Chapter 129: Entering the Jiuyi City

After reorganizing his martial arts and equipment and fully consolidating his strength, Ryan opened his attribute panel once more.

Player: Ryan

Title: Slaughter Master

Level: 44 (Four-Star Upper Exalt)

Experience: 1,210,000 / 10,000,000

God of War Value: 100

Martial Arts: Nightmare Strike (Sky-rank ), Six Yang Returning Heaven Finger (Sky-rank), Heaven’s Guidance (Sky-rank), Blazing Dance of Flames (Heaven-rank), Frozen Miles (Heaven-rank)

Skills: Intermediate Fist Technique, Intermediate Sword Technique, Intermediate Saber Technique

Movement Technique: No-Phase God Shadow Step (Sky-rank)

Finishing Move: Mountain Splitting (Level 1)

Secondary Professions: Intermediate Alchemy (Alchemist), Intermediate Forging (Forge Master), Intermediate Puppetry (Puppet Master)

Special Trait: Three Thousand Flames (Extreme Fire)

Backpack Items: Frost Sword, Remnant Sword, Swiftstep Boots, Black Iron Gloves, Ice Spirit Light Armor, All-Attribute Pills ×1000, Intermediate All-Attribute Pills ×100

Looking at this panel, Ryan felt an overwhelming sense of confidence. Compared to when he first set out from Fengyue City, his current strength had risen by an astonishing margin.

He found a quiet corner of the warship, swallowed five hundred All-Attribute Pills in one go, and then equipped the Black Iron Gloves and the Ice Spirit Light Armor.

The Black Iron Gloves boosted his strength by one hundred points and increased the damage of fist and palm attacks by fifteen percent. The Ice Spirit Light Armor reduced incoming damage by twenty percent and could release a layer of ice spirit light to negate one attack per day.

The moment he finished equipping them, Ryan felt as if a powerful force surged through his body. His muscles tightened, his bones felt sturdier, and his entire body radiated a calm yet explosive strength.

He raised his head and gazed toward the distant horizon. It felt as though a vast new world had slowly opened its gates before him.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, ten days went by.

On this day, the Void Warship finally arrived at the Beiling Gate of Jiuyi City.

The Beiling Gate was one of the four great passages leading into the headquarters of Western Mansion.

The other three were the Dongling Gate, Xiling Gate, and Nanling Gate. Only by passing through one of these four channels could anyone enter Jiuyi City, the true core of Western Mansion.

Despite being called a city, Jiuyi City was not a city in the ordinary sense.

It was a small, independent world. According to legend, the ancestors of Western Mansion had once obtained a supreme treasure containing an immense spatial domain. After refining it, they turned it into what was now the headquarters of Western Mansion.

Ordinary people were absolutely forbidden from entering. Only Western Mansion disciples or candidates who had passed the qualification exams and obtained admission rights could step inside. Those who failed the entrance examination would be escorted out immediately and were not allowed to remain for more than an hour.

“The Chief Elder of the North District, Lu Zilin, leads the candidates from the thirty-six cities of the North District to Western Mansion for the entrance examination.”

As the Void Warship arrived before the Beiling Gate, Elder Lu presented his identity token. The gate guardians stepped forward, verified his credentials along with the identities of the candidates, and then slowly opened the massive gate.

Once the warship passed through the Beiling Gate, the full view of Jiuyi City unfolded before everyone’s eyes.

Through layers of drifting clouds, the candidates saw an enormous landmass. Eight massive cities stood tall, arranged around an even larger central city, forming a pattern resembling stars encircling the moon.

Each of the surrounding cities was at least ten times larger than Fengyue City, while the central city dwarfed Fengyue City by hundreds of times. The sheer scale alone left people breathless.

As soon as they entered the domain of Jiuyi City, an overwhelming wave of spiritual energy washed over them. Simply circulating their cultivation techniques allowed them to absorb abundant spiritual energy into their bodies, flowing smoothly through their meridians and limbs, leaving them refreshed and invigorated.

“The spiritual energy here is at least ten times richer than outside. Cultivating here would definitely be twice the result with half the effort. No wonder Western Mansion doesn’t allow outsiders to enter,” one candidate said excitedly.

“Exactly. Even without mentioning cultivation techniques or resources, just this spiritual environment alone is enough to drive people crazy,” another nodded fervently.

“I really hope I can pass the entrance examination and stay here. Even if I don’t receive special attention, cultivating in such a place would ensure far greater achievements than staying outside,” someone said with longing in their voice.

Others looked at the magnificent cities and sighed in amazement, wondering what kind of heaven-defying power the ancestors of Western Mansion must have possessed to create such a miraculous small world.

Jiuyi City consisted of nine cities arranged according to the Nine Palaces: Qian Palace (Heaven Palace, Kan Palace (Water Palace), Gen Palace (Mountain Palace), Zhen Palace (Thunder Palace), Central Palace, Xun Palace (Wind Palace), Li Palace (Fire Palace), Kun Palace (Earth Palace, and Dui Palace (Lake Palace).

The enormous city at the center was the Central Palace, home to the inner court of Western Mansion and the residence of its top experts. Naturally, candidates were not qualified to enter that place.

The candidates from the North District were assigned to Dui Palace, the outermost of the nine palaces. This entrance examination was overseen by Dui Palace and conducted under the supervision of its senior management.

The Void Warship flew toward Dui Palace, and before long, the palace came into view.

Breaking through the clouds, everyone could clearly see rows of majestic halls, pavilions, and martial arenas. To the east of Dui Palace stood an especially magnificent cluster of buildings, adorned with exquisite decorations, jade-like towers, mist-shrouded pools, and even a sacred platform floating in the air.

The sight left the candidates stunned and speechless.

After entering Dui Palace, the Void Warship descended onto a vast square. A grey-haired but immensely powerful Western Mansion expert appeared and led the candidates and examiners toward their assigned residences.

Along the way, the candidates looked around like villagers entering a metropolis for the first time, pointing and whispering excitedly, unable to hide their amazement.

Eventually, they arrived at a massive courtyard resembling a palace complex. It covered an enormous area, with walls that shimmered in silver-white light. The pillars supporting the structures appeared to be carved from pristine white jade, engraved with intricate patterns that exuded both elegance and dignity.

“This is the Yongling Courtyard of the North District. It has always been the resting place for candidates from the North District over the years. The courtyard contains thirty halls, divided into male and female areas. Each area has a total of one thousand six hundred and sixty-six rooms, with more than one thousand five hundred attendants assigned. Your specific residences will be arranged by your elders and examiners.”

The grey-haired Western Mansion elder paused briefly, then continued in a solemn tone, “I must also remind you that the entrance examination will be held seven days from now. Remember the time well and do not miss it. Furthermore, do not leave Dui Palace at will. With your current status, you are not yet qualified to freely enter or leave Western Mansion. Your permitted range of activity is limited to the palace.”

After bringing the candidates of the North District to the courtyard, the Western Mansion elder finished speaking and looked at Elder Lu.

“Thank you, Elder Ge, for the reminder. I will strictly discipline them,” Elder Lu cupped his hands respectfully.

The candidates of the North District nodded in agreement. The palace alone was vast enough for them to explore for days, so no one even thought about leaving the area.

“Good.”

The elder surnamed Ge gave a brief response. With all matters explained, he clasped his hands behind his back and left the Yongling Courtyard with an air of pride.

That attitude was only natural. As a powerful figure within Western Mansion, he had no reason to restrain himself. Moreover, the overall results of the North District had been poor for many years, and the probability of producing top-rank experts was low. Naturally, such candidates did not earn much of his attention.

Once Elder Ge departed, the atmosphere instantly became lively.

“Wow, this is the headquarters of Western Mansion. It’s simply shocking. Even the place where candidates stay is so magnificent. I can’t imagine how grand the residence of official disciples must be.”

“I really don’t want to leave. Everything here is so beautiful.”

“If only I could stay here forever.”

Voices of amazement rose one after another. While Elder Ge had been present, everyone had restrained themselves due to his status. Now that he was gone, their excitement finally burst forth.

At the same time, a firm thought took root in everyone’s heart. They had to pass the entrance examination and enter Western Mansion. Only by becoming a disciple could they truly enjoy such treatment and step into a broader world.

“All right,” Elder Lu said, raising his voice. “If you want to stay in Jiuyi City, then work hard. Thinking alone is useless. Now, the examiners of each city will lead you to check in. One room per person.”

The candidates nodded and followed the examiners to receive their room assignments.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep