Yuandu

Yuan Yin City is located in the mountainous region of the central heart of Zhendan. On the map, it is just an ordinary prefecture-level city in the Central Plains. It is not large in scale, but its economy is very developed, with high-speed rail and airport.

To the average person, the prosperity here seems unbelievable. Whether in terms of geographical location, local products, or culture, there's nothing particularly remarkable about this place. But for some reason, the Zhendan government has spared no expense in developing this unremarkable little town, providing it with all kinds of infrastructure and making it the second most prosperous city in the province after the provincial capital.

But only Cultivators know that this is the only way to reach Yuandu by conventional means.

At Yuan Yin City Airport, Sun Xiaowei dragged her suitcase out of the terminal and immediately dialed Zhuge Zi's number.

"Hello? I've arrived. Where do I find you?" Sun Xiaowei looked around. "This airport is bigger than I imagined..."

"Turn around, I can already see you!" Zhuge Zi's voice came from the phone. Sun Xiaowei turned around and saw the girl with shoulder-length hair waving at her from not far away.

The two exited the airport together and got into a minivan. Sun Xiaowei looked at the city scenery outside the window and exclaimed in surprise, "This is Yuan Yin City... This is my first time here. How are we going to get to Yuandu?"

"Yuandu is located in the mountainous area south of Yuanyin, shrouded in a barrier. Outsiders can't even see it, let alone go in... But I've already obtained permission from the Yuan Cultivation Society, and a special car will take us in."

"A private car? What kind?" Sun Xiaowei asked excitedly.

"Isn't this the one you're sitting on?" Zhuge Zi shrugged.

"This?" Sun Xiaowei looked at it curiously and found that it was just an ordinary commercial vehicle, not a famous brand, and it seemed to be quite old. The interior was a bit faded, and the leather of the seats was cracked. Judging from the driver's operation, it seemed to be a manual transmission.

"It looks kind of... ordinary..."

"Oh, young lady, don't talk nonsense." Before Zhuge Zi could respond, the driver in the front seat complained, "This is the city, it's not convenient for me to use this car here. Once we're out of the city, you'll see how powerful this car is!"

Sun Xiaowei's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "What? This car can transform? Can it grow wings, unleash rocket boosters, and fly straight into the sky?"

Unlike most girls, Sun Xiaowei, being Creation Faction, is quite interested in mechanical things.

"No, not at all." The driver chuckled. "But it has some other functions..."

Yuan Yin City is not large. Before we knew it, the car had left the city and headed south. Soon we came to a secluded mountain road, and before we knew it, we could no longer see any other vehicles in front or behind us.

"Almost there..." the driver said, suddenly shifting the gear lever to a gear he'd never seen before. Then, the entire car was enveloped in an unusual glow, the body began to transform, the leather seats became silk cushions, the metal body turned into unidentifiable wood, the window glass became curtains, and even the driver's seat changed position. The steering wheel in the driver's hands became reins, and the front of the car and the engine transformed into two tall, powerful horses, pulling an ancient yet magnificent carriage forward at breakneck speed!

"Wow!" Sun Xiaowei poked her head out the window, looking at the trees rushing past, and exclaimed in genuine amazement, "They're even faster than when we were in a car!"

"We're about to turn, ladies, hold on tight!" the driver warned, flicking the reins. The two horses suddenly turned, pulling the carriage off the road and plunging into the woods.

"Whoa!" Seeing the carriage hurtling towards a rock face, Sun Xiaowei screamed in terror, ducking her head back into the carriage. But the carriage was going too fast; before she could react, it had already plunged into the rock face.

Sun Xiaowei looked around in shock. She could see the mountain structure clearly outside the window. The entire carriage seemed to be ethereal, actually traveling through the solid mountain!

"Are we heading towards Yuandu?" Sun Xiaowei swallowed hard. "No wonder ordinary people can't find it; who can traverse mountains?"

"What separates Yuandu from the secular world isn't just the mountain," Zhuge Zi explained calmly, clearly not a first-timer.

"What else?" Sun Xiaowei asked.

"You'll see it soon." As soon as Zhuge Zi finished speaking, the view outside the window suddenly opened up, and a beam of white light made Sun Xiaowei unable to open her eyes. After her eyes adjusted to the light, she found that there was an endless Blue Sky White Clouds outside, and the carriage was speeding across a semi-transparent rainbow bridge.

"We're... running on a rainbow? Weren't we just on the ground?" Sun Xiaowei stared wide-eyed down, but couldn't see any ground at all.

"We've officially entered the territory of Yuandu," the driver said proudly. "Young lady, look ahead, that's the headquarters of the Yuan Cultivation Society!"

Sun Xiaowei peeked out and looked ahead, discovering that the Rainbow Bridge led to a magnificent castle floating in the air. The castle had a distinct classical style, with various buildings standing side by side, carved beams and painted rafters, and with the surrounding clouds and rainbows, it looked like a fairy palace.

Connecting the Celestial Palace are not just this one rainbow bridge; there are more than a dozen bridges of varying heights in all directions, each leading to a floating city in the sky, together forming a huge aerial complex... no! It should be said that it is an Aerial City!

"This... could this be the Heavenly Court?" Sun Xiaowei's eyes widened, completely stunned by the magnificent sight before her.

"Not entirely wrong..." the driver said with a smile. "When the Yuandu was first built, it was indeed modeled after the legendary Heavenly Court... but for practical purposes, many modifications were made, resulting in its current form."

The carriage arrived at the main city gate and stopped. The driver got out and opened the door. "Two beautiful ladies, I'll drop you off here. There are staff members inside to guide you in."

Sun Xiaowei and Zhuge Zi got out of the car and were quickly greeted by a girl dressed in an ancient-style uniform.

The reason it's described as having an "ancient style" is because the girl's clothes aren't actually ancient costumes. For ease of movement, the main body of the clothes is still based on the framework of modern clothing, but with many retro designs in the details. It perfectly combines modern practicality with traditional classical aesthetics. If you wore this kind of clothing on the street, it would not only catch people's attention but also look perfectly natural.

"Miss Zi from the Zhuge Family, and Ms. Sun Xiaowei, right?" The girl didn't look older than them, but her demeanor was dignified, and her temperament was much more mature than the two schoolgirls.

The two women nodded in agreement, and the staff member smiled and said, "I am Mu Lanshi, Tier B Clerk from the Yuan Cultivation Society Association headquarters. I have been entrusted by Old Yuan to receive you two here. Please follow me."

With that, Mu Lanshi led the two through the magnificent gate and into the city.

"Tier B Clerk?" Zhuge Zi was quite surprised upon hearing this. "Miss Mu is so young, yet she's already Tier B Clerk?"

"Is this a very high level?" Sun Xiaowei didn't really have a concept of it, and immediately realized her words were inappropriate. She quickly explained to Mu Lanshi, "Sorry, I wasn't questioning you, I just don't know much about it and am a little curious..."

"It's alright," Mu Lanshi explained as they walked. "The staff at the Yuan Cultivation Society headquarters are collectively called clerks, and they are divided into four levels: Class A, Class B, Class C, Class D, and D. Above level A are the Grand President and the Grand Elder, among other leaders." "As everyone knows, the headquarters elders and the presidents of major branches are of equal status. However, since most of the current Grand Elder have served as presidents of branches, strictly speaking, the headquarters elders are slightly higher in status than the Branch President."

"As for the Tier A Clerk, who are second only to the leadership, they are roughly equivalent to the Vice President of various branches... because Tier A Clerk from headquarters are often assigned to branches to serve as commanders or secretaries-general."

"As for Tier B Clerk, although they are only one level below Class A, their status is much lower. They are more like high-level employees." As she spoke, Mu Lanshi smiled playfully.

"Miss Mu is too modest," Zhuge Zi added. "The branches you just mentioned are large ones like Ningdong, Southwestern Branch, and Kansai. As for the numerous other small and medium-sized branches, let alone Vice President like commanders and secretaries-general, even the presidents might not be as powerful as Tier A Clerk at headquarters. There are even examples of Tier B Clerk being transferred to be presidents of small branches."

"What Miss Zi said is true," Mu Lanshi nodded. "After all, we are just an association, not a real bureaucratic organization. The hierarchy isn't so absolute. In many cases, reputation and strength are more important."

"Take Old Yuan for example. Although he is currently only the commander in Ningdong, which is equivalent to the Vice President level, his status within the association is far more than that. Even the Grand President has great respect for him."

As they spoke, the group arrived at a large hall, which appeared to be a conference room. Many people were sitting there, but they weren't wearing headquarters uniforms, and their demeanor didn't seem like that of government officials. It was likely that they were Rogue Cultivator who had seen the official announcement and had come in response to the call.

"Please wait here for a moment, Old Yuan will be here shortly." Mu Lanshi led the two women to their seats, then took her leave.

Some people in the hall were whispering and chatting, some were resting with their eyes closed, and some were fiddling with their own things. When they saw the two young girls come in, most of them didn't pay much attention and continued with their own business.

Sun Xiaowei looked around and whispered to Zhuge Zi, "Didn't anyone else from your Zhuge Family come?"

Zhuge Zi replied, "I heard from the elders in the clan that Old Yuan contacted the Clan Leader at noon on the first day of the lunar new year and had already tried once, but unfortunately he couldn't help much..."

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

"Zhuge Family can't do it?" Sun Xiaowei asked in surprise, "Then what use are we?"

"After all, we're also involved, so it would be helpful if we could provide some information."

As they were talking, a tall woman who looked seven or eight parts like Zhuge Zi walked in and headed towards the two of them.

"Xiao Zi, I heard you've arrived."

"Sister?" Zhuge Zi was surprised to see the woman. "What are you doing here?"

"I came with the Clan Leader and the others yesterday. The others left, leaving me here to look after things. I was wondering why a junior like me was left behind, but it turns out it was you who wanted to come." She then looked at Sun Xiaowei: "And this is...?"

"Oh, this is Sun Xiaowei, who participated in the mission with me this time..." Zhuge Zi then introduced Sun Xiaowei, "This is my older sister, Zhuge Lan."

Upon hearing the name Zhuge Lan, all the Rogue Cultivator in the room turned their heads. It wasn't that Zhuge Lan was particularly famous; it was simply that the surname Zhuge was too well-known.

"My sister has been taken care of by you so much!" Zhuge Lan smiled and shook hands with Sun Xiaowei, who nodded somewhat awkwardly and said, "Not at all, it's Xiao Zi who took care of me." She secretly glanced at the bright and elegant Zhuge Lan and thought to herself that the two sisters looked very similar, but their personalities were completely different. This Zhuge Lan was free-spirited and capable, and had a very mature feel to her.

"By the way, sister, you arrived first. Have you met Old Yuan yet?" Zhuge Zi asked.

"He's the one who sent me to see you." Zhuge Lan nodded. "He's with the Ling Family family girl right now, and they're acting all mysterious, like they have some special method to rescue that guy named... Luo Jun!"

"The Ling Family has sent people too?" Sun Xiaowei asked in surprise.

"Only one came." Zhuge Lan nodded. "She's also from the Ningdong Academy, and I think she's a classmate of Luo Jun, so she came to help."

"Luo Jun's classmate?" Sun Xiaowei blinked. "He's only a freshman, is he reliable?"

"Is it reliable?" Zhuge Lan shook her head with a smile, "Have you forgotten? Among the new students in Ningdong this year, there is only one girl from the Ling Family."

Sun Xiaowei and Zhuge Zi recalled the rumors they had heard before, and their eyes widened. "The Golden Edge Witch?!"

Zhuge Lan nodded. "I've experienced how formidable that woman is firsthand, but the teacher said that even during the Summoning Mission, she wasn't this anxious... Just who is this Luo Jun? Everyone seems so concerned about him?"

Sun Xiaowei and Zhuge Zi exchanged a glance and both sighed.

"Sister, if you met him, you would definitely find him extraordinary." Zhuge Zi shook her head and said, "Although he is about the same age as me, he is like a veteran who has been through many life and death battles. Even in desperate situations, he can remain calm and find the key to breaking the deadlock... To be honest, let alone people his age, even among elders, I have rarely seen someone like him."

"He's really amazing!" Sun Xiaowei nodded in agreement. "Putting aside his strength for now, his calm and collected demeanor in the face of danger has a kind of magic that makes people want to believe in him... Of course, compared to my idol Ye, there's still a certain gap."

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Lan raised an eyebrow. "Hearing you say that, I'm even more eager to meet this person... I wonder how Old Yuan and that girl from the Ling Family are doing with their discussions, and whether there's any hope..."

Somewhere in the headquarters, Old Yuan looked at Ling Xin with a furrowed brow.

"Are you really planning to use that?" Old Yuan looked at Ling Xin: "This is the last thing Ling Jue left for you and your brother."

Ling Xin nodded. "That thing can be used three times in total. My brother and I agreed to each use it once, so there's one left... I want to use it here."

"If it's that thing, the chances of success are indeed very high..." Old Yuan nodded. "But you can't take it out here... Come, come with me..."

(End of this chapter)