Free Web NovelChapter 235: Chapter 223: First Entry into the Inner City
「The next morning, the gray mist had yet to disperse.」
Ian stood before the main gate of Blue Cave Mountain’s Inner City.
The Guards at the gate had been replaced. Their leader was a one-eyed old soldier.
He took the Business Alliance partnership Token Ian handed him, a flash of surprise in his eye.
"A Level Two partner of the Chixia Business Alliance?" the old soldier asked, looking Ian up and down. "Personally vouched for by Elder Chen?"
"Yes," Ian nodded.
The old soldier frowned, seemingly about to ask something else, but Ian was already growing impatient.
In the next moment, a pressure as condensed as if it were tangible began to emanate from him.
It wasn’t a deliberate release, but the lingering afterglow of his bloodline Power manifesting naturally after his breakthrough in Realm.
An invisible ripple seemed to spread through the air.
The one-eyed soldier’s expression changed drastically. The hand holding the Token trembled so violently he nearly dropped it.
The two Guards behind him subconsciously took half a step back, their faces filled with terror.
"Th-this is..." the old soldier’s voice trembled. "The aura of the Condensation Tier?!"
The combined population of Blue Cave Mountain’s Inner and Outer Cities was about a hundred thousand, yet there were no more than twenty great figures at the Condensation Tier.
A silver gleam flashed in the depths of Ian’s pupils, and the invisible pressure surrounding him receded.
He said nothing, merely watching the old soldier calmly.
The old soldier hastily bowed, handing the Token back with both hands. His tone had shifted from cold and business-like to a reverence bordering on fawning.
"Forgive me, Sir! I was blind and didn’t realize it was you in person! Please, please come in!"
He turned, made a hurried gesture to those inside the gate, and roared.
"Open the gates! Welcome our distinguished guest!"
CREAK—the heavy, iron-bound gates swung inward.
Beyond them lay a tidy street, completely different from the Outer City.
A few patrol guards who had been chatting inside the gate turned to look at the commotion.
Upon sensing the lingering aura of the Condensation Tier on Ian, they all fell silent, lowered their heads, and stepped to the sides.
The moment Ian stepped through the gates, he had the illusion of entering another world.
The mud, stench, and congestion of the Outer City were gone.
Underfoot was a street paved with flat bluestone slabs, so clean they reflected his image.
The streets were no longer lined with crooked wooden shacks, but with neat stone buildings, mostly two or three stories tall, their window frames painted a dark red.
Crimson lanterns hung from the eaves, glowing even in the daytime and casting a soft light.
There was no smell of decay in the air, only the faint scent of herbs and the aroma of food wafting from a distant eatery.
A few neatly dressed pedestrians hurried by. When they saw the Token at Ian’s waist, they subconsciously stepped aside to make way, their eyes filled with obvious awe.
’This is the true heart of Blue Cave Mountain.’
Ian walked deeper along the street, his Starlight Perception silently spreading out.
The flow of Energy in the Inner City was much clearer than in the Outer City, like hidden rivers surging underground—the network of the Purification Barrier.
He hadn’t gone far when a familiar, gruff voice called out from the side.
"Li... Li Xing?!"
Ian turned his head. It was his old acquaintance, the bald man.
The man was peering out from a shop, a half-eaten piece of jerky in his hand.
Suddenly, he sensed that something about Ian’s aura was different.
"You... You’ve reached the Condensation Tier?!"
His eyes widened, the scar on his face twisting in shock.
The piece of jerky he was chewing fell from his mouth with a THUD.
The bald man’s distorted tone drew the gazes of several pedestrians on the street.
Ian nodded slightly. "I had a lucky breakthrough yesterday."
"Yest... yesterday?" the bald man muttered, looking at Ian with a complicated expression, as if he were looking at some kind of monster.
’Just over a month ago, this kid was only at the Awakening Late Stage, leading a group of refugees to escape.’
’How long has it been? He’s already reached the Condensation Tier?!’
He knew very well how many people got stuck between the Awakening and Condensation Realms for their entire lives, never able to cross that threshold.
The few Guard Captains at the Peak of Awakening in the Business Alliance, and even himself, had trained diligently for over a decade without even touching the edge of the Condensation Tier!
’And this kid... in one month?!’
"Sir... you must be here to see Elder Chen."
The bald man’s tone had unconsciously become respectful, and he even shifted slightly to the side, gesturing to lead the way.
"I’ll take you to him."
The Chixia Business Alliance branch was located in the center of the Inner City, a five-story Stone Tower.
At the tower’s peak, a fist-sized, crimson Crystal Stone hung, slowly rotating and emitting a faint red halo that enveloped the entire structure.
Just as Ian arrived in front of the tower, Steward Wang’s chubby face peeked out from behind the door.
"Your Excellency Li Xing! You’ve arrived!"
He had already received news. The smile on his face was even more enthusiastic than in the Outer City, tinged with a cautious reverence.
"Elder Chen has instructed that you are to go directly to the fifth floor as soon as you arrive. He is waiting for you in his study."
Ian nodded and followed Steward Wang into the tower.
The first floor was a spacious hall. Tall shelves lined the four walls, filled with all sorts of rare materials.
He noticed several vials of pale gold liquid glowing enticingly in the depths of a shelf. It was High Level Purification Potion.
A few Attendants were taking inventory. When they saw Ian enter, they all stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.
"Who’s that?" a girl with a ponytail whispered to her companion.
"I’ve never seen him... but for Steward Wang to greet him personally, he must be a distinguished guest."
"Look at the Token at his waist—he’s an Honored Guest Elder! Such a young Honored Guest Elder?"
Amid the whispers, Ian had already followed Steward Wang up the spiral staircase.
The staircase was carved from a single trunk of Iron Wood, its handrail polished so smooth it reflected one’s image.
A Guard with a steady aura stood at the turn of each flight of stairs, all of them at the Awakening Late Stage.
When they reached the fifth floor, Steward Wang stopped before a carved wooden door and knocked lightly.
"Come in." Elder Chen’s aged yet vigorous voice came from within.
Steward Wang pushed the door open and made a welcoming gesture, but he himself stepped aside, showing no intention of entering.
Ian stepped into the study.
The room was not large, but it was exquisitely furnished.
Bookshelves reached from floor to ceiling on all four walls, densely packed with parchment scrolls and thread-bound ancient books.
In the center was a wide mahogany desk, where Elder Chen sat, examining a yellowed diagram in his hands.
Elder Chen’s full name was Chen Jingshan.
The moment Ian stepped into the study, the hand with which Elder Chen held the intelligence scroll trembled slightly.
He slowly raised his head, a sharp light glinting in his cloudy eyes.
Although he had already received the news, he couldn’t hide his inner shock.
The air in the study instantly froze.
Chen Jingshan could clearly feel the aura emanating from the young man before him.
It was solid and heavy, carrying the unique, piercing depth of the stars.
That was a pressure only someone at the Condensation Tier could possess!
’And... the degree of its condensation is no weaker than my own, a veteran who has been steeped in the Condensation Tier for over forty years!’
"You..." Chen Jingshan put down the scroll, stood up, and walked around the desk to stand before Ian.
His gaze swept over Ian, as if trying to see right through him. "You really did it?"
"I was fortunate enough to succeed," Ian replied, his eyes as calm as still water.
"When did you break through?"
"Yesterday."
Chen Jingshan was silent for a long moment.
The only sounds in the study were the soft CRACKLE of the flickering candlelight and the faint clamor of the market street outside the window.
"Hahaha!"
Suddenly, Chen Jingshan threw his head back and laughed, his voice so resonant it shook dust from the bookshelves.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He said "Good!" three times in a row, clapping Ian firmly on the shoulder.
"Young friend Li Xing, your cultivation speed has truly been an eye-opener for me!"
Chen Jingshan quickly adjusted his attitude, shifting from that of an "investing senior" to an "equal partner."
"You flatter me, Elder Chen," Ian said with a slight nod.
"It’s no flattery, not at all! From now on, there’s no need for such formality between us."
Chen Jingshan waved his hand, the aftershock of his amazement still visible on his face.
"I’ve been cultivating for seventy years and have seen plenty of geniuses, but one like you... who breaks straight through from the Awakening Late Stage to the Condensation Tier in a single month... is absolutely unheard of!"
He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and sat back down behind his desk.
His expression had returned to calm, but the astonishment deep in his eyes lingered.
"It seems my little investment back then really hit the jackpot."
He stood up, walked to the window, and gestured at the view of the Inner City outside.
"The Inner City of Blue Cave Mountain has a population of over twenty thousand. Among them, there are seventeen people at the Condensation Tier."
Chen Jingshan turned back to face Ian. "And now, you are the eighteenth."
Ian said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"The rules of the Outer City no longer apply to you."
Chen Jingshan took a new Token from his desk drawer. It was a size larger than the previous Honored Guest Elder Token and was crimson all over.
The front was engraved with complex star patterns, and on the back was the character for "Xia."
"From this day forward, you are a ’Core Honored Guest Elder’ of the Chixia Business Alliance. Your authority is equivalent to that of an internal Elder of the Business Alliance."
He handed the Token to Ian. "With this, you can enter and exit the Inner City freely, receive a thirty-percent discount on materials exchanged at the Business Alliance storehouse, and receive a monthly stipend of twenty Standard Crystals."
’Twenty Standard Crystals.’
Ian took the Token. It was heavy in his hand, made of some special kind of Metal. Its surface was warm to the touch, and he could faintly sense the Energy flowing within it.
"In addition," Chen Jingshan said, walking back to his desk and taking a thick volume from the bottom drawer.
"This is the access catalog for the Inner City’s knowledge vault. It contains all kinds of knowledge collected by the Business Alliance: Cultivation Insights on bloodlines, fragments of Rune Combat Techniques, records of ancient ruins... You can borrow three volumes per month."
He pushed the volume across the desk to Ian.
Ian accepted it solemnly and opened the first page.
"On Bloodline Awakening and Advancement Paths" · Fragment · Author Unknown · Archived in Year 127 of the Catastrophe Calendar.
"Thirty-Six Basic Rune Arrays" · Complete Edition · Author: Rune Master "Thousand Hands" · Archived in Year 211 of the Catastrophe Calendar.
"Distribution Map of Corruption Rifts Around Blue Cave Mountain" · Latest Revision · Author: Chixia Business Alliance Survey Team · Archived in Year 298 of the Catastrophe Calendar.
As Ian flipped through the pages, his gaze grew more and more intense.
In the Outer City, any one of these books would be enough to cause bloodshed.
But here, they were neatly cataloged and available to be borrowed.
"What do I have to give in return?"
Ian closed the volume and looked at Chen Jingshan.
"I’ve only just reached the Condensation Tier. The Business Alliance doesn’t lack for someone with my level of martial Power, does it?"
Chen Jingshan’s smile faded, and his tone grew serious.
"Because you are a ’Purification Master,’ and, even rarer, a Master of Potions."
He knew about Ian training those youths, and he knew Ian had also successfully created the Body Tempering Potion.
"And the conditions?"
"Conditions?" Chen Jingshan laughed. ’This young man’s thinking hasn’t shifted even after his promotion.’
"There are no conditions. The Business Alliance simply has priority purchasing rights for any Purification Potions you create, at ninety percent of the market price."
The terms were very lenient; one could say there were practically no conditions at all.
Ian nodded. This meant they wouldn’t restrict the expansion of his power in the Outer City.
"Deal."
Finally, Chen Jingshan pulled a small cloth pouch from the drawer and tossed it to Ian.
"This is your stipend for the month, twenty Standard Crystals. An advance, so you can go get those people in the Outer City settled. Don’t let them starve."
Ian caught the pouch. Inside were twenty milky-white Standard Crystals.
He put the pouch away, nodded at Chen Jingshan, and turned to leave the study.
After the door closed, Chen Jingshan sat back in his chair and picked up the yellowed diagram again, but he stared at it for a long time without really seeing it.
"Elder Chen," Steward Wang said, having entered at some point. He asked in a low voice, "Do you really have such high hopes for him?"
Elder Chen put down the diagram and looked out the window.
"You are not at the Condensation Tier, so you don’t understand what level of genius it takes to achieve a breakthrough in a single month."
The old man sighed.
"In this world, one more monstrous genius means one more glimmer of hope for humanity."
