All-Knowing Tower

The night faded, and daylight began to break.

Lin Chen stood on a rise and gazed toward the boundless horizon ahead, drawing a deep breath.

More than two months had passed since he left Kaiyang City. After crossing mountains and rivers, he had finally reached Yunlan City that morning.

"So this is the capital of Cloud Province..."

Lin Chen looked as far as he could. Before him lay not a single city, but a vast, prosperous region stretching beyond sight.

Only then did Lin Chen truly understand.

Yunlan City did not refer to just one city.

It was the heart of Cloud Province, where spiritual energy was richest. Sects stood in numbers and great families held sway; all the flourishing martial might of Cloud Province seemed gathered here.

A flicker of anticipation rose in Lin Chen's eyes.

He had reached the First Level of the Profound Martial Realm, grasped ten percent Sword Intent, and refined his Life-Bound Divine Artifact to the level of a third-grade profound weapon.

He had also mastered the Shadow Silk Binding Art and the Golden Bell Shield. He was as prepared as he could be.

"First, gather information. Then decide what to do."

After paying the entry fee, Lin Chen followed the crowd into the city.

Stone-paved streets stretched ahead, lined on both sides with an unbroken succession of shops and pavilions.

The streets were crowded, too. A brief sweep of his senses revealed many formidable auras.

There were young scions in brocade and jade, as well as dust-covered lone travelers. He even spotted a woman with pointed ears covered in soft fur. If he had seen a tail behind her, he might have taken her for a cat demon in human form.

Has she cultivated some special technique?

Lin Chen's interest stirred, and he could not help but marvel.

The martial artists he had seen along the way were generally strong. Spirit Martial Realm cultivators were everywhere, including quite a few at the seventh or eighth level.

Now and then, the faint aura of someone in the Profound Martial Realm passed by. Though each lasted only an instant, they gave him a first glimpse of Yunlan City's strength.

"In Kaiyang City, someone in the Spirit Martial Realm could be called an expert, and the Tenth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm stood at the top."

"But here, the Spirit Martial Realm is probably only the starting point."

As he pondered, the fur-eared woman in the distance seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned toward him. When her gaze swept past without finding anything, she withdrew it, looking puzzled.

Such sharp senses.

Lin Chen grew wary. She was only at the Ninth Level of the Spirit Martial Realm, yet her spiritual perception was exceptionally keen.

As expected of Cloud Province's capital. Powers from every direction converge here; experts are as numerous as trees in a forest, and strange, remarkable people are hardly rare.

He reminded himself to stay alert, then headed for the All-Knowing Tower.

Information was a business, and the All-Knowing Tower was a neutral organization devoted to it. Given enough Spirit Stones, there was almost nothing it could not tell him. It was the natural place to make inquiries.

After crossing more than a dozen long streets, he reached the All-Knowing Tower.

A faint sandalwood scent met him as he entered. The spacious first-floor hall held dozens of tea tables. Many martial artists were already there, some speaking quietly, others reading dossiers alone.

A middle-aged steward stood behind the counter. His eyes gleamed, though his aura remained carefully concealed. When Lin Chen entered, he looked him over and offered a practiced smile.

"Is this your first visit, young master?"

"Yes." Lin Chen nodded. "I'd like to ask about a few things."

"The All-Knowing Tower divides its intelligence into three grades."

The steward explained without haste.

"Information concerning the movements of Earth Martial Realm experts or the appearance of rare treasures is top-grade. Its price must be negotiated."

"What would you like to know, young master?"

Lin Chen shook his head. "I've only just arrived. I need a basic understanding of Cloudmist Territory so I can find my way around."

"I see."

Smiling, the steward handed him a token engraved with All-Knowing on its face. "This grants access to all low-grade intelligence on the second floor. If you have specific questions, you may ask the stewards on any floor."

He gestured toward the stairs on the left. "This way, young master."

The second floor was quieter than the first. Shelves stood in neat rows, holding jade slips filled with intelligence.

Lin Chen picked up a jade slip and probed it with his spiritual sense. Information immediately poured into his mind.

It was the All-Knowing Tower's intelligence catalog: the balance of power, accounts of notable figures, cultivation arts and martial techniques, recent events...

There was so much information it made his eyes swim.

As expected of Yunlan City. Even this is impressive.

He felt rather like a country bumpkin visiting the city.

Shaking off the thought, Lin Chen turned his attention first to the powers of Cloudmist Territory.

At the top were the Four Seas Merchant Guild, the Azure Cloud Sect, the Mystic Moon Pavilion, Crimson Flame Mountain, and several other powers.

Lin Chen looked first at the Four Seas Merchant Guild.

Four Seas Merchant Guild: Its headquarters and trading houses span the Nineteen Provinces. Built on commerce, it commands immense wealth. Qian Wantong, head of its Cloud Province branch, is an Earth Martial Realm cultivator and a skilled merchant with far-reaching connections. He recruits established experts and eagerly invests in promising newcomers. In particular, the Four Seas Merchant Guild will soon hold an assessment for promising talents and recruit widely...

Azure Cloud Sect: Founded several thousand years ago, with its mountain headquarters in the Azure Cloud Mountain Range. Renowned for its swords. Its supreme elder, Qinglan, is a master of the Sword Dao whose attainments stand unrivaled in Cloud Province. Among the younger generation, the Azure Cloud Seven Sons have risen to prominence in recent years, each an outstanding young talent...

Lin Chen swept through the entries with his spiritual sense and soon understood how power was distributed across Cloudmist Territory.

In short, three first-rate powers stood alongside the Four Seas Merchant Guild. Below them were more than a dozen second-rate powers, including the Golden Blade Gate and Medicine King Valley, each backed by an Earth Martial Realm patriarch.

As for the third-rate and lesser sects and families beneath them, they were as numerous as the stars.

This has truly opened my eyes, Lin Chen thought in wonder.

At the same time, he weighed what he had learned.

According to the basic information here, Heavenly Martial Realm cultivators were all supreme elders of first-rate powers, living fossils who remained in seclusion and rarely appeared.

An Earth Martial Realm cultivator was therefore already a regional overlord in Cloudmist Territory, capable of claiming territory and founding a sect.

The Profound Martial Realm could not compare with the Earth Martial Realm, but beside the vast number of Spirit Martial Realm cultivators, its practitioners still held considerable standing. They could rightly be called elite.

For instance, if Lin Chen joined a power such as the Golden Blade Gate or Medicine King Valley with his current Profound Martial Realm cultivation,

he could immediately become an outer elder. In time, he might even gain a permanent appointment as an inner elder.

The Profound Martial Realm is far from weak in Cloudmist Territory. It sits comfortably above the middle.

Lin Chen committed the information to memory.

Then he turned back to the Four Seas Merchant Guild. This entry went into greater detail:

In half a month, the Four Seas Merchant Guild would hold a Tower-Climbing Trial. Anyone under thirty who had reached at least the seventh level of the Spirit Martial Realm, or any Profound Martial Realm cultivator under fifty, could participate.

Those who passed would receive rewards from the guild. Those rated second-grade talents could cultivate in the Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land for five years. First-grade talents could cultivate there for seven years and receive the opportunity of a Spirit Pool Baptism.

Lin Chen's gaze sharpened.

Seven years of cultivation in the Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land? A Spirit Pool Baptism?

What are those?

Lin Chen immediately searched for information on the Spirit Mist Mountain Blessed Land and the Spirit Pool Baptism. What he learned shook him.

The Four Seas Merchant Guild is offering that much?!