Chapter 27: News

One hundred meters outside the gate, Xiao Li suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood in the garden. Sensing the state of the origin energy within his body, his expression shifted drastically, and he staggered away at high speed.

...

"Holy cow!"
"A low-grade origin vein has actually appeared in our Liuyue City!"
"Who did you hear that from? Is the news true?"
"It’s ten miles east of the city! It’s the talk of the entire town; who hasn't heard?"
"Hmph, even if there is an origin vein, it belongs to the City Lord's Mansion. It has nothing to do with us!"
"We are just the lowest commoners in Liuyue City. Even if an origin vein appears, it’s not for us. Look at our strength; trying to snatch it would be suicide."
"Throughout history, every origin vein discovered in any city has been claimed by the incumbent City Lord. Half is offered to the Empire, and half belongs to the Lord. Ji Kun must be waking up laughing in his sleep this time!"
"Although it's not for us, our city has consistently ranked at the bottom of the thousands of cities for a hundred years. At least this time, our ranking will go up a bit!"
"Ah... Ji Kun only has one daughter, and she has already joined the Sacred Origin Immortal Palace. He has no other heirs. If only I were his son-in-law!"
"Heh... Ji Kun's daughter, Ji Jiu'er—even her own fiancé, with such immense talent, was rejected! Do you think she’d look at you? A toad wanting to eat swan meat!"

At a table by the window in a Liuyue City tavern, four young men gathered, passionately discussing the news of the low-grade origin vein.

"Hey... little brother, are you unaware? Lord Ji just issued a decree! He has announced to the world that the City Lord's Mansion will not participate in the seizure of this origin vein. He is leaving it to the people of Liuyue City to seek their own fortune!"

At a neighboring table, two men—one in grey robes and one in green—sat with a young woman. Hearing the heated discussion nearby, one of the men looked over with a surprised expression and spoke calmly.

The youth at the window table glanced at the speaker and scoffed, "Heh... are you trying to trick a ghost? Something this good? I don’t believe for a second that Ji Kun would let such a treasure slip through his fingers!"

The grey-robed youth who had just spoken gave a mocking smile at this remark and ignored him. Excited, he beckoned the waiter to bring three large jars of fine wine and said joyfully, "Lord Ji said that although he won't interfere with the competition, only cultivators at the Spirit Origin Realm are allowed to enter to seek their fortune! Whoever has the ability to obtain it, keeps it!"

"City Lord Ji is truly the best lord our city has ever had," the young woman added. "Since he took office three years ago, those wretched heads of the three great families were executed, and their arrogance was extinguished by fire. Never again have they oppressed the masses. Even though our city ranks at the bottom, it is the safest of all the thousand cities. Before, as a young woman, I wouldn't have dared to step out at night!"

"That’s true," the green-robed youth said with a proud smile. "Lord Ji may look fierce, but he is a genuinely good man. Last time I saw him, I was just a first-level Initial Origin Realm cultivator, and he even answered my questions about cultivation. It’s rare!"

"Exactly," the girl said, her face filled with adoration. "Ever since Lord Ji took office, he issued the 'Anti-Killing Decree.' No matter how deep the grudge, both parties can go to the City Lord’s Mansion and strike the grievance bell!"

"Although this is a world of origin cultivation where the strong are respected and the law of the jungle prevails, I am very fortunate to have been born in Liuyue City," the grey-robed man said, finishing his strong wine and sighing at the sky. "Our city used to be a mess. The previous lords and the three families were like mountains pressing down on the people, trampling and insulting us at will. We were weak; even if we were resentful, what could we do? We could only swallow our pride. But since Lord Ji took office, Liuyue City has become the safest place in the entire Luoxuan Empire."

"I never expected our city to reach such a glorious moment," the woman said, her face flushed as she sipped her wine. "With a low-grade origin vein appearing, our population will likely skyrocket in the future!"

"Indeed," the grey-robed man said excitedly. "And since Lord Ji is not participating, leaving this fortune to us, we must seize this heaven-defying opportunity. Come, let's have a toast!"

*Bang!*
The two men and the woman finished a jar of wine, beaming with joy.

"Here, this toast is to Lord Ji Kun," the green-robed man continued. "He is a true hero in these chaotic times—a real man! He protects us so we can live safely in this turbulent world."

The four youths at the window table, hearing the discussion, looked ashamed and simultaneously raised their cups, downing the wine in one gulp. They had seen with their own eyes everything Ji Kun had done for the people in the three years since he became City Lord.

"Although this is an equal opportunity, there are nearly five thousand Initial Origin Realm cultivators in the city, and the three families have nearly three thousand men. How are we supposed to compete with them?" the girl asked, worried.

"Screw that! We’ve been bullied by them for long enough. If we all unite, those three families are nothing!"

"Let’s go, let’s go. I need to consolidate my cultivation these days to secure more opportunities in the origin vein ten days from now," the grey-robed man said, waving his hand as he prepared to leave.

As the others stood up to depart, a young man in white at the window table jumped up, grabbed the green-robed man, and said with glowing eyes, "Brother, is what you said true? Did Lord Ji really say we can compete fairly, as long as we are below the Spirit Origin Realm?"

The green-robed man cast a look of disdain, pointed out the window, and walked away.

The young man in white followed his gaze, walked to the window, opened it, and looked out into the street. He froze in astonishment.

The street, usually deserted at night, was now packed with a sea of people, and both sides of the road were filled with makeshift stalls.

"Will you sell this protective armor for one hundred origin crystals?" a twenty-year-old, eighth-level Initial Origin cultivator asked, blinking.

"One hundred crystals? Why don't you go weave some grass armor to wear! I need to trade this for an offensive artifact to compete for the ultimate fortune in ten days! Damn it! Even if you offered a thousand, I wouldn't sell! Move, move, don't keep me from trading for treasures!" the stall owner shouted angrily.

"Big brother, how much for this sword?"
"Two thousand origin crystals!" the stall owner replied with his eyes closed.
"You... are you robbing me? This is only worth three hundred! How can you ask for so much? Do you believe I’ll report you to the City Lord’s Mansion?"
"I need two thousand crystals to buy a Ghost Sword. Are you buying or not? If not, get lost! Go report me? Go ahead, provided, heh, you can make it to the front of the queue!"

...

The young man in white stood with his jaw dropped, eyes wide. The noisy street was overflowing with people selling offensive weapons and defensive treasures...