An ordinary person wishing to pass through Azure Dragon Pass would typically face a series of tedious and complicated procedures.
Furthermore, they would have to undergo interviews with pass officials before finally being allowed to enter the Graew territory.
But Sevrin was not a commoner without status; he was an official member of the Demon-Slaying Bureau.
Under the astonished gazes of those waiting to cross, he produced his Demon-Slaying Lieutenant medallion.
He passed smoothly through the various checkpoints and reached the other side of Azure Dragon Pass, Sein City, a border city located at the southernmost edge of the Graew Dynasty.
Once he officially set foot on the soil of Sein City within the Graew borders, Sevrin clearly felt that the essence of heaven and earth here was much more transparent and clean than in the Mount Qing region.
It made the circulation and movement of the True Force within his body feel exceptionally smooth and comfortable, as if his long-stagnant cultivation was becoming restless, eager to break through to a higher level.
To give an analogy, it was like a local person returning home from a low-oxygen plateau, finding their breathing incredibly refreshing.
Or like a "runner" who had long admired the "light of the lighthouse," finally stepping onto the soil of a certain country after a long journey and finding that even the air smelled sweet.
"I feel like..."
At the main gate of Azure Dragon Pass, Sevrin whispered with half-closed eyes, "I'm actually about to break through."
Whether it was due to external stimulation or some inexplicable stroke of fate, at this moment, his martial arts realm underwent a sudden breakthrough.
In an instant, Sevrin's tendons, bones, internal organs, muscles, even his entire physical frame, underwent a violent metamorphosis.
BOOM!
The range of his mental perception expanded abruptly, and his ability to project force from a distance also expanded inch by inch, from one thousand meters to ten thousand meters.
Simultaneously, his physical strength surged tenfold from ten million kilograms, reaching an astonishing one hundred million kilograms.
With this, Sevrin's martial arts realm broke through from the Early stage of a Grandmaster to the Mid stage of a Grandmaster.
Indeed, the great realm of True Grandmaster possessed more than one level.
Above the Early stage was the Mid stage; above the Mid stage was the High stage; and the highest level was Peak, a total of four stages.
However, it was somewhat strange that in Sevrin's personal interface, his highest-level Special Traits remained at Level 4, unchanged.
Now, this was interesting.
Clearly, Sevrin's physique, spirit, and strength had grown immensely, yet there was no change at all regarding his Special Traits.
From this, it was evident that the gap between attribute levels was far greater, vastly greater, than the gap between stages in the martial arts system.
However, Sevrin didn't have much interest in contemplating this point.
All his thoughts had shifted to another problem.
The problem was, he had no mainstream martial arts techniques left to cultivate.
Though Sevrin possessed many techniques, his mainstream martial arts techniques, specifically those at the True Grandmaster level, were limited to only that one "Heaven-Sunder Demon Fist Scripture".
But even when that scripture was mastered to its peak, it only reached the Early stage of a Grandmaster.
Any stage higher than that completely exceeded the overall framework of that technique.
Therefore, to better utilize the strength and special abilities of a Mid-stage Grandmaster, Sevrin had to find another technique that matched this realm.
Or, he could directly consume a Shard to forcibly upgrade the "Heaven-Sunder Demon Fist Scripture" to the martial arts level corresponding to a Level 5 Special Trait.
But that would be too wasteful.
Currently, Sevrin possessed only eleven Expert Shards. At most, he could only raise a trait to Level 15, which was far from his goal of Level 100 or 1000.
If there weren't enough high-level targets for Sevrin to reap rewards from by then, it would be a real problem.
"No matter. Once I reach the Demon-Slaying Bureau headquarters, getting my hands on mere techniques will be as easy as flipping my hand."
Laughing, Sevrin strode forward along the road toward the sunlight.
Unlike the dilapidated, ancient Mount Qing region that was filled with a savage, desolate aura.
The moment he entered this city belonging to the Graew Dynasty, Sevrin clearly felt a modern atmosphere.
This so-called modern atmosphere was a feeling unique to an industrial civilization, a sense of security, stability, and order.
The elements forming this feeling were the flat, straight road beneath Sevrin's feet, the greenery planted on both sides of the road, the streetlights standing beside the greenery, and, at the end of that row of streetlights, the high-rise buildings rising from the ground within Sevrin's field of vision.
On the massive facades of these buildings, composed of glass curtain walls and metal structures, the blue sky and white clouds moved like trickling water, reflecting and radiating soft, bright, or dazzling daylight.
It was like interlaced, exquisite melodies, playing a magnificent movement named Technological Civilization.
Indeed, the true appearance of the Graew Dynasty was not the feudal society Sevrin had previously imagined. It was clearly a highly mature modern civilization, filled with the flavors of the Earth society he missed.
Here, there were no suffering commoners living hand-to-mouth like blades of grass, no cruel and evil bandits and outlaws, and no ignorant, savage, and bloody sacrifices to evil gods; everything was prosperous, stable, and orderly.
Filled with joy, Sevrin soared into the air like an agile bird. Without creating any gales or sonic booms, he silently crossed hundreds of meters, hurtling and weaving between the city's skyscrapers.
As he flew, Sevrin retracted the mental perception he usually kept blanketing the outside world, trying to observe only with his naked eyes, taking in the surrounding scenery firsthand.
The wind howled and whistled between the buildings, carrying the essence of the city as it brushed past his face.
Oddly, however, within this oncoming wind, Sevrin didn't sense much vibrant human presence.
It was as if this district near the Azure Dragon Pass entrance was filled with buildings but no citizens.
While Sevrin was feeling puzzled, an eerie, dry electronic voice drifted from a distance and entered his ears:
"Beep, beep ~ High-energy reaction detected. Suspected superhuman individual."
"Beep, beep ~ High-energy reaction detected. Suspected superhuman individual."
"..."
The electronic voice grew louder as it approached, finally reaching Sevrin.
He slowly opened his eyes, looking ahead in surprise.
Floating before him was a large rotor drone, black and silver in color and over three meters in diameter. It had a simple, rugged structural frame, with an iron-clad machine gun turret hanging below and a shimmering silver eye-shaped unknown device mounted on top.
As Sevrin's gaze locked onto the drone, the machine quickly cut its electronic voice. It then rotated once, revealing a large golden talisman pasted onto its iron casing, facing him.
"Greetings."
The brushstrokes on the talisman flickered with a faint light, and a human voice came through, "I am Officer Lan of the Graew Dynasty's Sein City Superhuman Management Bureau, designation 3598."
"Superhuman... Management Bureau?"
Sevrin said blankly, "What department is that? And what exactly is a 'superhuman'?"
As if hearing his question, the golden talisman pasted on the drone's outer shell flickered again with a faint light, transmitting a steady human voice:
"Greetings. According to the relevant regulations of the Graew Superhuman Management Bureau headquarters, any individual whose total internal biological energy value exceeds the human limit is considered a superhuman individual.
If understood through the perspective of the martial arts community, those at the second realm of the mainstream martial arts system, the Force Circulation stage, or any higher stages, all fall within the category of superhumans.
As for the Superhuman Management Bureau, abbreviated as the Super Management Bureau, it is, as the name suggests, the official Graew department responsible for controlling and monitoring the behavior and movements of all superhuman individuals."
"Alright then, from the looks of it, I suppose I count as a superhuman individual."
Sevrin spread his hands, "So, what's your business with me?"
"Greetings."
The talisman on the drone flickered and broadcasted again, "Because the vast majority of citizens within Graew are ordinary humans unskilled in martial arts and occultism, they are far too fragile compared to superhuman individuals.
Therefore, to protect the personal safety of the majority, the Super Management Bureau hopes you can restrain the intensity of your activities and behaviors. Specific rules and details can be found in the Superhuman Behavioral Management Handbook."
As the voice spoke, the large iron box hanging below the drone opened with a series of clangs, revealing hundreds of books stacked neatly inside.
Sevrin reached out and pulled one from the iron box. A quick scan showed various types of restrictive regulations.
To give a random example: on crowded ground-level streets, a martial artist's movement speed was restricted to no more than 10 meters per second.
However, there was a compromise: if a superhuman individual utilized an occult escape art that could turn their physical body ethereal, they would not be subject to this restriction.
Beyond that, there were also regulations regarding martial artists or sorcerers flying through the air.
For instance, the flight altitude was mandated to be above 3,000 meters from the ground.
If anyone violated these regulations, the Super Management Bureau would issue penalties of varying degrees depending on the severity of the offense.
If an offender resisted the penalty, caused casualties, or attempted to flee, they would face capture or even execution by the Super Management Bureau's Riot Mobile Squad.
"Quite a strict set of regulations. But for ordinary citizens, this is indeed much safer, far better than the state in the Mount Qing region where human life is cheaper than a dog's."
Sevrin narrowed his eyes, flipping through the pages one by one.
Next, he flipped to the section on the threat-level classification of superhuman individuals.
Both the mainstream martial arts system and the occult techniques system were included.
For the mainstream martial arts system, starting from the Force Circulation stage, levels were categorized from low to high as Level 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on.
The True Grandmaster realm that Sevrin occupied fell under the "Double Level 4" category, superhumans posing an extreme threat to citizens and society, second only to the highest "Triple Level 4."
As for the information regarding the so-called "Triple Level 4" martial artists, there were also detailed records.
The title was... Eternal Overlord.
"Eternal Overlord..."
Sevrin whispered, "Could this be the next realm after True Grandmaster?"
Based on the records, it appeared to be so.
"Martial Arts Overlord... what an overbearing and arrogant name. I wonder exactly how strong they are."
Sevrin shook his head with a laugh and flipped another page.
He then saw recorded on the page, the name of the occult realm at the same Triple Level 4 threat category as the Eternal Overlord...
This title was... Incense Destiny God.
And the Double Level 4 occult realm below this so-called Destiny God was clearly the Seizing Capturing realm that Sevrin occupied.
"It seems my initial intuition was correct."
Sevrin thought to himself, "Within the occult techniques system, the level above the Seizing Capturing realm is indeed related to so-called Incense Faith Power.
From the looks of it, every fifth-realm sorcerer is probably the head of some religious sect."
In truth, this way of putting it was somewhat sanitized.
The accurate description would be that if a fourth-realm sorcerer wished to ascend to the fifth realm and become a so-called Destiny God, they likely needed to recruit tens of thousands of ignorant followers into a cult, establishing themselves as the cult leader to gather Incense Faith Power for their cultivation.
"These occult techniques really are inherently anti-social."
After this observation, Sevrin closed the book and looked back at the drone before him, asking:
"I want to ask, if a certain superhuman is an official employee of the Graew government, do they still have to follow these Super Management Bureau regulations so strictly?"
Upon receiving his voice, the talisman on the drone's shell flickered slightly, and the steady human voice spoke again:
"Greetings. For superhuman individuals within the Graew official system, the various regulations of the Super Management Bureau are more flexible and can be relaxed somewhat.
However, the extent of the relaxation depends on the individual's position and department."
"That's fair enough."
Sevrin nodded and pulled out his Demon-Slaying Lieutenant medallion, saying, "Ah, I am Sevrin, an official member of the Demon-Slaying Bureau. My rank is Wood-Rank Lieutenant, designation 3527. For someone like me, how much can the Super Management Bureau regulations be relaxed?"
"Please wait, verifying information."
The drone didn't answer immediately, falling silent.
Sevrin wasn't in a hurry, standing quietly atop the skyscraper and waiting.
...
A moment later~
"Information verification complete."
The drone spoke again, but its voice was noticeably more respectful, "Greetings, Lieutenant Sevrin. As a Heaven-Rank Lieutenant of the Graew Demon-Slaying Bureau, you have an annual quota of one thousand five hundred killings. Therefore, as long as the number of citizens you kill within a year does not exceed one thousand five hundred, it is not considered a violation."
"Whoa!" Sevrin's brow furrowed. "That feels... a bit excessive."
In truth, Sevrin, who was fundamentally kind-hearted, had not killed a single innocent person since transmigrating to this Martial Lands world, let alone an ordinary civilian.
Knowing now that he could kill 1,500 ordinary citizens each year for no reason at all without facing any responsibility or punishment.
Sevrin didn't feel any joy or sense of freedom from being above the law; he felt only a faint sense of sorrow.
The sorrow of the helplessness that ordinary people faced when confronting the powerful.
"Sigh~~"
Sevrin sighed softly in his heart, "This place... ultimately isn't Earth. No, actually, Earth is much the same; it's just not quite this blunt about it."
Then, another question occurred to him.
"Wait."
Sevrin asked doubtfully, "I recall that I am... only a Wood-Rank Lieutenant."
"Why was it that without any word, I've suddenly become a Heaven-Rank Lieutenant?" Sevrin asked, looking utterly confused.
Upon hearing his question, the drone spoke again:
"Greetings, Lieutenant Sevrin. The information my bureau retrieved regarding you is as stated. For more detailed circumstances, you will need to inquire with relevant Demon-Slaying Bureau personnel yourself."
"Alright then."
Sevrin shrugged, "So, do I need to return to the ground and walk slowly now, or can I continue flying through the air?"
The drone answered immediately:
"Greetings, Lieutenant Sevrin. You have an annual quota of one thousand five hundred killings, to be used at your discretion, where, when, and on whom. Furthermore..."
The person on the other end of the drone paused for a moment before continuing: "Furthermore, the area you are currently in is not actually the city district of Sein City.
This is a functional testing and demonstration area for a joint project between the Divine Weapon Bureau and the Construction Office, the Giant God-Soldier City Construction Foundation.
This area has no water or power supply. Aside from project monitors, no one lives here.
You need to travel approximately 5,000 meters further north to reach the actual city district of Sein City."
"Giant God-Soldiers? A City Construction Foundation?"
Sevrin was stunned, then looked around in all directions and asked, "You mean to say that all these skyscrapers and large roads were... created by a single high-tech, giant machine?"
"Lieutenant Sevrin, I do not understand what you mean by 'high-tech'."
The drone replied calmly, "But this city district was indeed created by a single Giant God-Soldier."
"Alright then."
Sevrin murmured, "I think I understand... Hmm, well, goodbye then."
Having said that, his figure blurred as he left the roof of the skyscraper. The drone let out a soft hum and flew off in another direction.
...
The five-thousand-meter distance passed in a flash.
After flying out of that vast functional testing area composed of rows of skyscrapers and broad highways created by the Giant God-Soldiers.
Sevrin entered a city district that looked slightly aged and low-rise, but was filled with a vibrant human presence.
Hovering in the air, he took a casual scan and found that within the sprawling district, there wasn't even a single Steel-level martial artist, nor even a single practitioner at the Vitality Circulation level.
There were only a few scattered, weak martial artists at the Force Circulation level, few and far between.
The hundreds of thousands of others living here were all ordinary people.
"It seems..."
Sevrin murmured, "Even within the Graew Dynasty, in a place where the essence of heaven and earth is so flourishing and clear, the number and birth rate of cultivators remain sparse.
Then again, it might also be because this city isn't in the Graew heartland, resulting in relatively fewer experts."
That said, as the saying goes, "from a single spot on a leopard, one can tell the whole." In this border city of undeniable importance, the number of high-level martial artists was so low. If one were to extrapolate this to the entirety of Graew, the situation likely wouldn't be much different.
Furthermore, Sevrin discovered that the transportation used by the people here was bizarre and varied.
The most numerous and common were ox carts, horse carriages, donkey carts, bicycles, and tricycles.
Interspersed among this traffic were a few relatively primitive internal combustion cars and even more primitive steam engines.
Yet, in the deep blue sky above these primitive vehicles, an ancient-looking, severely chipped anti-gravity flying car would occasionally streak past.
There were even fewer individuals wearing simple flight armor, slowly gliding across the horizon.
At the same time, Sevrin's mental perception allowed him to "see" that within all the buildings, tall or short, throughout this city district, there were absolutely no traces of computers, televisions, telephones, fax machines, or anything of the sort.
In the air above and below, in every direction, there were absolutely no traces of 3G, 4G, 5G, or radio waves.
Communication here relied on "flying message talismans" established on sheets of yellow paper.
Advancement and backwardness existed simultaneously; technology and metaphysics were blended... This image, filled with a sense of the absurd and magical, when connected with his previous observations, immediately allowed Sevrin to see through the true nature of the Graew Dynasty.
Graew was not an advanced, modern industrial technological civilization at all.
Its essence remained an ancient fantasy civilization centered on the cultivation of martial arts and occult techniques.
It was just that beneath the layers of this Martial Lands continent, a vast amount of relics and remains from prehistoric technological civilizations were buried.
Furthermore, once these prehistoric artifacts, which had endured for eons, were excavated, they could be easily utilized by the people.
This was what caused the Graew Dynasty, born upon this land, to wear a false mantle called Technological Civilization.
Its core had never changed.
While Sevrin was still marveling, a golden talisman bird suddenly flew in rapidly from the distant horizon, heading straight for him.
"A flying message talisman, looking for me?"
With a single thought, Sevrin caught the talisman bird. He spread out the talisman and scanned it:
"Greetings, Lieutenant Sevrin. Please come quickly to the Demon-Slaying Bureau's Cuxon Province branch. The Governor and the three Heaven-Rank Lieutenants are already waiting here..."
From this message, Sevrin learned.
After the Demon-Slaying Bureau had received detailed information about him, the supreme commander, Governor Winoon, along with the only three Heaven-Rank Lieutenants from the main office.
Had set out from Graew's Zhoaw and traveled to the Cuxon Province branch, all for the purpose of meeting Sevrin as soon as possible.
The message expressed the hope that Sevrin would proceed to the Cuxon Province Demon-Slaying Bureau branch quickly without delay.
At the end, the branch's address was carefully noted... It happened to be within the mountains outside of Sein City, a distance of only 300 miles from where Sevrin currently stood.
"Quite enthusiastic."
Sevrin laughed and folded the message away. "Though, there's likely a bit of intent to verify my identity as well. Very well, I'm going now."
Having said that, he suddenly flew higher into the sky, his figure blurring as he hurtled toward the distant horizon.
...
Three hundred miles from the Graew border city of Sein City, in a vast garden estate built atop a mountain peak, a group of people were strolling slowly along a corridor pavilion.
Walking in front was an elderly woman of modest height, slightly stout, with white hair and a benevolent face, holding a dragon-headed staff.
She was the supreme commander of the Graew Demon-Slaying Bureau, Governor Winoon.
Following closely behind were three large, burly men whose temperaments were either icy, fiery, or eerie, each entirely different.
These three were the three Heaven-Rank Lieutenants of the Demon-Slaying Bureau, Sumin, Yine, and Muan.
Following further behind these four were dozens of Dragon-Rank Demon-Slaying Lieutenants, whose aura intensity was identical to that of Clover, the commander of the Mount Qing Demon-Slaying Bureau.