Chapter 17: Eternal Dragon Pavilion.
Liang Chen slowly made his way down the road, the sheer amount of people forcing him to slow his speed down. While walking, he also took the chance to glance at the surroundings, checking the area and the people within. There weren't only humans walking down the road, there were also people from the demon race, even one or two human-shaped Demonic beasts.
Once a Demonic beast reached a certain level of power, it could take on a human shape, blending in with society. Most Demonic beasts chose to keep some traits from their Demonic beast shape, but some took on a full human shape. The level of strength they had to reach to take human form depended on what type of Demonic beast they were, the weaker ones could take human shape already in the Ascended Tower realm. Of course, even if they took human form, there were not a lot of Demonic beasts that would venture into cities, for fear of being killed and taken apart, so Liang Chen guessed that these Demonic beasts were someone's slaves.
People from the demon race were the children of Demonic beasts and humans, half-breeds. They often had a human shape but had some Demonic beast traits like horns, scales, or extra body parts. Despite being half-breeds, they were most often treated as humans, only the violent or evil ones treated as Demonic beasts. Their blood was not as effective as Demonic beast blood, but it still had some effect to speed up training.
Liang Chen also noticed a few people who seemed a bit shady, hiding their faces and skulking in the shadows. But Liang Chen was completely broke, the only thing he owned being the robe he was wearing, so he did not care too much about these shady people, returning his focus to the road ahead of him.
Due to his slow pace, it took him over three hours of walking to finally reach the plaza that Zhou Zing had mentioned. The plaza was so large that it stretched out for as far as Liang Chen could see, various stands placed around the plaza, selling everything from lunch to slaves. Liang Chen swept the plaza with his eyes, looking for a building that seemed like it would belong to the Eternal Dragon Pavilion.
His search quickly bore fruit, a magnificent building entering his vision. The building was made out of a deep brown wood that shone under the sun. An exquisitely carved dragon decorated the building, coiling around it and raising its head to roar at the sky. The triangular and pointed roof was deep crimson in colors, the words Eternal Dragon Pavilion carved just above the golden door that served as the entrance.
Before Liang Chen stepped towards the building, he pat his robe, dusting himself off. It was while he was dusting himself off that he noticed that there were two new holes in his robes, at the spot where one would usually keep their money. A slight smile appeared on his face when he thought about the disappointment of the person who had tried to rob him, only to find nothing. He finished dusting himself and then stepped towards the Eternal Dragon Pavilion.
The golden door felt slightly heavy and was cold to the touch, so it didn't seem to be made out of wood, but rather a strange type of metal. The door was carved with the image of several people, but Liang Chen was unable to recognize any of the people. When he pushed open the door, the mixed smell of alcohol and herbs tickled his nose, causing him to wrinkle it slightly.
The inside of the Eternal Dragon Pavilion was well lit and sparsely decorated. At the far back of the room, he entered was a small staircase that led up to the second floor. At the right side of the room, there was a long counter, a single burly man standing behind the counter. On the wall behind the man was a large shelf filled with several glass bottles filled with alcohol, a few chairs were lined up against the counter, men and women sitting and drinking, merrily chatting with each other.
The left side of the room seemed to be where people accepted missions, as there was a long counter there, three people, a man, and two women, standing behind the counter. Other than these two counters, there were a few tables and chairs placed around the room, giving people a place to sit. There was a blooming purple flower placed on each of the tables, releasing a faint herb-like fragrance. A few people glanced at Liang Chen when he came in, their eyebrows raising somewhat when they saw his attire and strength, but they quickly returned to minding their own business, they had long learned not to judge people too quickly. After sweeping the room with his gaze, Liang Chen stepped towards the counter on the left, the man standing behind the counter greeting him.
"How can I help you? Have you come to place a mission? Or are you looking to join the pavilion?"
The man had a tall stature with chiseled features that made him look rather handsome. He had powerful green eyes and short gray hair that seemed somewhat spiky. Despite Liang Chen looking rather poor and weak, he still acted like a professional, nothing showing on his face. Liang Chen gave a slight nod of his head, stating his goal.
"I have come to join the pavilion. Are there any prerequisites to join?"
Liang Chen's voice was calm, his gaze steadfast as he looked at the man, who was slightly taken aback at how calm Liang Chen was. Most people who joined the pavilion were often either filled with excitement, awe, or even fear. The man looked at Liang Chen with a solemn expression as he explained a little about the Eternal Dragon Pavilion.
"None, we accept anyone who has at least reached the early stage of the Mortal Tower realm. Of course, the missions you can take on at that level are rather limited. The pavilion will also not be held responsible for anything that might go wrong during a mission, we are only responsible for handing out the missions and handing over the rewards. Do you understand?"
Liang Chen gave a calm nod of his head after hearing the explanation, as he had already expected something like this. The only thing he had worried about was that he might not be allowed to join because of his low cultivation, but it seemed like he had been overthinking it. The man behind the counter swiped his interspatial ring, taking out two plates that looked like they were made out of a strange bronze crystal, and a small yellow piece of paper, handing them to Liang Chen.
"Good. Drop some of your blood on these, and then write your name here."
The man also handed Liang Chen a pen, but nothing that could be used to draw any blood. Liang Chen wrote his name on the piece of paper, and then bit down on his thumb, puncturing his skin and dripping a few drops of blood on the two bronze crystals. Once the blood dripped on the crystals, they started glowing with a faint green light. One of the plates suddenly flew up, sinking into Liang Chen's body. While Liang Chen was confused and vigilant, the man started explaining.
"With this plate, we will know whether or not you have died, allowing us to wipe your name from our register. As for the plate that entered your body, it will allow you to prove your identity at any of our branches."
The man secretly gave a slight nod of his head when he saw how calmly and easily Liang Chen had bitten down on his own thumb. They would usually give out a small knife to make it easier for people to drip blood on the plates, but he was somewhat worried that Liang Chen only joined the pavilion to impress someone else, so he decided to give him a tiny little test to check if he would hesitate to inflict pain on himself. After the man took back the remaining bronze crystal plate and the paper containing Liang Chen's name, handing them to one of the women and giving her a quick order, he turned back towards Liang Chen.
"What sort of missions are you interested in taking on?"
The Eternal Dragon Pavilion had all kinds of missions, so it was important to figure out what type of missions people wanted to take on. Liang Chen wasted no time in giving his answer, immediately responding.
"Ones that either pay well, or give me the chance to acquire resources."
The man could not help but raise an eyebrow after hearing Liang Chen's quick response, he even gave a slight click of his tongue. He gave it a short second of thought, before letting out a slight sigh and giving a short shake of his head as he looked at Liang Chen.
"Got your sights high, huh? I'll be honest with you kid. With your current strength, you should go out and see if you can't work as a cleaner or an herb picker instead."
The man had seen plenty of kids join the pavilion and set their sights high, only for them to accept a mission that was too dangerous for them, dying in the process. If the old man could help it, he would prefer Liang Chen not walk down the same path. But despite his warning, Liang Chen looked at him with a gaze like steel.
"Do you really not have anything?"
The man behind the counter could not help but falter slightly when he saw Liang Chen's determined gaze. From that gaze, he could tell exactly how determined Liang Chen was, nothing would stop him. The man fell silent for a short moment, before speaking out with a bitter smile.
"...We do technically have something that you can take on, something that fits your description, but I can't really recommend it."
Liang Chen's eyes lit up when he heard the words of the man, quickly indicating for him to continue talking.
"Tell me about it."
The man let out a sigh when he saw Liang Chen's eager appearance, it seemed like there really wasn't anything he could do to stop this kid from marching towards his own death. He let out another sigh and then leaned in closer to Liang Chen.
"Have you heard about the Mystic's Hidden Realm?"
Liang Chen could not help but raise an eyebrow when he heard the words of the man. Zhou Zing had just recently mentioned this Mystic's Hidden Realm, and now he was hearing about it again? He gave a slight shake of his head, giving an honest answer.
"Not really."
The man behind the counter was slightly taken aback by Liang Chen's answer. He didn't know about it? Exactly how rural was the place he came from? The man slightly shook his head to get his mind back on track, giving a short explanation of the hidden realm.
"It's a hidden realm, a separate space opened by a mighty cultivator, that appeared abruptly seven years ago. It was most likely set up by a powerful cultivator before his death, but no one has managed to figure out exactly which cultivator. There is a restriction set up in the entire hidden realm, so only people below the Primordial Immortal realm can enter it, preventing the clans from sending in their old monsters to check it out."
Liang Chen did not know exactly what cultivation level this Primordial Immortal realm was, but he was not in a hurry to ask about it, he could simply find a library and read about it later. The man swiped his interspatial ring once more, taking out a scroll and handing it to Liang Chen. Written on the scroll were a few details about the mission as well as the Mystic's Hidden Realm. While Liang Chen was reading the scroll, the man continued to talk.
"We have a mission that is technically open for anyone to accept, to enter the hidden realm and try to find out who set it up. The more you learn, and the more resources you bring out, the more you will earn. But because so many people of so many different strengths can enter it, the risks are incredibly high."
The man had a grave expression on his face, indicating that Liang Chen should stay far away from this mission. But how could he know what was going through Liang Chen's mind? Risks? Liang Chen was not scared of any risks, in fact, he welcomed them. Liang Chen was normal, to catch up to someone extraordinary like Qing Lan Yong, he would have to take risk after risk. The higher the risk and pain, the greater the reward he would receive, bringing him closer to killing Qing Lan Yong. His lips curled into a somewhat mad smile, his eyes glinting with reckless determination.
"I'll take it."
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