Chapter 27: Starting Life Anew
Yaan could see that a few miles in the distance, there was a large palace elevated above the rest of the city. From his estimations, he guessed that this palace was located within the centre of the city, meaning that the city itself stretched out for around ten miles across. Since the people lived here in such a densely packed manner, the population must be numbered in the millions!
As he walked through the streets and delved deeper into the city, Yaan quickly blended into the crowd. He still drew some stares even though the people here hadn't witnessed his attack against that guard. Ah, these stares were those of people looking down on him…
Yaan didn't really care about the opinions of ignorant mortals, but he really did need to find himself a new robe. It was a bit unfortunate that he was forced to part with his sect robes, but they were just tattered rags at this point, they were no longer fit to wear.
He spent some time looking around through the various shops and houses along this street, but he didn't find anything that caught his eye. During this casual search, he ended up walking a couple of miles deeper into the city. By this point, he noticed a change in the surrounding scenery.
The people here looked cleaner and more refined, whilst the roads were clear of any litter or damage. The building architecture was also of a higher level, some marble buildings and small temples could now be seen.
Just as Yaan was gazing at a temple with intrigue, his eyes brightened, focussing in as someone exited the premises
Qi master!
This person had an elegant air about him. He appeared to be a middle aged man, he was clean shaven and wore a delicate blue silk robe as an entourage of mortals followed behind him. His expression was proud, he seemed to be enjoying the incessant praise of those around him.
One of the mortals noticed that a small beggar child was looking their way. He had a thought, then decided to cause this scruffy looking child some trouble.
The man said something to the Qi master, then strode pompously across towards Yaan and stared down at him.
"Boy, what's beggar like you doing in the noble quarters?! Don't you know that this is where the nobles and Qi masters live? You don't have the qualifications to enter!"
The man raised his hand and brought it down to slap Yaan. Yaan narrowed his eyes. If he really had been an ordinary mortal beggar, this man's slap would have certainly caused him some serious pain.
BANG!
The entourage and Qi master were watching in amusement, but their jaws dropped at the unexpected outcome of this confrontation. Yaan only stretched out his hand and pushed the man's chest lightly, but the man actually flew backwards and slammed into the temple walls with a loud bang!
The temple shook slightly from the impact, whilst the man in question was severely injured. Over ten bones were broken and his organs were damaged, he would take at least a few months to recover from this harsh lesson.
The noisy ruckus caught the attention of some robed individuals within the temple. They all rushed out and stared at Yaan, causing their expressions to change dramatically.
Yaan was currently releasing his aura, an act that left these people feeling a terror deeper than any they had experience throughout their lives. In fact, rather than a child, they felt like they were facing a savage beast, a beast with the ability to tear them apart, limb from limb! The fact that Yaan's appearance was so young, only further terrified the more knowledgeable individuals.
The three people who rushed out from the temple were all Qi masters, but the highest cultivation was only at the Late Qi Gathering realm. This person, an old man who was respected greatly in the temple, stepped forwards and bowed deeply, his lips trembling slightly as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Esteemed Qi master, I apologise if the people from my temple have offended you! I beg your forgiveness!"
By now, Yaan had attracted quite the commotion. All of these people were familiar with the immortal temple and the residents within, which was why the scene before their eyes left them feeling dumbstruck. Upon witnessing the temple lord bowing to Yaan so subserviently, they all sucked in a breath of shock. The temple lord was usually so overbearing, yet now he was acting with such respect towards a scruffy looking child!
Yaan retracted his aura and wore and indifferent expression once again. This city interested him, so he didn't want to cause too much of a fuss just yet. Besides, he believed that he could use this situation to his advantage.
"It's fine, but I have a request."
"Yes, anything my lord!" The temple lord looked up in relief. He was worried that this terrifying monster might request something extreme that he could not fulfil, but Yaan's next words allowed him to finally relax properly.
"I need a new robe, and I would like to learn more about this city."
"Yes, of course my lord!"
After this, Yaan was led into the temple, following calmly after the temple lord. Everyone else stayed outside, leaving the two to discuss their matters in private.
The first Qi master Yaan saw, as well as his entourage, all looked extremely shocked. This middle aged man acted big in front of the mortal nobles, but truthfully, he was only at the Early Qi Gathering realm. This was the first time he had met a being at Yaan's level, the encounter certainly left a deep impression on him.
The inside of the temple somewhat reminded Yaan of the Heavenly Path Sect. The interior was simple, with a small table situated in the centre of a wooden hall. Yaan sat down on a soft cushion at the table and waited as the old man poured him a cup of tea.
After telling the temple lord that he would like a red silk robe, the old man sent away two servants to find something that suited Yaan as quickly as possible. After this, the old man looked down at the table hesitantly.
"It's fine, just sit." Yaan glanced up and gave a faint nod. The old man nodded hurriedly in response, then took the seat opposite Yaan.
"Could you tell me a bit about this city? I'm not from around here, it's my first time seeing mortals and Qi masters living amongst one another like this." Yaan explained.
The old man's eyes lit up. When he heard Yaan say this, he immediately thought that Yaan must be from a sect or clan! Only those Qi masters who had spent most of their lives within a sect would say something like this.
That said, the old man didn't look down on Yaan at all. He understood well that anyone able to retain a youthful appearance at Yaan's level of power must be a peerless genius beyond anything that he could compare with. Actually, the old man had never seen the inside of a true cultivation sect personally, so he really considered himself to be the one lacking horizons.
"Lord, this is a mortal country, the country of Danso. Although it might seem like a mere city to someone as esteemed as yourself, it is common for mortal countries to be like this."
Yaan nodded slowly as the old man explained. So this was a mortal country, interesting.
"What is the power structure like in this country? Who rules these lands?"
"As you have already seen, the outer parts of the country are inhabited by common mortals, the inside by noble mortals and Qi masters. There are many schools and sects in this area…of course, they are nothing compared to true cultivation sects."
The old man stared at Yaan for a moment, before shaking his head lightly with a sigh and continuing with his explanation.
"The current ruling power is King Danso, he is a True Yuan Qi realm Qi master. The King is the only True Yuan Qi realm Qi master in the country."
"I see." Yaan pondered briefly, before asking: "Does he live in that central palace?"
"Indeed, that is where the King resides. He rarely leaves the palace."
"Do you know why he chooses to live here? The spiritual energy concentration in this country is only average, I don't see what's so special about this place." Yaan frowned. Compared to the Northern mountain range, the conditions for Qi masters here were simply too pitiful. This environment simply wasn't suited for cultivation, one's efforts would be dampened due to the lacking conditions whenever they refined the atmospheric spiritual energy into Yuan Qi.
'I'm now certain, this lord is definitely from a sect!' The old man thought. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart, the respect in his gaze growing deeper.
"My lord, the conditions here are average, but a True Yuan Qi realm Qi master is able to rule over a million others by establishing a mortal country. For many, that is all they wish for."
"I see…" Yaan understood now. Basically, the Qi masters in this country were not devoted to cultivation. They cultivated for status and authority, not for personal enlightenment.
A place like this wasn't so bad. Living a comfortable life without danger, without suffering. A peaceful life of tranquility, until he died from old age…
Yaan considered it, but immediately shook his head with a faint smile. Was that really what he wanted from life? He had asked himself this question many times since leaving the sect.
What was it that he wanted? What was his goal, what did he strive for?
After departing, he had been filled with a sense of emptiness and pain. He had single mindedly devoted himself to cultivating with the sole objective of eventually attaining his revenge, but suddenly, this goal became impossible. Elder Sun was dead, whilst he now found himself alone, without any responsibilities or expectations to live up to. Whilst he had nothing tying him down and nothing to live up to, this also meant that Yaan now had nothing tangible to live for.
During those months of solitude, Yaan remembered something. He began to recall the feeling of excitement that encompassed his heart after successfully learning and casting the Water-drop Slash spell for the first time. He remembered the sense of peace he felt when practicing his sword arts alone. He remembered his joy every time his cultivation broke through to a new level.
Yaan knew that he wanted to cultivate further, to experience more of the world and to deepen his understanding of cultivation. This feeling developed further when he thought back to those shocking Origin Soul realm leaders from the competition, and how he felt like an ant looking up at a god when facing them.
It wasn't even a matter of fearing their strength. No, rather than fear, Yaan was more intrigued by the way in which these people had comprehended the world. Their outlook on life and their understanding of the world was something that he could not even begin to imagine.
After all the suffering he had endured, all the pain, the sorrow and anger…Yaan wanted to know why. What was it all for? What was the purpose of this life? Why did people have to suffer, was there a reason to it all, or was it just random chaos?
These questions were all too vague, yet he still felt a strange but burning desire to uncover the answers. Now that he was faced with these Qi masters who only cared for status and authority, Yaan knew that this path was not for him.
He questioned the old man some more. After finding out that the resources in this mortal country were extremely lacking compared to what he was used to, Yaan decided that he wouldn't stay here for long. After receiving his new robe and a map of the surrounding area, he slept in the temple for the night, then departed the following day without saying a word to anyone.
Yaan saw no need to visit this 'King Danso'. He already had a map that explained everything of importance within a 200 mile radius, finally providing him with a clear destination. The place he was heading to was infinitely more grand than this little mortal country.
North Ghu City.
North Ghu City was completely different to the many mortal countries, villages and towns that littered the province sparsely. This city was a true cultivation city, a gathering point for Qi masters from all wakes of life.
Most Qi masters generally belonged to a sect, school or clan, but there were also lone wandering Qi masters. Whatever one's background, it became irrelevant once they entered North Ghu City.
Yaan hoped that in this mysterious city, he would be able to start his life anew.
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