Jiang City

Biodata

Districts and Landmarks

Government

• Entry monitoring: The Entry and Exit Administration Office requires arrivals from outside the city to wear trackers. Investigators use these records to establish that the person who killed the Shadow Mimic Spiders was probably a local 13.
• Student records: The Martial Arts Bureau maintains records of leading martial arts prospects in the city’s high schools 14.
• Qingjiang Plan: A city program for which Lin Qing was selected 41.

Defense and Economic Conditions

Beast Tide

• Jiang City relies on high outer walls and martial artist defenders to withstand demonic beasts. Some lifelong residents have never traveled beyond those walls 15.
• During the worsening beast tide, the Third Squad loses two defenders on the west wall in a single night 15.
• The senior defenders are aging and carrying lasting injuries. At 62, Wei Cang has seven old injuries and less than 70 percent of his peak qi and blood 15.
• Shen Ce warns that the existing leadership may no longer be able to carry the defensive burden within another five years, making younger replacements essential 16.

Resource Shortages and Talent Loss

Jiang City’s resources and opportunities cannot compete with those of larger cities. Promising young martial artists repeatedly leave for better offers, contributing to poor examination rankings and a widening gap between the established defenders and their successors 14 15 16.

• Budget pressure: The city nearly fails to pay branch-bureau salaries the month before Wei Cang proposes a new talent fund. Martial artist pensions and wall maintenance remain major expenses 16.
• Regional disadvantage: Jiang City offers the lowest additional One-Star martial artist benefits among the six neighboring cities because it is comparatively poor 32.
• Competition revenue: The pharmacists competition brings considerable revenue. Huang Keming argues that visiting contestants’ potions and medicinal herbs attract beasts, while Shen Ce stresses that the unrest is regional rather than solely caused by the event 15.

Martial Arts Education and Benefits

Schools and Assessment

Jiang City has gone 39 years without a student entering Capital Martial University when Lin Hao emerges as a candidate 43.

Standard Support

History

Six-City Young Pharmacists Competition

Jiang City hosts the competition at the Martial Arts Association Central Square, drawing large crowds from neighboring cities. Registration requires an officially recognized pharmacy apprentice certificate, initially preventing Lin Hao from entering 9 14.

Lin Hao eventually competes using a slot purchased from Linshui City contestant Zhou Mingxuan. His anonymous victory, achieved by refining a Beyond-Perfect-Grade Primordial Qi and Blood Potion, prompts potion companies and factions across the six cities to search for him 27 41 47.

Search for the Unidentified Martial Artist

After Lin Hao kills two Shadow Mimic Spiders, investigators identify the unknown fighter as a local teenager with approximately 1.3–1.4 qi and blood and combat power above 5.0. Wei Cang orders the Martial Arts General Bureau, City Defense General Administration, and subdistrict offices to find him within three days 14 16.

The discovery prompts Wei Cang to propose the Jiang City Martial Arts Talent Special Support Fund. He argues that the city must make competitive offers rather than continue losing its strongest prospects. His proposed support includes university tuition, living expenses, cultivation resources, and a reserved future deputy director position, subject to evaluating the teenager’s suitability 16.

Recognition of Lin Hao

Lin Hao receives exceptional One-Star certification after recording 2.79 qi and blood and 9.21 combat power and killing a Wind-Rending Swift Leopard in three moves. The city provides him with a furnished 220-square-meter home in River View Luxury Gardens 40 43.

Officials identify the anonymous pharmacist as Lin Hao, then learn that he is also the martial artist responsible for killing the spiders. Wei Cang orders a renewed investigation into the mishandling of Lin Qing’s case and leads the senior officials to Lin Hao’s family home 41 42.

Recruitment Contest

Jiang City’s offer to Lin Hao develops as Qingyang City and Wansheng compete for his support:

Qingyang City offers ten times Jiang City’s initial terms, alongside research and training facilities. Wei Cang responds by proposing cooperation with Wansheng: Jiang City would support Lin Hao’s martial arts and public-service career, while Wansheng would fund his potion research, with the research center located in Jiang City. Wansheng chairman Luo Jinglin agrees 48 49.

The revised package remains an offer: Lin Hao’s parents insist that he make the final decision himself 49.