Chapter 115: City of Gathering Sovereigns

“Hmph, if that person is also attending this grand event, we must teach him a lesson—make him understand what rules and decorum truly mean.” The woman’s delicate nose wrinkled slightly, and even her harsh words sounded charming.

The man gently rubbed her nose and said, “Juzun City is no ordinary city, and many prodigies from the Rising Star List are gathered there this time. Once you arrive, don’t act recklessly.”

“Mm, I’ll listen to you, senior brother!” The woman immediately adopted a docile demeanor.

...

Twenty miles away, Qingxi was still sprinting wildly, moving twice as fast as when he was chased by the two-headed wild bull, unable to stop.

The medicinal effects of the Jade Yuan Spirit Herb were too powerful!

Even now, he felt as if his entire body was immersed in a volcano, forcing him to exert all his strength to refine the energy within.

After a while, he finally noticed his body temperature starting to drop.

By chance, a massive city appeared ahead. Without hesitation, he leapt forward and, amid the astonished gazes of hundreds lined up before the city tower, plunged into the moat, sending up countless waves.

“This...”

“Desperate?”

The crowd immediately gathered, noticing that underwater, it was as if a piece of red-hot steel had been thrown in. The intense heat evaporated large swathes of water, and soon a misty haze shrouded the city tower, creating an almost ethereal scene.

“Finally refreshed!”

Qingxi emerged from the water, landing beneath the city tower.

However, the crowd’s eyes were filled with astonishment. Some women even blushed, turning away shyly but still sneaking glances.

Qingxi instantly realized something was amiss and discovered his clothes had been burned away, leaving only a few strips of fabric. Hastily, he retrieved a wide black robe from his system space and draped it over himself.

This black robe was the same style as Qiu Yingying’s, with a broad hood that hung low, concealing most of his face and adding an air of mystery.

His face flushed deeply as he walked toward the city gate under the amused gazes of the crowd.

“Hold on!”

Before reaching the gate, a squad of armored soldiers blocked his path.

Qingxi glanced over and found that even the gate guards were all innate realm cultivators, the strongest being a burly middle-aged man with a beard who had reached the pinnacle of the innate realm.

“So fierce, the city lord personally guards the gate?” Qingxi thought to himself, then asked, “May I ask what business you have?”

“What business?”

The captain of the guards, at the pinnacle of the innate realm, spoke stiffly, pointing to a notice by his side. “Kid, you think you can sneak into Juzun City just because you’re feeling bold?”

“Juzun City... I’ve actually arrived at Juzun City?”

Qingxi removed his hood and looked up at the three grand characters emblazoned on the city tower, his surprise evident.

In the past two days, he had basically pieced together the situation of the Central Domain.

Though the Central Domain spanned only twenty thousand square miles, it housed three two-star powers, ten peak one-star powers, and two super cities.

Juzun City was one of these two super cities.

Within the city walls alone, the area spanned a hundred miles, with a population in the millions. Rumor had it that a colossal clan ruled the city, guarded by top-tier experts at the peak of the Golden Steel realm.

Though this clan was not a star-ranked power, its foundation and strength were enough to be considered a peak one-star force.

“I’ve actually come to Juzun City, the legendary number one city in the world?”

This time, Qingxi was genuinely amazed.

“What’s this? Sounds like you wandered in by mistake,” the gate captain said skeptically, clearly not believing Qingxi.

“I was being chased by a certain beast and ended up here unexpectedly. But since I’ve arrived, I naturally want to take a look inside,” Qingxi replied, glancing at the notice.

It read:

To enter Juzun City, one must meet any of the following conditions:

(1) Pay a fee: One low-grade spirit stone for Qi Refining realm cultivators, five spirit stones or equivalent for innate realm and above, no spirit stones required for Golden Steel realm and above.

(2) Strike the Ancient Celestial Bell.

“As expected, there’s a fee to enter the city—such a money grab,” Qingxi thought, then said aloud, “Innate realm cultivators need five spirit stones? Why don’t they just rob them? I’ll choose the second option!”

At once, the crowd erupted in murmurs.

The gate captain looked at Qingxi in surprise.

When he heard Qingxi had been chased by a beast, he instinctively assumed the youth’s strength must be weak; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so desperate.

The Ancient Celestial Bell was a divine treasure. Without sufficient talent and strength, even a Golden Steel realm expert might fail to ring it.

Could this feeble youth really strike the bell?

“Young man, don’t overestimate yourself. If the Ancient Celestial Bell rebounds its damage, Juzun City will bear no responsibility,” the captain warned kindly, not wanting to tarnish the city’s reputation.

Qingxi didn’t answer immediately but looked up at the bell suspended in midair.

It was a two-person-high ancient bell, purple in color, adorned with intricate and exquisite patterns, clearly no ordinary artifact.

[Type: Spiritual Artifact]

[Name: Ancient Celestial Bell]

[Grade: Celestial]

[Note: Crafted five thousand years ago by a king-level master of the Heavenly Profound Realm using ten-thousand-year-old purple copper, weighing ten tons. Used to assess cultivation and combat power. For those below the same realm, the higher their strength, the wider and louder the bell’s sound. If one’s strength is insufficient, the bell will rebound damage.]

Celestial-grade spiritual artifacts, also known as king-level weapons, can only be forged by masters of the Heavenly Profound Realm or grand refining masters.

Qingxi gazed at the Ancient Celestial Bell with envy, thinking, “No wonder this is the number one city in the world, even possessing a Celestial-grade artifact... But compared to the Thunder Dragon Shrine, it’s miles behind.”

Recalling the Thunder Dragon Shrine where even the floor tiles were made of Celestial-grade material, Qingxi’s gaze at the bell became calm.

“May I try it first?”

“Go ahead, but don’t waste time,” someone said.

“But no matter how many times you try, if you can ring the bell, I’ll drink this entire moat dry!” another laughed.

The onlookers chuckled.

Qingxi ignored them and approached the Ancient Celestial Bell, tapping it lightly with only a tenth of his strength.

The bell made no sound, but Qingxi felt an invisible force rebound against him, sending him flying backward.

“Haha, told you it wouldn’t work. Just pay up honestly!” the crowd laughed heartily.

The gate captain shook his head. “Another one trying to sneak in. Next!”

Bang!

Before he finished, a clear, resonant bell toll rang out, audible clearly over twenty miles in all directions. A fierce wind swept the area, causing everyone to stagger.

All eyes stared in shock at the youth who had rung the Ancient Celestial Bell with just a punch, frozen in place.

Qingxi ignored their astonishment, turned around, and pointed in a direction.

“Who just said they’d drink the entire moat dry?”

“Mercy, fellow cultivator!” someone yelled, then plunged headfirst into the moat.

“This...”

The decisiveness and swiftness of that person made Qingxi’s fingers tremble slightly. If he hadn’t known that Longma was at the Thunder Dragon Shrine, he might have thought the man was possessed by it.

Under the respectful gazes of all, Qingxi slowly pulled his hood back over his head and strode into Juzun City.