Entering the City

Tianwu City was right in front of him. Yi Yun could already see the towering divine tree. Its huge trunk was as thick as a mountain peak. On the trunk, there were many vine-covered roads that connected to the mountains and rivers in all directions.

These vines, which have existed for countless millennia, remain as sturdy as ever despite the erosion of time, and have never rotted.

The ground above the giant tree is as flat as the earth, with countless pavilions and towers standing tall, and the streets bustling with people.

"Those entering the city must pay with one low-grade Sarira!"

As soon as Yi Yun reached the end of the cable car, guards came to collect the city tax.

A low-grade Sarira is nothing to Yi Yun, but for a martial artist from the wilderness, a single relic can transform them and change their fate.

It should be noted that Lian Chengyu went to great lengths to obtain a piece of barren bone, and the quality of the relic Lian Chengyu produced using the crude method of refining barren bone, even at the cost of so many lives of his clansmen, was naturally inferior to that of a low-grade Savage Bone Relic.

Each person entering the city pays one relic, and countless people enter the city every day. Over thousands of years, this wealth has accumulated to an astonishing level.

Tianwu City is controlled by the Martial Arts Alliance, and this wealth has flowed into the Martial Arts Alliance.

It's easy to imagine that over the years, the Martial Arts Alliance's foundation has become immeasurable.

Not only that, all the stalls and shops in Tianwu City are subject to taxes, and there is also an auction house here that charges a commission.

The largest trading house, Myriad Treasures Pavilion, was directly established by the Martial Arts Alliance.

The Myriad Treasures Pavilion offers a wide variety of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures for sale, priced 20-30% higher than those commonly found in the market.

Even so, a large number of martial artists still flocked from all directions of the Tianyuan Realm to buy the items they needed from the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

This is because Myriad Treasures Pavilion a complete range of items, and many of these items are priceless and unavailable Myriad Treasures Pavilion, yet can be found there.

Secondly, Myriad Treasures Pavilion has a good reputation, guarantees the authenticity of its products, and there's no fear of being scammed.

In this way, people are willing to spend more money.

Just as Yi Yun was about to pay for the relic, he heard a clear and pleasant voice from not far away. "Ah? So expensive!"

Yi Yun turned his head and saw that not far away, at another place where city taxes were collected, a guard stopped three people: a boy wearing animal skins, a teenage girl of sixteen or seventeen, and a young man in his twenties.

The exclamation just now came from that girl.

"There are three of us, so does that mean we need three relics?" The girl among the three was also in a dilemma. She was wearing a blue cloth dress and a floral square scarf tied in her hair, which made her look like a country girl with a delicate and pretty appearance. However, she looked travel-worn and her face looked a little haggard.

These three people, judging from their somewhat shabby clothes and their words, clearly did not come from any powerful forces. The prodigies of those powerful forces all carried one or two magical treasures and wore precious robes. Those who wore ordinary clothes were mostly from small places.

The guard of Tianwu City glanced at the three men with disdain. He collected relics here every day and had seen martial artists from all over the Tianyuan Realm. He had no patience for martial artists who dragged their feet and were unwilling to pay.

"These are the rules of Tianwu City, and everyone must abide by them. If you can't even afford a single relic, then don't enter the city!" The city guard said, waving his hand impatiently. "Don't block the way here, make way, there are many more people behind you, next one!"

All three were ushered aside. The young man in his twenties, with a fawning smile and a flattering expression, said, "Guardian, Guardian, calm down. We're from a small place and don't know the rules. A'yu, hurry up and hand over the relic."

The young man urged the sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl on.

The girl clenched her teeth, one hand tightly gripping the blue cloth bag hanging on her body.

This pretty young girl didn't even have a Space Ring on her. These pockets, which are only used by ordinary people, are not only inconvenient to carry, but also have a small capacity. It's easy to imagine how tiring it would be to carry these things on a long journey.

"Sister..." The boy in the animal-patterned clothes tugged at the girl. This boy was not tall, had dark skin, and simple features.

The girl squeezed the bag with a pained expression, then turned to the boy and said, "A'niu, it's alright. We came here to take you into Tianwu City. Our Lineage is too small to support you. It's rare to find someone with such talent. Paying this little bit of city entrance tax for you is worthwhile. Besides, we have a medicinal herb. We can sell it and still have money. We can buy you more pills and relics later. As long as you become successful, that's better than anything else."

The boy named A'niu knew that the girl's seemingly lighthearted words were meant to reassure him. He pursed his lips and remained silent, but a stubbornness shone through his eyes.

He knew very well how much effort his sister had put into this trip to Tianwu City, and how much wealth these relics represented to the Lineage.

They were going all in, risking everything!

"So it was a brother and sister..." Yi Yun sighed softly. Looking at the girl's expression, he couldn't help but recall the look on Jiang Xiaorou's face back in Yunhuang when she endured humiliation and begged for food.

The girl had sacrificed a lot for her younger brother, which made Yi Yun miss his older sister, Jiang Xiaorou.

"I'll pay the city entrance tax for you," Yi Yun suddenly said. Normally, Yi Yun wouldn't bother with strangers; everyone has their own hardships, and the world is so big that he can't possibly care for everyone. But this brother and sister made Yi Yun feel a lot of emotions.

Upon hearing this, the city guard looked at Yi Yun with some astonishment, while behind the siblings, the young man in his twenties also paused slightly, then his face lit up with delight. "Brother, you are truly generous! Oh... we really feel embarrassed. We come from a small place and are short of money. We are so grateful for your expense..."

The young man was interrupted by the girl before he could finish speaking.

"Um... thank you for your kindness, but we cannot accept your relics."

The girl spoke very seriously, and beside her, the boy in animal skin blinked his dark, bright eyes, clearly agreeing with his sister's approach.

Refusing undeserved favors is not a matter of face, but a principle of conduct, which was taught to them by their deceased parents.

Yi Yun was taken aback. He was somewhat surprised by the brother and sister pair, but he also felt a sense of goodwill towards them.

He chuckled softly and said, "Yes, I was rash."

He simply said one sentence and then took back the relic. He believed that even if this young man couldn't soar to great heights in the future, he would still achieve something.

Suffering a little now is nothing!

"This... sigh..." The young man in his twenties who was traveling with the siblings wanted to stop them, but seeing that it was obviously too late, he was naturally very frustrated. He was clearly blaming the siblings for being too foolish.

At this moment, the girl had already taken out two low-grade Sarira from the bag. These two low-grade Sarira were wiped clean, but their quality could only be considered the lowest of the low, probably made by a beginner apprentice of the Savage Heaven Master.

The guard looked disgusted when he saw the relic, but he still patiently accepted it.

Then, the guard looked at the young man in his twenties.

But the young man looked expectantly at Yi Yun, "Um... brother, what do you think..."

His meaning was clear: the siblings refused, but he didn't; he could still be helped.

However, Yi Yun had no good feelings towards this young man. A relic meant nothing to him, but he would not give it to someone like this.

Yi Yun went straight into the city, leaving the young man standing there completely bewildered.

Soon, Yi Yun heard a faint voice coming from behind. "Oh dear, look what you've all done! I can't afford this city entrance tax!"

"A'yu, if I hadn't led the way, you probably wouldn't even know how to get to Tianwu City. Besides, once we're in the city, you're all counting on me to introduce A'niu to a major sect, right? And I'll have to find a place to sell the herbs, won't I? Without me, you'd all be clueless. I may not have done anything special, but I've certainly put in the effort. How can you expect me to pay for such a small amount of money?"

"Cousin, that's not how it works. You yourself wanted to come to Tianwu City. You've spent a lot of money along the way. When A'niu joins the sect, he'll also need to spend money..."

"You're still fussing over the little money you spent on the road? When your cousin becomes successful in the future, I'll just give you some resources, A'yu, and that'll be enough for you to break through to the Yuan Foundation stage. Then, you can return home in style. Alright, we need to hurry up and pay the toll so we don't block the people behind us, lest the guards start urging us again..."

As Yi Yun walked on, the voices of the three people faded into the distance. He suddenly stopped and looked back. He saw that the girl A'yu was blushing, and her eyes were slightly moist...

In the end, she bit her lip, her small, delicate hand hesitating several times before reaching into the blue cloth pocket again...

Yi Yun sighed softly and stopped looking.

There is too much suffering in the world.

We eat the same grains and breathe in the same Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi, yet our personalities differ greatly.

Such a small thing happening around Yi Yun was like an insignificant ripple on his path of martial arts, but it was also a realization for him.

Besides secluded training, fierce battles, and exploration of secret realms, martial artists also need these ordinary insights.

Witnessing human suffering, birth, aging, sickness, and death, and even experiencing the great joys and sorrows of life.

This is all part of martial arts.

A sword can be used to cultivate Sword Heart, while a knife can be used to comprehend the essence of the knife.

For example, Lord Qingyang's swordsmanship incorporates the joys and sorrows, the ups and downs of his life, which is something Yi Yun lacks.

His previous life was ordinary. After his reincarnation, he experienced poverty in Yunhuang and life-and-death setbacks in Tai'a Divine City, but it was still not enough.

He needs more experiences, a longer life, and more joys and sorrows. (To be continued~^~)