Chapter 89 - 86: Entering the Imperial City

"COUGH, COUGH! Senior, this junior obtained this item by chance..." Mo Qianqian hurriedly explained.

"Did he give it to you?" The old man didn’t believe a word Mo Qianqian said. He interrogated him again, the grip of his hand tightening significantly.

"Who?" Mo Qianqian asked.

"Boy, lying will get you killed," the old man said, his voice dark and threatening.

Mo Qianqian cursed inwardly. He wondered why this old man had such an eccentric temper. Furthermore, what kind of token was this, and what exactly had the Vast Sect Leader done to him in the past? Just seeing the item made the old man look as if he wanted to murder Mo Qianqian on the spot.

His mind raced. His intuition told him that lying truly would result in his death. However, he recalled the Vast Sect Leader’s instructions to say he obtained it by chance. The Vast Sect Leader couldn’t possibly mean to harm him, right? Would he just send him here to lie and die?

Ultimately, Mo Qianqian chose to trust the Vast Sect Leader’s words. "This junior obtained it by chance in the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest... COUGH, COUGH!"

An icy chill washed over Mo Qianqian from head to toe. The old man’s grip had reached the absolute limit of what he could endure.

Suddenly, the grip loosened.

"Not bad. You didn’t sell him out." The old man turned around and walked toward the house.

"Senior..." Mo Qianqian was greatly astonished.

He wondered if this person had a special relationship with the Vast Sect Leader and was merely testing his loyalty. Was this what the Vast Sect Leader intended as well? Or was the old man doing this on purpose to bait more information out of him?

The old man didn’t say another word. Under Mo Qianqian’s watchful gaze, he walked inside the house. Soon after, he returned with something in his hand and walked up to Mo Qianqian. "Sixteen years of bone age. This is what you want. Now get lost."

Mo Qianqian was startled. In that brief moment, the other party had managed to deduce his true bone age. Of course, as for what he wanted, someone who specialized in forging Human Skin Masks would certainly know exactly what he was after.

"You’ve hidden from me for fifty years. Let’s see how much longer you can hide," the old man muttered to himself, clutching the token like a senile fool.

Mo Qianqian couldn’t help but feel curious. Could this old man actually be the Vast Sect Leader’s father?

He quickly rejected the idea, realizing that since the other party forged Human Skin Masks, his current face might not even be his true appearance. It was highly likely that it wasn’t!

"You can’t hide!" the old man added. He turned around and shuffled back into the house, muttering to himself like a demented elder.

"Thank you, Senior. This junior will take his leave now!" Mo Qianqian expressed his gratitude and bowed once more before immediately departing from the courtyard.

The old man was too bizarre; lingering there made him feel a persistent sense of danger.

After leaving Luocheng and entering the forest, Mo Qianqian made sure no one was around before heading straight into the first layer of the Ninefold Coffin’s space. Only then did he open the item the old man had given him.

It was indeed a Human Skin Mask, an exquisitely crafted and exceptionally handsome visage. Mo Qianqian removed his Black Iron Mask and carefully put on the Human Skin Mask.

This Human Skin Mask was truly extraordinary. It possessed special properties—it was highly resilient and could stretch to cover his entire face perfectly. It felt as if it had melted into his own skin, adhering tightly to his face without a single flaw. Wearing it caused absolutely no discomfort.

"This mask is definitely not something an ordinary person could make," Mo Qianqian sighed in admiration.

After inspecting it closely once more to ensure there were no issues, Mo Qianqian proceeded to put his Black Iron Mask back on over it.

SWISH!

In the next moment, Mo Qianqian emerged from the Ninefold Coffin and reappeared in the forest. He then set out on his journey toward the Imperial City.

Several days later.

Mo Qianqian arrived at the Imperial City and strode confidently inside.

Spanning dozens of miles, the Imperial City was exceedingly prosperous—undoubtedly the most flourishing metropolis in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. The Imperial City was different from other cities. Inside its walls, killing and fighting were strictly prohibited; offenders would face severe punishment.

The key lay in the word "punishment."

It wasn’t entirely impossible to fight within the Imperial City. As long as both parties were willing, fighting was perfectly fine. The catch was the Combat Tax enforced within the city limits.

Whoever lost would be heavily fined based on their cultivation level. For instance, those below the Spirit Vein Realm Fifth Level were fined ten First-Grade Inferior Elixirs. Those above the Spirit Vein Realm Fifth Level were fined ten First-Grade Superior Elixirs. For someone without a powerful background, a single fine would be enough to bankrupt them.

If a person was killed, the price was even steeper. If one party refused the challenge but the other attacked unilaterally, the one who struck first had to pay the tax, regardless of victory or defeat.

For the major factions, this rule wasn’t entirely unacceptable. If their younger generation got into a fight in the Imperial City, they could at least bail them out with money. For the royal family, it meant they didn’t have to expend constant effort guarding the city; they only needed to collect money afterward. It was a lucrative and hassle-free system.

Over time, this rule became an established tradition throughout the Imperial City.

Mo Qianqian had been to the Imperial City before, so he was quite familiar with its rules. For the vast majority of people, entering the Imperial City equated to safety. No one would needlessly pay an exorbitant price to commit murder and arson within its walls. Unless absolutely necessary, people would simply wait for their target to leave the city before making a move.

Upon entering, Mo Qianqian immediately felt the bustling energy of the Imperial City. The streets were teeming with pedestrians, and shops lined both sides of the roads. The continuous cries of merchants buying and selling echoed incessantly. Of course, the varied chatter of passersby never ceased either.

Along the way, Mo Qianqian caught wind of some interesting gossip.

"The Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion recently brought in a new Spiritual Soldier."

"What kind of Spiritual Soldier?"

"I heard it’s a spear. A mysterious person sold it to the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion."

"What price are they asking for it?"

"There is no price. They say it’s a barter trade. They’ll only sell it if someone brings out an item the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion wants."

"A barter trade? Who could possibly buy that?"

"It’s probably just a publicity stunt by the Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion. The Spirit Master Banquet is approaching, so quite a few experts and factions have come to the Imperial City. The Ten Thousand Spirits Pavilion just wants to attract them."

"Even so, knowing it’s a stunt, people will still go. Who can resist a good treasure? Even if you can’t afford it, just looking at it broadens your horizons."

Hearing this, Mo Qianqian’s eyes lit up. A Spiritual Soldier!

Spiritual Soldiers were different from ordinary weapons. They had reached a level where they could amplify the power of an attack. Some Spiritual Soldiers could even unleash elemental attribute powers. Typically, only those at the higher levels of the Tongyou Realm, or even above the Tongyou Realm, could draw out a Spiritual Soldier’s true might. They were considered weapons strictly reserved for experts at the late stages of the Tongyou Realm and beyond.

However, even if one couldn’t fully utilize its power, who wouldn’t want to possess a superior weapon? It was just that Spiritual Soldiers were far too rare and expensive. Even the three major families of the Great Xia Dynasty had never openly displayed a Spiritual Soldier, which meant it was entirely possible that not all of them possessed one.

For a Spirit Master to upgrade a top-tier weapon into a Spiritual Soldier, they needed to reach at least the third grade. Moreover, even a Third-Grade Spirit Master would require an exceedingly long time to accomplish this—perhaps several years, over a decade, or even longer. This was precisely why the Great Xia Dynasty had Third-Grade Spirit Masters but very few Spiritual Soldiers.

Mo Qianqian immediately pondered a question, "With the Spirit Master Banquet approaching, someone happens to be selling a spear-type Spiritual Soldier. It can’t be that coincidental, can it?"