Chapter Ninety: The Four Great Powers

Yes.

A suspicion arose in Lin Qiye’s heart.

This suspicion stemmed from the appearance of the Skin-Painting Fiend…

Although, throughout the entire main world, it seemed that no one knew of the existence of the Skin-Painting Fiend.

However, Lin Qiye knew.

Even in the small city of Li, one Skin-Painting Fiend was hidden.

Would Star City have none?

Star City was a prosperous metropolis! With the cunning of the Skin-Painting Fiends, they would certainly have more pawns lurking in Star City.

Perhaps every major faction had one!

Therefore, the fact that the Hydra Fiend had made a move would undoubtedly reach the ears of the Skin-Painting Fiends.

And those hidden within Star City would surely seek an opportunity to assassinate him.

Lin Qiye’s gaze grew sharp.

“All the diamond-level Skin-Painting Fiends in Star City are hidden in the shadows, and their concealment is so thorough that deducing the identity of even one would cost tens of millions of journey points. Basically, it’s impossible to rely on journey points to unmask them.”

“If they set their sights on me…”

A chill ran down Lin Qiye’s spine.

“This really is a den of dragons and tigers…”

“But… even so, I have no choice but to brave this lair. There’s no way I could risk fleeing to another city, and besides, Skin-Painting Fiends exist in other cities too.”

“You can hide for a while, but not forever.”

Lin Qiye felt a heaviness settle in his heart.

“It all comes down to insufficient strength!”

He clenched his knuckles, his gaze complex.

“Once I settle in Star City, I must advance to the Fourth Walk as quickly as possible. Only by gaining the ability to protect myself—or even strike back—can I stop living in fear every day!”

His eyes turned icy.

Seeing that Lin Qiye seemed to have something on his mind, Wen Shuhong couldn’t help but speak, “You seem troubled?”

Lin Qiye: “…”

“If you were me… being hunted by a seasoned diamond-level fiend with five transformations, wouldn’t you be troubled?”

He licked the blood from his gums and spat.

“To be ambushed by that old dog Li You in Li City and brush shoulders with death was one thing.”

“But now, I come to Star City and a diamond-level fiend tries to kill me—does everyone really think Lin Qiye is that easy to slay?”

“Damn it!”

His voice was cold, laced with an extreme indifference and murderous aura.

“The Hydra Fiend… is it?”

He turned to glance in the direction the fiend had left.

All his surging fury was unspoken.

Wen Shuhong patted Lin Qiye’s shoulder.

“With your talent, you’ll reclaim your pride in due time. This is good—having a target to spur you forward, to temper yourself.”

“But don’t let yourself be consumed by hatred. It can cloud your mind.”

Lin Qiye laughed.

“I’m exactly the kind who holds grudges. Today’s humiliation—I will sleep on firewood and taste bile, rest on my blade and sharpen it, until the day I take my revenge. Otherwise, I’ll never have peace of mind.”

When it came to vengeance,

Lin Qiye was stubborn.

Four days ago,

Li You led men to ambush Lin Qiye, almost killing him.

Lin Qiye remembered this bitterly.

So much so that only four days later,

Li You had died miserably at Lin Qiye’s hand, together with his entire Jianghu Sect, utterly annihilated, Li You’s head crushed underfoot…

Hydra Fiend, though a seasoned diamond-level fiend, though possessing the power of five transformations—

No matter the gap in strength,

Lin Qiye would never forget.

In time,

He would make that bastard understand what it meant to act separately!

All nine of its heads—he’d chop them off and feed them to the dogs!

At this moment,

Flames of killing intent blazed in Lin Qiye’s eyes.

Wen Shuhong was at a loss for words.

“All right, I can see you really do hold grudges. No wonder you had such a murderous air the first time we met.”

“But you’d better not act against innocent civilians. Otherwise, Utopia Island won’t spare you.”

Lin Qiye shot him a glance.

“I’m not a good person. But if others don’t wrong me, I won’t wrong them.”

He shook his head.

He wasn’t a saint, but neither was he the scum who took pleasure in killing civilians.

If anything,

He had more goodwill toward ordinary people.

After all,

Throughout his three lifetimes of defying fate, ordinary folk had helped tremendously.

Lin Qiye was grateful to the common people.

However,

Whether in the main world or the Grand World, his principle was to live quietly when weak, and benefit the world only when strong.

With insufficient strength, compassion alone is useless.

For example, when the diamond-level fiend’s lair descended on the outskirts of Li City,

Lin Qiye’s own life was in peril; he had no mind to protect the civilians.

Though, when he broke through, he did wipe out a swath of fiends in the Black Mist Swamp, saving the people of Li City.

But Lin Qiye didn’t know that.

From his perspective,

He still lacked the power to protect himself!

In fact, moments ago he’d almost been killed by the five-transform Hydra Fiend.

If not for Wen Shuhong’s intervention, Lin Qiye would be dead!

At this thought,

He clenched his bones tightly, his gaze once more cold.

“I must strengthen myself. In the main world, I only have one life. I can’t always count on luck!”

He let out a long breath.

Wen Shuhong smiled.

“It’s clear you’ve found the motivation to grow stronger at all costs.”

“Yes.”

Lin Qiye’s eyes burned.

He would not only make the Hydra Fiend who tried to kill him die a miserable death,

He also had to guard against the lurking Skin-Painting Fiends in Star City.

No matter the reason,

He had to become stronger!

“Keep it up. With your talent, you’ll surely become a pillar of Utopia Island. I’ll report your situation and get you a batch of resources approved.”

Lin Qiye raised his brows, surprised and delighted.

“Thank you.”

“No need. Utopia Island wants more powerhouses to rise! Only then will we have the strength and confidence to build an ideal nation where everyone is as mighty as a dragon.”

Wen Shuhong laughed heartily.

There was the unbridled spirit of youth and the shining light of an idealist in his smile.

At that moment,

Lin Qiye’s impression of Wen Shuhong improved greatly.

As they spoke,

The civilians were all led into the inner city by the Platinum Walkers.

“All right, let’s head in. There are things better discussed inside.”

Wen Shuhong exhaled deeply.

So,

They registered at the inner city gate and entered.

Star City was magnificent,

With over a thousand medium and even super-large floating isles, scattered like stars high above.

Each isle was lush and teeming with life.

Mountains, meadows, flower fields, and villas dotted the isles like beautiful paintings.

Each floating isle could house tens of thousands, meaning Star City held tens of millions—perhaps even hundreds of millions.

Far more prosperous than Li City’s hundred-odd small floating isles.

Just from the isles alone,

Star City truly seemed peaceful and idyllic.

Of course,

Night brought a different scene.

Lin Qiye glanced at Star City.

“Captain Wen, what factions control Star City?”

Wen Shuhong raised an eyebrow: “There are four major powers: the Seven-Family City Militia, the Technology Association, the Light and Shadow Group, and Utopia Island.”

“The Seven-Family City Militia is an alliance of seven vested interest groups. They are the local emperors of Star City, with six diamond-level Walkers—the strongest being at the fifth transformation.”

“The Technology Association exists in every prosperous city. It’s a terrifying organization. Its members are all technological geniuses: some excel at forging, others at alchemy or formation. In short, never provoke them. Their president, vice-president, and directors are all elusive figures. Even the playboys from Celestial Island give them deference.”

“Nobody wants to offend them because almost every Walker in the main world needs something from them.”

Wen Shuhong’s tone was solemn, giving the Technology Association due respect.

“As for the Light and Shadow Group, it’s a religious sect that worships the Goddess of Light and Shadow. They have influence mainly in southern cities. Their power is considerable, and the Goddess behind them is mysterious and formidable.”

“Lastly, Utopia Island—which has established roots in seventeen prosperous cities. We came to Star City three years ago. Currently, we have four diamond-level Walkers, sixty platinum-level, and three hundred and ninety gold-level Walkers.”

“When you grow, we’ll have five! Then, we can build our own Ideal City.”

Wen Shuhong patted Lin Qiye’s shoulder, placing high hopes on him.

After all,

This was a prodigy with a pure heart and ideals of the highest order.

Lin Qiye’s expression was unreadable.

“The four great factions?”

“The Seven-Family Militia are the local kings, the Technology Association has the deepest background, the Light and Shadow sect’s roots are unfathomable, and Utopia Island is the newcomer, with just five diamond-level Walkers.”

“Not bad, Utopia Island has a solid foundation.”

He nodded slightly.

“But will the geniuses in the Technology Association forge weapons for outsiders? I want my weapon upgraded to gold quality.”

Wen Shuhong was puzzled.

“Why not just replace your silver weapon? Why go to such effort and expense to upgrade it?”

Lin Qiye fell silent.

“Find me a training room and I’ll explain.”

“Now I’m curious—what kind of weapon are you so attached to?”

Wen Shuhong led him to his floating isle.

They entered the training room beneath his villa.

It was completely sealed off, all sound and sight cut off.

Then,

Lin Qiye produced the Extreme Flame Ring-Handled Sabre.

Its long blade shone with a blue light. Though the edge was chipped, it radiated a sharp and baleful energy, an aura of karma flowing along its length.

There were even faint purple lights, glittering like stars.

Wen Shuhong was astonished.

“Is this really a silver weapon? It’s already developed the rudiments of a weapon spirit!”

He pondered.

“With quality like this, it would be a waste for a platinum forger to upgrade it. But you probably can’t afford a diamond forger’s fee…”

“Moreover, with diamond forgers, payment is only one part—you must also provide rare materials to their satisfaction. Even I might not be able to persuade them to take the job.”

Wen Shuhong was troubled.

Lin Qiye: “…A platinum forger will suffice.”

Wen Shuhong shook his head.

“No, with a spirit-awakened weapon, there’s an eighty percent chance a platinum forger would ruin it. Only a diamond-level forger will do.”

“Come with me, I’ll ask around for you. See if any of those old geezers are willing.”

“If not, just use a gold or platinum weapon for now, and wait until you’ve gathered enough resources to upgrade this one.”

He gave his advice.

The two of them flew over the floating isles.

Now,

Lin Qiye could see

Star City was divided into five regions: east, west, south, north, and center.

The east belonged to the Technology Association, with all kinds of bizarre buildings, welding shops, factories, forges, precision workshops, alchemy volcanoes, and mountains of ore.

The west was Utopia Island, covered with high-rises, clearly built to house the masses.

The north was the Seven-Family Militia, with palaces and elegant pavilions—an imperial air.

The south was the Light and Shadow sect, with churches, statues, and prostrate followers.

The central region was jointly managed, containing super floating isles with auction houses, exchanges, taverns, and teahouses—in essence, the commercial and upscale district.

“The layout of Star City should be clear now, right?”

“Clear.”

“Then I won’t explain further.”

“Mm.”

As they spoke,

They arrived at a super floating isle of the Technology Council.

After being checked by a Platinum Walker,

They entered.

Standing before a villa heaped with ore, rivers of lava, and strange flames, Wen Shuhong called out,

“Old Liao! Come out and meet us—I want you to forge a special weapon.”

His voice echoed through the villa.

Soon,

A lazy, hoarse voice answered from within,

“No. Not interested. Don’t feel like forging!”

Wen Shuhong: “…”

“It’s a weapon with the rudiments of a spirit.”

“Not interested! Go away! Don’t bother me.”

Wen Shuhong looked embarrassed.

“These old geezers are all like this—stubborn as bulls. Let’s try someone else!”

He rubbed his nose and led Lin Qiye to another super floating isle.

But,

They were turned away four times in a row.

Wen Shuhong was mortified, forcing a bitter smile as he scratched his nose, then his head, shrugged, and forced a crooked grin.

Lin Qiye: “…”

Even though they were treated like lackeys,

Wen Shuhong’s little gestures made Lin Qiye want to comment.

“Captain Wen, you really don’t need so many little gestures.”

“Anyway, thank you for bringing me here. I never expected them to agree. Their rejection is normal.”

He’d been prepared for this all along.

He just smiled and shook his head.

Wen Shuhong realized he’d overdone it.

He chuckled awkwardly, hesitating between comforting himself and Lin Qiye.

“It’s not a big deal! I’ll buy a platinum weapon for now and look for a forger when I get the chance!”

Lin Qiye spoke lightly.

He turned to leave the isle.

But just as he turned,

A timid, barefoot girl with bangs covering her eyes stood before him.

“Mister, do you have a weapon embryo with you? Would you let me try forging it? I… I feel a special connection to it…”

As soon as she finished,

A group of her peers snickered.

“Qi Baishi, how many good weapon embryos have you already ruined for your master? Now that he won’t give you more, you want to trick one out of a guest?”

“You’re really terrible. Instead of practicing your craft, you’re always scheming and deceiving.”

The ridicule was relentless.

This kind of undisguised verbal bullying had clearly happened many times.

The girl blushed to the roots of her hair, mortified.

She lowered her head, timidly apologizing to Lin Qiye.

“I’m sorry, I really wasn’t trying to trick you. I just… truly feel a connection with your weapon.”

…

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