Ye Lan, wearing the typical uniform of a ‘Hundred Cultivation Mountain’ disciple, sat in front of the group. Observing their wariness, he offered a slight smile and said, “No need to be so anxious. There might come a time when you all have to call me your senior brother.”
He was subtly hinting at the possibilities.
Murong Lin, the first to relax, respectfully replied with cupped hands, “Senior Ye Lan, you jest. Simply entering the top 10,000 rankings is already a great honour for someone like me.”
Sun Qiao Long also smiled and added, “That’s right. Senior Ye belongs to the Hundred Cultivation Mountain sect, the holy land of equipment forging!”
Delighted by their praise, Ye Lan’s expression softened, “You don’t have to address me as ‘senior’. It makes me sound so old. Why not simply call me Senior Brother Ye?”
The four of them exchanged glances before respectfully addressing him, “We greet Senior Brother Ye.”
Ye Lan went on to share some interesting details about the ‘Hundred Cultivation Mountain’, including the fact that its territory was located in a land of volcanoes.
There were a total of a hundred mountains within the ‘Hundred Cultivation Mountain’, each of them an active volcano that could be used for equipment forging. Additionally, every mountain had a great blacksmith master capable of forging Barren-grade spiritual equipment.
Furthermore, the sect also possessed the ‘Hundred Depository’ hidden realm, which contained a plethora of ingredients for equipment forging and opportunities for fortuitous encounters. These qualities made the ‘Hundred Cultivation Mountain’ a paradise for those who enjoyed equipment forging.
The sect also had advantages in other areas. They had a sword hall that attracted sword-cultivating disciples and a physique hall for those practising physique arts.
Ye Lan shared these positive aspects without any pressure, merely hoping the participants before him would consider them.
“After the strongest 10,000 participants have been selected, even if none of you choose to enter the competition, you can still apply to join our ‘Hundred Cultivation Mountain’.” Ye Lan informed them before concluding the gathering.
As the assembly began to disperse, Sun Qiao Long’s curiosity was piqued by the blade strapped to Murong Lin’s back. Wang Chuang, too, couldn’t help but cast an inquisitive glance at Murong Lin. Whether it was Bai Xiao Mo or Murong Lin, he was unable to discern their true strength.
Murong Lin paid no mind to the curious gazes directed his way. His brows were furrowed as he contemplated which sect to choose.
Among the ten great sects, the ones that resonated most with him were the odd sects – the Desolate Sect, the Moon Prayer Pagoda, and the Dark Demon Alliance.
As he gazed out into the surroundings, their flying ship sailed gracefully through the skies, enveloped by a sea of clouds. The sights were akin to the divine realm itself, with the radiant moon hanging exceptionally large in the night sky, surrounded by a myriad of stars. However, the frigid temperatures that pierced the air posed no challenge for cultivators of their calibre.
The country of Yan was located at the border of the vast continent, and thus, it swiftly gathered the remaining participants for their journey to the central hub of the continent: the Heaven Martial City.
Their ship, equipped with inscribed arrays on both its surface and the vicinity of a nearby wormhole, promised an expedited voyage. The inscriptions on the ship’s surface slowly began to manifest, obscuring the vessel as it ventured into the wormhole. The passengers found themselves surrounded by impenetrable darkness, their view suddenly vanishing.
As they traversed the wormhole, most participants retreated to their chambers to focus on their cultivation. After all, they were on the brink of entering the hidden realm in just a few days.
Ye Lan expertly guided the flying ship through the relatively stable wormhole. Although these shortcuts drastically reduced travel time, they were far from perfect. At most, they could shave off a year’s journey to a mere five or six days, depositing them in the vicinity of the Heaven Martial City. Still, it would take several more days before they could reach their final destination within the city itself.
Murong Lin sat in his room, his senses honed on the aura emanating from the ‘Blade Dao Stone Tablet’. Despite having consumed the Crystal Dao Fruits some time ago, he could not discern anything. There was no Blade Intent, nor any Abhijñā.
At best, he had conceptualized the sixth blade of his 《Heaven and Earth Blade Art》, and he eagerly anticipated testing this new technique once they entered the hidden realm.
Over the past few days, Bai Xiao Mo had also remained secluded in his room.
Suddenly, a thunderous boom shook the ship, jolting everyone out of their meditative states. Ye Lan’s voice, channelled through the inscribed arrays throughout the vessel, reverberated throughout.
“We have arrived at Heaven Martial City! Everyone, please disembark the ship and proceed to the tournament area for registration. You will all enter the hidden realm in three days!”
Murong Lin hurriedly dashed out of his room, but the hallways were already teeming with fellow cultivators. The people from Yan, equally eager, made their way to the platform at the ship’s bow, where they could witness the distant spectacle of Heaven Martial City, their faces lit with anticipation.
Murong Lin’s excitement bubbled over, especially as he observed the strikingly different architectural style of Heaven Martial City compared to his homeland of Yan. The city’s design resembled the steampunk aesthetic from his previous life, although Heaven Martial City lacked the smog and steam.
Towering buildings dotted the landscape, some of them stretching hundreds of stories high at the city’s heart. In the sky, numerous Sky Reaching realm cultivators soared, their figures intertwined with small-scale personal flying spiritual equipment that danced in the air.
Numerous levitating platforms held aloft by intricate arrays crisscrossed the skies, allowing people to traverse the city both in the air and on the ground. Ye Lan deftly guided the ship toward the rooftop of the central skyscraper, bringing it to a gentle stop.
Following Ye Lan’s guidance, everyone disembarked from the ship as the Sky Reaching realm cultivators gracefully took flight, landing on the building.
Murong Lin couldn’t help but take in the breathtaking cityscape. Eight more colossal buildings, similar to the central skyscraper, stretched out in a neat row, interconnected by numerous bridges.
The participants began to make their way forward. To descend from the skyscraper, they had to pass through an array designed to examine their bone age and identities as a precaution. Fortunately, incidents were rare, and soon, everyone received their own token, a pass that granted access to the forthcoming activities in Heaven Martial City. These tokens would also serve as their identification for the upcoming competition.
Murong Lin held his token in hand and glanced at the other participants from Yan, including Li Yi Fan and his group. After they collected their tokens, they departed with their fellow Ridge Fir Alliance members to their predetermined resting location.
Heaven Martial City was divided into different sectors. About 10% was allocated to residential areas, 20% to entertainment, and the remaining 70% was dedicated to commerce. Even during the off-seasons of the ‘Great Nanyue Wan Guo Tournament’, this city remained one of the top three most extravagant places on the Nanyue continent.
Murong Lin and the Ridge Fir Alliance members descended from the skyscraper, where the interior housed the offices of the ten great sects.
Standing in the modern and sleek spiritual elevator, Murong Lin descended to the first floor. Once he exited the building, he found his surroundings eerily reminiscent of the twenty-first century, invoking a sense of familiarity. His expression remained composed, contrasting sharply with the astonished onlookers. As nothing struck him as peculiar, he continued to follow the group.
The streets appeared to have few ground-level traffic rules, with numerous people strolling about while engaged in animated conversations. The sight before him bore a striking resemblance to a bustling commercial district.
Without delay, Murong Lin and his companions reached their hotel. The group, numbering over a hundred people, entered with confidence, only to discover that the hotel owner was a formidable Cognizance realm expert.
In an instant, their demeanour shifted to one of respect.
The Cognizance realm expert, Ling Yu Chao, was chewing away at something in his mouth as he respectfully greeted them with cupped hands, “I was awaiting your check-in. Your rooms are in the Bright Eastern area, with a total of one hundred fifty rooms available for your selection. Young brother, I can tell at a glance that you’ve come here to join one of the ten great sects, am I correct?”
Ling Yu Chao paused to swallow whatever food he had in his mouth before addressing the last part of his statement to Murong Lin.
Murong Lin observed the hotel uncle, who had a rather perverted expression, and replied, “Indeed, you’re right. Why do you ask?”
Ling Yu Chao and the others simply cast a glance at Murong Lin before turning to head upstairs. After all, it was clear that Murong Lin possessed exceptional strength, making it difficult for anyone to harbour envy.
The hotel uncle rubbed his hands together as he looked at Murong Lin, “I’m well-acquainted with this city, Martial Heaven. I also have an in-depth understanding of the prodigies vying for the top spot in this tournament, the notable shops in the city, and the marketplaces worth visiting. This humble one possesses a comprehensive map of everything.”
Murong Lin rolled his eyes and asked, “Bring it here, how much is it?”
Translator’s note:
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