At first, distant glance, Cade had thought it was yet another abandoned old city—a crumbling ruin from a distant past. However, as he got closer, he realized the city was walled off, inhabited, and very lively. Approaching even closer, to his surprise, he saw it was full of brown-skinned humans.
When he had flown over his first ruined city partially reclaimed by nature, he had found its dilapidated sprawl captivating and had lowered his altitude to get a closer look. But then, after the first occurrence came the second, then a third, and since then he had encountered at least a dozen sets of ruins. These collapsed remnants of a previous age were apparently everywhere, or at least that’s how it felt to someone flying at great speed. This land must have once been home to a grand nation, and its inhabitants had likely built their civilization over even older ruins.
This planet was ancient. No one even remembered its original name anymore, and most races simply called it “the world,” or, more officially, “Earth.” Many of the book traders in Kettle were huge history enthusiasts, yet none of them knew the planet’s age, though some did come up with pretty outrageous numbers.
Just the idea that the Sword Dao Monastery had survived for over 600,000 years was mind-boggling. It was enough time for numerous civilizations to rise and fall dozens, maybe hundreds of times. The fact that the monastery had remained standing spoke of its deep, powerful roots.
Many of the books Cade had read suggested the first intelligent beings appeared on the Moon Continent between three and five million years ago, arriving there in enormous ships capable of crossing the vast distances between stars. There was little proof to back up that statement, though most historians agreed the Moon Continent was likely the center of civilization on the planet throughout most of its history. In fact, its name had been given to it fairly recently, at least in comparison to the planet's history. It alluded to the fact that it was one of two continents sharing the globe, positioned on opposite sides—similar to how the sun and moon both shared the skies but could never be spotted occupying them at the same time.
Master Lao Ren had forced Cade to promise he wouldn’t attempt traveling there until he had fully mastered his soul wraith, naturally not explaining why, or what a soul wraith was. All he had said was that the Moon Continent was dangerous, then mentioned something about karma, and Cade didn’t inquire further, as at that time the pain had grown nigh unbearable once again. “In time, everything will be revealed. Focus on the challenges directly ahead of you, instead of wasting time and effort on those behind the horizon,” were his exact words.
Cade sighed, slowing down and turning his attention to the busy city, where hundreds of colorful figures were bustling about. Theoretically, finding humans in places other than the Brightheart Empire shouldn’t be surprising. Cade had heard there were large human settlements down south, but to hear and to witness were two different things. Naturally, the stories he had been told as a child, such as the Empire being the cradle of human civilization, were completely bogus, serving mostly to build patriotic pride and a sense of unity.
He mused about landing and having a look around the exotic city, but in the end, he decided against it. His appearance was too distinct. Even though he was thousands of miles from the Empire, it was still too much of a risk. Considering the aura pill’s effect had already worn off by now, satisfying his curiosity wasn’t smart. Fortunately, the Book of Life provided an answer to this problem. In fact, it provided a solution to two important issues. The first technique of Flesh Fortification taught rudimentary appearance shapeshifting, allowing an Asura to make small tweaks to how they looked. There was a part of this technique Cade hadn’t bothered looking into before, which allowed the formation of fake spiritual fluctuations.
When the appearance transformation technique was mastered, he would be able to look like a tall human cultivator. Because those fluctuations could be adjusted in both intensity and frequency, he could make himself appear as either a qi cultivator or a body refiner, which could prove very useful if he wanted to access the Sword Dao Monastery.
As Cade flew in a wide arc around the city’s western side, a faint sensation overcame him, as if something was calling to his blood, awakening his voracious heart. He quickly used his insight to check what was happening, and what he saw left him speechless. It wasn’t so much his blood but rather the prismatic spherules inside it. In fact, his whole voracious heart was gently vibrating, something it had never done before.
“Huh, it seems there is something down there they want,” Cade mumbled with a puzzled expression. He lowered his altitude, unleashing his life sense to search for anything out of the ordinary, but found nothing. He scratched his chin, wondering what to do, but eventually, his curiosity won. I can’t always play it safe, he sighed inwardly, recalling what he had been taught. Where there is a reward to be gained, a degree of risk is necessary.
Once Cade made his decision, he landed a couple of miles from the main gate, choosing to walk the rest of the way to avoid drawing attention. The sun had already begun its climb across the sky, and while the air remained a little chilly, the day promised to be beautiful. The city’s entrance was guarded by a dozen or so fairly short men armed with long spears, dressed in dark red brigandines of an exotic design. All except one person were in various stages of Qi Condensation. Their skin was deep brown, much darker than that of humans up north. One of the men, likely the leader, wore a scarlet lacquered breastplate, his shoulders protected with pauldrons in the same style. The armor was plain but appeared well-made. He was the only person in the early Foundation Establishment realm.
The leader slowly walked forward, blocking Cade’s path. “Halt! Who are you and why do you come to Red Jewel City?” he asked bluntly in the Common language, pronouncing the words with a strange but perfectly understandable accent.
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“I’m a simple traveler. I might do some shopping,” Cade answered with a shrug.
“A simple traveler? Shopping? What kind of bullshit answers are those?! Speak or face the consequences!” The man spat out, instantly turning irate, and the guards behind him shuffled nervously.
Cade’s eyelid twitched. He exhaled slowly, trying to keep his irritation in check.
“Interesting. Do you demand every visitor tell you their life’s story? Would you like to know my boot size and my favorite color as well?” he said, his tone edged with sarcasm. He hadn’t expected a warm welcome, but neither did he expect the guard’s reaction to be so outright hostile. Around them, curious townsfolk peeked from behind the massive double gates.
This answer threw the man off, his expression a mixture of bafflement and anger. Then his face turned dark. “Watch your words, peasant. You’re obviously not human. You must be a foreign spy!” he concluded, pointing at Cade and raising his voice.
“So what am I exactly, a peasant or a spy?” Cade asked, annoyance now evident in his tone. “I was simply flying past this beautiful city and decided to do some sightseeing, maybe purchase a few local products. But apparently, your city employs mentally challenged people as guards. Maybe you should call someone with actual authority. I don’t want these good people to say I bullied a local idiot."
A few guards standing behind their leader tried very hard not to laugh, but they ended up failing miserably, theatrically coughing and clearing their throats. The captain was clearly looking for a fight, likely because he didn’t detect any qi fluctuations from Cade and thought him a mortal. The partially stifled laughs from his comrades incited him even further. He angrily stepped forward, grabbing his spear with both hands and pointing its angrily shaking tip in Cade’s direction.
Unexpectedly, a pleasant female voice coming from behind the gates stopped him in his tracks. “Captain, when did our Red Jewel City become so unwelcoming, turning away people willing to spend their hard-earned coin here? Or have you been put in charge of our visitor policies?” A stern, feminine voice came from inside a richly adorned, darksteel carriage floating a couple of feet above ground, with a bored-looking driver in the front. He appeared to be of average height, his black hair cropped short, his middle-aged face plain as day. He stared ahead with half-lidded eyes, as if his work had cut into his nap time.
However, Cade’s pupils immediately narrowed upon setting his gaze on the man. Despite the deceivingly average looks, this person’s life signature showed he was concealing a powerful, True Core cultivation.
“M… Madam Councilwoman, I…” the guard immediately lowered his eyes, stuttering nervously.
“Enough. Let this person in,” the woman ordered in an authoritative tone that accepted no disobedience.
“Yes, Madam!” the man barked out, snapping to attention with a fearful expression, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. He then promptly moved to the side, allowing Cade to pass, not even daring to look at the visitor's face.
The young Asura walked casually forward, arriving in front of the carriage. He cupped his fist in the direction of a small window covered with brocade curtains. He couldn’t detect any spiritual fluctuations from the person inside, only some curiosity and mild annoyance. “Thank you, Madam Councilwoman. All I want is to take a look around your city; I don’t intend to cause any trouble,” Cade said in a courteous tone.
“It’s not a problem at all. In that case, would you mind accompanying me for a brief ride around the city? It’s quite rare that we get visitors from other races,” the councilwoman laughed softly. The carriage door swung open, revealing a luxurious wooden interior and a shapely woman in her mid-twenties draped in a deep red gown. Its plunging neckline drew the eye, while the richly embroidered fabric clung to her form, accentuating her curves. Her face was rather average and covered with a thick layer of powdery makeup.
Cade found himself in the exact position he was trying to avoid, but at this point, refusing would have been rude. She was surprisingly bold, inviting an unknown and potentially dangerous man into her carriage. But then he remembered people couldn’t detect his blood qi, and with the driver’s middle True Core cultivation rank, the woman wasn’t so much fearless as simply convinced she was untouchable. Cade sighed inwardly. In the end, a ride around the city with the councilwoman as a guide wasn’t the worst of all outcomes. He might even have an easier time finding whatever was calling to the spherules in his blood.
“Thank you for your gracious invitation. My name is Lao Ren, and I am a simple traveler of no importance. It would be my honor to accompany you,” Cade politely replied, once again cupping his fist. Sorry, Master. He then stepped into the carriage, carefully sitting down opposite the voluptuous woman.
When Anastasia laid her eyes on Cade’s face, she couldn’t hide her surprise. “I can see why the captain reacted the way he did. Your appearance possesses a certain dangerous flair, Daoist Ren. My name is Anastasia Berker, and as you already know, I’m on the council of our Red Jewel City. Please, call me by my name,” she said politely, a small smile playing on her lips. “With your imposing height, I think some of our people might feel threatened by your presence. I’m sorry he gave you a bad impression of our city before you even walked through the gates,” she said in a mildly apologetic tone while maintaining eye contact. She then rapped her knuckles twice on the wooden frame, and the carriage took off.
Cade’s eyebrows lifted in surprise, as it was not common for others to refer to him in this way. In ancient times, the Daoist title referred to the followers of the Dao, a religion centered around cultivating a sense of harmony with the world. These days, it was used as a polite way of addressing all cultivators. “Thank you for your kind words, and please, there’s no need to apologize. I assure you, I present no danger to your citizens,” Cade smiled neutrally.
“In that case, I am even happier that fate brought us together,” the woman’s lips curled up in a brilliant smile, revealing two rows of perfect teeth. Her facial features might have been only average, but her smile greatly made up for it, brimming with warmth and grace. “Please forgive my curiosity, Daoist Ren, but would you mind sharing which race you belong to? While our city appears a little secluded, we do receive merchants from outside the human race every now and then. I must say that I’ve never met someone with your striking features before,” Anastasia asked, perfectly poised, her manicured hands resting on her knees. Cade forced himself to keep his eyes forward; the deep valley revealed by her low neckline drew his gaze like a mesmerizing whirlpool. He was pretty sure the woman's question was prompted by a combination of his nails, eyes and teeth. Then there was his uncommonly pale skin. In stories, these features were usually attributted to one creature in particular.
Cade was pretty sure he knew what she was thinking.
“I don’t mind you asking, Miss Berker, it's just that my answer will probably disappoint you. I'm an ordinary fellow with a drop or two of a more exotic blood flowing through his veins. Certainly not a vampire,” Cade answered humorously, flashing his fangs in a wide grin.
