198: Black Armor Commander and Dust-Extinguishing Pill

Spirit Realm, Feng Yuan Continent, the edge of the Tianyuan Region.

In the primeval forest, a campfire flickered.

On the rack, the "Two-headed Wolf King," equivalent to a Middle Stage Nascent Soul, had been roasted golden and crispy. Fat dripped onto the charcoal with a sizzling sound, and the aroma filled the air.

Zhou Wannian (Han Li) held a wolf leg, sprinkled a handful of cumin and chili powder he had brought from the Human Realm, and took a large bite.

"Mmm, the meat is firm and the Spiritual Qi is abundant. Aside from getting stuck in my teeth, it's perfect."

"Warning. High-energy reaction approaching. Directly above, distance three thousand zhang."

Tiezhu's electronic eyes (disguised as an ordinary Black Sha Guard standing to the side) flickered slightly.

Zhou Wannian didn't even look up, still chewing the wolf meat unhurriedly.

"They're here."

Boom!

A pressure as heavy as a mountain descended from the sky, and the thousand-zhang tall giant trees around them swayed violently under the air current.

A shuttle-shaped warship, entirely black and a hundred zhang long, silently hovered above the treetops. On both sides of the warship stood two rows of guards wearing black armor and holding long halberds.

The aura on each of these guards was incredibly dense; they were all surprisingly at the Soul Transformation Stage!

At the very front of the warship, a resolute-looking one-horned man clad in dark-gold heavy armor looked down coldly.

Early Stage Void Refining.

This level of cultivation, which would be enough to sweep through everything in the Great Jin, seemed to be just a patrol commander here.

"Whoosh!"

The one-horned man's figure blurred, and he instantly appeared by the campfire.

He glanced at the wolf carcasses littering the ground, then at Zhou Wannian, who was calmly eating meat, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.

"An Ascender?"

The man's voice was deep and resonant, making Zhou Wannian's eardrums thrum slightly.

"Did you kill these 'Iron-backed Yao Wolves'?"

Zhou Wannian swallowed the meat in his mouth, wiped his lips, stood up, and cupped his hands neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"This humble one is Li Feiyu. I have just entered your esteemed realm and encountered an attack by Yao Beasts, so I was forced to act in self-defense."

"Forced to act in self-defense?"

The corner of the one-horned man's mouth twitched.

He looked at the wolf carcasses with smashed heads, especially that Middle Stage Nascent Soul wolf king, whose skull had been blown off.

"No magic power used, purely relying on the Physical Body?"

The man saw through Zhou Wannian's current state at a glance—the magic power in his body was in a state of stagnant transformation due to the suppression of the realm's Laws, making it impossible to cast many Spells.

"Li practiced some basic martial arts in his early years, so my strength is a bit greater than average," Zhou Wannian said with an honest face.

"Basic martial arts?"

The man gave a cold laugh.

"This commander is seeing 'basic martial arts' that can crush Iron-backed Yao Wolves like chicks for the first time."

"I am Zhao Wuji, the commander of the seventh squad of the 'Black Sha Guard' in Tianyuan City."

"Ascender, according to the covenant between the humans and demons of the Spirit Realm, any Cultivator who ascends from a Lower Realm must go to Tianyuan City to be registered and take a 'Dust-Extinguishing Pill' to wash away the aura of the other world. Otherwise..."

Zhao Wuji pointed to the sky.

"Within three days, you will attract the 'Two-realm Repulsion Lightning Tribulation' and be struck into ashes."

"Dust-Extinguishing Pill?"

Zhou Wannian's heart stirred. He had heard of this from Nangong Wan (when they met in the Guanghan Realm); it was a necessity for Ascenders to integrate into the Spirit Realm.

"Li has just arrived and was looking for a place to settle down."

"Since there are rules, I should naturally follow them."

Zhou Wannian acted very cooperatively.

"Very good, you're sensible."

Zhao Wuji nodded, a hint of appreciation appearing in his gaze toward Zhou Wannian.

"Your Physical Body is very strong; you're good material."

"Are you interested... in joining my 'Black Sha Guard'?"

"Black Sha Guard?" Zhou Wannian was startled.

"Tianyuan City is the Human Race's first line of defense against the Wilderness Beast Tides," Zhao Wuji explained. "In the city, besides ordinary Cultivators, the most elite are the 'Azure Underworld Guard' and the 'Black Sha Guard'."

"Ascenders are usually powerful. As long as you pass the assessment, you can enlist directly."

"The benefits are generous, Dust-Extinguishing Pills are supplied in abundance, and there are opportunities to obtain top-tier Cultivation Techniques and spiritual lands of the Spirit Realm."

At this point, Zhao Wuji paused and gave Zhou Wannian a meaningful look.

"Most importantly..."

"With this uniform, you'll have a backer in Tianyuan City. Otherwise, an Ascender without a background is just a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered in the eyes of those local clans."

Zhou Wannian understood.

It seemed the Spirit Realm was also a place where background and influence mattered.

"I'm honored by the commander's high regard."

Zhou Wannian cupped his fists and smiled.

"Selling this strength of mine to Tianyuan City isn't a bad deal."

"However..."

Zhou Wannian pointed to the pile of unfinished roast meat.

"Can I finish this meal? After all, I've just arrived and I'm a bit hungry."

Zhao Wuji was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Good! You're a straightforward man!"

"Eat! Follow me once you're full!"

"This wolf meat looks good, give me a leg too!"

...Three days later.

Tianyuan City.

When Zhou Wannian stood on the deck of the warship and saw that incredibly magnificent giant city through the clouds, even though he was used to grand scenes, his pupils couldn't help but contract slightly.

That wasn't just a city.

That was a massive mountain range stretching across the end of the horizon, connecting heaven and earth!

The city walls were ten thousand zhang high, cast entirely from black Starstones, their surfaces covered with dense defensive formation runes. Countless warships of various sizes moved in and out of the city gates like bees returning to their hive.

A vast, desolate, and blood-pumping aura of war rushed toward him.

"So this is Tianyuan City..."

Zhou Wannian was shaken.

This was the foundation of the Human Race in the Spirit Realm, the iron Great Wall resisting the ancient wilderness beasts and foreign invasions.

"How is it? Spectacular, isn't it?"

Zhao Wuji stood beside him, his tone carrying a hint of pride.

"Buried within these city walls are the bones of countless Seniors. Li Feiyu, once you enter the city and sign the 'Golden Pavilion Jade Register,' you'll be a person of Tianyuan City."

...The entry procedures went smoothly.

Because he had Zhao Wuji, a commander, as a guarantor, and because of Zhou Wannian's "honest-looking" attitude, he quickly received a black identity jade token.

[Name: Li Feiyu]

[Status: Ascended Cultivator / Black Sha Guard Reservist]

[Cultivation: Early Stage Soul Transformation (Spiritual Power converting)]

"Here are the 'Dust-Extinguishing Pills' you wanted."

Inside the Black Sha Guard's garrison camp, Zhao Wuji threw a jade bottle to Zhou Wannian.

"Take one every six months. After three years, the other-world aura on you will completely dissipate. By then, you'll be able to fully recover your cultivation and even go a step further."

"Thank you, Commander."

Zhou Wannian took the jade bottle.

"Alright, you rest in the camp for the next few days and convert your spiritual power."

"In three days, there will be a recruit assessment."

"Although I'm a commander, the Black Sha Guard doesn't keep idlers. If you fail the assessment..."

Zhao Wuji grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Then you'll have to go to the logistics department to 'scrub toilets'."

"Understood."

Zhou Wannian nodded with a smile... Late at night, in an independent stone house.

Zhou Wannian set up several Restrictions and, after confirming it was safe, summoned the void heaven cauldron.

A flash of light.

Purple Spirit and Liu Shuier appeared in the room.

"Husband, is this the Spirit Realm?" Purple Spirit curiously looked around the simple stone walls. "The Spiritual Qi is indeed dense, but this environment... seems even worse than an inn in the Great Jin."

"It's a military camp, so it's normal for things to be a bit tough."

Zhou Wannian sat on the stone bed, taking out a Dust-Extinguishing Pill to study it carefully.

"This Medicinal Pill has a special scent of 'Spirit-Washing Grass'."

"It seems the Spirit Realm's Alchemy is indeed unique."

Zhou Wannian swallowed the pill in one gulp.

Boom!

A cool medicinal power instantly dispersed into his limbs and bones. His Nascent Soul, which had been stagnant due to the Law suppression, began to greedily absorb the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi under the washing of this medicinal power.

"Whew..."

Zhou Wannian exhaled a mouthful of turbid air.

"The conversion efficiency has increased tenfold."

"At this rate, I won't need three years; in three months, I'll be able to completely adapt to the Spirit Realm's Laws and recover my Peak Late Nascent Soul Stage combat power."

"And..."

A sharp light flashed in Zhou Wannian's eyes.

"My 'Bright King Arts' and 'True Demonic Technique' seem to show signs of a Breakthrough in this Spirit Qi-rich environment."

"The assessment in three days?"

The corners of Zhou Wannian's mouth curled up slightly.

"Scrubbing toilets is out of the question."

"Since I'm here, I'll take the 'Rookie King' title for myself."

"And also..."

Zhou Wannian pulled a Sound Transmission Talisman from his robe. It was the one Nangong Wan had left him when they parted in the Guanghan Realm.

"Tell Wan'er that I've arrived."