38: Chapter 38 Welcome to Shanghai, where even the air costs money.

As soon as he stepped out of the carriage, a wave of heat hit him in the face.

However, mixed into this heat wave was a scent that one would absolutely never smell in Jiangcheng.

[ Internal Chat Group (Instantly agitated) ]

[ Lungs (Greedily expanding) ]:

" Inhale—!! "

" This scent! This scent is right! "

" It's spiritual energy! It's high-concentration spiritual energy! "

" Although it's mixed with car exhaust and the smell of sweat, this concentration of spiritual energy... is at least ten times that of Jiangcheng! Breathing here, even without cultivating, living to a hundred would be considered dying young! "

[ Kidneys (Trembling slightly) ]:

" Hehehe... I smell it... That is the smell of money... "

" That fatty on the left, the jade pendant hanging from his waist has spiritual power fluctuations! "

" That guy in the suit on the right has at least three Tier 2 Monster Cores in his briefcase! "

" Is this Magic City? Treasures everywhere! This is what you call a paradise for restocking! "

In reality, Jiang You walked out of the station exit and stood on the massive North Plaza.

The scene before him finally allowed this "country bumpkin" to feel what the oppressive atmosphere of an international metropolis was like.

The skyscrapers in the distance towered into the clouds, but unlike in Jiangcheng, the exterior walls of the buildings here were mostly covered in pitch-black special alloy armor to prevent attacks from flying monster beasts.

On the massive outdoor LED screens, it wasn't playing cosmetics advertisements, but rather the real-time updates of the "2025 Season Huaxia Grandmaster Ranking," as well as scrolling captions for "Latest Tier 4 Beast King Meat Now Available, Today's Special Price 99,998 per jin."

On the road, traffic was heavy.

But the vehicles here were significantly more "wild" than in Jiangcheng.

Apart from common BBA cars, there were more modified heavy-duty off-road vehicles, with claw marks and dried blood from hunting in the wilderness still remaining on their bodies.

Occasionally, one could see a truck with special license plates roaring past, with the head of a massive, dead-eyed monster beast exposed in the cargo bed, radiating a heart-palpitating pressure.

Passersby hurried along, and even the elderly sanitation worker sweeping the roadside had a "sweeping across an army" stance in the way he swung his broom, clearly a seasoned practitioner with decent Blood Qi levels.

" Tsk tsk tsk... "

Jiang You wrapped his spongebob pajamas tighter around himself and sighed:

" This place looks expensive just by looking at it. "

" I don't know how much a steamed bun costs here; I hope it's a bit cheaper. "

Jiang You rubbed his stomach and walked toward a convenience store at the edge of the plaza.

He placed his snake-Skin bag at the entrance, walked in, and picked up a bottle of what looked like the most ordinary mineral water.

" Boss, how much is this water? "

The boss was a bald man with a fleshy face, currently watching a live broadcast of a martial arts competition, not even raising his head:

" Regular bottle is 50, mountain spring special with trace spiritual energy is 180. "

Jiang You's hand shook, almost crushing the water bottle.

" How much? "

" 50? Did you add gold powder inside? It only sells for 2 yuan in Jiangcheng! "

The boss glanced at Jiang You's pilled pajamas with disdain:

" Think it's expensive? If you think it's expensive, go drink tap water. "

" This is Magic City! Every inch of land is worth gold! Don't shipping costs money? Doesn't rent cost money? Buy it or don't, if you're not buying, don't block me from watching the competition. "

Jiang You silently put the water back.

He walked out of the convenience store, looked up at the gray sky, and issued a soul-searching question:

" This isn't Magic City; this is clearly a Demon's Den. "

" Without even the freedom to drink water, being the top scholar is too stifling. "

He stood on the plaza, watching the crowd coming and going, his heart full of helplessness.

Just then, Jiang You smelled another enticing aroma.

He followed the scent and looked over; it was a "Li's Spiritual Meat Bun" shop with a long line.

He looked at the price list: [ Signature Beef Bun: 88 Yuan/piece ].

Jiang You: " ... "

He touched the few hundred yuan left in his pocket and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

This amount of money could make him a big shot in Jiangcheng.

In Magic City, he probably couldn't even survive for a week.

" I need to hurry and report to the school. "

" Teacher Gu Yan said the school cafeteria is free. As long as I get to school, I can survive. "

Jiang You took out his cracked-screen phone and checked the map.

" Magic City No.1 Martial Arts University... 45 kilometers from here. "

" Estimated taxi fare... 300 Yuan?! "

Jiang You decisively closed the ride-hailing app.

" Are you robbing me! "

" How many buckets of instant noodles could I buy with 300 yuan? "

He turned his gaze to the bus stop sign next to him.

[ Route 302 Spiritual Energy Bus (North Station — Magic City Martial Arts University Express Line), Fare: 10 Yuan. ]

" Phew... "

Jiang You breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank goodness, public transportation still has a bit of humanity. "

At this moment, the platform for the Route 302 bus was already crowded with people.

Most of these people were also freshmen reporting to Magic City Martial Arts University, or martial artists going there for business.

Each one was dressed in fine clothes and looked spirited; some even brought attendants, and their luggage were those high-end alloy suitcases.

Jiang You carried a tattered snake-Skin bag, wore pajamas, and flip-flops that went "patta patta" as he walked over. His style was so abrupt that it was like a village chicken mixed into a flock of peacocks.

People around frowned and avoided him.

" Who is this? A beggar? "

" Stay away, look at how dirty that snake-Skin bag is, don't rub it against my newly bought Armani martial arts suit. "

" Is this guy also going to Magic City Martial Arts University? Is the threshold so low now? Even this kind of vagrant can get in? "

A few fashionably dressed girls even covered their noses and shrank back with expressions of disgust.

Jiang You turned a blind eye to this.

He was long used to these kinds of looks.

" As long as I'm not embarrassed, the embarrassing one is someone else. "

" Besides, this is called being low-key. True experts often appear in the guise of beggars. "

Just then.

" Rumble— "

A massive, deep-blue double-decker bus with a body thicker than an iron gate drove over.

This was the "Spiritual Energy Bus" unique to Magic City; to prevent attacks from monster beasts, the body's hardness was comparable to a tank.

" The bus is here! Don't push! Don't push! "

" Swipe your card to board! If you don't have a card, insert coins! "

The crowd instantly boiled over, starting to squeeze crazily toward the bus door.

The martial arts culture in Magic City is fierce; squeezing onto a bus here is also a small-scale "combat drill."

Without some Blood Qi levels, you wouldn't even be able to touch the door.

A burly man wearing a tight vest with knotted muscles, relying on his high Blood Qi, pushed the people in front of him away like a bulldozer:

" Get out of the way! If you don't want to get hurt, all of you get lost to the side! "

Several skinny students were pushed around, swaying unsteadily, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.

Jiang You stood on the periphery, watching this crowd like zombies besieging a city, and yawned.

" What a hassle... "

" Still have to squeeze. "

He carried his snake-Skin bag and walked forward slowly.

That bulldozer-like burly man happened to squeeze in front of Jiang You, didn't even look, and backhanded an elbow, wanting to shove Jiang You away:

" Get lost! Don't block the way, beggar! "

This elbow strike carried the force of a Tier 2 martial artist; if an ordinary person took a hit, their ribs would break.

However.

When his elbow struck Jiang You's seemingly thin shoulder.

[ Internal Chat Group ]

[ Skin (Stress response) ]:

" Tsk, another low-level physical collision. "

" So annoying, why are there always these rude guys who want to get close to me? "

" Watch me bounce him away. "

In reality.

" Bang! "

A dull sound of impact.

The scene everyone expected, where Jiang You would be sent flying, did not appear.

Instead, the burly man looked as if he had crashed into a high-speed locomotive head-on.

" Aooo—!! "

He let out a miserable scream, his entire arm instantly went numb, and his whole body, like a rubber ball, was bounced away by a terrifying reactive force, flying directly over the crowd and landing on his butt in a flower bed three meters away.

The whole scene went instantly silent.

Those who were originally still squeezing onto the bus froze in their movements.

Everyone stared dumbfounded at the boy wearing pajamas with a sleepy look on his face.

Jiang You acted as if nothing had happened, even thinking the other person just hadn't stood steadily.

He scratched his head, looked at the path that had suddenly cleared up in front of him, and muttered:

" Huh? Why did a path suddenly open up? "

" People in big cities really are very caring, knowing to care for vulnerable groups. "

He carried his snake-Skin bag and swaggered up the steps onto the bus.

He fished a handful of change out of his pocket, counted ten coins, and dropped them into the fare box.

" Cling clang. "

The driver uncle glanced at the burly man sitting in the flower bed doubting his life, then looked at the harmless-looking Jiang You, swallowed his saliva, and silently closed the bus door.

" That's a ruthless guy. "

Jiang You walked to the corner of the last row, placed his snake-Skin bag on the floor, and sank into his seat.

" Phew... finally on the bus. "

" Still have to drive for an hour. "

" Time to sleep. "

Three seconds later.

Rhythmic snoring sounded in the eerily quiet carriage.