We finally arrived at the star system.
At the center was a massive star, easily ten times larger than the Sun. Around it orbited five huge planets.
Traveling devices of all kinds filled the space — some big, some fast — coming from every direction. It seemed people from different places gathered here often, which meant the locals weren't hostile toward outsiders.
That was a relief. Just because a civilization existed didn't mean it welcomed others.
We chose to land on the largest planet since it had the highest Qi concentration. But as soon as we entered its atmosphere, a strong Qi pressure hit us. It didn't target us directly, but it locked onto our traveling device — the Shooting Star.
We searched for the source of the pressure and soon sensed someone nearby. A middle-aged man appeared, his cultivation at the late stage of Foundation Establishment. He wore traditional Taoist clothing, which surprised me for a moment.
Taoism was something from Earth — yet seeing it here made me wonder if it wasn't coincidence, but a shared understanding of cultivation across worlds.
The man smiled and greeted calmly,
"Fellow Daoists, welcome to our planet, Velora."
He even spoke like a Taoist cultivator. Gu Chaun, however, refused to believe it was mere coincidence.
Since he knew some Taoist speech, Gu Chaun replied politely,
"Fellow Daoist, were you the one who used Qi on my traveling device?"
The man shook his head.
"No, it wasn't me. That was our planet's Will. It automatically activates when someone enters from the wrong route. Oh, how rude of me — my name is Wei Han. May I know your names, fellow Daoists?"
"My name is Gu Chaun, and she is my companion, Gu Xue."
I introduced us both. He seemed friendly and willing to explain, so I continued,
"Brother Wei, may I ask which is the correct way to enter?"
"That's exactly why I came," Wei Han said. "Many newcomers to the cultivation world don't know the basics. Every planet requires a one-time entry fee. Does Brother Gu have Qi Stones?"
"Qi Stones?" I asked.
Wei Han smiled.
"They're the main currency used throughout the universe."
"Sorry, Brother Wei. We don't have any Qi Stones, but we can trade other items," I said. We'd planned for this and had been collecting beast cores for three days.
"We exchange all kinds of goods for Qi Stones," he said, handing me a sheet of paper. "Here's the exchange list."
The list was filled with countless items. I quickly found the beast core section —
a 1-star beast core was worth 100 Qi Stones, and for every 20%, you got an extra 100.
A 2-star beast core was worth 1,000 Qi Stones, with every 20% giving an extra 500.
"Brother Wei, we'd like to exchange five 100% 2-star beast cores," I said.
Wei Han looked surprised for a moment before returning to his calm tone.
"That totals 17,500 Qi Stones. The entry fee is 500, so I'll deduct that and give you the rest."
I nodded, took five 100% 2-star beast cores from my storage ring, and handed them over. Wei Han inspected them carefully, then nodded in approval.
He took out a card, tapped it a few times, and handed it to me.
As soon as I touched the card, the restriction seal lifted. Its label read Universal Bank, showing my name and a balance of 17,000 Qi Stones. From the name alone, I could tell it was usable almost anywhere.
I asked if he could make another card for Gu Xue.
He nodded. "The cost is 200 Qi Stones."
That was cheap, so I agreed. After Gu Xue received her card, I transferred half the amount to her.
Wei Han then pointed us in a direction.
"If you follow that route, you'll reach Velora City — the safest place for newcomers."
We thanked him and continued our flight. After a short trip, the city appeared below us — filled with people wearing Taoist robes, all humanoid in form. I didn't bother overthinking it and landed.
I stored the Shooting Star in my ring, and we began searching for an inn.
After walking for a few minutes, we came across a clothing store. The styles were the same — Taoist robes in various designs. Since I hadn't changed my clothes since leaving Earth, I decided to buy a few sets. Gu Xue agreed.
Once we finished shopping, we continued our search and soon found an inn.
It charged 50 Qi Stones per day, which was reasonable. The place looked comfortable and clean, so we booked a room for a month.