Chapter Ninety: Registration

In the misty, boundless East Sea, a long chain of islands stretched across the waters, countless large and small isles scattered like silver links and pearls.

Upon one great island spanning a thousand li stood a magnificent immortal city: the famed Azure Cloud Main Immortal City, one of the thirty-six principal immortal cities of the Eastern Sea archipelago.

Within the city, a vast palace saw cultivators coming and going in constant haste.

Most were robed cultivators, and many were men of considerable attainment, including numerous Foundation Establishment and Golden Core experts.

This was the Transmission Hall of Azure Cloud Immortal City.

Aside from a few exclusive teleportation arrays, all the arrays of the main city were concentrated here.

So long as one possessed enough spirit stones, one could use these arrays to travel to any immortal village, immortal town, or immortal city under Azure Cloud’s rule. One could also be sent to any of the thirty-six principal islands of the Eastern Sea.

Likewise, all the immortal cities under Azure Cloud were linked here by teleportation arrays.

In a secluded side chamber of the palace, a small teleportation array built of blue stone suddenly flickered with a hazy azure glow.

In the blink of an eye, the figure of a young cultivator appeared at its center. He stepped down from the array. Soon after, other warriors emerged one after another.

“So this is Azure Cloud Immortal City?”

“That teleportation array is really convenient. We arrived in an instant!”

Most in the group wore martial attire, and only one young cultivator of eighteen or nineteen wore a cyan robe.

It was Ye Mo, Mo Ling, Wang Hu, and the others, teleported here from East Isle Spirit Island.

They left the side chamber and headed out of the Transmission Hall, looking around in curiosity.

“Don’t wander around in the Transmission Hall. Leave at once!”

Suddenly, a voice exploded in everyone’s ears, carrying a clear note of warning.

Everyone was startled.

Inside the hall, a middle-aged cultivator in guard’s attire swept them all with a stern gaze.

The Transmission Hall was a crucial facility of the immortal city, the core hub connecting the main city to the other immortal cities. It concerned the safety of countless cities, and cultivators guarded it around the clock to prevent sabotage.

This cultivator wore a purple daoist robe, his power surging about him; his depth could not be seen. He was likely a cultivator above Foundation Establishment.

Everyone was so frightened they scarcely dared breathe.

“Go!”

Ye Mo’s heart tightened. He hurriedly led the others with bowed heads toward the exit.

Azure Cloud Immortal City truly lived up to its reputation. Even a single guard of the Transmission Hall possessed such formidable strength.

Ye Mo had once met Zou Ruhai, the lord of East Isle City, who was at the ninth level of Qi Refinement. Though Zou Ruhai’s aura was intimidating, it was clearly inferior to that purple-robed cultivator.

Outside was a corridor, where a patrol of soldiers in green armor and steel waistsheaths passed by ahead of them, faces cold and impassive. Their spirit blades gleamed with shifting radiance, exuding a faint chill.

The patrol carried an aura of blood and violence. One of them gave the group a frosty glance.

Everyone shuddered and followed closely behind Ye Mo, silent and subdued, not daring to speak until they had finally left the Transmission Hall, whereupon they all let out a breath of relief.

“This is the main city of the Eastern Sea archipelago!”

Wang Hu looked both excited and apprehensive as he murmured, carefully studying the passersby around him.

“This isn’t East Isle Immortal Village. In this main city, we martial artists probably don’t even count as ants,” Mo Ling said softly, her face still carrying lingering fear.

“We won’t look around the city for now. We’ll go register at Azure Cloud Academy first,” Ye Mo said with a rather ugly expression.

In East Isle Immortal Village, though he was only at the first level of Qi Refinement, he could still address the cultivators there as fellow daoists and count as a somewhat respected loose cultivator.

But in Azure Cloud Immortal City, it was entirely different. There were too many high-level cultivators here; meeting any random one made Ye Mo feel pressure.

His meager Qi Refinement strength was simply not worth mentioning.

The others nodded as well.

“No wonder it is one of the thirty-six principal cities of the Eastern Sea archipelago!”

Walking along the broad avenue, Wang Hu exclaimed in utter excitement.

On both sides of the street stood row upon row of luxurious pavilions. The ten-plus-zhang-wide road was crowded with cultivators, and from time to time magnificent spirit-beast carriages thundered past at great speed, drawing sidelong glances from many pedestrians.

The shops lining the street, with their enormous signs and notice boards formed of all manner of spiritual light, dazzled Ye Mo and the others.

The more Ye Mo looked, the more astonished he became. “With Azure Cloud Immortal City so prosperous, who knows how much time and labor it took to build such a magnificent city!”

The registration deadline was the first day of next month.

Ye Mo first found a small detached residence in the city to arrange lodging for the group. Then he went alone to a large weapon-refining shop, sold half of the purified black iron, and obtained more than two thousand spirit stones, enough to cover the academy registration fees for himself and Mo Ling and the others.

The daily volume of trade in Azure Cloud Main Immortal City was enormous, and it did not restrict the trade of raw materials. He need not worry that anyone would take interest in the origin of the black iron in his possession.

Because registering at Azure Cloud Academy required one to be a Qi Refinement cultivator, while Mo Ling, Wang Hu, Yang You, Chang Fei, Tu Nu, and the five guards were still only martial artists and had not yet become cultivators, Ye Mo directly bought Yuanqi Pills at the price of one spirit stone apiece to aid them in cultivating their primordial spirit.

After half a month, as the registration deadline approached, all of them had successfully cultivated their primordial spirits.

Only then did Ye Mo bring them to Azure Cloud Academy, located within the immortal city.

Azure Cloud Academy stood in the west of the city, in a place of elegant scenery.

Several rivers flowed through the academy, where layered peaks rose one upon another, veiled in spiritual mist. Rare flowers and exotic herbs grew everywhere, and pavilions and towers could be seen perched upon the mountain peaks.

After asking the guard at the gate for directions, Ye Mo entered Azure Cloud Academy.

Even this academy alone was dozens of times larger than East Isle Immortal Village. The place was already crowded and bustling, with many cultivators coming to register.

The registration office for city lord candidates was in a building within the academy.

Rumble, rumble!

Suddenly, the urgent pounding of several spirit-horse carriages came from behind.

The roads within the academy immediately erupted into chaos, with many cultivators cursing loudly and showing angry expressions. At such speed, if one were struck, one would surely be sent flying.

Hearing the sound of the carriages, Ye Mo hurriedly leapt aside.

The instant he moved, a strong surge of air swept past, driving everyone toward the roadside. Yang You, whose cultivation was weaker, even staggered; Ye Mo caught him with one hand, helping him steady himself.

Ye Mo was somewhat annoyed and looked over sharply.

Several luxurious spirit-horse carriages had already sped by, rushing toward the pavilion.

Screech.

The handsome spirit horses gave a long whinny and came to a stop with effortless ease.

The carriages halted abruptly, now only a few zhang from the building.

“Whose spirit carriage is that? So arrogant!”

“Hush! To dare race horses inside the academy, the people in that carriage must have an extraordinary background. How could we possibly afford to provoke them? Just look at the drivers outside; each of those guards has deep cultivation, and none of them can be seen through!”

Dozens of cultivators who had come to register outside the pavilion were all talking at once.

Once the carriages were securely stopped, a youth in brocade clothing, accompanied by an elderly man in a cyan robe, stepped down from the central carriage.

“Young Master, this is the registration office for Azure Cloud Academy,” the old man in cyan said, looking up at the pavilion.

“So this is Azure Cloud Academy? Even one building is worn and shabby, as though it hasn’t been renovated in hundreds of years. Compared with my family’s immortal city, there’s nothing remarkable about it—nothing but empty fame. If not for the fact that only by graduating from Azure Cloud Academy in the Azure Cloud Main Immortal City can one obtain formal city lord qualifications, I wouldn’t bother coming to such a place.”

The brocade-clad youth looked around with arrogant disdain. Glancing at the pavilion, he strode in grandly. “Hurry up and register. I still have to accompany Miss Chen shopping later. Don’t delay me!”

The old man in cyan followed closely behind.

As for the more than ten guards behind them, they remained at the pavilion entrance to watch the gate.

This richly dressed youth was also here to apply for a city lord candidate position?

Ye Mo’s expression immediately grew solemn. Could even the disciples of such a prestigious cultivator clan come to Azure Cloud Academy to register? Couldn’t they simply establish an immortal city directly with the power of their own family?

Ye Mo did not yet know.

For human cultivators, the status of city lord within the Immortal City Alliance was not something anyone could obtain at will.

One had to graduate from an academy in one of the thirty-six principal immortal cities, and only the top ten city lord candidates could gain the qualification to become a city lord and join the Immortal City Alliance.

Without this path, even if one built an immortal village, it would not be recognized by the Immortal City Alliance and would be nothing more than a “wild city.” Such a city would receive neither recognition nor assistance from other members of the alliance, nor would it be linked by teleportation arrays.

For this reason, the academies of the principal cities were a necessary path for all cultivators who aspired to become city lords, and were pursued with ardent zeal.

Ye Mo told Mo Ling and the others to wait below while he went inside to register.

But at the entrance to the corridor, he was stopped by those guards.

“Do not come any closer.”

A guard with a cold expression fixed Ye Mo with a frosty gaze and raised a hand to block him.

Caught off guard, Ye Mo jumped in alarm. Under the guard’s stare, he felt as though he had vanished from the world.

“What do you mean by this? I’m here to register. Why are you stopping me?” Ye Mo asked, his expression changing as he forced himself to remain calm.

“Register? You?” The guard looked at him with clear contempt. “Did you take the wrong place? The next turn to the right is where attendants register. Go try your luck there. Perhaps in the future you can serve as an attendant for some noble family’s young master.”

The guard’s gaze upon Ye Mo was deeply disdainful. Those who came here to register were basically all children of prominent cultivator families. A poor-looking cultivator like Ye Mo, on the other hand, could only be dreaming.

“I’m here to register as a city lord candidate!” Ye Mo took a deep breath and forced himself to settle.

“Whether you are or not, my young master is upstairs. You cannot go up. Wait until my young master has come out, and only then go up if you still wish.”

The guard’s tone was harsh, and he did not put Ye Mo in the least.

“You...!”

Ye Mo could not help but fly into a rage. Leaving aside that brocade-clad youth, even his guards were so overbearing. This was going too far.

“Who is making a racket downstairs? Why are you blocking the way? Step aside at once! This is Azure Cloud Academy, not some aristocratic estate!”

A voice, ancient and commanding, rang down from the pavilion above.

It struck everyone’s ears like rolling thunder.

To Ye Mo, it did not seem like much.

But in the guard’s ears, it was like a bolt of lightning exploding nearby, stirring his blood and almost sending his spiritual power out of control.

“Ah!”

The guard spat out a mouthful of blood, his face ashen, and staggered back several steps involuntarily. Looking up at the pavilion, he showed a trace of fear.

“Hmph. Overestimating yourself.”

The aged, dignified voice gave another cold snort and said, “All the registered candidates, come up.”