It took two weeks to reach Shēnyuān. That was actually two weeks shorter than Wu Jian estimated, but they had been lucky enough to run into a passing caravan in one of the small villages they visited along the way. The caravan had been impressed by Wu Jian’s and Huǒ Shuchang’s cultivation and allowed them to join.

The caravan was fortunate since they had run into bandits not long after Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang joined them. The bandits hadn’t been anything special, but one of them had been at the Anima Realm. Wu Jian had taken care of him along with the others. Huǒ Shuchang hadn’t even needed to do anything.

“It’s been pretty smooth sailing so far, huh? We haven’t run into any major problems,” Huǒ Shuchang said as he polished an apple he’d taken from the caravan’s food cart. He was just about to bite into it--

CLACK!

“OWCH! My teeth!”

--When the apple disappeared and his teeth crashed together instead.

“Dammit, Wu?! Don’t steal another man’s food!” Huǒ Shuchang snapped.

Wu Jian grinned at Huǒ Shuchang before biting into the apple now resting in his hand. He was getting much better at manipulating space. He could now create spatial folds to bring items to him, though there was a size limit. Right now, he couldn’t fold space around anything bigger than his arm.

“Sorry. Sorry. I just wanted to practice my abilities. I was actually aiming for your head.”

“That’s even worse!”

“Anyway, here. You can have this as recompense.”

Wu Jian tossed a pear at Huǒ Shuchang, who caught it. He gave the item a suspicious glance, looked back at Wu Jian, then slowly sank his teeth in as though expecting it to disappear. His wary expression soon gave way to bliss as the fruit juices burst in his mouth.

“Pears are delicious.”

“More delicious than apples?”

“Ten times more delicious!”

Wu Jian considered his relationship with Huǒ Shuchang strange. He was the first male friend Wu Jian had, and they were almost constantly bickering and competing with each other. While he had always competed against Wu Meiying, their competitions always carried undertones of deep affection, but none of that existed here. At the same time, he felt like he could count on Huǒ Shuchang to watch his back.

This must be what they call male bonding. I’ve heard of this in stories, where two men form a bond of brotherhood that survives the ages. No. Wait. Maybe we’re just rivals? But isn’t that what a male bond entails? Ugh, whatever. I don’t want to think about this anymore.

A horse soon pulled up to their cart, and an older gentleman on a horse smiled at them. He was the leader of this caravan and a kind man with a sharp danger sense. It was that sense for danger that led to him hiring Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang.

“Young masters, we’re coming up on Shēnyuān. You should be able to see the Endless Abyss now if you look.”

Wu Jian stood up and shielded his eyes from the sun as he stared at two things that caught his attention. The first was a massive rift. It looked like a gaping chasm in the ground, as though a god had split the earth. Strange lights emitted from the chasm. Wu Jian shivered. It felt like the very air around them had turned cold.

“The Endless Abyss releases a constant stream of yin chi. It’s not enough to be poisonous, and many yin cultivators like to come here for training. It’s particularly popular among women since they’re chi is normally composed of more yin than yang,” said the caravan leader.

Wu Jian nodded as he turned his attention from the Endless Abyss to the massive city that stretched across one side of the chasm. It was far bigger than any city he had seen thus far. Even at this distance, he could see the large pagodas that towered into the sky. There were so many of them, and each one appeared more intricate than the last.

A line of people and carts were already at the gates by the time they reached it. The city was walled off like most large population centers. There were several entrances and exits. The one they were using was the main entrance, which featured an arched gateway that towered over everyone present and a guard station. It must have been at least ten meters high.

Several guards in uniform were checking tokens and cargo. It seemed you needed one of those tokens to get in, and you could pay a fee for a temporary token. The leader of this caravan had a permanent token that let him come and go as he pleased. What really stunned Wu Jian was that each guard present was at the beginning stages of the Asura Realm.

Everyone is so much stronger than me. I guess that means I shouldn’t cause too much of a fuss.

One of the guards came up to them. It was a woman with short hair and a no-nonsense expression.

“Bai Tu, I figured it was about time you showed up again. Show me your token.”

“Here you are, Lieutenant Shia.”

The woman inspected his token, then handed it back. She glanced at him and Huǒ Shuchang briefly before turning back to the caravan leader.

“You’re all clear to head in.”

“Thank you.”

As the woman left to inspect another caravan, Bai Tu instructed his men to bring their carts through the gate. Reins cracked, horses neighed, and the carts began moving.

Passing through the gate was like entering another world. Wu Jian could only stare in awe at the massive structures on either side of the wide cobblestone road. He glanced around at the buildings. Each one was several stories taller than the tallest building in Zahn City. Then he looked down at the people milling about. There were so many. Some walked, some rode horses, and some were in carriages. He saw all manner of individuals.

There are more women here than men. Guess there was some truth to what Bai Tu said about this place being a haven for female cultivators.

They soon stopped in front of a building that said Zhou Chamber of Commerce, which was a very obvious branch of the Zhou Clan. It only made sense that the richest clan in the world had their own chamber of commerce.

As the men began offloading the boxes and barrels stacked in their carts, Bu Tai stood before Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang.

“Thanks to you, we were able to avoid some hardships on our way here. This is your pay, as promised.”

“Many thanks, Senior Tai,” said Huǒ Shuchang, who sent Wu Jian a smug grin.

Wu Jian bristled as Bu Tai passed a bag full of gold coins to Huǒ Shuchang, who was given seniority because of his higher cultivation. It was a bit frustrating to know Bai Tu saw Huǒ Shuchang as the leader. He would definitely grow much stronger--strong enough that Huǒ Shuchang would be forced to look up at him. Then he would be the one these people deferred to.

“You’re quite welcome. If you need an inn, might I recommend the Lustrous Qilin? While the name sounds ostentatious, it is well within your current budget. The money I gave you should be enough for you to stay there several days,” said Bu Tai.

“Thanks. I wasn’t sure where to shack up for the night, so this helps out. We’ll go there.”

“My pleasure. Well, may you be blessed in your future prospects.”

“And you as well.”

Wu Jian and Huǒ Shuchang parted ways with Bu Tai, who had given them directions to the Lustrous Qilin. The building they needed to reach was marked by several large qilin statues that lined the entrance as though welcoming those who entered. There were even qilin statues on the slanted roof as well.

Huǒ Shuchang grinned and nudged Wu Jian with his elbow as they began walking toward the entrance. “I noticed you looked quite putout when Bu Tai gave me that money. Are you jealous, Wu? Well? Are you? Don’t worry. If you keep working hard, I’m sure you’ll reach my illustrious heights some day--gaoh?!”

“Keep talking,” Wu Jian said as he removed his elbow from Huǒ Shuchang’s ribcage.

“Why are you so violent?!” the older man snapped.

“I have no idea what you mean. Now, hurry up. I want to check out the auction house soon, so let’s grab a room quickly.”

Huǒ Shuchang grumbled as he caught up with Wu Jian and entered the inn.

Wu Jian glanced around the lobby. It was marked by shimmering marble tiles, grand landscape paintings on the walls, and a fountain in the center. Everything looked like it was made for the wealthy elite. There was even a floral scent that seemed to wash away his fatigue as he breathed.

While this was not the first inn he had ever been to (he recalled briefly the one he stayed at in Dahua City), it was certainly the most luxurious. He wondered if all inns owned by the Zhou Clan were like this.

Huǒ Shuchang paid no attention to the inn’s features as he marched up to the reception desk.

“I’d like one room with two beds,” he said.

The reception, an attractive woman with a bright smile and large bosoms barely constrained by her dress, asked, “how many nights do you plan to stay?”

“Let’s make it two.”

“Two nights it is. That will be 100 silver coins.” Money exchanged hands, and the woman’s smile brightened. “Hold on one moment while I get your key.” She turned around, opened a drawer marked 301, and removed a key from inside, which she pressed into Huǒ Shuchang’s hand. “This is your key. Your room is on the third floor. Each key is marked with a specific chi imprint, so please do not lose it. You will have to pay a five spirit coin fine if you do.”

“Five spirit coins?! Isn’t that daylight robbery?!” Wu Jian shouted in shock. The woman glanced at him.

“Ignore him. This is his first time in such a luxurious hotel. He doesn’t understand that these keys are made from spirit coins and cost a lot to create. I’ll keep it safe so don’t worry.” Huǒ Shuchang smiled like he hadn’t heard Wu Jian.

The woman nodded. “Very well. Now, I do need to let you know that if you wish to extend your stay, you will have to pay an additional fifty silver coin fee on top of one hundred silver coins for every day you want to extend your stay to.”

“Sounds fair.”

“Have a good stay.”

Wu Jian eyed Huǒ Shuchang as they left the reception desk and traveled up a flight of stairs. He didn’t seem at all bothered by the potential cost they would pay if he lost the key. Was it confidence that he wouldn’t lose the key, or was there something else behind this? Maybe Huǒ Shuchang was actually some wealthy young master that was keeping a low profile. His cultivation method, techniques, and spirit weapon all indicated he was from a very wealthy clan or sect.

Room 301 contained a spacious interior that contained all the poshness Wu Jian expected from the Zhou Clan. Both beds were large and luxurious, with soft quilted blankets and pillows made from satin. The room only contained the beds and a nightstand between them. This hotel was obviously not meant for cultivators, which explained why it only cost one hundred silver coins a night.

“Okay! We have our room, so now let’s go see that auction house!” Huǒ Shuchang pumped a fist. “The auction is still a few days away, so we can have those axes and the Yang Fire Flower appraised. We should also grab a list to see what items they’re putting up. They may have something we want to buy.”

They left the hotel and traveled down the street. Wu Jian watched as a pair of kids ran between the legs of several adults, playing a game of tag. Two young woman dressed in a uniform of some kind were eying items being sold at a stall. He thought the items were jewelry at first, but then realized they were actually gemstones that exuded chi. Were they used to augment a person’s cultivation? Everywhere he looked was something new. He couldn’t turn his head fast enough to take it all in.

“You look like a country bumpkin,” Huǒ Shuchang said with a laugh.

Wu Jian clicked his tongue, but ignored the jibe. “Let’s just hurry up to the auction house.”

“Ha ha ha! Come on! No need to feel so glum. I don’t think any less of you now that I know you’re a hick!”

Wu Jian ground his teeth together as he stomped off, ignoring the laughing Huǒ Shuchang behind him.

Several minutes of walking and a building soon loomed before them. It was a massive pagoda at least fifteen stories tall. Each floor looked more majestic than the last. The bottom floors were all made from silver, the middle floors from gold, and the top floor was made of jade. Wu Jian sucked in a deep breath as his eyes widened. He had never seen such a grand, imposing, or majestic building before.

This could not have been anything other than the Zhou Clan’s auction house.