Wildgoose City

After nearly a month of roughing it through wind and rain, Lin Qing finally caught sight of his destination—Wildgoose City.

Lin Qing urged his horse forward at a slow pace. His clothes had long since been worn somewhat old by the hardships of the journey, their hems and corners stained with dust and grass clippings. The Qi and Blood Realm pills he had carried had already been completely used up; only the Life-Nourishing Art was still maintaining its circulation.

Wildgoose City stood at the northernmost edge of the Summer Kingdom and was one of the kingdom's four great border strongholds. A colossal city stood at each of the eastern, western, southern, and northern frontiers of the Summer Kingdom. Though scattered towns and smaller cities also lined the other border regions, none could compare with the four main cities in scale, foundation, or concentration of martial artists.

North of Wildgoose City lay the Ten-Thousand Mountains, stretching for countless miles, boundless and endless.

That forest was a perilous land people turned pale at the mention of. Miasma filled its mountains and woods, venomous insects bred in abundance, and countless ferocious beasts lurked within. Low-tier ferocious beasts were beyond counting, while high-tier ones hid deep in the dense forest, killing intent concealed in the shadows. Even a top Fourth-Tier Martial Artist might not return whole after entering it.

Yet danger often came hand in hand with endless opportunities.

Precisely because it bordered the Ten-Thousand Mountains, Wildgoose City had become the Summer Kingdom's largest distribution hub for ferocious beast materials. Countless Demon Hunting Teams were based in the city, gathering the kingdom's finest hunting martial artists, whose strength far surpassed that of martial artists in inland cities. Every top-ranked Demon Hunting Team in the city had a Fourth-Tier Martial Artist holding the fort, while even ordinary teams usually had several Third-Tier Martial Artists.

Vast quantities of ferocious beast flesh, bones, and hides were brought out of the mountains and sent back to the city, then transported by merchant caravans throughout every corner of the Summer Kingdom. Here, ferocious beast meat was everywhere, cheap and affordable. Even precious Fourth-Tier Savage Beast Meat could often be found in large shops and guilds.

The Third-Tier Ferocious Beast Meat Lin Qing had consumed while cultivating in Cloudmist Prefecture had originated from this Wildgoose City, thousands of miles away.

Lifting his eyes and gazing into the distance, he saw a colossal city rising from the earth, stretching across heaven and earth with such majestic force that it made one's heart tremble.

Wildgoose City's walls had been built from massive stones. Their entire surface was a dark blue-black, and they rose dozens of zhang high, straight and towering, grand and magnificent like an ancient giant beast lying dormant. Banners snapped atop the walls, the great flags embroidered with the black dragon pattern of the Summer Kingdom crackling fiercely in the wind. The howling gale only made this great border city appear still more imposing.

As he drew closer to the city, its flourishing bustle became ever more palpable.

On the broad imperial road, merchant caravans from every corner of the land streamed past without cease. Horse-drawn carts loaded with goods stretched end to end for miles, piled with neatly packaged ferocious beast meat and rare medicinal herbs. Martial artists and merchants from all sides weaved through the crowd, while voices from north and south, the rumble of carts and horses, and vendors' cries intertwined into a boiling clamor.

Passing through layer upon layer of people and stepping through the towering city gates, Lin Qing was met by a unique, mingled scent.

The rich, heavy stench of blood formed the city's dominant note—the lingering smell of countless ferocious beasts' flesh and blood. Entwined with it was the thick, refreshing fragrance of medicinal herbs, creating an aura unique to Wildgoose City, a borderland character inland cities could never replicate.

The layout of the entire city was utterly different from inland cities such as Cloudmist Prefecture.

There were no sprawling mansions of great clans or noble estates here, no refined tenderness of pavilions and towers. Everywhere brimmed with the wildness and bold spirit of martial artists. The streets were broad and straight, extending in all directions, while the crisscrossing lanes stood in neat order. Shops lined both sides of the streets in dense rows, stretching beyond the eye's reach.

Ferocious beast butcher shops stood everywhere, their chopping blocks displaying cuts of every kind of beast meat, some fatty, some lean, each of differing grades. Shop hands called loudly to draw in passing martial artists. Countless herb shops had shelves filled with dried spirit herbs and prepared medicinal ingredients, dazzling the eye. There were also weapon shops, stocked with everything from sabers, spears, staffs, and clubs to axes, halberds, hooks, and forks.

Magnificent restaurants and inns stood side by side, most decorated with rugged grandeur rather than delicate elegance. Crowds surged before their doors as countless caravan members rested, drank, chatted, and discussed martial arts. At street corners and deep in alleyways stood alluring pleasure pavilions, from which faint melodies of silk and bamboo drifted out, offering martial artists who licked blood from blade edges a place to unwind and wash away the fatigue of slaughter in the mountains and forests.

Grand martial artist guilds also stood throughout the city. Tall stone buildings rose one after another, their plaques imposing and their banners fluttering. Guilds large and small were spread across the city, forming the true lifeblood of this great border stronghold.

Lin Qing led his horse slowly along the long bluestone street. Before long, he noticed something strange.

The passersby along both sides of the street and the martial artists lingering nearby all turned their gazes toward him as though by prior agreement.

Streams of eyes gathered from every direction, settling on his young face and upright figure. There was none of the malice of street ruffians in those looks, none of the greedy covetousness of prying eyes. They were filled with intense curiosity and scrutiny, even carrying a measure of admiration.

Waves of hushed discussion drifted clearly into Lin Qing's ears on the wind.

"Look, that's Xie Chen! The True Person is just as young as the rumors say!"

"My heavens, he really doesn't look older than twenty. That's simply heaven-defying!"

"I thought the rumors had been exaggerated before, but seeing him today—such bearing and character are far beyond any ordinary youth!"

The murmured discussions continued without end, while layer upon layer of admiring, inquisitive gazes wrapped around him.

Even though Lin Qing had deliberately tempered his state of mind, a powerful sense of discomfort rose within him.

Just as Lin Qing's thoughts stirred and he pondered in secret, a clear, crisp female voice sounded behind him.

"Young Master Xie Chen, please wait."

Lin Qing turned around. A slender, upright figure stepped out of the crowd and stopped before him.

The newcomer was a woman of twenty-eight or twenty-nine, dressed in capable martial attire. The tough, durable fabric clung to her form, outlining a tall and clean-cut figure. A silver guild waist badge hung at her belt, and a narrow-bladed short saber rested at an angle by her waist. She possessed a valiant, sharp aura.

The woman's features were delicate and proper, her ponytail tied high and her brows and eyes keen. She lacked the usual gentleness and frailty of other women; instead, she carried the decisiveness and efficiency of a martial artist.

Su Lan looked Lin Qing straight in the eye with open frankness. Without testing the waters or exchanging pleasantries, she spoke directly and got straight to the point:

"Young Master Xie Chen, my name is Su Lan. I am from the Demon Ember Guild of Wildgoose City. I stopped you because I wish to invite you to join our Demon Ember Guild."

Hearing this, Lin Qing lifted his eyes toward Su Lan and spoke in a low voice:

"How did you know my name?"

He was certain he had never shown himself in the northern frontier before. No one in Wildgoose City should have recognized his appearance, yet only moments after his arrival, she had accurately spoken his alias, Xie Chen, and had even waited here in advance to recruit him. It truly defied reason.

At his words, a faint trace of surprise flashed through Su Lan's eyes. Then she smiled, her tone carrying a hint of realization and amazement.

"It seems you were focused only on traveling and have not kept up with news from the outside. It is already February. Skyvault Pavilion's latest Hidden Dragon Ranking has been released."

Looking at the exceptionally poised young man before her, she spoke with heartfelt admiration.

"At nineteen, you emerged out of nowhere and forcefully claimed twenty-sixth place on the Hidden Dragon Ranking! Your name has already spread throughout the Summer Kingdom."