South Ridge City

But the panel required him to run. He'd tried using Lightness Skill to travel, but unfortunately the game panel didn't recognize it.

After glancing at the panel, Zhao Ping'an, seated inside the carriage, closed his eyes again and continued absorbing Heaven and Earth Qi.

On the uneven official road, two carriages—one luxurious, one ordinary—moved forward at a steady pace, one behind the other.

When Zhao Ping'an's Primordial Chaos Art gained nine points of Training Progress, he felt the carriage's speed drop noticeably, and the noise of people on both sides of the road multiplied.

Curious, he lifted the cloth curtain blocking the carriage window and turned his head to look outside.

"Have we reached South Ridge City?"

Outside the window, peddlers and laborers streamed past in an endless flow, mixed in with many martial artists carrying weapons. But their cultivation was unimpressive—the highest was only around the fourth or fifth level of the Houtian Martial Artist Realm.

Most were on foot, only a few rode horses, and those traveling by carriage were limited to their group alone.

As a force with considerable standing around South Ridge City, the Blazing Blade Sect couldn't contend with the City Lord, but it certainly had a close relationship with the City Lord's Mansion.

So when the two carriages bearing the Blazing Blade Sect's insignia reached the city gate, the garrison soldiers didn't stop them at all. Not only were they let through directly, but the soldiers also shouted at commoners blocking the way to clear a path.

The Profound Water Dynasty was divided into Three Prefectures, Twelve Commanderies, and Forty-eight Cities.

South Ridge City, where Zhao Ping'an was, belonged to Tiannan Commandery, one of the four commanderies under the Southern Prefecture, one of the Three Prefectures.

The remaining two prefectures were the Northern Prefecture and Zhongzhou Prefecture.

Tiannan Commandery governed only four cities, including the Prefecture City Tiannan City, and the three small-to-medium cities of South Ridge City, Annan City, and Fengning City.

Each city spanned about a hundred li in circumference, with varying numbers of towns and villages under their jurisdiction.

South Ridge City was a city that barely qualified as medium-sized. Its city walls were three zhang high and over one zhang thick, seemingly built from massive blue stones.

It had four main gates—east, south, west, and north—with a secondary gate on each side of the main ones.

As for exactly how big it was, Zhao Ping'an didn't know. He only knew the city could hold about a hundred thousand people, and including the surrounding farming households, the population under South Ridge City's jurisdiction was roughly two hundred thousand.

According to what his master Zheng Hetong had said, the strongest person in South Ridge City was a Grandmaster at the fourth level, also the strongest within a hundred li.

He was a Guest Elder of the City Lord's Mansion, which secured the Mansion's position as the top power in South Ridge City.

Below the City Lord's Mansion were the city's three great families, all forces with Xiantian Peak or even Half-step Grandmaster experts.

Below them were sects, escort agencies, and gangs like the Blazing Blade Sect, which had martial artists at the late Xiantian stage.

Of course, the City Lord's Mansion was directly under the dynasty's authority—even without a Grandmaster, no one dared provoke it.

"Whoa!"

In front of a modest residence within the city, the driver called out, and the carriage slowly came to a halt.

"Young Master, we've arrived!"

The driver said quietly to Zhao Ping'an inside the carriage.

"Mm, I know."

Zhao Ping'an put down the carriage window curtain and replied softly.

He hadn't brought much luggage—aside from the Hundred Refinement Blade given by Senior Disciple Brother and two changes of clothes, he didn't have a single coin. He was utterly broke.

Of course, for a Houtian martial artist, a Hundred Refinement Blade was a decent item. If he sold it, it would be worth a few taels of silver at least.

But Zhao Ping'an was now a Great Grandmaster—how could he do something so beneath his station?

The Hundred Refinement Blade was just a souvenir to him now, after all, it was the first weapon he'd ever obtained.

Of course, the blade still had one use: helping him train God Slaying Saber Strike. Its weight was just over ten kilograms, perfect for the purpose.

Once God Slaying Saber Strike was fully mastered, it would truly become nothing but a keepsake. After all, Zhao Ping'an's Qi was countless times more powerful than the Hundred Refinement Blade.

Martial artists had distinct markers at each stage, allowing one to visually identify their realm.

For example, Houtian martial artists generated Inner Force, which greatly enhanced their techniques but couldn't leave the body.

Innate Martial Masters condensed Xiantian True Qi, which could leave the body by several cun (increasing by one cun per level, up to nearly a foot). It could be applied to weapons, improving endurance and destructive power.

Grandmasters gathered Qi into protective Qi, forming a defensive barrier that greatly increased defense. Below the Grandmaster level, unless one had a Divine Weapon, breaking through was impossible.

Moreover, a Grandmaster's Qi was far more condensed, and its range of projection was greater (from nearly two feet at Grandmaster first level to nearly ten feet at Grandmaster ninth level, increasing by one foot per level).

Zhao Ping'an, as a Great Grandmaster, was a true human missile. His even more condensed Qi could be released at a minimum range of nearly two zhang, and at maximum, nearly ten zhang.

Every punch and kick carried immense power.

Just like now—Zhao Ping'an, using his palm as a blade, could slash out a saber aura five or six meters long, cutting through metal and stone with ease.

As his realm improved, the range of his saber aura would only increase.

Getting off the carriage, Zhao Ping'an found that the gate of the courtyard before him bore the inscription [Zhao Residence].

"Come on, Ping'an. When you come to South Ridge City in the future, you can stay here directly. Treat this place as your home."

At the same time, Zhao Xiuyun, who had also descended from the carriage, walked slowly to Zhao Ping'an's side and said softly. As for Master Zheng Hetong, he had already gotten off halfway and left.

"Mistress, this residence..."

Zhao Ping'an immediately took the bundle from his mistress's hands and asked.

"My father gave it to me. I spend most of my time up on the mountain, so it's always been empty."

"Oh, alright, Mistress."

Zhao Ping'an nodded. He also understood why his mistress was doing this.

After all, his talent in martial arts was truly unremarkable. He had been training for nearly four years now, and the realm he had displayed barely reached the second level of the Warrior Realm.

This was still the result of his master Zheng Hetong giving him daily medicinal baths. Without those baths, he would probably still be stuck in the Martial Disciple Realm.

Relying on him to earn a living through martial force was likely out of the question.

Of course, that was under normal circumstances. Now, things were clearly not normal.

There were no guards at the main gate. When Zhao Ping'an stepped forward and knocked, an elderly man over fifty years old came out from inside.

"Who are you looking for? Is it the young miss who has returned? Please, come in!"

"A'Fu, this is Zhao Ping'an, the one I mentioned to you. From now on, this will be his home too."

Zhao Xiuyun pointed at Zhao Ping'an beside her and said softly.

"Hm? Good! Good! Good! This old servant remembers. Ping'an? Ping'an—a fine name. Young Master Ping'an, welcome home."

The old man named A'Fu immediately opened the gate wide, letting the two enter. As for the carriage, the driver drove it toward the backyard.

"Hello, Butler Fu. Just call me Ping'an. I don't deserve the title of young master."

"No, no, no. You may call me A'Fu. A young master is a young master. Propriety must not be abandoned."

"Alright, we're all family here. No need to stand on ceremony. From now on, one of you will be Butler Fu and the other Young Master. Now, let's go inside."

Zhao Xiuyun looked at the two, shook her head, and walked inside as she spoke.