Void Cultivation

In cities, inns were extremely popular and heavily frequented by people from all walks of life. One could even say that owning an inn was a remarkably profitable business. Innkeepers could cater to foreigners who had just arrived in the city, merchants who needed a place to rest during their travels, or even homeless people and individuals who had nowhere else to stay.

However, the people inns made the most money from were often criminals and thieves.

After committing grievous crimes, many criminals would flee to an inn and hide there until the situation outside had calmed down. Moreover, since an inn was technically a business establishment, the authorities could not simply barge inside whenever they pleased. Unless they had a warrant or a proper reason to conduct a search, they were usually required to follow certain procedures.

Because of this, many criminals and thieves regarded inns as a temporary safe haven.

Grey was well aware of this.

That was precisely why they had deliberately searched for an inn located closer to the inner parts of the city and, more importantly, closer to the authorities.

Criminals were less likely to hide in inns situated in such places. After all, staying too close to the authorities after committing a crime was akin to voluntarily placing one’s neck beneath a blade.

Thus, inns located in the more prosperous and heavily monitored parts of the city could be considered relatively safe.

Of course, Grey didn’t trust this to be foolproof.

There was no place in this world that could truly be called safe.

Still, knowing that the inn they had chosen was unlikely to be filled with criminals and fugitives relaxed his heart somewhat.

He wasn’t in Sky Mist City anymore.

Here, he didn’t possess the same influence, reputation, or knowledge of the surroundings that he had back home. He was practically a stranger in this city, and that meant he had to be considerably more careful.

For now, all Grey could do was comfort himself with the thought that they had chosen a relatively safe place and avoid trouble as much as possible.

Meanwhile, the young girl walking beside him had completely different thoughts.

’Finally... We’re going to be together for an entire night. I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.’

Iria’s heart fluttered as they approached the inn.

She could already imagine herself and Grey sharing the same room.

The same room...

And the same bed.

The thought alone caused her cheeks to flush a deep shade of red. Her imagination began running wild, and she hurriedly turned her head to the side in embarrassment, afraid that Grey might notice the strange expression on her face.

Unfortunately for her, Grey wasn’t even looking in her direction.

His eyes were constantly scanning the streets around them, searching for a suitable inn. His expression remained calm and focused as he observed his surroundings.

At the same time, he subtly released his divine sense.

Invisible waves of spiritual power spread outward, covering several meters around him. Every movement, every faint sound, and every unusual presence within that range was naturally reflected in his mind.

A few seconds later, a bright glint appeared in Grey’s eyes.

He had found an inn.

It wasn’t too far from their current location.

The two of them soon arrived at the establishment.

By then, the sun had already begun to set.

The last rays of sunlight stretched across the city, casting a faint and warm afterglow over the mottled stone walls and the ground beneath their feet. The golden light painted everything in a strangely peaceful hue.

This was one of the briefest moments of the day when the sun was allowed to cast its warm gaze upon the earth without being completely swallowed by the gloomy clouds that usually covered the sky.

As the sun slowly descended beyond the horizon, the sky seemed to transform into a magnificent painting.

The clouds were dyed with faint traces of gold and crimson, creating a scene so beautiful that it could inspire even the most ordinary artist to pick up a brush and paint with passion.

It was a rare moment of tranquility in a world that had long been plagued by darkness and danger.

Even God’s Hand, the enormous and terrifying phenomenon that instilled fear and oppression into the hearts of everyone beneath it, seemed incapable of completely suppressing the beauty of the setting sun.

For a brief moment, the world simply remained beautiful.

Everyone acknowledged that dusk was approaching.

As a result, the streets gradually became quieter.

The crowds that had once filled the streets began disappearing one after another, while the number of shops still operating also decreased. Only a few faint sounds could be heard from establishments that remained open late into the night.

With the young girl beside him, Grey finally entered the inn.

After briefly discussing the price with the innkeeper, he paid for a single room.

At first, Grey had intended to rent two separate rooms.

After all, there was the obvious difference in their genders. Moreover, he assumed that Iria would probably want some privacy during the night and might feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as him.

However, that was not the case.

In fact, Iria had been the one trying to convince him that renting two rooms would be unnecessary.

According to her, it would be far better for them to simply share a single room.

At first, Grey was somewhat baffled by her suggestion.

He had immediately rejected it.

But after giving the matter some thought, he realized that her reasoning wasn’t entirely wrong.

Grey didn’t sleep at night.

Most of his time was spent cultivating, and even if he wasn’t cultivating, he could remain awake throughout the night without much difficulty.

There was therefore little reason to pay for two separate rooms when only one of them would actually be sleeping.

Moreover, Grey needed to watch over Iria.

The journey had already exposed them to several dangers, and he wasn’t willing to let his guard down simply because they had entered a city.

Still, even that reasoning was somewhat pointless.

Even if they stayed in separate rooms, Grey would still be able to monitor Iria with his divine sense.

If necessary, he could even send his Shadow to watch over her while she slept.

In other words, there was no point pretending that they would have complete privacy from one another.

In the end, Grey reluctantly paid the fee for a single room for one night.

The innkeeper accepted the payment with an elated expression.

When he looked at Grey and Iria, an understanding smile appeared on his face.

Grey noticed the expression but didn’t bother paying much attention to it.

He simply turned around and followed Iria upstairs.

The two soon arrived at their room.

"Senior Brother Grey..." Iria’s voice was low and somewhat hesitant as she stood beside the bed. She twiddled her fingers together while looking somewhat shy.

"Which part of the bed do you want to take?"

There was a faint expectation hidden beneath her words.

However, Grey’s response immediately crushed it.

"I’m not sleeping on the bed."

His voice was as blunt as ever.

"I’ll be cultivating through the night. You can have it."

With that, he walked toward the other side of the room without giving the matter any further thought.

Iria froze.

The room was surprisingly spacious for an inn.

There was a single wooden bed that was large enough to barely accommodate three people, along with several pieces of simple furniture.

A wooden table, two chairs, and several stools occupied part of the room.

There was also a small shelf in one corner, positioned beside an open window. A cold breeze occasionally slipped through the window, causing the curtains to flutter gently.

By now, the sun had completely disappeared.

Darkness had descended upon the city.

The moon had yet to appear in the sky to replace the sun, leaving the streets below covered in an almost complete darkness.

Grey ignored all of this.

He simply pushed the table and chairs toward the corner of the room, creating enough space for himself to sit comfortably.

Then, he sat down cross-legged.

His back remained straight as he closed his eyes and entered a state of meditation.

Throughout all of this, Iria simply stood beside the bed with a stunned expression.

She hadn’t expected Grey to refuse the bed so directly.

She had even imagined that the two of them would spend the night together, perhaps talking for a while before eventually falling asleep.

Instead, Grey had completely ignored the romantic atmosphere she had been imagining and gone straight into cultivation.

Her heart ached.

Once again, her carefully imagined plan had been shattered before it could even begin.

"But... we... should have..."

Iria muttered under her breath, but she couldn’t find the courage to finish the sentence.

What exactly was she supposed to say?

She couldn’t exactly tell Grey that she wanted him to sleep beside her.

That would be far too embarrassing.

After standing there awkwardly for several moments, Iria finally sighed and reluctantly sat down on the bed.

She soon entered a meditative state and began cultivating as well.

However, her concentration wasn’t nearly as good as Grey’s.

Every so often, her eyelashes would tremble slightly before her eyes opened into narrow slits.

She would then secretly glance toward Grey.

He remained completely motionless.

His eyes were closed, his breathing steady, and his entire body seemed to have merged with the darkness of the room.

Seeing this, Iria would quickly close her eyes again.

A few minutes would pass. Then she would sneak another glance.

Just like this, time slowly passed.

The darkness outside grew deeper, and the city became increasingly quiet. Eventually, it was already late into the night.

A soft knock suddenly sounded from the door.

Grey didn’t react.

The innkeeper politely placed several dishes of food outside before leaving immediately, not wanting to disturb the occupants.

Iria eventually stopped cultivating and ate the food to her heart’s content.

Grey, however, continued cultivating without interruption.

His breathing remained calm, and his mind was immersed in his cultivation.

It was only several minutes later that something suddenly changed.

Grey’s eyes flew open and his gaze immediately shifted toward the open window. The streets outside were eerily quiet.

Too quiet.

There were no loud conversations or footsteps of people or cultivators.

No sounds of merchants closing their shops. There was nothing.

For some inexplicable reason, Grey suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.

His brows furrowed.

Had he heard something?

A moment ago, he could have sworn that he had heard the distant howl of a wolf somewhere in the darkness.

Then there had been another sound. It was the unmistakable sound of footsteps.

No.

Not just footsteps. It sounded more like the heavy stomping of several feet against the ground.

Grey’s expression gradually became serious.

He immediately focused his attention on the streets outside.

Yet, strangely enough, the moment he looked outside, the sounds disappeared.

Everything became completely silent.

It was almost as though nothing had happened.

Grey remained still for several seconds.His eyes narrowed into two small slits.

Had he imagined it? That possibility also existed.

But Grey didn’t believe that his senses were so unreliable that he would mistake his own imagination for such distinct sounds.

Something about the situation felt strange.

They weren’t out in the wilderness, where mutated creatures and bizarre entities could freely roam the land.

They were inside a city.

Although mutated creatures could occasionally be found within cities, it was extremely rare for them to appear in heavily populated areas.

After all, cities had their own defenses, powerful cultivators, and authorities responsible for eliminating threats.

For Grey to hear such strange sounds on their very first night in the city was therefore quite unusual.

He didn’t intend to simply dismiss it.

Instead of returning his attention to cultivation, Grey remained where he was and began carefully observing the surroundings.

His divine sense silently spread outward.

He scanned the streets, he nearby buildings and the rooftops as well as the alleys.

Every corner that his senses could reach.

Grey’s expression remained calm, but his vigilance had increased considerably.

Something might have happened. Or perhaps nothing had happened at all.

Either way, Grey wasn’t willing to take the risk. He had already learned that strange things could happen without warning.

And if there truly was something lurking in the darkness outside... He wanted to know about it before it came looking for them.