Heavenly Azure Continent, Iron Sword City, inside the City Lord's Mansion under Spirit Sword Mountain's jurisdiction.
Iron Sword City was the second-largest city within Spirit Sword Mountain's territory. With Spirit Sword Mountain's protection, a city-defense array laid by a Spiritual Array Grandmaster hired at great expense, and Spirit Sword Mountain itself being a major power on the Heavenly Azure Continent, almost everyone who came to Iron Sword City behaved themselves.
Especially after Sky Dome Academy became the dominant power, Spirit Sword Mountain had grown closer to Heavenly Net Hall, to the point that they seemed to be allies. Thus, even people from Sky Dome Academy had to obey the rules here.
After all, although Sky Dome Academy was the undisputed overlord of the Heavenly Azure Continent, it was merely the overlord. It did not rule the entire continent outright.
If someone truly provoked Spirit Sword Mountain's people here, they could be killed, and that would be that. Sky Dome Academy would not actually mobilize its forces over it.
As such, Iron Sword City not only had branches of large merchant associations and several auction houses, but also drew many powerful cultivators who had offended Sky Dome Academy and sought Spirit Sword Mountain's protection.
Of course, protection was available, but a protection fee had to be paid: six drops of Sovereign Spirit Liquid a year. An annual fee of only six drops sounded small, but what if thousands upon thousands of people paid it? Then it was no small sum.
Besides, people still had to live in Iron Sword City. What did not require Sovereign Spirit Liquid?
Thus, the Sovereign Spirit Liquid Iron Sword City paid in tribute to Spirit Sword Mountain each year started at a hundred thousand drops.
Of course, some Sovereigns who thought themselves extraordinary had tried to