Promise!

Chapter 224, The Truth

Time flies, and a month and a half has passed in the blink of an eye.

For the past month and a half, the Teng family, having been neglected that day, have been coming over every day with great eagerness, their attitude shifting from arrogance to obsequiousness, a situation that is laughable.

Zhuang Jin initially didn't intend to pay attention, but then he discovered that while the Teng family was competing with him, the Ji family was even more proactive. The Teng family was also quite sincere, giving him a pleasant surprise by going all out to open up channels and purchase cultivation resources for the Innate Realm. Zhuang Jin didn't take it for nothing, paying for it with contribution points he received from Cen Huakun.

This kind of exchange is extremely unprofitable, but it's enough to cover expenses for a month or two.

So these days, Zhuang Jin spends one or two hours each day at the outpost outside the city to observe and relax, and the rest of the time cultivating. With supplies and some remaining meat from the Windwing Thunder Tiger beast, the concentration of spiritual energy here is far greater than in the counties below. In addition to his previous cultivation achievements, his accumulation of the third level of the Innate True Qi Realm has finally reached 20%.

It must be said that the prefecture city is not comparable to the counties and prefectures below it. Under various conditions, the speed is almost doubled compared to the slow pace before!
Good things come in pairs. With the Teng family eyeing them covetously, the Ji family was also spurred on. Under this mutual pressure, they spared no expense and quickly completed eight tasks, advancing from the Bronze Carp Token to the Golden Carp Token.

Having obtained the Golden Carp Token grants one the qualification to challenge the Hidden Dragon Ranking, but Zhuang Jin has no interest in playing these childish games. He plans to directly complete a promotion mission, pass the realm test, and obtain the Mysterious Serpent Token in one step.

Among the many Xuan Snake-level promotion missions of the Suspended Heaven Division, the Ji family even provided a clue for one of them.

……

"Venerable Zhuang, are you familiar with the Freemasons?"

"Oh?"

Zhuang Jin recalled what she had seen and heard on that day when she went to the black market.

"The Freemasons appeared out of nowhere, an organization that claims to be 'equality for all.' Originally, the state government and the Heavenly Bureau were too lazy to care, but the Freemasons developed in a disorderly manner. A few days ago, they even deceived the Innate Families. A junior favored by an Innate Venerable made some shocking remarks. When the Venerable investigated, he hastily took action, but the Freemason leader escaped..."

Ji Gongji recounted in detail: "Later, the Xiantian family conducted a self-examination and found that the descendants of several families had been misled. They joined forces and upgraded the mission to the Xuan Snake level, which can be used as a promotion mission."

The missions of the Suspended Sky Division are divided into regular missions and promotion missions. Promotion missions are one level higher than token levels and are mostly missions involving killing or hunting, which are much more difficult than regular missions of the same level.

"Do you have any leads on this mission?"

"Yes, Venerable Zhuang, back then, Xiao'er..."

Ji Gongji recounted the affairs of Ji Tongxiao and Gong Bangrong.

……

That night, in an underground area east of Cangzhou City.

The core leadership of the Freemasons secretly held a meeting at this base to deal with the bounty missions offered by the Sky Bureau.

"found it!"

Zhuang Jin started with Gong Bangrong, followed the trail, and now appeared, displaying an innate level of presence.

"Stop this man quickly!"

The Freemason leader, a short, flat-faced, long-bearded man who looked to be in his thirties or forties, shouted, crawled under the table, activated a mechanism, and disappeared.

Facing the martial artists surrounding him from all directions, Zhuang Jin put his right hand behind his back, stomped his foot, and unleashed his innate true energy, sweeping outwards from his own center. In a burst of silver light, the martial artists were all thrown over and sent flying backwards.

He looked at the spot where the Freemason leader had disappeared, too lazy to search for the mechanism, and directly struck out with his palm. A silver dragon phantom roared away, and in the explosion, the entrance opened, and he went straight in.

Hearing the sounds coming from behind, the Freemason leader kept activating mechanisms to block their path.

Swish swish!
Poisoned arrows shot out from the arrow holes of the mechanism, weaving and shooting from left and right to form a net of arrows.

With a thought, Zhuang Jin erected a three-foot-high wall of energy around his body to block the attack.

call!call!call!
Amidst a series of clicking and rattling sounds, bronze dragon heads emerged from the walls on both sides, spewing fire.

With a single sword strike, Zhuang Jin multiplied his sword light into sixteen, causing all the bronze dragon heads to explode and shatter. He continued forward without stopping.

Rumble!
In the passage, another boulder rolled in, but it was cleaved in two by a sword light as sharp as a bolt of lightning.

"The third level of the Innate True Qi Realm, Qi Refining Rainbow?!"

Upon seeing the sword flash, the Freemason general felt a surge of dread and cursed inwardly, "Damn it! Damn it!"

He was only at the embryonic breathing stage, which is the first level of the innate true qi realm. Even then, he would have to go to great lengths to escape. At the second level of the innate true qi realm, he would most likely be doomed. What merit did he have to make a martial artist who was a level above him, two minor levels above him and at the third level of the innate true qi realm, chase after him?
This person had a bellyful of questions but couldn't express them. All he wanted to ask was the Suspended Mirror Bureau: "Are you sore losers? Are you sore losers?"

"You can't kill..."

Swish!
Zhuang Jin ignored him and beheaded him with a single sword stroke.

He was only using this person's head to complete his promotion mission; what did anything else have to do with him?

When they came out later, they unexpectedly saw Shangguan Yunchang and some people from the state government. They asked them a few questions and found that Shangguan Yunchang didn't seem to mind about the head being stolen.

As Zhuang Jin left, she saw a corpse being carried away. It felt strangely familiar, but in a flash, she realized who it was: the girl codenamed "Little Carp" whom she had met at the entrance of the black market that night. The girl had been masked that day, but today she had revealed her face, and she was quite pretty.

"This woman, when she handed out flyers, was perfectly aware of what she was doing. She wasn't misled by the Freemasons; she was simply seeking personal gain, weighing the pros and cons. She wasn't blindly opportunistic; she understood the principle of changing sides with the wind. There may have been various stories behind her actions, but now, simply because she happened to be at this location, she was caught in the crossfire and died silently."

When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Once dead, everything is gone, and all things are buried.

'This is how cruel life is for the lowest-ranking martial artists in the state capital!'

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, thinking about what he had seen and heard at the Fushoukang Tavern, a stronghold outside the city, over the past month and a half: you never know if the martial artist you see is the last one you will ever see. You may have seen them enter the Funiu Mountains a couple of days ago, and then never return. The next news you hear about them is just a sigh from someone else.

New people come, old people go, one generation after another like weeds in the spring breeze, impossible to eradicate completely.

He now understood more deeply the fate of those low-level martial artists in the state capital; their lives were truly as worthless as grass!

……

Upon arriving at the Suspended Sky Bureau, I submitted the task. I don't know how it was verified, but it was very fast. The token quickly received a message indicating that the task was completed.

The counter window made an appointment; now it was the Golden Carp Token, while the Black Serpent Token and Cloud Pattern Golden Carp Token were rarer. So it was quick, and it was my turn in no time.

At the counter, a pretty woman dressed in a peach-colored dress greeted them. Upon hearing their purpose, she said, "Your promotion mission has been completed, and the Xuan Snake Token has been generated. It requires the assistance of innate true energy and one thousand contribution points. Are you sure?"

Her voice was slightly excited. Holders of the Xuan Snake Token do not conduct business at the counter; they have their own private rooms. The Xuan Snake Token is even rarer, appearing only once every few years. At this moment, she felt like she was witnessing history.

"OK, thank you for your help."

After deducting one thousand contribution points, the other party manipulated the Mirror of Suspended Heaven to cast a beam of light, causing the token to suspend in the air and slowly rotate.

"Please enter your innate true energy."

Zhuang Jin did as instructed. Immediately, the token hummed and vibrated, its light becoming so intense it seemed almost tangible. Then, the golden carp pattern on it flowed like water, elongating and narrowing, transforming into a black snake pattern. Three cloud patterns appeared beneath it, the first cloud pattern lighting up instantly, and the subsequent two also showing a faint tendency to light up.

"The Innate True Qi Realm has three levels, corresponding to the three patterns of the Mystic Serpent Token. Your token is currently a one-pattern Mystic Serpent Token. You need to complete the token-upgrading task to continue upgrading it," the woman in pink at the window explained respectfully, suppressing her shock.

next moment.

boom!
The pillar of light at the center of the Suspended Sky Division, with Zhuang Jin's image generated, stood in mid-air, surrounded by illusory dragon and phoenix figures. The martial artists who entered at this moment were shocked and then excited when they saw this scene.

"This scene... could it be that another Innate Venerable has obtained the Xuan Snake Token?"

"This Venerable One is truly handsome and remarkably young. Is he from one of the three great families?" "Doesn't seem so. I've never seen him before. But regardless, it is our honor to witness the birth of a Primordial Venerable One! The last time such a grand event occurred was at the end of the year before last, during a year of explosive growth in primordial energy, when two or three Venerable Ones emerged in succession. The time before that was six years ago."

……

According to the woman in the pink dress behind the counter, his image would be displayed for three days to reveal his appearance and prevent the people of the city from clashing with him.

Zhuang Jin nodded slightly, said nothing, and asked for a quiet room.

As the innate true energy was injected, the Mystic Serpent Token was activated for the first time. A mystic serpent's image flew out from it, flicking its tongue and creating a light screen.

[Respected Venerable One, your number is... You may freely choose a number anytime (no duplicates allowed). Would you like to begin?]

Zhuang Jin clicked "No," and the next moment, the initial login instructions were automatically displayed.

1. Your token functionality has been upgraded, granting you task posting permissions and access to various forum sections and pages, which you can explore on your own.
2. All shops within the Third Ring Road, such as restaurants, inns, and bathhouses, will open exclusive VIP areas for those with Xuan Snake-level tokens or higher, and open areas above the seventh floor, including Divine Weapon Shop, Heavenly Garment Shop, Delicacies Shop, Fruit Shop, Vegetable Shop, Poultry Shop, Star-Picking Tower, Mythical Beast Shop, and Ascending Immortal Pavilion, and will receive one Starry Sky Banquet invitation per month.
3. Obtain a house and two shops within the Third Ring Road, valid for life;
4. You will automatically receive one Mystic Serpent-level certificate each month;

5. For business transactions, rare elixirs, resource reservations, etc., tokens can be issued to allow priority queue access;
6. Upon entering any prefecture or county in the Great Qian Nine Provinces, you will automatically receive the status and benefits of a sixth-rank prefectural prefect.

7. One recommendation spot will be allocated to Bailu Martial Arts Academy for each cohort.
8. Obtained eligibility to apply for supplementary cards. Current quantity: one Black Serpent-level supplementary card, nine Golden Carp-level supplementary cards, and twenty-four Silver Carp-level supplementary cards;

9. Open up eligibility for state-level auctions held by the Suspended Mirror Bureau, free invitations for Class A auctions once every five years, Class B auctions once a year, and Class C auctions once a quarter, as well as holiday invitations and various special benefits;

……

Various privileges are refreshed rapidly, like a waterfall.

As Ji Tongxiu said, losing a token and being able to retrieve the remaining balance in the card an unlimited number of times, or having an overdraft limit, are just the most basic benefits. Many more privileges and benefits are beyond the imagination of martial artists below the Innate Realm.

However, there is one downside: you need to complete at least one random Xuan Snake-level mission per season for your privileges to be sustainable; otherwise, many privileges will be temporarily suspended.

This is to prevent people like Shen Xianhong and Mu Yuantu from exploiting innate bugs in the city. Otherwise, with the Xuan Snake Token, which automatically issues a certificate every month and offers various privileges for consignment, they could easily find loopholes and leech off others remotely.

Even so, it is still quite astonishing.

Zhuang Jin secretly calculated: 'The Xuan Snake Token has three patterns, and I currently only have one. But as long as I complete a basic task every three months, such as choosing to be stationed in the capital city for a month, it's absolutely safe. I can slack off and maintain all sorts of privileges. Normally, I can get free tokens every month, plus the income from shop rentals, which is more than enough to supply the cultivation resources for someone at the third level of the Innate True Qi Realm!'

'The various privileges that aren't needed each month can be resold through brokers. These surplus resources could then be used to support three or four Nascent Soul cultivators, a dozen or twenty Meridian Opening cultivators, and hundreds of Qi Condensation cultivators.'

This is absolutely insane!
'Resources don't appear out of thin air; they only shift. Those who possess the Xuan Snake Token, like myself, reap great rewards with little effort, surely because someone is bearing the burden for me.'

Zhuang Jin, reflecting on what he had seen over the past few days, understood where the Xuan Snake Token's extremely high benefits came from. It was nothing more than the blood and sweat of martial artists below the Innate Realm obtained through the Suspended Heaven Bureau system.

At that moment, he truly understood what it meant to be a beneficiary, a rentier class.

"besides,"

Zhuang Jin took a deep breath, swiped the screen, and clicked on a sub-section. The moment he saw the information there, all the doubts he had about coming to the state city instantly became clear.

……

Opening the "Ascending to Immortality Pavilion" section introduces women on the seventh floor and above. They are ranked into three levels based on a comprehensive evaluation of factors such as annual votes from Xuan Snake Token holders, public popularity, age, and special physical characteristics.

Among the first-class beauties, the goddess constable Chu Jing, the tofu fairy Yu Yuxian, the successor of the immortal physician Miao Yunzhen, and the owner of Tongfu Teahouse Yu Linglong were all prominently featured.

Besides them, there were also the most beautiful lecturers and the most beautiful girls in the city's famous women's martial arts academy, as well as various talented women in the state city in the fields of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

These goddesses and fairies, who are extremely popular in the city, the dream girls of many, and the object of everyone's adoration, are here like dishes in a restaurant, available for you to choose from...

The contrast between how people act in public and how they act in private is so striking that it makes one feel as if they've ascended to heaven; this is the true meaning of the Ascension Pavilion.

Zhuang Jin understood why he had encountered so many outstanding women in the state city by such a coincidence. It turned out that they were deliberately cultivated, like 'stars' created by a script, intentionally pushed into the public eye for the masses to see and admire. He also understood why each of them had a mysterious background and why each of them had a martial arts level of at least the fourth or fifth level of the Meridian Opening Realm. Where did their resources come from?

Behind all of this is the Suspended Heaven Division!
However, it's highly unlikely they'll be told about the three innate barriers; these women have probably all taken pills to break through their bottlenecks.

Zhuang Jin understood what Shangguan Yunchang meant by "we'll know soon." Now that he had the Xuan Snake Token, everything became clear.

The price for a night of "pure conversation" with a woman on the ninth floor of the Ascension Pavilion, the highest-class woman, is a Xuan Snake Token and 100,000 contribution points.

However, even these top-tier women aren't guaranteed a choice. They can refuse, and they only need to complete a single-digit minimum number of times within a year. Furthermore, according to the rules, if they agree, certain measures must be taken.

—In this world there is a strange beast called the Heavenly Silkworm. Its silk is thin and tough, and feels like nothing when touched. Through cultivation, there are various varieties, such as Ice Silkworm Silk, Fire Silkworm Silk, and Thunder Silkworm Silk.

In the second tier, the women on the eighth floor of the Ascension Pavilion are the goddesses and fairies who are selected every three years, as well as some ladies and young ladies from first- and second-rate families.

For a woman of this caliber to have a private chat for an entire night, one needs a Golden Carp Certificate and 10,000 contribution points. She can refuse a certain number of times within a year, but if she insists on agreeing, measures must be taken.

In the third tier, on the seventh floor of the Ascension Pavilion, are the former graduates who are over thirty years old, including many ladies and young women from third-rate families.

This waiting period results in one Silver Carp Certificate and three thousand contribution points per night, which cannot be refused. Increasing contribution points allows you to choose not to take any action.

Above the seventh floor of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, these three classes of women are only open to the holder of the Xuan Snake Token.

Zhuang Jin opened the message and found that she could view more detailed information.

"Yu Linglong, the manager of Tongfu Inn, is twenty-nine years old. Unlike the goddess constable Chu Jing, the tofu fairy Yu Yuxian, and the successor of the medical fairy Miao Yunzhen, she is not the latest to emerge this year. Her age is a slight disadvantage, but due to her popularity and special physique, she has been among the top tier for the past ten years... She once had a one-night talk with fifty-seven people, totaling five hundred and ninety-eight orders!"

Zhuang Jin recalled Shangguan Yunchang's words, "A woman that others have already played with, has captivated you like this." It turned out that she wasn't referring to Yu Linglong's status as a widow, but to this.

'So, Shangguan Yunhong, as the eldest son of one of the three great families, is unaware of this because he is below the Innate Realm? Is this part of the three trials the aristocratic families impose on him to temper his heart?'

He secretly guessed that seeing the strict confidentiality clauses and accountability statements on the Xuan Snake Token, it was no wonder that Shangguan Yunchang had said 'it cannot be said' back then.

"Actually, even if this were occasionally leaked, the public wouldn't believe it; they'd just think it's slander and fabrication. It's like how many celebrities in past lives said, 'I've never been in a relationship, I don't care about looks, as long as someone treats me well.' They dared to say it, and their fans dared to believe it—or rather, they were just deceiving themselves!"

'Tofu Fairy Yu Yuxian had a private conversation with one person and ordered food twice; Goddess Constable Chu Jing and Healer Successor Miao Yunzhen both ordered nothing.'

Zhuang Jin was subconsciously surprised that there were so few, but then she realized that there were over a thousand women in the third tier of the Immortal Ascension Pavilion, from the seventh to the ninth floor. In Cangzhou City, there were only about two hundred innate martial artists who had obtained the Xuan Snake Token.

—Don't think this number is exaggerated. This is the number of people still alive today among the 110 million people in Cangzhou's seven million square kilometers of land, who are within the 60-year lifespan limit.

Of these two hundred or so people, some were in the prefectural city, such as Shen Xianhong and Mu Yuantu; some did not reside in the prefectural city and traveled outside; and some, although in the prefectural city, were getting old and only served as pillars of stability, not getting involved in external affairs.

Those who remain active in the city are mostly in their seventies or eighties, or even over a hundred years old. They had experienced everything in their youth and now focus on building their strength, so they have no interest in such things. Another group consists of lone wolves, like ascetics who restrain themselves and focus on martial arts, but they are not interested in this path.

All things considered, there aren't that many people who are truly qualified.

"Furthermore, the top-tier women on the ninth floor of the Ascension Pavilion are indeed expensive; even some Innate Venerables are reluctant to part with them, especially those who support large families on their own, preferring to wait for them to be downgraded."

"Furthermore, this is a recent batch, and the time frame is still short. These top-tier women also have the right to refuse, and may be more selective, for example, by strictly screening for age, appearance, and marital status."

Seeing this, Zhuang Jin vaguely sensed that he had grasped something: 'Innate martial artists, because of their destructive power and value in political maneuvering, are given extremely high status within this system constructed by the government and aristocratic families. They are elevated, given honors, privileges, benefits, and all sorts of enjoyment, in order to erode their willpower?'

He actually underestimated this move. He came from the prefectural city. Those local people from the state city who were lucky enough to break through to the Innate Realm, who had heard about the reputation of the beauties and thought they were only to be admired from afar, discovered that these fairies, goddesses, and even his aunts, cousins ​​and other relatives were just dishes on the menu after breaking through to the Innate Realm and obtaining the Xuan Snake Token. How would he feel at that moment?
Some people's values ​​are reshaped, they accept and join in, and enjoy it to their heart's content; others are disillusioned and no longer believe in love, indulging in it; a very small number sever all feelings and love, but this will leave a flaw in their martial arts heart, which will become a weakness when they break through to a higher level in the future!
—Especially the Innate Corpse-Slaying Realm, and even the next major realm after the Innate Great Realm, which involves the 'god' of the human body, this move is simply a ruthless strategy!
Since Zhuang Jin had just arrived in the prefectural city, and had experienced the information explosion of her previous life, she had some connections and understanding with the entertainment industry through various means. Having seen and heard a lot, her ability to accept information had greatly increased. She only had one or two guesses beforehand, so she was hardly affected.

The natives of this era were not like that!
Zhuang Jin could imagine the scene of those lucky people from first-, second-, and third-rate families who, after a breakthrough, suddenly realized that their beautiful illusions were shattered and their values ​​were reshaped.

……

(End of this chapter)