Junior Sister must ascend this time!

As the five people descended the ninth step, the ghostly mist before them suddenly dissipated.

There are no trials like lava or skeletons here, only a city.

The dark gray city walls soared into the clouds, the city gates were wide open, and the plaque at the top read "Youyan City" in three large characters.

The five people entered the city gate, and the ghost guards at the gate looked them up and down before giving each of them a token.

Si Mingche and Lu Xingzhou are in the third class of the first tier, Shen Qingchen and Pei Shubai are in the second class of the first tier, and Yun Qing is in the first class of the first tier.

Si Mingche looked down at the plaque in his hand, then flipped over Pei Shubai's plaque, and said angrily, "Why am I third class? Senior Brother and Senior Brother Shen are both second class."

Lu Xingzhou leaned closer, grinning, and said, "I'm also in the third tier. Do you think it's possible that this ranking is based on combat strength? It's understandable that Senior Brother Pei and my senior brother are ranked ahead of us."

Si Mingche: "Then why is Junior Sister taller than any of us?"

Lu Xingzhou's smile froze. "Yeah...why? Although Junior Sister Yun Qing is very powerful, how did that ghost messenger know at a glance that she's more powerful than my Senior Brother?"

"My senior brother is already this weak?"

After saying that, he was honored to be beaten up by Shen Qingchen.

Shen Qingchen dusted off his hands, straightened his robes, and said with a warm smile, "Let's go into the city and see what's going on."

The three members of Chengtian Sect were dumbfounded. What loving fellow disciples they were!

Lu Xingzhou limped as he followed the five people into the city. Inside the gate was a wide street lined with shops on both sides, with ghostly figures coming and going, a hundred times more lively than the market on the third floor.

The ghosts here are completely different from those above. Their bodies are solid, their eyes are sharp, and their ghostly aura is so dense that it is almost tangible.

More importantly, they were much better looking than the ghosts above, with regular features and slender figures. Even the ghost vendors at the stalls were clean and tidy.

Lu Xingzhou looked around and couldn't help but mutter, "The ghosts up there can grow however they want, but why are the ghosts here so particular about their appearance?"

Si Mingche pointed to the street corner, where several ghosts were holding bronze mirrors, adjusting their robes and applying makeup in front of them.

They all had signs hanging from their waists, labeled A, B, C, and D, with B being more numerous, while A and D were only a handful.

Si Mingche clicked his tongue twice. "Do ghosts also have appearance anxiety?"

Yun Qing observed the surrounding ghosts and the waist tokens on their bodies, and boldly guessed: "Could it be... that these waist tokens are ranked according to appearance?"

"You guessed right!"

Suddenly, a little girl appeared in front of the five people... a little ghost. Unlike the ghosts they remembered, she had a round face, a pale complexion, but delicate features.

She smiled at the five of them, "Are you new here? You're all so good-looking, the Ghost King will definitely like you."

Five faces completely bewildered...

Is this really a demon clan member who didn't make a mistake?

Yun Qing squatted down and said, "Little girl, what's your name? We've just arrived in Youyan City and don't know many things yet. Could you tell us about them?"

The little girl smiled and said, "My name is Ah Le, and I'm happy to serve you, pretty lady."

She gestured for the five to come closer, "Our Ghost King loves beautiful ghosts the most, so in our Youyan City, we rely not only on strength but also on looks. Those of the highest rank have the opportunity to become protectors by the Ghost King's side, while those of the second and third ranks will serve as ghost generals, ghost officials, ghost messengers, and so on."

"Those in Class B and Class C can only be ordinary ghosts, and those in Class D who are too ugly will have to do manual labor."

After she finished speaking, her gaze swept across the faces of the five people one by one, finally settling on Yun Qing's face.

Ah Le's eyes lit up. "Pretty lady, what's your name? Are you a Class A First-Class?"

"You'll definitely get into the inner city! The inner city is a lot of fun; the Ghost King selects people to enter the Ghost King's Palace every month."

Yun Qing: ...The Ghost King on this floor is really...special.

She paused for a moment and then said, "My name is Xiao Qing."

Ah Le then looked at Shen Qingchen and Pei Shubai and asked, "Handsome brothers, what are your names?"

As the two were thinking about what pseudonyms to use, they heard Yun Qing say, "They are called Xiao Tu and Fei Yi."

Shen Qingchen: ? ? ? Xiao Tu?

Pei Shubai: ? ? ? Fei Yi?

That works too.

Si Mingche and Lu Xingzhou, standing in the back, were blushing from trying not to laugh. They rarely laughed unless they couldn't help it...

Hahahahaha.

Ah Le tilted his head and looked at the two of them. "What are your names?"

Si Mingche retorted, unconvinced, "Why don't you call us 'handsome brother'?"

Ah Le succinctly stated: "Because you are not."

The smiles on Si Mingche and Lu Xingzhou's faces shifted to the other three.

Yun Qing introduced with a smile, "His name is Shuiche (Waterwheel)."

He then pointed to Lu Xingzhou, "His name is Xiaochuan."

Their faces darkened completely; how could it be even worse than their senior brother's...

Ah Le said disdainfully, "He's not good-looking, and his name isn't nice either."

The two embraced and wept bitterly; it was so heartbreaking!

Pei Shubai's lips twitched. "So, the ranking of Youyan City is really based on looks?"

Ah Le nodded vigorously, "That's right. The Ghost King said that the Ghost Realm is cold and gloomy. If you can't even have a decent face, what's the point of living?"

"You all have no idea how handsome our Ghost King is. I've never seen such a beautiful ghost. Compared to my sister, the Ghost King is definitely more handsome."

The five people: "..."

Yun Qing then asked, "You just said that the Ghost King selects people to go to the inner city every month. What exactly do they do once they enter the inner city?"

"That's right, the Ghost King hasn't made his selection yet this month, so Little Qing has a good chance of being chosen."

Ah Le paused, then chuckled, "As for what you'll do once you enter the inner city, I'm not quite sure, because I've never been there. But I've heard from those ghost officials that the resources in the inner city are much better than in the outer city, and just one trip there can significantly increase your cultivation level."

Yun Qing lowered her voice and asked, "If we want to go to the next level, do we have to enter the inner city?"

Ah Le's face suddenly darkened, and his tone towards Yun Qing became much colder, "Why don't you want to stay here? Why do you want to leave?!"

"With your qualifications, you could receive excellent treatment in Youyan City. Why would you disappoint our Ghost King?"

She approached the five people step by step, her eyes growing increasingly eerie, and even the ghostly aura around her intensified.

"To leave, you must defeat the Demon King of this level. A defeated Demon King can only be exiled to the first eight levels as a Demon General."

The first eight levels are not a place for ghosts to dwell; they will gradually erode the Ghost King's soul power, eventually replacing him with other exiled Ghost Kings. Our Youyan City has finally found such a worthy Ghost King, why do you want to leave?

Yun Qing was stunned. It turned out that the ghost generals they encountered from the fourth floor onwards were all ghost kings who had been exiled before. No wonder Ah Le was so emotional.

"Ah Le, you've misunderstood," she said. "We don't want to leave. We're new here, we don't know anything, we were just asking."

Ah Le stared at her for a few moments, and then slowly withdrew the ghostly aura around him.

Then, she smiled sweetly and said, "Sister Xiaoqing, shall I take you for a walk? Lord Ghost King's men will be coming to the outer city to select people soon."