Chapter 91: Bound for Pure Yang City, A Colossal City

Several days passed. Qin Xiao asked people to gather information. Having made such a bold promise, he had to know his opponents’ strength.

He had no intelligence network of his own, but the Immortal Dao Merchant Association did. As long as he was not investigating the Association itself, he could pay for reliable information.

A place in the top five would fulfill his promise, but even that seemed difficult. Tianyi City joining was the only change this time, so Qin Xiao paid particular attention to Chen Shunyi’s gifted disciple.

At present, they were already journeying toward Pure Yang City. Sect Leader Lin Tiancheng was personally leading the delegation aboard the same Flying Ship from before, accompanied by no one else save for the three of them.

Sitting aboard the flying ship, Qin Xiao reviewed what he had learned.

Tianyi City’s nominal Deputy City Lord was Fang Xiuxian, thirty-three, a late Nascent Soul cultivator with a Heavenly Spirit Root and Chen Shunyi’s youngest disciple. He had made good use of his talent, reaching late Nascent Soul at thirty-three. His reputation, though, was poor. He fought with extreme ruthlessness; those who fought him were left dead or crippled.

Pure Yang City’s nominal Deputy City Lord, Yu Heguang, could not be underestimated either. Just short of thirty-five, he too was at late Nascent Soul. He was believed to have come from Central Province and seemed to belong to City Lord Yu Chengfeng’s family.

Then there was Pure Yang Sect’s new leading disciple, Gong Yuankui. He rarely appeared in public and had no recorded fights. He too was at late Nascent Soul.

That was what Qin Xiao knew about the three strongest late Nascent Soul cultivators. To reach the top three, they would have to face at least one. The top five would be easier: they would only have to face the Immortal Dao Merchant Association and Mysterious Yin Sect. But Qin Xiao suspected those two had more to them than their apparent strength.

“Master, you’ve been spacing out the entire trip. What are you thinking about?”

After meditating for a long while, Yun Man noticed Qin Xiao was still lost in thought and asked curiously.

“Nothing much. I’m reviewing what I know about our opponents. They’re tricky, but not too much of a problem. Fight without worrying. If you can’t win, surrender. I’ll be there to take over,” Qin Xiao said confidently.

“Don’t worry, Master. I won’t give you a chance to fight. It’s a three-against-three contest, with fighters taking turns. As long as Second Junior Sister doesn’t hold us back, I can handle two opponents myself,” Yun Man replied confidently. Get faster updates on NovelPing.

“Hold on, what is that supposed to mean? Am I suddenly the weakest link here? What do you mean by not dragging you down?”

Though Lin Shimeng had originally intended to remain silent, the remark struck too close to home for her to ignore.

“Isn’t that true? Can you beat me? I can’t beat Master. Are you saying you can?” Yun Man challenged her.

The three had sparred over the past few days. Yun Man won against Lin Shimeng every time, and not by a narrow margin. But she could do nothing against Qin Xiao. It was not that he was a skilled fighter. He simply did not fear taking a beating, and brute strength overcame technique.

Lin Shimeng had no answer. She wanted to argue, but she really was the weakest of the three.

“Enough. You’re fellow disciples; don’t fight among yourselves. It’ll be best if I don’t have to act, but don’t push yourselves. I don’t want you getting hurt,” Qin Xiao said.

Qin Xiao did not doubt Yun Man. He had watched their spars these past few days. Even holding back, she could beat Lin Shimeng fighting at full strength. Her talent was extraordinary, and her background was clearly no ordinary one either.

“Don’t worry, Master. We get along fine.” At Qin Xiao’s words, Yun Man toned it down.

Lin Shimeng could only let out a soft sigh.

Before Qin Xiao and Yun Man joined the sect, Lin Shimeng had been its gifted prodigy and hope for the future. None of her Senior Brothers or Sisters from previous cohorts had matched her talent. She had been so proud then. Beside these two exceptional talents, she now seemed ordinary.

Another four hours passed, and a huge city appeared ahead. It was several times larger than Tianyuan City. A colossal city indeed—the sight of it alone was intimidating.

“Sect Leader, a city of this scale surely has no rival across the entirety of Qingzhou, right?” Qin Xiao remarked with a hint of admiration as they approached the gates.

“If we are speaking strictly of conventional cities, this is indeed the largest in Qingzhou,” Lin Tiancheng replied with a nod.

“Conventional? Are there unconventional ones as well?”

Qin Xiao’s curiosity only deepened upon hearing the distinction.

“Of course. In the center of Qingzhou is Qingzhou City, the province’s center of strength and authority. The Immortal Dao Merchant Association’s Qingzhou branch is there, as is the Qingzhou Governor-General’s Manor. Almost every force has a base there. It’s far larger than Pure Yang City, but it has no City Lord, only a Governor-General.” Lin Tiancheng explained it in detail. Qin Xiao had hardly left the sect in these three years and knew little about the outside world. This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.

“Damn, this world’s even bigger than I thought. I’ll have to visit Qingzhou City sometime. It must be fun there.” Only after Lin Tiancheng’s explanation did Qin Xiao realize how little he had seen, like a frog looking up from the bottom of a well. The world outside was vast.

After paying the entry fee, they went to the City Lord’s Manor. Since Pure Yang City was hosting the contest, the manor handled registration and lodging.

The matches would begin the next morning. Today was for registration, confirming the competitors, and an evening banquet where everyone could get to know each other.

Once they had their rooms, Qin Xiao could not sit still. How could he stay inside cultivating until evening? This was his first visit to Pure Yang City. He could not waste it.

“Sect Leader, since there’s nothing pressing on our schedule today, how about we go out and take a look around?” Qin Xiao asked, turning to Lin Tiancheng.

“You go. People from other forces will be coming to see me, and I have people to visit too. I can’t get away.” Lin Tiancheng knew Qin Xiao could not sit still, but he could not leave. Many acquaintances would come to greet him, and he had others to visit. Maintaining those relationships was a necessary skill for a Sect Leader.

“Then we’ll leave you to it, Sect Leader. We’re going out to have some fun.”

Qin Xiao had only asked in passing. He was glad Lin Tiancheng was not coming. He would have felt less free with the Sect Leader around.

“Wait. Let me be clear: this isn’t Tianyuan City, or a small city like Tianyi City. You can go out, but don’t stir up trouble or offend people. Give way when you can. If you cause trouble, you’ll put me in a difficult position as Sect Leader. Understand?” Seeing Qin Xiao ready to leave at once, Lin Tiancheng hastily added the warning.

He did not want the boy going out and picking fights with everyone, friend or foe, attacking anyone he disagreed with. Then he would have to clean up their mess.

“What are you saying, Sect Leader? We’re decent, well-behaved people. How could we cause trouble? What happened in Tianyi City was just a misunderstanding. I usually keep well away from trouble. Don’t worry.” Qin Xiao had wondered what Lin Tiancheng wanted to say. So that was it. He was not someone who liked causing trouble. The Sect Leader was worrying too much.

With that, Qin Xiao left with Yun Man and Lin Shimeng. Lin Shimeng had wanted to keep her composure in front of her father, but Qin Xiao and Yun Man were out of sight in an instant. She gave up on that and chased after them at full speed.