Three days passed in the blink of of an eye.
It was unclear whether these three days were shorter or if time flowed faster here; for cultivators, three days could be as brief as a blink of an eye.
Xia Feng arrived at the City Lord's mansion once more.
Once everyone had gathered, City Lord Chi Rui Li had his servants distribute one thousand spirit stones to each person. The Xuan Immortal among them received an additional five hundred spirit stones.
After all, those with higher realms naturally commanded different prices.
"Everyone, I won't say much more. Let me introduce you to Elder Chi. He will be leading the team this time. You are all part of one collective, and I hope you will help and support each other. I will be waiting for your return in Penghu City."
Chi Rui Li then motioned for his subordinates to pour wine for everyone. He raised his cup, signaling for them to drink together.
"Alright, everyone prepare to depart. I wish you all a smooth journey," Chi Rui Li said as he set down his wine cup.
"Father, your daughter is ready to depart."
At this moment, Chi Rui Li's youngest daughter ran over to bid him farewell.
"Man Man, be careful on the road, and listen to Elder Chi," Chi Rui Li instructed, looking at his daughter.
"Father, don't worry. Even if we don't complete the mission, I guarantee everyone will return safely," Chi Man Man pledged, patting her chest.
"Good." Chi Rui Li nodded, then looked at Elder Chi and confided, "Elder Chi, Man Man's safety is entrusted to you."
"Rest assured, City Lord," Elder Chi replied with a nod.
Chi Rui Li had dispatched a total of six people, four men and two women, with Elder Chi as the leader.
The fourteen individuals boarded two specially built, fast beast carriages bound for Qinglong City.
Each beast carriage was pulled by two massive Mio Bulls. The carriages were equipped with small formations to reduce weight and prevent jolting.
This arrangement made it easier for the two Mio Bulls to pull, allowing for faster speeds.
In the leading beast carriage, Elder Chi addressed the five people. "Regardless of the outcome of this trial, our priority is self-preservation. We will not be greedy for things we cannot obtain. As long as we remain ungreedy, nothing will happen to us."
"Then, can we at least pick up the leftover items?" Xin Zhi Gao inquired.
It felt like a loss if they didn't bring back anything, especially after hiring so many True Immortals at such a high cost.
Trials were held once every hundred years, with every city sending participants – a pattern that had remained unchanged for thousands of years.
"Yes, you can," Elder Chi nodded.
"Elder Chi, since we won't be fighting for anything, why did my father spend so much to hire people?" Chi Man Man asked with some confusion.
Their Penghu City was a small city. There was no need to spend money hiring people just to complete a mission.
"There's no other way. Having more people can ensure everyone's safety," Elder Chi explained.
Those above the Immortal Lord realm looked down on them, while those below the Immortal Lord realm had potential conflicts of interest. Thus, they could only rely on numbers to ensure their safety.
Chi Man Man nodded, understanding somewhat.
This was her first time traveling so far, and to Qinglong City at that, so she couldn't help but feel a little excited.
As for participating in the trial, no one took it seriously; it was merely a formality.
It took nearly half a year to reach Qinglong City. During these six months, everyone meditated and rested, and time passed rather quickly.
After all, everyone had adapted to this lifestyle.
Normally, these individuals would enter secluded cultivation for three to five years at a minimum, so six months passed in the blink of an eye.
Qinglong City was located in the northern part of the Tianxuan Continent.
Its hundred-zhang high city walls seemed like a coiled dragon on the land, forming a nine-ren mountain of accomplishment, looking down upon the world.
Impregnable, armed with golden spears and iron armor, the city walls were incredibly thick. The battlements were equipped with defensive formations activated by a hundred thousand spirit stones, said to withstand the full might of an Immortal Emperor's attack.
"Wow, look how huge Qinglong City really is."
Chi Man Man stretched her head out, gazing at Qinglong City in awe.
"As the capital of the Tianxuan Continent, Qinglong City's status and importance are unparalleled," Elder Chi echoed.
"Elder Chi, legend has it that twenty thousand years ago, the demon race attacked Qinglong City, and not even the defensive formation was breached," Chi Man Man asked, awestruck by Qinglong City.
"Indeed. It is said that eight super experts at the Immortal Venerable realm attacked continuously for three days and three nights, but they could not break the formation."
Elder Chi sighed, filled with admiration for Qinglong City.
"Then why didn't any Immortal Emperor level demon race experts come to break the formation?" Chi Man Man inquired.
"Man Man, Immortal Emperors would not concern themselves with such worldly matters. Besides, how many Immortal Emperors are there in total?" Elder Chi lectured them, stroking his goatee with a serious expression.
Immortal Emperor, what a distant term; they would never reach that level in their lifetime.
"Elder Chi, who is the strongest person you have ever met?" Chi Zhong Lu asked curiously.
Elder Chi stroked his goatee and said solemnly, "I had the fortune to accompany the City Lord and see an Immortal King from afar, only catching a glimpse."
Elder Chi recalled the scene of meeting the Immortal King back then; it was truly awe-inspiring.
Elder Chi, having lived for thousands of years, was still at the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm, which showed how difficult cultivation truly was.
"If only I could cultivate to the Immortal King realm, how wonderful that would be," Chi Zhong Lu sighed.
"Stop dreaming. Cultivation primarily depends on talent and resources. What do you have?" Chi Man Man interrupted Chi Zhong Lu's fantasy.
Even if all the cultivation resources of Penghu City were pooled together, they couldn't produce an Immortal King.
Otherwise, her father wouldn't have remained stuck in the Immortal Lord realm for so long.
Breaking through from Immortal Lord to Immortal King not only required extraordinary talent but also vast cultivation resources, and most importantly, it depended on destiny.
To achieve Immortal King status with nothing was akin to a fool's dream.
"Elder Chi, are there any Immortal Venerables stationed in Qinglong City?" Chi Man Man asked.
"That is unknown. The current City Lord of Qinglong City is Immortal Emperor You Mu. Immortal Venerables would not bother with these trivial matters," Elder Chi explained after some recollection.
Everyone focused on cultivation. Once they reached the Immortal Venerable realm, they would no longer concern themselves with worldly affairs, as resources had become negligible to them.
As for Immortal Emperors, they were even more distant existences. Out of the billions of people on the Tianxuan Continent, only two Immortal Emperors had emerged; one was in secluded cultivation on Immortal Emperor Island, and the other's whereabouts were unknown.
"It would be wonderful just to see them from afar, to bask in the aura of an Immortal Emperor," Chi Man Man's eyes were filled with longing.
After entering the city, the group found an inn to stay in.
"Elder Chi, we plan to go out for a stroll."
Not long after arriving at the inn, Chi Man Man became impatient, eager to explore the prosperity of Qinglong City.
"Yes, everyone, do not cause trouble," Elder Chi nodded.
Chi Man Man acknowledged this, then took Chi Zhong Lu and Chi Shang Lu with her.
"Miss, should we call a couple more people to help carry things? You'll definitely buy a lot of items," Chi Zhong Lu suggested.
"That's right. We hired them with money, so shouldn't they do some work?" Chi Man Man's eyes lit up. She then turned back and pointed at Xia Feng and another man, saying:
"You two, come out with me."