146: Chapter 146 A Country Bumpkin from the Countryside?

That voice was like a cold alarm bell.

It echoed in the ears of the three.

They looked toward the source of the sound.

Dozens of meters away,

a stern-faced middle-aged man in his thirties stood solemnly atop a majestic green giant eagle.

He wore a neatly tailored uniform made of special material, with the two bold characters for 'Patrol' clearly engraved on his chest, and an emblem symbolizing the S-Province Alliance on his epaulets.

His identity was self-evident.

Similar to the City Defense Team of C City,

they were the force maintaining order in the provincial capital.

Jiang Yun felt a slight chill in his heart.

Almost subconsciously, he activated his talent,

Manifestation of All Things Entries.

His gaze fell upon the middle-aged man.

The feedback information made his heart skip a beat!

Gold Rank Nine!

A middle-aged man who looked like just an ordinary patrol member

actually possessed Gold Rank Nine strength!

In C City,

this would be enough to serve as the deputy captain of the City Defense Team or even an Elder of some families!

Jiang Yun took a silent breath,

suppressing his shock.

His assessment that the provincial capital was teeming with experts grew even heavier.

As expected of a provincial-level stage, its foundations were truly unfathomable.

Elder Su obviously understood the rules better.

He hurriedly stepped forward, a forced apologetic smile on his face as he cupped his hands and said, "Lord Patrol Envoy, my deepest apologies! We have just arrived in the provincial capital and were unaware of the no-fly rules here. We will land immediately, land immediately!"

As he spoke,

he quickly signaled Jiang Yun to control Little Cloud Sparrow to land on the ground.

The middle-aged Patrol Envoy slowly approached on his green eagle, his sharp gaze sweeping over Jiang Yun's group with a businesslike scrutiny.

"Where are you from?"

His voice was flat,

devoid of any emotion.

Elder Su hurriedly replied with a fawning smile,

"Replying to the Lord, we are from C City."

"C City?"

The middle-aged Patrol Envoy's brow furrowed imperceptibly.

Then, he wore an 'as expected' expression, his tone carrying a trace of subtle disdain.

"No wonder you're so ignorant of the rules. Don't let it happen again."

His words were plain,

but they made Elder Su's old face flush red with embarrassment.

Jiang Yun's eyes also flickered.

It seemed C City's image in the eyes of these provincial capital city folk wasn't very good... Even a Patrol Envoy had such an attitude.

It was easy to imagine

that once they reached the Su Family Main Family, where internal competition was already fierce, the situation would only be worse.

The middle-aged Patrol Envoy continued his routine questioning.

"What is your business in the provincial capital?"

Elder Su quickly stated their identities and purpose.

"We are members of the Qingmu District Su Family. These two are students from the C City branch who have been admitted to Sky Dome Academy this year. We've come to meet with the Main Family before heading to the academy to report."

"Su Family? Sky Dome Academy freshmen?"

The Patrol Envoy, Lin Feng, looked at Jiang Yun and Su Qingxue again, observing them for a moment as if confirming something, then waved his hand.

"Since you are freshmen, it's understandable. Go on in. Remember, in the future, if you do not have a flight permit issued by the Alliance Federation, you are not allowed to fly at will over the provincial capital, or you will be punished according to the law!"

After saying that,

he spoke no more.

He wheeled his green eagle around

and flew off to patrol in another direction.

Jiang Yun looked up at the sky over the provincial capital.

Sure enough,

it wasn't just the three of them.

In the airspace within the city walls,

only a scattered few flying beasts passed by.

They either wore special identification or flickered with the light of certified runes.

Most people like them

had obediently recalled their flying beasts

and chosen to enter the city on foot or via ground transportation.

"Let's go, Son-in-Law Jiang Yun, Young Miss. Let's take an Earth-Walking Camel Beast to the Su Family; those are Common transportation tools in the Qingmu District."

Elder Su called out.

"Earth-Walking Camel Beast?"

Jiang Yun was taken aback.

The name was quite strange.

Feeling somewhat curious,

he recalled Little Cloud Sparrow into his Beast Taming Space.

He then put all his remaining thunder attribute spirit stones into the space for it to consolidate its cultivation before following Elder Su into the city.

Entering the Qingmu District,

the scene before them wasn't as shocking as the distant view of the Core Area, but it was bustling with traffic and crowds, full of vitality.

Soon, Jiang Yun saw the so-called Earth-Walking Camel Beasts.

They were massive, gentle-natured, earthy-yellow camel-like beasts with carriage-like seats fixed on their backs, capable of holding over ten people at once.

They followed fixed routes,

moving forward with steady strides.

However, their speed was actually quite fast.

Passengers getting on and off had to pay with Spirit Stones.

"Two attribute Spirit Stones per person,"

the person in charge of collecting fees shouted lazily.

Elder Su paid for the three of them.

Jiang Yun sat in the slightly bumpy but uniquely flavored "carriage," feeling a bit amused.

This was essentially an otherworldly version of a bus.

Sitting on the Earth-Walking Camel Beast,

watching the various styles of buildings and the bustling crowds pass by the window,

Jiang Yun remembered Elder Su's previous introduction and asked, "Elder Su, you said earlier that the provincial capital has eight districts, but you only seemed to introduce seven. What is the last one?"

Hearing this,

Elder Su's expression became a bit more serious.

He lowered his voice and said,

"Son-in-law is referring to the last one, the Bone Burial Zone. That place... is not peaceful. Although it's nominally under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital, it's actually a lawless black zone, filled with all sorts of shady dealings, outlaws, and dark forces. It's a lawless land where opportunity and death coexist; it's said that even the laws of the Alliance Federation are non-existent there. It's not within the city walls but in that vast, dangerous wilderness, bordering many unexplored Secret Realms."

He paused and added, "The entrance to the Molten Fire Grotto Secret Realm, which Sky Dome Academy is about to open, is actually located on the outer fringes of the Bone Burial Zone."

"Molten Fire Grotto?"

Jiang Yun's eyes immediately lit up.

This was exactly the primary goal of his plan after entering the academy; it might contain the key Materials for Little Fire's next evolution.

dragon blood bodhi.

"Once I report to the academy, I must quickly find out the rules for obtaining a slot to enter the Molten Fire Grotto Secret Realm."

Jiang Yun calculated in his mind.

"And the matter of the true dragon bone fragment, I also need to find an opportunity to consult Old Li..."

The Earth-Walking Camel Beast was not slow.

About half an hour later,

it stopped beside a rather grand street.

"The Su Family Market has arrived."

Elder Su signaled Jiang Yun and Su Qingxue to dismount.

The three of them got off.

After walking a few steps,

a magnificent manor came into Jiang Yun's view.

Even if the Su Family could only be considered second-rate in this province,

rooted in the peripheral Qingmu District,

the scale and grandeur of its Main Family manor

were still far beyond what the C City Su Family could compare to.

The tall gate tower was over ten meters high,

constructed from a mix of some kind of dark red spirit wood and giant stones shimmering with green light.

Above the lintel,

two ancient characters were engraved in a flamboyant style.

Su Manor.

On both sides of the gate tower,

stood a lifelike stone-carved giant beast.

Resembling a Qilin, treading on auspicious clouds.

With eyes radiating majesty and faint fluctuations of spiritual power, they were clearly beast Puppets that served both decorative and warning functions.

The vermilion main gates were tightly shut, leaving only the side doors for entry and exit; the door knockers were Bronze beast heads, exuding a sense of solemnity and historical weight.

The high walls extended to both sides,

stretching out of sight, with the upturned eaves of pavilions and lush trees faintly visible within the walls.

At this moment,

on the open ground outside the manor gates,

more than a dozen young men and women had already gathered.

Each was dressed in fine clothing, possessing extraordinary Auras, and most had faces carrying varying degrees of pride and expectation.

Beside them,

one or two Elder-in-charge figures similar to Elder Su also followed.

Elder Su explained to Jiang Yun in a low voice: "Son-in-law, these are all Genius disciples from other Su Family branches who have rushed over from other cities. Once all the branches have arrived, we will enter the Main Family together to register our information and be recorded in the Main Family's genealogy. Then, the Main Family will send someone to escort us all to Sky Dome Academy to report. Looking at this, not everyone is here yet; let's wait here for a moment."

Jiang Yun nodded.

The three of them found a relatively quiet corner to take a temporary rest.

However, the tree desires stillness, but the wind does not cease.

Shortly after they stood still,

a thin, monkey-faced middle-aged man approached with a beaming smile.

He cupped his hands to Elder Su and struck up a conversation: "This old brother looks unfamiliar. I am Su San, the leading Elder of the Qinyang City Su Family branch. May I ask which branch you old brothers are from?"

Although Elder Su disliked the man's appearance, out of courtesy, he still politely returned the gesture and hesitated for a moment.

He spoke truthfully: "I am Sureckless, from the C City Su Family branch."

"C City?"

When the Elder named Su San heard this,

he was clearly taken aback.

Then, an undisguised look of surprise and... amusement flashed across his face.

It was as if he had heard something Rare.

His voice unconsciously rose an octave,

almost shouting it out.

"C City?! That remote place that's said to be desolate with thin Spiritual Qi? Tsk tsk, I really didn't expect it! To think that this year, even a place like that could produce two 'geniuses' qualified to report to the Main Family?"

He seemed to deliberately emphasize the word 'geniuses'.

The sarcasm in it was self-evident.

This shout

instantly drew the gazes of all the waiting branch disciples and Elders around them.

Gaze after gaze, filled with curiosity and scrutiny, but mostly with a condescending amusement and contempt, focused squarely on Jiang Yun and Su Qingxue, as if they were observing some Rare objects.

Elder Su's face instantly became incredibly embarrassed,

turning bright red.

He could only barely maintain a smile: "It was just luck, just luck..."

"Hahaha!"

A burst of undisguised laughter immediately rang out from the surroundings.

"C City? I heard they don't even have a decent Spirit Stone vein there!"

"Exactly, a poor backwater. It's said that even Gold Rank Beast Tamers are Rare there!"

"Coming from a country place like that, what kind of decent talent could they have? They probably just had some dog-shit luck to barely meet the admission standards, right?"

"Just bumpkins, how are they fit to enter the Main Family with us? They're really lowering the overall standard of our Su Family branches."

The sounds of discussion and mockery came without any reservation,

like sharp thorns.

That monkey-faced Su San

now put on the appearance of a good person,

stepping forward to smooth things over.

"Now, now, everyone, everyone! Say a few words less! Although they are located in C City, and resources are a bit scarce and the place is a bit remote, they are still a part of our Su Family after all! We share the same Bloodline, why be like this?"

He shifted his tone,

seemingly mediating, but actually rubbing salt into the wound.

"I've heard that the C City Su Family branch hasn't produced a single disciple qualified to report to the Main Family for over a decade! Now that they've finally produced two this year, even if their talent is average, it's something worth encouraging! Everyone should be more inclusive, more inclusive!"

Hearing this,

the laughter of the others became even more unrestrained.

"Two in over a decade? My god, how barren must it be?"

"No wonder they were banished by the Family to such a place; it seems there was a reason for it."

"If I were born in C City, I probably would have given up on the path of a Beast Tamer long ago, haha!"

Listening to these piercing discussions,

Elder Su trembled with rage.

His fists were tightly clenched, his nails almost sinking into his flesh.

Although he had been mentally prepared,

hearing such unscrupulous humiliation with his own ears,

he still found it hard to suppress the resentment in his heart.

He secretly vowed: "Snobs! During the registration later, as long as Son-in-Law Jiang Yun shows even a bit of Gold Rank strength, let's see if you guys can still laugh! Then, we'll see who the real joke is!"

He suppressed his anger.

He turned his head to comfort Jiang Yun and Su Qingxue,

fearing they were young and impulsive and couldn't withstand such humiliation.

However,

when he turned his head,

he saw Jiang Yun's face was calm, his eyes as still as an ancient well, as if the surrounding clamor and mockery were just the buzzing of flies, unable to disturb his mind in the slightest.

And his own Young Miss, Su Qingxue... not a single ripple could be seen on her peerless face.

She even had the leisure to tidy her sleeves, her calm and detached posture making it seem as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her.

Elder Su: "..."

Fine!

He was completely worrying for nothing.

Just as the laughter of the branch disciples reached its peak,

almost completely drowning out Jiang Yun's group,

there was a heavy thud of a creak.

The thick vermilion gates of the Su Manor were slowly pushed open.

A solemn-faced old man dressed in the attire of a Su Family manager walked out with steady steps.

His gaze was like lightning as it swept over the crowd outside.

The originally noisy scene instantly fell silent.

The old man cleared his throat.

His voice rang out loudly and clearly across the field.

"The time has come! All Su Family branch disciples and accompanying Elders, follow me into the manor to register on the rolls and enter the Main Family's genealogy!"

"Any with Excellent natural talent may have their names recorded in the Main Family's ancestral records!"