Lin Fan lifted his foot and stepped through the city gate.
Buzz!
The instant he passed through the dark golden light curtain, the array patterns on the entire city wall lit up simultaneously, like an ancient bell that had been sealed for many years being struck from the inside.
The bell tolled silently, yet it caused the air within a radius of a thousand feet to tremble.
A dazzling golden beam of light descended from the sky, landing precisely on Lin Fan and enveloping him entirely.
"Buzz!"
The light pierced through his robes and seeped into his meridians, like an invisible tentacle probing his cultivation level, physique, law level, and even whether his soul was tainted by some inappropriate aura.
"Don't resist."
A voice came from above the city gate, neither too loud nor too soft, yet carrying an aged and undeniable authority. "This is to verify your identity; it won't harm you."
"This is... a test?"
Lin Fan stood still, offering no resistance.
His Double Pupils lit up slightly, and through the golden light, he could see the complex array structure deep within the city wall. They were interwoven layer by layer, like a giant net woven over countless years, each strand carrying an extremely ancient aura.
He detected an extremely subtle purifying power within it...
This array pattern is also detecting whether he has been contaminated with Dark Matter.
At the end of the beam of light, there were subtle ripples, as if recording something or evaluating something.
He felt the beam of light slowly moving through his body, like a swimming fish, circling the three streams of Immortal Qi, pausing for a moment deep within his dantian, and then exiting along his meridians.
Lines of fine, ancient characters appeared on the light screen, recording his basic information, and were constantly changing.
Lin Fan glanced at it and only saw a few familiar words: Chaos Gods and Devils Body, Double Pupils, Immortal Qi (three paths).
He didn't have time to see the rest clearly before the light screen quickly dimmed, like a lamp that had been blown out, with only a few wisps of light slowly dissipating in the air.
"Test passed. No contamination with Dark Matter, and no Foreign Domain forbidden items carried. Entry permitted."
Welcome to Emperor Pass!
An ancient, law-based voice descended from above the city gate, neither too loud nor too soft, like a pebble falling into a deep pool. " Lin Fan, the first to enter, has passed the entry test and has received the basic entry reward."
A palm-sized, dark gold token materialized out of thin air and hovered in front of Lin Fan.
The token is simple and ancient, with a relief of a nine-story Ancient Tower carved on its surface. Each level of the pagoda has fine runes flowing slowly, like a compressed ancient scroll.
A voice rang in Lin Fan's ears, gentle and clear. "This is the qualification to comprehend the first level of the Emperor Pass Ancient Tower."
" The Ancient Tower was built by Immortal King; some have attained the Dao and become Emperors, and some have achieved enlightenment and become Immortals!"
" The Ancient Tower has nine levels. The first level is the threshold; only those who can cross the first level are qualified to explore the deeper mysteries."
Lin Fan reached out and grasped the token in his palm. The luster of the ancient Ancient Tower relief on its surface brightened slightly with his touch, then dimmed again, as if confirming that it was bound to a new holder.
" Ancient Tower?"
" Immortal King? He seems to be no ordinary being!"
He repeated it in a low voice and put the token into his storage ring.
The moment the token entered the body, a system notification sounded at the opportune moment: [Ding! Host has obtained the qualification to comprehend the Emperor Pass Ancient Tower ×1!]
Lin Fan raised an eyebrow slightly.
Before he could even take a closer look, the surrounding cultivators erupted in uproar.
" Comprehension Token?!"
" Ancient Tower Comprehension Token?!"
"Holy crap! How did someone so young, at the Mid-Stage Quasi-Emperor, manage to get this?!"
"This is a qualification for comprehending the Ancient Tower left behind by Immortal King! Only three such qualifications are released in the entire Emperor Pass every few years!"
"He got one as soon as he entered the country? Is there no justice in this world?"
Divine senses swept in from all directions, some with curiosity, some with scrutiny, and some with undisguised greed and covetousness.
From the moment Lin Fan stepped through the city gate, almost all the cultivators near the city wall stopped what they were doing.
"Coming, coming."
Someone whispered something, their tone tinged with curiosity and scrutiny.
Several young cultivators stood at the foot of the city wall, all dressed in dark gray standard robes, looking like city guards or patrol officers from the Emperor Pass. Their gazes swept over Lin Fan, and they exchanged glances with each other.
Someone muttered softly, "He looks like he's just over fifty, right?"
Some people leaned against the city wall, some stood on high places, and some peeked out from the streets and alleys.
All eyes turned to the figure in white, like a group of diners examining a freshly served dish.
"One?"
A young cultivator leaning against the city wall glanced at Lin Fan, his tone carrying a hint of casual disdain. "Looks pretty young, a bit better than the last one?"
"Whether it's strong or not, you'll only know after you fight it."
A cultivator in a black short robe grinned beside him. "That's the rule, newcomers always have to pay their dues."
"How long do you think he can hold out?"
I don't think I can last more than three moves.
Three moves? I bet he'll be kneeling after just one.
"Don't rush, don't rush, the show's about to start."
The murmurs were neither loud nor soft, like a group of gamblers watching a cockfight, calculating which side to bet on.
Lin Fan stepped out of the pillar of light and stood on the stone slab under the city wall. The first feeling when the soles of his boots touched the ground of the Emperor Pass was that it was hard, like stepping on ancient bronze that hadn't been touched for tens of thousands of years. Even the dust carried a heavy weight.
He glanced around.
The streets inside the city walls were wide, paved with dark gray stone slabs, with a few clumps of unidentified grass growing in the gaps, their leaves swaying slightly in the wind. On both sides of the street were some low stone houses and a few small buildings, resembling the central square of a small county town in his previous life.
The buildings in the distance were taller and more elaborate, some with roofs covered in dark gold glazed tiles that gleamed softly in the twilight.
But it's too far away to see clearly.
The concentration of laws in the air was indeed much higher than in the Three Thousand Provinces.
He took a deep breath, feeling the three streams of Immortal Qi in his dantian ripple gently like the surface of a lake stirred by a breeze.
"This place is definitely different."
He was about to turn around and find a place to stay when a figure blocked his way.
The man was extremely tall, his entire body covered in a layer of dark blue scales, like a humanoid lizard. He had a long, narrow face, and his pupils were vertical lines, like the eyes of some kind of cold-blooded animal. A contemptuous smile was playing on his lips.
The aura of Peak Quasi-Emperor from the Demon Race race spread out without any concealment, like a snake whose tail had been stepped on, threatening to provoke a fight.
"Boy, hand over that token you have."
His voice was hoarse and deep, like two rough stone slabs rubbing against each other. "The first-time reward for newcomers isn't something someone from a small town like you can hold onto."