Four days swiftly passed, and on the fifth day, Zhao Wei realized that their traveling carriage was already 50 miles away from a rich and imposing city.
It was grander and significantly larger than Sun Feather City, approximately ten times its size.
And it was about that time that Zhao Yufei suddenly opened her eyes and looked outside.
Her aura seemed to have experienced a qualitative change. It was calm, non-aggressive, and expertly caged within her slender body. Her cultivation base had the most noticeable improvement since she had successfully advanced to the initial phase of the Sixth Rank Realm.
It was a good indicator of her extraordinary talent but where she was heading to was a place where geniuses with Sixth Rank cultivation bases weren't a rarity. Anyway, all of these would become useless once Zhao Yufei extensively understands her hidden heritage and ancient bloodline. Her Spiritual Race Bloodline guaranteed the fastest cultivation speed, and as of now, only Zhao Wei and her grandpa were aware of her uniqueness.
"How many days have passed, Brother Wei?" Zhao Yufei asked with a smile while looking at the bored youth seated beside her.
"Lost your sense of time, no? It was only four days. Did you happen to have the illusion that maybe a century had passed?" Zhao Wei smiled back and it was that time that Ye Lingyun gradually opened his eyes.
"I presume that we have arrived, right?" Ye Lingyun lightly asked after observing both Yufei's and Zhao Wei's happy chatter.
"Indeed." Zhao Wei nodded his head.
"I didn't expect time to pass that fast." Ye Lingyun sighed deeply as he looked at the all-too-familiar Guanjun City via the window.
"You show remarkable diligence, even though you've already reached the pinnacle of what can be considered this country's powerhouse." Zhao Wei casually commented but he already knew the importance of diligence in one's cultivation. However, many individuals tend to become complacent and short-sighted when exposed to even a little bit of glory.
Of course, Zhao Wei knew that Ye Lingyun wasn't like that. He was someone who strived to change his current fate. Sadly, he was just someone meant to be forgotten after the original main character leveled up to other places and would remain like that - under Lord Guanjun's control.
"Time is a precious commodity, juniors. Even someone like me needs to be time-conscious when it comes to my own cultivation. We, Ninth Rankers, all strive for one goal - to break through our mortal limitations and achieve the Holy Path. But… that's an almost hopeless dream that many have failed to actualize." Ye Lingyun explained with a look of yearning on his face as he looked outside.
Zhao Yufei, who didn't have enough knowledge about the legendary Holy Path, listened keenly with curiosity written on her beautiful face.
'Then this implies that Lord Guanjun is likely at this legendary realm to command the forces of an entire country.' She thought.
'Holy Path, will I ever reach it?' Zhao Yufei asked herself as she silently balled her fists.
'No, I will strive to surpass it and even go further beyond.' She affirmed her fiery ambitions with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Without even knowing it, Zhao Yufei cast a surreptitious glance at her side.
'After the embodiment of lofty aspirations as high as the heavens is sitting next to me. Uh, I forgot that this guy likes to dream exaggeratedly and he would probably say something about surpassing the heavens.' She unknowingly chortled when those thoughts crossed her mind.
Zhao Wei arched an eyebrow at her and Zhao Yufei realized her blunder.
"I feel deeply honored that you are thinking about me in broad daylight. Won't you just wait for night to fall?" Zhao Wei wore a foxy grin, full of mischief.
"Shameless narcissist!" Zhao Yufei blushed heavily and since she couldn't defend herself, she swiftly turned her attention to the outside.
Ye Lingyun had an interesting smile hanging on his lips when he witnessed the lovely banter between the two.
"I have noticed that you two are unusually close."
"Are you by chance a… couple?"
"Never!" Both Zhao Wei and Zhao Yufei responded at the same time and looked at each other when they realized how embarrassing it was.
Ye Lingyun boisterously laughed in enjoyment.
"You two are fun."
"Hmph, who would even like someone like him?' Her dimples appeared as she firmly rejected Ye Lingyun's wild guess once again.
Zhao Yufei found it embarrassing to expose her hidden interest to strangers but deep in her heart, she felt stung by Zhao Wei's cold response for the umpteenth time.
'Women.' Zhao Wei didn't find Zhao Yufei's response strange but she couldn't understand why her emotions were momentarily all over the place.
Soon, the carriage arrived at the humongous silver gate which served as the main entrance to Guanjun City. Other carriages were entering the city and they had to stop at the entrance due to the presence of fierce Guanjun guards stationed there. Their cultivation bases were at the fourth rank and above making them quite a formidable force to not mess with.
The entrance had a pay-to-enter system, as one would find in any typical large city depicted in most cultivation novels.
And when it was time for Zhao Wei's carriage, the guards surprisingly didn't bother with them and immediately allowed them to pass unimpeded.
Eventually, the carriage halted in front of a tall, majestic palace in the heart of the city.
"This is where your future rise will depend on - The Guanjun Palace. Don't slack off and perform better than your peers since Lord Guanjun values talents that rise above the masses." Ye Lingyun said seriously.
Zhao Wei and Zhao Yufei nodded as they exited the carriage.
"Lord Guanjun made a special program for young geniuses like you from all over the country. You would train there but let me give you a warning in advance… the competition there is hella stiff. Your personal strength is what matters most." Ye Lingyun advised as he led them deeper into Guanjun Palace.
Ye Lingyun nodded to every guard that they passed along the way. It partly felt like a greeting and hidden code among the guards.
"The Sky Guards Battalion is that way." Ye Lingyun pointed at the spacious center filled with people, a few distances away from where they were standing.
"And you have legs, right?"
And with that, he quickly departed.
"..."
"..."
The two were left speechless and could only shrug it off as they followed his instructions.
Zhao Wei slowly walked while inspecting his surroundings. And he found that there was really nothing special about the inner part of the palace.
Eventually, they arrived at a place with lots of unfamiliar faces that immediately directed their curious gazes at them.
They were the youths scouted from all over the country each one of them with the word 'genius' attached to their very being.
'This isn't a joking matter. These are the cream of the crop—dragons and phoenixes who will soon determine the fate of the world. I bet someone among them has the Supreme Yanluo System.' Zhao Wei was gobsmacked by his own sarcasm.
'Anyway, maybe it's the Supreme Godly Kidney System, pfft!'
Why did he have to remember those funny CN manhuas he had read back in his past life in this type of situation?
***
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