Chapter 132 - 109: Just a Rumor, Not Very Credible

Chapter 132: Chapter 109: Just a Rumor, Not Very Credible

"B-Brother Jiang, I was just spouting nonsense earlier. Please don’t take it seriously."

Mu Zhen stepped forward, his eyes full of concern. "Brother Jiang, how is your recovery coming along? Are your injuries still serious?"

"I am mostly fine now. Thank you for your concern, Brother Mu," Jiang Hao said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry as he thought about how quickly Brother Mu’s attitude had done a complete one-eighty.

But to his surprise, the man’s overly friendly shift continued. "Brother Jiang, if you don’t mind, you can just call me Brother Mu. Spending these past three months together is a fate of its own."

Seeing Mu Zhen acting so chummy, Jiang Hao offered an awkward smile. "B-Brother Mu."

"Ah, excellent!"

Hearing the title, Mu Zhen beamed from ear to ear. He immediately turned to Mu Yiyi. "Yiyi, start the fire and whip up a few good dishes for Brother Jiang. I happen to have bought some premium spirit meat today. We’ll use it to celebrate Brother Jiang’s awakening!"

"Okay!"

Mu Yiyi smiled happily at the request and immediately ran into the adjacent thatched cottage.

Time slowly ticked by.

Once the delicious food was served and a few cups of Spirit Wine were downed, Jiang Hao finally became properly acquainted with the pair. From the siblings, he learned a great deal about the Holy City.

It turned out that Mu Yiyi and Mu Zhen were just like him—prodigies recruited by the senior experts of Nanling. These prodigies would be placed into the realm of the Holy City alongside all of Nanling’s top figures.

"As long as you make it onto the Holy List, you can take a master in Nanling," Mu Zhen explained. "Brother Jiang, with your talent and potential, you could enter the Celestial List without even trying.

"You are destined to become a member of South Mountain in the future."

During their conversation, Jiang Hao learned that any outsider prodigy brought to Nanling had to rely on their own abilities to climb the Celestial List to qualify for an apprenticeship here. Those who failed to make the list were forced to settle in Nanling for a century, marry, establish a lineage, and leave behind offspring before they were allowed to depart.

This was an unwritten rule of Nanling, and it was the very reason the region had become increasingly formidable over the years. The children born to these outsider prodigies were classified as Nanling cultivators and could not be easily taken away. These descendants were highly likely to inherit their parents’ exceptional bloodlines and traits. Through this gradual accumulation, Nanling had transformed into a terrifying territory that awed all surrounding regions.

"But Brother Jiang, this rule doesn’t apply to you. You are destined to stand on the Nanling Celestial List; Nanling won’t bind you."

The more he learned, the more Jiang Hao felt that Nanling was a truly peculiar place.

While chatting, he subtly probed Nanling’s stance on the Celestial Sword Sect and the countless other factions of the Eastern Domain. The answer he received set his mind completely at ease.

"I know what you’re worried about, Brother Jiang, but there’s absolutely no need to fret," Mu Zhen said.

"Let me put it this way: the Nanling Realm is the largest territory in the entire Eastern Domain. You could even call it its own mini-domain.

"Here, prodigies are as common as trees in a forest, and experts are as numerous as clouds. Its sheer power rivals the Central Domain of the Eastern Domain, which is why it’s known as the Little Eastern Domain.

"More importantly, the Eastern Domain has countless ancient clans, entrenched Saint Races, and ever-multiplying Longevity Families.

"Yet, with the Nine Saints holding down the fort in Nanling, let alone the Celestial Sword Sect, even major sects from outside the domain wouldn’t dare set foot here carelessly.

"Nanling has a strict rule: any outside cultivator who wishes to enter the Nine Lands and Three Thousand Cities of Nanling must obtain the permission of at least one of the Nine Saints’ lineages. Otherwise, it is treated as an invasion."

In other words, while in Nanling, Jiang Hao didn’t have to worry about powerful enemies coming after him. Even if they did come, he wouldn’t need to lift a finger; the lineages of the Nine Saints would simply block them outside Nanling’s borders.

"Brother Jiang, you were unconscious for months, so in a way, you’ve only just arrived at the Holy City. There are probably many things you don’t understand yet," Mu Zhen continued.

"Let me ask you this: do you know what the hardest part of surviving in the Holy City is?"

"What is it?"

"Money! It’s money!"

At the mention of money, Mu Zhen’s face contorted into a bitter scowl. Of course, the "money" he spoke of wasn’t gold or silver. In a place like this, money meant Spirit Stones.

"Here, you need Spirit Stones to eat, Spirit Stones to drink, and even these rundown thatched cottages cost fucking Spirit Stones!

"What’s even more infuriating is that entering the Holy City costs Spirit Stones, and leaving costs Spirit Stones too! This place is just a massive money pit."

It was obvious that Mu Zhen had spent no small amount of time stressing over Spirit Stones. Hearing this, Jiang Hao subconsciously glanced at the animal hides stacked in the corner. They were likely one of the Mu family siblings’ main sources of Spirit Stones.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. By then, Jiang Hao’s injuries were mostly healed.

On this day, he arrived alone before the so-called Holy City, wanting to go inside and witness its splendor. Before the mountain range, a colossal city so vast it seemed to have no end stretched across the horizon, a truly breathtaking sight.

Had it not lacked the rippling aura of imperial might, Jiang Hao would have easily mistaken it for an Imperial City. Endless towering palaces rose from the ground, filling every corner of the city and exerting an oppressive presence that made it hard to breathe. Even the gates leading into the Holy City were built in a massive row of dozens. Each one was unimaginably magnificent, exuding a heaven-shaking grandeur.

Jiang Hao chose one of the gates and slowly made his way toward the great city.

"An outsider prodigy?"

The moment they saw Jiang Hao, many native Nanling cultivators wore expressions of contempt, seemingly dismissing him on instinct. Even the powerful guards stationed at the gate merely gave him a cursory glance before speaking dismissively.

"Three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones to enter, one hundred and fifty to leave, and eight hundred to stay overnight."

As the guard droned on, Jiang Hao’s heart sank.

Three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones just to enter the city? That was equivalent to the price of the Foundation Establishment Pill he had once sold to the Pill Storage Tower.

Seeing Jiang Hao’s shocked expression, many cultivators curled their lips into cold sneers.

"Another cultivator who cringes at the thought of three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones. He must have just crawled out of some desolate backwater, right?"

"If it weren’t for Nanling’s rules, why would we ever share the Holy City’s resources with their kind?"

"What a pauper."

Hearing the whispered insults around them, many of the outsider prodigies present lowered their heads in shame.

Jiang Hao, however, remained unfazed. He silently took out three hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones and handed them to the guard.

The guard accepted the stones, weighed them in his hand, and casually tossed over a Token. "Temporary access Token. Good for twelve hours. Watch the time and make sure you leave before it expires."

Accepting the temporary Token, Jiang Hao followed the flow of the crowd into the Holy City. As he stepped into the tunnel running through the city wall, a wave of discussion abruptly reached his ears.

"Hey! Have you guys heard about that Jiang Hao?"

"The peerless freak who recently rose to prominence in the Xingyue City region?"

"I heard about him ages ago. Rumor has it that his talent and potential are absolutely terrifying. He supposedly slaughtered seven sequence prodigies of the Celestial Sword Sect all by himself."

"How could he be that terrifying? He’s just a dark horse who fought his way out of an impoverished land. Once he arrives in the Holy City, even a dragon has to learn its place."

"Exactly. Killing the Celestial Sword Sect’s seven sequence prodigies only chipped away at their future potential; it didn’t strike at their core. If the true monsters of the Celestial Sword Sect were to emerge, he wouldn’t even have a chance to strike back."

"But no matter how you spin it, the guy is still incredibly impressive. At a conservative estimate, his strength should be enough to challenge the Saint Sons and Saintesses."

"I don’t think so. It’s said that Leng Tianyu of the Ice Race once crossed paths with him, though unfortunately, they never exchanged blows."

"How could he ever be mentioned in the same breath as a Saint Son or Saintess?"

"I feel like the rumors are heavily exaggerated. Better to only believe half of what you hear."