Alan’s voice cut through the air, and Ariel snapped back to herself immediately, rising and straightening her clothes before answering him.

"Y-yes." The word left her lips in flustered rush.

She stole a glance at Damon, then fled the carriage. Damon stepped out after her.

Alan was already waiting outside, bent in a bow.

"Young Miss, we just arrived at the inn." His gaze drifted toward Ariel’s reddened face.

"Did something happen?" Alan asked.

"Nothing. I simply dozed off along the way." She drew herself up, reaching for the composed bearing befitting a young lady.

"Please forgive the Young Miss, Young Taoist Damon, even though she was the one who invited you." Alan bowed toward Damon.

"Think nothing of it, Brother Alan. The journey was long; she must be exhausted."

’Well... she is exhausted, though hardly from the travelling...’ The thought came out in his mind, but his expression remained calm.

He offered her a smile, as his white robes swaying as a mild breeze passed over him.

"Oh... your understanding is much appreciated." Alan bowed once more, then cast a lingering look toward Ariel.

"Thank you for helping us earlier, Damon. Please accept this as a small token of gratitude for your help."

Ariel flicked her finger with a ring on her fingers, and a pouch suddenly materialized on her palm. Then she extended the pouch on her hand toward him.

"My thanks, Lady Aquaria. Also, I forgot to tell you, I will try to join the Azure Dragon Sect. So, we will meet again."

Then he smiled at her, continue to turn and began walking away.

"Wait!" Ariel’s voice rang out behind him. She dashes forward toward him until she stood before him, with face flushed and her fingers fidgeting.

She leaned close to his ear.

"Come to my room tomorrow. I want to talk with you." Then she spun away and disappeared into the inn.

’She really is adorable.’

He gave Alan a simple nod and took his leave.

****

Now Damon alone at last, He a look inside pouch that Ariel had gave him. Inside the pouch there were a few gold coins. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

He stared at it for a moment, he really taken aback. He didn’t expect the Aquaria Family to be that rich.

With his pockets filled, he strolled around through the road of Azure Cloud City, his gaze moving across the surrounding.

Only now did its true scale begin to dawn on him. A metropolis, a big city which he had never encountered on Earth, nor within the inherited memories of the former Damon.

Towering structures rose dozens of floors into the sky, they marked with the insignia of powerful merchant houses.

Street performers drew crowds of wide-eyed children, channeling their cultivation into whimsical displays, while vendors lined the thoroughfares with stalls piled high with exotic produce, rare herbs, and all manner of prepared foods.

The majority of those passing by were ordinary mortals, yet even so, the concentration of cultivators here was more than he expected.

He shook his head and set about looking for somewhere to eat. Most place were packed to the brim, and it was only after several blocks that he spotted a tavern with a empty table.

He went straight in and sit on it.

"Welcome to the Azure Moon Pavilion, young master. How may I serve you?"

A waitress appeared at his side, her dark hair pinned into a neat bun atop her head, her face buried beneath a considerable amount of cosmetics.

Damon barely glanced at her, as his attention already on the menu.

Her body was voluptuous, but he really didn’t want to choke on the kilograms of cosmetics she wore on her face.

"I’ll have Beef stew and Spiritual Tea."

"Of course, young master. please wait for a moment," she replied with a smile, and leaning forward toward him to show off her ample cleavage before leaving with a sway on her hips.

Finally left in peace, Damon stretched in his seat and pulled up his lust point balance.

The ’message’ he’d shared with Ariel inside the carriage had proven rather lucrative, it’s well over a thousand points.

’System, is normal cultivation really off the table for me?’ He thought.

[Yes and no. Advancing through realms and levels remains entirely within the system’s domain and requires lust points; the host may still cultivate through dual cultivation to build a firm foundation and develop mastery over that power.]

’Dual Cultivation?’

[Dual cultivation is where you cultivate using the opposite gender qi. Woman yin qi and man yang qi. This method also allows you partner to advance in cultivation in case you cultivate higher.]

’I see, so I can also make my woman stronger along with me, for me just to solidify my foundation. So, dumping everything into breakthroughs straight away would be shortsighted...’

He knew well enough how critical a solid foundation was and it was common sense, but not many cared. In the Elementary Spirit Realm, it rarely mattered, but by the time he reached the True Spirit Realm, any weakness in his base would be brutally exposed.

His memories held no shortage of cautionary examples, cultivators from the Earth Spirit Realm, cut down by opponents from the True Spirit Realm.

The reason was always the same: lack of a solid base.

These defeated people cultivated with the most expensive materials, making one breakthrough after another, and when they reached the limit, they turned out to be much weaker than their peers, suffering from terrible Qi deviation problems.

That was not the path he intended to walk.

He wanted to be the kind of cultivator who crushed enemies several realms above his, not some hollow young master whose strength was just for show.

For now, let’s see what I can do with my point. Since I decided to join the Azure Dragon Sect. He opened the lust store.

He went through all the categories, his eyes dimming with each price he looked at.

Apparently, his adventures with Ariel had paid off far less than he had initially thought...

"Hah..." Damon exhaled.

’System, how many points to upgrade my spiritual roots?’