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The town of Vermilion Gem
A huge town, which can almost be considered as a large city in the middle of the desert near the impassable tall gravity mountain, is having a large festivity today.
The town has a population of more than 200 thousand cultivators and mortals with different clans and schools. The town has 4 powerful main large clans and 3 cultivation schools. These 7 powerful entities in the town have a tacit understanding of ruling it. Under these clans and schools, there are also smaller clans and schools.
Every 6 years, the town would be ruled by a clan or a school's representative and overseeing that representative are the heads of the clans and the schools.
For thousands of years the town has existed and prospered through this type of government, and although there are fighting between clans and schools, it did not escalate to an all-out war. The reason for this is the harsh desert outside of the town.
The people are able to live in this place because of the unique topography of the town.
For some mysterious reason, the town has a flowing river, cool weather, and an expanse of land enough to house the huge number of people living in it. Plus there seems to be an invisible array that protects the town from the outside world.
Contrary to the condition inside the town, the outside world is different. The harsh desert and the beasts living in the desert poses threat and danger to the people living in the town. Every now and then, there would be large beasts that would attack the town, and with the combined prowess of the people, they would be able to defend the town.
Today, the town is having a festival to commemorate the foundation of the town. On the streets, many people are wearing different costumes as they dance and celebrate.
This scene is an annual celebration of the town which would always remind the people of how blessed they are to be able to live in this paradise amidst the chaos outside.
In the middle of the street, the figure of Shin Jiao blends with the people.
It has already been a few days ever since he arrived in this town.
When he first came out of the portal, he found himself at the foot of a tall mountain. And in front of him is the huge desert.
When Shin Jiao appears, he feels like a drowning man gasping for air as his body began absorbing the Qi in the air. However, the Qi is not that abundant, in fact, he almost thought that he arrives on a different planet. But he has a gut feeling that he is still on the same planet.
As he greedily absorbs the Qi in the air, Shin Jiao thought about how to find his way back.
To find his bearing, he decided to climb the mountain and try to find the closest town from a vantage point. However, he found out the gravity is terrifying when climbing the mountain.
Upon coming out of the 'prison land', Shin Jiao discover that his physique which is already in the nascent realm has already recovered. However, it seems that he had once again used up his energy to be able to breakthrough and use his new skill, the gravity core.
When he reaches 40 meters above ground, it was a surprise for him to feel such pressure. This only means that this mountain has a very strong restriction array which is above his knowledge and strength.
However, this action of Shin Jiao was not for naught. From that high point, he was able to see a group of travelers. And with that, he was able to come to the town.
The people who helped him belong to a small clan in the Vermillion Gem town. They are a minor clan under the Yu clan which is a merchant's clan. Although the Yu clan belongs to one of the major clans in the city, Shin Jiao discover that they are the weakest of all the major clans.
And so he stayed in that small clan while he is waiting for the traders. This is because the way for him to get out of the town is through a special channel that could only be used by the traders. Without this special channel, he would be lost in the vast desert.
"Junior brother Si Ji, come here!" A young man called out.
Shin Jiao shifted his gaze from the crowd towards the group of handsome young men and women happily chatting while walking down the road.
The young man who called him is, Jin Tong. He is one of the young people who helped Shin Jiao reach the town.
"Junior brother, you are in luck this time… After this festival, the annual clan and school contest is going to begin five days from now. We are all excited to attend this event as this would test our strength and improvement during the year of cultivation. Plus we can have a chance to cultivate in the dragon pond…" Jin Tong said with a smile.
"Jin Tong, what are you saying? Only those that belong to the clan can have a chance to cultivate in the dragon pond. Though outsiders could join the contest, only if they reached the top ten can they enter the dragon pond." A tall young man said while giving Shin Jiao a cold stare.
However, Shin Jiao did not mind that man. Ever since he came to the Tong clan, only Jin Tong has been his friend. Plus Jin Tong and his family were kind enough to let Shin Jiao stay at their place even though they lived an impoverished life.
And due to their kindness these past few days, Shin Jiao secretly gave them a reward. This made Jin Tong really happy and thinks that Shin Jiao is their lucky charm. Although Jin Tong is as friendly as ever, Shin Jiao could also feel that he is being treated by the young man sincerely.
"Old Wei, I will work hard to win in the contest. And when I do, I will help junior brother Si Ji to experience cultivating in the dragon pond." Jin Tong rebutted.
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"Hahaha… you are crazy if you are going to give that time to an outsider, why not give me to me cousin…" the tall young man named Old Wei laughed.
"Outsider my ass, younger brother Si Ji is my brother… who dares say that he is an outsider." Jin Tong said with a challenging gaze.
Everyone just chuckled at his reaction. His cousins and family members are already used to his attitude, so they didn't mind him that much. However, some of the young women in the group would give Shin Jiao cute glances and would sometimes giggle. And this would gain the ire of the young men in the group.
But Shin Jiao did not mind them as his focus is on the street.
This is because, although he could already use his absolute and spiritual sense, they are still limited. It was as if the restriction coming from the 'prison land' still has an effect even though he is already far from that place.
The radius that he could expand his senses is only at around 20 meters. However, what Shin Jiao discover at this time, is his mental ability. His psychokinesis has actually improved by leaps and bounds. Without the restriction of the world, he is in, his mental strength could rival the strength of a core-forming cultivator.
While the group is happily chatting, groups of people suddenly came strutting down the road. Shin Jiao could see that there are at least 12 groups that are walking in their direction. Ahead of this group of people is a handsome looking young man with a cold expression on his face.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman in a white cultivator's gown which shows her almost perfect curves. She looks stern while walking and her gaze did not roam around anywhere else.
Shin Jiao could see the similarities between the two young people. And behind them are an array of unrivaled men and women both in demeanor, aura, and beauty.
"Those are the top clans in the city," said Jin Tong in a low voice.
Shin Jiao nodded his head as he just watches the group walks past them.
Suddenly, from behind the group another young man walks out and directly approaches Shin Jiao's location.
The person had a huge smile on his face.
"Cousin Jin! At last, I saw you… I've been looking for you everywhere…" the young man said as he opens his arms to hug Jin Tong.
"Ah, Cousin Ling… yeah, I just arrive a few days ago from our trip outside. I didn't have time to visit the head…"
"Haha… hey, I heard that your group got a huge haul this time?"
"Yeah, a pretty big one…"
"That's nice… let's have a drink later, I'll look for you after we reported to the patriarchs. Don't go around escaping this time… you owe me one… Hehe…"
After the young man left with a happy smile, Jin Tong heaves a sigh of relief.
"Sigh… that guy is as gutsy as always…"
"Gutsy?" Shin Jiao asked in confusion.
"Well, you saw the group, right? No other people would dare go out of the group when they are going to meet the patriarchs of the city because of the Xian clan siblings. And that older cousin of mine is the only one who would always oppose those two." Jin Tong explained.
"Anyway, let's head to a restaurant, I'm hungry!" Jin Tong suddenly called out to the group.
Shin Jiao followed behind the group as they enter a nearby restaurant.
Once inside, he was greeted by a busy atmosphere as many people could be seen occupying the tables. Shin Jiao could see people chatting and the busy servers busily going to and fro.
The group enters the second floor and took a seat at a large table. Unlike the busy atmosphere downstairs, the second floor didn't have too many people. This is because the second floor only accepts special people.
Jin Tong presented a jade badge that enables the group to enter the place.
As soon as everyone was seated, they began to once again chat with each other. However, not long later, a large group of people suddenly enters the second floor.
The person at the front of the group suddenly walks towards the table and approached Jin Tong.
"Hehehe… if it isn't Jin Tong the scavenger… Long time, no see…" a sinister-looking man said with a wide grin on his face.