Chapter 19

Second update. I have completed the six thousand words for today, please review, fellow readers.

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Xin Yue is located in the central-north part of the Divine Land, named after the famous mountain Xin within its territory. Xin Mountain rises from the residual momentum of the Kunlun Mountains, the first mountain range of the Divine Land, but is not connected to the Kunlun range. From a distance, it appears as a solitary peak standing out on the plain, somewhat abruptly. The southern slope of Xin Mountain is gentle, while the northern slope is steep, and the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance is established on the southern slope of Xin Mountain.

It is a forbidden area of the ancient Daoist sect, the Holy Infant Sect, which was the largest sect thousands of years ago. The first formal modern Daoist cultivator, Master Gebai of Xuangxing Temple, was once suppressed here by the Holy Infant Sect using the momentum of the Kunlun Mountains. Later, the first Transcendent cultivator, Divine Lord Darwin, defeated all the Great Ascendants of the Holy Infant Sect here, breaking through the encirclement with Master Gebai, thus establishing the great reputation of modern Daoism. The genius cultivators such as Master Newton and Master Maxwell also formed a united front of various modern Daoist sects here to fight against the ancient Daoist cultivators. After the Daoist cultivator Daoist Master Zunzhun and the Demon Emperor split the Ethereal Palace, causing great turmoil in the Daoist world, the Heavenly Sword Palace was established here to restore order with the might of the Heavenly Sword. To prevent further chaos in the Daoist world, the Five Great Sects and other sects jointly established the Immortal Alliance, with the headquarters naturally chosen to be here.

Although Xin Yue is close to the Northern Wasteland, it should not be as fertile as the southeastern part of the Divine Land where Wang Qi was born. However, when the Immortal Alliance was established, cultivators from the Mountain and River City brought water from the south, and cultivators from the Flowing Cloud Sect regulated the local climate, making it quite pleasant. Over the centuries, many mortals have been attracted by the fertile land and settled here. The modern cultivators did not drive them away, and over time, a large city, today's Xin Yue, emerged.

Xin Yue is divided into the inner city and the outer city. The outer city is where mortals live. Due to its proximity to the important Daoist stronghold, the area is wealthy. The inner city is the place for cultivators, strictly limiting the entry of mortals and prohibiting ordinary cultivators from flying. Yan Heyi's flying boat circled a bit outside Xin Yue City before landing at the entrance to the inner city.

"Tsk, tsk, it's really big." Wang Qi looked at the outer city and sighed. According to Wang Qi's scientific knowledge, the current social productivity of the Nine States Continent is roughly equivalent to that of the Song Dynasty, and it is quite unbelievable to have a city of this scale, comparable to a modern city on Earth.

Xiang Qi sneered, "Scared already? You'll be even more scared when you enter the inner city."

Wang Qi looked far into the distance. The inner city of Xin Yue is built on the mountain. Logically, it should be clearly visible, but for some reason, Xin Mountain is shrouded in a light mist, making it hard to see the inside.

Xiang Qi explained, "The Cloudy Mountain Mist Array of the Flowing Cloud Sect is almost as powerful as the arrays of the Five Great Sects, and the consumption of spiritual energy to maintain it is negligible compared to other arrays of the same level. The Immortal Alliance mostly uses this as a daily protective array. If more Great Ascendants attack, we can calmly activate a stronger array."

As they spoke, they felt a jolt under their feet, and the flying boat had landed. Xiang Qi led Wang Qi off the flying boat and onto the ground. There is no wall between the inner and outer cities; they are separated by the mist of the Cloudy Mountain Mist Array. The array has several openings that allow cultivators to enter and exit freely but block mortals without magical power. Wang Qi noticed that the ground where he stood was paved with blue stone slabs, like a square. In the center of the "square" was a misty belt, with cultivators constantly entering and exiting. Some mortals were also wandering around the square, probably hoping to find a bit of Daoist fortune.

Yan Heyi made a few finger gestures, and the flying boat hummed, began to shrink, and transformed into a stream of light that flew into her sleeve. After putting away the flying boat, Yan Heyi said to the two, "Let's go in. Also, Wang Qi, remember to activate your magical power. Early-stage Qi Cultivators have little power and can easily be blocked by the Cloudy Mountain Mist Array."

Saying this, Yan Heyi walked towards the inner city. Xiang Qi and Wang Qi followed closely behind.

After passing through the misty belt, Wang Qi widened his eyes: "Holy cow..."

The intricate corridors and high-pitched eaves are common in this world, but what if the winding corridors extend into the sky, and the ancient-style buildings with high eaves are a hundred stories tall?

The streets were crowded with people, all cultivators. Looking at the street, various shops lined the sides. If it weren't for the buildings having the unique style of the Divine Land, Wang Qi would almost think he had traveled back to Earth and arrived in a highly developed metropolis!

Zhen Chazi couldn't help but sigh, "The current trends are quite different from my time."

Wang Qi asked curiously, "What was it like in your time, old man?"

Zhen Chazi smiled bitterly, "Hehe, back then, cultivators also had trading places, but they were never managed, and people came and went as they pleased. Even the better-managed mortal markets were better than that."

Yan Heyi led the two up the mountain, where the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance is located. Hearing Wang Qi and Zhen Chazi's conversation, she stopped and said, "Wang Qi, if you're curious, you can go around and explore. This matter doesn't require your involvement."

Wang Qi felt this was like a pillow appearing when he was sleepy. If this auntie could stop frowning, it would be even better. He greeted her and was about to go explore. Xiang Qi grabbed the boy who was about to run off and sighed, "Sigh, do you have any sense of responsibility? How will I find you if you just run off?" She then took out a small bell and a palm-sized black rectangular magical device from her storage bag: "Here, don't lose this bell. It's a magical device for finding people. I'll lend you my spirit pool. Don't go crazy and don't buy anything recklessly, or you'll be in trouble."

"Spirit pool?" Wang Qi carefully examined the magical device in his hand, thinking it looked a lot like a power bank: "How do I use it?"

Xiang Qi slapped her forehead. By then, Yan Heyi had already walked far ahead. The girl didn't dare to delay and said, "When shopping, the seller will take out a similar device. You just touch your spirit pool to theirs, and it's done. You can't control the output yet... never mind, just remember to keep the receipt. In the headquarters of the Immortal Alliance, no one would dare to cheat."

Saying this, Xiang Qi hurriedly followed Yan Heyi.

Wang Qi stood on the street, holding the magical device, feeling confused.

"Old man... do you know what this is and what it's used for?"

Zhen Chazi's divine consciousness, at the Great Ascendant stage, enveloped the magical device called the spirit pool and examined it for a while: "The inscribed talisman arrays are almost incomprehensible. But it seems to be used for storing spiritual energy."

"Spiritual energy?"

Zhen Chazi explained, "I mentioned to you before, the things needed by Daoist cultivators are hard to measure with gold and silver. In the past, we mostly used spirit stones as a medium for trade. Now, it seems they use spiritual energy directly."

Wang Qi frowned, "How do you calculate the value?"

Zhen Chazi said, "The spiritual energy inside this magical device is stored in a very peculiar way. It's not mixed together but divided into portions at a much smaller level. The outflow of spiritual energy is done in portions."

Discontinuity?

Wang Qi felt extremely curious. After a few days of understanding, he had confirmed that the cultivation methods of the Ethereal Palace among the Five Great Sects are related to quantum mechanics. This means that discontinuity still holds in this world. Time is made up of countless Planck units, and energy is also emitted in a discontinuous manner according to the Planck constant—of course, the cosmic constant of this world may differ from Earth's.

And this spirit pool seems to indicate that spiritual energy also exists in a discontinuous manner?

Wang Qi shook his head, now is not the time to study. He continued to ask, "Do you know how to use it?"

Zhen Chazi said irritably, "Look around. Since this is used for trading, it should be very common."

Wang Qi noticed that many people, after selecting items from small stalls, would take out their spirit pools and touch them to the seller's spirit pool, completing the transaction in just a few seconds.

So it's like a bank card and a POS machine?

Zhen Chazi asked, "Go explore. You're basically penniless and don't even have the basic equipment of a cultivator."

Wang Qi shook his head, "It's not my money."

Zhen Chazi said, "He's a core disciple of a major sect, and any of his sword discs is worth more than the entire fortune of ten Qi Cultivators."

"Even if we have some friendship, it's not close enough to share a wallet. I'd rather not do that," Wang Qi refused. "The top priority now is that manuscript."

Zhen Chazi asked suspiciously, "Do you have any leads?"

Wang Qi raised his head and said disdainfully, "Without paper and pen, how can I analyze it? First, I need to find some paper and pen, then find a place to read it carefully!"

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I shamelessly ask for a recommendation and a follow.

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