Chapter 817 - 34: Inner Tower

Chapter 817: Chapter 34: Inner Tower

The decline of the Martial Heart Sect wasn’t without its perks. With so many disciples leaving, the sect had been forced to sell off assets bit by bit, yet they still managed to hold on to a few Spirit Stones. Not many, but if they were frugal it would barely be enough. Fang Qingning, the nominal Sect Master, couldn’t bring herself to spend them lavishly and relied more on her own conditions most of the time.

Cai Qingfeng, on the other hand, didn’t need his share at all; he handed it all over. His family would keep sending resources to him in a steady stream—this was the obvious advantage of a Cultivation Family. He had actually wanted to give those resources to Fang Qingning, but she refused. Helpless, Cai Qingfeng could only secretly support Fang Chi and a few close junior brothers. He believed that water dripping on stone would eventually wear it down; one day, Fang Qingning would understand his heart.

The quiet and focused Martial Heart Sect gradually disappeared behind him as Li Xin headed toward the Jiuxiao Building. Today, he was finally allowed into the inner arena.

This time he didn’t run into those two identical sisters. The Jiuxiao Building guard at the gate sized Li Xin up, then swapped his tag for one that allowed entry to the Inner Sect. Li Xin glanced at the tag and had just opened his mouth to ask when a sudden thunderbolt slammed down onto someone. In an instant, smoke rose from the person’s body, and the air filled with the smell of barbecue. Guards from the Jiuxiao Building immediately rushed over and hoisted the man up.

Laughter rippled all around. Clearly, this kind of thing happened all the time. If you wanted to enter the Inner Tower of the Jiuxiao Building, you either paid a hefty ticket fee or you were a Cultivator participating in the Martial Arts Arena. There were always people who wanted to get in without giving anything.

Li Xin’s jaw dropped a little. "They’re this ruthless?"

Knowing that Li Xin was a contestant, the guard smiled faintly. "Our Jiuxiao Sect’s Young Sect Master, Fairy Yu, is here today. Plenty of people aren’t afraid of dying."

Fairy Yu? That so-called one of the Four Great Beauties of the Divine Land?

He’d thought that lightning just now was a coincidence, but even with that example right in front of them, people still tried to slip in one after another. Without an identity token, they triggered the Barrier and were promptly struck by thunder. A few with good movement technique tried to dodge, but it was useless—maybe you could dodge the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. One by one they were dragged out, bodies tough enough, skin charred black, still shouting things like "Fairy Yu, I’ll love you forever"...

Li Xin held his identity token and walked in. Sure enough, he passed through a Barrier, feeling a terrifying power wash over him. This Barrier covered the entire Inner Tower complex of the Jiuxiao Building, blotting out the sky and sun, and could indiscriminately identify targets. Truly worthy of being one of the Five Great Sanctuaries—hidden dragons and crouching tigers everywhere.

Once inside the Inner Tower, the scenery changed. Strange and rare flowers and trees, rockeries and gardens, pavilions and towers—all elevated several Levels above what was outside. Even the air seemed fresher by a few degrees... and that wasn’t his imagination. Damn, the Spiritual Energy here was noticeably richer than outside.

Li Xin widened his eyes, leisurely appreciating everything around him with the mentality of a bystander. It was too exquisite. Back in the day, when he scrolled through short videos, he’d only seen this kind of breathtakingly beautiful setting in certain xianxia dramas. The people around him were all talking and laughing, full of confidence. No ordinary folk could step into this place—either disciples of various Major Sects or scions of prestigious families in Cyan Dragon City. Their clothes were luxurious, their bearing imposing, and by the snippets of conversation it was obvious that most of them were here for the Jiuxiao Building’s Young Sect Master, Bao Yu’Er.

At this moment, on the top floor of the Jiuxiao Building, among the pavilions and towers, was a place of moon-gazing extravagance.

A woman reclined lazily on a fragrant couch, a thin veil draped over her Linglong jade-like body. Two maids were painting her pale, jade feet. Her petite, delicate feet were flawless like fine white jade; every inch was a work of art, and the two maids were utterly absorbed in their task.

Yun Yu and Yun Le stood on either side, hardly daring to breathe. A thin veil also covered Bao Yu’Er’s face, making it impossible for anyone to see her true features.

The Yun Family Sisters, Yun Yu and Yun Le, had also changed into dresses. Double the delight was enough to drive people mad. Their exquisitely crafted faces were entirely without blemish.

Yet such beauty lay under a layer of icy tension.

"Martial Aunt," Yun Yu said, "I’ve been staking this place out for more than a month. Nothing unusual."

"Blind Zhao’s calculations aren’t all that accurate, huh? I really ought to settle accounts with him properly," Bao Yu’Er said, her brows lightly drawn together.

"Sis, what are we staking out for?" Yun Le asked blankly.

Yun Yu glanced at Bao Yu’Er. Seeing she didn’t object, Yun Yu spoke up. "Zhao the Divine Calculator said that someone capable of matching Martial Aunt will appear in Cyan Dragon City soon. So I came ahead of time to scout things out. But among the younger generation’s experts, there hasn’t been anyone particularly outstanding."

"Life Masters’ predictions are getting more and more off these days. Anyone who can stand toe-to-toe with Martial Aunt has to be found among the top ten. How could someone from the top ten just come to the Jiuxiao Building to mess around? I think he’s just putting on airs," Yun Le said.

Yun Yu gave a wry smile. The Young Sect Master could talk about Zhao the Divine Calculator like that, but they definitely couldn’t. "Yun Le, don’t talk nonsense. Martial Aunt, even if the Divination Master has been a bit of a wastrel these years, I don’t think he’d dare offend the Jiuxiao Building. If he did this reading, he must be at least somewhat sure. I’ll wait a bit longer—maybe something will change," Yun Yu said.

Bao Yu’Er and the Yun Family Sisters were all the Sect Master’s Closed-door Disciples, around the same age. Yet because she became the Young Sect Master, Bao Yu’Er’s seniority was higher. With her cold personality, the Yun Family Sisters were among the very few who could actually hold a conversation with her.

The seductive women of the Divine Land were not the same as those outside. Outside, a seductive woman’s abilities were fairly one-dimensional—mainly relying on their Charming Skill to extract Wish Power from others, using those old methods from the previous era. But in the Divine Land, drawing Wish Power was just a way for seductive women to improve their own aptitude and Spirituality. The Jiuxiao Building’s combat strength was nothing to scoff at. Of course, seductive women all faced the same problem: the easier their target fell for their charm, the smaller their gains. The stronger the opponent and the harder the conquest, the more powerful the Wish Power they obtained.

Another difference was that in the Divine Land, seductive women also advanced according to cultivation realms. Unless they fell into the path of an Evil Cultivator, they wouldn’t rely on sheer numbers to win. Especially someone like her, a Young Sect Master—her opponents had to be firm of will and extremely powerful; she couldn’t afford to be lacking in any aspect.

"Let’s get today’s performance ready first. It’s rare for me to come in person," Bao Yu’Er said.

The Yun Family Sisters, Yun Yu and Yun Le, bent slightly at the waist, smiles blooming on their faces as their soft voices sounded. "Yes, Martial Aunt. The men outside are all craning their necks in anticipation."

With bell-like laughter, a dozen girls ran out from the back. In an instant, the room was filled with sweet fragrance and graceful, swaying figures.

At night in the Divine Land, the Jiuxiao Building was like a palace of jade floating atop a sea of lights. Vermilion pillars coiled with golden painted Azure Dragons, and glazed tiles reflected moonlight and the glow of ten thousand households, bathing the entire structure in an almost daylight brilliance.

Inside the great hall, hundreds of ram’s horn lanterns hung like stars. Warm yellow halos flowed over rosewood tables and chairs and green porcelain wine flasks. The air was saturated with the scent of dragon musk and sweet rice wine. The gentle notes of strings and flutes spread slowly, weaving a net that could make one pleasantly dizzy. Amid this intoxicating extravagance, several long, shimmering ribbons of silk quietly descended from the dome above, dripping with liquid gold and color.

Li Xin watched, utterly captivated. It was a pity he didn’t have a Hex Camera; if he did, he could snap a few shots and send them to Aunt Fei as headline material. This place was fantastic—a dreamlike, ultra-luxurious, evolved version of Dragon Capital. He had to admit, the Divine Land was insanely wealthy. Just the construction details alone would cost a fortune anywhere else. The taste level here was off the charts.