106. A Gathering of Old Friends

Dragon City was not the capital of the Kingdom of Li, yet it was the country's premier city. Situated at the very heart of the continent, it boasted convenient transportation and could be considered the most bustling commercial hub in the world. Its geographical significance was comparable to commercial centers like New York in America, or Shanghai and Shenzhen in China.

The feng shui here was exceptionally good. Having worked as an apprentice in an antique shop for a time, Xie Wuji had dabbled in the study of feng shui. As he looked down upon Dragon City from the sky, he gasped in admiration, "Good heavens! 'Five Dragons Encircling a Pearl'—this is a blessed land of supreme fortune!"

"Impressive. You actually know about the 'Five Dragons Encircling a Pearl,'" Grand Elder Ding Desheng sneered. He still harbored a deep dislike for Xie Wuji.

"It is precisely because of its magnificent feng shui that this place remains an unattainable dream for other nations," Yang Hongliu said. "Furthermore, the grand martial arts tournament of every generation has been held here in Dragon City. Each tournament draws powers from all corners of the world, making it a golden opportunity for them to make a fortune."

Xie Wuji thought to himself that this was a massive business opportunity. He had to find a chance to return to the modern world; if he missed this opportunity in Dragon City, he had no idea how many years he would have to wait for the next one.

Once they landed, welcoming disciples were already waiting for them. These disciples belonged to the Supreme Immortal Sect. As the number one sect in the world today, its scale was naturally colossal. It was said that the entire Dragon City served as the headquarters of the Supreme Immortal Sect. In contrast, Xie Wuji's Danxia Sect only occupied a quarter of Daliang City. Compared to Dragon City, the difference in scale was vast.

Dongmen Yong stared at the bustling streets, momentarily lost in thought. He sighed, unable to hide his envy for the Supreme Immortal Sect. "Alright," he said, "our inn has been arranged. Let us go check in."

Xie Wuji noticed that the Grand Elder and his group had already walked ahead. He frowned. "Master, are we staying in two different inns?"

"They are staying in an inn at their own expense," Dongmen Yong explained. "They couldn't stomach the accommodation arranged for us by the Supreme Immortal Sect. That is why the Grand Elder and his disciples went to a different place."

Accompanying Dongmen Yong were also ten inner disciples of the Danxia Sect. These ten had not had the opportunity to be formally apprenticed to a master, so they were merely ordinary inner disciples.

When Xie Wuji arrived at the designated inn, he found it was hardly an inn at all—it was practically a dilapidated, messy shack. Along the way, he had seen many high-end inns with grand stone lions standing at their entrances, decorated with lanterns and banners, looking incredibly lively. Yet, Xie Wuji and his companions had been relegated to a desolate, godforsaken place.

*So that's how it is. No wonder the Grand Elder wanted to find his own place,* Xie Wuji thought.

"Alright, once you've put down your things, you can go find a place to eat. This inn does not provide meals, so we must pay for our own food," Dongmen Yong said.

Xie Wuji felt somewhat indignant. "Master, I saw disciples from other sects earlier, and they were all assigned to nice inns. Why is our Danxia Sect receiving this kind of treatment?"

"Why?" Dongmen Yong slowly turned around. "Because this is a world where strength rules. We are ranked ninth, which is already at the bottom. Having a place to stay is already lucky enough. Let me tell you... the disciples of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons weren't even given an inn. Everything they do must be at their own expense!"

Xie Wuji sucked in a breath of cold air. Although most of the members of the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons were demon cultivators, the contrast was indeed stark. It seemed the Supreme Immortal Sect was quite snobbish. Xie Wuji's impression of them instantly plummeted to freezing point.

"Come on, this is your first time in Dragon City. Let your senior brothers show you around," Ji Liancheng said.

Xie Wuji gasped. "You've been here before?"

"Yes, the tournament is held once every ten years. We all came ten years ago. Except for Eldest Senior Brother Dongmen and Senior Brother Baili, the rest of us were just spectators and weren't qualified to participate. But at least we came. You probably didn't even know where you were back then, so of course you wouldn't know about this," Ji Liancheng explained.

"Originally we were tenth. Since the Undying Longevity Sect fell, we rose to ninth, while the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, which didn't belong to the ten major sects, took the opportunity to squeeze in," Dongmen Jianhao sighed.

Xie Wuji asked, "Then... what was the Undying Longevity Sect's original rank?"

"Ninth." Dongmen Yong gave Xie Wuji a meaningful look but did not say much else.

Xie Wuji's feelings grew complicated. So the Undying Longevity Sect hadn't been ranked very high either. Yet even so, the capabilities of one of the world's ten major sects were still formidable. Overall, the former Undying Longevity Sect's strength must have been superior to that of the Danxia Sect.

The group tidied themselves up. The ten inner disciples went their own way, while the four senior brothers took their junior sister Dongmen Xianyun out onto the streets.

This was also Dongmen Xianyun's first time out, and she looked around in wonder. "Wow, this place is so bustling... I can't believe there's a place even more prosperous than Daliang City."

"Actually, Daliang City isn't considered that bustling. The capitals of the Eastern and Western Chu Kingdoms are far more prosperous than Daliang City," Ji Liancheng explained. He seemed to be a know-it-all who was well-informed about many things.

Dongmen Xianyun was like a lively rabbit, looking here and there, as if everything held a fascinating charm for her.

Xie Wuji eventually focused his gaze on a shop, where he spotted something extraordinary—a very ancient-looking vase. He could tell at a glance that it was highly valuable. However, people in this world did not seem to care for antiques, so he merely observed it.

Even if he brought the antiques from this world back to the modern era, he wouldn't be able to make money. The antique market in the modern world was geared toward artifacts from their own history. If he brought back something from an alternate world, even if it were tens of millions of years old, those so-called experts wouldn't be able to date it, and it would simply be treated as a fake.

The five of them arrived at a restaurant, which was already packed to the brim. People jostled against one another, hailing from all directions of the world, including members of obscure, nameless sects.

This was because the tournament was not restricted to the ten major sects; smaller sects were also allowed to participate.

"Brother Wuji!" a booming voice called out from a distance. Xie Wuji looked over, and lo and behold, the newcomer was actually Zhang Danian!

"Danian?"

"Hahaha!" Zhang Danian wore a heavy coat of animal hides, looking just like the group from Beast King Mountain gathered in the corner. Unexpectedly, Zhang Danian had successfully joined Beast King Mountain and had even been promoted to an inner disciple.

Yet Xie Wuji was not entirely surprised. Zhang Danian possessed immense strength; in other words, his foundation was excellent, so it was only natural that he had caught the eye of Beast King Mountain.

"My good brother, it's been nearly half a year since we last met! I never expected—really never expected—that you would join the Danxia Sect," Zhang Danian said warmly as he approached.

Xie Wuji made the introductions, and Dongmen Jianhao cupped his hands in greeting with a slight smile, showing Xie Wuji quite a bit of respect.

Xie Wuji noticed that the members of Beast King Mountain were all built like giants, looking like a gathering of strongmen.

"What a coincidence. How is your cultivation coming along now that you're at Beast King Mountain?" Xie Wuji asked with a smile.

Zhang Danian scratched his head sheepishly. "Do you remember that One-Horned Grey Wolf?"

"Of course I do! It left the Sect Master of the Azure Cloud Sect with an unforgettable memory, hahaha!" Xie Wuji chuckled, recalling the scene of Huang Jinlong suffering the consequences of his own actions.

"Shh, the people from the Azure Cloud Sect are here too." Zhang Danian glanced toward the distance. Xie Wuji looked over and saw Huang Jinlong sitting at a banquet table not far away!

Enemies meet with eyes blazing with hatred. Huang Jinlong was about to flare up when he spotted Dongmen Jianhao standing beside Xie Wuji. He was shocked, wondering how Xie Wuji had ended up with the Danxia Sect, and looking at Xie Wuji's attire, he seemed to be an inner disciple.

Xie Wuji, however, noticed Yuan Xiao sitting beside Huang Jinlong. It seemed Yuan Xiao had still not succeeded in his revenge. Because of Huang Jinlong's presence, Yuan Xiao merely nodded at Xie Wuji and said nothing more.

"This time is going to be incredibly exciting," Zhang Danian said. "Last time, the Undying Longevity Sect was absent, which led to a reshuffling of ranks. After ten years of hard work, everyone wants to challenge the Supreme Immortal Sect's position as the overlord."

With old friends reunited, eating and drinking were naturally in order.