Chapter 224 Ten Years Later
Morning mist flowed through the mountains, and dew bent the wild grass before being crushed beneath several hurried pairs of cloth boots.
The leading youth wore black. His features were clear and sharp, but his eyes carried a steadiness far beyond his age.
His name was Ye Fan, age 16, from a small border town in Qingzhou—Falling Hammer Town.
"Ye-ge, another 30 li ahead is Immortal Spirit City!" a round-faced youth behind him shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the quiet forest. "I heard this time's Immortal Spirit Holy Land assessment has over 10,000 participants!"
Ye Fan smiled slightly. His gaze crossed the layered mountains and settled on the vague yet majestic silhouette in the distance.
"Immortal Spirit Holy Land, the number one sect in Qingzhou and one of the top forces of the Xuanying Continent…" he murmured. His tone was calm, but the heat in his eyes was unmistakable. "A place like that is naturally everyone's aspiration."
"Heh, we might not match those noble clan heirs, but we're still geniuses of our own families. We're not without a chance!" another youth with a long blade on his back said with a wide grin, fingers unconsciously rubbing the hilt. Tension and anticipation both showed on his face.
Ye Fan did not respond. He only clenched his fist slightly, feeling the spiritual power flowing within him.
He had to succeed.
When the group finally crossed the last mountain ridge, the sight before them made them stop in unison.
Immortal Spirit City.
The city walls soared into the clouds, constructed completely from gray-blue spirit-pattern stone. Complex formation lines covered the surface, glowing faintly under the morning light.
The massive gates stood open. Crowds surged in and out. Well-dressed cultivators rode magical artifacts through the sky, while mortal vendors carrying goods shouted along the streets. Several city guards in uniform armor patrolled nearby, spirit-lit tokens at their waists and sharp eyes sweeping across the crowd.
"T-this… this is Immortal Spirit City?" The round-faced youth's mouth hung open, overwhelmed beyond speech.
"It truly is as the rumors say… a place ruled jointly by mortals and cultivators," Ye Fan whispered.
In the current Xuanying Continent, the Great Zhou's influence had faded. Most cities were either entirely mortal or exclusively cultivator domains. Rarely did a place like Immortal Spirit City exist—where cultivators and mortals coexisted, each fulfilling their roles without disrupting the other.
They walked along the wide main street. Shops lined both sides: spirit herb stores, artifact pavilions, restaurants, teahouses, and even martial halls and academies for mortals. The air carried a gentle fragrance of spiritual medicine blended with the steam of freshly made meat buns from street stalls, forming an oddly harmonious atmosphere.
The round-faced youth stared with his mouth open and eyes wide.
"This… this is just too…" He stuttered, turning his head stiffly from side to side as if trying to absorb every corner of the city. "Last year I went with my dad to sell goods in Qingyang City. I thought that was the most bustling place in the world…"
The long-blade youth snorted.
"Qingyang City? Isn't that just some border town?"
"It's not a small town!" the round-faced youth protested, face flushed, waving his arms. "Qingyang City has eight main streets, and the tallest restaurant is five stories high! There are more than twenty stalls selling spirit herbs in the market! Dad said that—"
His voice gradually faded. What stood before him made every boast meaningless.
Immortal Spirit City's streets were wide enough for eight horse carriages to travel side by side. Buildings lined the sides like orderly scales, with even the shortest standing three stories tall. Several towering structures in the distance pierced straight into the clouds. In just a few moments, three or four cultivators riding magical artifacts flew overhead.
Ye Fan noticed his companion's embarrassment and gently patted his shoulder.
"Qingyang City isn't small… but this is the largest city in Qingzhou, and perhaps even the largest in the entire Xuanying Continent—Immortal Spirit City."
"Don't compare fireflies to the moon in brightness."
The long-blade youth added, this time without mockery, carrying instead a sense of shared awe.
The round-faced youth stared blankly at a shop on the corner, where workers were unloading goods using puppet carts that could move on their own.
He suddenly recalled something and hurriedly pulled out an oiled paper packet from his chest.
"This is candied fruit I bought from the most expensive snack shop in Qingyang City. It cost 2 taels of silver per pack!"
He carefully opened the wrapper, only to hear a street vendor across the road shouting:
"Top-grade spirit fruit candied treats, 5 copper coins a pack! Buy 3, get 1 free!"
The long-blade youth finally burst into laughter. The round-faced youth also laughed, though his smile carried a hint of relief.
"Dad was right… there really is always someone stronger, and always a sky beyond the sky…"
Ye Fan looked at his two companions, then at the unbelievable city surrounding them. His lips curved slightly. He understood that from today onward, their worldview would never be the same.
"Look!" the long-blade youth suddenly pointed into the distance.
A squad of city guards was escorting a burly man with a fierce face. The spiritual pressure around the man was considerable—clearly a cultivator—yet he was bound by special shackles and could not break free.
"Is that… a cultivator criminal?" the round-faced youth asked in shock.
An elderly passerby overheard and laughed merrily. "In Immortal Spirit City, whether cultivator or mortal, breaking the law means punishment. The city guard includes mortal martial artists and low-level cultivators, but they enforce the law equally."
Ye Fan felt a jolt in his heart.
Immortals and mortals governing together—could they truly achieve it to such an extent?
The group walked as they observed, and before they knew it, it was nearly midday. They decided to find an inn first.
They chose a luxurious inn named Drunken Immortal Pavilion. The three-story wooden building had carved beams and painted rafters, with two spirit lamps hanging at the entrance that emitted a soft glow even in daylight.
"Honored guests, are you here for the Immortal Spirit Holy Land assessment?" A quick-witted server approached with a bright smile the moment they stepped in. "There have been many young cultivators like yourselves lately. We only have two upper rooms left. Would you like them?"
Ye Fan nodded and was about to speak when he overheard a nearby table talking loudly.
"The owner of this Drunken Immortal Pavilion was just a server ten years ago!" A burly man with a full beard gulped a mouthful of wine, clicking his tongue in amazement. "They say he met a benefactor here and was casually rewarded with a pouch of high-grade spirit stones. That's how he got the money to open this place!"
"Exactly!" another person chimed in, eyes filled with envy. "Stories like that are common in Immortal Spirit City. Just last year, Old Wang who sold baked cakes—his recipe caught the attention of a passing alchemist. The man paid a fortune for it. Now Old Wang runs a large restaurant in the southern district, selling spirit-nourishing dishes exclusively to cultivators!"
Everyone listened eagerly, faces unconsciously filled with yearning.
The round-faced youth leaned close to Ye Fan and whispered, "Ye-ge… this Immortal Spirit City is basically a place where dreams come true!"
Ye Fan did not respond. His gaze swept over the diners—cultivators, mortals, wealthy merchants, and ordinary vendors.
Here, it seemed anyone had a chance to change their fate.
When night fell, Ye Fan stood by the inn's window, looking toward the faint spiritual glow in the direction of the Immortal Spirit Holy Land.
The round-faced youth was already asleep. The long-blade youth was still practicing in the courtyard, the sound of his blade cutting through the air faintly audible.
Ye Fan clenched his fist, feeling the flow of spiritual power in his body.
He had to pass the assessment in a few days.
…
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