Boundary Pass
Lu Ping finally understood: Little B was the little devil in his heart.
Every time I don't choose Little B, it's a betrayal of my own conscience.
Little B, I'll definitely do it next time.
As for Little C?
Lu Ping, if he had even glanced at Little C, he would have lost.
Lu Ping chose A.
[You chose A.]
[You erased your traces with the As-If-Original Seal.]
[Then, you Flying Boat at a leisurely pace.]
[You held out until the second day before returning to Qingyang City.]
You drove around the city.
[You notice that Qingyang City is eerily quiet.]
The earth-shattering battle at the Zhao Estate, the terrifying blood array and the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, failed to cause the slightest ripple in the city.
The cultivators on the street were still hurrying about, discussing which Pills was offering discounts and which Spirit Vein cave abode had raised its prices.
[It was as if everything that happened to the Zhao Household was just an illusion.]
[But you keenly notice that the number of Qingyang Guards patrolling the streets has more than tripled compared to before.]
[Furthermore, when you passed by the Wang Family and Jin Household' shops, you saw the City Lord's Manor's guards "assisting" both families with inventory.]
[You return to the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, where Shen Yuerong is already waiting for you in the Elegant Chamber.]
She looked a little tired, but was in good spirits; clearly, the Random Teleportation Talisman had saved her from the most dangerous moment.
"You're back."
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw you.
"Fellow Daoist Lu, here is the Travel Permit you requested."
[Shen Yuerong pushes a blue jade tablet in front of you.]
Work visa received.
[You put away the jade tablet and asked, seemingly casually,]
"The city... seems quite peaceful?"
Shen Yuerong picked up her teacup and blew on it to cool it down.
["Calm?"]
"The Wang Family and Jin Household, overnight, simultaneously announced that their patriarchs had gone into seclusion and that they would donate half of their Lineage businesses to the City Lord's Manor to repair the south and north gates."
The City Lord's Manor greatly praised them and presented each of them with a plaque inscribed with "Family of Loyalty and Righteousness."
[As you listen to this familiar process, you feel speechless.]
[It seems that the other two Nascent Soul elders also met with dire consequences that night.]
[That madman Zhao Qingsu, even if he failed to transcend his tribulation, he definitely dragged those two Nascent Soul stage monsters down with him.]
[But the biggest winner was always the city lord, Sun Jingli, who remained hidden behind the scenes and never even showed his face.]
[What a brilliant move to use one enemy to devour another, reaping the benefits without lifting a finger.]
[As you mentally review the situation, Sun Jingli and Zhao Qingsu's plan wasn't particularly clever; in fact, it could be described as quite crude.]
But it actually succeeded.
[It was simply a matter of exploiting those old monsters' greed for the opportunity to reach the Spirit Transformation Fortuitous Opportunity, and their blind confidence in their own strength.]
Ultimately, strength prevails over all.
Before a city lord at the Half-Step Spirit Transformation stage, a few Nascent Soul are ultimately just pawns to be manipulated at will.
[Qingyang City was completely reshuffled overnight.]
"By the way,"
[Shen Yuerong suddenly remembered something,]
The Han Household also announced that their ancestor had gone into seclusion.
[But instead of donating their property, they closed all of the Han Household's shops in Qingyang City, seemingly preparing to move the entire clan away.]
You pick up your teacup, without making a sound.
You naturally know why.
[The Han Household's choice differs from the other three families; it remains to be seen whether they can ultimately weather this storm.]
[Shen Silan of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, however, did not show up at all.]
[It's unclear whether he has any shady dealings with Sun Jingli, or rather, between the Azure Dragon Merchant Association and the City Lord's Manor.]
[You put the cyan jade tablet into your Storage Ring.]
The turmoil has seemingly subsided.
[Before leaving, you transformed the Spirit Stones in your hand into tangible combat power.]
With the legacy of three Nascent Soul monsters in hand, you're incredibly wealthy and have snapped up a huge amount of goods at the Azure Dragon Merchant Association.
[You bought up all sorts of rare, high-level herbs without batting an eye, as long as they were useful.]
[Once you get to a place like the Azure Dragon Upper Domain, you'll still need to rely on alchemy to pave the way; it's always good to have plenty of materials on hand.]
[However, to your dismay, you couldn't buy a single Invisibility Talisman or Random Teleportation Talisman, which you wanted to restock.]
[Shen Yuerong tells you helplessly that after the Zhao Household's commotion, these strategically vital supplies have long been looted by the various powerful forces in the city.]
[Even if you have money, you can't buy it.]
You sighed.
[As expected, survival skills in high-level games can't be easily acquired just by piling up Spirit Stones.]
[It's worth mentioning that because you spent so much, Shen Yuerong upgraded you to Level Three VIP.]
[You are Specially Appointed Alchemist of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association, and also Level Three VIP of the Azure Dragon Merchant Association?]
Is this reasonable?
[Is this reasonable?]
[You didn't linger any longer and re-entered the Teleportation Hall of Qingyang City.]
[Target: Azure Dragon Upper Domain Pass.]
[A strong sense of spatial pulling came over me, several times more intense than teleportation between the Central Regions.]
[Your Hundred-Forged Medicine Body Formula is operating automatically, resisting this tearing sensation.]
[After an unknown amount of time, my feet suddenly felt solid.]
[Scene changes; you walk out of the Teleportation Hall.]
[Before us was a huge plaza.]
At the end of the square, a majestic pass stretches to the horizon, rising above the sea of clouds.
Countless cultivators, piloting various flying magical Law Artifacts, darted between the pass and its surroundings like a swarm of bees.
[And directly above that pass were two large, golden characters written in a flowing, elegant style.]
[Boundary Pass.]
[As you journey from the Savage Wilderness Expanse to the Qingling Border Region, and then to the Azure Yang Central Region, the concentration of Spiritual Qi has been increasing.]
[However, there are no absolute physical barriers between those regions.]
[If you're willing to fly, you can always fly there.]
[The Azure Dragon Upper Domain and the Central Region are completely separated by this Boundary Pass.]
Just as the Demon-Severing Cliff separates the Azure Dragon Domain from the Myriad Demon Domain, this Boundary Pass separates the "upper class" and the "lower class" of the cultivation world.
[You follow the flow of people toward the entrance to the pass.]
[Several long queues stretched as far as the eye could see at the entrance, each preceded by a group of armored cultivators.]
A water mirror floated before them, expressionlessly examining the identity documents of each person passing through.
[Options pop up.]
[A: Just go to the back of the line and wait for inspection.]
[B: I've already crushed Nascent Soul, why do I have to queue with cattle and horses to pass a level? I'll just walk to the front and cut in line.]
[C: Submit a "Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement Plan for Boundary Pass Passage" to the gatekeeper cultivators, suggesting the introduction of a "Spiritual Power Seamless Authentication System." This plan only costs...]