33: Chapter 33: Yunqi City

[Yunque City covers a vast area, looking as far as the eye can see, one cannot even see the end.]

[Overlooking from high above, the entire city is separated layer by layer by three magnificent walls, and divided by the cultivators within into the Outer Que, Middle Que, and Inner Que.]

[The Inner Que is where the descendants of the Tianxuan Sword Sect cultivator families reside, and foreign cultivators are strictly forbidden from lingering.]

[The Middle Que is the most bustling place in the entire city, where various major factions are deeply intertwined, and large shops, auction houses, treasure pavilions, and others are all established here.]

[The Outer Que is a mixed bag where all sorts of people gather, mostly serving as a mixed dwelling place for rogue cultivators and destitute mortals, while grey industries such as black markets also breed and spread here.]

[No world is purely black and white; as long as it does not endanger the safety of the city or result in indiscriminate killing, the Tianxuan Sword Sect turns a blind eye and never forcibly establishes rules to restrict them.]

[The Li family of Yunque City is not unknown within the city, with a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator holding down the fort within the clan, they can be called a local powerhouse here.]

[As for Golden Core cultivators... such existences would not put their minds into these petty and worldly operations at all.]

[Learned from the conversation, the man in cyan clothes is named Li Er, a cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining.]

[He possesses four spiritual roots and wasted nearly thirty years to reach his current cultivation level, having long given up any thoughts of Foundation Establishment.]

[It was only by relying on the connections of the Li family that he managed to secure the errand of guarding the formation, and in the future, he will likely only be able to muddle through the rest of his life with this.]

[You cannot help but feel emotional; if not for the persistence and hard work all the way, perhaps you today would also be like these bottom-tier cultivators, wasting your years and finally fading into the crowd.]

[Walking along the bustling streets for a short while, a solemn and magnificent mansion comes into view.]

[No cliché plot of looking down on people occurred; seeing the humble posture of Li Er, the mansion guards understood that the identity of the visitor was not simple.]

[After hastily executing a bow, they immediately hurried into the mansion to report.]

[Entering the mansion gates and raising your eyes to look, the inner buildings are luxurious to a jaw-dropping degree.]

[Carved balustrades and jade railings, painted rafters and red ridges, pearl palaces and shell towers emerge endlessly, it is simply a hundred times more luxurious than the imperial palaces in film and television dramas, and ten thousand times more gorgeous than the dwellings of those impoverished sword cultivators of the Tianxuan Sword Sect.]

[Of course, the concentration of spiritual Qi is far inferior to the sect.]

[You are led all the way straight into the main hall, during this time many passing cultivators cast curious glances at you, yet no blind-eyed fellows came up to stir up trouble for no reason.]

["Hahaha, welcome, Exalted Senior of the Sword Sect, to my humble abode. Your presence brings it immense light."]

[Before even stepping into the front hall, a hearty laughter emanates from within the room.]

[Immediately following, an invisible pressure rushes towards you, only to vanish without a trace the instant it is about to touch you.]

[A Foundation Establishment cultivator!]

[Your heart is slightly startled, although you are a personal disciple of the sect, you only have Qi Refining cultivation, you originally thought the other party would only send a family junior to receive you, but you did not expect it to be a Foundation Establishment master cultivator.]

[Judging from the demeanor and attire of the person in front of you, it is highly likely a figure at the level of the Li family head or elder.]

[It seems the title of personal disciple is even more useful than you thought.]

["Greetings, Senior. I am Lin Qingyu."]

[Inside the sect, you can call a late Foundation Establishment cultivator Senior Sister, but once outside the sect, facing a Foundation Establishment master cultivator who can pinch you to death with a flick of your finger, you still have to obediently call them Senior.]

[This is the underlying logic of the cultivation world.]

["Hahaha, good, good, good. Little Friend Lin is truly a youthful pride, such a demeanor is truly rare."]

[Hearing this, the smile on the face of the middle-aged man becomes even brighter, completely devoid of the airs of a Foundation Establishment cultivator, as he raises his hand to gently guide you into the hall to be seated.]

[After a bout of polite banter and flattery, you pick up the teacup on the table, take a polite sip, and your eyes close slightly by half.]

["I heard from Li Er that Little Friend needs an admission ticket to the Golden Que Bao Hang?"]

[The middle-aged man is truly an old hand, seeing that you do not wish to chat much, he directly drags the topic back to the main business.]

["Indeed."]

["I wonder if it is convenient to reveal what Little Friend has come for, perhaps the Li family can offer some assistance."]

[Finished speaking, the middle-aged man immediately waves his hand again and continues:]

["If it is inconvenient, this old man will still offer the admission ticket with both hands."]

["spirit-gathering jade marrow."]

[You hesitate for a moment, but still decide to inform the other party.]

[Even if you conceal it, given the influence of the Li family in the city, they will inevitably find a way to know during the auction.]

[Since the other party wants to be on good terms with you, you might as well sell an opportunity. If you can get it directly, that is even better, if you cannot, you will not suffer any losses.]

["spirit-gathering jade marrow?!"]

[The youth standing behind the middle-aged man lets out a soft cry, only to be forcibly suppressed back by a fierce glare from the other.]

["Is there something inappropriate?"]

[Your face reveals doubt.]

[As far as you know, although this spirit-gathering jade marrow is precious, it is not some highly sought-after spiritual item.]

[After all, cultivators who need this item to temper their spiritual power because of cultivating too fast are extremely rare.]

["Ai~"]

[The middle-aged man lets out a soft sigh.]

["Little Friend might not know, this spirit-gathering jade marrow has already been booked in advance by someone, it is only because the Golden Que Bao Hang has a formidable background that that person dared not directly seize it by force."]

["Oh? Who is it?"]

[Your brows slightly raise, your tone carrying a thick sense of disdain.]

[As a personal disciple of the Tianxuan Sword Sect, how could one not have a bit of pride when outside?]

["Tingxue Cliff, Master Wangyue!"]

[The middle-aged man lets out a breath and slowly spits out a few words.]

[Master?]

[Your heart skips a beat, and you already have the intention to back down.]

[A Golden Core cultivator... what is there to compete with?]

[Although you have a trump card that is invincible below the Nascent Soul realm in your hand, whether it is worth it to use a life-saving trump card to exchange for spirit-gathering jade marrow is still up for debate.]

[Furthermore, you know of Tingxue Cliff, it is a major sect near Tianxuan County, and the sect similarly has a Deity Transformation Heavenly Monarch holding down the fort.]

[Whether the Golden Core cultivators in this level of faction have trump cards that can contend with Nascent Soul in their hands is also unknown.]

[Troublesome!]

[Seeing that you are actually frowning and pondering, the teacup in the hand of the middle-aged man shivers.]

[This little ancestor would not want to target a Golden Core cultivator, would she?]

[Hearing the commotion, your tightly knitted brows slightly relax, and immediately get stained with a trace of helplessness.]

["It seems this junior will be returning empty-handed this time."]

[Hearing this, the heart of the middle-aged man lets out a long sigh of relief, he only wants to make friends with geniuses, not invite this huge trouble upon himself.]

[Even though your face is covered by a veil, the lingering sorrow between your brows still makes people feel pity, the youth behind the man tightens his heart and blurts out to persuade:]

["This Senior Sister, there are quite a few shops in Yunque City, perhaps we can still find treasures with similar effects."]

[The middle-aged man glances at the youth unconcernedly, crystal clear about his little thoughts, ever since this little girl entered the room, his gaze has never left her.]

[Although there is the suspicion of a toad wanting to eat swan meat, he is still willing to give a push, what if it succeeds?]

["Precisely so, the cultivation world has countless opportunities, Little Friend does not need to mind it too much, since you have already come to Yunque City, why not walk around, perhaps a fortuitous encounter is also possible."]

[Speaking of this, the middle-aged man smiles gently:]

["This is my canine son, Li Xinglan, who should be of similar age to Little Friend, you can let him accompany you, which can also save some trouble."]

[You understand in your heart, this old fox clearly is unwilling to mention the matter of Master Wangyue, fearing that trouble will fall upon him.]

[Therefore, you quietly turn your head, a pair of clear eyes flowing like water, gently falling upon the youth, your voice slightly lowered, carrying a bit of the reticence exclusive to women:]

["Then I shall trouble Young Master Li~"]