’m glad you’ve thought it through. Come on, let’s go pick out the caves!"

The group walked to the front of a stone cliff, where there were many caves of different types.

Shu Shu lowered his voice and explained to them, "Each of the four city gates has two sides of guest caves, belonging to the twelve factions within the city. This mountain belongs to our Long-eared Rabbit Shu Family."

"We have a Peak Fifteenth Level elder in our clan... My brothers and I are in charge of renting out the guest caves, so we have some authority..."

"You see these? They’re rented in sets of three. The ones on the first floor have courtyards, which are good for living in, and you can also set up a stall to sell some things."

Si Shuo looked around. The first floor here was almost entirely uninhabited, let alone used for setting up stalls. Only a single Black Bear Beastman had various Beast Skins on display. In contrast, the first floors in other areas were bustling and had formed their own marketplaces.

Shu Shu scratched his head sheepishly. "Um, well, some people got jealous of others making money from their stalls and rented our first-floor guest caves. But, uh, the people over there started demanding protection fees, threatening to smash their stalls or scare other people away from buying anything. So, apart from Xiong Ding, who isn’t afraid of trouble, no one sets up a stall here anymore."

"Cheng, where do you think we should choose?" Yin Jiang asked, a smile playing on his lips as he looked at Si Shuo.

"Here," Si Shuo said, pointing to the three guest caves right next to Xiong Ding’s. "We can just open a little tea shop. We’ll set up a stall by the entrance and let people rest their feet, have a drink, and chat."

Shu Shu wiped the sweat from his forehead. ’These outsiders have no idea how difficult it is.’ Out of a hundred outsiders, only five or six actually manage to get an Identity Card.

Weren’t they all just as confident as this group, acting as if they had nothing to fear? And what happened? Reality is harsh; it taught them all a lesson.

"You guys... sigh... Fine. Whatever. You won’t listen to anything I say right now anyway," Shu Shu said, shaking his head. "But since you’re renting our guest caves, we’ll protect your lives. We can’t handle anything beyond that."

Ji Liang nodded. "Thank you for the advice. When our shop is open, we’ll treat you to some tea."

Shu Shu smiled and agreed. He suddenly slapped his forehead. "Oh, right! I can see you’ve just come from outside the forest, so there’s a lot you don’t know, and no one’s given you the details."

"The five Beast Countries on the Yongchang Continent are all protected by different Beast Gods. But, since the Beastmen chose to leave the forests and live self-sufficiently, superpowers can only be used at ten percent of their full strength within the countries to prevent harm between our own kind. Moreover, the Spiritual Power fluctuations are huge, making them very easy to detect..."

"Of course, in some designated fighting arenas, this restriction can be temporarily lifted... However, when entering or exiting the city gates, superpowers are completely forbidden. That’s also to prevent some Beastmen from causing trouble..."

This statement sent a cold sweat running down the backs of Si Shuo and the others. They had previously discussed that, since they didn’t know the area, they wanted to use Invisibility to enter and scout things out first to avoid trouble. They would only reveal themselves after they had a clear understanding of the situation.

If what Shu Shu said was true, wouldn’t they have been caught red-handed if they had tried to pass through the city gate using Invisibility?!

"Won’t that be very inconvenient?" Zhi Le asked, frowning slightly.

"Some Beastmen can’t stand this kind of restriction, so they live in tribes or become Rogue Beasts... Actually, superpowers are only weakened inside the city, not completely unusable. It’s just that they can’t cause much damage. And when you do use them, all the Beastmen nearby can sense it..." Shu Shu continued to explain.

Ji Liang raised an eyebrow and condensed an icicle in his palm. Normally, this was an instant Skill; the Ice Spiritual Energy would gather in his palm before anyone even noticed. But now, the wind swirled and howled around him, and it felt like time had been stretched ten or twenty times longer as the icicle slowly took form. With a sound like a wheezing bellows, who wouldn’t notice?!

Si Shuo and the others were dumbfounded. ’Why does the Yongchang Continent have so many rules?’

"Of course, the higher your Level, the stronger your superpower will be," Shu Shu added. "If you have any questions in the future, you can find me. I usually live in the two easternmost caves on the second floor."

’It is what it is.’ Si Shuo nodded, thanked him, and took the keys he handed over.

The guest caves weren’t large, each about twelve or thirteen square meters. The three were interconnected and could be modified as they pleased.

After entering the caves, Si Shuo took out an Array Flag and enveloped all three caves, forming an enclosed space.

Zhi Le stood outside the cave, carefully sensing the changes in the surrounding Spiritual Energy, ready to communicate with them via hand signals at any moment. The Array Flag was like a Spiritual Power shield that had appeared out of thin air, completely sealing off the inside from the outside, so it didn’t generate the slightest fluctuation of Spiritual Power.

He gave a slight nod.

Si Shuo’s eyes lit up; it was just as she had guessed. She took out a handful of Crystal Stones and placed them in the eye of the Array. The Spiritual Energy within the Crystal Stones was slowly drawn into the Array, powering it. The Spirit Gathering Array activated, and a continuous stream of Spiritual Energy began to rise from the ground!

The concentration of Spiritual Energy on the Yongchang Continent was five or six times higher than outside the forest. No wonder the Beastmen here generally had good talent, the proportion who awakened superpowers was slightly higher, and their cultivation was typically three to five Levels higher.

Inside the Array, the concentration of Spiritual Energy reached thirty times that of the outside world. And yet, there was still no disturbance outside.

Si Shuo deactivated the Spirit Gathering Array. They could set up this Array at night when they rested, which would be beneficial for their Cultivation. During the day, there were too many people and prying eyes, making it easy for their secrets to be discovered.

She thought for a moment, then wrote a note to Xu Chi, asking him to cooperate with an experiment.

After receiving a reply, she silently activated her Teleportation to Xu Chi’s side. As the teleportation channel opened, she tossed a piece of Beast Skin through. When Xu Chi caught it, the Beast Skin was completely intact.

After Si Shuo deactivated the Array Flag, she used her Teleportation Ability again. To her surprise, the Beast Skin Xu Chi received this time had obvious signs of tearing!

After a series of experiments, they finally confirmed it: as long as the Array set up by the Array Flag was active, their superpowers were not restricted at all. But once the Array was taken down, their superpowers became like child’s play.

Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. Having a hidden trump card allowed them to stand tall without fear.

"Little Shushu, you sit here and have some snacks first. We’ll clean the caves twice and then find an Earth Element Ability User to help us modify them."

The Iron-eating Beast Clan had just settled in, so the father and son pair, Wei Jin and Wei Ce, had their hands full with tasks. It wouldn’t be right to bother them.

Si Shuo nodded and comfortably plopped down on a rattan lounge chair. She rocked back and forth, cracking melon seeds while turning her head to watch the lively scene at the nearby stalls.

"Hey, newcomer! I’ve taken a liking to your chair. Hurry up and bring it over to this young master," a Bird Beastman said, arrogantly tilting his chin up.

"Haha, and while you’re at it, bring yourself over too..."

Everyone burst out laughing, but their eyes were filled with mockery, contempt, and coldness. ’These outsiders really don’t know what’s good for them, choosing the guest caves managed by the Long-eared Rabbit Clan.’