The imperial capital of Jiang Kingdom, the center of power, was also the most prosperous place in the kingdom. It was a city where countless young people chased their dreams.
The cloudship approached the capital, and the view of the city became clearer to everyone onboard.
Beside Ye Xuan, Lu Xiaoran suddenly spoke, "Young friend Ye Xuan, the capital is full of hidden dangers. You must act with caution, or you may find yourself in a lot of trouble."
Ye Xuan nodded, "I don't seek trouble."
Lu Xiaoran smiled and shook his head, "It's not about you causing trouble. This place is truly mixed with dragons and snakes. Even as a city lord, I have to tread carefully here, for fear of offending those who should not be offended."
He looked at Ye Xuan, "Young friend, sometimes avoiding trouble isn't enough. It can be beneficial to make some connections."
Making friends!
Ye Xuan nodded. He naturally understood the value of having more friends.
The cloudship drew closer to the capital. From their position, they could clearly see the city's shape. The capital wasn't particularly large, with a population of around a million, and the city itself looked ancient, obviously bearing signs of history. However, it was bustling beyond measure.
Even from afar, countless cloudships could be seen either entering or departing the city.
Ye Xuan looked at the sky full of cloudships and muttered, "So lively!"
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "It will be even livelier inside!"
Ye Xuan nodded, curious about the capital before him.
When the cloudship was still about a thousand feet away from the capital, it suddenly began descending slowly. Below the ship was a massive river with at least dozens of other cloudships anchored there—an impressive sight.
At that moment, a voice sounded from within the ship, "We have arrived at the capital. All passengers, please prepare to disembark!"
Ye Xuan returned to his cabin, where he saw Ye Ling still asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he carefully picked her up on his back and went to the deck.
Lu Xiaoran looked at Ye Xuan and smiled, "Young friend Ye Xuan, why not come to my residence first?"
Ye Xuan nodded, "I'll take you up on your hospitality."
Hearing this, Lu Ming, the chubby boy standing nearby, grinned broadly. Having companions in the capital made him very happy, as he was lonely coming here alone.
The cloudship slowly descended and landed smoothly on the river. A long ladder was extended from the edge, and people began disembarking.
With his sister on his back, Ye Xuan followed Lu Xiaoran toward the distant city gate.
On the cloudship, Han Xiangmeng looked at Ye Xuan's receding figure and whispered, "Cangmu Academy might not be too peaceful this year."
Beside her, an old man asked solemnly, "Miss, why not befriend him?"
Han Xiangmeng shook her head, "I've already missed the best opportunity. Trying now would only bring shame upon myself."
She looked towards the distant capital and whispered, "Now, joining Cangmu Academy is my only hope..."
…
Under the capital city gate, Ye Xuan looked up, feeling somewhat emotional. Only now did he realize how small Qingcheng was. Its gate wasn't even a tenth of the size of this one.
This was a true city. Compared to it, Qingcheng wasn't worthy of the title at all.
Inside the city, Ye Xuan's first impression was its sheer size. The road was at least twenty yards wide, and the buildings were orderly without any sense of congestion, making it quite comfortable. The second impression was its liveliness—carriages filled the streets, and people bustled about. Speaking in low voices was almost impossible here.
At this point, Ye Ling woke up.
Looking around in amazement, she exclaimed, "Brother, this place is way livelier than Qingcheng!"
Ye Xuan smiled and then looked at Lu Xiaoran, "Senior Lu, where is Cangmu Academy?"
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Young friend, no need to rush. The academy will begin accepting new students in about ten days, and for now, it remains closed to outsiders. Going now wouldn't do any good. Rest at my residence for a few days, and when the time comes, you and my son can go to the academy together. How about it?"
Ye Xuan nodded, "Sounds good!"
Under Lu Xiaoran's lead, the group arrived at a large and luxurious mansion. After all, Lu Xiaoran was the lord of a city.
Lu Xiaoran arranged a private courtyard for Ye Xuan and his sister, along with three maids, which made Ye Xuan feel a bit embarrassed.
Not even half an hour had passed after entering the courtyard when Ye Ling had fallen asleep again.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan's heart sank. Out of twelve hours in a day, Ye Ling spent nine of them asleep. This was certainly not normal.
After covering her with a blanket, Ye Xuan left the room and entered the courtyard.
Ten days.
Cangmu Academy was his hope.
However, he felt worried because he hadn't yet reached the Spirit Mastery stage, which was the minimum requirement for admission to Cangmu Academy.
Thinking of something, he took out a white jade pendant, a gift from An Lanxiu. If necessary, he would use it, though he wanted to rely on his own strength to enter Cangmu Academy.
Spirit Sword!
Once he joined the academy, he would begin searching for Spirit Swords to consume, for that was the only way he could advance. But Spirit Swords were exceedingly rare and costly—he couldn't afford even a hair of one with his current wealth.
For the first time, he deeply understood how difficult it was for ordinary people to cultivate.
Cultivation!
Ye Xuan entered the Boundary Prison Tower. Instead of sparring with the shadow, which was now no match for him, he focused on mastering the intent of battle—an elusive concept that he hadn't fully grasped.
Time flew by, and soon, only two days remained before Cangmu Academy's enrollment.
Inside the Boundary Prison Tower, Ye Xuan clenched his fists, and an invisible force rippled from them.
Battle Intent!
With this power, he could now contend with Sky Realm experts, though he wasn't sure if he could win. If he had comprehended Sword Intent instead, facing Sky Realm experts would have been effortless.
Half an hour later, Ye Xuan left the tower as Lu Xiaoran arrived at their courtyard. Seeing Ye Xuan, Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Young friend, have you been comfortable here?"
Ye Xuan smiled, "Honestly, my sister and I have never stayed in such a nice place."
Lu Xiaoran laughed heartily, "You really have a way with words. By the way, there's a banquet tonight. If you have time, why not bring your sister along and join me?"
"A banquet?" Ye Xuan was slightly taken aback, "What kind of banquet?"
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "It's hosted by the Grand Prince of the capital. Every time Cangmu Academy recruits new students, geniuses from all over Jiang Kingdom come here, and the royal family pays them proper respect by sending a prince to receive them."
Ye Xuan pondered for a moment, "Not just anyone can attend, right?"
Lu Xiaoran nodded, "Of course. Only those with status and strength are qualified to attend. In fact, almost everyone invited to this banquet will definitely get into Cangmu Academy; otherwise, they wouldn't be invited."
Ye Xuan smiled wryly, "Senior, I didn't receive an invitation."
Lu Xiaoran said earnestly, "Young friend, come with me. There's no need for an invitation—I invite you. If possible, attending is still a good idea. The ones attending are this year's most talented geniuses, and it could be beneficial to connect with some of them. What do you think?"
Ye Xuan thought for a moment and then nodded.
As Lu Xiaoran said, befriending others wasn't a bad thing. A swordsman didn't have to be a loner, and he was also curious to see the geniuses of Jiang Kingdom.
Lu Xiaoran nodded and smiled, "Then prepare yourself. We'll head out shortly."
With that, he turned and left.
Ye Xuan returned to the room, and by then, Ye Ling had woken up.
Ye Xuan walked over, gently pinched her cheek, and said softly, "Don't fall asleep this time. Brother will take you out for a feast!"
Ye Ling blinked and then beamed, "Alright!"
Ye Xuan playfully tapped her nose, "Go wash your face. We're heading out soon!"
Half an hour later, Lu Xiaoran led Ye Xuan, Ye Ling, and the others out of the mansion, quickly arriving at a large inn in the city center.
Immortal Guest Inn!
The largest inn in the capital, covering nearly a thousand square meters over six stories, its exterior gilded and lavish—a property of Drunken Immortal Inn.
Seeing the inn, Ye Xuan and Ye Ling were stunned.
They had never seen such a grand and luxurious inn. Even Lu Ming was amazed; Thousand Mountain City had nothing like this.
Seeing their expressions, Lu Xiaoran laughed heartily, "This isn't the biggest. Travel more, and you'll find that the world is full of wonders."
Ye Xuan nodded in agreement. He was glad he had left Qingcheng; otherwise, he would have remained narrow-minded all his life.
Lu Xiaoran led them inside, where they were greeted by a beautiful young woman. "Are you Lord Lu?"
Lu Xiaoran nodded.
She smiled sweetly, "The banquet will begin in half an hour. The Grand Prince has arranged some 'entertainment' in the meantime. Would you care to try it, Lord Lu?"
Lu Xiaoran blushed slightly and quickly shook his head, "No need, just take me to the Grand Prince."
She nodded and led them upstairs. When they reached the fourth floor, Ye Xuan and Ye Ling were stunned by what they saw.
The entire floor was like a grand plaza, much larger than their entire Ye family estate, and incredibly lavish. Golden splendor adorned the surroundings like a palace, and thick beast pelts covered the floor, soft underfoot.
"Wow!" Lu Ming stomped on the pelt and exclaimed, "Dad, this is red tiger pelt! Each one costs hundreds of gold coins, and there must be tens of thousands here... Damn, Drunken Immortal Inn is richer than us!"
Ye Xuan exchanged a glance with Ye Ling and shook his head, smiling wryly, "Our imagination is limited by our poverty!"
Lu Xiaoran smiled, "Young friend, Drunken Immortal Inn's wealth rivals nations. Even the royal family is poorer by comparison."
He glanced into the distance, "Wait here, young friend, I'll be back shortly."
With that, he walked off quickly.
Just then, a young man approached Ye Xuan, cupped his hands, and said, "Brother, is this your first time here?"
Ye Xuan nodded, returning the gesture, "Yes, I just arrived."
The young man smiled, "I am Yu Buer, heir of the Yu family of Chuan City. May I ask who you are?"
Ye Xuan smiled, "Ye Xuan of Qingcheng, just a lone cultivator."
"A lone cultivator?" The young man was slightly stunned, then his expression cooled, "My apologies."
With that, he turned and left.
Ye Xuan: "..."
The young man approached another nearby, cupping his hands, "I am Yu Buer, heir of the Yu family of Chuan City. And you are?"
The other man returned the gesture, "Mo Xiao, heir of the Mo family from Yue City."
Yu Buer was taken aback, "The Mo family that owns dozens of gold mines?"
Mo Xiao nodded, "Precisely."
Yu Buer grabbed Mo Xiao's arm, smiling widely, "Brother Mo, I feel like we've hit it off. Come, let's drink..."
…