Chapter 627
by fanqienovelChapter 627: Yongle (Part 1)
Under the clear sky, the green grass stretched like an endless ocean.
A vast, boundless plain unfolded before Wang Chen, carrying the fragrance of grass and wildflowers from the distant wind, filling him with immense joy after leaving the mountains.
It had been three days since he departed from Bailong Daze.
During this time, Wang Chen had traveled alone, cautiously avoiding various potential dangers.
Today, he finally reached his destination.
A majestic immortal city appeared in Wang Chen’s sight.
He instinctively held his breath.
During his time in the Mountain-Sea Realm, Wang Chen had lived in several immortal cities and experienced the grandeur of grand sects; he was no ordinary person lacking in knowledge.
Yet, this immortal city before him still left him in awe.
Yongle.
This was Yongle Immortal City!
Though Wang Chen had heard many tales about Yongle from Zhang Mushan, seeing this immortal city with his own eyes was an experience that words could hardly capture.
Yongle Immortal City was built upon the back of a colossal dragon tortoise.
The dragon tortoise, also known as Bixi, was said to be a descendant of ancient divine dragons, renowned for its immense strength and stability like mountains. With a dragon’s head and a tortoise’s body, this pure Yang divine beast possessed numerous innate abilities, such as warding off evil, dispelling danger, resolving conflicts, averting misfortune, and attracting wealth.
The massive tortoise lay quietly on the plain, its eyes tightly closed as if in eternal slumber, with countless fleshy whiskers hanging from its head, deeply rooted in the soil.
On its back, spanning a hundred miles, splendid towers and palatial halls stood in orderly rows, tall towers densely packed, interspersed with treacherous peaks, while waterfalls cascaded like hanging jade belts.
More than half of the buildings were veiled in clouds and mist, making it difficult to discern their full forms. Pairs of cranes soared gracefully, their clear calls audible even from dozens of miles away.
And between the tall buildings and towering peaks, the most frequent sight was streaks of light darting back and forth!
These were countless cultivators soaring through the air on sword flight.
Wang Chen couldn’t help but quicken his pace, gliding forward close to the lush grass.
Though the destination was near, he grew even more cautious.
Unfamiliar with the rules of Yongle Immortal City, he dared not take to the skies recklessly, fearing he might violate local taboos.
As he drew closer, the awe this immortal city inspired in him grew even stronger.
Surrounding the dragon tortoise that bore the city, countless houses and dwellings dotted the ground.
They formed a ring of settlement around the city.
Upon reaching this area, the human presence suddenly became lively and bustling.
The outer regions of Yongle Immortal City had been cultivated into numerous spirit fields, with farms and plantations scattered everywhere, all meticulously planned and arranged, presenting an orderly scene.
The roads leading to the base of the immortal city were wide and straight, with a steady stream of pedestrians coming and going.
Most of them were cultivators.
Wang Chen naturally blended into the crowd, like a drop of water merging into a river, quickly adapting to the vibrant environment.
However, as a newcomer, unfamiliar with the place, he had no clear understanding of the situation nor a specific purpose.
Seeing a tea shop by the roadside, Wang Chen decided to step inside.
“Welcome, sir! What would you like to drink?”
The shop assistant, a young man with a cultivation level at the third level of Qi Training, greeted him with a friendly smile: “We offer third-grade spiritual tea, five-flavored snacks, and seven-colored spirit fruits to choose from.”
Wang Chen ordered a pot of low-grade spiritual tea and two types of snacks.
He had inquired about the prices in detail before placing his order.
He hesitated for a moment.
As the saying goes, “wealth should not be revealed.” In unfamiliar territories, flaunting wealth was the most foolish act.
Wang Chen’s demeanor perfectly aligned with his identity as a low-level loose cultivator.
Indeed, after ordering his tea, the few gazes that had lingered on him when he entered soon shifted away.
Wang Chen settled into a corner of the tea shop, slowly savoring his spiritual tea and snacks while attentively listening to the conversations of the other patrons.
The place was a melting pot of individuals, including loose cultivators like Wang Chen, farmers from nearby farms, traveling merchants, as well as strongmen, hunters, and bodyguards, among others.
Not a single ordinary person was present; the lowest cultivation level among them was at the second or third level of Qi Training.
As for Purple Palace cultivators, at least one or two could be found in every ten.
They were hardly remarkable!
Wang Chen remained seated for nearly an hour, sifting through a lot of mundane chatter, but he also gleaned a fair amount of useful information.
From the snippets of conversation, he realized that the situation in Yongle Immortal City was far more complex than he had imagined!
He couldn’t help but rub the Xumi Ring on his ring finger.
“Excuse me, fellow traveler.”
As Wang Chen pondered, a middle-aged cultivator took a seat across from him, smiling warmly: “I hope you don’t mind me asking, do you intend to seek a living in Yongle?”
Seeking a living in Yongle…
That phrase felt a bit odd, at least to Wang Chen.
But outwardly, he remained composed and replied, “What if I do? What if I don’t?”
What a bold figure to approach him without cause! Wang Chen hadn’t expected that despite his low profile, someone would still take an interest in him.
The other man’s background was unknown, but he showed no signs of malice; in this public setting, Wang Chen had no qualms about exchanging a few words.
The middle-aged cultivator stroked the tuft of goat-like beard on his chin and said with a smile, “Do you know how many loose cultivators wish to obtain an immortal registry in Yongle each year, and how many actually succeed?”
Wang Chen pondered briefly and pushed a spirit stone across the table: “I would like to hear more.”
The middle-aged cultivator glanced at the spirit stone on the table and smiled without speaking.
He deemed it insufficient.
Wang Chen’s eyes twitched, revealing a hint of reluctance, and after a moment’s hesitation, he added another stone.
Then he glared fiercely at the middle-aged cultivator, warning him through his gaze.
Don’t be too greedy.
Finally satisfied, the middle-aged cultivator collected the two spirit stones into his sleeve.
He was merely acting as a low-level broker; even if the visitor was a poor loose cultivator, he wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by, following the principle of “a little effort yields a little reward.”
With just a bit of talk, earning two spirit stones was already quite good.
According to the middle-aged cultivator, every year, hundreds of thousands of loose cultivators sought to obtain an immortal registry in Yongle, but the city offered less than one percent of the available slots.
With so many applicants and so few opportunities, the competition was understandably fierce!
Most loose cultivators arriving here could only live around the city, doing “manual labor.”
If they were lucky, some might be invited to work within the immortal city, experiencing the splendor inside.
But living there was out of the question.
A few exceptionally fortunate loose cultivators secured temporary residency and could stay in Yongle Immortal City for a while, significantly increasing their chances of obtaining an immortal registry!
“My name is Jia Sidao, a local of Yongle.”
Finally, the middle-aged cultivator said to Wang Chen in a reserved tone, “If you wish to obtain a temporary residency, I might have a way to assist you.”
After saying this, he didn’t wait for Wang Chen’s response and directly left a letter symbol on the table.
Then he gracefully stood up and left, exuding an air of a refined master!
Wang Chen picked up the letter symbol.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.