Lin Zun Tower

Ten minutes later.

The fighter jet descended.

When it was about a thousand meters up, a vast city appeared below in Ye Cang's view.

"We've reached Vermilion Bird King City!"

Ye Cang went to the window and looked down at the towering skyscrapers and the sprawling megacity, which covered nearly a thousand square kilometers. A flicker of awe stirred in his heart.

"Vermilion Bird King City is divided into five districts: east, west, south, north, and central. The central district is occupied by the Zhu Family, the Vermilion Bird King's family. The eastern and western districts are occupied by two War King families and their affiliated Lineages, while the southern district is home to the remaining War Venerable families."

"Our Divine Firmament Martial Arts Hall branch, the Martial Artists Administration Bureau branch, and some of the official military forces are all in the northern district."

As they spoke, the fighter jet had already reached the skies above a massive complex of buildings.

"We've arrived at the Divine Firmament Martial Arts Hall!"

The fighter jet landed on its designated pad, and the two men, Hong Chen and Ye Cang, stepped off.

"Come with me!"

Hong Chen walked over to a vehicle that had been waiting nearby.

"Your cultivation is still at the General level, so we're going to the General section of the hall."

"Our Divine Firmament Martial Arts Hall has 1,087 Generals in Vermilion Bird King City. Nearly a hundred of them are Peak Generals, and almost half of those have already comprehended an Intent. They're only a hair's breadth away from reaching the War Venerable realm."

In the vehicle, Hong Chen continued his explanation.

"How can there be so many?"

Hearing the number Hong Chen gave, Ye Cang couldn't hide his astonishment.

The Divine Firmament Martial Arts Hall alone was more than ten times as powerful as Crimson Cloud City.

And that was without even counting the nine War Venerable families in Vermilion Bird King City, the two royal families, and the family of the Vermilion Bird King.

It was hard to imagine just how powerful the forces in Vermilion Bird King City were.

Seeing the awe in Ye Cang's eyes, Hong Chen paused before speaking.

"The Gray Fog erupted decades ago, and Vermilion Bird King City was founded thirty or forty years back. In that time, the Gray Fog has nurtured not only ferocious beasts but all kinds of rare treasures, each capable of greatly improving a martial artist's strength."

"On top of that, ancient civilization ruins have been excavated, and some things that boost strength can be mass-produced. That's how we've been able to produce so many martial artists."

At this, Ye Cang hurriedly asked, "Venerable Hong, what exactly are these ancient civilization ruins?"

Hearing the name again suddenly reminded Ye Cang that the cultivation technique he practiced, Aurora Sword Wings, had come from an ancient civilization ruin.

"I don't know the specifics either, but these ruins appeared with the eruption of the Gray Fog. Some of the people who enter them gain incredible benefits—as long as they survive."

"The powerful figures who rose to the War King realm during the early days of the Gray Fog all gained unimaginable benefits from the ruins. That's how they were able to rapidly raise their strength, establish king cities, and give humanity a chance to catch its breath."

"Even now, most of the cultivation techniques and combat skills we practice were brought out of ancient civilization ruins. Otherwise, how could our bodies, with only passive evolution to rely on, ever stand against ferocious beasts that mutate at an astonishing pace?"

As he spoke, the vehicle pulled over to the side of the road.

"This is the General-level section!"

Hong Chen pointed toward a grand gate in the distance and got out first. Ye Cang hurried after him.

As they walked through the entrance, the first thing they saw was a large fountain.

Beyond it stood a massive, ultra-high-definition display screen, about ten meters tall, with lines of data scrolling across it.

The top ten entries, however, barely changed.

Ye Cang took a closer look. The entries were names.

[1, Fang Wuhen (3251)

2, Yuan Wenhao (3162)

3, Su Zian (3108)

...

10, Tao Yang (2749)

...]

Seeing Ye Cang stop, Hong Chen paused too and said with a smile, "This is the ranking of the Generals in our hall. It doesn't reflect their strength, though—it's based on their contributions. The numbers beside their names are points, earned only by killing Beast Generals. Points are tallied once a month, and the top hundred Generals receive resource subsidies. The higher their rank, the richer their rewards."

"The top three each receive a resource that helps them comprehend an Intent."

At Hong Chen's last words, awe flashed through Ye Cang's eyes again.

"They actually have resources that help you comprehend an Intent? How is that possible?"

"Heh, this is a king city. Anything is possible!"

Hong Chen smiled mysteriously.

"Come on. First, we'll register your information. Then you'll need to undergo a combat strength assessment so we can assign you the appropriate starting resources."

"Oh, and this place isn't like a small city such as Crimson Cloud City. Even if you're a General, you won't get several million Huaxia Coins every month. There's only one way to earn those benefits: the leaderboard you just saw."

"Only those who make the leaderboard and rank in the top hundred receive the basic benefits, and those are tallied monthly too. The higher your rank, the better the benefits. The top ten each receive a basic reward of one billion Huaxia Coins every month."

Following Hong Chen and listening to his explanation, Ye Cang found every detail and every new thing eye-opening.

Before long, Hong Chen led him to a tall building.

The building had only five floors, yet it stood more than twenty meters high.

Its footprint was even more impressive, stretching over a hundred meters in both length and width.

"This is Lin Zun Tower. Its name expresses the hope that every General here will reach the War Venerable realm."

"Lin Zun Tower has five floors. The first floor is where Junior Generals usually train, discuss, and socialize. The second floor is for Intermediate Generals."

"The fourth floor is where Peak Generals spend their time. Fewer than a hundred Generals are allowed up there."

"But the fifth floor is reserved for Peak Generals who have comprehended an Intent."

Inside the building, Ye Cang saw that both the walls and the floors were made of some kind of alloy. They looked indestructible.

Following Hong Chen, he registered his basic information in a room on the first floor and received an identity card.

[Name: Ye Cang

Number: 1088

Cultivation: High-level General

Points: 0

Rank: 1088

Virtual Battle Tower: 0 floors]

The identity card was about the size of his palm and had an electronic screen. With a simple tap, he could see all his information.

"You'd better keep that safe. Many places in our hall can only be accessed with this identity card. You even need it to claim your benefits."

Hong Chen spoke from beside him.

At that moment, Ye Cang looked at the words "Virtual Battle Tower" at the bottom and asked in confusion, "Venerable Hong, what is this 'Virtual Battle Tower'?"

"I was just about to tell you. Your combat strength assessment is going to be held there."

As he spoke, he headed toward the elevator.

Following Hong Chen, the two of them went up to the third floor.

Outside the elevator was a spacious lobby with plenty of chairs. Quite a few people were chatting there. When they saw the two arrive, many of them stood up.

"Greetings, Venerable Hong!"

"..."

After greeting him, quite a few people curiously eyed Ye Cang, who was beside Hong Chen, and began whispering among themselves.

"Never seen him before!"

"Looks like a newcomer. Could he be from a small city?"

"Another one's arrived. Wonder how strong he is?"

"..."