Chapter 12: Sights and Stories of the Capital, the Celestial Observation Tower

“Have you heard? Seven days ago, the Second Prince, with his extraordinary talent, broke through to the late stage of the Spirit Refinement and Qi Control Realm. And he’s only fourteen this year.”

“Is that true?”

The question from a bystander immediately piqued the speaker’s interest, and they both sat down at a roadside tea stall, chatting eagerly.

“Would I lie to you? It’s said that when the Second Prince was born, a celestial phenomenon appeared, and the royal patriarch laughed heartily on the spot, his voice echoing for miles.”

“He’s truly lived up to expectations. Reaching the late stage of Spirit Refinement at fourteen—he might attempt to break into the Dao Physique Realm within three years.”

“So you mean the Second Prince could reach the Dao Physique Realm before he’s eighteen?”

“Of course. Let me tell you…”

As he listened, Cao Chengyu’s brow twitched. The third major realm in cultivation was indeed the Dao Physique Realm.

After completing Spirit Refinement, if a cultivator wished to take another step forward, they would need to rely on rare treasures of heaven and earth to forge their Dao Physique.

Also called the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Dao Physique is the cornerstone of a cultivator’s future potential. If the foundation is poor or inferior, most cultivators will be limited to this realm for life, with no hope of further advancement.

Cao Chengyu didn’t even have a Spirit Refinement technique yet, let alone any method for building his Dao Physique.

For now, he needed to quickly find out the date of the Skymonitor Tower’s assessment, and, when time allowed, study the capital’s ranking list to pick a suitable target.

After drifting for so long, the moment he arrived in the capital, Cao Chengyu treated himself at the famed Fragrant Pavilion. He had to admit, even the performing artists on the ground floor were far more beautiful than Miss Yu’er of Immortal Palace City.

The capital was divided into inner and outer sections. The outer city contained twenty-four wards—half mundane, half celestial. The mundane half housed ordinary people; the celestial half, the families and relatives of cultivators.

But there were no special privileges.

Though the Great Yue Dynasty was founded by martial strength, it still valued humanism. Even in the imperial court, there were some ordinary people serving as officials.

On the surface, things appeared fair; what happened behind closed doors, Cao Chengyu didn’t know, though he doubted it was as fair as it seemed.

The reason was simple: cultivators possessed unfathomable means—just their techniques for exorcising ghosts and warding off evil were beyond the endurance of mere mortals.

If one were to offend some self-important cultivator, death could come in an instant.

Of course, it was impossible to know for sure without firsthand experience.

The Great Yue Nation spanned five continents, with the capital located in Red Continent. Cao Chengyu’s hometown, Li Continent, was nearby. Each continent covered about 2.4 million square kilometers, subdivided into three to five prefectures, and beneath those, counties, villages, and towns.

All together, the five continents were just a bit larger than the Celestial Empire of his previous life, not quite the boundless billions of miles he’d imagined from reading novels.

Perhaps it was because the Great Yue Nation was but a small country.

It was early spring. Enjoying two baskets of steamed buns at a street stall and savoring flavors so different from Immortal Palace City, Cao Chengyu felt refreshed.

Both the Skymonitor Tower and the headquarters of various cultivation sects were located in the inner city.

From storytellers in the teahouses, he learned there were marketplaces and corner towers dedicated to cultivators, and shops run by sects throughout the capital.

Taking advantage of the silver in his pocket, Cao Chengyu bought five ordinary jade bottles at six coins each, to store Qi Nourishing Pills, and headed for the inner city gate.

The crowds here were even thicker; every day, merchants from distant lands brought their local specialties to sell in the inner city for a higher price. Among cultivators, some practiced fasting, but others still indulged in fine food, so even mortals could find business opportunities.

The inner city had three gates.

The leftmost was for mortals, the center for immortals, and the right for the royal family—each to prevent overcrowding.

Most cultivators had little patience for waiting in line.

With his Spirit Refinement Realm cultivation, Cao Chengyu was still just a novice—he couldn’t even fly, about equivalent to the Qi Refining Stage from the novels of his past life.

He kept a low profile, sneaking in without causing any trouble.

After paying three copper coins to enter, he asked a passerby for directions to the Skymonitor Tower and, while walking, studied the ranking list.

This list wasn’t visible to outsiders, so there was no worry about being overcrowded.

[Character Ranking] — Great Yue Capital.

No. 1 “Red Luan”
Profile: 241 years old, peak Purple Mansion Realm, Empress Dowager of Great Yue. Fond of music theory, a master of zither and guqin, enjoys mentoring juniors, advocates humanism and values mortals. Loves red, dislikes noise, believes in the beauty of simplicity.
Current Favorability: 0

No. 2 “Ye Mingyue”
Profile: 181 years old, mid Purple Mansion Realm, head of the Pill King’s House. Favors alchemy prodigies, despises mortals, dislikes plain-looking people. Ideologically opposed to the Empress Dowager; gathers all who support policies favoring mortals under her banner. Loves black and mystery, enjoys teasing juniors, and is a member of the royal family.
Current Favorability: 0

No. 3 “Wang Yuesheng”
Profile: 169 years old, mid Purple Mansion Realm, Lady of the Northern Guardian King. Loves poetry and music, often hosts poetry appreciation gatherings in the capital. Those she admires receive generous rewards. Favors white and romance, believes cultivators who lack poetic talent are mere brutes.
Current Favorability: 0

No. 4 “Chen Yuqing”
Profile: 132 years old, early Purple Mansion Realm, head of the Kui Water Branch of the Five Elements Sect. Loves beautiful scenery, responsible for recruiting disciples in the capital, currently unmarried. Favors blue and independence, dislikes socializing.
Current Favorability: 0

…

No. 24 “Luo Yuzhu”
Profile: 71 years old, peak Dao Physique Realm, Nine-Plume Steward of the Skymonitor Tower. Fond of handsome, talented young people, loves poisons and excels at toxicology, has a notorious reputation and is unmarried. Favors green and spicy foods, believes that both you and the breeze are but passing guests, leaving only charm behind in the world.
Current Favorability: 0

Goodness, every name on the ranking list was more formidable than the last. With his Spirit Refinement Realm cultivation, Cao Chengyu was the very definition of a novice.

There were only 24 people on the list—Luo Yuzhu seemed the most approachable target for now.

Cultivators were all strikingly attractive, with fair skin and long legs. There were countless elixirs for female cultivators—Beauty Pills, Fragrance Pills, Ice-Skin Pills, Earth-Absorbing Pills, and so on.

For men, there were even more exaggerated pills: the Evergreen Pill, the Unshakable Pill, the Nine-Heavens Yin Pill, and others.

Naturally, pills used for bedroom arts had the most flamboyant names. While effective, they came with side effects.

At a certain level of cultivation, preserving youth was only basic. Years of spiritual energy cleansing truly did result in remarkable beauty.

The higher the cultivation, the more apparent this became.

Yet, once beauty reached a certain peak, there was no longer any ranking—each had their own unique charm.

Anyone who made it onto the ranking list was exceptional.

As for someone at his level? He didn’t even register.

This, at least, was a comfort to Boss Cao. As an LSP system tailored to this particular group, he could only sigh—though secretly, he was delighted.

For now, the target was set: Luo Yuzhu.

Ace pilot requesting permission to take off!