Chapter 452 - 447: Nascent Soul Ceremony

The Immortal City Alliance was comprised of over a thousand cities.

Based on a city’s size and highest level of martial force, they were divided into four classes: First, Second, Third, and Fourth.

A First-class Immortal City naturally had a Nascent Soul Cultivator presiding over it and a population of ten million—these were the two strict requirements.

There were only twenty First-class Immortal Cities in total.

A Second-class Immortal City, Ruihan City’s current classification, had a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but a population of over one million, yet less than ten million.

There were about fifty Second-class Immortal Cities in the Alliance.

A Third-class Immortal City had a population of over five hundred thousand and was presided over by a Core Formation Master.

A Fourth-class Immortal City was also presided over by a Core Formation Master—a city could not be established without one—but had a population of less than five hundred thousand.

Across the entire Immortal City Alliance, there were fewer than two hundred registered Nascent Soul Cultivators, several thousand Golden Core Masters, and a total population of eight hundred million.

The Seven Cities Alliance alone had a population of over one hundred million.

Among those invited to Du Youqian’s Nascent Soul Ceremony were over fifty Nascent Soul Cultivators and more than a thousand Golden Core Masters.

The total number of invitees wasn’t large, but when Masters traveled, they would usually bring along some Foundation Establishment attendants, wouldn’t they? They couldn’t be expected to handle all the trivial matters themselves, could they?

Thus, as the ceremony approached, Ruihan City became much livelier, and the volume of trade was far greater than usual.

The Artisans Du Youqian had brought back finally had a chance to show what they were made of. They profited immensely during this period and also made a name for themselves.

Some Cultivators were willing to form long-term partnerships with Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, Talisman Makers, Array Masters, and the like.

After finding an Artisan they liked and admired, they would even travel great distances for their services in the future.

Amidst this atmosphere, Du Youqian quietly returned to Ruihan City.

First, he distributed the Core Formation Spiritual Objects he had promised to each member of the Immortal City’s management several years ago.

Then, he began to fast and bathe, quietly awaiting the ceremony.

As the deep, resonant tones of the chime bells rang out, a solemn atmosphere instantly enveloped the grand hall.

This hall, located between the old and ancestral homes of the Sui Family, was specially built for the Nascent Soul Ceremony of their ancestor, Sui Xiao.

Many houses had been demolished to make way for it, but every clan member was more than willing to contribute to their ancestor’s ceremony, so they only accepted a symbolic compensation for the relocation.

The hall was constructed entirely from Tier Two Materials. To some clan members, this grand display was an extravagant waste of resources.

But Sui Zhi Ancestor refuted all objections with a single sentence.

"If Elder Xiao loses face in front of his peers, and people look down on Ruihan City in the future, who can bear that responsibility? Conversely, if Elder Xiao gains enough face, he’ll command more respect when representing Ruihan City to compete for resources. What’s a small expense compared to that?"

Du Youqian nodded slightly at this. He didn’t voice his opinion, but everyone knew where he stood.

Du Youqian himself was not one to indulge in extravagance.

But the Nascent Soul Ceremony was a window for the power of Ruihan City to display its strength before the entire Immortal City Alliance.

If they became a laughingstock, it would be truly difficult to compete for things in the future.

Why do Emperors always build their palaces to be magnificent and opulent?

Why do businesspeople, even if they have to borrow money or rent a car, insist on getting a Mercedes, a BMW, a Bentley, or a Rolls-Royce?

Why do people from poor families borrow a decent suit just to handle official business?

Why are sporting events and world expos held even at a financial loss, requiring vast expenditures of manpower and resources to build venues and supporting infrastructure?

The reason behind all this is the "hearts of the people"—for people’s hearts and minds are easily manipulated and influenced.

Building a magnificent, imposing palace is for the hearts of the people.

Getting a luxury car to keep up appearances is also for the hearts of the people.

Borrowing fine clothes to handle business is, likewise, for the hearts of the people.

The same goes for hosting sporting events and world expos.

Even the various solemn rituals in the hall today, the display of perfect unity, were all for the hearts of the people—both to unite the hearts of the clan and to put on a show for outsiders, to gain their recognition and win their hearts.

Du Youqian wanted the guests to leave with this impression: Ruihan City is a city with potential, a deep foundation, and a prosperous future. In the near future, it should have a chance to make a bid for the rank of a First-class Immortal City.

If all the guests thought this way, then when Du Youqian represented Ruihan City to compete for the resources of a First-class Immortal City in the future, it would seem like a natural progression and win public approval.

Left to his own devices, he, of course, disliked this kind of boring ceremony.

He would much rather have invited a few good friends to drink through the night. With esteemed guests present, delicious food to accompany the wine, and beautiful women singing and dancing—that would have been enough.

But in the end, Du Youqian was a man whose reason prevailed over his emotions. Besides, as a newly ascended Nascent Soul, he was not yet qualified to challenge the existing order and traditions. He could not just do as he pleased.

So, he obediently followed the ceremonial arrangements, going through the motions from beginning to end without complaint.

Only after the ceremony ended and he had accepted the congratulations of his guests did Du Youqian privately celebrate with his close friends, drinking and making merry.

Afterward, he gave a seven-day lecture on the Dao to all the Cultivators in the city.

The tradition of a Nascent Soul Master giving a lecture on the Dao after their ceremony was an ancient one.

It was also an important opportunity for a newly ascended Nascent Soul to display their strength and depth of understanding before their peers.

And because the lecture was purely theoretical, an expression of one’s own understanding of Cultivation, it wouldn’t expose one’s level of Magical Combat, so there was no fear of revealing secrets.

Therefore, it was an entirely beneficial affair.

For the Cultivators of Ruihan City, this was naturally a grand and fortunate event.

Although Du Youqian’s lecture was quite profound, it was impossible for anyone, save for a few rare geniuses, to achieve sudden enlightenment or break through a bottleneck just from listening once.

However, the Cultivators who listened to his lecture would have a higher probability of breaking through their bottlenecks in the coming years and decades.

The emergence of a Nascent Soul Cultivator brought all sorts of benefits to their Immortal City.

This was just one small part of it.

The ceremony was over.

But Ruihan City’s story was not over.

Nor would it come to an abrupt halt after reaching its climax.

More and more people applied to settle in the Immortal City, and its few ancestors issued a decree. They ordered the city’s administrators to establish policies encouraging childbirth, attracting talented individuals, and drafting plans to expand the city. The goal was to increase the population to ten million within two hundred years—and this ten million didn’t just refer to those living within the city walls, but also included the surrounding satellite towns and vast rural areas.

Although the Immortal City’s protective Grand Array couldn’t possibly cover and protect everyone living around the city.

But in special circumstances like a war, the Immortal City could temporarily gather everyone from the surrounding areas into the city for protection.

Once the population exceeded ten million, Du Youqian could compete for certain resources that only First-class Immortal Cities were qualified to have a share of.

As for whether he could actually win them, that would depend on Du Youqian’s methods, and whether anyone else in the family could break through to the Nascent Soul realm to support him.

In other words, according to past precedent, it would take about two hundred years for Ruihan City to become a First-class Immortal City.

And then it would take even more time for it to get up and running and have a chance to truly enjoy the privileges of a First-class Immortal City.

’But how could Du Youqian possibly wait that long?’

He had his eye on Dali City for a long time—wasn’t it precisely for Dali City’s status as a First-class Immortal City?!

Although Dali City’s Nascent Soul Cultivator had perished, its title as a First-class Immortal City had not been revoked.

According to precedent, as long as Dali City produced another Nascent Soul Cultivator within two hundred years, it could retain its title as a First-class Immortal City.

And Dali City’s last Nascent Soul Cultivator—Du Youqian’s mother’s great-great-grandfather—had passed away a hundred years ago.

There wasn’t much time left for Dali City, and in all these years, no one from the Duan Clan, the masters of Dali City, had shown any hope of breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm.

The main branch’s poor performance gave the side branches an opportunity and an excuse.

The side branches began to vie for power, believing that if the main branch’s resources were given to them, they might just be able to achieve Nascent Soul Formation, saving the Duan Clan and Dali City!

But the strength of the side branches was, after all, limited.

They needed to win over other smaller families to bolster their strength and increase their influence.

This gave those smaller families a chance to wait for the highest bidder.

It also created opportunities for ambitious outsiders who coveted Dali City.

Over the years, the Duan Clan had been plagued by internal strife, which gradually spread throughout the entire city.

The main branch fought with the side branches.

The side branches rallied smaller families to fight the main branch.

The side branches fought ceaselessly amongst themselves.

The main branch also formed alliances with smaller families to counterattack...

And the one considered most likely to seize Dali City was Master Changfu!

Master Changfu had taken a concubine from the Yin Clan of Dali City.

The Yin Clan had always served the Duan Clan and had a good relationship with one of its side branches.

And it was through this connection with the Yin Clan that Master Changfu was preparing to intervene in the struggle for Dali City.