Pragmatism Was a Trait Etched into Starfire's Bones

"What are you doing? What are you doing? Just because you can't win, you're calling in a gang beatdown? You lot have really made something of yourselves, huh."

Seeing that the atmosphere was turning ugly, Fu Ling hurried forward and struck first with her words.

She had plenty of experience stirring up trouble, so she naturally knew what attitude to take at what time.

After the expansion, the number of citizens in the city qualified to enter the inner city and enjoy its benefits had undergone a marked structural shift. Starfire cultivators no longer held an absolute majority.

Though this was a hidden danger to some extent, for now, it gave her a good chance to avoid getting jumped by this lot.

She shoved Fu Gui, who stood before her, off to the side, then viciously pointed at the citizens, who outnumbered her by dozens to one.

"Don't forget: in Ice-Snow Mountain City, the rules are bigger than heaven and earth. This arena is where everyone exchanges pointers and vents their emotions. One-on-one is fine, group-on-group is fine, but if anyone tries to incite trouble, don't blame me for getting serious!"

As she spoke, Fu Ling's expression was stern. She did not need to deliberately put on a display; the authority she had accumulated over several years as the chief administrator of the mountain city was enough to make many hearts sink.

Authority was both a person's bearing and the tangible manifestation of their reputation.

Fu Ling was no weakling, and she had displayed outstanding qualities in several major incidents. When it was time to strike hard, she was ruthlessly vicious. One only had to look at the nickname the unpromoted nonhuman races in the city had given her.

The Queen.

That title, which had originally belonged to Fu Gui,