Chapter 54: Tianyue City

Evening.

The master and disciple finally arrived at Tianyue City.

It was a colossal city of breathtaking grandeur, its walls soaring into the clouds.

Built entirely of white jade, it glowed with a faint golden light under the setting sun.

People streamed through the city gates in endless waves, cultivators forming an unbroken line, while spirit beasts and carriages queued up in long rows.

Lin Xiaoyu stood before the gate, tilting her head to gaze up at the towering walls, her mouth forming a perfect “O.”

“Master… it’s so lively here… much livelier than our Qingyun City…”

Chen Ping smiled.

“Tianyue City is the largest city under the Tianyue Sacred Land’s jurisdiction, so of course it’s bustling.”

He paused, then added:

“Besides, this place is practically the center of the Northern Region already. Cultivators traveling north and south all have to stop here.”

Lin Xiaoyu listened, half-understanding, and merely nodded repeatedly.

*

The two walked through the city gate.

Inside, it was even livelier.

Broad streets were lined with shops packed side by side, selling magical artifacts, pills, spirit beasts, talismans… everything one could want.

The streets teemed with people, cultivators of every attire and aura brushing past each other.

Lin Xiaoyu followed behind Chen Ping, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.

She secretly sized up the people around her.

Some were at the Qi Refining Stage, just like her.

Some were at the Foundation Establishment Stage, their auras steady.

Some were at the Golden Core Stage, their spiritual power condensed and solid.

Some were at the Nascent Soul Stage, their presence as deep as an abyss.

There were even experts at the Divine Ability Realm and Grotto-Heaven Realm walking by, and the surrounding people subconsciously gave way.

Occasionally, she sensed a few unfathomably deep auras; those were old monsters at the Dao Severing Realm.

Lin Xiaoyu’s heart pounded.

She had never seen so many powerful cultivators.

In Qingyun Sect, the Divine Ability Realm was already elder-level, rarely seen in day-to-day life.

Above the Grotto-Heaven Realm, she had only ever seen the sect master.

Yet here, one could see quite a few of them everywhere.

*

Chen Ping noticed her nervousness, stopped walking, and turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Xiaoyu bit her lip and said softly:

“Master… so many people… so many powerhouses…”

Chen Ping smiled.

He reached out and gently pressed a hand on her shoulder.

A warm, gentle purple-gold energy flowed into her body.

Primordial Chaos Creation. Though not fully activated, that wisp of energy was enough to soothe the nervousness and unease in her heart.

Lin Xiaoyu felt a surge of warmth flooding her heart, and all her tension, unease, and apprehension instantly dissipated.

She raised her head and looked at Chen Ping.

“Master…”

“Don’t worry,” Chen Ping said gently.

“Just follow this master.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded vigorously.

*

The master and disciple continued forward.

They crossed three streets and arrived before a massive mansion.

The gate was three zhang high, cast entirely of dark iron, with the words “Tianyue Courtyard” engraved on it.

Two rows of white-robed disciples stood at the entrance, each with formidable auras, the weakest at least at the Golden Core Stage.

This was the place where the Tianyue Sacred Land received its subordinate forces.

Chen Ping took out the invitation and handed it to the disciples at the entrance.

The disciple took a glance, and his expression immediately turned respectful.

“So it’s Peak Master Chen and Fairy Lin from Qingyun Sect. Please come in, please.”

He personally led the two into the mansion.

*

Inside the mansion, it was even livelier.

The spacious courtyard was packed with tables and chairs.

Cultivators from various factions gathered in small groups, some sitting, some standing, conversing in low voices.

Chen Ping swept his gaze around.

Qi Refining Stage, Foundation Establishment Stage, Golden Core Stage, Nascent Soul Stage, Divine Ability Realm, Grotto-Heaven Realm…

There were even a few old monsters at the Dao Severing Realm, sitting in corners with their eyes closed, resting.

“So many people…” Lin Xiaoyu murmured.

Chen Ping nodded.

“The Hanling Mystic Realm opens once every ten years, and all who come are the elite disciples of the major powers. These people are all here for the opportunities within that realm.”

He led Lin Xiaoyu through the crowd and found two empty chairs in a corner to sit down.

“Let’s rest for a bit,” he said softly.

“Once everyone’s arrived, someone will naturally make arrangements.”

Lin Xiaoyu nodded and obediently sat down beside him.

She secretly sized up the people around her.

Those young disciples, each with powerful auras and sharp gazes, were clearly heaven-blessed prodigies.

The older cultivators were even more unfathomable, making others afraid to look directly at them.

She suddenly felt a bit dazed.

A month ago, she had still been that despised Heaven-Detested Physique, unable to even step onto the path of cultivation.

A month later, she was sitting here, waiting to enter the mystic realm alongside all the geniuses of the Southern Region.

All of this was because of her master.

She turned her head and looked at Chen Ping beside her.

Chen Ping leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, as if resting his spirit.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell upon his face, lending it a soft golden glow.

Lin Xiaoyu looked at his profile, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

With her master here, she wasn’t afraid of anything.

*

In the distance.

A few young disciples were conversing in hushed tones.

“I heard that this time, besides the three major powers and their subordinate forces, there are also a few outsiders entering the Hanling Mystic Realm?”

“Outsiders? Who?”

“Don’t know. I heard they were personally invited by the three major powers.”

“Personally invited by the three major powers? That’s no simple matter.”

“Which sacred land’s prodigy are they?”

“Who knows? Why don’t you personally ask the higher-ups of the three major powers?”

“Are you kidding? How could I possibly have the qualifications…”

The young disciples chuckled softly, their gazes occasionally drifting toward the master-disciple pair in the corner.

*

In the corner.

Lin Xiaoyu paid no heed to those gazes.

She lowered her head and took out a food box from her storage ring.

It was an ordinary wooden food box, containing a few simple dishes.

Stir-fried ferns, chilled wild celery, a few pieces of roasted meat, and a pot of clear tea.

All made by her own hands this morning.

“Master, have a little to eat.”

She set the food box on the small table and offered Chen Ping a pair of chopsticks.

Chen Ping smiled and took the chopsticks.

“Alright.”

She knew her master had a habit of eating meals.

Three meals a day, rain or shine, never interrupted.

It was the same on Luoxia Peak, and the same when traveling.

She had prepared this food box before they set out.

—

Master and disciple sat at the small table and ate in quiet companionship.

Their meal was simple. Humble.

But here in this courtyard, surrounded by cultivators draped in silk and jade, feasting on spirit fruits and nectar, this scene stood out sharply… out of place.

—

Not far off, a crowd clustered around a man and a woman as they made their way over.

The man wore embroidered robes and carried a Liuyun Sect token at his waist. His aura marked him at the Late Golden Core stage.

He ushered the woman along with fawning enthusiasm, his lips never ceasing their stream of flattery.

“Senior Sister Song, over here. It’s quieter on this side.”

The woman was dressed in white, her elegant features cold and aloof, the very image of someone who preferred to be left alone.

She nodded faintly and settled into the chair the man pulled out for her.

Just as the man was about to sit beside her, he turned and caught sight of Chen Ping and Lin Xiaoyu in the corner.

His brow immediately furrowed.

—

“Where did these two yokels come from?”

He strode over in broad steps, looking down his nose at Chen Ping and his disciple.

“Get lost and eat somewhere else. You think this is a place for the likes of you?”

His voice was loud, utterly unabashed.

Quite a few people nearby turned to look.

—

Lin Xiaoyu lifted her head, a flash of anger in her eyes.

But she said nothing.

She only looked toward Chen Ping.

Chen Ping cast an indifferent glance at the man.

Then he reached out and gently tugged at Lin Xiaoyu’s sleeve.

“Step back.”

He rose to his feet, picked up the food box, and led Lin Xiaoyu to an even more secluded corner.

There was nothing there but a single stone, not even a chair.

Chen Ping paid it no mind.

He sat cross-legged upon the stone and resumed eating.

Lin Xiaoyu bit her lip, sat down beside him, and did the same.

—

The brocade-robed man blinked, then broke into a grin.

“Oh, so you do know how to take a hint.”

He turned toward the woman in white, his expression smug.

“Did you see that, Senior Sister Song? Bumpkins like these, one good scare and they fall right in line.”

The woman in white didn’t reply. She simply cast a cool glance at Chen Ping and his disciple, then withdrew her gaze.

Qi Refining Stage.

Both of them, Qi Refining Stage.

Not worth a second look.

—

The brocade-robed man grew even more self-satisfied.

He walked up to Lin Xiaoyu and appraised her from his lofty vantage.

His eyes roamed over her face, her figure, back and forth.

After cultivating the Heavenly Dao Primordial Qi Refining technique, Lin Xiaoyu’s demeanor had changed considerably from before.

Though her clothes were plain, that pure, spirit-like essence emanating from deep within her bones was impossible to conceal.

The man’s eyes lit up.