Chen Xuanjia

"Fellow Daoist, I am Chen Xuanjia of the Dao Sect. I caught the scent of something utterly irresistible earlier and came over for a look, never expecting to find Fellow Daoist roasting a mountain chicken here." Chen Xuanjia said, drooling.

"Dao Sect?" Jiang Ming froze. What sect was that?

"The Dao Sect is one of the five great sects of the Cloud Domain. Rumor has it that it has a Peak Tribulation Transcendence expert." Zhang Lingyue leaned close and whispered at the right moment.

"So it is the Dao Sect. I am Jiang Ming, a Rogue Cultivator. I have long admired Brother Chen's great name. Seeing you today, you truly are astonishing beyond measure." Jiang Ming laughed heartily.

"Brother Jiang truly thinks so? Brother Jiang has such a discerning eye. I am deeply impressed." Chen Xuanjia flattered him while staring fixedly at the roasted chicken.

Shock appeared in Zhang Lingyue's beautiful eyes. His surname was Jiang—he was actually a Jiang! None of the Six Great Sacred Lands or Eight Great Saint Clans bore the surname Jiang. Only the Imperial Clan did!

"Brother Chen wants some?" Jiang Ming smiled faintly.

"I do. I wonder if Brother Jiang would be willing to part with it?" Chen Xuanjia's eyes gleamed.

"How could such an ordinary thing be worthy of Brother Chen? No." The smile on Jiang Ming's face deepened.

"Brother Jiang, you overpraise it. I have an earth-rank sword technique here. How about I trade it with Brother Jiang for a chicken leg?" Chen Xuanjia said through gritted teeth.

Shock filled Zhang Lingyue's beautiful eyes once more. An earth-rank sword technique, traded for a chicken leg?!

Jiang Ming was stunned for a moment. Good heavens, he was a foodie too. "Forget the sword technique. I'll give you one for free."

"Many thanks, Brother Jiang!" Chen Xuanjia took the chicken leg and began wolfing it down. After only a few bites, he started licking the bone.

"Brother Jiang, are you planning to go to Golden Gate City?" Chen Xuanjia asked.

"Indeed." Jiang Ming nodded. To reach the Jiang Domain, he had to pass through Golden Gate City.

"Then why not travel together? I am also heading to Golden Gate City. I imagine Brother Jiang is going for the Saint's Ruins as well?" Chen Xuanjia asked.

The Saint's Ruins? Jiang Ming gave a slight nod without revealing anything. "Sure."

"Hehe." Chen Xuanjia smiled. "And this fairy maiden is?"

"I am my young master's maidservant, Zhang Lingyue." Zhang Lingyue steered the topic toward herself and gave a slight bow.

"So it is Fairy Zhang. I have long admired you, long admired you!" Chen Xuanjia cupped his hands.

Zhang Lingyue returned the salute.

Golden Gate City.

The three traveled together. With Chen Xuanjia's identity as a Dao Sect disciple, they encountered no trouble and arrived peacefully at Golden Gate City.

Moonrise Inn.

"Innkeeper, two rooms!" Chen Xuanjia shouted.

"Esteemed guests, third-class rooms cost ten low-grade spirit stones, second-class rooms cost twenty low-grade spirit stones, and first-class rooms cost fifty low-grade spirit stones. Would you like first-class, second-class, or third-class rooms?" the innkeeper asked with a beaming smile.

"Y-you're gouging guests because of the Saint's Ruins! Lower-class rooms clearly cost only one low-grade spirit stone!" Chen Xuanjia said furiously.

"Then esteemed guests may try another inn. Golden Gate City has been packed with people lately, and rooms are in short supply." The innkeeper smiled with narrowed eyes, his gaze reduced to a slit.

"Brother Jiang treated me to chicken legs, so I'll treat Brother Jiang to lodging." Chen Xuanjia gritted his teeth. "Two third—"

Before he could finish, "Two first-class rooms." A Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone flew into the innkeeper's hand.

"Certainly, esteemed guests. Please follow me." The innkeeper beamed with joy. One Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone was enough to pay for two rooms for a hundred days.

"Brother Jiang, you truly did not need to do this." Chen Xuanjia looked at Jiang Ming with a moved expression.

"It is only a little money. Don't mind it," Jiang Ming said indifferently.

"Brother Jiang is truly a man of temperament. Chen admires you. If Brother Jiang does not mind, I would like to acknowledge you as my big brother." Chen Xuanjia cupped his hands.

"Fine, that settles it. Go rest first. The journey has been tiring." Jiang Ming did not refuse. He stretched and headed for the room, with Zhang Lingyue following behind him.

Chen Xuanjia watched Jiang Ming leave and sighed. "There are still more good people in the world. Master was simply talking nonsense, saying the outside world was too dangerous."

This was Chen Xuanjia's first time leaving the sect. Though his master had constantly warned him that human hearts were treacherous, how could he remember it without experiencing it himself?

"Young Master..." Zhang Lingyue said weakly.

"You want to ask why I paid?" Jiang Ming asked in return.

"It is only a little money."

"No, does Young Master want this servant to warm your bed?" Zhang Lingyue asked timidly, her pretty face flushing faintly. For some reason, she had once felt no ripples when facing men, but whenever she faced Jiang Ming, her heart surged with waves.

"Uh..." Jiang Ming was a little embarrassed. "Since you put it that way, then go warm the bed."

"Yes..." Zhang Lingyue felt both nervous and excited.

"Hey, hey, why are you taking off your clothes?" Jiang Ming asked.

"?? Didn't Young Master want me to warm the bed?" Zhang Lingyue asked in confusion.

"You don't need to take off even your inner clothes." Jiang Ming muttered, reaching down to feel around below. "Still hasn't grown up yet."

Zhang Lingyue's face turned crimson as she slipped beneath the covers, wearing only her inner clothes.

Jiang Ming shook his head, removed his outer robe, and climbed beneath the covers. Feeling the soft warmth beside him, he let out a sigh. "Sigh."

Early the next morning.

"Brother Ming, you are up so early. We cultivators have long since transcended the need for food. How can we eat these things and defile our bodies?" Chen Xuanjia asked when he saw Jiang Ming eating breakfast.

"Then why did you eat my chicken leg yesterday?" Jiang Ming snapped irritably.

"Haha." Chen Xuanjia scratched his head awkwardly. "Wasn't it because Brother Ming's chicken was just too delicious?"

"What kind of horrifying thing are you saying?!" Jiang Ming's face darkened. "Is the Saint's Ruins about to open?"

"Not yet, but soon. There should be two more days." Chen Xuanjia shook his head.

"Has anything happened in the city lately?" Jiang Ming asked.

"Nothing particularly special. There are just more and more people. The Four Great Families of Cloud City and the ten great sects of the Cloud Domain have all arrived, along with some other factions. But strangely enough, Cloudwater City has not sent anyone." Chen Xuanjia said.

Jiang Ming's gaze turned strange, but he said nothing. By rights, the Yunshui Sage should have returned to Cloudwater City. Since the Saint's Ruins had appeared nearby, no one coming made no sense. He shook his head and stopped dwelling on it.

"What about the Dao Sect? Aren't you going to meet up with them?" Jiang Ming asked.

"The Dao Sect is staying at A Certain Inn. There is no rush now. It will not be too late to meet them after the Saint's Ruins opens." Chen Xuanjia shook his head.

"Will any Saint Realm experts come?" Jiang Ming asked.

"I have not heard of any. But usually, only Nascent Soul cultivators can enter the Saint's Ruins. Tribulation Transcendence cultivators could easily cause the ruins to collapse." Chen Xuanjia replied.

Jiang Ming nodded, lowered his head, and continued eating without another word.

Lately, aside from enjoying himself, he occasionally studied the cultivation techniques and divine abilities within the Imperial Heir Ring. Now that he had gained entry into many divine abilities, and only Nascent Soul cultivators could enter, this was the perfect time to improve his proficiency.

His previous battles had relied almost entirely on the overwhelming power of Sun Power. With the strength of his current Nascent Soul realm, he did not need too many divine abilities or techniques to crush ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators of the same level.

Divine abilities and combat arts were divided into heaven, earth, profound, and yellow ranks. Above them were Saint Arts and Imperial Arts. The weakest divine ability he had learned was heaven-rank. Saint Arts were scarce, and every Saint Realm expert had their own path, making it far from easy to find one that suited him. As for Imperial Arts, Jiang Ming currently possessed only one—the Sun-Sundering Heaven Technique. Yet with this single art alone, he could stand invincible against Nascent Soul cultivators. That was the terror of an Imperial Art.