Dubian Town

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Dubian Town (渡边镇)
Affiliation	Great Chu Empire
Status	Extant; grew from a border town into a city-sized cultivation hub
First Appearance	4
Location	Great Chu’s northernmost frontier, bordering the Great Qin Empire; near Nine Heavens Mountain

Background / History

Dubian Town began as a prosperous but unstable frontier settlement. Its position between Great Chu and Great Qin brought merchants, adventurers, cultivators, non-human races, and spirit beasts through its streets, while also allowing criminals to escape across the border beyond Great Chu’s jurisdiction. Public order relied more on individual restraint than on the local guard force, particularly amid rising Chu–Qin tensions. 5

The town served as the first rest stop for Zhao State merchants crossing Nine Heavens Mountain via the Silk Road. Its central Adventure Paradise tavern and major trading market catered to adventurers selling spirit-beast cores, rare herbs, and other finds from the mountain. 5

The Mysterious Bookstore transformed Dubian Town into a destination for cultivators across the Azure Dragon Continent. Reports of book-derived opportunities, treasures, martial skills, Pokémon, and spiritual artifacts caused the population to surge; merchants built new inns, taverns, residences, and a large Wantong Trading Market near the bookstore. 74 78

By the end of December, the population exceeded one million—the threshold for a city on the Azure Dragon Continent. The growth displaced most original commoner residents, who were bought out or forcibly driven toward Yuanfang City, while cultivators and merchants became the dominant population. 143

Economy and Settlement

• Border trade — The town benefited from merchant traffic between states and from adventurers returning from Nine Heavens Mountain with valuable materials. 5
• Wantong Trading Market — A large market was constructed opposite the Mysterious Bookstore and eventually became a major regional trading hub, drawing merchants from Great Chu and other states. 78 577
• Shifted town center — The original town-center market and tavern declined after commerce concentrated around the Mysterious Bookstore, Wantong Trading Market, and Wantong Tavern. 80
• Cultivator economy — Pokémon advancement pills, armor, skill books, book-entry tickets, spells, and supernatural abilities became major expenses for the town’s cultivators. 362 469
• Property speculation — The bookstore’s influence drove construction and real-estate investment; uncertainty surrounding its possible departure later caused property values to collapse. 78 358
• Bodyguard profession — Assassinations of Pokémon-owning cultivators led Wantong Trading Market to establish a guaranteed bodyguard-matching service. 143
• Gold Book Cards — Gold Book Cards became highly valued markers of wealth and status in Dubian Town after the available three thousand sold out. 779

Public Order and Governance

Dubian Town’s early security was weak due to its border location and transient population. The growing influx of cultivators worsened the situation: brawls and deaths became commonplace, while roads toward Nine Heavens Mountain saw repeated attacks on Pokémon owners. 5 143

During the initial population boom, Mayor Zhou Wuji was absent and Deputy Mayor Zhang Wu died in a book world, leaving the settlement effectively without administration. 143 Zhou Wuji later resumed an active defensive role, sealing the route to Nine Heavens Mountain and deploying troops when the spirit-beast crisis began. 471

By the time influential figures and monarchs began residing in town, government authorities were actively enforcing regulations, including penalties for littering. 651

Major Incidents

Mysterious Bookstore boom

The bookstore’s miracles attracted cultivators faster than Dubian Town could house them. Construction expanded outward from the settlement, while queues, reservation numbers, and trading around access to books became part of daily life. 64 74 78

The population later fell from over one million to roughly half that number as the New Year approached and cultivators left while waiting for their entry dates. This was treated as a temporary decline rather than a loss of the bookstore’s influence. 168

Spirit beast riot

A major riot erupted at Nine Heavens Mountain after numerous high-level cultivators entered and failed to return. Zhou Wuji sealed the mountain route, and the Lord of Yuanfang City brought troops to reinforce Dubian Town. 471

Spirit beasts subsequently attacked the town in enormous numbers. Two hundred thousand Yuanfang City soldiers joined Dubian Town’s fifty thousand stationed troops in the defense. 472

The attacks escalated as spirit beasts carrying Tianshu Fragments demonstrated increased power. Nearly one million spirit beasts and two hundred thousand human soldiers died during one battle, while cultivators recovered an estimated twenty to thirty fragments. 475

Bookstore-related phenomena

• A lifelike ice-crystal dragon statue appeared above the Mysterious Bookstore, alarming residents who initially believed dragons had returned to the continent. 350
• The bookstore’s anniversary produced plum blossoms and seven-colored glazed rain limited to Dubian Town, helping cultivators advance in their realms. 530 524
• Three pillars of colored light caused Lan City to manifest in the sky above the town. 593
• The town became a gathering place for monarchs, sect elders, Immortal Realm cultivators, and other influential figures, described as a “miniature Azure Dragon Continent.” 658 683

Sky-reaching Ape Monkey incident

A confrontation involving the Sky-reaching Ape Monkey devastated buildings, shattered defensive formations, and caused extensive casualties. Ma Feifei later recorded more than ninety thousand deceased beings through the Investiture of the Gods. 698 727

Afterward, Wantong Trading Market and local authorities jointly began repairing the damaged settlement. 727

Notable Locations

• Mysterious Bookstore — The town’s defining institution and the source of its cultivation, commercial, and population boom.
• Wantong Trading Market — The largest market in Dubian Town; located opposite the Mysterious Bookstore after the town’s economic center shifted north. 78 80
• Adventure Paradise — The original largest tavern, located at the former town center across from its major market. 5
• North Long Street — Site of residences used to house thirty-six captives, including monarchs from four states. 658
• Nine Heavens Mountain route — The northern approach associated with adventuring, spirit-beast hunting, and later the spirit-beast riot. 5 471

Later Developments

The Mysterious Bookstore’s influence made Dubian Town one of the busiest settlements on the northwestern frontier, again drawing Spirit Saints and Immortal Realm experts after a temporary closure. 747

The bookstore was credited with changing cultivation on the Azure Dragon Continent: rather than risking their lives in secret realms or tomb raids, cultivators could seek opportunities through reading and completing book-world tasks. Dubian Town’s prosperity was considered one of its most lasting effects. 748

On September 15, the Mysterious Bookstore, Ma Feifei, and several companions disappeared from Dubian Town as they relocated to the Book Battle Continent. Chang Kong, Liu Ying, and Zhang Yunji remained on the Azure Dragon Continent to manage the Mysterious Branch Store. 839