Chapter 81 - 81: Why Is There Such A Huge Difference Between People?
Chen Chen returned to the cabin and began to cultivate, suddenly finding it more boring without the little demons around.
Meanwhile, Zhang Ji looked through the window at the scenery outside of his room, sighing every now and then.
As for Elder Zhao, who was at the Golden Core realm, he had been staying still since he began meditating on the boat.
Time flowed like water.
Two days later, the speed of the giant boat gradually slowed down.
Through the window, they saw a majestic city from afar.
The size of the city was no less than that of the Tianyun Mountains, and the walls were as high as a hundred meters. The dense ethereality inside was even greater than that of the Tianyun Mountains.
Inside the giant city, there were all sorts of stores, all of which were extremely crowded, with most of the crowd consisting of cultivators.
'It is more than ten times bigger than Ji Zhou City!' Chen Chen marveled in his heart, looking at the giant city below. The Yan City of State of Jin was said to have a population of nearly 10 million.
There weren't that many buildings that had dozens of floors, but the fact that it could accommodate so many people showed how large the surface area truly was!
"Fellow successors, we have arrived at Yan City, which is part of the capital."
The voice of Elder Han of Wuxin Clan sounded in his ears, followed by the slow descent of the giant boat. Soon, it stopped on a huge platform near the city wall.
At this moment, there was already a huge crowd below the city wall, roughly more than 10,000 people!
"Big brother… There are so many people, what are they doing?"
Zhang Ji couldn't help but shiver. He was born in a small county and clearly hadn't witnessed such a scene before.
Even Sun Tiangang had a slight change of expression. Being watched by tens of thousands of people at the same time was a kind of pressure that one would never understand unless they experienced it themselves.
"I don't know, maybe they're here to see us elites in the hope of gaining some knowledge," Chen Chen blurted out, unable to think of any other reason.
At that moment, Ye Wusheng of the White Tiger Clan took the lead and got off the giant boat.
The crowd instantly broke out into a commotion.
"That's Ye Wusheng, the successor of the White Tiger Clan!"
"Damn! So handsome!"
"He's so cool!"
"He's one of the top three successors!"
Tens of thousands of people were all talking at the same time, the sounds they made deafening.
The two accompanying disciples of the White Tiger Clan shuddered as they walked, unlike Ye Wusheng, who was still walking at a steady pace and shrouded in full-body armor, as if the commotion that was going on outside did not affect him in the slightest.
However, before he could take two steps, a loud voice rang out from the crowd, "Successor Ye! We are offering you 1,000 spirit stones and invite you to stay at the Immortal Fate Inn!"
Hearing these words, Zhang Ji rubbed his ears, thinking he had heard incorrectly.
Not only did they not have to pay any Spirit Stones for staying in the inn, they would be given Spirit Stones instead?
'Is everything in the capital a charity organization?' he wondered.
Before he could truly understand what was going on, a high-pitched female voice sounded from the crowd, "Successor Ye, I'm offering you 1,500 Spirit Stones to stay in the Drunken Red House, and you may also take two girls with you when you leave!"
Hearing these words, even the cool Ye Wusheng's pace became erratic.
On the giant boat, Chen Chen was green with envy at the scene in front of him.
Those merchants were looking for spokespersons.
Putting aside the amount of traffic that would be brought about by having successors living in their shops, even if the successors were gone, they would have a marketing gimmick in the future.
People would naturally think that the environment would be great if the prestigious successors had chosen to live there!
"I wonder how much the successor of my Tianyun Clan is worth..." Chen Chen muttered, filled with both anticipation and anxiety.
A few moments later, Ye Wusheng was taken away by someone from a major restaurant.
However, no one knew if the deal had been cinched afterwards.
Once Ye Wusheng left, those merchants shifted their attention to the successors of other clans.
However, compared to Ye Wusheng, the successors were offered far lower prices, with the highest being only 500 Spirit Stones.
Those successors were self-aware too. Everything in the capital cost Spirit Stones and they were content with receiving Spirit Stones from their place of accommodation; they felt no need to compare themselves to Ye Wusheng.
Hence, they were soon picked up by a few luxury carriages.
You Lanxin, who appeared next, caused the scene to reach a small climax.
"You Lanxin, the successor of the Youshui Clan, is virtuous and intelligent, as her name implies! She's a famous wise woman in the State of Jin!"
"She's so beautiful!"
Staring at You Lanxin's back, Chen Chen criticized her contemptuously in his heart, 'This girl looks aloof and cold, but she's actually thinking about earning Spirit Stones!
'Otherwise, why would she be walking so slowly? Isn't she simply waiting for others to bid for her!?
'She's strutting like a model too. Is that necessary?
'Psht! I don't care!'
Chen Chen was feeling sour because the prices some of the inns and restaurants offered for her had already soared to roughly the same level as Ye those offered to Wusheng.
He couldn't help it, since women were naturally more attractive than men. Among the successors of the 36 clans, only seven were female, and each one of them was extremely beautiful.
Even if they lacked competency, their status and gender would allow them to trump all other successors.
However, the representatives of the brothels would never dare to make a sound, for fear that they would be killed on the spot.
"Big brother, let's go," Zhang Ji said timidly.
Regardless of how much of a dimwit he was, he understood what was going on. Besides, he knew how prideful Chen Chen was… If he...
After thinking about it, he dared not continue.
"Go!"
Chen Chen descended from the flying boat with a sullen expression.
He could not believe it. Even if he wasn't famous, he still had a handsome face! With such a handsome face, shouldn't he be surpassing Ye Wusheng?
"Who's that?"
"I don't know!"
"He seems to be the successor of a certain sect, but why haven't I ever heard of him?"
"Has he made any great accomplishments?"
"No, he's probably a temporary successor."
...
Hearing the whispers coming from the crowd, Chen Chen's face became extremely tempestuous.
'I'm just a few years late. Surely I'm better than those spare tires?'
"Big brother! In a few days you'll be breaking through the Golden Core realm. You have to find an empty place to stay at!"
Zhang Ji's sudden yelling drowned out the voices of the crowd.
Hearing those words, Chen Chen was almost moved to tears.
'Zhang Ji has finally wised up a little. Although his words are a bit harsh, he has great judgment.'
"Ahem. It's better not to break through the Golden Core realm in this city. My Heavenly Tribulation is too powerful; I'm afraid of causing major damage," Chen Chen answered in a serious manner.
The group of people below looked at each other after hearing those words.
"Breaking through the Golden Core stage? Is this unknown successor who popped out of nowhere really that strong?"
"Doesn't that mean that he's comparable to Ye Wusheng? How about I offer 1,000 Spirit Stones?"
However, after a few moments, the topic of discussion began to change. The merchants of the city were all intelligent.
"I guess it's all a lie. Look at that person who just spoke. His face is flushed and his eyes are glowing. I can tell by just a glance that he's lying."
"It does seem so!"
Hearing the discussion, Zhang Ji became more and more nervous as sweat flowed down his face.
The merchants became more and more disdainful when they saw that. By the time Chen Chen had almost reached the end of the road, there wasn't a single inn or restaurant willing to invite Chen Chen and the others in.
Sun Tiangang and Elder Zhao were both extremely embarrassed. Who would have thought that the successor of the Tianyun Clan would be treated that way?
Others were staying for free, and even receiving Spirit Stones. Could it be that they had to pay Spirit Stones for accommodation?
Just as they were feeling miserable, an apprehensive and anxious voice sounded out from the crowd, "That successor! Would you like to stay in the Yiran Residence? We are willing to pay 200... No! 300 Spirit Stones!"
As soon as she said that, the people next to her attempted to change her mind.
"Jiuniang, this successor is not very famous. Not many people in the capital know about him. Giving him 300 Spirit Stones will not bring us fame. In fact, it'll definitely be a huge loss!"
"Exactly, Jiuniang! It wasn't easy for your mother to keep this brothel running, and she handed it down to you, so you can't squander it away. I advise you to wait for the next flying boat. Only two have arrived."
...
Hearing the voices of the people around her, the woman named Jiuniang blushed slightly, softly saying, "With 300 Spirit Stones, I can't invite other successors to... Besides, just because he isn't famous now doesn't mean that his future is bleak. This Saint seems to have an extraordinary temperament..."
"Hah!"
Before she could finish her words, a disdainful voice sounded from the side.
"You're still too young."
"I'm telling you, some successors are just stand-ins who might be stripped of their positions in just a short while..."
Just as these people were unabashedly discussing this matter, a wave of spiritual pressure blasted towards them, causing the crowd to be blasted back several meters.
Immediately afterwards, a sorrowful yet furious voice sounded from afar, "Miss, just because of what you've just said, I've decided to stay at your place!"