The city gate was wide open and completely unguarded.
Xue Mu blinked. He had expected rigorous checks, perhaps a bribe or two. Instead, people flowed in and out like water. Was the personal power level in this world so high that guards were useless? Or was this a society so civilized it had transcended the need for security?
Through the archway, he saw a street wide enough for ten carriages. It was a bustling artery of life—shops with colorful banners, hawkers shouting their wares, the smell of roasting meat and spices. The architecture reminded him of the Song Dynasty, elegant and tiered.
The people were a mix of silk-clad nobles and rough-looking men with swords and sabers. Yet, he saw no scholars in Confucian robes. It was a civilization, clearly, but one built on steel, not ink.
"What is wrong with this city?" Xue Mu whispered to Yue Xiaochan. "Why does the air feel so heavy?"
"We are at the feet of the Emperor," she replied casually, scanning the crowd. "This is the domain of the First Cauldron. The 'Law of Peace Array' covers the entire city. It suppresses martial arts and forbids flight. Even I can only use half my strength here. You're finding it hard to breathe? Don't worry, you'll adapt."
Suppresses martial arts? Forbids flight? Xue Mu looked at his palm again. So the tattoo is an immunity pass?
"So you really can fly?" he asked.
"When you reach the Spirit Severing Realm and bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth, you fly," she said, as if explaining that water is wet.
Her attention was drifting. She was staring down a side street where a crowd had gathered around a raised platform. A banner fluttered above it: Martial Exchange.
On the stage, a bearded giant roared. He lunged at his opponent, and a phantom image of a tiger—translucent but terrifyingly detailed—materialized around him. His fist became the tiger's maw, snapping shut with a roar that shook the bones.
His opponent, a young man in brocade, didn't block. He sidestepped, his hand chopping down like a blade. The air screamed as the sonic boom of his strike collided with the tiger phantom.
Boom.
Dust exploded. The young man stumbled back, face pale. The giant laughed, clasping his hands. "Brother Jin, you let me win."
The young man bowed stiffly and left. The crowd cheered. It was casual, routine. Just a friendly neighborhood brawl involving sonic booms and energy projections.
"Are they strong?" Xue Mu asked, seeing Yue Xiaochan's intense expression.
"Disciples of the Fierce Tiger Sect," she muttered. "A third-rate faction. Yet they have disciples in the Shaping Realm who understand the manifestation of force. Impressive."
"Stronger than you?"
She snorted. "Miles beneath me."
"Then why the long face?"
"Because if a third-rate sect has this talent, what of the righteous sects? What of the Ten Hidden Dragons?" She clenched her small fists. "I need to work harder."
Xue Mu looked at the girl. She was barely a teenager, yet the weight of her sect—her entire world—sat squarely on her slender shoulders. "You're thirteen," he said gently. "Why compare yourself to established masters?"
"I am Yue Xiaochan," she said, stopping to look him in the eye. "I am the future of the Sect. Strength is the only foundation. Being even a half-step behind is a sin I cannot afford."
For a moment, the playful brat was gone. In her place was a warrior queen in miniature. It was admirable, and slightly tragic.
This world, Xue Mu thought, shaking his head. Too tense.
As they walked deeper into the city, snippets of conversation drifted to him.
"Brother Zhang! You look happy." "My son passed the Seven Mysteries Valley exam! He's an outer disciple now!" "Congratulations!"
"Brother Li, I've had a breakthrough in my 'Cloud Pushing Hands'. Let's find a spot to spar tonight?" "Excellent! I have wine. We fight, then we drink!"
"Hey, Old Wang, how's your training?" "Not bad. I'm going to the Hundred Flowers Manor tonight. I'll show Little Lotus a few moves. That always gets her hot."
Xue Mu almost tripped. You court hookers by showing off kung fu? The image was too absurd.
"Wait," he said, turning to Yue Xiaochan. "You mentioned the Hundred Flowers Manor earlier. When you were doing the accounts."
"Mmhmm." She was back to her cheerful self. "It's our property in the Capital."
"A brothel?"
She gave him a sideways glance, her eyes curling into a fox-like smile. "Oh? Is Master Xue interested? Should I call a few girls for you? Consider it a reward for your story."
Xue Mu rubbed his temples.
"You talk about the 'future of the Sect' and the 'foundation of strength'," he groaned. "I thought you were running some high-level shadow organization. But you're just running a brothel?"
I thought I was joining the Illuminati, he thought despairingly. Turns out I'm the accountant for a strip club.